The Hidden Power

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Why doesnâ€™t government work? Is it the politicians, the civil servants, the political parties? Or is it the system in which they all operate? The Hidden Power goes behind the sporting spectacle of modern politicking to find the real villain. This series of six podcasts, broadcast weekly from October 10th, provides both critique and answers. Good government is entirely possible - but not in its current guise. Hosted by Ed Straw, former chair of Demos - the cross-party think-tank on democracy, and producer Philip Tottenham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ed Straw and Philip Tottenham

Jun 29, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
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Latest episodes from The Hidden Power

New Podcast: The Hidden Power

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 3:14

New release date - Saturday October 10th - Episode 1, Ed Straw on the Hidden Power.We live in confusing times - and a lot of that confusion is about where power lies. With Ed Straw, former chair of Demos and consultant to government, & Philip Tottenham.In 2017 the UN, the WHO and the OECD all called for the use of Systems Thinking to deal with highly complex problems. But what does that mean?In Series 1 "Proof of Concept" we explore power - power in terms traditional ideas about it, and in terms of beneficial impact on the ground - and hear from people thinking and operating at the leading edge of where beneficial impact is taking place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Where is the Power? With Ed Straw

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2020 41:24

This episode introduces the experience and current thinking of my co-presenter, Ed Straw.We talk about his journey from being an engineering graduate to consulting at the heart of Westminster, how he encountered power and the confusion surrounding it. Then we get into his current thinking - he's now a research fellow at the Open University's Applied Systems Thinking in Practice Group, and has found in Systems Thinking many effective responses to issues that have plagued governments down the decades.Ed Straw:http://www.edstraw.com/about/The (full podcast!) story of General Motors' collaboration with Toyota is a great rehearsal of how systemic change can work, and the relevant challenges:https://www.thisamericanlife.org/561/nummi-2015W. Edwards Demming, genius behind Japanese revolution in manufacturing:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Demingand that revolution:https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1993/12/23/japans-secret-w-edwards-deming/b69b8c00-4c5d-483a-b95e-4aeb1d94d2c6/Relevance of Drawing the Boundary to Systems Thinking:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_critiqueThe Compassionate Frome Project:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/21/town-cure-illness-community-frome-somerset-isolationDAD and EDD:http://www.edstraw.com/new-public-service-management-from-dad-to-edd/Ed's story, told in more length and depth on Survival of the Kindest:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ed-straw-looking-at-it-in-the-round/id1525026504?i=1000489658805Real world example in Australia:https://johnmenadue.com/cock-ups-conspiracies-or-system-failures/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Progress in the Field of Child Protection with Eileen Munro

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2020 17:28

Professor Eileen Munro turned decades of inadequate child protection on its head with one simple question: are we helping or hindering the front line?In this episode, she reflects on the successes - and revealing failures - of her review into child protection. Eileen covers a lot of ground in a short space of time. It is fascinating.Talking points:Centralised processes can't protect children, and this centralisation is an unavoidable consequence of the current state of governanceHow child protection can work much better, when the system is re-aligned to its purposeKey role of feedback, service sampling, education, and the news media.In our commentary Ed and I pick up on these and other points, specifically the governmental conditions that allowed for success, and especially: leaders believing they have grasped the systemic nature of necessary change, when in reality they haven't. What to do? Find out in this concentrated and stimulating episode.The Munro Review into Child Protection:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/175391/Munro-Review.pdfEileen Munro:LSEhttps://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/people/Emeritus-Visiting/Professor-Eileen-MunroThe Guardian:https://www.theguardian.com/profile/eileen-munroDetail on what child protection actually entails (podcast)(listener alert - not for the feint-hearted):https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07ffxtr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

field progress acast munro child protection centralised

Authorising Change at Ground Level with Julian Corner

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2020 27:10

Where is the power? Julian Corner used a process of local ‘action enquiry' to bring about effective social change. This in places where, as he puts it, a system of ‘care' is effectively a system of oppression - siloed, systematised, and more focussed on privileging its own rules than on the value of human care. In this episode he talks about these challenges, and how this ‘action enquiry' model has allowed them to ask bigger, harder questions, or as he says "to navigate the uncertainty, to reveal what there is to be revealed, to adapt strategies - to connect new things together" - and, crucially, to create a community of fellow enquirers. Improvement flows from the enquiry: to learn is to change.As Ed points out in our discussion, we all have the opportunity, when the system of governance isn't working for us, to set up alternatives. "These institutions are essentially inventions of the mind," he says, "and they always need to be refreshed... deconstructed, and reconstructed."About Julian Corner:https://lankellychase.org.uk/person/julian-corner/First person view of what “complex problems” actually amounts to - George the Poet - episode 1 is pretty inspiring, also the episode on the Grenfell Tower tragedy:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07mk7cxRobert (Not John!) Peel's Principles - No. 7: “To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”Full article:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles#Sir_Robert_Peel's_principlesNaGeneral discussion of national service:https://www.europeanceo.com/finance/redrafting-national-service-policy/Reintroduction of national service in France:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/france-is-bringing-back-national-service/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

france acast poet peel reintroduction grenfell tower ground level sir robert peel

Governance and Cyberspace

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2020 30:16

John Naughton, tech columnist at The Observer Newspaper, talks about that great Wild West of our time - Cyberspace. From its roots in “permissionless innovation” to the staggering dominance of a very small number of companies over most aspects of our lives, he surveys the absence of governance, and how two effective sovereigns - Apple and Google - have appropriated powers normally associated with sovereign powers of territorial control.In our discussion Ed and I pick up on the de-globalisation of the internet, the digital divide and on surveillance capitalism - and while it turns out these problems are not new, the perennial importance of Truth to our Age of Enlightenment once again comes to the fore.Talking points:Weaknesses in our systems of governing are at the root of the souring of social media. Constitutions can and must have provisions to ensure governments, politicians and citizens deal in reality. The basics would be - independent feedback, deliberative democracy and measures to minimise the culture of lies and inflamation. Most of our main challenges are bewilderingly complex, and they will never be solved through adversarial two-line posts. But they might well be mitigated by inclusive, deliberative conversations.John Naughton:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_NaughtonJohn Naughton in the Guardian:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/series/networkerArticle we were discussing:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/13/silicon-valley-has-admitted-facial-recognition-technology-is-toxic-about-timeGoogle's dominance in search, as a graph that is well worth a view:https://www.visualcapitalist.com/this-chart-reveals-googles-true-dominance-over-the-web/Tech and truth - mainstream media turns out to be the biggest amplifier of White House disinformation:https://www-technologyreview-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.technologyreview.com/2020/10/07/1009642/mainstream-media-is-the-biggest-amplifier-of-white-house-disinformation/amp/These problems are not new (1984 interview):https://billmoyers.com/content/30-second-president/BILL MOYERS: What I see and hear deals more with the emotions than what I read.TONY SCHWARTZ: That's right. We are in the business of using PR in a new manner, not in the old print terms of press relations. We are using PR as people's reactions, personal retrieval of your feelings and associations. PR — people's recall, of their experiences. PR — planning reactions. That's our whole new business. It's a PR business, planning reactions.BILL MOYERS: But isn't it manipulating people to in effect tell them what they're feeling instead of telling them what they need to know to vote?TONY SCHWARTZ: I use the word not manipulation, I say partipulation.BILL MOYERS: Partipulation?TONY SCHWARTZ: You have to participate in your own manipulation. In that, you're bringing things to your manipulation. If you don't want to participate in it, you could turn off the commercial. You could tune it out. But there are things that get into you. And that's the participation.The global network of local internets is a step closer:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53686390Podcast - Facial recognition and racial profiling - cautionary tale: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-daily/id1200361736?i=1000486946788A spelling out of the substance and scope of surveillance capitalism (Alexander Nix/Cambridge Analytica):https://youtu.be/n8Dd5aVXLCcGoogle in China article (MIT):https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/12/19/138307/how-google-took-on-china-and-lost/China's AI Surveillance State goes global:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/09/china-ai-surveillance/614197/Podcast - More on Cyberspace and Governance - Preet Bharara (NY state prosecutor dismissed by Donald Trump after refusing to resign) talks to John Carlin, the US Justice Department's former head of the National Security Division:https://omny.fm/shows/stay-tuned-with-preet/introducing-cyber-space-with-john-carlinThe world is awash with bullshit:https://www.callingbullshit.org/?utm_content=bufferfcd66&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=bufferFilm - The Social Dilemma:https://www.thesocialdilemma.comhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Dilemma Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Sense of Powerlessness at the Heart of Leadership with Dr. Piret Toñurist

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2020 35:31

Dr Piret Toñurist, Systems Thinking lead at the OECD's Observatory for Public Sector Innovation talks about the sense of powerlessness at the heart of leadership. She discusses how the pandemic has offered an opportunity for change, and what transformation looks like. She characterises systems thinking as a neutral zone where the ideology of what has to be done doesn't exist.Themed on this question of power, our discussion looks at what power is, really, when it comes to the granular detail.Talking Points- Connecting knowing and doing- The end-state fallacy, manifestos and political experiments- Politics as a rash- From where does innovation in schools come?Dr. Piret Tōnurist at the OECD's Observatory for Public Sector Innovation:https://oecd-opsi.org/about-observatory-of-public-sector-innovation/Articles:https://oecd-opsi.org/author/piret/…at TalTach:https://old.taltech.ee/institutes/ragnar-nurkse-department-of-innovation-and-governance/department-11/academic-staff-5/piret-tonurist-3/“Wicked” Problems:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problemEnd-state fallacy:https://www.csis.org/analysis/end-state-fallacy-setting-wrong-goals-war-fightingToxteth Housing project: Welsh Streets, Liverpool:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Streets,_Liverpool Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

leadership politics liverpool acast sense themed oecd observatory systems thinking powerlessness wicked problems piret

Post-Crash Analysis and Preflight Checklist

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2020 25:05

For this final episode of series 1, I wanted to build on Buckminster Fuller's idea of our planet - our habitat and life-support system - as being like a spaceship - Spaceship Earth, as he calls it - and building on this idea to use two related models for our discussion: the post-crash analysis and the preflight checklistFirst we look at the globally used post-crash analysis as a model for investigating governance - "It's important that they are not looking to blame someone," Ed says.Then we get onto Ed's Preflight checklist - essentially a renewal of our global social contracts, or constitutions, as they are known, that would take into account the conditions necessary for our survival.Finally we hear from Gerald Midgley, philosopher on human systems and founding father of systems thinking as an intentional discipline, spelling out with some excitement the impact of what in many respects has been his life's work.Gerald Midgley:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Midgleyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_systems_thinkingEd's preflight checklist for planet Earth:https://www.edstraw.com/principles-for-systemic-governing/Eileen Munro (Episode 2 Contributor) advocating post crash analysis model to address culture of blame in child protection:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/03/serious-case-review-child-protectionOn checklists - great article overall, if you want to cut straight to flying fortress story go about 1/4 of the way in, paragraph opening “On October 30, 1935, at Wright Air Field in Dayton, Ohio…” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/10/the-checklistOn October 30, 1935, at Wright Air Field in Dayton, Ohio, the U.S. Army Air Corps held a flight competition for airplane manufacturers vying to build its next-generation long-range bomber. It wasn't supposed to be much of a competition. In early evaluations, the Boeing Corporation's gleaming aluminum-alloy Model 299 had trounced the designs of Martin and Douglas. Boeing's plane could carry five times as many bombs as the Army had requested; it could fly faster than previous bombers, and almost twice as far. A Seattle newspaperman who had glimpsed the plane called it the “flying fortress,” and the name stuck. The flight “competition,” according to the military historian Phillip Meilinger, was regarded as a mere formality. The Army planned to order at least sixty-five of the aircraft.On the Psychology of Military Incompetencehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Psychology_of_Military_Incompetence9 Lessons from the Blue Zones:https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/changing-the-way-america-eats-moves-and-connects-one-town-at-a-time/Thoughts on Purpose:Listen to Why Cornel West is hopeful (but not optimistic) from Future Perfect on Apple Podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/future-perfect/id1438157174?i=1000486452652Welcome to the Anthropocene: https://vimeo.com/anthropocene/shortfilmPerspective, via some very interesting maps:https://earthtime.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Series 2 Preflight Checklist - Introduction

