tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post945360599041448112..comments2024-03-28T23:10:52.046+00:00Comments on On Probation Blog: Guest Blog 13Jim Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-35763706618759418192014-12-09T09:38:25.409+00:002014-12-09T09:38:25.409+00:00A very interesting piece Papa and I'm only sor...A very interesting piece Papa and I'm only sorry it didn't get more attention due to the news coming in about Napo abandoning the legal challenge to JR.<br /><br />The only thing I would like to throw into the mix is something I picked up from my many years as a Samaritan volunteer and I think would be a valuable innovation to any organisation, but especially probation.<br /><br />In the Samaritans it is an absolute rule that however high up the greasy pole of management one climbs, every single person must undertake regular weekly duties on the telephone and importantly be supervised by the Team Leader responsible for that shift. Hence, as a lowly Branch Team Leader, I regularly used to supervise the National Chairman.<br /><br />In terms of egalitarianism, delegation, flat heirarchies, shared responsibility etc etc, my experiences in the Sams taught me a lot and made me laugh out loud when years later the Chief instructed all managers to undertake a number of PSR's - the howls of complaint were truly enlightening.... Jim Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00258147767051200157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-38829861873001711102014-12-08T21:42:34.236+00:002014-12-08T21:42:34.236+00:00Great stuff Papa - you seem to have missed out tra...Great stuff Papa - you seem to have missed out training - there is a significant difference in the understanding and skills of a trained well supervised & experienced social worker/probation officer and one who is merely experienced and does not have access to academic information and understanding.<br /><br />However, now is not the time to pursue this though the fact that it is offered now maybe providential as we need to consider that just because something has operated in one way it should be the same for ever more.<br /><br />Nothing would justify splitting probation at the local level and so the model designed by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives in Government means Probation as now organ9ised will remain more dangerous than necessary however it is funded.<br /><br />I see from a headline George Monbiot has offered a piece about alternative methods of a state operating, but I have yet to read it.<br /><br />http://www.monbiot.com/2014/12/08/there-is-an-alternative/<br /><br />I shall save that until another time as I need to reflect on whether there is anything I can do that might be effective to prevent or delay the signing if those CRC contracts as I hope EVERY Napo, Unison and GMB member is doing. <br /><br />I doubt there is enough time to call an extraordinary General Meeting of Napo but the Officers Group and NEC members and especially the Communications committee need to find a way of quickly gathering all views and distilling them to discover what might yet be feasible. Now is not the time to surrender probation CRC work to the privateers making reunification more difficult than if it remains in the public sector.Andrew_S_Hattonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09115192522317353139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-52535451464070693592014-12-08T21:36:53.796+00:002014-12-08T21:36:53.796+00:00Perhaps having power in the sense that many take i...Perhaps having power in the sense that many take it only corrupts those already inherently corrupted. The perspective is that of those who built towers of bricks as children their interest being to knock it down. There is a difference between these and true leaders,those whom others respect and feel safe to take their guidance, for whom people will stand and shoulder the responsibility together ,each in their own way and to the best of their ability. There are people and companies who have removed the notions of Chief, Senior , top down, drilling down etc etc. true leaders have no need for such nonsense. Weak insecure people seek the predominant power, commonly they are also the bullies.and those who relish being able to punish others..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-44218121377595495742014-12-08T15:07:38.543+00:002014-12-08T15:07:38.543+00:00Despite holding out little hope that JR would full...Despite holding out little hope that JR would fully succeed it at least showed a fight to the end! This feels like a sell out! Like making a deal with the devil! I just feel like crying in fact a colleague was so upset at the news she just walked out. Once again thanks for nothing NAPO.