friarmike

Compensation cannot replace Responsibility

It seems the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has confused the need to manage the public purse responsibly in Carrying through on their commitment to war and its full consequences. How is it that a government can declare war and deploy men and women into lethal contexts without accepting the country's responsibility to care for the welfare of the maimed and injured upon their return from the front line. This must surely be an appropriate tax burden for us all!

It is only a few days since the last veteran of the Great War died, Harry Patch, whose words about the futility of war but the importance of duty presented the paradox of living within the modern state. However, if it is the state that beats the drum of duty to mobilise its citizens in defence of the realm it surely must unequivocally also accept the duty of government to make full provision for the health and practical care needs of those wounded during that defence. These needs both upon repatriation as well as for the rest of a service person's life.

The penny pinching nature of this whole episode is made the worst when contrasted with the banal expenses claims of many MPs recently exposed through the Daily Telegraph. I know that the country will be split over the merits of the existing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, however those in uniform across all three services are required to do their country's bidding once war is declared. It is not they who should bear the frustration or vilification of those citizens who despise these conflicts. Rather they should be welcomed home and supported in engaging in military or civilian life once again.

I know my own father fought throughout the second world war from 1939 to demob in 1946. He never spoke of those experiences but revisited some of those unspoken and terrifying moments in the last days of his life whilst the pain of his cancer was managed by a drug cocktail. One word of advice he continually gave me was never under any circumstances enter the military. Like so many veterans he was proud to have served his country by doing his duty, appalled by the experience of war itself once faced up close and personal, and disillusioned that a generation could so swiftly be forgotten upon their return, save for a plethora of ceremonials toward the very end of their lives.

Last week I was training mediators on the Isle of Wight and the building we used had a plaque 

to Salute Soldiers Day. Perhaps rather than some national service of remembrance marking the passing of the last of the heroes of the Great War we should have a day of thanksgiving for those who have and are serving, with a little more focus upon the casualties of such wars and a public government declaration that the long term care needs of each and every casualty will remain the responsibility of the country that required that injury in the first place. Without the government accepting full responsibility for the consequences of its actions, the financial compensation must feel so cheap.

Shearer. Definitely NOT the man for the Newcastle United job!!

Well the unthinkable has happened. Newcastle United have been relegated - and probably deservedly so. Even supporters with black and white blood running through their veins admit their team have not competed effectively over 38 games. However, herein lies a dilemma. The cry of Tyneside is, 'Shearer, Shearer, Shearer'. But is he really the best candidate to take the team forward? I think not.

Shearer having won a Premiership title with Blackburn Rovers turned down an offer from Manchester United so that he might return and fulfill his childhood dream of wearing the number 9 shirt for Newcastle United. This in itself is laudable. Success on the field providing him with the vehicle for realising a passionate childhood ambition. However appropriate this may have been in 1996 it is irrelevant today. Thirteen years later the world of the premiership and of football itself has radically changed. It is now big business with big rewards. It is feted by huge numbers of ancillary businesses who increase their profitability less by association with the game than by association with the individual players. 

Where once it was enough to wear the shirt and give all for the team and their town or city, today it is about playing on the largest stage available for a global audience and international renown. Players cross international borders freely to secure a position at a club that will engage in European competition and enjoy the greatest exposure to media outlets such as SKY TV. 

One could make the case that few were playing 'for the shirt' against Aston Villa on the final day of the 2009 season. Sadly I think Mr Shearer still believes the loyalty and allegiance to shirt, club, and fans is the primary motivator inspiring the current crop of players. Whilst it might apply to a few, Stephen Gerrard and John Terry as examples, it is not the case for the most showcased player in England, Ronaldo. What is required in the current climate is strategic managers who can blend a squad capable of winning everything they seek. Such a squad must be carefully managed, player by player, and feted with their success on the filed, and well rewarded off it. The late arrival of Guus Hiddink at Chelsea this season demonstrates what a true manager can achieve with a squad he has not created but accepts the challenge laid down by owner and fans.

