Showing posts with label long march through the institutions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long march through the institutions. Show all posts

Wednesday 29 May 2024

The Continuing Cost Of MacPherson...

A cash-strapped fire brigade forked out more than £40,000 in legal fees after being sued by a firefighter who was sacked for buying weapons online.

Yes, this is yet another casualty of the war on common sense. 

Tyrone Bahar alleged the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority was 'institutionally racist' for firing him in light of his criminal offences, which saw him jailed for five years. An employment tribunal heard the firefighter, who was behind bars when he brought forward claims, felt the sanction to dismiss him was 'too severe'.
He sued for unfair dismissal and race and disability discrimination, but his claims were thrown out after an employment judge found the authority was right to sack him, stating it was a perfectly 'reasonable response' to his crimes.

Thank god for a judge with sense, but even so, the taxpayer is still on the hook for the cost. 

Now, a freedom of information request has revealed the fire brigade had to fork out £41,683 in legal fees to defend these claims.
In August 2020, the first investigatory meeting was held and Mr Bahar told bosses whilst he accepted that he pleaded guilty to possessing firearms, he asserted that he had thought they were legal and would not have bought them if he had realised they were illegal. The panel heard evidence from a psychological report, which stated the firefighter had a 'disorder of collecting items' and this hoarding 'could explain the behaviour exhibited by collecting several weapons'.

Good grief! And when the mental health tack failed, pull out the RaceCard!  

Whilst his prison sentence was live, Mr Bahar brought forward a claim of unfair dismissal. In a 251 page witness statement read by the panel, the firefighter alleged there was an 'unhelpful atmosphere' at the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority which was 'based on race'.
These claims were not upheld by EJ Thomas Talbot-Ponsonby who said: '[Mr Bahar's] case is that he perceives that there is institutional racism, and that he has suffered ongoing discrimination and harassment due to his race, which he feels is either tolerated or even condoned by management.
'The tribunal consider that, having regard to the pleaded case... [Mr Bahar] has not provided evidence to support this allegation.'

Perhaps where there's palpably no evidence, legal aid to sue should be automatically refused?  

Wednesday 22 May 2024

The Tyranny Of The HR Department

A major British industry group has been accused of publishing impractical guidance over whether self-identifying transgender women can use single-sex spaces. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) states in a guide that refusing a transgender person female-only facilities could be 'discrimination' in law.

The fact that this collection of blue-haired harpies who swallowed the Stonewall kool-aid is considered a 'major British industry group' at all gives you a good idea of why we are no longer a world-leader...  

But Maya Forstater, chief executive of gender critical group Sex Matters, said the charity - which represents HR professionals - should 'start again' with its approach.Former thinktank researcher Ms Forstater told the Daily Telegraph: 'We think the CIPD's guidance on trans and non-binary should be scrapped and started again. It's written in a way that sounds like it's taking everyone into account, but it's not usable.

Well, that rather depends on exactly who it was written for, Maya, and what its intended use was... 

'She added: 'The answer that 'you should consult and take legal advice' is not practicable. What we're talking about is a big company, retail or anywhere with lots of sites all over the country, some of them have a picture of a woman in a dress in the door.

They have a picture of a human figure in a dress. Whether that only applies to Brenda from the typing pool or includes Ron from Maintenance is what buys solicitors their next Ferrari...

'Are they female only? The answer can't be 'we'll take legal advice'. The answer has to be yes or no.'

Expecting a clear and unequivocal answer from HR departments? Might as well wish for a unicorn... 

Friday 10 May 2024

DEI Has The Charitable Sector In Its Sights Now...

Charities are hiring staff with “privilege rather than potential”, according to the author of a report highlighting the stark class divide in the sector. Working-class people are less likely to be hired by charities than by employers in the public and private sectors, said the EY Foundation, which supports young people from low-income backgrounds to progress in professional roles.

The fact that charity worker can now be considered a 'professional role' in the first place is a sign of how far the industry has fallen, but no-one seems to want to point this out.  

