I was interested in the Today Programme’s discussion this morning on whether all opinions of bloggers are equal. They set up a debate between an academic literary critic and a blogger to debate this. As a piece of radio, it didn’t quite work as the blogger was actually a professional librarian who had qualifications and experience to rival the academics. However the question is an interesting one, how do we access the value of academic versus amateur opinion?
Well, one way has to be the quality of the written word. I understand and accept that language is an evolutionary process and that most of us no longer write with quill pens, nor think in Chaucer’s terminology. Whilst some may mourn that as a loss of quality, I see it as an outcome of mass literacy, which has to be a social good. Moreover, new words and phrases come into parlance all the time, as this lovely book on the impact of the environmental lexicon on English indicates:
http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/wordfrom/greening/?view=uk
So, it is inevitable that language changes. On balance, this is probably a good thing. What is completely unacceptable however, is an acceptance of a loss of standards in the written word. Formal written documents, be they essays, commercial documents or contracts, should be grammatically accurate, and if not interesting to read, at least intelligible. We have a diverse and beautiful language which should be a joy to read and write, not a chore.
This matters, not because I’m a language snob (I was state school educated all the way!), but because it’s how we communicate with each other. How can I expect clients to trust my advice, if they can’t understand my recommendations because they are so poorly written? Language is currency – let’s not cheapen it.
Monday 31 March 2008
Friday 28 March 2008
The Arsenal Summit
Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to the UK certainly did not go unnoticed. Mr. Sarkozy has created nothing short of a media frenzy since becoming President of France. With his glamorous lifestyle and of course high-profile marriage to ex-model Carla Bruni, some believe that President Sarkozy has been distracted from his work.
During his two-day state visit to the UK however, Sarkozy had a lot on his agenda, including the issue of nuclear energy. Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy discussed the possibility of a nuclear energy partnership between the two nations. The meeting took place at the Emirates football stadium in North London for the appropriately named ‘Arsenal Summit’ in an attempt to reach an agreement about the export of nuclear technology and the construction of new power stations.
While only 18% of electricity in the UK is generated from nuclear power, in comparison to more than 75% in the case of France, change is under way in Britain. In January, the government published an Energy Bill and a White Paper on Nuclear Power, ‘Meeting the Energy Challenge’, essentially giving the green light for the development and expansion of the nuclear energy sector. The government has taken the position that nuclear energy is a clean, safe and affordable way of providing energy to the population. In the White Paper, Gordon Brown stated how he was “confident that nuclear power can and will make a real contribution to meeting our commitments to limit damaging climate change”.
In his address to Parliament on Wednesday, Sarkozy passionately endorsed a new ‘Franco-British brotherhood’. I believe that this new relationship presents a great opportunity for the UK to take advantage of the nuclear expertise of the French. With the cost of oil still rising, the pressure to secure energy sources becoming bigger every day, and with the renewable power sector failing to deliver, the future of nuclear energy in the UK looks bright.
During his two-day state visit to the UK however, Sarkozy had a lot on his agenda, including the issue of nuclear energy. Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy discussed the possibility of a nuclear energy partnership between the two nations. The meeting took place at the Emirates football stadium in North London for the appropriately named ‘Arsenal Summit’ in an attempt to reach an agreement about the export of nuclear technology and the construction of new power stations.
While only 18% of electricity in the UK is generated from nuclear power, in comparison to more than 75% in the case of France, change is under way in Britain. In January, the government published an Energy Bill and a White Paper on Nuclear Power, ‘Meeting the Energy Challenge’, essentially giving the green light for the development and expansion of the nuclear energy sector. The government has taken the position that nuclear energy is a clean, safe and affordable way of providing energy to the population. In the White Paper, Gordon Brown stated how he was “confident that nuclear power can and will make a real contribution to meeting our commitments to limit damaging climate change”.
In his address to Parliament on Wednesday, Sarkozy passionately endorsed a new ‘Franco-British brotherhood’. I believe that this new relationship presents a great opportunity for the UK to take advantage of the nuclear expertise of the French. With the cost of oil still rising, the pressure to secure energy sources becoming bigger every day, and with the renewable power sector failing to deliver, the future of nuclear energy in the UK looks bright.
Wednesday 26 March 2008
Zero Waste Scotland
This week, the Scottish Government has bin thinking.
Today, the Zero Waste Think Tank will meet for the first time in Edinburgh. The Think Tank brings together a number of experts to discuss the best ways in which Scotland can move towards a zero waste society.
