Although there has been more significant developments arising from the continued analysis of expenses of Members of the House of Commons by Telegraph Newspapers I begin with The Unloved, a film shown on Channel Four on Sunday but which I delayed viewing until Friday, written by Samantha Morton and Tony Grisoni and Directed by the writer on the basis of her own experience of being in care. It is one the most important works not just about the reality of being in care for child but how children perceive the world and their difficulty to communicate what they experience, especially to strangers with whom they do not have an ongoing relationship.
An eleven year old girl is brought up by her father because her mother recognises she is unable to be a good mother or a wife. Today sentences were announced in relation to the mother of baby Peter, and the two men with whom the mother associated and where it is believed at least one was responsible for the murder/manslaughter of the child. Coinciding with the sentencing the second report on the independent Child Protection published its findings. Before commenting on what is a scandal more serious than the misuse of expenses by what appears to be the majority of Members of the House of Commons, a point was made in a news reports that basic problem was that social workers were unable to distinguish parents, and mother‘s in particular who with intense help could become effective in the child of their children and those where any child was at grave risk and should be removed at the earliest available opportunity. Again I will comment further on this real issue which requires training, supervised practice and experience, and where mistakes will still be made.
What The Unloved brilliantly portrays is that however inadequate or bad are the parents, the child continues to love them, want to be with them and blames themselves for being in care. The films communicates that the child can be in as great at risk in care as in the community with one or both parents or other relatives. There is rarely an immediate happy outcome but at least the child is alive. The film contains a series of realistic situations.
The child wants to be with her mother an expresses this to her social worker and a care review and they funk the truth, however well intentioned, and the child after making several unsuccessful attempts, calls on the mother early one morning shortly after Christmas, and pleads to stay. The mother has to go to work and gives the child money for the bus back to the children’s home. The child has had to face the reality of her situation and one feels that for better or more likely worse she will attempt to adjust to the life in care.
The precipitating incident for the placement in the residential home is a beating from her father who is played by Robert Carlyle. He is unemployed spending his time drinking and smoking and when she loses the £5 he has given her to get him cigarettes he losses his temper as she cannot explain what has happened. All children, especially children who have become or feel alone tend to withdraw within themselves, day dream, and can quickly lose their sense of time and a message or an errand and the find it difficult to communicate what has happened.
What was exceptional is that both the mother and the father are not portrayed as devils, and it is the father who tries to explain in a way which child could understand, but not necessarily accept, why she cannot live with her mother.
The social workers and the care staff at the home are also portrayed as people who care, and who try and take time to listen and to communicate but they exist in a different dimension from her experience and they operate by frameworks, procedures, forms, and the pressure of the child being one of several. One advise that she is available to contact at anytime should the need arise, but we and the child know that these are well meant words but which mean little in practice.
The other major achievement of the film is to show the reality of being an eleven year old in a home with lots of older children, many with more experience of aspects of life than adults. She is told she will share a bedroom with a stroppy sixteen year old who despite resenting having to share, attempts to befriend the child and takes her out shopping, although this ends with both in police custody as the older girl is caught stealing. The child then finds the older girl sniffing lighter fuel from a can. We are not told the back story of this girl but the cause of her behaviour becomes apparent as one of the staff members is shown to be having sexual relations with her and on a second occasion against her wishes. Other staff in the home have suspicions and eventually confront the staff member, a senior officer the outcome is left in the air.
The issues raised in the Baby Peter case are sadly not new. When I participated in a child care inquiry in 1980 drafting the majority report, we identified 100 incidents where had the professionals been more careful. communicated more with each other and shared information then the child in question may have been saved. There were two root problems in relation to the social service department, the lack of appropriate child care training, especially of child care law with its duty to put the protection of children above all else, and a well intentioned misunderstanding that while the law also required workers to do all they could prevent children entering care and remaining in care this was secondary to child life protection. Unfortunately since then we have also learnt of the horrors of children being placed in care, in foster homes and residential care homes. This is a dilemma which all social workers however diligent, well supervised, trained and experienced have to face. Out of the frying pan into the fire.
It is also the week when the decades of criminality and brutality which included rape and torture by hundred of Catholic priests nuns and monks was effectively covered up by the church hierarchy and which held to individual clergy continued to commit further crimes. It was no accident that the report was issued in the same week as the new Archbishop of Westminster was installed.
