Samples of WorkCode of Conduct (67kb pdf) Training in Relationship (47kb pdf) Heartswork Experiential Groupwork for professional and personal development development. Counsellors, psychotherapists and others in the helping professions and students in those disciplines. When 10.00 am to 4.45pm Sundays: 20th September 11th October 1st November 29th November How much does it cost? £60 per day Special Notes: For more information or to book a place Ongoing work The current Certificate in Couples Counselling started on September 12thclick here for details: Heartswork Certificate in Couples Counselling If you’re interested in joining this course in September 2016 please mail or call me. I’m recruiting for the: Heartswork Certificate in GroupworkLed by Stephen Richards, www.heartswork.co.uk in Eastbourne The Heartswork Certificate in Groupwork is designed and led by Stephen Richards. Stephen is an experienced counsellor, trainer and consultant. He has designed and taught courses for students and experienced counsellors for over 26 years at a well-respected local college, in addition to his private practice (www.heartswork.co.uk) in counselling, supervision, training and consultancy for a range of organisations. The aim of this course is to provide experiential and theoretical learning for people who wish to develop and improve their work with groups and become skilled and reflective groupworkers. The course is integrative and humanistic in philosophy and has additional content from other schools which he has found interesting and useful. “Theory is when you have ideas-ideology is when ideas have you” Selection Please note the trainer reserves the right to tell participants to leave the course should they jeopardise the safety and well-being of the group e.g. by persistent breaking of agreed rules, breaches of confidentiality or show a lack of understanding of ethical issues. Hours Dates January 18th February 1st March 1st March 22nd April 19th May 10th May 31st June 21st July 12th July 26th (all Sundays) Costs Others: £650 Please contact Steve Richards These amounts can be paid in instalments by agreement. Venue Other work I’ve done recently includes:
CPD workshops include:
November 2023 In October 2022 Prime Minister said his government will behave with “Integrity, professionalism and accountability”. I am very fortunate to have worked with many people who strive to uphold those values in their professional lives. The Prime Minister plainly has a different understanding of what those words mean. Science and anti-science In recent years we have had to contend with vast amounts of information channelled by conventional media and by the all pervading world wide web. If we want to be responsible citizens making decisions grounded in factual information, sound reasoning and ethics then we need to be vigilant in sorting out facts from opinion and examining the motives and qualifications of the information providers. I am often sceptical about and often down right opposed to people who are “in authority” e.g. the Tory government – and have much more respect for people who are “an authority” by virtue of their education and experience. Small words- big difference. Never trust people who don’t want you to listen to experts or distort their conclusions to suit their agenda. Delusions and conclusions 1. Covid does not exist. 2. If it does exist it’s not dangerous 3. It’s only dangerous to other people (who are older and/or sicker than me) 4. Don’t do anything about it – even wearing a mask over my mouth to protect myself and others-much less taking a vaccine that will help me and everyone else to reduce the risk of serious illness and possible death. 5. Persuade other people not to wear masks or take vaccines by spreading bizarre conspiracy theories including those by real fascists. 6. Bully and abuse others including those who are saving lives and will try their best to save mine should I get sick. I recommend the following for the same reason I drive on the left, wear a seatbelt, don’t spit in the street, etc.etc. Not because I’m a sheep, because I’m a responsible citizen and I really want this pandemic to end as soon as possible.1. Get your jabs 2. Wear a mask in crowded spaces 3. Show your Covid Passport when asked 4. Avoid people who don’t do 1, 2 and 3. 5. Support and show appreciation for NHS staff and essential workers. Anthems – I wrote this last year -seems apposite now. From our bedroom window looking East to the city I can see the Principality Stadium, the temple of Welsh rugby. In normal times it is the epicentre of the joyous excitement and celebration of the Six Nations matches which affects the whole city and most of South Wales. As well as the 77,000 fans in the stadium, every pub and rugby club is full of people, many in red shirts sporting leeks, daffodil hats and all the symbols of a passionate nation.Even sat at home watching on the TV hearing the anthem Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau anyone would need a heart of stone not to be moved. An English translation reads: This land of my fathers is dear to me Chorus: Old land of the mountains, paradise of the poets, Though the enemy have trampled my country underfoot, Quite a contrast with the English anthem with “send her victorious” and the deferential “long to reign over us”- the whole song a hymn to imperial conquest in the name of the monarch. Perhaps that captures the real difference between nationalisms- healthy love of one’s homeland or an arrogant assumption of national superiority and the right of conquest over others. *“You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” There is no shortage of information sometimes partial and distorted, no shortage of opinions which usually split on political lines and a wide range of wacky conspiracy theories from people who prefer paranoid fantasy to joined-up thinking. If conspiracy theories were just the musings of a few ill-informed internet trolls that would be a kind of entertainment but if they gain traction and are exploited for political purposes they have real world consequences. Climate change denial and opposition to vaccination for deadly diseases are spread by contrarian trolls and “astroturfing”*. In 1710 Jonathan Swift wrote: “Besides, as the vilest writer has his readers, so the greatest liar has his believers; and it often happens, that if a lie be believ’d only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no farther occasion for it. Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it; so that when men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late; the jest is over, and the tale has had its effect…” The internet has given a massive platform for the “vilest writers” and “greatest liars” that even Swift did not dream of – though he would have recognised some of our politicians and columnists at once! I remember teaching about diagnosis and psychopathology and saying “ If it walks like a duck, quacks like duck eats bread and paddles in a pond in the park and has feathers then the chances are it is a duck. That’s what criteria are but you have to fulfil a certain number of them to be sure and some are stronger indicators than others. You may have to use additional criteria to help in differentiating by asking extra questions like : “are there other creatures that make quacking noises?” ,“does it have wings?”, “could it be a goose/coot/grebe”. That’s how you do differential diagnosis (joined-up thinking) and sort out the wood from the trees or the ducks from the geese.Eating bread in the park is not enough data to go on e.g. humans often eat bread in the park and might go for a paddle and a dog might well steal your sandwich. This process requires reliable data and knowledge and the ability to assess and use both in a rational way. A Trump of our Own “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.” (my emphasis) Alice Through the Looking Glass- Lewis Carroll It seems to be a deliberate policy by the political Right and the beneficiaries of their policies to lie and bluster all the time so that opponents can’t refute the lies fast enough before another pile of misinformation or distortion of the facts is uttered. The “journalists” of the gutter press can usually be relied upon to follow the party line unless the lies are so blatant that even their own readers smell a rat. e.g. the Cummings Affair. The populist trick is to undermine trust in government and institutions and then offer simple slogans pretending to be anti-establishment, get elected and undermine, abolish or sell off those parts of the state apparatus that restrain you and the disaster capitalists that fund and support you. Having got a large majority you can do what you like especially if you can undermine the BBC with threats to funding and allegations of bias. The trouble is simple slogans and contempt for expertise and public services don’t work when there’s a pandemic and a deadly virus that can’t be cured with bleach or sunshine. The very people who wanted you to cut taxes and roll back the state are suddenly demanding the government gives them piles of cash (without strings of course). You can win a referendum and an election with lies and tricks (especially against a poor opposition- I’m not in denial) . When leadership and competence are required having a cabinet picked for loyalty rather than ability or knowledge costs lives as well as reputations. Spouting bullshit about having a “world beating test and trace system” does not alter the fact that the number of deaths in the U.K. figure between 7th March and 5th June is 43% higher than average i.e. about 64,500. BBC News 18th June 2020. Like most people I understood that any government would struggle to cope with an unpredictable pandemic. When the Prime Minister himself caught the virus people had natural human sympathy and thought maybe it would bring out a more sober reflective and empathic side to him. Unfortunately he has only done the right thing after being shamed into it. i.e. u-turning on foreign NHS employees (they had to pay to use the NHS themselves) and school meal vouchers in the Summer holidays (thank you Marcus Rashford). The move out of lockdown seems dictated more by expediency than science and ill-thought-out policies are promoted then abandoned days later. (just today 18th June the government has decided that they will join forces with Apple and Google apps after all – after wasting time and money in a pilot system on the Isle of Wight) *Astroturfing is posting vast numbers of lies under false names etc. pretending to be grassroots responses and is indulged in by states, companies and populist political activists to sway public opinion and create confusion.History Lessons Not sure whether to laugh cry or pray………….. So it’s come to this. Our country, and by our I mean everyone who lives here regardless of their origins, is about to have a Prime Minister chosen by 160,00 Tory party members. They are not renowned for their progressive views. Poverty, inequality, social care, education,global warming even the union of the United Kingdom -they’re not interested-they just want to put two fingers up to the European Union whatever the cost. They don’t seem to have a problem with serial adultery, outright lies, rank incompetence in office and blatant racial stereotyping as the candidate well ahead in the polls is the Old Etonian version of Donald Trump. Should he manage to sabotage his own chances of high office (again) the choice will be another right wing pro austerity candidate with a less than glittering ministerial career (ask the junior doctors). The competition between them is to see who can make the most promises that are either impossible and/or would leave the country bankrupt or without any public services. The United Kingdom is already an international laughing stock and neither of the candidates seems likely to persuade our friends or foes that we’ve sobered up. The Brexit vote has emboldened the most reactionary and violent people who take heart from political leaders who are either racist, mysogynist and homophobic themselves or find it politically expedient to make “jokes” or “satire” that appeal to their political base. These “jokes” are always at the expense of people who are poorer and less powerful than they are. Punching down is not attractive when comedians do it and downright irresponsible and wrong when politicians use it to pander to the tastes and prejudices of their followers. Here in Cardiff we have been