Working-class people also find it harder to climb the career ladder inside charitable organisations, with the report highlighting how charity chief executives are twice as likely as the wider population to have gone to private school, rising to three times as likely for the biggest charities.
Duncan Exley, the author of the report, said charities were missing out when teams hired within their own social circles and class bubbles, which the research showed tended to skew towards the most affluent third of people.

They've become something so far from their origins that we probably need a new term for them. 'Charity' conjures up an image of grey haired retireees baking cakes to raise money for a small local issue and that's so far from the truth of what the largest are like that they are now targets for the rapacious DEI movement. 

One issue identified was that most charities were not even tracking their own progress on how many working-class employees they had and which roles they held. Of the 100 charities studied in one piece of independent research that went into the report, only one reported on the social class of its staff members.

And as a result, they must now spend the money they receive in donations for their cause on the kind of insane overheads that have crippled all other industry. 

Exley, who is the author of The End of Aspiration? Social Mobility and Our Children’s Fading Prospects, said there were endless hurdles for working-class people in the sector. These include a lack of progression from volunteering to a salaried job, having nobody to advocate professionally for them, and a lack of access to London where most large charities are based. Furthermore, he said it was simply not widely known among working-class young people that it was possible to have a well-paid career in the charity sector.

There's a real problem. It shouldn't be.  

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Holding Companies To Ransom…

Staff at the UK’s national institute for artificial intelligence and data science have expressed “serious concerns” about the organisation’s approach to diversity after it appointed four men to senior roles. A letter addressed to the leadership of the Alan Turing Institute (ATI) said the appointments showed a “‘continuing trend of limited diversity within the institute’s senior scientific leadership”.
“Our intention is not to undermine the professional achievements of these esteemed colleagues and that we’re looking forward to working together with them. Rather, our aim is to highlight a broader issue within our institute’s approach to diversity and inclusivity, particularly in scientific leadership roles, with a specific eye towards gender diversity and inclusivity,” said the letter.

So, just how 'unrepresentative (as if that mattered) is the technology industry? 

One in four senior tech employees in the UK are women, according to the annual diversity in tech report by the Tech Talent Charter, a government-backed industry group, while 14% of senior tech role holders are ethnic minorities.

According to the 2021 census, the ethnic minority population of the UK is 18% so they aren't really doing too bad.

ATI’s chief executive said the part government-funded organisation was “committed” to increasing the presence of people from under-represented groups in AI and data science.

I have only one question: why? 

Friday 1 March 2024

"Mr Jenkins added that the public would be 'shocked' if they saw PC Pearson's actions."

Not so sure about that, most would be cheering him on!
The Hampshire Constabulary misconduct hearing was told in June 2022 PC Pearson and a junior female colleague identified only as PC Rich attended the boy's home on the Isle of Wight to speak to him after he hit two youngsters.
PC Pearson was tasked with reaching a Community Resolution - which are used for low-level crimes - and the boy's father was in and 'encouraging his son to listen to the officers and pay attention'. The 'naughty' boy, who can't be named for legal reasons, was said to be 'rude' and 'obnoxious' towards the officers. PC Pearson asked the child 'Why did you whack them?' to which the boy replied 'Why not?'
The uninterested youth sat on his phone and the constable, raising his voice, told him: 'Excuse me, don't talk to me like that, boy.
'You don't start talking to me like that - do you understand me?'
And the father who was present? What did he do about this child's behaviour?
Mr Jenkins said PC Rich described her senior colleague's approach as 'old school' and commented that he 'escalated the situation' which potentially put both of them in danger.
He continued: 'The situation developed by PC Pearson grabbing the boy's arm and there was a short struggle in which the boy's head hit the wall, whereby he sustained some minor injuries.
'The boy's father was understandably angry and he demanded that both officers leave the house, which they did.'

I guess we can see why the child's a little hellion... 