What Newcastle United need is to leave the land of the dinosaurs and enter todays footballing world. Even their tedious cries that their team is a 'great club' are increasingly hollow. They are not nor have they been a great club. They cover a large land mass and therefore attract a great number of supporters across the North East. This does not make them a great club, rather a well supported club. And credit where credit is due - fantastic supporters. There are two 'great' clubs in the premiership; Liverpool and Manchester United, and I support neither.

As Shearer cut an increasingly isolated and forlorn figure on the touch line as Newcastle continued to stumble and finally fell, his perception may prove significant for Newcastle's future. Bring him back to the commentary team and hand Newcastle to someone who grasps the fact that to play for Newcastle is no different to playing for any other club. The issue is crafting a squad that want to perform on the world's largest footballing stage, not for the shirt they wear but rather for the audience they can impress, the opportunities they can create for themselves, and to some degree the financial sponsorship they can attract. Football has changed. So must Newcastle United and it begins with the next managerial appointment!

So what's in the news?

The recent reporting of Frank Lampard's alleged 'spat' with partner Elen Rives appears to have been elevated to national news status by both the print and radio media. Am I alone in wondering what public interest this serves? 

The radio presenter on LBC, James O'Brien, on the basis of the printed views of a journalist was prepared on air to use the words 'scum' and 'weak' to describe a fellow mortal who I assume he does not know. What's more he is prepared to talk about someone else's relationship as lover and parent - roles I think the majority of us in the real world recognise are exceptionally challenging to manage effectively and well.

Is it appropriate that because an individual is successful in their chosen career, one that rewards success generously, they be subject to public scrutiny, assessment and judgement? I think not. If there is a true public interest as in the misuse of public funds by elected officials, or the abandonment of the elderly within a social order that calls itself 'civilised', then by all means report on it, but with the facts not with opinions. These latter are available at two a penny in every coffee shop, but facts take a little longer and a good deal more care to gather.

There is much talk each summer about our examination system being 'dumbed down' and yet to me it appears the important dumbing down today is being orchestrated by the media. We are expected to take interest and/or delight in a private domestic matter, when the best any of us could do would be to seek to give every ounce of encouragement and support to all parties in this and the hundreds of similar situations faced by families throughout the UK.

Surely we are not content to have as our national epitaph, 'we gossiped our way into oblivion'! Would it not be better to be known nationally as those who journey bravely towards a society in which all people are encouraged and supported to achieve their maximum potential? Enough of this culture of cheap demolition and character assassination. The deposit it leaves in our culture is only cynicism and negativity, whose fruit is always violence. We need to stir up hope and work to create a culture of aspiration, mutual respect, and achievement.

Strangely these qualities are one aspect of Lampard's game on the field of play that are self evident and much applauded. A commitment to press to the final whistle for success, an inner belief to keep going, a desire for competing fairly for the prize offered within his chosen career. I for one believe we could learn more by reporting about Lampard the soccer player, than Lampard the family man. Although I also pray for his and Elen's success in working through difficult issues and would appeal to everyone to afford them the same level of privacy to high profile people that I would want in order to work out my personal, domestic challenges.

A Dearth of Leadership

Two very strong examples of leadership have recently emerged unexpectedly onto the world stage. Both are Americans and how refreshing to have high quality leadership being demonstrated by a nation more often vilified than praised.

Both examples illustrate that leadership is an innate gift that is only realised through happenstance. It is something that one can illustrate from example, but will never produce through the academy. One is either a leader or one is not - and sadly it appears that so few true leaders emerge in critical positions of influence within western, democratic society.

The first illustration was that of US Airways pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger, or 'Sully'. In a matter of a few brief minutes the lives of all 150 passengers and 5 crew depended on the decision taking of this 57 year old with 28 years flying experience. It was his first live river landing, and hopefully his last. He executed in fine detail a text book landing with an aircraft critically damaged, and after ditching on the river, personally checked that no passengers were left trapped inside the sinking vessel.