reminded by the Extinction Rebellion protesters who blocked the main street of the desperate urgency to make radical policy changes to avoid the environmental disasters that seem certain if we don’t change course. We may not all like their methods but unless you are a climate change denier (either a fool or a cynic taking energy companies money) it is hard to argue with their logic. Our politicians are so wedded to the capitalist notions of endless economic growth with a small minority grabbing most of the proceeds that anyone who argues with that proposition is ignored,vilified or patronised with a little “greenwash” so that companies and states can show that they are doing something. Whilst the protesters were making their case with rational argument the Tory faithful were being regaled with nonsense about how it will all workout when we turn our backs on our friends in Europe and make trade deals with Donald Trump. Our right wing politicians and their allies in the gutter press are happy enough to welcome Trump with open arms and ready to fawn and flatter for trade deals. Whatever happened to “sovereignty” and “independence”? To deliberately go against all the evidence that any kind of Brexit will be bad for the economy and a no deal Brexit will be disastrous for many years to come is appalling. To then sell off the National Health Service to U.S. insurance companies and open up our markets to cut price low quality food from U.S.farmers is downright immoral and all the evidence is that will the very least that Trump will demand. Trump is plainly a narcissistic nationalist with a liking for dictators and an insatiable appetite for power and wealth. His friends and followers here may be pale imitations but the effects of their rhetoric and actions on minority groups can be clearly seen in crime reports and the increased acceptance of language and behaviour that I foolishly thought was on the way out. The Daily Mail calls judges “Enemies of the People” and Nigel Farage calls for a purge of civil servants who aren’t pro-Brexit – and nobody is even surprised anymore because the level of political discourse in the UK and USA has descended to this level. Watching European politicians in the European Parliament -the hated “Brussels bureaucrats”, even if I don’t like their politics I am struck by their articulacy (often in more than one language) and ability to make an argument without abusing their opponents. The behaviour of the Brexit Party in the E.U. parliament shows the difference between people engaged in problem solving and explanation and populist wreckers who insult anyone who tries to bother them with complexity or facts. Remember I wrote that piece about fascism….. I hope our friends in Europe and beyond understand that many of us are deeply ashamed of the behaviour of our government and politicians and that our countries (largely England) have sunk so far in their behaviour and rhetoric with no sign of recognising economic reality or common decency. What I do in my spare time! I will be 69 in August and I’ve never been keen on exercise other than in the garden and on my yoga mat. I loathed the torture of cross country running at school when it was compulsory and entirely uncoached. I went to an old-fashioned grammar school where unless you were already good at something you were effectively abandoned . There was a pronounced split between the pro-school sporty types and the more rebellious spirits (including me) who looked down on the “hearties” as they looked down on us. I understand that many schools now go out of their way to encourage children to find sports and games that suit them and I love the idea of the Daily Mile. As their website says “ the Daily Mile is simple and free and gets children out of the classroom for fifteen minutes every day to run or jog, at their own pace, with their classmates, making them fitter, healthier, and more able to concentrate in the classroom.” We moved to Cardiff in February 2018 and I found that running helped me to escape from all the building works as well as getting to know our surroundings, finding new routes and connecting with the Cardiff Parkrun which regularly has 800 plus participants including top class athletes and recent couch to 5k graduates, all ages sizes and stages of fitness. In May I ran the Cardiff 5k Run for Victory through the suburb of Whitchurch on a lovely summer evening and had the experience of being encouraged by crowds of people clapping and cheering. Been there, done that and did get the running shirt! Once I knew I could run 10k regularly I signed up for the February Winter Warmer 10k in Bute Park in the centre of the city (the scene for many running events) and enjoyed a cold sunny run and ran a new personal best. Since then I’ve had problems with my knees (largely solved by getting a new pair of shoes – I’ve worn out my previous pair) and had to take some time out but I know that by running at a slow pace and increasing distance and speed gradually I can recover and enjoy running by myself and the events I’ve signed up for. I’m confident now in completing 10k runs and for reasons I don’t understand (but suspect that ego might be involved) I often pick routes which do include steep hills! A question that is really hard to answer is “Do you enjoy it?” I used to frustrate and amuse counselling students by saying the “the answer to your question is yes/no/maybe/sometimes – depending upon a wide range of variables” and that definitely applies to running. Getting ready to run is scary and exciting not least because it is always different –I don’t know how my body will respond, whether I’ll be too hot, too cold or the wind will help or hinder. Some days I’ll power up a hill and feel great, another day I’ll struggle and often it is what is going on in my head rather than any objective difference in my body. Quite often for the first 2 or 3 kilometres I’m conducting an internal dialogue thinking of excuses to stop soon even though I know I won’t, checking each limb and joint and realising anew that I can actually keep going knowing the small aches and pains will go as I carry on, allowing myself to relax, breathe and adjust my pace and posture. Some anonymous person described it well “Running is nothing more than a series of arguments between the part of your brain that wants to stop and the part that wants to keep going.” At some point I’ll notice that I feel good and look at my watch to see how far I’ve come even though I know that there are so many variables and time and distance are only two of them. To put it more simply –just because I feel good at 7k today it doesn’t mean that I won’t be struggling at 7k tomorrow and maybe run through it to feel good later on. Right now I think it’s about how long I can actually keep going rather than how fast and how far. As my distances improve I’m learning the joys of going slowly for longer taking everything in rather than attempting to run faster and losing touch with myself and my surroundings. I usually have a plan of where I’m going starting with familiar routes and then adding more distance and different directions depending on how I feel at the time. The weather has been very hot of late and that together with hay fever makes it a harder to run for too long but I know I have the capacity to run for well over two hours albeit at a slow pace. Part of what makes organised runs enjoyable is that they are runs for most of the participants not races. Having said that the other runners and the support of spectators do spur everyone on. The runners who want to race can do that and the rest of us can set whatever targets we like for ourselves whether improving our personal best times or simply getting round in one piece, or having fun with friends. I have an idea of what I can do and know that if I go out too fast or don’t pay attention to my posture etc. I’ll limit myself and I guess that by testing my limits physically and mentally I’m still growing!Past Newsletters Summer 2019Not sure whether to laugh cry or pray………….. So it’s come to this. Our country, and by our I mean everyone who lives here regardless of their origins, is about to have a Prime Minister chosen by 160,00 Tory party members. They are not renowned for their progressive views. Poverty, inequality, social care, education,global warming even the union of the United Kingdom -they’re not interested-they just want to put two fingers up to the European Union whatever the cost. They don’t seem to have a problem with serial adultery, outright lies, rank incompetence in office and blatant racial stereotyping as the candidate well ahead in the polls is the Old Etonian version of Donald Trump. Should he manage to sabotage his own chances of high office (again) the choice will be another right wing pro austerity candidate with a less than glittering ministerial career (ask the junior doctors). The competition between them is to see who can make the most promises that are either impossible and/or would leave the country bankrupt or without any public services. The United Kingdom is already an international laughing stock and neither of the candidates seems likely to persuade our friends or foes that we’ve sobered up. The Brexit vote has emboldened the most reactionary and violent people who take heart from political leaders who are either racist, mysogynist and homophobic themselves or find it politically expedient to make “jokes” or “satire” that appeal to their political base. These “jokes” are always at the expense of people who are poorer and less powerful than they are. Punching down is not attractive when comedians do it and downright irresponsible and wrong when politicians use it to pander to the tastes and prejudices of their followers. Here in Cardiff we have been reminded by the Extinction Rebellion protesters who blocked the main street of the desperate urgency to make radical policy changes to avoid the environmental disasters that seem certain if we don’t change course. We may not all like their methods but unless you are a climate change denier (either a fool or a cynic taking energy companies money) it is hard to argue with their logic. Our politicians are so wedded to the capitalist notions of endless economic growth with a small minority grabbing most of the proceeds that anyone who argues with that proposition is ignored,vilified or patronised with a little “greenwash” so that companies and states can show that they are doing something. Whilst the protesters were making their case with rational argument the Tory faithful were being regaled with nonsense about how it will all workout when we turn our backs on our friends in Europe and make trade deals with Donald Trump. Our right wing politicians and their allies in the gutter press are happy enough to welcome Trump with open arms and ready to fawn and flatter for trade deals. Whatever happened to “sovereignty” and “independence”? To deliberately go against all the evidence that any kind of Brexit will be bad for the economy and a no deal Brexit will be disastrous for many years to come is appalling. To then sell off the National Health Service to U.S. insurance companies and open up our markets to cut price low quality food from U.S.farmers is downright immoral and all the evidence is that will the very least that Trump will demand. Trump is plainly a narcissistic nationalist with a liking for dictators and an insatiable appetite for power and wealth. His friends and followers here may be pale imitations but the effects of their rhetoric and actions on minority groups can be clearly seen in crime reports and the increased acceptance of language and behaviour that I foolishly thought was on the way out. The Daily Mail calls judges “Enemies of the People” and Nigel Farage calls for a purge of civil servants who aren’t pro-Brexit – and nobody is even surprised anymore because the level of political discourse in the UK and USA has descended to this level. Watching European politicians in the European Parliament -the hated “Brussels bureaucrats”, even if I don’t like their politics I am struck by their articulacy (often in more than one language) and ability to make an argument without abusing their opponents. The behaviour of the Brexit Party in the E.U. parliament shows the difference between people engaged in problem solving and explanation and populist wreckers who insult anyone who tries to bother them with complexity or facts. Remember I wrote that piece about fascism….. I hope our friends in Europe