Yesterday, the Government launched the 2008 Composting at Home Campaign in Fife. Composting of household and garden waste plays a vital part in a zero waste Scotland. The composting campaign has been running for the previous four years, distributing over 160,000 compost bins to Scottish households, with more bins planned for distribution this year. In Fife, where this year’s campaign was launched, recycling and composting levels are well ahead of the overall Scottish figure, at 36.2 per cent. Fife is also the first council in Scotland to commit to the principle of sending zero waste to landfill, by 2020.
I think that the idea of zero waste is an important one. With so many of the world’s future problems attributable to climate change, sometimes this hard line, no messing, approach really works. And at the end of the day, with recycling and composting capabilities as they are, this is something that is hopefully achievable. Still, we will wait to see, whether the zero waste target in 2020 is actually hit, and look out for the rest of the UK getting in on the act as well.
Today, the Zero Waste Think Tank will meet for the first time in Edinburgh. The Think Tank brings together a number of experts to discuss the best ways in which Scotland can move towards a zero waste society.
Yesterday, the Government launched the 2008 Composting at Home Campaign in Fife. Composting of household and garden waste plays a vital part in a zero waste Scotland. The composting campaign has been running for the previous four years, distributing over 160,000 compost bins to Scottish households, with more bins planned for distribution this year. In Fife, where this year’s campaign was launched, recycling and composting levels are well ahead of the overall Scottish figure, at 36.2 per cent. Fife is also the first council in Scotland to commit to the principle of sending zero waste to landfill, by 2020.
I think that the idea of zero waste is an important one. With so many of the world’s future problems attributable to climate change, sometimes this hard line, no messing, approach really works. And at the end of the day, with recycling and composting capabilities as they are, this is something that is hopefully achievable. Still, we will wait to see, whether the zero waste target in 2020 is actually hit, and look out for the rest of the UK getting in on the act as well.
Thursday 20 March 2008
Anti-social behaviour orders, tough love or too far?
The government’s latest plan to tackle the issue of youth violence is to identify, target, and work with 1,000 children who are at risk of turning to crime later in life. This move is part of a £218m 3-year package to prevent youth and children as young as 10 from developing criminal behaviour.
The opposition parties have criticised the government for applying sticking-plaster solutions to a widespread and deeply-rooted problem. But with such staggering figure as ‘95% of children have been the victim of a crime, including 72% who have been assaulted’, according to a survey by the Howard League for Penal Reform last year, it is no wonder that the government is turning to tough measures, or what can be interpreted as ‘tough love’.
While I do agree with the Children’s Minister, Beverly Hughes, who said yesterday that “We know that the best form of cure is prevention”, I do not consider directly singling out and tagging a small number of youth as ‘future criminals’ as preventative action. Rather, I think that the government’s decision to invest £23m in a youth capital fund that will help provide better arts and sports facilities to youth in disadvantaged areas, is the type of action that will have a lasting effect. We want to present young people with alternatives to crime. Investing in such things as community centres, extracurricular activities, as well as support and mentorship programmes, is a good way to start. But most importantly, what first needs to be done is to focus on the wider social issues behind this growing problem. Poverty, broken homes, drug and alcohol abuse are just a few factors that come to mind.
Ensuring that young people feel they are being supported, motivated and guided by their families, schools and communities is fundamental. I don’t believe that threatening youth with anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) and forcing them to sign a good behaviour contract will change much. Reaching out to all children before they begin to consider the idea of resorting to crime is definitely appropriate, but maybe this latest scheme is just a little too ‘tough’.
The opposition parties have criticised the government for applying sticking-plaster solutions to a widespread and deeply-rooted problem. But with such staggering figure as ‘95% of children have been the victim of a crime, including 72% who have been assaulted’, according to a survey by the Howard League for Penal Reform last year, it is no wonder that the government is turning to tough measures, or what can be interpreted as ‘tough love’.
While I do agree with the Children’s Minister, Beverly Hughes, who said yesterday that “We know that the best form of cure is prevention”, I do not consider directly singling out and tagging a small number of youth as ‘future criminals’ as preventative action. Rather, I think that the government’s decision to invest £23m in a youth capital fund that will help provide better arts and sports facilities to youth in disadvantaged areas, is the type of action that will have a lasting effect. We want to present young people with alternatives to crime. Investing in such things as community centres, extracurricular activities, as well as support and mentorship programmes, is a good way to start. But most importantly, what first needs to be done is to focus on the wider social issues behind this growing problem. Poverty, broken homes, drug and alcohol abuse are just a few factors that come to mind.