Hailed a hero, 'Sully' presented a calm figure, hailed by both passengers and crew as such but personally making no capital out of what he regarded as his Job, responsibly bringing his plane to ground safely and with lives intact. Media, city authorities, and politicians were all swift to name him such and no doubt the latter seeking to bask in something of the wave of global respect that flowed in his direction.

Some weeks later another unlikely captain of a very different vessel is named a hero. Merchant captain Richard Philips had given himself up on behalf of his crew as a hostage to Somali pirates attempting to take possession of his vessel. Here again was someone who understood that leadership is about taking responsibility in the moment and ensuring that it was his 'backside' that was exposed rather than allowing a fall guy to take his place. By all accounts he is well loved by his crew who were waiting to be reunited with their captain following his violent and sudden rescue by US Navy Seals. 53 year old Philips was swift to name his rescuers as heros and not himself.

In an age of increasing cynicism around those who present themselves as leaders for our nations in the realm of politics it is difficult to identify any true innate leadership qualities. At the first hint of trouble fingers are pointed, blame apportioned elsewhere, and at times of exposure no apologies offered. Oh that we might again see women and men of true substance offering themselves to serve in the highest offices of state. 

Pressure reveals the real character of an individual, and the results from any survey of the political landscape are depressing. Maybe we need to move away from party dominance and the polluting effect such parties introduce to politics and create opportunity for independent candidates invited by the democratic voting public to stand and give us back true and effective leadership.

Without this I do believe we shall only see a decrease in the numbers taking time out to vote believing it a worthless exercise. At which point democracy dies.

 

The future of (neo)evangelicalism?

A good friend of mine accessed me to an excellent article from the Christian Science Monitor. It can be found at the following address; http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html/

Briefly it posits the collapse of evangelicalism within the next ten years on the grounds that,

• Evangelicals have defined who they are by both the culture wars and through embracing political conservatism. They frame their identity by cause rather than faith.
• Evangelicals have provided their young people with a quarantined sub culture but failed to empower them to engage with and incarnate scripture within their cultural context.
• Evangelicals have presented the faith as a commodity tailored to consumer need alone. 
• Evangelicalism has failed to engage with the educational debate and been content to reinforce its own understandings through its own privatised educational resources. 
• 'Doing good' is no longer the sole preserve of evangelical agencies - and there will be a confrontation between 'doing good' with faith at its core and simply 'doing good'. The evangelicals lack an apologetic (other than 'convert'/resource acquisition) for their many projects. 
• Evangelicals are failing to pass on the faith in any other than cultural terms and the emerging generation from evangelical background are unable to live out of scripture with any vital confidence. They are in need of a spiritual awakening.

Michael Spencer, the author, notes, 'Evangelicalism doesn't need a bailout. Much of it needs a funeral.' adding that, 'We can rejoice that in the ruins, new forms of Christian vitality...will be born'.

This is worth considering and conversing about for my experience after many years serving within the (neo)evangelical fold is that those who emerge to lead its variety of forms are themselves the very product and therefore captured by its dominant conservatism that serves to blight progress, risk, and faith in a faithful God. They have therefore neither eyes to see nor ears to hear and so neo-evangelicalism is quite simply an illustration of the blind leading the blind. This must ultimately end in disaster.

Compassion states we should intervene, but one our offers of help have been firmly rejected on several occasions there is little we can do to prevent the train wreck that surely will derail this neo-evangelical express.

May God have mercy upon us all!

Inauguration

A new President means new hopes and expectations. And what a weight of them rests upon this man's shoulders. The frustration and deeply held disappointments that overshadowed the 43rd US President together with the sum of global joy that greeted his successor's electoral landslide - more popular votes than any other President on record - must turn the White House into today's 'Hot House'!

However, life teaches that patience is indeed a virtue, but sadly one of often limited duration. To make a powerful speech is one thing, to make a potent impact quite another. All of us who have a commitment to global peace and stability need Mr Obama to do well as he exercises the office of the President. Not least because the influence of the USA impacts all our lives in every corner of the world. 