and beyond understand that many of us are deeply ashamed of the behaviour of our government and politicians and that our countries (largely England) have sunk so far in their behaviour and rhetoric with no sign of recognising economic reality or common decency. What I do in my spare time! I will be 69 in August and I’ve never been keen on exercise other than in the garden and on my yoga mat. I loathed the torture of cross country running at school when it was compulsory and entirely uncoached. I went to an old-fashioned grammar school where unless you were already good at something you were effectively abandoned . There was a pronounced split between the pro-school sporty types and the more rebellious spirits (including me) who looked down on the “hearties” as they looked down on us. I understand that many schools now go out of their way to encourage children to find sports and games that suit them and I love the idea of the Daily Mile. As their website says “ the Daily Mile is simple and free and gets children out of the classroom for fifteen minutes every day to run or jog, at their own pace, with their classmates, making them fitter, healthier, and more able to concentrate in the classroom.” We moved to Cardiff in February 2018 and I found that running helped me to escape from all the building works as well as getting to know our surroundings, finding new routes and connecting with the Cardiff Parkrun which regularly has 800 plus participants including top class athletes and recent couch to 5k graduates, all ages sizes and stages of fitness. In May I ran the Cardiff 5k Run for Victory through the suburb of Whitchurch on a lovely summer evening and had the experience of being encouraged by crowds of people clapping and cheering. Been there, done that and did get the running shirt! Once I knew I could run 10k regularly I signed up for the February Winter Warmer 10k in Bute Park in the centre of the city (the scene for many running events) and enjoyed a cold sunny run and ran a new personal best. Since then I’ve had problems with my knees (largely solved by getting a new pair of shoes – I’ve worn out my previous pair) and had to take some time out but I know that by running at a slow pace and increasing distance and speed gradually I can recover and enjoy running by myself and the events I’ve signed up for. I’m confident now in completing 10k runs and for reasons I don’t understand (but suspect that ego might be involved) I often pick routes which do include steep hills! A question that is really hard to answer is “Do you enjoy it?” I used to frustrate and amuse counselling students by saying the “the answer to your question is yes/no/maybe/sometimes – depending upon a wide range of variables” and that definitely applies to running. Getting ready to run is scary and exciting not least because it is always different –I don’t know how my body will respond, whether I’ll be too hot, too cold or the wind will help or hinder. Some days I’ll power up a hill and feel great, another day I’ll struggle and often it is what is going on in my head rather than any objective difference in my body. Quite often for the first 2 or 3 kilometres I’m conducting an internal dialogue thinking of excuses to stop soon even though I know I won’t, checking each limb and joint and realising anew that I can actually keep going knowing the small aches and pains will go as I carry on, allowing myself to relax, breathe and adjust my pace and posture. Some anonymous person described it well “Running is nothing more than a series of arguments between the part of your brain that wants to stop and the part that wants to keep going.” At some point I’ll notice that I feel good and look at my watch to see how far I’ve come even though I know that there are so many variables and time and distance are only two of them. To put it more simply –just because I feel good at 7k today it doesn’t mean that I won’t be struggling at 7k tomorrow and maybe run through it to feel good later on. Right now I think it’s about how long I can actually keep going rather than how fast and how far. As my distances improve I’m learning the joys of going slowly for longer taking everything in rather than attempting to run faster and losing touch with myself and my surroundings. I usually have a plan of where I’m going starting with familiar routes and then adding more distance and different directions depending on how I feel at the time. The weather has been very hot of late and that together with hay fever makes it a harder to run for too long but I know I have the capacity to run for well over two hours albeit at a slow pace. Part of what makes organised runs enjoyable is that they are runs for most of the participants not races. Having said that the other runners and the support of spectators do spur everyone on. The runners who want to race can do that and the rest of us can set whatever targets we like for ourselves whether improving our personal best times or simply getting round in one piece, or having fun with friends. I have an idea of what I can do and know that if I go out too fast or don’t pay attention to my posture etc. I’ll limit myself and I guess that by testing my limits physically and mentally I’m still growing!July 2017 Tragedy Most of the time the public narrative is shaped by the powers that be using the press and the broadcast media to present their way of seeing and running the world as the only possible option. Anyone suggesting more than minor changes is dismissed as mad or bad and subject to a combination of ridicule and abuse. The common story is that the rich and powerful are rich and powerful because they deserve their wealth and power and have the right to shape the world as they see fit whatever the consequences for the rest of us. It is much easier to incite prejudice than to appeal to reason especially if you have no limit to how low you will go. It sometimes takes a single tragic event to illuminate the state of the world. Now just about everyone carries a smartphone and can take pictures and communicate quickly around the world. In Kensington and Chelsea we can see that local people offered immediate and massive support to the survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire and the local council was paralysed in its’ response and as I write is still failing miserably to the point where central government is having to take over local services. A letter in The Guardian “In 2014, I received my Kensington and Chelsea council tax bill and a letter from the leader of the council, Nicholas Paget-Brown, explaining that all residents who pay council tax in full would “receive a one-off payment of £100”, to be deducted from the bill. This bonus, the letter continued, was due to the council’s careful management of its finances over the years, “consistently delivering greater efficiencies while improving services”. Austerity, K&C style: you give to the rich while taking from the poor (nobody with discounted bills or claiming council tax support was eligible to share in the bounty of the town hall blue-chips). On a Conservative website, Paget-Brown further explained that “thanks to an overachieving efficiency drive”, the council was “well ahead of [its] savings targets for the year”. Triple AAA credit status, how nice. In deciding what to do with this surplus, he continued, “we have taken the view that it is simply wrong to discount from our calculations whose money this was in the first place. In short, we think the right place for it is back with our residents.” In May 2014, the local election returned a huge majority of Conservative councillors. Business as usual. For years, the Royal Borough has got away with bribing the electorate with its own money. For years, the Royal Borough has been running huge underspends in its revenue budgets which it then transfers into capital reserves. The underspend in the 2016-17 adult services budget alone is £1.9m. Apparently, adult services in the area are doing so well they don’t need the money. And every other social service must be performing brilliantly, as the council’s projected reserves of £167m by the end of 2016-17 has climbed to a staggering £209m – that’s £42m surplus to requirements. How many sprinkler systems is that? As the toxic ash of Grenfell Tower’s vanity cladding falls over the neighbouring streets, we are left with the acrid truth in our throats: regeneration in the Royal Borough is in fact a crime of greed and selfishness. I took the refund. At the time, I felt uncomfortable with this decision and the ways in which I justified it to myself. And then I forgot about it, until the smoke drifting into my flat in the early hours of Wednesday woke me up. Today, I gave it back. It wasn’t ever mine to keep. I handed it over in cash to a vicar running a refuge for the victims of the fire in a local church. I explained that it was not a donation, not a charitable act, that it was guilt money and he was doing me a kindness by taking it off my hands. If you live in Kensington and Chelsea, please, give your rebate back. But not to the council, which seems to have trouble in identifying those – “our residents” – who might actually need it.” Name and address supplied Kensington and Chelsea Councillor Catherine Faulks ( a Baroness married to a Q.C. and ex-Tory minister) when asked why the council had deducted rent from a Grenfell Towers residents’ account after the fire said: “Oh come on, that’s a tiny thing – I mean it’s not a tiny thing for them it’s a huge thing and it’s very upsetting.” In another part of the interview she said “I know you’re hearing a lot of noise about nothing happening but actually, on the ground there is a lot of hand-holding going on and I haven’t heard anyone in the media speak to someone who is receiving that help.” I looked up Councillor Faulks and it turns out she’s a trained counsellor. How did she manage to miss the parts of her training about empathy, ethics and trauma? Whilst there are some wild conspiracy theories doing the rounds, the facts are quite shocking enough. Brandon Lewis, who was recently promoted to immigration minister, said in 2014 that building developers should not be forced to fit sprinklers. He told MPs: “We believe that it is the responsibility of the fire industry, rather than the Government, to market fire sprinkler systems effectively and to encourage their wider installation.” and on the actual day of the fire a group of the rich and powerful called the Red Tape Initiative was meeting to consider reducing or abolish regulations about building standards. www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/05/grenfell-fire-public-inquiry-stitch-up-red-tape-regulation-policy-exchange A judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick has been appointed to lead an inquiry. The former Court of Appeal judge ruled in 2014 to relocate a female housing tenant in central London facing homelessness 50 miles from her home. Her lawyers condemned the ruling as setting a “terrible precedent for local authorities to engage in social cleansing of the poor on a mass scale”, and the Supreme Court later overturned his ruling. If you are in any doubt why the residents are so angry and why they are so suspicious of the local authority and the government see The tenants web page which shows how the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has treated it’s tenants over many years. History On the 15th April 1989 96 football fans died and 766 were injured in Hillsborough football stadium. The gutter press blamed the fans, the police lied over and over again and the Thatcher government backed the police. After a courageous 28 year long campaign the relatives of the victims finally got to the truth and 6 people including senior police officers have recently been charged with manslaughter and conspiring to pervert the course of justice. Hope Part of the maiden speech of Laura Pidcock M.P. for North West Durham.“Turning to this place, this building is intimidating. It reeks of the establishment and of power; its systems are confusing—some may say archaic—and it was built at a time when my class and my sex would have been denied a place within it because we were deemed unworthy. I believe that the intimidating nature of this place is not accidental. The clothes, the language, and the obsession with hierarchies, control and domination are symbolic of the system at large. But the most frustrating thing has been to sit opposite those people who tell me that things are better, and that suffering has lessened for my constituents. I would like them to come and tell the people who have been sanctioned that things are better. I would like them to tell that to the teacher in my constituency who was recently made redundant. I would like them to talk to the 16,500 people in County Durham in receipt of food parcels. I would like them to talk to the nurses, the junior doctors and the firefighters—come and tell them that years of austerity have improved their practice or their profession. I will end with this: we can choose, in this place, to be self-obsessed, to perpetrate fear and greed, to be a monument to injustice, or this can be a place that elevates equality, facilitates the power of the people, and esteems and properly funds a rich network of public services so that nobody is left in the indignity of poverty.” Heartwork Newsletters 2015JanuaryI hope you’ve had an enjoyable festive season and you will be happy and healthy in 2015. February Hello Colleagues,
