The Joy of Six 1534

Keir Starmer should set a timetable for his departure from Number 10 and give his successor the opportunity to prepare for becoming prime minister, argue Hannah White and Alex Thomas.

"Digital spaces should be safe for people of all ages. But I don’t believe bans are the answer. Technology companies need to be held to account and required to block harmful content and build safety into their designs." Lisa M. Given on what Britain can learn from Australia's attempt to ban under-16s from social media.

Ben Mayfield has seen a new film on the countryside access debate in England and Wales: "Our Land is a title with two meanings – private land ownership for the landowners v the campaign for shared rights in land. The film explores different attitudes to ownership as well as the physical borders between landowners and, in the words of access campaigner and contributor Guy Shrubsole, 'the peasants'."

John Drury names six mistaken ideas in crowd psychology that refuse to die: de-individuation, groupthink, mass panic, contagion, the hooligan, mob mentality.

"Almost by chance, they ran across the uncanny, disorienting and inexhaustibly strange works that would help define the culture of the century, and fought against stiff odds to make them common coinage in every Anglophone domain." Boyd Tonkin pays tribute to Edwin and Willa Muir, whose translations made the work of Franz Kafka available to the English-speaking world.

David Hewitt looks back to Oxfam Walk '69 and Wembley Stadium's first concert: "Four-fifths of those who started the walk managed to complete it, and their total mileage was said to be equivalent to three trips to the Moon and back. The first of them arrived at Wembley at 3pm, where they were met by yet more celebrities. Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal party, told them they were 'the nation’s conscience' and 'one of the finest armies that has taken the field for many years'."

Six of the Best 768

"I will be pushing as hard as I can for reform of our large aid agencies but I will defend what they do and the work of all decent aid workers with everything I’ve got." Peter Kyle talks sense on the Oxfam scandal.

Polly MacKenzie calls for an end to despair about British politics and for positive action instead.

"Once upon a time, I was a member of the Lib Dem's federal policy committee. I used to irritate Danny Alexander and other luminaries by claiming that Liberals had made no contribution to economic debate since John Maynard Keynes had breathed his last in 1946." David Boyle did - I heard him - but now he thinks things may be changing, if not in Britain.

Nicholas Thompson and Fred Vogelstein on the two years that shook Facebook: "the company ... realises now that it bears some of the responsibilities that a publisher does: for the care of its readers, and for the care of the truth."

"On the ground, the shockwaves of the mines were felt far more than heard, there was no bang, either on the Somme or in England as was claimed much later; but 8,000 feet above the battlefield the sound waves reached a pilot who had been warned to keep clear of La Boisselle but turned his machine to observe the detonations of Lochnagar and Y Sap." Simon Jones on the battle beneath no man's land in World War I.

Cinephilia & Beyond revisits David Lynch's dark masterpiece Blue Velvet.

Social Good Summit 2013

Three years ago Oxfam sent me to New York to blog about the Millennium Development Goals Summit and the Social Good Summit.

You too can share in this year's Social Good Summit (without the per diem expenses, obviously) via its website.

And there will be a lot of good stuff there:

The Social Good Summit is a three-day conference where big ideas meet new media to create innovative solutions. Held during UN Week from September 22-24, the Social Good Summit unites a dynamic community of global leaders to discuss a big idea: the power of innovative thinking and technology to solve our greatest challenges. 

The most innovative technologists, influential minds and passionate activists will come together with one shared goal: to unlock the potential of new media and technology to make the world a better place, and then to translate that potential into action.

Be Outraged: Austerity isn't working

Austerity and growth, of course, are not opposites. We need a good dose of both. But, with European opinion moving against the former and in favour of the latter, Oxfam has chosen a good moment to publish this short book written by eleven eminent economists and social scientists. You can download Be Outraged: Austerity isn't working as a PDF from the Oxfam website.

So, before we forget altogether, let's pause a moment to remember some of the good things about austerity and  bad things about growth.