Change is always slow in coming. However, the nature of that change when it emerges is dependent upon the quality of the decisions made many years before any effects are experienced. My short life and working experience has taught me that there is a clear reluctance to engage in effective strategic decision taking. The immediate problem requires an immediate fix, usually one that curries favour. This is never a strategic approach. I trust this President and his advisors can take the medium to long term view. The price for doing so is to face short term anger, derision, and criticism. The reward is to be remembered in the pages of history as a statesman rather than another jobbing politician.

The message is true for all who desire to make a difference. Take the long view and risk the present for a brighter future. I am always encouraged that God never seems to be in that much of a hurry - maybe there is something to be learnt from him after all.

Recession! What Recession?

There is a retailer in Uk and in other parts of the world that has adopted a practice that in my view is unacceptable. As I purchased a birthday card for a friend yesterday I was asked if I wanted a bag. Due to the fact it was raining I said yes. The salesperson then asked me for 0.1 pence for the bag, 'a contribution to the Woodland Trust'. I looked out the window, decided I didn't want to be dragooned into supporting the Woodland trust and had my payment refunded and left.

In a week that has seen hard working people prop up a banking system filled with avaricious and incompetent executives, are we now going to be asked to make amends for the trashing of the environment by high street retailers? As I pointed out to the salesperson in W. H. Smith's a simple reduction in the number of non-green fluorescent tubes blazing down from the ceiling would do more than my 0.1 pence imposed sales tax for the Woodland Trust! Quite appropriately she pointed out that she didn't make the rules. However, any attempt to engage her in a conversation about our shared interests in this matter fell on deaf ears!!

Now I am an optimist and not one for complaining. However, I am not happy at the way in which the supposed degradation of the planet by retailers over a number of years should be addressed at my, the consumer's, cost. There are biodegradable bags available, 'Bags for Life' as some supermarkets have it, which I think the retailers could underwrite themselves for say 12 months or until we all have some. Alternatively why not free Jute bags with their company logo available free at point of sale for a similar period? I would become a traveling billboard for them and any number of majority world nations would benefit from the jobs created.

What is it about governments, banks, and retailers that make them believe that we, the hard pressed taxpayers, want to now pick up the tab for bad government, cavalier bankers, and irresponsible retailers? We pay income tax and sales tax. The former one can see the fruit of but the latter remains a perfectly unfair tax upon poverty. It is time those in positions of authority acted responsibly and took responsibility for their medium to long-term strategy as well as the short term race for profitability or re-election.

If not 'we the people' will be forced to take responsible action into our own hands and remove them all from office. And we really don't want to go there! I subsequently purchased my card from Clintons and was provided with a perfectly usable unethical, plastic bag, no questions asked!!

Finance

All is very sensitive it appears in the world of high finance. Doom and gloom and almost a media led frenzy for some kind of catastrophe. Sadly we are all losers then without financial flows and the inevitable break down of law and order. Is it a British thing to talk up a crisis? 

Also strange to reflect how consecutive governments berate us for failing to have sufficient savings. However, now we are all encouraged to spend since money movement is the oil that eases the capitalist model. I conclude that in real terms my commitment to spend a minimum and engage in very little investment under the current economic model whilst serving me well appears to serve the model badly. Maybe the model is rotten at the centre whilst the external casing retains a semblance of 'good working order'. Push too hard and the whole thing might disintegrate for it is no more than dust throughout.

Lehmen brothers' executives I note are disappointed the US government did not bail them. They are also convinced that their personal profit share from the bank they ran was related to the success and failure of their bank's dealings over the years. However, the facts suggested that they did well when the bank did well or did badly. Again an illustration of the reality that this financial system relies a lot upon fantasy when it comes to analysis. We believe what we want to believe and always for our own pecuniary advantage.

Perhaps it is time for a full and in depth conversation about the viability of such a financial model for the next 100 years. This might at least enable us to highlight the chronic problems and maybe design one that has the capacity for the twenty second century rather than simply drag an eighteenth century model forwards.

Anyone want bank shares?

Personality and the race for the White House

Emily Joffe posted an interesting article exploring what the personality types of the two Presidential hopefuls tell us about their potential performance in office. Read and enjoy.