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2021 21:53

Welcome to The Hidden Power Podcast, Series 2 - Pre-flight Checklist, where we - Ed Straw, and Philip Tottenham - examine conditions necessary for a comfortable and flourishing life on Spaceship Earth, on the far side of the current climate emergency.In this nice, concise episode we revisit and draw some of the connections from series one - governance, systems thinking - and explore how, through this medium of a constitution, or "preflight checklist," as we frame it, we can alleviate some of of the pressures we face, and enhance the joys of the apparently unique paradise we find ourselves living on.Listeners have expressed how much they enjoyed series 1, but still were not clear about what we mean when we talk about systems thinking - so we also try to frame this complex but powerful subject in simple terms.Any questions or comments? Please email us at thehiddenpowerpodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 1 - Biosphere and People: The Biophysical World

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 21:38

The first and fundamental principle of this series - and indeed this entire way of looking at things - reflects the unseen, creeping processes causing catastrophic climate change. Why do we need this? How are we to think about it? What can we do?Talking points:industrialisationlimits on human behavioursecondary effects of climate changeour personal relationship to the biosphereself-harm as an image for how we treat our environmentthe future generations act in Walesboundariesconstitutions filter through to all activitiesresponsibility at different levelswhat people with higher incomes can dofocus on where you liveThere are so many links relating to this topic, it's hard to know where to start - but to get a global view on an array of challenges on the horizon, it's hard to beat Earthtime, an open source mapping project which allows you to view other people's stories, or play around with available data yourself:https://earthtime.org/#New economic model: https://time.com/5930093/amsterdam-doughnut-economics/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 2 - Biosphere and People: People and Constitutional Sovereignty

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2021 31:04

Not all players convey links - find us on Acast if this text is not clear.Sovereignty - we've heard a lot in the UK about both sovereignty, and "taking back control" - but this taking back of control in the context of leaving the EU has so far barely extended to us as citizens. Why and how is the current UK system so paternalistic? What are the roots of the widespread and long-standing political apathy in the UK? What alternative models can we look to for inspiration?In this episode we examine how the UK's First Past The Post system creates, not least in Boris Johnson, but also Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher, rulers that are effectively sovereign monarchs, and a citizenry of disempowered subject-consumers. And we explore what it would take for us to assert our sovereignty more effectively.Talking points:The planet is ideally sovereign, but to be practical it's people who are doing the doingWho actually exercises power in the UK?Centralisation leads to bureaucracy leads to powerlessnessThe Welfare System as a case in pointThink Tanks vs. Thinking TanksPeople are perfectly capable, regardless of backgroundSwitzerland's consensual democracy as exemplarFragmentation of the UK as an opportunity for thisHangover of Empire in the current administrationChallenges to active participationLeadership model in AmazonScientific Method, falsification and Karl PopperBonus Links: Sovereignty boffin and Brexit campaigner Claire Fox celebrates the engaging effect that the UK's leaving the EU has had on democratic participation in the UK, and that this is only the beginning - neatly illustrating that for some, Brexit is a gift that keeps on giving, even if for others it is a night - long, dark, damp, and cold - with no promise of morning. Brrr.Pioneering paediatrician and psychotherapist of family systems D.W. Winnicott's 1949 essay exploring the question of maturity in individuals and society, strongly anticipating themes of systems thinking.From the In Our Time History Archive - now pieces of history in themselves:Long history of psychoanalysis and democracy (2002)Thoughts on the Nation State (1999) - prescient and rather Brexity in retrospect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 3 - Biosphere and People: The Rule of Law

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2021 24:32

Anyone following current affairs will see how the rule of law is often stretched to its limit by autocratic leaders seeking to either evade it or bend it to their will - and while this has come to the foreground in the US and UK since 2016, it is a long-running theme in many parts of the world. However the rule of law is not only about holding the powerful to account, it's also about a fundamental feature of life under a functioning government - personal safety. In this episode we delve into how it has emerged as a principle that requires clear articulation, what difference it makes and where we see versions of it in action.Talking points:the rule of law replaces the rule of violenceis an agreement as to how to liveautocracies emerge where constitutions are inadequateneed for independence in judiciarytension with business - eg with datainternational aspect a necessary elementre. the biosphereIreland, 13th C Wales, South Africaadversarial vs inquisitorial justicetruth as therapeuticlaw as empoweringlaw and normsGreat Wikipedia article on the subject:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_lawStanford SU discussion on rule of law in Hayek:https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rule-of-law/#HayeThe late Lord Bingham, who posthumously won the Orwell Prize for literature with his book The Rule of Law, speaks at the RSA in 2010:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlMCCGD2TeMNo busted pluggers - Aussies make it easy to follow:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R20U9zkMmgFrench TV series, Spiral, on BBC:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072wk9 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 4 - Biosphere and People: A Constitutional Court

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2021 32:03

Its decisions are binding.Just because we don't live in a perfect world doesn't mean we can't improve things. If events surrounding the death of Ruth Bader Gainsburg in September 2020 left you despairing at the US Supreme Court, perhaps the Supreme Court of the UK's blocking of Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings' attempted prorogation of parliament gave you hope.However a constitutional court is concerned with interpretation of the constitution into law, not law as such. And as such, it requires a degree of specialism.Talking points - It sits above the system of governmentThe tragedy of Sally Clark, ignorance in powerThe need for people who understand How is law made? vs How does government work?Diversity of perspectiveEg - Germany, data and social mediaWhat emerges when the constitutional court worksEg - South Africa escapes dictatorshipUS Constitution and separation of powersCitizen coalitionGentlemens' agreements and culture of trustNeoliberalism and culture of exploitationLoss of ethics across societyTrapped in absurd global monetary systemDelusions in the arena of powerThe value of rules and referees1 in 73 Million - tragic ignorance and Sally ClarkNot for the feint hearted - but if you want an epic survey of how our reality is constructed and why, have a look at Adam Curtis' series Can't Get You Out Of My HeadRepublic of South Africa - Court Youtube Channel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 5 - Biosphere and People: Diversity

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2021 24:28

All lifestyles are accepted – within the constraint of not harming others or the biosphere.Rather than restate what we have been hearing, our focus here is on the logic of diversity from a governance standpoint - why blind-spots are self-destructive and the embrace of diversity is so enriching.Talking points:Pluralism and truthNeoliberalism and consumerist monoculturesRoots of logic of diversity in need for resilienceTribal societies and settled societiesDiversity of capitalist model - Co-ops and QuakersGlobal monetary system as de facto governorUnity in diversity - not liking someone is less important than burning to deathIt's a value - the richness of pluralist societiesLeadership, certainty and diversity of perspectivesHumility: disconfirmation of beliefs as the root of all wisdomDiversity in forms of feedback (language, media etc - vs truth as such)Monoculture in Chinese politics centred on fear of the leader = pandemic...and culture of target-settingLiberty, Equality, Fraternity - and Swiss National Service...as a way of escaping our media bubbles...and developing network of consensus on eg. climate actionListening to people you don't likePluralism as a political philosophyon wikipediaIbn Khaldun - Berbers and the Maghreb (14th C! Not 10th;)on wikipediaIn Our Time EpisodeSuccessful prison experiment in NorwayBastøy Prison Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 6 - Biosphere and People: The Commons

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2021 32:22

...as to what is in and what is out of the Commons, ie - what is commonly held. Is this about property, or value generation? These simplifications mask the vastness and complexity of human life, and in this episode we explore where common ownership might be effective, and what it takes to make it work.List of Talking Points:What is the commons?The Tragedy of the Commons...as it relates to the BiosphereEnclosure...and the commodification of the individual...and monopolies...and rent payingTypes of commonsEleanor Ostrom's design principles...examples around the worldOther commons to consider: air, open source software, drugsCommons forms as generating more valuelocal park problem traced to governance and taxation model...and federalism regarding cities etcCommons as a means of citizen engagementLocal action linked to wider system can bring about political progressEvolved definition of Commons: resource + community + set of social protocolsExtra-monetary value derived from commons...vs consumerismCommons thinking and global resource conflictsThinking forward to the next set of episodes: Democracy and SubsidiarityLinks:Commons Wikipedia article:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CommonsEnclosure Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EnclosureTragedy of the Commons on Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commonsEleanor Ostrom's design principles - wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elinor_Ostrom#Design_principles_for_Common_Pool_Resource_(CPR)_institution...youtube (2 parts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEcMLEwaltcplus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQPy9tC5WEGreat David Boiller exploration of commons enhancing city life:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3itmhDuem8 3000 year old Persian Qanats and Kariz on Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_water_sources_of_Persian_antiquity#Qanat_and_Kariz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 7 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Elections

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2021 33:20

It may seem like a trivial point, that elections should be representative - are they not already? Well they may appear to be - but they're not, really, in the UK. Boris Johnson's government took power with less than one third of the electorate. So two-thirds of voters would have preferred not to have the Conservatives in power. But this is nothing in comparison to the take-over of the Conservative party by a group who are in many ways extremists, who slipped in under the banner of Getting Brexit Done. So very far from being representative of electorate, the system we have has resulted in a wealthy, powerful and power-hungry minority taking control.In this episode we trace the destructive effects of our system of First Past The Post, and explore some systems of Proportional Representation, and the benefits they bring.Talking points:Democracy and Subsidiarity in the context of Biosphere and People, as sub-series of this podcastThe current set-up in the UK: First Past the Post as a distortion fieldDestructive effects of First Past The PostWho does it serve? Politics is an accumulator: hinterland of previous lawsVulnerability to media manipulation: Rupert MurdochPreferential lobbying: the need for limited and proportional party fundingProportional representationWhy the political extremes should be includedVarieties of proportional representation - Party List, Additional Member, Single Transferable VoteElectoral boundaries, gerrymandering and the need for extra-governmental boundary settingAnalogy with voter registrationBenefits of proportional representation - fairness, diversity, consensusAnalysis of dysfunction in Italian politics as a counter-examplePositive effects of Proportional Representation in SwitzerlandLinks:Why do Italy's governments keep collapsing? BBC Inquiry Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-inquiry/id932499233?i=1000513494631A case in point: the food critic behind Italy's deadliest terrorist attack - Times Stories Of Our Times Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/stories-of-our-times/id1501716010More and Less Represented: James Meek (2019) in the LRB on Leavers and Remainers:https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v41/n20/james-meek/the-dreamings-of-dominic-cummingsElectoral Reform Society on varieties of election system:https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/Make Votes Matter on 3 types of Proportional Representation:https://www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/proportional-representationGet proportional representation working in the UK:https://www.makevotesmatter.org.uk/join-the-movementEd's recent 4-part series of articles on Preferential Lobbying:1https://johnmenadue.com/preferential-lobbying-the-rich-get-richer-the-poor-get-poorer-part-1-of-4/2https://johnmenadue.com/preferential-lobbying-money-talks-loudly-part-2-of-4/3https://johnmenadue.com/preferential-lobbying-no-explicit-deals-all-unstated-understandings-how-it-works-behind-the-scenes-part-3-of-4/4https://johnmenadue.com/preferential-lobbying-a-scourge-on-our-democracy-part-4-of-4/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

uk politics italy elections italian democracy acast conservatives boris johnson biosphere podcastthe leavers lrb remainers subsidiarity proportional representation

Check 8 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Deliberative Democracy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2021 32:43