In the early days of the environmental movement it was widely believed that there were environmental limits to economic growth - that belief was practically what defined the environmental movement in the face of post-war social democracy. The idea that we would one day run out of vital resources was always a little fanciful, but we have seen in oil that the need for new discoveries has led to more hazardous operations - think of the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, Canadian oil sands - and more environmental damage. I know that both sides have agreed to call for 'green growth', but the lack of argument here feels more like wishful thinking than a conceptual breakthrough.

Those who oppose austerity want to see more public spending and want to see it financed, not by higher taxation, but by borrowing. But it has always seemed odd to me that the left are so set upon a policy that puts the country in thrall to the people they despise most: international financiers. I suppose it flows from putting ever-growing levels of public services at the centre of your politics and then lacking the courage to raise the taxes to pay for them.

And, of course, borrowing has a cost. Be Outraged is quick to remind us that the analogy between household and national borrowing can be misleading:

John Maynard Keynes famously pointed out the dangers of treating national debt like household debt. Robert Skidelsky, Keynes biographer, has summarised the reasons why this is so: governments, unlike private individuals, do not have to “repay” their debt: they have their own Central Bank and their own currency and they can continue to borrow.

But national debt still has to be serviced: we have to pay interest on it. So with the current UK national debt being somewhere in the region of £1.046 - I make that a 13-digit number - there are good arguments for trying to keep that interest down. And the rate is determined by the markets set by our old friends the international financiers.

So that is the case against growth - or at least in favour of austerity. And perhaps it is because of it that I find the best two chapters in Be Outraged to be those that have least to do with the austerity vs growth debate.

Chapter 6 makes a powerful case for decreasing inequalities in calling for "a recovery for all, not just the few":

The richest 1% (61 million individuals) had the same amount of income as the poorest 3.5 billion (56% of the world’s population). At the bottom end, two in five of the world’s population, live below the international poverty line of US$2 a day; of those, one billion people live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.25 a day.

And chapter 7 discusses "Transforming the financial sector from bad master to good servant":

When the financial sector has been well regulated and controlled, and when well-run public banks have played an important role, the financial sector has played a positive role to support and not undermine the real economy. Examples are post WWII USA and Europe, and many developing countries (like Brazil and India) then and today. The positive experience is clear for public institutions in Europe, such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) at a regional level, and German KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau) at a national level, and in developing countries, such as the BNDES (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social) in Brazil.

All good stuff, but it was just as valid five years ago when the economy was booming. But then one of the weaknesses of Keynesian economics is that people love the idea of stimulus when things are going badly but are deaf to calls for restraint when the economy is booming.

But Be Outraged, which was inspired by Indignez-vous, a multi-million best-seller written by Stephane Hessel, former member of the French resistance, will interest anyone looking for ways out of our current morass. So why not download a copy for yourself?

Small row in Europe, not many hurt

During the August riots I was on holiday in Shropshire. I didn't buy a newspaper and spent my evenings planning days out in places like Ironbridge and Bishop's Castle rather than watching the television news.

What contact I did have with the world of telegrams and anger was via Twitter, and because I was on holiday in a quiet part of England it was hard to relate to the picture it painted. Evan Harris, for instance, didn't like it when I poked gentle fun at his call for the Army to be deployed.

Four months on, and my reaction does not seem so silly, because the riots have been largely forgotten. Yes, there have been inquests - Iain Duncan Smith blames The X Factor, the Guardian blames the police - but all those claims that the riots showed that British society was going to have to change fundamentally now seem a little silly.

Well, I have been on holiday again this week and, perhaps as a result, I have the same feeling about events in Europe. I just don't see that Britain's failure to agree to a new economic treaty is as important as is being claimed.

This is for a variety of reasons.