Ensuring that young people feel they are being supported, motivated and guided by their families, schools and communities is fundamental. I don’t believe that threatening youth with anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) and forcing them to sign a good behaviour contract will change much. Reaching out to all children before they begin to consider the idea of resorting to crime is definitely appropriate, but maybe this latest scheme is just a little too ‘tough’.
Wednesday 19 March 2008
The three T's - Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square
The decision to award China the Olympics has been placed under an even closer microscope this week as events develop in Tibet. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, while not calling for a boycott, called for a symbolic absence from the opening ceremony. The response of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao? That the principles of the Olympics and the Olympic Charter should be respected. The Games, he said, should not be politicised.
It is not unknown for sport and politics to collide – in recent times the England and Wales Cricket Board’s tour of Zimbabwe springs to mind – but it is the status of the Olympics in the world’s consciousness that makes these developments unique in recent times. Prior to the awarding of the Games to Beijing, they had been hosted by Greece, Australia, and the U.S.
Going further back, it is interesting to note that China itself has boycotted two Olympic Games – the 1976 Montreal Olympics, following a row over the recognition of Taiwan, and the 1980 Moscow Games, where China was among a number of countries who did not attend following the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan.
There are plenty of reasons that these games should be the subject of similar boycotts - Darfur, or one of the three T’s (Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square) would serve as sufficient justification. Similarly, arguments exist that engagement, and not isolation are key. However, I would argue that sporting events are an opportunity to make a statement, and such a statement needs to be made given the suppression of human rights that is currently occurring.
It is not unknown for sport and politics to collide – in recent times the England and Wales Cricket Board’s tour of Zimbabwe springs to mind – but it is the status of the Olympics in the world’s consciousness that makes these developments unique in recent times. Prior to the awarding of the Games to Beijing, they had been hosted by Greece, Australia, and the U.S.
Going further back, it is interesting to note that China itself has boycotted two Olympic Games – the 1976 Montreal Olympics, following a row over the recognition of Taiwan, and the 1980 Moscow Games, where China was among a number of countries who did not attend following the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan.
There are plenty of reasons that these games should be the subject of similar boycotts - Darfur, or one of the three T’s (Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen Square) would serve as sufficient justification. Similarly, arguments exist that engagement, and not isolation are key. However, I would argue that sporting events are an opportunity to make a statement, and such a statement needs to be made given the suppression of human rights that is currently occurring.
Monday 17 March 2008
Ice Hockey, Skipping, and even Korfball..
Gerry Sutcliffe, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport was recently asked in Parliament to provide details regarding what funding Sport England provided for each sport in the last three years. These figures, combined with those I blogged on previously regarding sporting participation, offer another further insight into today’s domestic sport environment.
Among males the most popular sport was football by a considerable margin. Yet in 2007-2008, Football will receive a similar amount from the national lottery as Equestrianism. Basketball will receive double that amount, and Canoeing almost three times as much. Despite the participation figures this is probably a smart policy move – the professional game of Football is not starved of funds, and it is important that people are offered a variety of sports to participate in. Perhaps in recognition of this, 2007-2008 will also be the first time that Ice Hockey, Skipping, and even Korfball (an introduction to which can be found here) receive funds from the lottery. Conversely, American Football, Taekwondo, and the Modern Pentathlon will see their funding end.
Clearly, a very finely tuned balancing act is taking place here, which is why we see one American sport - American Football, losing out on funding, but another - Ice Hockey, gaining it. These figures also illustrate the difficult job Sport England has in distributing funding, but the recent balance seems largely to be the right one.
Among males the most popular sport was football by a considerable margin. Yet in 2007-2008, Football will receive a similar amount from the national lottery as Equestrianism. Basketball will receive double that amount, and Canoeing almost three times as much. Despite the participation figures this is probably a smart policy move – the professional game of Football is not starved of funds, and it is important that people are offered a variety of sports to participate in. Perhaps in recognition of this, 2007-2008 will also be the first time that Ice Hockey, Skipping, and even Korfball (an introduction to which can be found here) receive funds from the lottery. Conversely, American Football, Taekwondo, and the Modern Pentathlon will see their funding end.