A right to deliberative referenda shall exist; specific issues shall be resolved through Engage–Deliberate–Decide.How are decisions made? If we cast our minds back, not just to Priti Patel's "Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts" Bill, but to numerous policies including Grenfell Tower fire cladding and the Poll Tax - we see a pattern: Decide, Announce, Defend - or DAD. And the result is, in many, many cases, a mess.Why so? Or, more to the point - is there a better way? Very much so, there is a better way - and in this episode we explore deliberative democracy on a national level in Canada and Ireland, as well as on a local level in Somerset, England.Talking points:Decide Announce Defend in the prevailing cultureThought - or the lack of it - at the centreContinual reform as an outcome and reality"Democracy" in the UK electoral cycleWho's decision is it?Dysfunction in centralised decision-making in the Blair government:(Progress and regress in family breakdown)Levels of deliberative democracy: Engage, Deliberate, Decide...in the health service in Canada...under austerity in a Somerset library UK...in a village in WalesJames Fishkin: better outcomes of deliberative democracySocial purpose, and the "Blue zones"Principles on why it works...Fintan O'Toole (Irish Abortion Referendum)...Professor Julia Lynch (politics of inequality)Links:From DAD to EDD - The Tinmouth Tiff (Article): https://www.edstraw.com/new-public-service-management-from-dad-to-edd/See The Hidden Power Episode 1, (Podcast - Go to 34'40"):https://www.edstraw.com/the-hidden-power-podcast-ep-1-where-is-the-power/Priti Patel and the Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Billhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police,_CrimeJames Fishkin, Godfather of Deliberative Democracy (Wikipedia):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_S._FishkinFintan O'Toole on the successes of the Irish Abortion Referendum (The Guardian):https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/29/brexit-ireland-referendum-experiment-trusting-peopleProfessor Julia Lynch at the LSE (Facebook video):https://www.facebook.com/lseps/videos/1008977266175627Stein Ringen gives a 10-min animated précis on his book The Economic Consequences of Mr Brown (Youtube), a stinging rebuke of the system of government in the UK:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHcfNy1_zqAOverview of participatory democracy (webinar (1hr+), text)https://www.publicdeliberation.net/the-contours-of-participatory-democracy-in-the-21st-century/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check 9 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Subsidiarity

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2021 30:29

Central government only undertakes tasks or makes decisions which localities cannot or which require uniform regulation.The gravitational pull of power to the centre is one of the things designers of the German constitution had in mind at the end of the Second World War. Germany had a certain fundamental and rather paradoxical advantage the UK lacks - they were defeated, along with Japan, and so their institutions were largely dissolved and reinvented in such a way as to avoid the accretion of power at the centre. This is a version of this week's topic - Subsidiarity - and we look at the German model in depth, and why it has been so successful.Talking points:Historic backdrop of SubsidiarityWe need to reinvent local democracyExecutive mayor in Tubingen and the pandemicHow that looks in other countriesTrust in government and optimal population (+/- 5 Million)Advantages of principle of subsidiarityHazards of disempowermentUniform regulation and local implementation in GermanyAshby's Law of Requisite Variety and subsidiarity...and child protectionRegional power, policy experimentation and learningLinks:Good 2 min overview of Subsidiarity (youtube):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD0moAiq22kTroves of info on Wikipedia:Subsidiarity in general:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiarity...and the Catholic Church:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiarity_(Catholicism)Pope Pius XI's Quadragesimo anno:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadragesimo_annoGreat conversation on Local Government in the UK (youtube, 10 min):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO8c1Iy1VWESuccesses in the fight against Covid - (Panorama/ BBC iplayer):https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000thry/panorama-covid-who-got-it-right(Story about Tubingen 42:00 minutes in)A new kind of democracy in Yorkshire (article):https://www.shaping-community.co.ukIn depth archive on German law:https://germanlawarchive.iuscomp.org/?p=380...and a top-line view on Wikipedia:https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_Germany Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

uk japan law germany story german local world war ii democracy wikipedia acast historic catholic church yorkshire local government pandemichow subsidiarity tubingen ukin

Check 10 - 4th Separation of Powers - Feedback

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2021 35:48

"A fourth separation of powers shall be incorporated in every system of government for the independent feedback of results through a Resulture or Feedback Branch of Government."You might imagine that for all the debate at the heart of government, there might be some function to check up on the outcomes of these debates. And in some cases there is. In many, even in most cases - nothing. Maybe a profit and loss account to show value for money - but with regards to the actual purpose of all the laws and policies and programmes, answering the question of whether they have achieved their aims - there is no structure in place to make sure this happens, and so mostly they become atrophy and waste, pointlessly clogging up the system and pointlessly exhausting tax-payer's money. Would a business survive these conditions? In this episode we start with Montesquieu's idea of checks and balances behind the separation of powers, explore its reality in the UK's political system, and think about what effective feedback might mean for this system.Talking points:The Separation of powers from MontesquieuThe centralised nature of these powers and opportunities to respondSystems Thinking, Cybernetics: responding to realityThe political class - unaccountable and uninformedWastageBusiness as a model for government and its limitsFeedback on Social PurposeMyths and perceived credibility about the centreBroadband now and the 1984 privatisation of BTCybernetic feedback as non-political: Something just happens.Law-making - spectacle vs valueMessianic transformation vs gradual improvementDiversity of perspective, Design Authorities and purpose - safety, reliability and performanceFailure enquiries - no politics, no blaming and the origins in the Victorian rail system...and the Global Financial CrisisA mechanism to take feedback decisions out of politicsThe contradiction at the heart of politicsExisting feedback institutions, their limits and potentialAbandonment powers for laws that don't workThe cost would be a fraction of the benefitThe building of a body of knowledge about specific circumstancesLinks:The god-like power of the feedback loop (1 hr BBC 4 film of Jim Al Khalili on The Secret Life of Chaos):https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xv1j0nMathematics, complex systems and small changes (5 minute clip from above):https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0060b2cOn the separation of powers: origins in Montesquieu and Aristotle:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powersIn Our Time - Montesquieu (podcast - 50 mins)https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b5qnfxList of supreme audit institutions :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_audit_institutionUK's National Audit Office:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Audit_Office_(United_Kingdom)Reading List:Schumpeter, Joseph (1976) Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, George Allen and UnwinDrucker, Peter (Number 14, Winter 1969) The Sickness of Government, The Public InterestFriedman, Mark (2005) Trying Hard Is Not Good Enough: How to Produce Measurable Improvements for Customers and Communities, Fiscal Policy Studies InstituteStraw, E. 2014. Stand & Deliver: A Design for Successful Government. London: Treaty for Government.Fazey, I. Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., Patterson, J., Hultman, J., Van Mierlo, B., Säwe F., et al. 2018. Ten essentials for action-oriented and second order energy transitions, transformations and climate change research. Energy Research & Social Science 40: 54–70.Schwartz, D. 2017. The Last Man Who Knew Everything: The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age. New York: Basic Books.Furubo, Jan-Eric and Nicoletta Stame, eds. 2018. The Evaluation Enterprise: A Critical View. Aldershot: Routledge.Guilfoyle, Simon. 2016. Kittens Are Evil: Little Heresies in Public Policy. Axminster: Triarchy Press.Nyhan, B. and J. Reif ler. 2018. The roles of information deficits and identity threat in the prevalence of misperceptions. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties: 1–23.Rosling, Hans with O.Rosling and A. Rosling Ronnlund. 2018. Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World – And Why Things Are Better Than You Think. New York: Flatiron BooksForss K, Marra, M., and Schwartz, R., eds. 2011. Evaluating the Complex: Attribution, Contribution and Beyond. Comparative Policy Evaluation, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Extract 1:PROGRESS is a radically different model of school accountability. It explores what might be learned from the history of Antidote – an organisation set up to foster more emotionally supportive school environments – to inform the development of such a model. It starts with pupil, staff, and parent surveys to describe their experience of the school, using the data that emerges to have conversations with each other to develop an explanation about what it means and a strategy for improvement. Every school should engage in this sort of process every year. League tables of public examination results are too blunt an instrument, and unlike the PROGRESS process do not stimulate solutions as well as highlight problems. Independent surveying and confidential reporting averts the syndrome of the untouchable but largely ineffective head teacher. All government agencies should find out how their stakeholders experience them and be held to account for responding to the findings. Board members would then have the judgment of the people and organisations they are there for and not airbrushed data from management in the annual review. - 22 Park, James. 2018. Turning the tide on ‘coercive autonomy': Learning from the antidote story. Forum 60(3): 387–396. http: //doi .org/ 10.15 730/f orum. 2018. 60.3. 387.Extract 2: Rework was the term used in manufacturing for all the parts of an assembly not made to specification, which post quality control were then sent back for further machining to get right. The cost in time, money and organisational complexity was high. This was a bane of ‘old world' engineering and led to the demise of much of the West's manufacturing industry. Starting with the automotive industry, Japanese companies revolutionised the process with ‘zero defects', ‘right first time' and similarly purposeful intentions. Today, either a company's manufacturing is world class or it's not in business. These attitudinal changes, translated into practice, are at the heart of this book - Laing, T., Sato, M., Grubb, M., and Comberti, C. 2013. Assessing the Effectiveness of the EU Emissions Trading System. Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy Working Paper 126. London: Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check 11 - 4th Separation of Powers - Statutory Duties

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2021 28:33

Statutory duties for the behaviour of politicians and officials at work, including the duty of straight speak, shall be set.If you stopped, for even a second, to wonder what might increase trust in government, or any governance, you might start with Being Trustworthy. This week (mid April 2021)in the UK, a Welsh MP - Hywel Williams - referenced a bill put forward in 2007 by Plaid Cymru ("Plyed Kimri"), proposing to make lying by politicians illegal. He asked the Prime Minister, known for his extravagant attitude to the truth, whether he would support the principle behind the bill. The Prime Minister responded that he would “concur with the basic principle that he just enunciated”. Is that a yes? A no? An evasive circumlocution? An evasive circumlocution. Does it increase anyone's trust in the Prime Minister? There was once a version of trust within government, a fabric of norms and tacit agreements which maintained a standard of behaviour but - crucially - wasn't encoded. Over the decades around the turn of the 21st century, this culture of trust has decayed to the point where, with the ascent of Boris Johnson to power, many MP's have fled the parliament at Westminster, whose culture is routinely described as toxic. This week we discuss:Feedback effects of lying, cultural depressionCorruption as waste - Ceaucescu and the orphanages, China and the pandemicCultures of lying - in corporations and politicsSources of lying - politicians are required to make promises and defend performanceBlame vs. improvement (design authorities)From failure - we learnWhat have we elected people for?Trust and learning - getting away from "good" and "bad"Governing is a team sport - it's about teams, not gloryHywell Williams and Boris JohnsonDavid Cameron's lobbying woesStatutory duties would also protect government actors from riskDecay of culture of trust within governmentRehearsal of some essential statutory dutiesHow would they be enforced?...through intention, and through institutional enquiry - ultimately through judiciary and constitutional courtNeed for clarity and strictness in correctiveRelating this and trust in government in countries with Proportional RepresentationAnalogy with company principles - eg AmazonLinks:Great explication of Greensill affair with reference to inadequate rules (FT podcast, 30 mins)https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/paynes-politics/id975569919#episodeGuid=d040d631-8d89-4cbf-8b2a-17836e29ce2eHywell and Boris:https://nation.cymru/news/boris-johnson-just-agreed-with-principle-that-politicians-must-not-lie/Truth and untruth in ocean governance (Netflix - Seaspiracy 1:03 hrs):https://www.netflix.com/watch/81014008?trackId=14277281&tctx=-97%2C-97%2C%2C%2C%2CDavid Cameron and Greensill:https://www.ft.com/content/ade87a61-b1e1-433a-a79f-25fc6b9a0aafAmazon's much-vaunted leadership principles:https://www.aboutamazon.com/about-us/leadership-principles Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

trust china uk truth acast prime minister boris boris johnson mp westminster duties governing statutory trackid separation of powers ceaucescu netflix seaspiracy

Check 12 - 4th Separation of Powers - The Press

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2021 39:45

The first statutory duty of straight speak for politicians and officials shall apply also to the media.With photography and news stories, it's hard not to view what one is seeing - as reality. And yet these stories and images are mostly taken out of context, and elements are suppressed and magnified, and if reality remains in the final image - it is distorted. Less of an issue when multiple perspectives colour in the true reality - but seriously problematic when interests are manipulating these distortions and their audiences for nefarious purposes.Why and how does our view of reality get distorted through our media? Who benefits from all this? In this episode we pick over the presence and absence of major issues, who owns the media in the UK; the role of the press and how it might be fixed.Talking points:The main lies - our environmental predicamentNews as entertainmentTruth and "balance"The Fourth Estate mythNews ownership and political powerThe friend-enemy distinctionDiversity of media, ownership and corporate governanceConstitutional court as arbiterNoble role of journalismCitizen scrutiny in East Lancing, MichigenLinks:Many books on the news media as political institutions(article)https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/fox-news-propaganda-eric-alterman//Citizen scrutiny in East Lancing (article):https://eastlansinginfo.news/about-eli/ “Seaspiracy” - documentary on confusion and malice in global fishing (Netflix, 1 hr)https://www.netflix.com/title/81014008?s=i&trkid=13747225Former US intelligence director backs Turnbull and Rudd's call for Murdoch media inquiry (Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/21/former-us-intelligence-director-backs-turnbull-and-rudds-call-for-murdoch-media-inquiry?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherWho owns the British media? (Wikipedia):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media_in_the_United_KingdomBook recommendation:Re psychology, and us all wanting to believe something other than what is, including the politicians stuck in a dysfunctional system:Jackson, Jodie. 2019. You Are What You Read. London: Unbound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

netflix uk british press guardian mass citizens wikipedia acast murdoch turnbull rudd seaspiracy separation of powers powerthe