The first is that I think that the attempt to shore up the Euro is probably doomed in its current form. However strict the new rules about reducing public sector deficits, I do not think that they will be enough to keep the likes of Greece on board. (Besides, the problem in the past was not these rules, it was the fact that everyone ignored them when it suited them.) So this week's events are likely to no more than a footnote to this more important story.

The second is that the agreement the European Community comes to without Britain will make little difference to Britain. We will not be bound by it, but whatever government is in power here will have to adopt an austerity programme for the foreseeable future, EC or no EC.

 

The third is I simply do not feel a sense of outrage that the British government has failed to agree a treaty that would pass over significant control over the British economy. You may think it would be a good idea to do this, but no party advocated such a move at the last general election. I think there is debate to won here first.

I am not happy that David Cameron exercised his veto to help the City of London. Even among Conservatives there is agreement that the economy needs to be rebalanced, with manufacturing having a greater role and finance a lesser one.

And I am also attracted by the idea of a Robin Hood tax. But it does rather depend what you are going to use the money for. When I went to New York with Oxfam last year everyone I met was sure that it should be use to fund development in poorer nations. Then I went to a training event with Save the Children and there was a widespread feeling that the proceeds of the tax should be used to reduce the cuts to public services in Britain.

I find both those ideas attractive. But the idea now seems to be that the EU should tax the financial sector and use the proceeds to ensure that its less well-governed members don't have to pay for their folly in borrowing or spending more they can afford. I find that a far less attractive prospect.

Finally, I note that the new proposals would effectively make Keynesian reflationary measures illegal. Such measures are unlikely to be possible for years to come (we are suffering because we forgot the bit in Keynes about the government running a surplus in the good times), but I am enough of a Liberal to find that upsetting.

For World Food Day: Forced evictions in Uganda

This Al Jazeera report highlights the growing scandal of forced evictions in the developing world. This example is from Uganda.

For some background to this issue see the Oxfam resource page.

The Second Annual Social Good Summit

A year ago, thanks to Oxfam, I was in New York, where the Millennium Development Goals Summit was taking place. I was based at the 92nd Street Y, in the digital media lounge of the first Social Good Summit.

This week the second summit is having to rub along without me. According to its website:

The Summit unites a dynamic community of global leaders to discuss a big idea: the power of innovative thinking and technology to solve our greatest challenges. It ignites conversations between a live audience in New York City and thousands around the world participating via Livestream. 

The most innovative technologists, influential minds and passionate activists will come together this September with one shared goal: to unlock the potential of new media and technology to make the world a better place.

You can watch many of the sessions on the website - the agenda is also on the site. (The time difference is five hours.)

South Sudan: Oxfam calls on UN Security Council to fund strong peacekeeping force

Inadequate numbers of peacekeepers for the next mission in South Sudan risk endangering thousands of lives and future stability, a news release from Oxfam argues:

As the Security Council this week debates the future of the mission, Oxfam warned that failure to fully fund and resource it – including by slashing troop or civilian staffing numbers due to cost concerns – would undermine the progress that has been made over the past six years.

“If there was ever a time for the Security Council and countries that contribute to peace keeping to support the people of Sudan, it is now. Violence is rising and this isn’t the time to go cheap by cutting on the budget of the future UN mission, on the number of boots on the ground or the number of civilian staff. They must walk the talk and provide their strong backing in a time of optimism but also extreme tension for the people of South Sudan,” said Kirsten Hagon, Head of Oxfam’s New York Office.

Read more of the background to South Sudan on the Oxfam blog. Should you feel moved to tweet on this, @WilliamJHague and @UKUN_NewYork are good accounts to copy it to.

More on the FCO's Human Rights and Democracy report 2010

I blogged about this report earlier today. It is now online.

In fact the FCO's Human Rights and Democracy 2010 site is a model of its kind.

Take it away, William...

Human Rights and Democracy: The 2010 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Report

I had hoped to be in London this morning for the launch of this document, but I am just too busy with the day job this week.