It’s February and despite the cold wet weather the bulbs in our garden look like they’re going to produce a lovely “host of golden daffodils”-well, not as many as Wordsworth saw but definitely enough to repay Yasmin’s efforts in planting them. Hello Colleagues, I’m now back from sunny Spain rested and refreshed. As I look out of the window it’s bright and sunny and one or two of the daffodils have braved an appearance but as the song says “Baby it’s cold outside!” While I was away thanks to the wonders of wifi I was able to keep in touch with events in the UK. One event was the sting which caught two very senior politicians boasting about their contacts and quoting their “consultancy rates” as £5000/half day or £8000 /day. One of these politicians who, in addition to being an MP, ex Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary, was chairman of the committee that is supposed to oversee the security services, the Intelligence and Security Committee. (Go, via the link on my website, to Liberty to get some idea of how effective they are.) During the sting he claimed that he had plenty of free time and had no salary. He somehow forgot the £67,000 salary (plus expenses) that he was paid as an M.P. and said later it was not nearly enough to attract talented professionals into politics. In the Register of Members Interests he declared five jobs outside parliament, which have earned him over £800,000 in the last five years. It probably goes without saying he has always voted against the establishment of a minimum wage (currently £6-50 per hour for workers over 21 years) and for every welfare cut. The second politician, the cheaper guy (only £5000 for a full day) declared £112,777 additional earnings in the Register of Members Interests and says “I have acted with complete probity and integrity throughout my parliamentary career.” He has been at various times Home Secretary and Lord Chancellor, was Blair’s Foreign Secretary at the time of the Iraq War and was Secretary of State for Justice in the last Labour government. JUSTICE…………now there’s a fine idea! I can’t introduce you to any ambassadors or cabinet ministers but for all you talented professionals here’s some CPD and for much less than £5000 per April “It doesn’t have to be true that men and women waste their lives away working to serve the hollow greed of a few rich men, just to survive. It doesn’t have to be that we never dare to tell each other what we really want, to share ourselves honestly, to use our talents and capabilities to make life more bearable, let alone more beautiful. That’s unnecessary tragedy, stupid tragedy, pathetic and pointless. It’s not even utopian to demand that we put an end to farces like these.” Tragedy and Humanity As soon as she walked onto the plane, she and the other passengers were personally welcomed by the pilot, who assured them that he’d get them to their destination safely. Englisch praised the dedicated pilot and crew on Germanwings’Facebook page Wednesday night, and her heartfelt post has since gone viral—accumulating some 300,000 likes in less than two days. “This flight was the morning after the crash—at this time no details were known and everything was mere speculation,” Englisch, who lives in Hamburg, tells TIME via email. “Logically it was pretty clear to me, that Germanwings might have been the safest airline at that morning—they doublechecked every plane and pilots and crew were free to choose if they were feeling able to fly or not. Nevertheless I had this feeling in my stomach. Feelings are not logical, are they?” But her worry subsided after the pilot personally welcomed people as they boarded the plane. “If someone made an uneasy impression, he talked to them,” says Englisch, a PR manager at Stage Entertainment. After boarding was complete, rather than going into the cockpit, the pilot took a microphone and began to address his passengers. FOOD: Some facts from the Trussell trust PAY: facts from The Equality Trust HOUSING: Campbell Robb, Shelter’s chief executive, said: 11th May
June 2nd June 2nd I have some arguments with the “happiness czar” Lord Layard but I’ll quote anybody who backs up “the bleedin’ obvious” with research ! The findings For a fuller description and more links look at : 3diassociates.wordpress.com Even when I was at a secondary school back in the 1960s the resemblance of school to a traditional factory with all it’s hierarchies and the emphasis on exam results rather than the development of students was striking. No-one had the slightest concern about pupil’s welfare – we were containers to be filled with facts which were duly regurgitated at exam times. Disciplinary problems were dealt with by detentions and the cane and the less formal thrown object (e.g. wooden board rubbers) from masters who were keen cricketers. (Yes they were all “masters”). Social and technological changes and better training for teachers seem to have made schools better places in many respects . Though the buildings are more modern and the teachers have better relationships with children the schools are still in fact exam factories with even more exams to prove their productivity and fear for the future driving children, teachers and parents. We knew as teenagers that on leaving school we would either get a job or go to university. It was much harder to go to university and very simple to get a job . If you didn’t like the job you could get another one and if you worked hard you could live a pretty good life, backed up by Health and Welfare services and supported by strong public institutions. Of course there was poverty and poor housing but pretty well everyone thought that as a society we could and should change that.There were many arguments about the kind of change required but not the combination of callous indifference and open malice towards the less fortunate that is so prevalent today in the media and in political discourse. No wonder our kids are scared that they won’t be pretty enough or slim enough or smart enough or rich enough. As well as constantly being measured and tested against each other at school they are given absurd role models by the gutter press and trash TV and witness the contempt shown by the powerful towards the powerless.*Assessment question for schools and for society. Right now the evidence seems clear- unhappy stressed adults are attempting to help unhappy stressed children by prescribing more of the same medicine that they had (albeit with a bit more sugar and an absence of scars from board rubbers). *As I write we’re 24 hours away from hearing where the promised £12 Billion of welfare cuts will fall. It seems highly likely that Child Tax Credits will be cut and push yet more families into poverty and all the additional problems that go with being impoverished. The public school educated multi-millionaire presenting the budget (he inherited his wealth) is also likely to cut Inheritance Tax…….. October 2015 Our phone crisis is finally over and for all the difficulties it was still a first world problem and the staff in the phone shops were understanding and very helpful. Normal service has been restored and my blood pressure is back in equilibrium.Who is MAD ? or Am I on the right planet? What would happen if just for once our country actually decided to be really great? Deciding that all citizens will be properly fed and securely housed and have meaningful employment. Perhaps even education and health services that valued those they served and those that worked in them. The Big Society The Institute for Fiscal Studies said in its post-budget briefing that 13 million families will lose an average of £240 a year, while 3 million families will lose £1,000 a year. Paul Johnson, the IFS director, said it was “arithmetically impossible” for the increase in the minimum wage to compensate for the loss in tax credits. Travel news Most of the Prime Ministers’ time last week however was spent kowtowing to the Chinese President Xi Jinping …….. Cycling News A British lawyer Paul Powlesland was cycling through the City of London on Wednesday afternoon on his way to his chambers after a court case when he saw a crowd of Xi supporters gathered before the president’s arrival at a state banquet. I’ve just read that some clever person has worked out that the £100,000 it cost to send Cameron to Saudi Arabia to the funeral of King Abdullah in January is equal to 51 years of basic tax credit of £1960. Art News A company run by U.S. hedge fund manager Martin Shrekli aged 32 bought the rights to drug called Daraprim. Daraprim is used to treat toxoplasmosis an infection that is not common but is particularly dangerous especially when it effects babies born to mothers who have become infected or adults whose immune systems are critically compromised because they have Aids or some cancers. Mr Shrekl then raised the price of the drug from 13 dollars per tablet to 750 dollars per tablet (£490). The drug was first developed in the 1940s so the usual drug company excuses for excessive pricing won’t wash. Mr Shrekli is obviously a serious striver! The good news is that a San Diego-based drug company called Imprimis have announced that they’ll supply capsules containing the same active ingredient as Daraprim for 1 dollar per dose. Their CEO Mark Baum will also start to make other alternative versions of generic drugs for a reasonable price. Dancing News In Spain a group of flash mob flamenco dancers called Flo6×8 have a brilliant form of protest. The group carries out carefully choreographed acciones (actions) in front of bemused bank staff and customers. The music and the dancing are wonderful and you don’t need much Spanish to get the message. Look them up on YouTube. As Yasmin says morris dancing in Barclays wouldn’t have quite the same dramatic effect! Football News Two famous ex Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs are allowing Manchester’s homeless to occupy a Grade-II listed building for the winter before they turn it into a five-star hotel.They bought Manchester’s historic Stock Exchange for around £1.5m, but since purchasing the building, it has become occupied by homeless rights activists.But rather than having the squatters evicted, the pair have opted to allow them to use the building for a “few months” across the winter before work commences on revamping the site. Comedy News Do have a look at comedian Russell Howard’s piece on BBC TV (on Youtube now of course) comparing junior doctors’ pay (£23,000) to MPs pay (£74,000) and giving a sterling and funny defence of the NHS. Union News My views about the BACP are well known and I suspect shared by many of those who remain members out of fear. The Counselling Society already offers an alternative and some (perhaps more radical?) colleagues are setting up a Union of Counsellors and Psychotherapists January 2015 Like all good travel experiences (and perhaps ”bad” ones too) I feel changed by being away from familiar places and routines and I’m still not sure exactly how. I won’t bore you with travellers’ tales but perhaps this will give you a flavour…. “The Lao are truly ‘people of the heart’. They believe the heart is the source of intelligence as well as emotion, and that ideas are the sounds or voices of the heart. There are so many common Lao expressions which include the word jai – ‘heart’ . to understand is to enter the heart – khao jai So you see it is not that I’m a bit forgetful at times, it is simply that my “heart is floating” at the time! March 