The underlying issue in all these situations is that once a problem has been identified instead of being honest and transparent about the situation, researching the causes and being open minded about the solutions, being prepared to try out various options, being prepared to constantly review and change again until we get it right or it rights itself, we divide behind positions and policies, beliefs and tribal loyalties which are frequently themselves creations in oder to achieve power, position, and personal wealth. However just as social worker should treat what parents with caution anything said by parents and others when there is evidence of inadequacy, neglect and harm, so to we now need to be cautions about what any of the existing Party Political Leaders have to say unless they can demonstrate that they have taken action to expel the worst offenders in their parties. It will be evident to the Party Leaders that not to require less offenders to stand down could result in them losing what may have been regarded as a safe seat. The tricks several are getting up to now only reinforces the revulsion of the general public.
In the past I used to think that my views were out of kilter with the majority, but reflecting thinking opinion. Because of my personal experience and having worked at all levels in local government with the consequential contact with local and some national politicians and national civil servants, I have remained confident of having a specialist and accurate understanding and knowledge in general and a detailed knowledge and understanding of aspects. Now I find that my reactions are the reactions of the majority to the present political crisis and likely outcome.
I understand the decision was taken by the BBC not only to concentrate Question Time on Thursday night on the expenses issue and its ramifications, but to bring forward as from 10.40 pm to 9 pm, the traditional time for BBC news, and the slight boozy late night political chat show, This week, was moved from 11.40 to 10.40, to follow the news at 10. I do not know how many stayed watching for two hours and forty minutes all three programmes about politics but I would not be surprised if the number who did has risen exponentially over those who did so previously.
My understanding has been that the standard format is to have politicians from the main three political parties, one neutral and one maverick and that the audience, whether selected or self selected tended to be divided on a similar basis between supporters of the three main political parties and a few others. If this was so last week and again last night then talk of revolution has been accurate. Long standing politicians used to being listened and respected are not being heckled and stood up to with their usual arguments shredded. Poor Ben Bradshaw who has spent his time arguing and voting within the system for change found himself in the same position as the others, William Hague and Vince Cable. All three are honourable men with fine records against whom no allegations of wrongdoing have been levelled, but in an Election called to morrow and taking place within a month even their respective political futures must be in question. I do not believe anyone knows what the outcome would be and this is why the European elections and County Council elections will be the first test.
That the BBC and Andrew Neill, the majority of politicians, together with the specialist commentators have at last got it, British representative Government as it has developed since World War 2 has committed suicide. Gordon Brown, presumably, and the Speaker of the House of Commons and their political and legal advisers were right to have attempted to exempt Members of Parliament and their expense claims from the Freedom of Information Act. If they had been successful, their Gentleman’s Club way of doing things would still be in being today.
Gentleman’s Club politics has ended. It has to be remembered comprises the extremes of Victorian hypocrisy with going to Holy Communion, and Mass Evensong on Sundays, having visited the Mistress or a common tart earlier in the week, gambled more than one could afford to lose at Aspinall’s or such like, a good lunch with business or other useful people at their expense, enjoyed a knock about at Question Time, quaffed a few pints or gin and tonics in one of Members Bars before going back to the Club for a meal, or out to one’s favourite posh nosh haunt, or staying in the House until the final vote of the day and back to the London home for marital’s, a smoke and drink Monday to Wednesday nights, a visit to the constituency over the weekend to see a few constituents screened by whoever deals with their correspondence back home or at Westminster and keep in touch with the leading local politicians and other contacts, although this can mostly be accomplished by phone and email, unless a major issue has blown up, perhaps once or twice a year, and the rest of the time could be devoted to making money and to play. Being a government Minister was only different in that your life was more organised for you and you had to employ or be able to use good fixers to enable continuation of your previous personal interests. Admittedly there were the odd ones, not many, whose who took their role so seriously, that they live the life which they argued for in their speeches and public appearances. They were used by the rest as their consciences.
Having lost the decision to stop publication of the details of expense claims, the reserve position was to follow the usual practice of arranging for bad news to appear when Parliament was not sitting and the political commentators were also on holiday and to try and find ways to edit the information so that the issues which have caused so much public outrage could be released in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of what has happened, happening.