Mr Jenkins said: 'If it is to be suggested that the later conduct of [the boy] is relevant to show that, by June 2022, he was gradually turning into a youngster with violent or criminal tendencies, the Appropriate Authority [Hampshire police] would suggest that PC Pearson's violent actions played a role in that development.
'The boy's strong dislike for the police is plain enough from the bodyworn video material from June 21, 2022, and there are flashes of hatred after he had had his head knocked against the wall.
'His attitude towards police officers and being a law abiding young citizen is unlikely to have changed for the better after PC Pearson's actions on that day.'

I very much doubt anything's going to change his attitude at this point. Why should it? There are absolutely no consequences whatsoever for him, and those who try to impose some are stopped cold.

Am I the only one who can see that?  

PC Pearson denies gross misconduct. The officer admits that bending down and raising his voice breached a Standards of Professional Behaviour offence.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we have a crisis in policing. 

Monday 26 February 2024

It's About Time!

Grassroots police officers have launched a gender-critical network to push back against forces they are concerned have adopted self-ID policies not recognised in law. The serving officers have launched the Police Sex Equality and Equity Network, accusing the service of 'actions that embed gender ideology' within forces nationwide.
They called on bodies representing both rank and file officers, as well as chief constables, to recognise lobby groups and activists within policing in England and Wales had created a 'culture of fear' among those holding gender-critical views.

Maybe they should solicit donations from the public

Police SEEN have said the group intends to emulate the civil service network, which was established 'to re-focus attention on improving equality and equity between women and men'. The group said in a statement: 'Police SEEN warns that the influence of lobby groups and activists within UK policing has created a culture of fear which prevents officers and staff who believe there are two sexes and that sex is real and immutable, from speaking out, for fear of disciplinary action.
'They believe a formal internal network is desperately needed, not only to provide a voice and support for those who want to ensure the law is upheld, but also to restore political impartiality to policing.'

Oh, that it's come to this..! 

Friday 30 June 2023

An Early Entry For The VirtueSignalling Olympics...

Paul Holdsworth, a local boatmaster, had worked for Windermere Lake Cruises (WLC) for 10 years, but quit in “disgust” after employees were banned from...

Smoking? Driving too fast? 

...making reference to slavery in their commentaries.

Oh... 

The company told employees that disclosing such information may cause distress or upset to passengers. It also said that the guidebook, which tourists can buy, was being updated and references to slavery have been removed. Holdsworth said that over the past 10 years, skippers were free to make up their own commentaries during boat tours, and employees talked of all aspects of Windermere’s life and history.

Did they all blather on about slavery then, Paul? Or...was that just you, perhaps...? 

“In the end, I realised they weren’t going to change and that I couldn’t persuade them. They were going to expect me to be complicit in them censoring history and that was something, in all good conscience, that I couldn’t possibly do. So I walked away.

Great! Now you can set up your own tour company and witter on about slavery to your heart's content, can't you? I mean, how can such a business plan fail? There'll be queues all around Windermere, I'll bet.

The local group Anti Racist Cumbria has been supporting Holdsworth since his resignation and approached WLC to offer its support to co-create respectful transcripts and wording. They are yet to receive a response.

Heh! Good.  

A spokesperson for WLC said: “We are not an organisation responsible for providing education or historical interpretation of the area in which we operate and felt there was no compelling need to refer to the transatlantic trade of enslaved people, given that this aspect of our commentary had been the source of complaints.”

At last, a company prepared to stand up to the crazies! It's about the only thing that'd get me on a boat... 

Friday 23 June 2023

But You And Your Cronies Lit The Fire In The First Place...

Oxford University’s new professor of LGBTQ+ history has accused the government of “fanning a culture war” over freedom of speech, insisting it is alive and well in higher education.

*hollow laughter

But wait! What on earth is 'a professor of LGBTQ+ history', anyway?

Matt Cook, who was this week named as the first Jonathan Cooper chair of the history of sexualities, a newly created post at Mansfield College...

Oh... 

Cook said the issue had been blown out of proportion and there were only a “tiny fraction” of cases where speakers were cancelled.

Gosh, imagine someone saying that about immigrant murderers, or 'hate crimes'. He'd be lucky to get out of town alive! 