Check 13 - 4th Separation of Powers - Public Speech

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2021 36:30

We each have a duty to think before we speak.What does the world look like if people don't take the time to think before they speak? Oh wait, that's the world we live in already. And the results are bemoaned, debated and endured. But what is duty, really? And what does "thinking" actually entail? And what are we really doing, when we speak?In many ways, in this episode, we cut to the heart of the hidden power, our hidden power - our capability to set a tone, to make our appearance something joyous, or something terrible. Talking points: "Duty," "Think," "Speak" - what do they really mean?Context in challenges to environment, democracy and truthSpeech after WW2, individualism, where we are nowSimplistic thinking and authoritarian speechHow does this help us? What a measured response can do for you.Andrew Mitchell on what we are really doing with languageWe are "creating" - whether we like it or notRight or wrong? The pleasures of being wrongMental Models Widening the lensThe 5 WhysPost crash analysis/ avoiding blameActive listeningLinks:Andrew Mitchell on Second Order Thinking (youtube, 25 minute talk in 1hour discussion:https://youtu.be/ZeIHi3KR_-QMichael Fuller author of Kill the Black One First - podcast interview (50 min)https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/shade/id1469562537?i=1000442294103a16z podcast on moderating discussions (1hr)https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-to-moderate-talks-panels-meetings-more-virtual/id842818711?i=1000497404790Haim Ginott (Wikipedia)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haim_GinottEverything that's wrong in a condensed piece of philosophy: The Law of the Excluded Middle (Wikipedia)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_excluded_middleJung (Wikipedia)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

law speak acast context duty ww2 separation of powers andrew mitchell public speech

Check 14 - 4th Separation of Powers - Institutionalised Bribery

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2021 33:48

Eliminate institutionalised bribery: No one shall benefit financially or electorally, directly or indirectly, now or later, from a decision in which they are involved or have influenced.There is a Grey Area. Not a clearly defined circle of criminality, but a vast zone of stasis and obfuscation which represents an almost impenetrable sea wall to buffet back waves of improvement. It's not necessarily easy to perceive, and it exists as a cultural norm. But, versions of incentive - pensions, honours, remunerations and golden handshakes - used inappropriately as they often are, distort decision-making, contribute to inequality, and, cumulatively, along with the preferential lobbying discussed in a previous episode, are at the creeping heart of our corruption.What is "institutionalised bribery"? How does it affect us? What would the implementation of this principle look like?In this episode we consider the vital importance of boundaries, and conclude that - since, as we've seen in a previous episode, all root cause analysis of wrong things in government leads to preferential lobbying - this principle has the potential to be a silver bullet, clearing out the political system and opening the way to a vast landscape of beneficial change.Talking points:Drawing of boundaries, separation of powers and separation of peopleVoter ID interventionHow is bribery institutionalised?If one player cheats, the others lose interestWe can't quite grasp this soft corruption, but it degrades usThe doctrine of irresponsibility is like a slime that sticks to usSpelling out neoliberalismJob security and insecurity in politicsTypes of institutionalised bribery:Civil service, MP pensions: stasis and unfairnessCompensation committees and their incentives Mergers and Acquisitions feeds the global monetary system, no shareholdersEffects of bribery and benefits of using this principleWhere do we see models of this?The global problem. The Treaty of Watangi (New Zealand)Links:Cui Bono (wikipedia):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_bonoThe Treaty of Waitangi:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Waitangi...and its principles:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_the_Treaty_of_WaitangiFintan O'Toole:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fintan_O%27Toole Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

drawing principles acast civil eliminate mp acquisitions treaty mergers bribery grey area usthe waitangi separation of powers

Check 15 - Governments - The Character of Good Government

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2021 31:36

Governments shall serve democracy, and be effective, stable, adaptable, accountable, and open.What is government for? What to we want from it? We can hazard a guess at what we don't want: uselessness, volatility, inflexibility, opaqueness and inaccessibility may seem like familiar themes - and we know we don't want them. And a government that does not serve democracy - well, what would that look like? What it calls to mind is really the classic kleptocratic autocracy. But this question of what government is for, or what governance is for, is also a question we each answer with our actions and habits - and to approach the idylll imagined in this principle would require us to embrace our roles as exemplars and stewards of good governance in order to establish the requisite culture. In this episode we not only explore these themes through various examples, but also drill into how good governance can be explored and modelled through a Systemic Enquiry - the engagement of social learning around complex situations of concern.Talking points:If you don't get the system right, you won't get the government rightSubsidiarity: we determine government, and can demand changeChange is possibleOur neoliberal predicament and the degradation of governmental cultureStep away from the system and start with purposeThink, and talk, about what you might want from this entityWhat is the point of Welsh independence? An ongoing discussionDeep Dive into Dentistry as a case study for Systemic EnquiryAlso - Ken Livingstone and the GLAAlso - a welfare systemSystemic Enquiry and Palestine?Developing an environmental consciousnessAnd how behaviour relates to forms of governance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 16 - Governments - Purpose

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2021 27:20

The purpose of government is to produce beneficial changeOne of our central concerns in this podcast is why government is so ineffective - why don't governments work? And while many roads have led to preferential lobbying, there is arguably a deeper, darker reason even than that: aimlessness. The result? Bureaucracy, shiftlessness, the famous treacle that blinds and obstructs us in our endeavours. But institutions - and individuals - are capable of great things, if they act in concert - which is to say, if they act with a sense of purpose.What is the point of government? How do we fit into this as individuals? This principle may seem self-evident, but as we find out, it certainly requires to be reiterated.Talking points:It's not as simple as it looksHobbs and the pessimistic viewHow do we fit into this?Orchestrating change Needs and myths of leadershipClarity, purpose and mudBeneficial changeWithout purpose, there are various phenomena that present themselvesPrivileging rules over purposeWhat the purpose becomes in the absence purposePublicity, personal power, ideology, peers groupsMaturity and governmentBreaking the inheritanceIt worked for Germany and Japan post WWIICybernetic governanceModelling beneficial changeLinks:Sasha Swire - British government is amateur (Guardian review)https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/20/sasha-swire-british-politics-is-totally-amateur-thats-why-its-so-sexy-and-toxicRobert Cialdini - Influencehttps://www.theguardian.com/business-to-business/2018/mar/09/how-to-persuade-people-hint-not-by-telling-them-theyre-stupid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

japan germany government guardian acast bureaucracy orchestrating

Check 17 - Governments - Experiment

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2021 30:07

Recognise that most ‘decisions' by government are political experiments....except that with normal experiments - the scientific kind - measurements are taken, changes are monitored, conclusions drawn, theory is adjusted. Oddly, this is not the case with government decisions: debate is held, rehearsing the full repertoire of grimace, flush, sound and fury; and someone wins, and after that - a hot cup of tea. No connection with implementation. And yet with almost every regulation it is impossible to get a full view of how this adjustment to law or regulation will play out in reality, with the inevitable unintended consequences - so we end up with decision makers who are not fully informed making decisions for people who aren't aware that anything has changed. Even more jaw-dropping - roughly 150 of these changes occur each week per ministry. That's about 10,000 per year, year after year, in a kind of nightmare of bureaucratic process.How would it be if, rather than decisions being taken, forgotten, and tossed into the bureaucratic machine, they were seen as designs for action, to be monitored and adjusted as their process unfolds?In this episode we survey the ghastly scene of current decision-making, and find hope in the impact of the pandemic.Talking points:Decisions: words on a piece of paper, or designs for actionWandering from start line to start line without staying to watch the raceThe sheer volume and impossibility of keeping trackHow subsidiarity would alleviate thisThe Tiny Top and the noiseThe end-state fallacy: housing developments post-war, EU and CO2 emmissionsThe whole new-liberal economic system is an experimentPAPAIS - the dark truth of how government functionsAshby's Law of Requisite Variety: Science and systemThe limitations of government Ostrom: “Human societies are constituted by the symulateous operation of various experiments variously linked to one another”The government should be setting up the systemThe pandemic has forced experimentationThe Observatory for Public Sector InnovationThe Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of EnglandLinks:The Observatory for Public Sector Innovation - for more on this see Series 1 Episode 5, The Sense of Powerlessness at the Heart of Leadership with Dr. Piret Toñurist.https://oecd-opsi.orgThe Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of Englandhttps://www.bankofengland.co.uk/about/people/monetary-policy-committeeW. Ross Ashbyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Ross_AshbyLaw of Requisite Variety:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_(cybernetics)#Law_of_requisite_varietyVincent Ostrom: "Human societies... are constituted by the simultaneous operation of diverse experiments variously linked to one another."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Ostrom Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

leadership law government heart european union bank decisions series experiments acast sense variety recognise powerlessness systemthe

Check 18 - Government - Evolution

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2021 41:21

Designs for action shall be put into practice in the knowledge and positive acceptance that feedback may result in their amendment.Decisions, decisions: as we saw in the last episode, 150 per week per ministry, each spouting its share of paperwork like a photocopier out of control, swamping its surroundings with verbiage, utterly lacking in practical intent, and for anyone trying to see if the system works in any meaningful way - bewildering in its senselessness.But who are the people who make these decisions? And what do they know, really? And what are they expecting to come of them? Contemplating these questions quickly draws one to the conclusion that we are watching a pantomime, a Punch and Judy show, that exists to conceal the pointless governmental machine that is out of control.This principle does two things: it reframes these empty "decisions" in their ideal and realistic intent - to bring about beneficial change, as designs for action. And in being realistic, it is realistic about how plans - designs - need to be course-corrected on contact with reality: they need to evolve.Talking points:First and second order cybernetics: Dashboards, and people within the control systemRunning the country: the pantomime and the possibilitiesWe would fail if we were politicians tooThe risks of ineptitude: London as an instrument of Russian powerMarket liberalisation as a decision - out of sight, out of mindFinancial crisis - absence of feedback!Design authority in context: how to prevent ships sinking?The spirit of improvement and learning, the operating principlesEvery design for action is an experimentFailure inquiries - here to learn, not to blame.Root causes and purpose: Why is government here?The promise of systems thinking: living in paradise, sufficiencyThe four main benefits of feedbackThe fundamental importance of good feedbackSystems sensibilityFactfulness: opinions based on strong supporting facts7 psychological sins of investingPsychological defensivenessLabour and smoking: a day out Presumption and personal experienceLinks:Dr. Fiona Hill on The Rachman Review:https://play.acast.com/s/therachmanreview/comingtotermswithputinsrussiaStein Ringen (youtube/RSA):https://youtu.be/AHcfNy1_zqAThe Roslings on Factfulness (TED talk)https://youtu.be/Sm5xF-UYgdgSteven Pinker on the world getting better (TED talk)https://youtu.be/yCm9Ng0bbEQFalsifiability - Karl Popper (wikipedia)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 19 - Governments - Systems Thinking