2016 I qualify by age and temperament for Grumpy Old Man status and so I have to ask myself “is it just me?” experiencing disgust and outrage at the state of the world. The answer of course is that it isn’t just me and I know that partly because of the emails I get from the readers of my newsletters and this webpage. Thank you. I also get plenty of mail from organisations run by people who have the courage and patience to stand up to the rich and powerful. More and more I realise that I am a part of a blessed generation who had the advantages of the N.H.S. when it was all run as a public service, free education under democratic control to fulfil our aspirations, and a general sense that poverty and injustice should be tackled collectively. There was a commonly held idea that some of the national solidarity that led to the defeat of nazism could be carried on into the peace. Then as now there was much wrong with the world but there was a shared expectation that the next generation and generations to come would live better lives. In short the population as a whole had HOPE for the future. Now, after the ravages of Thatcher and her acolytes and the appalling waste of political capital and moral vacuity of New Labour we are far far away from even the idea of a healthy happy and optimistic society. The young have a much harder time in many ways, surrounded by models of vulgar materialism and encouraged to blame the poor, the disabled and the dispossessed for our social malaise. Children are involved in spurious competitions for wealth beauty and academic results where the majority have little chance of “living the dream” as portrayed by the media. They look to their future and for many it seems however much they try to “do the right thing” the odds against having secure employment decent wages and affordable housing are high. Hope is in short supply. Many years ago I was lucky enough to be on a workshop led by the pioneering Transactional Analyst Muriel James, co-author of a wonderful book called “Born to Win”. Muriel, a tiny figure then in her eighties and wearing two powerful hearing aids was full of warmth, intelligence and experience. One of the participants asked her “Is there any client you wouldn’t work with?” She replied immediately “clients who have given up hope-I send them to a psychiatrist” As counsellors and therapists and as citizens we need to keep hope alive in ourselves and in our colleagues,clients and friends. We need to be careful to keep alive the proposition that human beings are not just producers and consumers to be controlled, deceived or discarded according to the needs of the wealthy elites and their political servants. Now more than ever we need to keep making the point that good therapy and education like good politics are about freeing people to fulfil their human potential not adjusting to a deeply unhealthy unequal society. “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.” April Newsletter For many years some of us have been banging on about poverty and inequality and the reality that it is not in fact that they have more money that creates a problem for everyone else. They also have the power to increase their wealth almost at will without any benefit to society as a whole and share a belief in their right to do so regardless of the consequences to others. In the recent past politicians said “We are all in this together” and deliberately reduced the incomes of the poor and cut many of the services they relied on and yet managed to get re-elected, albeit with only 27% of the electorate voting for them. The last budget was so blatantly and shamelessly unfair, giving tax cuts to the already rich and reducing or removing benefits to people with disabilities that even some Tory backbenchers (mostly those with marginal seats) thought it might be a step too far. Ian Duncan-Smiths’ sudden resignation, seemingly accompanied by a loss of memory concerning his role for the last 6 years, included the statement “The truth is, yes, we need to get the deficit down but we need to make sure we widen the scope of where we look to get that deficit down and not just narrow it down on working age benefits,” he said. “Because otherwise it just looks like we see this as a pot of money, that it doesn’t matter because they don’t vote for us.” Since then the Panama Papers, some 11.5 million documents leaked from the offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca have revealed that the rich and powerful go to great lengths to make sure that they are not playing by the same rules as the rest of us. Now I think most people already knew that, and those of us who read Private Eye know even more about it but these particular revelations have actually touched a nerve in the public. The Prime Minister has no fewer than six sources of taxable income, including his pay as Prime Minister, rental income from his £2million home in Notting Hill, interest on his savings and dividends from his shares. As Prime Minister and an MP Mr Cameron enjoys a combined salary of £143,462, which after deductions for his pension contributions came to £140,522 in taxable income last year. I suspect the right-wing press are more interested in hurting the Prime Minister for his pro-EU campaign than concerned about offshore earnings but in any event he has revealed (eventually) that he, relatively poor by the standards of some of his colleagues, has means far beyond those of the majority of his fellow citizens. As I was writing this the Chancellor released his tax information, as follows: Taxable pay and earnings as MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) 120,526 As we can see the Chancellors net rental and dividend income together come to £78,209. I suppose they only mix with other very rich people and have little idea of how the majority of their fellow citizens live and that is very understandable. It is not just that the rich have more money as Hemingway said. Both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had the good fortune to be born into wealth and privilege. They are very intelligent and expensively educated (Cameron at Eton and Oxford, Osbourne at St. Paul’s and Oxford) and have chosen to use their talents in politics, not to improve the welfare of all the people but to use their power to undermine public services that we all use and deliver contracts to their wealthy friends and party donors. To end: a quote from an economist usually thought of as being right wing.“The disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition is the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments.” MAY 2016 Since the last time I wrote the newsletter I’ve been rehearsing for my retirement by travelling to, and in, Spain. Travelling in Spain is of course very different from our trip to Laos. A whole set of common European cultural assumptions and a knowledge of the common words in the language-or at least the script-means you can have a good guess at what things mean. I am less likely to commit social faux pas because I am, in all sorts of ways, European. Any idea that being part of the European Union leads to a loss of cultural identity is easily dismissed. In Barcelona the Catalan language is spoken everywhere, red and yellow flags with a blue star adorn many balconies and I saw a very large banner/flag declaring “ This is not Spain” in English in case we did not get the point. At the other side of Spain on the Atlantic Coast the citizens of the ancient and beautiful city of Cadiz are “Gaditanos” (citizens of Cadiz) first, Andalusians second and at the same time, proudly Spanish.The same picture is everywhere you look in Europe. Local identity flourishes wherever there is even a semblance of freedom and people recognise that they can be, for example, Brightonian, English, British and European and be a citizen of the world.The threats to freedom, democracy and diversity are not from the European Union but from corporate interests who undermine democracy by constantly subverting civil society. The institutions which are an expression of our cultural and political identity, e.g. the B.B.C., the N.H.S., free education under democratic control etc. etc. are not threatened by working time directives, equal pay, maternity and paternity leave or the requirements that our rivers and beaches must be clean. They are threatened by the very politicians and journalists (Johnson and Gove are both) who in the name of “Britishness” and national identity wish us to leave the E.U. but constantly campaign and vote to undermine the very institutions that (with all their faults) we can be proud of. The Brexiteers manage to combine a view of history and politics full of the great and glorious deeds of wealthy aristocrats with support for a rampant free market capitalism indifferent to any kind of boundary, national or moral, existing only to make profits. The institutions of the European Union may be hard to love but the prospect of a Britain outside it is alarming. The Brexit campaigners have no credible answer to the question “How will the U.K. manage if we leave?” and as that becomes clearer their arguments increasingly boil down to the nastier side of nationalism-the beliefs that our problems are due to immigration and being controlled by outside forces. If we add to these beliefs the fantasy that somehow being British gives you a kind of innate superiority then voting to leave makes sense. I wish at this point to declare an interest. I would like to rehearse my retirement again and exercise my right as a European citizen to travel freely in the E.U. If my fellow citizens vote to exit from the E.U. it is highly likely that the money I have earned in a long working life will lose its value overnight and that will limit my time in the sun. For me it is only a “first world problem” since I won’t go hungry or lose the roof over my head but I fear for the future of our country if we turn our backs on our neighbours and give even more political power to our own home-grown right wingers – urged on by the still unreformed gutter press. July 2016*“While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”* When I wrote last month’s newsletter I feared the outcome of a sordid referendum campaign. At the same time I thought when it came to the vote economic self-interest and hopefully some residual sense that we are a tolerant decent nation would lead to a majority for remaining in the E.U. For the last few days I have woken up and the first sensation even before my need for a cup of tea is a feeling of sadness which over the day is combined with fear, anger and distaste. I over-estimated the power of reason and rational debate and under-estimated how hurt and angry I would feel – so I feel stupid too. As I have said to many students before, the word “stupid” originally meant numbed with grief. Last month I wrote: ” I fear that a successful Leave vote will lead to the ascendancy of nationalists and right wing extremists whose policies will turn my country into an impoverished isolated offshore tax haven. The Brexiteers have blamed the E.U. and immigration for all the problems that have been created by our own home-grown politicians. If they get their way and we leave what will happen when the people they have enthused realise that they are worse off than ever?” Racist incidents have already risen sharply since the referendum result and people with different backgrounds and racial groups have been abused and attacked. It is absurd to think that all the people who voted to leave the E.U. are racists and fascists but the campaign and the victory have certainly shown the extreme right and freelance thugs that their agenda of overt racism has been given a boost both here and in mainland Europe. As a commentator said: “Though all leavers aren’t fascists-all fascists are leavers.” STOP PRESS ! I first wrote this on Wednesday 29th June: The man billed as a Tory intellectual Michael Gove when it was pointed out that the overwhelming majority of people who know anything about finance and economics and just about every professional body were in favour of remaining in Europe actually said: “People in this country have had enough of experts” Unfortunately they don’t seem to have had enough of unscrupulous careerists who will tell any lie, however dangerous and destructive, to further their own careers. The following day 30th June Michael Gove announced that he would be running for leadership of the Tory party and therefore for the Prime Ministership.