Then there was the Leadership of the Daily Telegraph and the attempt to silence them and does anyone think the Speaker initiated the police prosecution without Government knowledge? However what has shaken the political establishment most has been the reaction of the public at Question Time. It is evident from the programmes last and this week that there has been a seismic shift in the attitude of the public and this in turn has changed the approach of political interviewers and commentators.
There was something sickening as the Prime Minister tried to seek some political advantage after being forced to do an about turn on the issue of the Ghurkhas’ and their families having the right to come to live in the UK if they wished after completing a term of service fighting on behalf of the people. There are also continuing questions about his inconsistency towards Ministers charged with inappropriate behaviour while in public office by the Telegraph in relation to their expenses claiming. The Telegraph also highlighted that the way some members are publishing their expense claims excludes information to prevent discovery of their property dealings. Some Members are now resorting to tricks to salvage their careers and reputations. One Labour Member admitted he did not want to stand down but would do so if his constituency continued to support him. In this respect the Government has ruled that it will be for the Party’s Star Chamber to decided. The latest ploy came from a Conservative who pleased that the witch hunt would lead to some Members Committing suicide. The public reaction was swift. Good. The Political reaction was also strong. David Cameron said it was rubbish while favourite to be an interim speaker Anne Widdecombe reminded that she had been a Samaritan Counsellor and offered Christian help while making is plain she regarded the behaviour as criminal or dishonourable or both. Two thirds of the population want an early General Election. Gordon is rapidly is the position of alienating more people than this whatever does and his Party faces meltdown.
I watched the two episode four hour mini series of Hornblower in a version of the Caine Mutiny. There were parallels with the current political crisis. The Captain in question had a brilliant record but began to show inconsistency, ruthlessness and poor judgement when under pressure. Hornblower and colleagues did their best to support but were rebuffed as his paranoia increased. Other joined in to stir the pot to suit their palettes, Justice was found in the end but the older order was determined, successfully, to it their way regardless of the evidence presented.
I also caught up with Inspector Gently which featured the Arab history of South Shields, the contribution of the seamen in World War 2 and the infamous Shoreline Club which used to occupy a place on the sea front beach side, as well as Frenchman’s Cove which is between the town centre beach and the Marsden Grotto. The story of racism was very well constructed
An eleven year old girl is brought up by her father because her mother recognises she is unable to be a good mother or a wife. Today sentences were announced in relation to the mother of baby Peter, and the two men with whom the mother associated and where it is believed at least one was responsible for the murder/manslaughter of the child. Coinciding with the sentencing the second report on the independent Child Protection published its findings. Before commenting on what is a scandal more serious than the misuse of expenses by what appears to be the majority of Members of the House of Commons, a point was made in a news reports that basic problem was that social workers were unable to distinguish parents, and mother‘s in particular who with intense help could become effective in the child of their children and those where any child was at grave risk and should be removed at the earliest available opportunity. Again I will comment further on this real issue which requires training, supervised practice and experience, and where mistakes will still be made.
What The Unloved brilliantly portrays is that however inadequate or bad are the parents, the child continues to love them, want to be with them and blames themselves for being in care. The films communicates that the child can be in as great at risk in care as in the community with one or both parents or other relatives. There is rarely an immediate happy outcome but at least the child is alive. The film contains a series of realistic situations.
The child wants to be with her mother an expresses this to her social worker and a care review and they funk the truth, however well intentioned, and the child after making several unsuccessful attempts, calls on the mother early one morning shortly after Christmas, and pleads to stay. The mother has to go to work and gives the child money for the bus back to the children’s home. The child has had to face the reality of her situation and one feels that for better or more likely worse she will attempt to adjust to the life in care.
The precipitating incident for the placement in the residential home is a beating from her father who is played by Robert Carlyle. He is unemployed spending his time drinking and smoking and when she loses the £5 he has given her to get him cigarettes he losses his temper as she cannot explain what has happened. All children, especially children who have become or feel alone tend to withdraw within themselves, day dream, and can quickly lose their sense of time and a message or an errand and the find it difficult to communicate what has happened.