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2021 36:40

Beneficial change most often results from working with the affected population through the medium of STiP.Systems Thinking in Practice - or STiP, as we sometimes call it - is, frankly, one of the great hopes of our time. It has the endorsement of the UN, the WHO and the OECD and has proved effective in alleviating difficulties of bewildering complexity by engaging social learning.This principle takes the fundamental purpose of government - beneficial change - and addresses the patchy performance of governments everywhere. The placating, appeasing, and overall absence of effective action on the part of governments is easily traced to the impossibility of such a tiny cohort being able to contend with the vast complexity of their imagined mandate. The systemic response, the STiP response, is to turn this on its head, and put the mandate where it is needed - at the front line, where life is happening, far from the much-vaunted Corridors of Power.What is it, to think systemically? What does it look like, in practice?In this episode we unpack this promising approach to the challenges of our time.Talking points:This great hopeProblems are the world's problemsThe problems with governments - over-stretchedLaying it all out - "problems", maps, stakeholders, "solutions"Situations of concernExtending and containing boundariesSystems mapping - a picture of the whole system, how the system worksGoulburn-Broken River Catchment - vast complexityPolarised perspectives: Bawdens World-viewsThe library at Shepton MalletRich pictures - visual representations and complex communications and humansFraming and re-framingSolutions landscapes - homelessness in VancouverThe design turn - systems thinking in practise is designing...and is empowering to civil society: Pacific coast tidal wave planning and the pandemicIndividual action and STiP - An art therapist bucks the bureaucracy and frees an agoraphobicWhat Why and How - applying learning to your relationshipLinksSystems thinking in practise at the Shepton Mallet Library(slide deck):https://www.systemspractice.org/resources/attachment/eca09f7f-03f0-4115-9c9a-1ed113670d5cTo beat a pandemic, try prepping for a tsunami (MIT Deep tech podcast)https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/03/1002535/podcast-to-beat-a-pandemic-try-prepping-for-a-tsunami/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

power practice government acast pacific situations oecd systems thinking corridors stip

Check 20 - Governments - Vetting

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2021 43:07

Technocratic democracy: Government designs for action shall be disciplined through their vetting.We often hear that politicians are essentially sales staff - but there are implications of this, if we extend the metaphor. They are not the engineers. They don't really understand what they are selling, they're just playing for the team. And if we were to imagine that someone did really understand, we would be a bit naïve. But clearly things - all kinds of things - would work a lot better if the question of how laws and regulations, or indeed overall missions, designs for action, were to be implemented - they would work better if this question was interrogated from the outset. As things stand, at least in the UK, any such evaluation is entirely optional, and normally ignored. Again, the spewing of 150 items per ministry per week should shock us into attention to the sheer dysfunction of our system, and the volume of wastage. What this principle does is, in effect, to paraphrase the famous designer, Dieter Rams: Less, but better. And not only that, but to make it enforceable. And this is where the separation of powers comes in to play - a second chamber can take the Executive's wild if well-intentioned hallucinations of the glorious future, interrogate them and reconstruct them as workable programmes. In this episode, we look in detail at an eight-step vetting process devised by Ed and his co-author, Ray Ison, that would ensure that any designs that a government might have for action would align with the overall ethos of bringing about beneficial change.Talking points:Using expertise within a democratic structure...as a check on the executiveThe PR basis of political activityThere's nothing to ensure that learning is appliedEvaluations do not typically challenge the systemMoney gets creamed off, culture of graftCommercial due diligence as a modelNorman Strauss: ethosThe 8 Tests: Framing, Purpose, Engagement and Stakeholder, Insider, Other Countries, Systems Thinking, Capability, ValueSome systems have a more conducive ethosSingapore - decisions treeNew Zealand - other forms of CapitalLinks:Norman Strausshttps://normanstrauss.wordpress.com/tag/norman-strauss/Stafford Beer: “Rules come from System 5: not so much by stating them firmly, as by creating a corporate ethos – an atmosphere”The inside and now, the outside and then:Systems 1, 2 and 3 between them make up the internal environment of the viable system – the Inside and Now. The autonomous parts function in a harmonising internal environment which maximises its effectiveness through creating mutually supportive relationships.System 4 is concerned with the Outside and Then. It formulates plans in the context of both the outside world and its intense interaction with System 3 which ensures all plans are grounded in the knowledge of the capabilities of the organisation.The Viable System Model (blog)https://metaphorum.org/viable-system-modelGillian Tett: Anthropology as the study of what it means to be human in a digital age (Zoom interview with The Mint Magazine)https://www.themintmagazine.com/tribes-and-tribulationsSarah Novak & Dr Caroline Mc Leish: Social Capital and New Zealand's Living Standards Framework (blog/interivew):https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/insights/good-economics-new-zealand-s-focus-on-living-standards-and-social-capital-to-navigate-crisis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

uk zoom government system new zealand executives engagement acast insider stakeholders capability vetting systems thinking technocratic other countries viable system model

Check 21 - Governments - Tax

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2021 35:29

Check 21 - Governments - Tax: Too much is never enoughEveryone pays their taxes.The deceptive simplicity of this principle belies the fact that, obviously enough, not everyone pays their taxes - quite the contrary, and the leaders of the G7 group of the world's richest nations are attempting to address this by imposing a global corporation tax of 15%. Whether this is enforceable remains to be seen. As things stand the global monetary system is set up in such a way that, on the one hand, nations are in a race to the bottom on tax costs to make their countries attractive to multi-nationals, under the delusion that such winning such a competition will benefit them and not harm them; and on the other, their funds are secreted through tax havens to evade contributing to the various infrastructures they benefit from. So instead - these costs fall to us, the citizens.But if we step back from the whole issue of Making The Big Guys Pay - do we need to pay taxes at all? What does this practice really mean to us, as citizens? How might it become more meaningful?In this episode we place these questions in three key contexts - the citizen, the national economy, and our bio-physical world - the biosphere.Talking points:Why do we pay taxes?"Rent", surplus and the common goodThe tax planning industry: not bad people, but in a bad systemIt's about fairness - why are we paying tax and not vast corporations?Nailing down the wealth extractors, rampant individualism, and the fault-linesGlobal taxation vs global tax competition: The G7National taxation vs local taxation: efficiency Centralisation, opacity and local powerTransparency and accountability - Sweden's public tax returnsThe UK's hand-maiden economy Deadweight taxes - thinking back to Adam SmithA society of rent-seekers vs a society of wealth-creatorsEfficiencies in tax expenditures: hypothecated taxes, mutual insurancesCompassionate communities and cost savingsCarbon taxation is a muddleEnd-to-end producer responsibility vs the planet as an economic “externality”Links:Interview with Fred Harrison (audio interview, 30 min): https://www.prosper.org.au/2021/01/we-are-rent-with-fred-harrison/?fbclid=IwAR1zkII88E7f2TKLXQOa9-wppO-27fwDoEz9Bt0JDTpLSTz5MchioDXSjvENicholas Shaxson on Britains Second Empire (...of tax-havens - article):https://taxjustice.net/2019/09/29/tax-havens-britains-second-empire/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

government sweden acast rent g7 nailing dead weight centralisation goodthe fred harrison

Check 22 - Companies - Purpose

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2021 27:34

Companies shall act in the interests of people, and the biosphere.As we've mentioned in recent episodes, from the standpoint of the biosphere, humanity's existence is felt primarily through industrialisation. Resource extraction, pollution, as well as much monoculture in agriculture have taken their toll on both the biosphere and many of the people it supports. Indeed, while populations have been increasingly "farmed" over the decades, the characterisation by technology companies of humanity as end-users to be addicted and data to be mined is an obvious extension of this outlook. And these exploitations are often the preserve not of individual people but of companies, with their diffuse networks of responsibility and "the corporate veil."But things could be different. In this episode we re-imagine the role of companies in our world as inverted: from the current slavishness to the global monetary system and its obfuscating pipework of corporate ownership - to something that privileges human value in the context of our life-support system, the biosphere.Talking Points:Picking apart the principle: the real is almost the reverse of the idealThe corporate veil as central to the current version of capitalismThe ethical drift in corporate behaviour over the last several decadesFree-flowing capital before and after WW2: neoliberalismThis is not an insurmountable problem: we can reinvent the systemCrystallising public opinionTomorrow's Company - since the 1980'sA case in point: demutualisation of AA and RAC, submission to global monetary systemDesign- and Systems thinking vs the pressures of neo-liberalism:Other "tomorrow's companies" - The Body Shop - hinges on structures of ownershipJapanese management in manufacturing: raising the global standard through competitive pressureW Edwards DemingConsumer power, shareholder power and greenwashingPaying the true cost is possible - if you can afford itFlooding brought people together, and they never felt happierWhat is it to be human? Community is a big part of itBut also: diversity of experience within the community - or companyAligning the word Company with what it meansLinks:Alternative search engine to Google: Ecosia. They plant trees:https://www.ecosia.orgW. Edwards Deming: "Deming's teachings and philosophy are clearly illustrated by examining the results they produced after they were adopted by Japanese industry:"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_DemingLimited Liability - brief history:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_liability#HistoryThe Corporate Veil (wikipedia)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piercing_the_corporate_veilGlobal Monetary System: "Leading financial journalist Martin Wolf has reported that all financial crises since 1971 have been preceded by large capital inflows into affected regions:"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_monetary_systemThe origins of "Tomorrow's Company" stem from a lecture given in 1990 by Charles Handy, Chairman of the UK's RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) on the question ‘What is a Company For?'. This led to the inquiry ‘Tomorrow's Company – the role of business in a changing world', led by Sir Anthony Cleaver, then Chairman of IBM, which culminated in a report of the same name published in 1995.Here's the original report from the RSA:https://www.tomorrowscompany.com/publication/rsa-inquiry-tomorrows-company-the-role-of-business-in-a-changing-world/Its current incarnation, 30 years later - https://www.tomorrowscompany.com - Still interesting and forward looking, although their prioritising away from society and toward the embrace of disruptive innovation diverges from our ideal of systems thinking:"[...]In 2016, in the light of all the organisation's learning and experience in working with companies and investors, Tomorrow's Company report, UK Business: What's Wrong? What's Next? restated [their definition of a Tomorrow's Company as three principles.These are:A purpose beyond profit and a set of values that are lived through the behaviours of all employees to create a self-reinforcing culture;Collaborative and reciprocal relationships with key stakeholders – a strong focus on customer satisfaction, employee engagement and, where possible, collaboration with suppliers, alongside working with society; andA long-term approach that embraces risk – investing long term and embracing disruptive innovation.Community energy companies and projectshttp://awel.coop/This is the largest employee owned company in Scotland:https://homecarescotland.co.uk/Profiting from Integrity - Alan Barlow (book)https://www.waterstones.com/book/profiting-from-integrity/alan-barlow/9781138090613There are quite a few surveys of staff as the best places to work (although - what these surveys show and mask is up for debate), e.g. for tech companies:https://blog.greatplacetowork.co.uk/uk-best-tech-companies-to-work-forQuakers Businesses -"Quakers didn't wring every last penny out of a business so they were appealing companies to be taken over." [ie - with the dawn of neoliberalism in the 1980's]- it looks like the great myth of Quaker businesses has struggled to stand the tests of neoliberalism:https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17112572Couldn't find a list of Quaker company principles - rather, it seems they held each other accountable in the context of how they conducted their meetings.Forbes Magazine says:"..During early Quaker meetings, "the business activities of their members were scrutinized by their peers, not only for their soundness but also to ensure that the interests of the broader community--not just the Quakers--were protected,"...The Quaker congregation "would stand behind the activities of members who were in good standing, and if one of them got into trouble, they would supervise the liquidation of the business and make good the deficit."https://www.forbes.com/2009/10/09/quaker-business-meetings-leadership-society-friends.htmlQuaker Companies.Predictably enough, Quaker Oats was never a Quaker company."This is a list of notable businesses, organizations or charities founded by Quakers. Many of these are no longer managed or influenced by Quakers. At the end of the article are businesses that have never had any connection to Quakers [3, to be precise - the first being Quaker Oats], although some people may believe that they did or still do."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Quaker_businesses,_organizations_and_charities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

community uk international japanese arts scotland companies commerce acast ibm limited resource aa collaborative anda piercings forbes magazine quaker rsa profiting quakers predictably body shop rac quaker oats manufactures system design systemthe martin wolf charles handy rsa royal society

