The Civil Service Response to Innovative Proposals and Collaborative Problem Solving

The civil service sees the role of correspondence as being to allow them to gauge the degree of public support for, or opposition to, policy proposals. During consultations they are likely to classify responses according to which of various options they support. Outside consultations they believe that their role in answering letters is to explainContinue reading “The Civil Service Response to Innovative Proposals and Collaborative Problem Solving”

Covid’s challenge to the ways in which we educate our young people

Lockdown closed our schools. One of the consequences was that it highlighted the gulf between those who thrive using on-line resources and home-schooling: who have the discipline and support to continue with their academic studies, and those for whom a practical, hands on and vocational approach works best. It is time to look again atContinue reading “Covid’s challenge to the ways in which we educate our young people”

The development and attainment gap for children

The pandemic has highlighted the development gap for many children. During lockdown we saw that in some homes, children have no access to any creative play and there is a focus on screen-based entertainment even at a very young age. There is often a lack of understanding of the needs of children at a youngContinue reading “The development and attainment gap for children”

Re-learning how to learn for the 21st Century

Remote methods have created opportunities to provide top quality learning to students and people in the workplace and to ensure businesses receive the skilled people they need. Traditional ‘class room’ based higher education is currently un-deliverable so we need a radical change to the University System in the UK. It is my belief that updatingContinue reading “Re-learning how to learn for the 21st Century”

Start up Nation. Net job creation through the challenges of an endemic poverty in education

Challenge: Our young are ill prepared for the job market, the volume and nature of available job opportunities has changed with accelerating speed. A damaged supply chain within a perfect storm. The UK is at the precipice of an endemic crisis in education poverty. While the pandemic has magnified social and economic fault lines acrossContinue reading “Start up Nation. Net job creation through the challenges of an endemic poverty in education”

Healthcare professionals are left alone and unsupported

Despite many years of education and training, most healthcare professionals were unprepared for this pandemic. When we think of doctors and nurses, we assume that they are used to dealing with illness and death on a daily basis. We are right in a way; they are indeed experiencing the fine line between life and deathContinue reading “Healthcare professionals are left alone and unsupported”

Creating NHS Emergency Reserves

The primary reason for the economic and social restrictions that we have all faced during this pandemic has been to protect the NHS and prevent it being overwhelmed. The consequences of that happening for any government are very damaging, as are the effects of the lockdowns on individuals. It is widely known that in ‚’normal‚’Continue reading “Creating NHS Emergency Reserves”

Remote working and the opportunities for labour

There are criticisms of labour as being in a less powerful position than capital in relations of factors of production, for instance, the ease of capital movement vs. restrictions placed on labour often based on racial and cultural biases. Remote working, aided by technology, to curb the spread of COVID-19 offers an opportunity to workContinue reading “Remote working and the opportunities for labour”

The lack of potential for retail and hospitality to drive the post-Covid jobs recovery

The low-paid and younger people have felt the biggest economic impacts of Covid-19 as they are more likely to work in the most affected sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality. The Resolution Foundation found that hospitality and non-food retail drove the jobs-led recovery from the previous recession as during 2010 and 2011, hospitality andContinue reading “The lack of potential for retail and hospitality to drive the post-Covid jobs recovery”

Democracy fell victim to the virus – elections should be modernised through online voting

Our democracy fell victim to the virus as elections for councillors, mayors and Police and Crime Commissioners were cancelled. Rescheduled and devolved elections in May 2021 face administrative challenges given continued restrictions and low uptake of postal voting. Those eventually elected will serve a shortened three-year term. The pandemic revealed how outdated our elections haveContinue reading “Democracy fell victim to the virus – elections should be modernised through online voting”