His buddy of the previous day Boris Johnson was now deserted by many of his followers and announced he would not be running for the leadership. As I write the hourly news is about this fascinating horrible psychodrama alternating tragedy and farce whilst no-one has any idea what is going to happen in any area of public policy. What to do? First and foremost we have to take care of one another and keep reminding ourselves that we are not alone. If ever we needed to make connections the time is now. We need to show love and respect for each other and stand up for those who are hurt and insulted by the “shadow” part of our society with their abuse and violence. I have taken for granted that for all its’ faults and desperate inequalities I was part of a culturally diverse, tolerant, open, and fundamentally decent country. I still am – but I won’t take it for granted any more. If this makes sense to you- mail me, call me, talk to me – come to our Tuesday evening meetings and DON’T BE ALONE! November 2016I usually use this newsletter as a way of passing comment on the state of the world. For a change I want to make a more positive statement. However shocking and depressing the state of the world as portrayed in the news, life goes on and people go on loving and caring for each other. A few days ago Yasmin and I went to my nephew Jonathan and his bride Nikki’s wedding in the ancient and beautiful village church in Shawbury, Shropshire. The day was a great celebration of the love and commitment of a very happy couple and a reunion and meeting of friends and families. I had the honour of doing a reading at the ceremony, and I’d like to share it with you.Staying Happily MarriedAs well as being Jonathan’s uncle I have been a counsellor for the past 30 years listening to individuals and couples when they are in trouble – anxious, depressed and distressed. I understand that parts of this lovely church were built in the late 12th century when life for most people was short and most of the things we take completely for granted were simply impossible dreams. Even today there are millions of people whose daily lives are as dangerous as those of the people who married in this same church 900 years ago. So everyday be thankful for your lives and your love and work together to stay happily married. December 2016 I’m going to attempt both. This is part of a speech Michelle Obama gave during the U.S. presidential election. I strongly recommend you look on YouTube and see the whole speech which was given in response to Donald Trumps’ boasting about being a sex offender. “Because consider this: if all of this is painful to us as grown women, what do you think this is doing to our children? What message are our little girls hearing about who they should look like, how they should act? What lessons are they learning about their value as professionals, as human beings, about their dreams and aspirations? And how is this affecting men and boys in this country? Because I can tell you that the men in my life do not talk about women like this. And I know that my family is not unusual. And to dismiss this as everyday locker-room talk is an insult to decent men everywhere. The men that you and I know don’t treat women this way. They are loving fathers who are sickened by the thought of their daughters being exposed to this kind of vicious language about women. They are husbands and brothers and sons who don’t tolerate women being treated and demeaned and disrespected. And like us, these men are worried about the impact this election is having on our boys who are looking for role models of what it means to be a man. In fact, someone recently told me a story about their six-year-old son who one day was watching the news – they were watching the news together. And the little boy, out of the blue, said, “I think Hillary Clinton will be president.” And his mom said, “Well, why do you say that?” And this little six-year-old said, “Because the other guy called someone a piggy and,” he said, “You cannot be president if you call someone a piggy.” Because let’s be very clear: strong men – men who are truly role models – don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together. And that is what we need in our next president. We need someone who is a uniting force in this country. We need someone who will heal the wounds that divide us, someone who truly cares about us and our children, someone with strength and compassion to lead this country forward.” I don’t think Michelle Obama and millions of decent Americans will be giving up the struggle despite the forces ranged against them. Neither should we when faced with battles we thought had been won…….. The White Helmets “When the bombs rain down, the Syrian Civil Defence rushes in. In a place where public services no longer function these unarmed volunteers risk their lives to help anyone in need – regardless of their religion or politics. Known as the White Helmets these volunteer rescue workers operate in the most dangerous place on earth. As the conflict in Syria worsens, ordinary people are paying the highest price. More than 50 bombs and mortars a day land on some neighbourhoods in Syria. Many are rusty barrels filled with nails and explosives, rolled out the back of government helicopters — bakeries and markets are the most commonly hit targets. When this happens the White Helmets rush in to search for life in the rubble – fully aware that more bombs may fall on the same site. These volunteers have saved 73,530 lives – and this number is growing daily. The volunteers save people on all sides of the conflict – pledging commitment to the principles of “Humanity, Solidarity, Impartiality” as outlined by the International Civil Defence Organisation. This pledge guides every response, every action, every life saved – so that in a time of destruction, all Syrians have the hope of a lifeline.The White Helmets mostly deal with the aftermath of government air attacks. Yet they have risked sniper fire to rescue bodies of government soldiers to give them a proper burial. Bakers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students and many more, the White Helmets are volunteers from all walks of life. Many have paid the ultimate price for their compassion – 141 have been killed while saving others. If you look online you will find several sites calling the White Helmets into question. It is not too difficult to find out they are bought and paid for by the Russian government which supports the Assad government both politically and militarily. I’ll put a link on my Friends and Resources page if you want to send them money for equipment. I wish you all a peaceful festive season.Every time I’ve tried to finish this commentary some new bizarre event or statement has made the news headlines and the temptation is to turn away from what is happening and not look up from my comfortable semi-retired existence. Although individually I have no power to change much and neither do you, we can at least register our dissent and challenge vile prejudices and straight lies when we hear and see them. History never repeats itself exactly and technology changes everything but there are parallels with the 1930s. Shooting the messenger (expert ?) who tells you something that doesn’t fit with your propaganda is the current government style. Sir Ivan Rogers has stepped down as Britain’s ambassador to the EU. Here is part of his message to his civil service colleagues….. “I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power. I hope that you will support each other in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them. I hope that you will continue to be interested in the views of others, even where you disagree with them, and in understanding why others act and think in the way that they do.”He was immediately mocked and abused by right wing politicians and commentators, but I think his message is very important for all of us. Like many good messages it doesn’t fit easily on a banner, perhaps LISTEN, THINK, TELL THE TRUTH would do it. Meryl Streep called out the President-elect for his habit of attacking reporters during an acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. “One performance this year … stunned me,” she told the audience at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. “It sank its hooks in my heart … It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter. Someone he outranked in privilege, power and the capacity to fight back. It kind of broke my heart when I saw it. “This instinct to humiliate, when it’s modelled by someone in the public platform, by someone powerful, it filters down into everybody’s life, because it kinda gives permission for other people to do the same thing. Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence. And when the powerful use their position to bully others we all lose.”The man who in just a few days time will become the president of the most powerful country on earth responded by saying she is “one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood” and “a Hillary flunky who lost big.” Since I wrote this new alleged scandals have emerged about the President Elect* and he has complained about “fake news”. *Some of you may remember my take on diagnosis- If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, eats bread,has feathers, eats bread and pondweed and lives in the park then it’s probably a duck. Theresa May has stressed the role of the state in creating “a society that works for everyone”. The so-called shared society, she says, “doesn’t just value our individual rights but focuses rather more on the responsibilities we have to one another” and respects “the bonds of family, community, citizenship and strong institutions that we share as a union of people and nations”. In a speech setting out her vision, she said there was “more to life than individualism and self-interest”. “We form families, communities, towns, cities, counties and nations. And we embrace the responsibilities those institutions imply. The High Pay Centre calculated that the average FTSE 100 boss now earns more than £1,000 an hour, meaning they will pass the UK average salary of £28,200 by around midday on Wednesday January 4th 2017. The thinktank said that after enjoying rapid earnings growth in recent years, leading bosses now typically earn 129 times more than their employees. Over to you Mrs May. Many of you are aware that Yasmin and I are making big changes in the next few months culminating in a move to Cardiff in the summer. We are having the usual hassles in selling our house and renting here in Bexhill. Yes it really is the 3rd most stressful life event! We will both be working here until we move and having thought about it we’ll probably want to work in South Wales too. It is after all our “heartswork” April 2017Oh to be in England It seems like April Fools’ Day every day. It is increasingly difficult to detect whether a news item is the work of a reporter or a satirist. e.g. Ex-leader of the Conservative Party Lord Michael Howard in an interview on Sky News said “Thirty-five years ago this week, another woman prime minister sent a taskforce halfway across the world to defend the freedom of another small group of British people against another Spanish-speaking country, and I’m absolutely certain that our current prime minister will show the same resolve in