“So my sense is that it’s not a huge problem. I think the issue has been blown out of proportion. I also think there’s some political expediency in this. It’s a way of fanning a culture war. I don’t think we need additional protections for free speech in the university. Free speech is pretty alive and well.”

No-one ever thinks they need protection when they are saying exactly what everyone in their tiny circle agrees with... 

“The trans people I know currently are facing real daily prejudice that’s misogynistic, transphobic. And I think we need to think very seriously about how we allow everybody in this country to have a livable life, and that includes trans people. ”

I won't bother asking exactly what 'rights' trans men and women are lacking, because it's something that never gets a satisfactory answer... 

Wednesday 14 June 2023

That Long March Reached Some Pretty Exclusive Institutions...

Teachers at a leading sixth form will no longer answer to “Sir” and “Miss”, because they’re “deeply unequal” and feed into a view of the world that diminishes women, the school’s executive principal has told students.
Students will instead be required to address staff by their name – as in “Mr Handscombe” – and failing that, in an emergency where a pupil may have forgotten and needs a swift alternative, “teacher” will be acceptable, “in a pinch”.

How nice of him! It seems I've heard this before, though...

It is not the first time the school has tried to make the switch. When it opened in 2014, the same approach was attempted but there was too much else to think about, staff could not make it stick and “sank into cultural misogyny”, Handscombe told students.

Ah! But presumably, he thinks he's got a better chance now. I wonder why? 

“Which is what this is,” he said. “I don’t think that any of you are being actively woman-hating when you call ‘Miss’ over to get help with your chemistry, but we’re all feeding into a view of the world that diminishes women.
“Men get to be fearless leaders and alpha types, get credited for hustling whilst behind the backs of women it’s asked whether they deserve it, whether their career comes from good ideas or good looks, power moves or diversity lists.”

Maybe it's because everyone seems like they are just going to roll over and take it? 

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Addressing teachers as ‘Sir’ and ‘Miss’ is as old as the hills and something you’ll hear in many schools. It’s a way of implicitly reaffirming the authority of staff. But we live in changing times and obviously people are giving more and more thought to the use of language and its connotations.”

No, most people couldn't give a monkeys, Geoff ol' chum. It's a tiny unrepresentative selection that are driving this. Because people like you are too afraid to stand up to them. 

Monday 15 May 2023

Do We Need Any More Evidence Of The 'Long March'..?

Prison officers have been ordered to stop calling criminals 'convicts' on the grounds it is 'offensive'.
Civil servants at the Prison Service headquarters have also instructed warders to drop the phrase 'ex-con' for former prisoners - and refer to them as 'persons with lived experience' or 'prison leavers'.

So, if you haven't been to prison, you haven't lived? Hmmm... 

Another prisons source said: 'This is real nanny state stuff. Yet again, do-gooding civil servants are spending their working hours trying to manipulate the English language to fit their personal world view, rather than concentrating on things that really matter.
'While they are sending out diktats about 'persons with lived experience', the jails are full to bursting, prison officers are leaving in droves and crime is at a record high.'

All part of the plan, no doubt! 

Tory MP Craig Mackinlay described the Prison Service's latest intervention as 'nonsense'.

Yes, it is. What does Sunak and his cronies plan to do about it? 

He added: 'This new agenda that has taken hold right across government departments has to stop. It is not respected by the public. It's just pure nonsense.'

Anything at all? Or does rooting it out get filed in the 'too much like hard work' column? 

Friday 28 April 2023

By Lying, Dawn, Clearly....

Merton resident Dawn Spragg wrote in to ask why the council was not “actively engaging” with residents about ULEZ.
At the meeting, she asked a follow-up question, saying: “How are you as our elected members engaging with the people that elected you to advise them about the ULEZ that will be inflicted on our borough on August 29.”

The answer she got was not quite what she expected, it'd be fair ro say: 

Cabinet member for transport, Councillor Stephen Alambritis, claimed the scheme has cross-party support from Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour.

Oh, really? Reader, no. Not at all. 

This led to outrage from the leader of the Conservative group Councillor Nick McLean who said the Merton Tories oppose the expansion.