Barack Obama—no one will be surprised to learn—is an Idealist. His specific type is an ENFP, what Keirsey calls "the Champion." ENFPs, says Keirsey, are "filled with conviction that they can easily motivate those around them." Champions work to "kindle, to rouse, to encourage, even to inspire those close to them with their enthusiasm." Idealists "usually have a tongue of silver" and are "gifted in seeing the possibilities" of institutions and people. Here's Obama on leadership: "[W]e need leaders to inspire us. Some are thinking about our constraints, and others are thinking about limitless possibility."

This ability to move people through imagery and rhetoric carries a danger for the ENFP, says Keirsey—a belief in "word magic." "Word magic refers to the ancient idea that words have the ability to make things happen—saying makes it so." This is the basis of the critique of Obama by his less-soaring opponents. Hillary complains that people ask her to "give us one of those great rhetorical flourishes and then, you know, get everybody all whooped up." (As if she could.) Says John McCain, "To encourage a country with only rhetoric is not a promise of hope. It is a platitude."

Keirsey says Idealist leaders should be called catalysts because "[t]he individual who encounters such a leader is likely to be motivated, animated, even inspired to do his or her very best work." The New Yorker's Packer writes, "Obama offers himself as a catalyst by which disenchanted Americans can overcome two decades of vicious partisanship. …"

Idealists are deeply introspective. According to Keirsey, their "self-confidence rests on their authenticity," which makes them "highly aware of themselves as objects of moral scrutiny." Idealists, such as Thomas Paine, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr., tend to be leaders of movements, not office-holders. If Obama is elected, not only would he be the first black president, but according to Keirsey, he'd be the first Idealist president. (Kroeger speculates that Lincoln may have been an Idealist.) Idealists are rare in any executive position. In a survey Kroeger did of the personality types who make it to top management, less than 1 percent were ENFPs—while almost 30 percent were Hillary's type, the ESTJ. But the 16 types are not evenly distributed in the population and ENFPs themselves are rare—Keirsey estimates only about 2 percent of people are ENFPs. Kroeger says the ENFP can be an effective boss. "At their best they bring a refreshing alternative style to top management and decision making."

Keirsey says that the Idealist is the unusual leader who is "comfortable working in a climate where everyone has a vote." In a Vanity Fair profile, Todd Purdum quotes a Harvard Law School classmate of Obama's describing his collaborative style as editor of the Law Review. Obama was "someone who wanted the group decisions to reflect the group's intent, not Barack's intent." (This classmate added, "I actually would have been happier for him to say sometimes, 'This is how we're doing this, and shut up!' ") Wanting inclusiveness has been a hallmark of Obama's career and his campaign. Purdum noted that in the Illinois Legislature, "Obama made friendships across the aisle" and used his people skills to get some difficult legislation passed. In a speech, Obama described this ability: "If you start off with an agreeable manner, you might be able to … recruit some independents into the fold, recruit even some Republicans into the fold."

As leaders, Keirsey says, the Idealists possess a "diplomatic intelligence." They "seek common ground," want to "forge unity," arrive at "universal truths," and are "trusting." Given these qualities, it should be no surprise that Obama says that as president, he would quickly sit down with our enemies. He told Paris Match, "I want to have direct talks with countries like Iran and Syria because I don't believe we can stabilize the region unless not just our friends but also our enemies are involved in these discussions."

Plans such as this have resulted in Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, and others accusing the possible next commander in chief of naiveté. Keirsey says the Idealist has to be careful not to make errors in judgment by projecting "their own attributes onto others." Because they tend to have a positive outlook, they can be "surprised when people or events do not turn out as anticipated."

The ENFP can have a problem with "restlessness," says Kroeger. "As a task or responsibility drags on and its mantle becomes increasingly routine, the ENFP can become more pensive, moody, and even rigid." Obama himself referred in a debate to his disorganization and dislike of paperwork—and his self-knowledge that "I need to have good people in place who can make sure that systems run." But as Purdum writes, it is Obama's "restlessness" that prompted him "to take a chance, to aim higher—when others told him to wait his turn."