Check 23 - Companies - The Circularity

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2021 24:22

End-to-end producer responsibility: Producers are responsible for all impacts of their activities and products, from raw material extraction to product recycling/disposal.There's no doubt that a single company can create and inspire change. But if all producers up and down the supply chain, and indeed across the economy, are holding each other accountable for all impacts by virtue of this principle, then we really do have the potential see the kinds of changes we need on a grand - global - scale. Effectively, a feedback loop. And let's not forget what Einstein had to say about about another feedback loop, compound income: it's "the most powerful force in the universe".In this episode we see in Fast Fashion Brand Boohoo a case in point of many of the things we have been talking about: the Global Monetary System at work, almost blindly driving profit, with scant regard for its vast impacts in human and ecological terms. And failure of consumer power, and tension between activist censure and investor appetite. In contrast we also consider Renault, a company that is embracing complete re-use and recycling.What would complete circularity look like?Talking points:The limits of limited liabilityOut of sight, out of mind - we don't want to knowFast fashion, Boohoo - and the Global Monetary SystemContributory factors in the development of fast fashionExtended Producer ResponsibilityPlotting the chain - gouging and dumping vs circular processiPhones and the truth of supply chainsIs this a basis on which the world wants to work?Renault transitioning to the new economy - PACERespect and the biosphereNature vs consumer cultureEthos and company culture as something accessibleCommunity as a part of good business and good brandingNeo-liberalism means - take and don't careLinksBusiness of Fashion Podcast:https://www.businessoffashion.com/podcastsGreta Thunberg BBC series:https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p099f58d/episodes/playerPACE - Platform forAccelerating the Circular Economyhttps://pacecircular.orgExtended Producer Responsibility (EPR)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_producer_responsibilityUK Govt/ recent DEFRA EPR Consultation:https://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/...+ consultation document pdf (06.2021/ 213 pages):https://consult.defra.gov.uk/extended-producer-responsibility/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging/supporting_documents/23.03.21%20EPR%20Consultation.pdf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 24 - Companies - Information

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2021 26:06

24. Company duty to inform: For each product or service, consumers shall be informed of the biosphere and human impact of its sourcing, manufacture, distribution, and post-use treatment.As consumers, we have more power than we might think. We not only vote with our wallets, but our consumption is conspicuous, and contributes to setting a tone across society - and this is a secondary and perhaps more powerful effect. And change is possible - look at how perception of veganism has shifted, in a relatively short amount of time, from being seen as a fringe activity paraded by the pious few, to a reasonable and accepted option for the main stream, who are now interested in personal and planet health.In thinking about this episode, three things struck me. Firstly - out of sight, out of mind. Beautiful products mask less beautiful realities involved in their creation. To make choices, we need to know about them. Secondly, the scale of the challenge. The vastness of it. When you research and think about the some industrial activities, the sheer scale of it is staggering. And thirdly - it's the job of the system to shove the big picture right in people's faces: if information is clear and present at the point of decision - which, for products means the point of purchase - then consumer choices are not only more straight-forward, but there is potential for a major shift in standards, both for us, and for our world.Talking points:This is not a guilt trip: it's about free choiceNeo-freudian advertising and marketingOil fields the size of France, undersea mining the size of EuropeThis principle is very simple: it's about attentionIt's not just the system, there's also just bad practiceThe world can't run on company liesLabelling can make the difference: it tells you what you are doingCarbon trading, bio-fuels and true effectsStyles of labelling: medicine info, tobacco images, energy ratingsFourth separation of powers: holding large companies to accountGaming in the system - civil society, the media and changeThe other 25 principles will provide a strong contextThe Freedom Pollute in context: as a last freedomSystems thinking meets governanceLinks:Earthtime story on undersea mining (2019). View on a desktop, requires patience and engagement - but will be rewarded in spades:https://earthtime.org/stories/ocean_miningOther Earthtime stories:https://earthtime.org/#storiesEconomist podcast on the environment:https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2021/09/20/to-a-lesser-degree-a-new-climate-podcast-from-the-economist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 25 - Companies - Systems Thinking

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2021 31:16

25. Systemic inquiry shall accompany investment commitments in the technosphere; thereafter, end-to-end producer responsibility applies.Throughout Preflight Checklist, and our previous series Proof of Concept we have placed great hope on Systems Thinking. What is that, again? Yes, trying to see systems in their totality - but also: humility with regards to knowledge.In this case, rather than assuming you know enough (Facebook: "move fast and break things") to chuck out products and see how they boom, bust or blow up; instead, armed with this humility, and with eyes and ears open to the variety of impacted perspectives, companies can move more deftly and discretely to create sustainable, durable designs.Disruption, moving fast and breaking things, asking for forgiveness and not for permission, creating minimum viable products and trying them out on The Market - these things are fetishised in our intensely consumerist and wealth-focussed version of capitalism. And because importance is mainly attached to economies, economics and money, we are acculturated to the restrictive dimensions of this perspective. But such reductionism has landed us with outcomes we know well: the climate and biodiversity crisis, massive inequality, and more besides. It's not enough to wring our hands and look to the market in hope that an answer will appear - it hasn't so far.So we're back to the rails - constitutional change - and with this principle, a principle both of humility and an approach to reality, we have an important pre-flight check, as it were, for any durable, sustainable, economic activity.Talking Points:Technosphere, Investment Commitments, Systems ThinkingIncreased urbanisation as symbolicThe internet creates monopoliesSystems ThinkingDesign Principles, Dieter RamsGood intentions vs. AccountabilityUber and The London Assembly: City pushes BackThe casualisation of labourAirbnb and communitiesLinks:On the Technosphere, Jan Zalaceiwicz (Guardian, 2015) references Peter Haff, who coined the term for his 2013 paper - well worth a click, if only to read the abstract. McKinsey on The Business Value of Design (2018)Dieter Rams' - 10 Principles of Good Design (Wikipedia)On the casualisation of labour - "I could have been a somebody... instead of a bum, which is what I am."Marlon Brando On The Waterfront (1954 - IMDB trailer, 01:35): Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

design market companies principles proof acast concept disruption imdb mckinsey systemic systems thinking business value backthe dieter rams technosphere

Check 26 - Companies - The Transition

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2021 40:25

26. In transitioning from polluting to non-polluting activities, communities and companies shall be supported fairly.We have finally arrived to this episode, and this crucial check in our pre-flight checklist, as if through layers of an onion to its core, and yet - its as though we have arrived back where we started. It's about the people. A good example of what not to do, in transitioning communities to the new economy, is simply shutting coal mines. This is what happened under Margaret Thatcher in Britain in the 1980's, and many communities have never recovered. Glasgow, one-time ship-builder to the empire, lost ground to more dynamic economies around the world and for many years languished in economic depression - but in recent years has experienced a cultural renaissance. Could this have been brought about without the years of pain?Of course it could, and in this episode we rehearse these and other examples to see what is possible, and take a deep dive into the question of mind-set.Talking Points:Shipping as a case studyPeople, feelings, abandoned communitiesProportions and emotional impact of climate crisisTechnosphere: human contextFive stages of grief, communities and politicsIndividual acts, collective actsThe need for political leadershipTransition in GlasgowCoal miners eg. in PolandChange in organisationsLinks:Timothy Morton extracts, and wikipedia -Five stages of Grief (Kubler Ross Model) - look out for the visualisationsPeter Haff - full paper on the Technosphere: Technology as a geological phenomenon: implications for human well-beingDavid Pocock, rugby player and activistGeorge Monbiot on mobilisationZapatista PrinciplesClips:Gordon Brown saves the world financial system (48:00)Greta Thunberg goes to Poland to talk coal (15:10)Simon Sinek on the Law of Diffusion of Innovation (10:56) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

law innovation transition companies britain poland acast glasgow greta thunberg simon sinek margaret thatcher diffusion

Is God the Biosphere? - 1 - Avoidance And The Addiction System

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2022 37:00

When we finished series 2 - Preflight Checklist - one thing was clear, any governance for Spaceship Earth going forward must put the Biosphere at the centre. Governance models from households, up through companies and countries, to international bodies must include the Biosphere as their central partner.So far, perhaps, so obvious. We know we need to act, and in many cases, we know what we need to do. But it's not happening. We just can't seem to muster sufficient focus.In Series 3 - Is God the Biosphere? - we interrogate this state of play.In this episode we introduce the background and take a look a the systemic straight-jackets that contain us - politically, economically, psychologically - in a kind of trap that makes it almost impossible to avoid feeding the beast. But this is not doom and gloom, not at all. As we constantly reiterate, Change Is Possible - this is our purpose. And there can be no effective change without a frank assessment of reality, so this is where we start.And then. As the series progresses, we will explore the tranquil jungles of possibility, armed with the question:What, exactly, would make the Biosphere a compelling object for our attention?Talking Points:The attractions of Systems Thinking, and what it isThe challenge - Biodiversity RevisitedUrgency of IPCC report: what does Systems Thinking have to contribute?Why has the biosphere not proved a compelling object for our attention?1 - The Tragedy of The Commons: shortsightedness2 - The Global Addiction System: The monetary system, and the Technosphere3 - Avoidance: The doom bar, the scale of the challenge, the vast constituency of the very rich, the fantasiesLinks:Biodiversity Revisited:https://luchoffmanninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/biodiversity-revisited-research-agenda-2020.pdfIPCC Summary - (MIT Technology Review)https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/04/04/1048832/un-climate-report-carbon-removal-is-now-essential/?truid=&utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=&utm_content=04-05-2022&mc_cid=1ab39c4971&mc_eid=24fa1486a0Original Peter Haff article describing the Technosphere - Technology as a Geological Phenomenon: Implications for Human Well-Being:https://pne.people.si.umich.edu/PDF/Haff%202013%20Technology%20as%20a%20Geological%20Phenomenon.pdfEpic sweep of monetary system (book review):https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-financial-system-is-supposed-to-serve-the-economy--not-harm-it/2019/12/26/59c26028-1d0c-11ea-8d58-5ac3600967a1_story.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

god system addiction tragedy acast governance commons avoidance ipcc systems thinking biosphere spaceship earth isthe in series human well being 20technology

Is God the Biosphere? - 2 - The Power of Nature

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2022 30:42

We left off at the end of the last episode wondering what might make the Biosphere a compelling object for our attention; this in the context of the all-too-human reality of our challenges - the tragedy of the commons, the addiction system, the psychological imperative of avoidance.In listening back over this episode, I'm reminded of two things: one, Edmund in King Lear - "Thou, Nature, art my Goddess!" And the other, Fidel Castro: if he was to go through the revolution again, he said, he would select just twelve highly committed comrades - echoing, no doubt, the twelve disciples of Christian mythology.In this episode we start to feel our way into our relationship with the Biosphere. In particular Ed takes a cue from Lynne White, who argued in the 1960's that Western religion was a root cause of environmental degradation, but - controversial! - a religious way of thinking might be the way out.Talking Points - Context: the Tragedy of the Commons, the Addiction System, Avoidance etcWe are an emergent property: nature is an absolute, there's no escapeBut the relationship has broken down. How can we restore it?Lynne White and Environmental Ethics, Human Ecology and BeliefsWhat is religion?Was there a good idea behind Christianity?Earth Mother as a mind-setPurpose and fly-fishing on the DanubeNature as a hedonistic giverBiophilic designWhat should we give to nature? The two way relationshipBiomesPurpose and change in organisationsLinksArticle on Lynne White in Nature:https://ecoevocommunity.nature.com/posts/14041-the-long-reach-of-lynn-white-jr-s-the-historical-roots-of-our-ecologic-crisisOriginal (pdf):https://www.cmu.ca/faculty/gmatties/lynnwhiterootsofcrisis.pdfJesus - a Buddhist Monk - YouTube/ BBC https://youtu.be/FsN4zE2yiloKindness is the opposite of stress (Dr. David R. Hamilton)https://drdavidhamilton.com/kindness-is-the-opposite-of-stress/And podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-scientists-case-for-woo-woo/id1081584611?i=1000548804097-Biophilic design -Wikipedia -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilic_designVideo 8 mins- sound cuts out between 0:45 and 2:05, but still interesting:https://youtu.be/MJ6fbYz-x04Fly-fishing on the Danube (BBC):https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015qj3/earths-great-rivers-ii-series-1-2-danube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

nature christianity western tragedy wikipedia acast goddess commons fidel castro edmund biosphere human ecology earth mother biophilic environmental ethics david r hamilton