And when blatent lies won't shut up this pesky voter, what next? Take your ball and go home, of course! 

Ms Spragg’s question was one of four from the public on the ULEZ expansion. However, the other three questions were not discussed in the meeting.
When the Merton mayor, councillor Joan Henry tried to move on to the next item on the agenda she was heckled by those sitting in the public gallery, who included Piers Corbyn, brother of former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
It caused Ms Spragg to move to the microphone, where residents can speak at the meeting, to ask why the other questions were not being addressed.
Cllr Henry ordered Ms Spragg to move back to her seat but when her pleas were unsuccessful the meeting was adjourned.

Much as I hate to be on the same side as Corbyn's brother, this is not democracy.  

Monday 30 January 2023

How Does It Do This, Exactly..?


 Whut..?

The new research contradicts claims made by former home secretary Priti Patel, who launched the scheme to deter people crossing the Channel in small boats, saying they were “not genuine asylum seekers” and were “elbowing out the women and children, who are at risk and fleeing persecution”.

It doesn't do anything of the sort. So what if they are married? Does no-one think that might be a ploy to prevent removal? 

Beth Gardiner-Smith, spokesperson for Together With Refugees and chief executive of Safe Passage, said: “This scheme is not just morally wrong; it’s expensive and unworkable. If our government were serious about tackling smuggling and saving lives at sea, they would scrap this plan and urgently expand safe routes for refugees.”
Clare Moseley, founder of Care4Calais, said: “This brutal policy will not end small boat crossings, it won’t stop people smugglers and it won’t keep refugees safe. There is a kinder and more effective option: give safe passage to refugees in Calais.”

There you go, folks! Worried about being burgled? Just leave your front door open! 

Monday 7 November 2022

The True Enemy Within...

Staffordshire county council has agreed to remove the name of terrorist Usman Khan, who killed two people in the London Bridge attacks, from a council report over concerns it could 'inflame' the far right.

What has it got to do with Staffordshire, anyway? 

In 2019, Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23, were attacked and killed by convicted terrorist Khan, 28, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent.

Ah. Well, no doubt they do want to obscure that inconvenient fact. But a fact it remains. Still, these loony-left councils, eh? What are they l... 

At the Conservative-run council's Safeguarding Overview and Scrutiny Committee...

Oh! 

...councillor Gillian Pardesi argued that including Khan's name and ethnic background could provoke an increase in hate crime.

How? 

The chairman of the committee disagreed with cllr Pardesi and said the authority should be wary of 'watering down' information that was in the public domain.
Councillor Bob Spencer said: 'I think the expression of how that translates into the far-right threat is not 100 per cent clear.
'I think we ought to be careful about how we report some of the things and some of the words that we use. However, having said that, if we are simply mirroring or echoing the phrases and words already used by the coroner, that gives it the requisite validity around us using those as well. 'I think this is public knowledge and within the public domain - we're not telling people something that they don't know. I don't see the value personally in changing the language of Home Office reports. I do worry about us constantly watering down facts.'
But sadly, Bob, you're not getting any traction. Richard Littlejohn is rather more forthright:
...it does give yet another depressing insight into the official mindset when it comes to downplaying Islamist atrocities, especially on British soil. This isn't just confined to pusillanimous politicians, the Guardianistas who run the justice system and the Home Office, or the officer class at Scotland Yard, all brainwashed by the Left-wing freemasonry Common Purpose. It now extends throughout every branch of government and so-called 'public service', including Staffordshire council.

Quite! 

Monday 3 October 2022

Sounds Like A Self-Correcting 'Problem' To Me....

Almost 3,000 prisoners in England and Wales stuck behind bars under an abolished “irredeemably flawed” indefinite sentencing scheme should be re-sentenced, MPs and peers have said. The indefinite nature of jail terms under the imprisonment for public protection (IPP) scheme has contributed to feelings of hopelessness and despair that has resulted in high levels of self-harm and some suicides among prisoners, according to the justice select committee.

Gosh, how to react to that news..? 


Blimey, this is seeing a lot of use lately...

