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OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY OPPORTUNITY

To understand why the army ethos gives rise to bullying (aka barbarism) read Zimbardo: The Stanford Prison Experiment.

I think you will find that the Tories took away all of the financial restraints left over from the previous world war. Browns problem is the fact he didnt stipulate many himself, ie 90% and 3 times your 'proven' wages mortgages for starters!

How are the Asian banks doing?

When I just looked at the picture of the three party leaders on your home page I suddenly just felt really sorry for Gordon Brown. I know I shouldn't but I do- he is just completely helpless, and hopeless but in a way I would like it to work out for him. I think these strange feelings are partly brought on by the fact the cameron next to him is so smug and conceted. Cameron has no clue about what to do solve the problems in the country and I really believe that he would be an absolute disaster- who knows, after a couple of years of a cameron govt we might even start wanting Brown back!

Barrie (#1) I know what your're saying here, but I often wonder how much the general public can really appreciate about the conditions which those in the armed forces, penal system and police have to come to terms with as part of their job. Those on the outside are often quick to criticise without appreciating the reasons for the aversive contingencies which almost define the environments. The more open these professions become to scrutiny by well meaning outsiders (including inspectors I have to say), the harder their jobs often become. Soldiers are trained to kill (and avoid being killed) after all. Military training is necessarily annealing and whilst relieving the aversive contingencies is what's known as negative reinforcement it doesn't necessarily do anyone any good in the long run. There's a fine line between 'bullying' and essential training, and I reckon we should remember that in the end, they will have to critically depend upon each other in service.....

´óÏó´«Ã½ Username Archive

A technical question: Do ALLcontributors' posts get archived under their usernames, or is there any post-moderation at work in the interest of the public good?

I ask, as it's not entirely 'transparent' given the dating and post inclusion when one looks at the sequencing.

Or have I just overlooked something?

NO CRITICISM OF BULLYING JJ

ANIMALS bully to arrive at a pecking order - I don't need to tell you that.
But either we humans find the key to optimising our humanity (and to minimising our animal behaviour) or we should ADMIT we are animals and absorb that admission into law, justice, etc.
Bullying in the ranks (let alone from higher to lower) has been de rigueur for all my lifetime. What I criticise, is the pretence that it isn't there and, on a broader view, the idea that we are civilised, even though killing and destruction are a legitimate (even lauded) approach to problem solving.
Quite how the lads who are knifing one another in British streets, to settle disputes, are supposed to reconcile the rightness of Iraq with the wrongness of THEIR warfare, is beyond me. But then, I lack the acumen of a politician.

Frank Luntz and the Lib Dems
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Maybe Frank should of shown the Labour and ex Labour voters Nick Clegg on News Night less than 12 months ago, advocating an Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants.

I wonder what the reaction would have been?

How about explaining the Lib Dems policy on joining the Euro.

I wonder what the reaction would have been ?

How about explaining the Lib Dems policy on a European Army to go with the EU Foreign policy, enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty.

I wonder what the reaction would have been ?

How about explaining what the Lib Dems did during the Lisbon Treaty referendum debate and what their 2005 Lib Dems manifesto promised.

I wonder what the reaction would have been ?


But maybe it's just me and the above would not sway a UK voter in their preferences.

Barrie (#7) "But then, I lack the acumen of a politician."

With the greatest respect Barrie, many will disagree with you there.

I fear a major problem in our schools today is that staff don't set consistent, appropriate, standards by their own behaviour. They talk the talk well enough but it's the walk that's invariably the problem (see end). We live in anarchistic times, and many don't see how.

Some of this comes down to lack of control which has been in part redressed through new provisions to exercise control and restraint/ where required, but sadly, this will probably rarely happen given that to be done safely this would probably require what prisons refer to as a MUFTI team (riot shields and the protective clothing) if it was to be done safely these days as too many kids are arming themselves for defence, and it will be a foolhardy female (or male) teacher who tried to restrain a pumped up adolescent these days whether empowered to or not. As elsewhere, kids need rules/boundaries which make sense and which they see being enforced consistently. Too many teachers still treat their classrooms as personal fiefdoms and fail to see the chaos which this creates as kids move from fiefdom to fiefdom half a dozen times a day.

OOPS

Apology JJ. I should have put 'acumen' in ' '.
I intended it sarcastically, to mean: 'such acuity that they can see things other than as they are'. I'll try to behave.

I can only see school as the first thing that emergent complex man tried. I am in no doubt it institutionalises and, by its very structure, must limit individuality and expression (or oppress). Add its function as a refuge for those most institutionalised (many teachers) and you have a problem.

But school is only one part of mankind's multiple failure to cope with modern times!
Or have I already said that?

Superb Jeremy Wednesday night - particularly with Alistair Darling' It should be put up on the site as a special interview. The "Place That Face" promo by Jeremy was the funniest!