So instead here is an extract from the official press release:

The report is a comprehensive look at the human rights work of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) around the world in 2010. It highlights the UK’s human rights concerns in key countries and is a further concrete demonstration of the Foreign Secretary’s commitment to strengthening the FCO's work on human rights at home and overseas.

The report is more comprehensive than previous years, is being hosted online to make it much more accessible to the public and the website will include updates every three months to highlight key human rights events and actions that take place in each of the featured countries of concern. The update for the first three months of 2011 will also be published online today. People will be able to comment on the report and read, share and host the sections of the report that interest them.

The report and the first quarterly update are not online yet, but I am told that when they are, you will find them here.

The press release also names 26 "countries of concern". They are: The 26 countries of concern are: Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, Chad, China, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Libya, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

GUEST POST The campaign for a Robin Hood Tax

Ian Sullivan is a global digital campaigner with Oxfam and sometimes blogs for them here.

Last year saw the rise of a massive new campaign in the UK, the Robin Hood Tax Campaign. It’s beginnings were the perfect storm for a campaign. Public anger about the financial crisis was still firmly fixed on the banks, there was a celebrity kick start to the campaign with this video from Bill Nighy and a coalition of NGO’s and unions got together behind a simple and effective message.

That message is that a tiny tax on the banks can raise money to support good causes at home and abroad. And the best bit, this tax only has to be at 0.05 per cent on financial transactions to raise billions worldwide. Very quickly the campaign had over 100,000 supporters.

For the last few months Robin Hood has left Sherwood Forest and has been meeting with our good friends Robin from Germany, Robin des Bois from France, our Spanish friend Robin and a whole bunch of merry (wo!) men from all around the world – mostly called Robin. Together, we were hatching plans for an exciting and global campaign to fight for a tax on the banks in 2011.

So, now seems an apt time to take a look at where some of the key governments stand. Our merry men on the inside tell us that the French, German and UK governments remain serious about securing some form of further tax on the financial sector in 2011.

The French President Sarkozy is coming out strongly in support of Financial Transaction Tax (FTT). In a speech to the nation just before Christmas, he was clear that he supported a tax on transactions to raise valuable finance for development and climate change. He recently reiterated this when he attended DAVOS, clearly linking the tax to financing development and climate change as the most important development priority for the French G8 and G20 presidencies, which is a serious breakthrough.

Over in Germany, our intelligence tells us that the finance ministry is giving significant thought to how an FTT would be applied and at what rate, and they have included the revenue in next year’s budget. These are good signs that they’re getting serious. Just before Christmas, the German finance minister said in an interview with Spiegel magazine that the German Government are open to some of the revenues being used for development if the French press for this.

Both Germany and France are keen to move ahead with a coalition of the willing on this issue. France in particular is trying to get as much support from developing countries as possible to put the pressure on rich nations to implement this tax and use the money for helping poor people. They would love the UK to join too, but if that fails are ready to go ahead without them.

Meanwhile, the British Government is under huge public pressure at home regarding banks, with 76% of Conservative voters supporting the use of further taxes to curb bonuses. The UK Government has repeatedly said it is willing to look at a further tax on the financial sector, but on activities (profits and remuneration, or the FAT tax), and are to date against a tax on transactions. This would still raise funds that could be used for good causes but it wouldn’t raise as significant amounts as an FTT.

With 2011’s bonus season in full swing, the UK Government is under huge pressure to take stronger action on the banks. This intense pressure will continue until end of February as all the major banks announce bumper profits and bonuses in the face of job losses and tax rises for ordinary people. Now is the time that the quarter of a million people who support the Robin Hood Tax Campaign want to see words become action.

A concerted campaign is building globally to press for a tax on the banks in 2011. This is by no means a done deal, and will require significant pressure and co-ordinated campaigning in 2011 to see it become a reality.

Oxfam bookshop, Market Harborough

I spent today culling my collections and taking books and DVDs to the the charity shops in town. One of those I went to is the new Oxfam bookshop in Market Harborough, which opened in the autumn.