standing by the people of Gibraltar”.Just this morning (April 5th) news that Theresa May is in Saudi Arabia drumming up business (probably including selling more arms to use in the Yemen) and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is in the Phillipines reassuring the murderer President Duterte, “The UK and the Philippines have a well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests and we want this partnership to continue to flourish…..” Artists and Artistry The artist Grayson Perry has won the Royal Television Society’s best presenter and best arts programme awards for his documentary series exploring masculinity shown last year on Channel 4. Watching the programmes and his previous series on social class I was impressed by his interviewing style; involved, engaged, never patronising and always (whatever he was wearing) clearly being himself. To stretch the metaphor (this is me now not Bugental), we learn to duet with our client, play in a trio in couples work and become a bandleader in groupwork. Taking turns to play solos, returning to themes, elaborating on each others’ contribution and creating new tunes, new rhythms and new dances, growing and changing. A Wedding and Community We spent last weekend at a family wedding in North Wales. My niece Naomi was married in the parish church in Wrexham with over a 100 guests and the Brymbo Male Voice Choir. The bride and groom and their parents arrived in two vintage VW campervans and the reception was held in a Georgian manor house now serving as a hotel. A formidable posse of bridesmaids had helped the bride to plan and deliver the wedding over many months and the ushers, long term friends of the groom, made sure he was in the right place at the right time and everyone knew what they had to do. The sun shone the whole day and the party continued late into the night. The word community has been used and abused to sell all sorts political ideas but I was reminded at the wedding that community has a reality that is way beyond political hoo-ha. At the wedding just asking “Who is that person?” received answers telling of rich associations of family, friends and shared history . My sister Barbara and her husband Mel were married in the same church 43 years ago and have friendships that pre-date their wedding day and many they have made since. These friendships have been nurtured by supporting each other through hard times and good times and celebrated at weddings, christenings and funerals, birthday parties, shared activities and everyday mutual aid that bind people together to make community. Modern technology was used to plan, buy and hire everything required and of course there will be hundreds of photos and videos, both professional and amateur, to look back on. In the end though the wedding was a celebration that brought families and friends together in a way that is timeless. There is such a thing as society, we are not all self-seeking individuals and people will put themselves out for others. It is heartening especially in these difficult times to see and be part of a marriage ceremony that involved a whole network of people coming together to support members of their community.April 2017Oh to be in England It seems like April Fools’ Day every day. It is increasingly difficult to detect whether a news item is the work of a reporter or a satirist. e.g. Ex-leader of the Conservative Party Lord Michael Howard in an interview on Sky News said “Thirty-five years ago this week, another woman prime minister sent a taskforce halfway across the world to defend the freedom of another small group of British people against another Spanish-speaking country, and I’m absolutely certain that our current prime minister will show the same resolve in standing by the people of Gibraltar”.Just this morning (April 5th) news that Theresa May is in Saudi Arabia drumming up business (probably including selling more arms to use in the Yemen) and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is in the Phillipines reassuring the murderer President Duterte, “The UK and the Philippines have a well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests and we want this partnership to continue to flourish…..” Artists and Artistry The artist Grayson Perry has won the Royal Television Society’s best presenter and best arts programme awards for his documentary series exploring masculinity shown last year on Channel 4. Watching the programmes and his previous series on social class I was impressed by his interviewing style; involved, engaged, never patronising and always (whatever he was wearing) clearly being himself. To stretch the metaphor (this is me now not Bugental), we learn to duet with our client, play in a trio in couples work and become a bandleader in groupwork. Taking turns to play solos, returning to themes, elaborating on each others’ contribution and creating new tunes, new rhythms and new dances, growing and changing. A Wedding and Community We spent last weekend at a family wedding in North Wales. My niece Naomi was married in the parish church in Wrexham with over a 100 guests and the Brymbo Male Voice Choir. The bride and groom and their parents arrived in two vintage VW campervans and the reception was held in a Georgian manor house now serving as a hotel. A formidable posse of bridesmaids had helped the bride to plan and deliver the wedding over many months and the ushers, long term friends of the groom, made sure he was in the right place at the right time and everyone knew what they had to do. The sun shone the whole day and the party continued late into the night. The word community has been used and abused to sell all sorts political ideas but I was reminded at the wedding that community has a reality that is way beyond political hoo-ha. At the wedding just asking “Who is that person?” received answers telling of rich associations of family, friends and shared history . My sister Barbara and her husband Mel were married in the same church 43 years ago and have friendships that pre-date their wedding day and many they have made since. These friendships have been nurtured by supporting each other through hard times and good times and celebrated at weddings, christenings and funerals, birthday parties, shared activities and everyday mutual aid that bind people together to make community. Modern technology was used to plan, buy and hire everything required and of course there will be hundreds of photos and videos, both professional and amateur, to look back on. In the end though the wedding was a celebration that brought families and friends together in a way that is timeless. There is such a thing as society, we are not all self-seeking individuals and people will put themselves out for others. It is heartening especially in these difficult times to see and be part of a marriage ceremony that involved a whole network of people coming together to support members of their community.April 2017Oh to be in England It seems like April Fools’ Day every day. It is increasingly difficult to detect whether a news item is the work of a reporter or a satirist. e.g. Ex-leader of the Conservative Party Lord Michael Howard in an interview on Sky News said “Thirty-five years ago this week, another woman prime minister sent a taskforce halfway across the world to defend the freedom of another small group of British people against another Spanish-speaking country, and I’m absolutely certain that our current prime minister will show the same resolve in standing by the people of Gibraltar”.Just this morning (April 5th) news that Theresa May is in Saudi Arabia drumming up business (probably including selling more arms to use in the Yemen) and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is in the Phillipines reassuring the murderer President Duterte, “The UK and the Philippines have a well-established and strong relationship built on a foundation of shared values and shared interests and we want this partnership to continue to flourish…..” Artists and Artistry The artist Grayson Perry has won the Royal Television Society’s best presenter and best arts programme awards for his documentary series exploring masculinity shown last year on Channel 4. Watching the programmes and his previous series on social class I was impressed by his interviewing style; involved, engaged, never patronising and always (whatever he was wearing) clearly being himself. To stretch the metaphor (this is me now not Bugental), we learn to duet with our client, play in a trio in couples work and become a bandleader in groupwork. Taking turns to play solos, returning to themes, elaborating on each others’ contribution and creating new tunes, new rhythms and new dances, growing and changing. A Wedding and Community We spent last weekend at a family wedding in North Wales. My niece Naomi was married in the parish church in Wrexham with over a 100 guests and the Brymbo Male Voice Choir. The bride and groom and their parents arrived in two vintage VW campervans and the reception was held in a Georgian manor house now serving as a hotel. A formidable posse of bridesmaids had helped the bride to plan and deliver the wedding over many months and the ushers, long term friends of the groom, made sure he was in the right place at the right time and everyone knew what they had to do. The sun shone the whole day and the party continued late into the night. The word community has been used and abused to sell all sorts political ideas but I was reminded at the wedding that community has a reality that is way beyond political hoo-ha. At the wedding just asking “Who is that person?” received answers telling of rich associations of family, friends and shared history . My sister Barbara and her husband Mel were married in the same church 43 years ago and have friendships that pre-date their wedding day and many they have made since. These friendships have been nurtured by supporting each other through hard times and good times and celebrated at weddings, christenings and funerals, birthday parties, shared activities and everyday mutual aid that bind people together to make community. Modern technology was used to plan, buy and hire everything required and of course there will be hundreds of photos and videos, both professional and amateur, to look back on. In the end though the wedding was a celebration that brought families and friends together in a way that is timeless. There is such a thing as society, we are not all self-seeking individuals and people will put themselves out for others. It is heartening especially in these difficult times to see and be part of a marriage ceremony that involved a whole network of people coming together to support members of their community.December 2018At 11pm on March 29th 2019, the UK is scheduled to leave the European Union. Still to be decided is what precisely will happen on Brexit day and what kind of deal, if any, Britain will leave with. On the following day 30th March 2019 I will be doing a workshop: ** “Therapy in Troubled Times” at Lodge Counselling 9A High Street Crowborough TN6 2QA. Places will be limited so please book early by email and pay a non-returnable deposit of £20-00. The cost is £80-00 for the day (9.30-4.30) and I’ll provide tea,coffee biscuits etc.What the…..?! Watching and listening to the news I often find myself thinking “What did she/he just say ? That can’t be right/sounds absurd/is impossible only to find that the surreal is all too real and the people who are supposed to be in charge of the affairs of state are not even in charge of themselves and seem unaware of how completely unqualified they are for the jobs they hold. I’m not talking about morality- I’ve long held the view that morality like paying taxes only applies to the “little people” in the eyes of our rulers. I’m not even talking about truth as a wider concept – just basic knowledge for anyone who can read newspapers or listen to the radio.British austerity ‘callous’, says UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty Channel 4 News – the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty, Professor Philip Alston, has published his report on the situation facing millions in poverty in this country. ‘Punitive, mean-spirited, and callous,’ that’s how he described the Government’s austerity policies. And he says the rise in child poverty is a ‘social calamity and economic disaster’. The only slight bit of cheer in the latest round of resignations from the government was the departure of Esther McVey from the Department of Work and Pensions. Her replacement is Amber Rudd who despite being the M.P. for Hastings and Rye thinks the UN guy has got it all wrong and government policy is fine. Does she ever spend any time in the Hastings part of her constituency? Gambling The UK’s best-paid boss, co-founder of online gambling firm Bet365 Denise Coates, has received another bumper pay rise. The firm’s accounts show compensation, for the firm’s “highest paid director” rising to £265m including dividends.That was £48m higher than the total she received last year as the popularity of online gambling continues to grow. “In the UK, it is estimated that around 350,000 people are suffering from a gambling addiction. In recent years, the number of people experiencing problems with gambling has increased due to economic troubles associated with the global recession and an increase in the number of gambling outlets. It is now easier than ever before to gamble, with a huge number of online betting shops and games sites enabling people to gamble 24 hours a day. Every year, over 7 billion pounds is spent on gambling.” gamblingaddiction.org.uk More gambling Boris Johnson was paid almost £100,000 to deliver a two-hour speech to a hedge fund* in New York earlier this month. *an offshore investment fund, typically formed as a private limited partnership, that engages in speculation using credit or borrowed capital. The most recent entry in the register of MPs interests shows he was paid £94,508 for the speech at the investment firm’s office in America on November 2. Travel and accommodation was also provided. The wages per year for an MP as of April 2018 are £77,379. This payment comes on top of the £23,000 he receives every month to write a weekly newspaper column. The register shows he also received almost £9,500 in book royalties in the past two months, to add to a total of £18,000 he has already been paid by publishers during 2018. Mr Johnson was also paid £2,000 for another column in a different paper, which helped his total earnings outside Parliament for 2018 reach around £244,000. When he was being paid £94,508 plus expenses what kind of wisdom and information was he imparting? I’ve seen and read interviews and speeches by him and recently watched the documentary about his time in the Foreign Office and didn’t hear anything other than his need to make jokes and show-off. In the documentary the diplomats attempting to advise him were very professional but plainly not amused. On resigning from his post as Foreign Secretary he was of course free to pile up his outside earnings. History
Karen Bradley, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, said:“I freely admit that when I started this job, I didn’t understand some of the deep-seated and deep-rooted issues that there are in Northern Ireland. I didn’t understand things like when elections are fought, for example, in Northern Ireland – people who are nationalists don’t vote for unionist parties and vice versa.” Good luck with the DUP Karen. Prophecy “The day after we vote to leave we hold all the cards and we can choose the path we want”. Michael Gove (9 April 2016) “Getting out of the EU can be quick and easy – the UK holds most of the cards in any negotiation “ John Redwood (17 July 2016) “To me, Brexit is easy.” Nigel Farage(20 September 2016) “We won’t know the full economic consequences for a very long time. The overwhelming opportunity for Brexit is over the next 50 years.” Jacob Rees-Mogg July 2017 “The free trade agreement that we will have to do with the European Union should be one of the easiest in human history.” Liam Fox (20 July 2017) Liam Fox is still a member of the cabinet. I heard him on the radio recently and it seems that he might actually have realised that he and his Brexiteer friends have been selling a pack of lies and delusions and the May deal is more or less the deal that is on offer. The idea that we can “have our cake and eat it” is as deluded as the fantasy of endless extra money for the NHS on leaving the EU. Fox is desperate to get trade deals with the Trump administration which is good news for those of you who like your beef with extra hormones, chicken washed in chlorine and are completely sanguine about American companies running chunks of the NHS. In the meantime we are turning our backs on our nearest neighbours one of whom said on Armistice Day, November 11th…Speech by a grown-up “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. In saying ‘our interests first, whatever happens to the others,’ you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: its moral values. President Macron November 11th 2018. I’m no fan of his politics but compared to the drivel coming out of Washington and London this sounds like someone who has a grasp of history and geography and understands about climate change. And, and, and….. Hard to remember sometimes but most people most of the time are doing their best to do the right thing for themselves their families and for the wider society. Despite all the problems in our public services brought about by political malice and incompetence the majority of the staff of our schools,hospitals,social services, police force etc continue to provide the backbone of our society. If you have to wait for an ambulance or a hospital bed, your childrens’ teacher seems very tired and stressed, it isn’t their fault- they are doing their best under difficult and sometimes impossible circumstances. It is the festive season and I hope you all give yourselves time off from the cares of the world to enjoy whatever kind of holiday that is right for you. I saw a t-shirt recently that had printed on the front “ I like to party-and by party I mean read a book”. Eric Berne the founder of Transactional Analysis said he enjoyed what he called “ a jumping up and down kind of party”. Whatever your preference I wish you well and hope to see some of you in March and hear from anyone at any time by phone or email.Namaste, Steve A couple of weeks ago I ran the Cardiff 5k Run for Victory around the suburb of Whitchurch. There was a great party atmosphere and we had a lovely time.My aims were to: a) survive b) complete the run c) not finish last. Mission accomplished! We are both really enjoying living here. Most of our journeys are done with our free bus passes and where we live we don’t have to wait more than a few minutes. I’m loving visits to the Central Library a beautiful and comfortable modern building which is a joy to browse or sit in and there are plenty of independent cafes,restaurants,bars and shops as well as the big shopping centres which could be anywhere-except that all signage and announcements are in Welsh and English.
Last weekend was declared a traffic-free day in the city and we had the additional excitement of Cardiff city F.C. s victory parade after winning promotion to the Premier League. You didn’t have to be a football fan to enjoy the loud but good natured celebrations. The builders arrive on Tuesday for an estimated 12 weeks so we will be camping in some parts of the house whilst other bits are being demolished and a kitchen/diner,ground floor shower room and outside walled patio constructed. We’ll have to practice staying calm and keep reminding ourselves that it will be lovely when it’s finished! The vegetables in the greenhouse and the bits of garden that won’t be affected by the building works are thriving in the warm weather and it is a great joy to me to tend the garden and look forward to developing it over time. We have trees and flowers in full bloom now and it is wonderful to wake up to bird song on these bright days. “That’s what love is. Love is not selfish and self-centred. Love can be sacrificial, and in so doing, becomes redemptive. And that way of unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive love changes lives, and it can change this world. “If you don’t believe me, just stop and imagine. Think and imagine a world where love is the way.” “Imagine our homes and families where love is the way. Imagine neighbourhoods and communities where love is the way. “Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce where this love is the way. “Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. When love is the way – unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive. “When love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again. “When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook. “When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary. “When love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields, down by the riverside, to study war no more. “When love is the way, there’s plenty good room – plenty good room – for all of God’s children. “Because when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well… like we are actually family. “When love is the way, we know that God is the source of us all, and we are brothers and sisters, children of God. “My brothers and sisters, that’s a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family. Amen to that Bishop Michael and Namaste to you all. As I write we are no nearer knowing whether we are going to crash out of the EU with no deal, a deal will be struck or there will be some other idea cobbled together to try and square the circle of Brexit. Whatever happens, and it is tragically true that no-one, including the people who brought this about, knows, I will be doing my …
While Eco is firm in claiming “There was only one Nazism,” he says, “the fascist game can be played in many forms, and the name of the game does not change.” Eco reduces the qualities of what he calls “Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism” down to 14 “typical” features. “These features,” writes the novelist and semiotician, “cannot be organized into a system; many of them contradict each other, and are also typical of other kinds of despotism or fanaticism. But it is enough that one of them be present to allow fascism to coagulate around it.” The cult of tradition. “One has only to look at the syllabus of every fascist movement to find the major traditionalist thinkers. The Nazi gnosis was nourished by traditionalist, syncretistic, occult elements.” Namaste, Steve |
 Martin Buber  |