What was exceptional is that both the mother and the father are not portrayed as devils, and it is the father who tries to explain in a way which child could understand, but not necessarily accept, why she cannot live with her mother.
The social workers and the care staff at the home are also portrayed as people who care, and who try and take time to listen and to communicate but they exist in a different dimension from her experience and they operate by frameworks, procedures, forms, and the pressure of the child being one of several. One advise that she is available to contact at anytime should the need arise, but we and the child know that these are well meant words but which mean little in practice.
The other major achievement of the film is to show the reality of being an eleven year old in a home with lots of older children, many with more experience of aspects of life than adults. She is told she will share a bedroom with a stroppy sixteen year old who despite resenting having to share, attempts to befriend the child and takes her out shopping, although this ends with both in police custody as the older girl is caught stealing. The child then finds the older girl sniffing lighter fuel from a can. We are not told the back story of this girl but the cause of her behaviour becomes apparent as one of the staff members is shown to be having sexual relations with her and on a second occasion against her wishes. Other staff in the home have suspicions and eventually confront the staff member, a senior officer the outcome is left in the air.
The issues raised in the Baby Peter case are sadly not new. When I participated in a child care inquiry in 1980 drafting the majority report, we identified 100 incidents where had the professionals been more careful. communicated more with each other and shared information then the child in question may have been saved. There were two root problems in relation to the social service department, the lack of appropriate child care training, especially of child care law with its duty to put the protection of children above all else, and a well intentioned misunderstanding that while the law also required workers to do all they could prevent children entering care and remaining in care this was secondary to child life protection. Unfortunately since then we have also learnt of the horrors of children being placed in care, in foster homes and residential care homes. This is a dilemma which all social workers however diligent, well supervised, trained and experienced have to face. Out of the frying pan into the fire.
It is also the week when the decades of criminality and brutality which included rape and torture by hundred of Catholic priests nuns and monks was effectively covered up by the church hierarchy and which held to individual clergy continued to commit further crimes. It was no accident that the report was issued in the same week as the new Archbishop of Westminster was installed.
The underlying issue in all these situations is that once a problem has been identified instead of being honest and transparent about the situation, researching the causes and being open minded about the solutions, being prepared to try out various options, being prepared to constantly review and change again until we get it right or it rights itself, we divide behind positions and policies, beliefs and tribal loyalties which are frequently themselves creations in oder to achieve power, position, and personal wealth. However just as social worker should treat what parents with caution anything said by parents and others when there is evidence of inadequacy, neglect and harm, so to we now need to be cautions about what any of the existing Party Political Leaders have to say unless they can demonstrate that they have taken action to expel the worst offenders in their parties. It will be evident to the Party Leaders that not to require less offenders to stand down could result in them losing what may have been regarded as a safe seat. The tricks several are getting up to now only reinforces the revulsion of the general public.
In the past I used to think that my views were out of kilter with the majority, but reflecting thinking opinion. Because of my personal experience and having worked at all levels in local government with the consequential contact with local and some national politicians and national civil servants, I have remained confident of having a specialist and accurate understanding and knowledge in general and a detailed knowledge and understanding of aspects. Now I find that my reactions are the reactions of the majority to the present political crisis and likely outcome.
I understand the decision was taken by the BBC not only to concentrate Question Time on Thursday night on the expenses issue and its ramifications, but to bring forward as from 10.40 pm to 9 pm, the traditional time for BBC news, and the slight boozy late night political chat show, This week, was moved from 11.40 to 10.40, to follow the news at 10. I do not know how many stayed watching for two hours and forty minutes all three programmes about politics but I would not be surprised if the number who did has risen exponentially over those who did so previously.
My understanding has been that the standard format is to have politicians from the main three political parties, one neutral and one maverick and that the audience, whether selected or self selected tended to be divided on a similar basis between supporters of the three main political parties and a few others. If this was so last week and again last night then talk of revolution has been accurate. Long standing politicians used to being listened and respected are not being heckled and stood up to with their usual arguments shredded. Poor Ben Bradshaw who has spent his time arguing and voting within the system for change found himself in the same position as the others, William Hague and Vince Cable. All three are honourable men with fine records against whom no allegations of wrongdoing have been levelled, but in an Election called to morrow and taking place within a month even their respective political futures must be in question. I do not believe anyone knows what the outcome would be and this is why the European elections and County Council elections will be the first test.