It is a good shop, but you have to feel sorry for those trying to make a living from the book trade - there is also an Age Concern bookshop nearby. At one time, maybe 10 years ago, Harborough had three secondhand bookshops and a junk shop with a good selection of bookshops too. Now there is only Christine's Book Cabin.

Still, if it helps Oxfam raise funds to send bloggers to New York, I am all in favour of it.

International alliance urges Robin Hood tax on G20 leaders

When those nice people at Oxfam sent me off to New York a few weeks ago I managed to remain a good Liberal in what I wrote. In fact, as I learned more development issues I found that principles like political reform and a free press were immensely important in this field.

The only time I forgot myself was when I posted a Richard Curtis video.

That video made the case for a financial transaction tax, better known as the Robin Hood tax. With world leaders about to meet in Seoul for the G20 summit, an alliance of 183 organisations from 42 countries has written to them, urging them to bring in such a tax:

The letter, addressed to G20 leaders including Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama, is signed by development, health, education and environmental charities and unions from 16 of the G20 countries.

It says that a financial transaction tax would help meet the costs "of the global financial and economic crisis, including reducing the unacceptably high rate of job loss, and achieve key development, health, education and climate change objectives in developing countries".

There are still many to be answered about this tax - Is it meant simply to raise money or curb the banks' more speculative activities? What will the proceeds be spent on? Will it be the banks who pay or their customers? - but I continue to find it an appealing idea.

Eric Avebury on Coalition overseas development policy

Eric Avebury has a piece on Liberal Democrat Voice looking at the Coalition government's policy on overseas development. He writes as joint chair of the all-party parliamentary group for global action against childhood pneumonia:

My view is that if the Coalition Government continues to support countries such as Bangladesh then dramatic reductions in key disease such as pneumonia will continue. The Government have made a good start, but they need to ensure that in this climate of cuts, international development remains protected for the full five years to give the best possible chance for the MDGs to be met.

Mamarazzi: Grapefruit Juicy

A week ago in a sunny Lincoln Plaza I promised the panda-loving saxophone player from Mamarazzi (who turns out to be Tacuma Bradley) that I would put the band on my blog.

So here they are as this week's Sunday music video, posted in a chilly Market Harborough.

Closing panel discussion at 92Y yesterday

Watch live streaming video from mashable at livestream.com

And two final links: Road safety and the power of stories

Make Roads Safe: The Campaign for Global Road Safety has produced a report called The Missing Link: Road traffic injuries and the Millennium Development Goals. You can read more about it and download a copy from the Campaign's website.

Link TV has launched ViewChange.org to harness the power of stories about real people and progress in global development.

I can now throw all those leaflets away with a clear conscience.

Two more links on education

The Education for All - Fast-track Initiative is a global partnership between donor and developing countries to ensure accelerated progress towards the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015.

The Global Campaign for Education has produced Back to School? The Worst Places in the World to be a School Child in 2010 (pdf). Since you ask, the bottom three are Haiti, Eritrea and, worst of all, Somalia.

Amnesty International: Human rights and the Millennium Development Goals

Another good resource that is too good to throw away without blogging is the Amnesty International report From Promises to Delivery:

The MDGs promised some of the worlds most impoverished and excluded a fairer future but it is now painfully obvious that unless urgent action is taken governments will fail the most vulnerable communities

You can download the whole report from the Amnesty site. The quotation above comes from a press release on the same page.

UNICEF's Back on Track programme

It is sad how many leaflets from good causes you pick up but end up throwing away unread. Here is one good link rescued from the wasterpaper basket.

Run by UNICEF, Back on Track is:

an innovative programme designed to support and further international development work on education in emergencies and post-crisis transition countries.

This site is a platform for ideas, information, materials and discussions on current trends and issues in the delivery of education services both during and after conflict and natural disasters.