The committee’s report, published on Wednesday, says that an independent panel should be appointed to advise on the process of re-sentencing IPP offenders, acknowledging that it is likely to be a complex task.
It further calls for the current time period after which prisoners can be considered for the termination of their licence after release should be halved, from 10 years to five. Neill said: “After a decade of inertia the status quo cannot be allowed to continue.”

Why not? Has it kept people safe? And by 'people', I don't mean the dangerous criminals... 

Friday 9 September 2022

You Know What To Do Next Time...

Ashitha Nagesh has taken to Twitter to talk about how the accident caused a broken humerus (upper arm), which left her needing surgery.
Initially, a passer-by called 999, but left the reference number with the cyclist who hit Ashitha.
After the passer-by left the scene in Walthamstow, Ashitha was told to get in an Uber by the cyclist and went away to hospital without getting the cyclist's full details as she "wasn't thinking straight" and "wanted to get to A&E" as soon as possible.

Nobody called an ambulance because, well, they don't turn up any more... 

Ashitha is now appealing to the public for help after the Met Police has allegedly told her that they won't investigate the incident as "no one called the police at the scene".
However, they have apparently told Ashitha they will investigate if they get enough information about the cyclist from her.

At this stage, I'm only surprised A&E didn't ask her to splint her own broken arm. Does any emergency service do their job any more? 

The BBC News correspondent wrote on Twitter: "So this is a plea, on the off-chance anyone on here saw what happened or knows the guy who hit me last Thursday (Markhouse Road, E17, about 10.20), or saw him in the Co-op there, to please DM me!
"I asked the cyclists for their details and unfortunately all they told me was that their names were Joe and Sam. Don’t know if these are their real names but both are blonde, and the guy who hit me had a short beard. He also smelled [very] strongly of alcohol."

See, if you're a news correspondent, you should be well aware that to get the police on the case, what you should have done was claim the cyclist sexually abused you. Or racially abused you. Or if you wanted black marias and helicopters, misgendered you! 

Wednesday 3 August 2022

Putting Diversity Before Public Safety...

In a judgment today, Mrs Justice Heather Williams rejected the forces's bid to overturn the decision to reinstate the convicted officer.

Yes, it's this case. Again.  

She said: 'The PAT was entitled to regard this as an exceptional case in which dismissal for the officer's gross misconduct was not a necessary and proportionate sanction.'

And what was so 'exceptional' about it? 

The judge continued: 'The PAT reached the conclusion that it did because of the unique circumstances of the conviction, the officer's stellar career, the substantial impact she had had on enhancing the reputation of the MPS as a whole and its assessment that her dismissal would reduce confidence in the police in some of the communities in which the MPS had struggled to gain trust.'

In other words, the perception of those 'communities' that the police and white society has it in for them counts for more than being able to get rid of a proven liar in the force. Just because she's black.  

Isn't there a name for that? Doesn't it begin with 'r'..? 

Scotland Yard also challenged the reinstatement of Detective Constable Asweina Gutty, who was dismissed following her conviction for assaulting her then-partner, before being given a final written warning after an appeal to the PAT.
However, Mrs Justice Heather Williams also rejected this challenge, finding the PAT was 'entitled to conclude' that a final written warning was suitable in the 'unusual circumstances of this case'.

What was unusual about it? That it was a mixed race relationship? That they were lesbians? That the aggressor racially assaulted her lover as well as physically assaulted her? 

District Judge Nina Tempia said: 'What concerns me is she is a serving police officer prone to anger outbursts and she is dealing with members of the public.'

It would appear not to concern Williams overmuch... 

Wednesday 13 July 2022

Only One In Four..?

I'd have put it a lot higher if asked to guess...

One in four councils is promoting ‘highly contentious’ race theories in schools, a major report warns today. Town halls are using controversial terms including ‘white privilege’ and ‘unconscious bias’ in teacher training materials, research has found.

If only our 'conservative' government were as interested in this as they are in fighting like rabid weasels to get into the top spot, eh? 