Is God the Biosphere? - 3 - The Nature and Meaning of God

Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2022 25:02

What are we talking about, when we talk about God? There's no doubt that something has been lost with the pervasive decline of religion in the modern world. Society is fractured. We lack a shared framework. We're tired of trying to work everything out. It's easier just to avoid thinking at all.Which is in some ways the point of religion - to avoid having to reinvent the wheel when it comes to purpose and morality. In its absence, we are adrift.Here at the Hidden Power Podcast one thing has been clear all along: we need to put the Biosphere at the centre of our governance models, and as Lynne White proposed over Fifty years ago - religion may be the key. What is a governance model, if not the prioritising of what is important?In this episode, Ed sets out various ideas about God, laying them against the Biosphere like a series of well-formed suits.Talking points:Context of this episode: nature in its maternal aspectWhat are we talking about when we talk about GodSome theologies - Scott Littleton, Monotheism, Carl JungWorship is for the WorshipperGods as forces of nature, as the highest thingExplanation - God vs ScienceGod as unifying moral compassThe symbol of human valueSpirit - team spiritFaith - God as purpose, God as loveAccountability - God, PeopleCommunication - the golden rule and the biosphereGod the fixer and the prime minister of AustraliaDeism vs PantheismWhat is God? Why can't He be the biosphere?LinksErasmushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus#The_first_translationScott Littleton on Godhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeityCarl Jung https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Jung- read by Alan Watts, shortly after Jung's passing in 1961 (YouTube)https://youtu.be/15pjQRA80bsAccountability buddies (NY Times)https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/well/live/habits-health.htmlA workable version of pantheism (podcast):https://open.spotify.com/episode/7w2IJE332ztKAnglGjxohf?si=iFn5qW9eQO68jr-IC150VA&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A6NOJ6IkTb2GWMj1RpmtnxPWater and God (The Compass - podcast)https://www.airr.io/episode/605aae14439f559d6a5c52f0 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Is God the Biosphere? - 4 - Rituals

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2022 33:39

The late Ken Robinson, in one of his TED talks, tells the story of a child who was drawing with wild strokes. The teacher asked - What are you drawing? And the child replied "God". The teacher said, "But nobody knows what God looks like." And the child said, "Well. They will in a minute." Badum Tshhhh.Last week we explored what people are talking about when the talk about gods. But for most people, this is a secondary aspect of religion - the primary aspect being the rituals. So what are rituals, and why are they so powerful?In this episode we look at some rituals, religious, secular, useful, destructive, and start to imagine what rituals might help us to place the biosphere at the pinnacle of our aspirations.Talking Points:Listener Email - A moral revolution is possibleRituals. What are they?Ablutions, Jewish weddings, Christian signs of peaceConscious and unconscious rituals in daily life: focus and distractionPositioning the biosphere and political willRituals of nurturing and kindnessWaste is an affront to nature, not wasting feels goodGods - conscious and unconsciousAddiction and deificationHuman power - like a bull in a china shopPossible futuresPossible rituals - the 12 step recovery process as a route out of the addiction systemWhen things change, we'll be happier!Habits as the b-side of ritual - and their powerGetting past the Doom Bar - learning to love stressLinks:Peter Oborne - the Triumph of the Political Class (review/Guardian)https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/sep/30/politicsWater and religion ( incl Ablutions) - BBC podcast "How Water Shaped Us" -https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NURa5GgoD7PxTzJQNrjzG?si=0hgb5f6hQkuo4Oc_XbleqAThe 12 Step Program (Wikipedia) - main points:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_programDr Alia Crum on mindsets Excellent paper on the subject:https://mbl.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj9941/f/2014_mindful_stress_chpt_crumlyddy_handbook_of_mindfulness.pdfAnd podcast on mindsets in general,( 1:04:50 - The three step process: 1 Acknowledge; 2 Welcome; 3 Utilise):https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ELdxrMTQum8E4ulpMSb2J?si=HGPXTCRiR9ykMy-UOdn2qw&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A79CkJF3UJTHFV8Dse3Oy0PThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Wikipedia summary):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Is God the Biosphere? - 5 - Superstition

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2022 26:21

It is no secret that the various tribes and bubbles of our world have wildly differing beliefs about things. Why can't people just accept the truth? But the truth is so contentious. And framing is so contentious. And all these people seem to have the most outlandish superstitions.An abiding feature of these podcasts, as we've highlighted many times, is this thing called Systems Thinking, and while this is a broad enough discipline to be fairly tribal in its own right, one key feature of this Systems Thinking is thinking about your thinking.In this episode we review some of the things in normal western life that have the character of superstition, and explore to what extent our innate capacity for gullibility and naïvity might be used to our advantage, in evolving a more constructive mindset; in connecting better with Nature, and specifically in nurturing the health of our habitat.Talking Points:An experience with a palm readerThe power of belief and ritual in performanceListener comments - a bishop, a yogi, and a reflection on who we areSome superstitions - recognisable, and hiddenLike Science - eg impact of false HRT Study warning cancerTo what extent are your superstitions working for you?Heuristics and humility regarding knowledgeGood and bad fairy-talesWhat you do and what you think about itWhatever gets you through the nightWe all need superstitionsFaith as an alternative to cynicismFaith in your own human systemFaith in our project of a viable habitatThe Good Place - it's impossible to be "Good"The system is fundamentally badThe challenge is bigger than all of usAnd that is why we need faith in a higher power to sustain usLinks:Fundamentalism as a superstition about text:https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/a/armstrong-battle.html?_r=1&oref=sloginOn the placebo effect:https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effectOn a scientific Truth that turned out to be untrue - HRT and cancer - https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/cancer-clinical-archive/study-linking-hrt-to-breast-cancer-was-wrong-26-01-2012/William James (Philosopher and psychologist)On pragmatism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James#Pragmatism_and_%22cash_value%22On the Variety of Religious Experience (Wikipedia preçis)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James#Philosophy_of_religionTimothy Morton:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Morton#Ecological_theory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Is God the Biosphere? - 6 - Sense-Making

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2022 32:49

Philosophy, famously, will not get the washing up done. And it will not fix the crises of climate and biodiversity. So what can I do? An individual amongst Billions?In economics, a basic unit is - The Household. And while economics tracks the flows of goods and services, it is striking that both goods and services require energy and other resources. Therefore The Household is an important unit to think about in terms of how we metabolise - exhaust and pollute - the planet.Confronted with countries and large companies, we all have recourse to wringing our hands - but the Household is a strikingly accessible unit for pretty much everyone.So - having surveyed, in Series 1, Proof of Concept, just how effective Systems Thinking can be; having rehearsed in Series 2 Preflight Checklist the principles that would see us through the climate and biodiversity crises; having explored in Series 3 - Is God the Biosphere? - how making the Biosphere a central partner in our governance systems requires us to rethink our religious demeanour - what next?Given our relative entrapment in what are in many ways systems of extraction and poisoning, what levers might be available to a Household to minimise harm while maximising the best life has to offer?This episode is a call to action to all our listeners -Can you articulate your household constitution?Can you produce a suitable systems map of the flow of goods, services and ideas passing under your roof?Send your household constitutions and household systems maps to thehiddenpowerpodcast@gmail.com or tweet a link to Ed @EdAStraw - we are v excited to see what people have to show, and will set up a Google Doc to exhibit any responses.Talking points:Model of change in the 1850'sConvening as accessible - Systems convening event SCIO - thttps://youtu.be/vdohTndxWSMOur innate Systems Sensibility, governance as adequate development and mental healthReligion, science, commerce, a moral code - and consumer powerThe migration from past state to future state - in increments- awareness beyond the binThe power of collective action - The Preston Modelhttps://www.uclan.ac.uk/articles/research/preston-model-community-wealth-buildinghttps://cles.org.uk/publications/how-we-built-community-wealth-in-preston-achievements-and-lessons/Family constitutions: some relevant points -News media:Preferential Lobbying (articles)votingProportional Representation (podcast)https://theconversation.com/how-to-express-yourself-if-you-want-others-to-cooperate-with-you-new-research-182705thehiddenpowerpodcast@gmail.comEd @EdAStraw Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

god family news model philosophy series proof acast sense concept household billions google docs confronted systems thinking biosphere powerthe scio

Special Episode: Democratic Yorkshire

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2023 52:33

In this special edition of The Hidden Power podcast for Democratic Yorkshire, Philip Tottenham talks with Ed Straw, and Professor Malcolm Prowle on the subject of the day and panacea England's ills - Regionalisation. Talking Points:- The experience of government: consultancy, Thatcher, Blair, powerlessness at the centre of power- Problems with centralisation. How we experience it.- Devolved parliaments and regions. Wales, Switzerland, Germany - How this might look for Yorkshire. Some of the challenges and pitfalls.- What's the next step? Talking about it. Taking an interest. The long road ahead.Links:Wikipedia on Regionalism:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regionalism_(politics)Localism - a tangible route to Regionalisation:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localism_(politics)#:~:text=Localism%20can%20also%20refer%20to,power%20becoming%20centralized%20over%20time.From the time of the Scottish referendum on independence:https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/17/scotland-independence-referendum-england-counties-devolutionWidely respected community action group Locality:https://locality.org.uk/Some links from Malcolm:Has Devolution Worked - a 2019 Institute for Government report reflecting on the first Twenty years:https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/has-devolution-worked-essay-collection-FINAL.pdfSome reflections on Government dysfunction (Malcolm Prowle, LinkedIn):https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7130931236369231874/Ed Balls and others on regional inequality in the UK for the Centre for Economic Policy Researchhttps://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/how-tackle-uks-regional-economic-inequality-focus-stem-transport-and-innovationFrom Ed:Northern Independence Party:https://www.freethenorth.co.uk/ourfutureCharter to End Westminster Rule:https://citizen-network.org/library/charter-to-end-westminster-rule.htmlA Nation Trapped Inside England (YouTube):https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=C2DFTj0Ot2o Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Special Episode - Old Tory

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2024 36:08

"There's a class war alright," chirruped Investor Warren Buffet recently, "But it's our class making war on yours. And we're winning."It reminded me of the Lao Tsu, where he says that the Way of Heaven is to take from those with excess, and give to those who do not have enough."The way of man is different," the sage quips. "He takes from those who have nothing, in order to give to those who already have too much."When did the worm turn? When did the liberal centrist consensus become this nightmare of neo-feudalism? How did the Tories, in particular, drift from their one-nation, Compassionate Conservatism to the libertarian bandits who rarely miss an opportunity to darken our media with stirring xenophobia, and hallucinations of Getting Things Done? Was this written into economic neoliberalism from the outset?In this episode we rehearse the history and make some observations, not least the upcoming opportunity to vote.Talking Points:Some context of the Centrist ConsensusHow the worm turned: BrexitEmpire and Old ToryFeudalism in Britain and RussiaThe Thermocline of Truth: erosion of the middle classThe Irish answer to Neoliberalism and inequalityWill they ever learn?Links:Ed's Cris de Couer - Old ToryStart the Week - Left Behind But Not ForgottenIreland and Neoliberalism - David Mc Williams PodcastJohn Pilger - Governments and Media roles in War Propaganda | The War You Don't See - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mDuxFnn2RY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

media truth britain acast getting things done tories neoliberalism lao tsu

The start of a new season is a good time to take stock, and as we look forward to the next series, on companies, we reflect on where we are now, nearly a year after the launch of The Hidden Power Podcast, on October 11th, 2020. But who has time to reflect? These turbulent years have been eclipsed by another Summer of wild fires and wilder floods, as the climate crisis begins to bite - presenting an appalling, stunning spectacle of human tragedy. So we have the IPCC report, with it's Code Red for humanity. And then there's Afghanistan, which one struggles to adequately describe. In this special episode, we assess the accelerating climate disaster and take a clear-eyed look at what next month's COP26 Conference in Glasgow has to offer. We have a think about whether the UK's "Levelling Up" can have any more meaning than previous political slogans like "Northern Powerhouse" or "Compassionate Conservatism". We also take a look at the storied link between war and business - and see yet again the dark fact of government capture at work. With all this darkness, we also look forward for some light. In the final series of our Preflight Checklist we will be examining the role of companies in shifting our societies to a sustainably happy future. Talking points:The IPCC ReportThe COP26 ConferenceAfghanistan and Preferential LobbyingDominic Cummings Is Apparently Still RelevantMichael Gove is The Minister of Levelling Up - will he fake it or make it?What is working in Systems Thinking? Deliberative schema: DAD and EDDWe Need To Talk About Companies. LinksStructures and systems and thinking (Youtube, 10 minutes into an hour)https://youtu.be/A3P5XJJVN3IHere's the Big issue piece explaining why the supermarket shelves are often empty, and why HGV drivers are scarce - fed up with being treated as low lifeshttps://www.bigissue.com/news/inside-the-uk-food-shortages-why-nandos-and-sainsburys-are-running-out/Here's a piece on the futility of the war in afghanistanhttps://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/what-i-learned-while-eavesdropping-on-the-taliban/619807/And here is a piece on what it cost and where some of it went:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/11/us-afghanistan-iraq-defense-spendingForeign intervention (article, behind paywall):https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n16/charles-glass/hush-hush-boom-boom'In 2011, as Obama was considering what action to take in Syria, some of his advisers urged him to support the rebels. Before making up his mind, Obama commissioned a report on the history of US covert operations. Robert Malley, then Obama's Middle East adviser and now President Biden's negotiator with Iran, read the CIA's classified report. It was, he told me in 2019, a litany of failure. ‘I think there were one or two, out of I don't know how many tens of cases, where you could, at a limit, say that there was a success by working through opposition proxies.' The vast majority of the CIA's secret wars had backfired, from Albania in the late 1940s through Angola in the 1980s to Afghanistan in the 1990s. Despite this, Obama ordered the CIA to arm and instruct militants in Turkey and Jordan under a programme that permits such activities in defence of American national security. The outcome was both predictable and tragic: the insurgents failed to overthrow Assad and Islamic State emerged.' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thought for the Summer

