NUMBER ONE ; JUDGE CHRISTOPHER HODSON
`I quote the words of a Lord Justice of Appeal when he says ; "Environmental crime , if established, strikes not only at a locality and it`s population but in some measure to the planet and it`s future." Nobody should be allowed to doubt it`s seriousness.`
Judge Christopher Hodson quoted Lord Justice Sedley when sentencing a man to 30 months imprisonment for taking the eggs of peregrine falcons, a protected species, from the wild and attempting to smuggle them out of the country.
The case was widely reported in the UK press, this quote came from the free paper, Metro, dated Friday August 2010.
I would hope that most people would agree with the views of the two judges. If this sort of thing interests you, you may like to read my article Poisons and Pesticides Provoke Perturbation (1 Sept 2010), online at Angel Pavement.
Friday, 24 September 2010
Tuesday, 14 September 2010
Sustainable Steve Wages War on Whitehall
Reading Steve Shaw`s article `Radical Bottom Up Democracy` in The Citizen this month I began to wonder if I`d unknowingly passed through a time-warp.
Steve`s article, commendable in it`s intentions, aimed to promote the Sustainable Communities Act of 2008. In that respect, I have no problem with it whatsoever.
What`s striking is his description of the obstacles he claims the Act has encountered. "Senior Whitehall civil servants" have tried to "block the Act" and are in fact "doing all they can to destroy the democratic core of the Act". "Sir Humphrey" (a reference to a character in a 1980s TV series) "is still at large."
Reading the relevant passages, I felt as if I was reading a tract from either the Thatcherite right of the `80s or something from some 1970s ultra-left grouping, an impression furthered by the dated TV reference. Don`t be so shrill, Steve, people will stare !
I haven`t given up my time just to poke fun at someone who I`m sure is doing good and valuable work, I do have some serious points to make.
Firstly, I have some experience of civil service work in days gone by, including a short spell in the HQ of a nationally known government agency. That particular job was one I hated, but it did have it`s educational side ! One thing I can state with some certainty is that, whatever may have happened in the past, these days if Civil Servants are deliberately obstructive or drag their heels, frankly it`s because politicians, probably those at a very high level, have either told them to do so or have indicated that they`ll turn a blind eye.
The other point is that the Sir Humphrey character was a portrayal of a particular type of Whitehall culture which might have existed at one time, but didn`t survive the Thatcher years. Mrs T, as you may know, cut the power of `Whitehall mandarins` by turning large parts of the old Departments into semi-autonomous Agencies run by Chief Executives brought in from the private sector on short term contracts. A number of the newly-formed Agencies were in fact moved out of London, and both the Conservatives and Labour have subsequently preferred the advice of businessmen and political appointees to that of career Civil Servants.
The resultant outcry against the `democratic deficit` thus created was in fact a great boost to Charter 88, one of the `ancestors` of Unlock Democracy, the very organisation Steve represents, so it`s odd if he is unaware of this.
My guess is that Steve has genuine concerns that the Act is being obstructed but is reluctant to antagonise the very politicians he needs to ensure that it is properly implemented. In an odd way I can see how that would be a dilemna, but I have to say one should be wary of half-truths as a vehicle for advancing a cause. By their very nature, Unlock Democracy supporters tend to be well-informed people with a social conscience who have a rooted objection to the Westminster culture of the three main parties. I`m not sure they`re interested in reliving the battles of the past.
Having said all this, it`s only right to stress that Unlock Democracy is an excellent organisation, that the Local Works project (a coalition of over 120 organisations ranging from Trade Unions to small business organisations, environmental groups and others all wishing - quite rightly - to see the Sustainable Communities Act, which came into force in 2008, properly implemented) is extremely worthwhile and that the hard work and commitment of Steve Shaw and his team is beyond question. I hope anyone reading this will be tempted to visit their sites at http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/ and http://www.localworks.org/ and see what it`s all about.
Lastly, The Citizen is a good read and obviously provocative or you wouldn`t be reading this article in the first place !
Steve`s article, commendable in it`s intentions, aimed to promote the Sustainable Communities Act of 2008. In that respect, I have no problem with it whatsoever.
What`s striking is his description of the obstacles he claims the Act has encountered. "Senior Whitehall civil servants" have tried to "block the Act" and are in fact "doing all they can to destroy the democratic core of the Act". "Sir Humphrey" (a reference to a character in a 1980s TV series) "is still at large."
Reading the relevant passages, I felt as if I was reading a tract from either the Thatcherite right of the `80s or something from some 1970s ultra-left grouping, an impression furthered by the dated TV reference. Don`t be so shrill, Steve, people will stare !
I haven`t given up my time just to poke fun at someone who I`m sure is doing good and valuable work, I do have some serious points to make.
Firstly, I have some experience of civil service work in days gone by, including a short spell in the HQ of a nationally known government agency. That particular job was one I hated, but it did have it`s educational side ! One thing I can state with some certainty is that, whatever may have happened in the past, these days if Civil Servants are deliberately obstructive or drag their heels, frankly it`s because politicians, probably those at a very high level, have either told them to do so or have indicated that they`ll turn a blind eye.
The other point is that the Sir Humphrey character was a portrayal of a particular type of Whitehall culture which might have existed at one time, but didn`t survive the Thatcher years. Mrs T, as you may know, cut the power of `Whitehall mandarins` by turning large parts of the old Departments into semi-autonomous Agencies run by Chief Executives brought in from the private sector on short term contracts. A number of the newly-formed Agencies were in fact moved out of London, and both the Conservatives and Labour have subsequently preferred the advice of businessmen and political appointees to that of career Civil Servants.
The resultant outcry against the `democratic deficit` thus created was in fact a great boost to Charter 88, one of the `ancestors` of Unlock Democracy, the very organisation Steve represents, so it`s odd if he is unaware of this.
My guess is that Steve has genuine concerns that the Act is being obstructed but is reluctant to antagonise the very politicians he needs to ensure that it is properly implemented. In an odd way I can see how that would be a dilemna, but I have to say one should be wary of half-truths as a vehicle for advancing a cause. By their very nature, Unlock Democracy supporters tend to be well-informed people with a social conscience who have a rooted objection to the Westminster culture of the three main parties. I`m not sure they`re interested in reliving the battles of the past.
Having said all this, it`s only right to stress that Unlock Democracy is an excellent organisation, that the Local Works project (a coalition of over 120 organisations ranging from Trade Unions to small business organisations, environmental groups and others all wishing - quite rightly - to see the Sustainable Communities Act, which came into force in 2008, properly implemented) is extremely worthwhile and that the hard work and commitment of Steve Shaw and his team is beyond question. I hope anyone reading this will be tempted to visit their sites at http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/ and http://www.localworks.org/ and see what it`s all about.
Lastly, The Citizen is a good read and obviously provocative or you wouldn`t be reading this article in the first place !
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