Tony Sewell, who led last year’s landmark government inquiry into racism that was castigated by the Left, added: ‘As I found as chair of the Commission for Ethnic and Racial Disparities, and as this work underlines, it is increasingly apparent that a single, contentious interpretation of anti-racism has taken hold across many of our country’s institutions. Uncovering the ideological drift in schools is of vital importance both for creating a more balanced discussion on race, and for protecting the integrity of education itself.’

Oh, Tony, I think the integrity of education is a lost cause. Don't you? 

DDU began investigating after learning that Brighton & Hove City Council was recommending pupils as young as five be taught that they are either racists or victims.
Or in the case of cricketer Azeem Rafiq, both!

Wednesday 22 June 2022

You Should Have Spoken Up Before...

A group of academics at the world-leading institution say its policies on harassment and social media are in breach of its legal duty to protect freedom of speech as they prohibit 'speech that is lawful'.
They claim the policies 'frustrate academic freedom - the life blood of this university - and harm academic careers'.

...but of course, you're only doing so now because one of your own is affected. You kept remarkably quiet when other careers were threatened, didn't you?

In a statement, the university said: 'The university is both allowed and obliged to take action in response to concerns about the treatment of a member of the university community by a fellow member of the same community and the university is confident that its policy and procedure on harassment and its social media guidance reflect and comply with its legal obligations.'

Let's see how long that confidence is upheld when you start having to pay out, shall we? 

Wednesday 4 May 2022

Selecting Your Scapegoats...

In recent days and weeks more small lost lives have been added to this grim toll: Logan Mwangi, Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, Star Hobson, Kyrell Matthews and Hakeem Hussain. In each case, decisions were taken that led to missed opportunities to protect these children – but we don’t know why these decisions were made. That will be revealed in safeguarding reviews that are under way.

But Polly has an idea why... 

But we do know that lockdown put huge strains on families and made it harder for social workers to see what was going on.

Really? There were plenty of signs, they didn't miss them, they simply failed to do their job.  

But to fix this system, we have to decide what the problem that we’re fixing is – and make sure that the pandemic doesn’t mask the longer-term trends.

And what would those be? 

I spent three years researching the children’s social care system for my book and found a system that is so decimated by austerity, the relationship between communities and the authorities now so corrupted by distrust, that in some parts of the country it is no longer able to identify the children most at risk.

Ah, yes. They don't have enough resources. It couldn't possibly be anything else, could it? 

In the absence of the capacity to make sound judgments, systems have been put in place that reduce nuanced, human judgment to tick-box exercises that devious parents can see straight through and outmanoeuvre.

Do any of the parents in these cases strike you as the sort of cunning high-IQ manipulators who should be able to pull the wool over the eyes of dedicated trained professionals? Because it never seems so to me... 

A good social care system would take faster, more decisive action to protect children: take them away from abusive families and offer better support and services to help other families stay together safely.

I'd settle for one that could reasonably distinguish between those two subsets with any degree of accuracy... 

Friday 22 April 2022

Maybe You Should Change Your Name..?

Because there's nothing liberal about this:
The human rights group Liberty is threatening to sue the government and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over the bitterly contested law of joint enterprise, arguing that it is discredited and racist in the way the authorities pursue it.

Or is it simply that the gang culture it seeks to prevent is more prevalent within certain races? Chicken/egg here... 

There have long been accusations, supported by academic studies and parliamentary inquiries, that the gang label is attached disproportionately and without adequate evidence to black and minority-ethnic young men.

Right, sure, ok... 

Lana Adamou, a lawyer at Liberty, said: “We all want our communities to be safe, and for our laws to treat us equally. But joint enterprise is overwhelmingly used against people from marginalised communities, especially young black men, and drags people unfairly into the criminal justice system.
“It’s completely unacceptable that there is still no official data being recorded about how the doctrine is used and who it is used against. By failing to do so, the justice system has been recklessly sweeping thousands of young black men into the prison system.

Are we supposed to believe that the police simply arrest black and minority ethnic bus drivers, librarians and chemists who just happen to be present on the street when a gang of animals chase down a rival gang member with knives then?