Clearly, a very finely tuned balancing act is taking place here, which is why we see one American sport - American Football, losing out on funding, but another - Ice Hockey, gaining it. These figures also illustrate the difficult job Sport England has in distributing funding, but the recent balance seems largely to be the right one.
Friday 14 March 2008
The 2008 Budget – an environmental assessment
The daily news tells us that climate change will be the principal source of many of the world’s problems in the future. It will be the cause of future international conflicts because of competition over energy sources and natural resources. It will lead to mass migration movements resulting in ‘millions of environmental migrants’. It will also contribute to growing tension between North and South over the issue of environmental responsibility.
Bearing these issues in mind and the increasing pressure for the UK to catch up with the rest of Europe in terms of reaching environmental targets, I hoped that the 2008 Budget would be the ‘greenest’ ever. Even though Mr. Darling did mention the environment and climate change 15 times in his speech, I share the disappointment of many environmentalists and believe that the green levies and taxes that were included in this year’s budget, though steps in the right direction, will only bring about small changes.
And even though there were some significant green tax rises in this year’s budget, there were also a few contradictions. For instance, while government put forward a new vehicle excise duty that will raise £735 m in 2010, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the government also delayed a 2p increase in fuel duty. And while the Chancellor also pledged to raise green airline taxes, the government continues to back the expansion of Heathrow. So is the government sending out mixed messages?
To be fair, Mr. Darling did had little room to manoeuvre, as this was one of the most difficult budgets to deliver because of the economic slowdown and the grim prospect for economic growth facing the UK. However, others are not as forgiving. Phil Thornhill, national co-ordinator for the Campaign Against Climate Change, said the Chancellor had failed to "bite the bullet". So if climate change is indeed leading to the consequences I mentioned earlier, it would seem to me that there isn’t much room for compromise.
Bearing these issues in mind and the increasing pressure for the UK to catch up with the rest of Europe in terms of reaching environmental targets, I hoped that the 2008 Budget would be the ‘greenest’ ever. Even though Mr. Darling did mention the environment and climate change 15 times in his speech, I share the disappointment of many environmentalists and believe that the green levies and taxes that were included in this year’s budget, though steps in the right direction, will only bring about small changes.
And even though there were some significant green tax rises in this year’s budget, there were also a few contradictions. For instance, while government put forward a new vehicle excise duty that will raise £735 m in 2010, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the government also delayed a 2p increase in fuel duty. And while the Chancellor also pledged to raise green airline taxes, the government continues to back the expansion of Heathrow. So is the government sending out mixed messages?
To be fair, Mr. Darling did had little room to manoeuvre, as this was one of the most difficult budgets to deliver because of the economic slowdown and the grim prospect for economic growth facing the UK. However, others are not as forgiving. Phil Thornhill, national co-ordinator for the Campaign Against Climate Change, said the Chancellor had failed to "bite the bullet". So if climate change is indeed leading to the consequences I mentioned earlier, it would seem to me that there isn’t much room for compromise.
Universal changes
Universities have been in the news quite a lot this month, and surprisingly, the news is generally good.
An article in Guardian online on the 6th March talked about how HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) has decided that universities in England will get an above inflation rise - 3.3% - in funding for teaching, research and widening participation next year. The settlement is higher than any allocated to other public sectors for next year.
Total funds of around £7.6bn have been allocated for the 131 universities and 128 colleges for 2008-09. In particular, the research funding includes £62m for business-related research, £185m for charity-funded research and £199m for postgraduate research.
I think it is encouraging that these funds have been allocated for universities, particularly for research. Through technology transfer to businesses, university research can greatly contribute to UK industry development, and therefore ultimately boost the UK economy – maybe there will be a good ROI for the generous spending!
While on the 2nd March, an article in The Observer described plans for up to 20 new university towns to be created across Britain, at a total cost of £150m over 6 years. Towns will be invited to enter a 'university challenge', bidding for the right to have a new campus or college in their area. The new campuses could be linked to existing universities or could be entirely new bodies.
Regardless of the critics who might argue that such new town universities would dilute the strength of the intellectual tradition, I think there are definite good points to this plan. New universities could regenerate areas that have high unemployment - the higher-education sector contributes around £50bn to the economy and sustains around 600,000 jobs. Graduates also have a much lower rate of unemployment, with 2.9 per cent without a job, compared to 6 per cent among the population who don't have a degree. Thirdly, it will give adults more chance to gain a degree and therefore contribute to the skills base in the UK. People who are put off going to universities because of money worries may find it easier and more convenient if there is more choice of universities, closer to where they live.