John McCain is an Artisan, and his specific type is an ESTP, what Keirsey calls the Promoter. The ESTP is, according to Keirsey, "practical, optimistic, cynical, and focused on the here and now." If the ESTP portrait gives you a feeling of déjà vu, it's because George W. Bush is an ESTP, too. They are a common presidential type: Both Roosevelts, JFK, and LBJ were ESTPs. "Artisans need to be potent, to be felt as a strong presence and they want to affect the course of events," writes Keirsey. They hunger to "have a piece of the action," "to make something happen" whether "on the battlefield" or "in the political arena." So many politicians are Artisans because "politics allows not only for maneuvering, excitement, and risk—but for powerful social impact."

In a Newsweek profile of McCain, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said, "He's a real player in the Senate. He has tremendous impact." As McCain said to Esquire, "I get attacked everyday because I'm working with Ted Kennedy. How can I work with Kennedy? Because I want to get something done."

"Artisans also make everyone else look like amateurs when it comes to improvising survival tactics," writes Keirsey. Their wily ability to make do in dire circumstances makes them "successful scroungers as prisoners of war." Newsweek describes how "McCain survived in prison camp by sheer cussedness."

Artisans "are not threatened by the possibility of failure in themselves or others, so they are likely to take risks and encourage others to do the same." That is how a man whose election prospects were dim only a few months ago can say to the Washington Post of the campaign, "Actually, it's been very invigorating, it really has been."

Promoters have strong people skills, but it is not the warm sense of connection one gets from an Idealist like Obama. "Promoters are so engaging … that they might seem to possess an unusual amount of empathy, when in fact this is not the case," writes Keirsey. "Rather, they are uncanny at reading people's faces and observing their body language." Or as the Wall Street Journal recently wrote, "When Mr. McCain took the stage in Sun City, the applause was polite. When he finished, he got a standing ovation. … [H]is ability to sense and ride the emotional flow of an audience is astonishing."

Grand theories are not for the ESTP. "No high-flown speculation for the Artisan, no deep meaning or introspection. [They] focus on what actually happens in the real world, on what works, on what pays off, and not on whose toes get stepped on." This is how you get labeled a "maverick" and "Sen. Hothead." This is why the Wall Street Journal writes, "Mr. McCain's great political strength has also been his main weakness, which is that his political convictions are more personal than ideological."

Keirsey says Artisans "are the world's great risk-takers. They delight in putting themselves in jeopardy, taking chances, facing hazards." (Does this sound familiar? See: Iraq.) When times call for careful planning, or consistent, long-term management, you don't call on the ESTP. Keirsey writes that they "may be careless about details" or "they can be unprepared at times when preparation is called for, and can spring the unexpected on colleagues." "They are like firemen who, having nothing to do set fires so that they can put them out." 

http://www.slate.com/id/2184696/pagenum/all/ 

Emerging from A level chaos

Thursday. What a day. Kat's 18th birthday and the day of her A level results. A day of a roller coaster of emotion. First the early morning email from UCAS - first choice, he say NO. Insurance option, he say yes please; unconditionally for we love you. School not open till 10:00 am. Advertised lines to the university are engaged - no recorded message, no queuing system, nobody out there. Ever felt alone - you do now! Obviously the system is designed to build character into young people. The British gift of muddling through with minimal information and maximum stoicism.

And all this chaos whilst trying to squeeze in an 18th birthday celebration. Eventually Kat emerges unscathed through the school gates at midday clear as to her educational future; more importantly, and surprisingly, she is delighted. A delight that has a high emotional price tag - the bizarre journey from electronically induced despondency to humane interaction and hope for the future. School staff did well - a day of well earned reward in the middle of their holiday period.

So the celebrations begin - presents, champagne, a raucous cocktail party with the Friar shaking the cocktails, and finally departure to a post results night club happening. Tumbling into bed exhausted both emotionally and physically one wonders if this is really the best way to manage the launch of our nation's best asset - its young people - into their tertiary educational adventure.