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2021 1:54

We're off for the Summer! But - I found a great quote on the great _nitch instagram this morning, by the writer James Baldwin, who seems to be almost uniquely articulate when it comes to things that really matter. So I thought I'd read it out.We've finished the Governments section of our Preflight Checklist series - basically, a constitution to save the world - and in September we'll be back, tackling what seems to be at the heart of human activity from the standpoint of the planet - Companies. How should we think about them? What do companies look like on a sustainable planet? Find out in these last six episodes of Preflight Checklist, coming this September wherever you find your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 21 - Governments - Tax

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2021 35:29

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Check 20 - Governments - Vetting

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2021 43:07

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Check 19 - Governments - Systems Thinking

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2021 36:40

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Check 18 - Government - Evolution

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 26, 2021 41:21

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Check 17 - Governments - Experiment

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2021 30:07

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Check 16 - Governments - Purpose

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2021 27:20

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Check 15 - Governments - The Character of Good Government

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2021 31:36

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Check 14 - 4th Separation of Powers - Institutionalised Bribery

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2021 33:48

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Check 13 - 4th Separation of Powers - Public Speech

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2021 36:30

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Special Episode - Preferential Lobbying

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2021 48:47

Why should we care about political lobbying? Isn't business all about making connections? What's the problem? You hear phrases like "systemic" and "endemic" - but what does that actually amount to? Unfortunately it amounts to a vast global problem that creates the illusion of democratic process, but with out much actual democracy. Instead, all kinds of effects which are clearly and obviously problematic are ignored and suppressed - climate change, wealth inequality and much more. In this special episode we start out with a look at the hypocrisy at the heart of the preferential lobbying machine, and in particular we explore not only how it became visible to Ed during his time working with central government, but also how, as he and Ray Ison applied systems thinking to governance, all roads seemed to lead one way: preferential lobbying is the central problem in our many and various challenges, and it can only be adequately mitigated, and even eliminated, by means of constitutional change.Talking points:The true intent of the 2014 lobbying bill, and the way David Cameron expressed itStrategic lyingLobbying in the time of BlairCivil servants and ministers are not equipped to understandEd's report on the civil service got squashedThe problem with reform"Superficial civil servants and daft academics"Private meetings and address booksLegitimate lobbying and grey areasThe capability to employ professional lobbyistsSecrecy is a central part of the problemBroadband as a case in pointPreferential lobbying has emerged as a central theme...as a common root causePost master controversy as a case studyAppearance and reality in democracypros and cons of industry expertsTransparencyVisionary leadership vs. the reality of financial marketsPreferential lobbying is a zero sum game: it's wealth extractionA capitalist ideal vs. rent seekingEthics and pragmatismFeedbackBig pharma stamps out Teatree oilMultiply that hundreds and thousands of timesviable systems method - how these conditions were identifiedProblem - Analysis - Policy - Approval - Implementation - SolutionBut policy making is fundamentally experimentalThe need to build in redundancies9 conditions necessary for preferential lobbyingChanging the constitution is the necessary condition of stopping preferential lobbyingGood lobbying is about making your case in pubicThe Finance CurseLinks: Polly Toynbee on the 2014 Lobbying act:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/15/cameron-lobbying-act-business-politicians-2014-charitiesA corporate entertainment story - Biathlon (NY Times - article)https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/28/sports/olympics/biathlon-russia-doping-besseberg.htmlStrategic lying (The Conversation - article)https://theconversation.com/strategic-lies-deliberate-untruths-used-as-a-political-tactic-new-study-159723Chart of the Ascent of Everest (diagram/ infographic)https://historyshots.com/blogs/news/18078975-chart-of-the-ascent-of-everestBook recommendation:The Finance Curse: How Global Finance Is Making Us All Poorer - Nicholas Shaxson - VintageThe 9 key conditions that facilitate preferential lobbying:1. Preferential access to decision makers2. Government decisions made in private3. Low subject knowledge of ministers and officials4. Few restrictions on political party funding5. Availability of patronage6. An effective choice of two parties for government7. A politicised judiciary8. No direct or participative democracy9. Weak checks and balances on government decisions, especially the lack of independent feedback Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check 12 - 4th Separation of Powers - The Press

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2021 39:45

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Check 11 - 4th Separation of Powers - Statutory Duties

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2021 28:33

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Check 10 - 4th Separation of Powers - Feedback

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2021 35:48

Check 9 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Subsidiarity

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2021 30:29

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Check 8 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Deliberative Democracy

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2021 32:43

Check 7 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Elections

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2021 33:20

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Check 6 - Biosphere and People: The Commons

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2021 32:22

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Check 5 - Biosphere and People: Diversity

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2021 24:28

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Check 4 - Biosphere and People: A Constitutional Court

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2021 32:03

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Check 3 - Biosphere and People: The Rule of Law

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2021 24:32

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Check 2 - Biosphere and People: People and Constitutional Sovereignty

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2021 31:04

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Check 1 - Biosphere and People: The Biophysical World

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 21:38

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Series 2 Preflight Checklist - Introduction

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2021 21:53

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Special Episode: The Doomed Career of Dominic

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2020 28:34

Special episode on the Doomed Career of Dominic Cummings.Dominic Cummings has been seen as a controversial and divisive figure, but as with so many people at the political extremes, significant parts of his analysis can be agreed upon by disparate factions across the political spectrum.In this special episode we unpick the good and the less good from this lauded and demonised character, assess the reality he found himself confronted with and also assess where he went wrong. His intent to improve significantly the capacity of central government to produce meaningful change throughout Britain has been felt by many past radicals in and around no 10.And we have the unexpected good fortune to have a co-presenter - Ed Straw - who has been deeply involved in an attempt to achieve the same aims as Dominic Cummings - civil service reform. And who can spell out in clear terms why, regardless of his wit, intelligence and muscle, he was never going to succeed in reforming the government machine.Why does the Civil Service need reform? What might be the best way to achieve it? Why was Cummings' attempt more on less doomed from the outset? Indeed, why have all 5 attempts, over 5 decades, at civil service reform - failed? Is this a symptom of something else?Find out in this hastily assembled episode, dense with anecdote, comparison and analysis.Links:The actual control room - Chile 1973: “Cybersyn", no doubt an inspiration for James Bond films.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_CybersynStafford Beer “The Godfather of systems thinking”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_BeerSalvador Allende, Communist president of Chilehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Salvador_AllendeArticle by Ed as accompaniment to this podcasthttps://www.edstraw.com/four-lessons-of-civil-service-reform/The Economist is on side:https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/11/19/remaking-the-british-stateEd's 2004 report, adopted by Tony Blair - The Dead Generalist:https://www.demos.co.uk/files/TheDeadGeneralist.pdfPeter Hennessy, leading constitutional historianhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_HennessyThe Thick of It - Available on Netflix, or here are some "deleted scenes”:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im_KryFuPegYes Prime Minister - also on Netflix, I think - On The State of Education:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeF_o1Ss1NQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Post-Crash Analysis and Preflight Checklist

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2020 25:05

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The Sense of Powerlessness at the Heart of Leadership with Dr. Piret Toñurist

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2020 35:31

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Governance and Cyberspace

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2020 30:16

Authorising Change at Ground Level with Julian Corner

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2020 27:10

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Progress in the Field of Child Protection with Eileen Munro

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2020 17:28

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Where is the Power? With Ed Straw

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2020 41:24

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New Podcast: The Hidden Power

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 3:14

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The Hidden Power

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Latest episodes from The Hidden Power

New Podcast: The Hidden Power

Where is the Power? With Ed Straw

Progress in the Field of Child Protection with Eileen Munro

Authorising Change at Ground Level with Julian Corner

Governance and Cyberspace

The Sense of Powerlessness at the Heart of Leadership with Dr. Piret Toñurist

Post-Crash Analysis and Preflight Checklist

Series 2 Preflight Checklist - Introduction

Check 1 - Biosphere and People: The Biophysical World

Check 2 - Biosphere and People: People and Constitutional Sovereignty

Check 3 - Biosphere and People: The Rule of Law

Check 4 - Biosphere and People: A Constitutional Court

Check 5 - Biosphere and People: Diversity

Check 6 - Biosphere and People: The Commons

Check 7 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Elections

Check 8 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Deliberative Democracy

Check 9 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Subsidiarity

Check 10 - 4th Separation of Powers - Feedback

Check 11 - 4th Separation of Powers - Statutory Duties

Check 12 - 4th Separation of Powers - The Press

Check 13 - 4th Separation of Powers - Public Speech

Check 14 - 4th Separation of Powers - Institutionalised Bribery

Check 15 - Governments - The Character of Good Government

Check 16 - Governments - Purpose

Check 17 - Governments - Experiment

Check 18 - Government - Evolution

Check 19 - Governments - Systems Thinking

Check 20 - Governments - Vetting

Check 21 - Governments - Tax

Check 22 - Companies - Purpose

Check 23 - Companies - The Circularity

Check 24 - Companies - Information

Check 25 - Companies - Systems Thinking

Check 26 - Companies - The Transition

Is God the Biosphere? - 1 - Avoidance And The Addiction System

Is God the Biosphere? - 2 - The Power of Nature

Is God the Biosphere? - 3 - The Nature and Meaning of God

Is God the Biosphere? - 4 - Rituals

Is God the Biosphere? - 5 - Superstition

Is God the Biosphere? - 6 - Sense-Making

Special Episode: Democratic Yorkshire

Special Episode - Old Tory

Special Episode: Democratic Yorkshire

Is God the Biosphere? - 6 - Sense-Making

Is God the Biosphere? - 5 - Superstition

Is God the Biosphere? - 4 - Rituals

Is God the Biosphere? - 3 - The Nature and Meaning of God

Is God the Biosphere? - 2 - The Power of Nature

Is God the Biosphere? - 1 - Avoidance And The Addiction System

Check 26 - Companies - The Transition

Check 25 - Companies - Systems Thinking

Check 24 - Companies - Information

Check 23 - Companies - The Circularity

Check 22 - Companies - Purpose

Special Episode - September 2021 - Autumnal Thinking

Thought for the Summer

Check 21 - Governments - Tax

Check 20 - Governments - Vetting

Check 19 - Governments - Systems Thinking

Check 18 - Government - Evolution

Check 17 - Governments - Experiment

Check 16 - Governments - Purpose

Check 15 - Governments - The Character of Good Government

Check 14 - 4th Separation of Powers - Institutionalised Bribery

Check 13 - 4th Separation of Powers - Public Speech

Special Episode - Preferential Lobbying

Check 12 - 4th Separation of Powers - The Press

Check 11 - 4th Separation of Powers - Statutory Duties

Check 10 - 4th Separation of Powers - Feedback

Check 9 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Subsidiarity

Check 8 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Deliberative Democracy

Check 7 - Democracy and Subsidiarity: Elections

Check 6 - Biosphere and People: The Commons

Check 5 - Biosphere and People: Diversity

Check 4 - Biosphere and People: A Constitutional Court

Check 3 - Biosphere and People: The Rule of Law

Check 2 - Biosphere and People: People and Constitutional Sovereignty