An article in Guardian online on the 6th March talked about how HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) has decided that universities in England will get an above inflation rise - 3.3% - in funding for teaching, research and widening participation next year. The settlement is higher than any allocated to other public sectors for next year.
Total funds of around £7.6bn have been allocated for the 131 universities and 128 colleges for 2008-09. In particular, the research funding includes £62m for business-related research, £185m for charity-funded research and £199m for postgraduate research.
I think it is encouraging that these funds have been allocated for universities, particularly for research. Through technology transfer to businesses, university research can greatly contribute to UK industry development, and therefore ultimately boost the UK economy – maybe there will be a good ROI for the generous spending!
While on the 2nd March, an article in The Observer described plans for up to 20 new university towns to be created across Britain, at a total cost of £150m over 6 years. Towns will be invited to enter a 'university challenge', bidding for the right to have a new campus or college in their area. The new campuses could be linked to existing universities or could be entirely new bodies.
Regardless of the critics who might argue that such new town universities would dilute the strength of the intellectual tradition, I think there are definite good points to this plan. New universities could regenerate areas that have high unemployment - the higher-education sector contributes around £50bn to the economy and sustains around 600,000 jobs. Graduates also have a much lower rate of unemployment, with 2.9 per cent without a job, compared to 6 per cent among the population who don't have a degree. Thirdly, it will give adults more chance to gain a degree and therefore contribute to the skills base in the UK. People who are put off going to universities because of money worries may find it easier and more convenient if there is more choice of universities, closer to where they live.
Monday 3 March 2008
Participation in Sport
Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister of State for Sport was recently asked what, exactly, were the top ten sports in terms of active participation in the UK? Mr Sutcliffe’s answer, split into both gender and nine different age brackets, gave an interesting insight into the sporting habits of Britain.
Not everything about Mr. Sutcliffe’s answer to surprising – for males aged from 17-31 football was the undisputed leader. Among males aged 17-21 years, it is three time more popular than its nearest rival. However, once males reach 31-35 years old, going to the gym, previously always second among males, overtakes football. By the time males reach the 36-40 age bracket gym has been overtaken by swimming. Perhaps unsurprisingly, by the time males are 56 and beyond, golf has become the favoured participation sport. Among females, swimming remains the most popular sport throughout – from 17 to 65+. Similarly, gym remains second throughout the age brackets.
What is interesting to note in the data is that among football, swimming and tennis, gym, running road (their phrasing not mine), jogging and weight training also feature. By the age of 56-59 among males, exercise bikes feature. Yoga, pilates, and even ‘keeping fit’, become prominent among females as they age.
Such inclusion is surely of benefit to everyone – although some may raise an eyebrow at the suggestion yoga is likely to result in the same physical exertion as rugby union, including such activities should allow all disciplines to benefit from the commitment made by Sport England and the Olympic Delivery Authority to increase participation in the UK.
The data, from Sport England’s Active People Survey (2005-2006) can be found here, along with Mr. Sutcliffe’s full answer.
Not everything about Mr. Sutcliffe’s answer to surprising – for males aged from 17-31 football was the undisputed leader. Among males aged 17-21 years, it is three time more popular than its nearest rival. However, once males reach 31-35 years old, going to the gym, previously always second among males, overtakes football. By the time males reach the 36-40 age bracket gym has been overtaken by swimming. Perhaps unsurprisingly, by the time males are 56 and beyond, golf has become the favoured participation sport. Among females, swimming remains the most popular sport throughout – from 17 to 65+. Similarly, gym remains second throughout the age brackets.
What is interesting to note in the data is that among football, swimming and tennis, gym, running road (their phrasing not mine), jogging and weight training also feature. By the age of 56-59 among males, exercise bikes feature. Yoga, pilates, and even ‘keeping fit’, become prominent among females as they age.
Such inclusion is surely of benefit to everyone – although some may raise an eyebrow at the suggestion yoga is likely to result in the same physical exertion as rugby union, including such activities should allow all disciplines to benefit from the commitment made by Sport England and the Olympic Delivery Authority to increase participation in the UK.
The data, from Sport England’s Active People Survey (2005-2006) can be found here, along with Mr. Sutcliffe’s full answer.
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