That the BBC and Andrew Neill, the majority of politicians, together with the specialist commentators have at last got it, British representative Government as it has developed since World War 2 has committed suicide. Gordon Brown, presumably, and the Speaker of the House of Commons and their political and legal advisers were right to have attempted to exempt Members of Parliament and their expense claims from the Freedom of Information Act. If they had been successful, their Gentleman’s Club way of doing things would still be in being today.
Gentleman’s Club politics has ended. It has to be remembered comprises the extremes of Victorian hypocrisy with going to Holy Communion, and Mass Evensong on Sundays, having visited the Mistress or a common tart earlier in the week, gambled more than one could afford to lose at Aspinall’s or such like, a good lunch with business or other useful people at their expense, enjoyed a knock about at Question Time, quaffed a few pints or gin and tonics in one of Members Bars before going back to the Club for a meal, or out to one’s favourite posh nosh haunt, or staying in the House until the final vote of the day and back to the London home for marital’s, a smoke and drink Monday to Wednesday nights, a visit to the constituency over the weekend to see a few constituents screened by whoever deals with their correspondence back home or at Westminster and keep in touch with the leading local politicians and other contacts, although this can mostly be accomplished by phone and email, unless a major issue has blown up, perhaps once or twice a year, and the rest of the time could be devoted to making money and to play. Being a government Minister was only different in that your life was more organised for you and you had to employ or be able to use good fixers to enable continuation of your previous personal interests. Admittedly there were the odd ones, not many, whose who took their role so seriously, that they live the life which they argued for in their speeches and public appearances. They were used by the rest as their consciences.
Having lost the decision to stop publication of the details of expense claims, the reserve position was to follow the usual practice of arranging for bad news to appear when Parliament was not sitting and the political commentators were also on holiday and to try and find ways to edit the information so that the issues which have caused so much public outrage could be released in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of what has happened, happening.
Then there was the Leadership of the Daily Telegraph and the attempt to silence them and does anyone think the Speaker initiated the police prosecution without Government knowledge? However what has shaken the political establishment most has been the reaction of the public at Question Time. It is evident from the programmes last and this week that there has been a seismic shift in the attitude of the public and this in turn has changed the approach of political interviewers and commentators.
There was something sickening as the Prime Minister tried to seek some political advantage after being forced to do an about turn on the issue of the Ghurkhas’ and their families having the right to come to live in the UK if they wished after completing a term of service fighting on behalf of the people. There are also continuing questions about his inconsistency towards Ministers charged with inappropriate behaviour while in public office by the Telegraph in relation to their expenses claiming. The Telegraph also highlighted that the way some members are publishing their expense claims excludes information to prevent discovery of their property dealings. Some Members are now resorting to tricks to salvage their careers and reputations. One Labour Member admitted he did not want to stand down but would do so if his constituency continued to support him. In this respect the Government has ruled that it will be for the Party’s Star Chamber to decided. The latest ploy came from a Conservative who pleased that the witch hunt would lead to some Members Committing suicide. The public reaction was swift. Good. The Political reaction was also strong. David Cameron said it was rubbish while favourite to be an interim speaker Anne Widdecombe reminded that she had been a Samaritan Counsellor and offered Christian help while making is plain she regarded the behaviour as criminal or dishonourable or both. Two thirds of the population want an early General Election. Gordon is rapidly is the position of alienating more people than this whatever does and his Party faces meltdown.
I watched the two episode four hour mini series of Hornblower in a version of the Caine Mutiny. There were parallels with the current political crisis. The Captain in question had a brilliant record but began to show inconsistency, ruthlessness and poor judgement when under pressure. Hornblower and colleagues did their best to support but were rebuffed as his paranoia increased. Other joined in to stir the pot to suit their palettes, Justice was found in the end but the older order was determined, successfully, to it their way regardless of the evidence presented.
I also caught up with Inspector Gently which featured the Arab history of South Shields, the contribution of the seamen in World War 2 and the infamous Shoreline Club which used to occupy a place on the sea front beach side, as well as Frenchman’s Cove which is between the town centre beach and the Marsden Grotto. The story of racism was very well constructed
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