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-81035079259937341152014-12-08T14:52:41.540+00:002014-12-08T14:52:41.540+00:00Bit like the Sale of Goods Act – the JR has improv...Bit like the Sale of Goods Act – the JR has improved the merchantable quality of the goods for sale – but the sale goes ahead. It's a victory for Grayling.Netnippernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-57198417688971997142014-12-08T14:38:21.487+00:002014-12-08T14:38:21.487+00:00http://www.ParliamentToday.com/free/viewnews.html?...http://www.ParliamentToday.com/free/viewnews.html?id=79633Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-43117681773947706152014-12-08T14:26:10.571+00:002014-12-08T14:26:10.571+00:00I'm not sure I completely understand but I don...I'm not sure I completely understand but I don't think the Judicial Review is going ahead this week according to the latest Napo mailout. Napo seem to have settled and Grayling has agreed to make safety changes. Am I right? Is it all over and have we no chance of stopping the privatisation?Joanna Hughesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-51178055878299783412014-12-08T14:23:21.978+00:002014-12-08T14:23:21.978+00:00Of course you are right about the inequalities of ...Of course you are right about the inequalities of opportunity and the vested powers. A working model based on cooperative principles would require massive economic and cultural shifts. It is idealistic, but then everything begins with an idea. Neoliberalism started out as a postwar reaction to fascism and communism and other forms of tyranny. It, too, was concerned with counteracting concentrations and abuses of power. But shrink the state too much and you end up with a failing state. In the UK, one of the wealthiest countries, it is accepted across the political spectrum that hunger, once again, stalks the land. <br /><br />I don't like overarching ideologies whose adherents believe what they are promoting is for the public good. There is a need for a counterweight to free enterprise and competition and a need for more recognition of what cooperative-based models can offer, in terms of job satisfaction and other rewards. It can work in some settings within limits. <br /><br />Rotating roles and responsibilities as a means of countering the emergence of power elites is a high ambition. It would depend upon widespread rational adherence to cooperation. But isn't life an interplay between competitive and cooperative forces. These forces work harmoniously in the moral-free animal kingdom, but it's all fairly dysfunctional in the human realm, whose inhabitants are collectively imperiling the planet through their destructive behaviour.<br /><br />We may not like hierarchies but they have been around a long time and arguably are an inherent feature of the human condition. Any cooperative has to deal with individual differences of talent and motivation. There are limits to interchangeability of roles. How far could you stretch the rotation principle? To a football team? Would you want the groundsman swapping roles with Messi while he mowed the grass. 'To each according to his talent to each according to his need' – but how to achieve this in a manner that is fair and equitable. <br /><br />In a democratic system you can flatten elites and hierarchies to a degree and through checks and balances you can dilute and diffuse power and weaken vested interests. It's been said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others – and you could say the same about capitalism in respect of economics. In terms of economic inequalities we are going backwards. It would be good to see more mutuals and cooperatives and a sharing of profits. It would be good to see people in jobs that paid a living wage rather than rely on state subsidies. The free market, ironically, depends on the state for its survival. <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />Netnippernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-21307756302148606672014-12-08T13:46:19.787+00:002014-12-08T13:46:19.787+00:00http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/...http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/supportservices/article4289071.ece can anyone accessthisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-71777473093932152402014-12-08T13:30:24.097+00:002014-12-08T13:30:24.097+00:00Mark Haddon's piece in The Guardian today on t...Mark Haddon's piece in The Guardian today on the book ban is very good, especially about the failure of this government to think - at all, seemingly - about the impact of their policies.<br /><br />Health warning - this article includes a close-up picture of Grayling looking thoughtful...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-73148576687403835452014-12-08T12:43:43.179+00:002014-12-08T12:43:43.179+00:00Thank you for your blog, Papa. Someone I know had ...Thank you for your blog, Papa. Someone I know had the same experience as you in the teaching profession, without managerial interference, and it was a complete success and everyone was much happier and worked better.<br /><br />I used to be in the Socialist Party, but ironically, it was the most intolerant organisation I have ever joined. Once I wrote a letter to the Guardian, with one line in it saying how Labour were constrained by corporations, and was accused of being an apologist for Labour! They also said that, after the revolution, there would be no need for a police force or prisons. I'm not sure about that - I think we would need a prison for all the cabinet.<br /><br />However, I agree with everything you say and power needs to be rotated, and we should start with the Probation Service. We need to deal with the huge corporations first though, before this would ever happen and, as you say, reform the unions. I have often wondered what would happen if I had power and now I know - I'd turn into a lying ruthless bastard! Thanks for warning me.Joanna Hughesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-80629360755623089732014-12-08T12:39:06.894+00:002014-12-08T12:39:06.894+00:00Su this can be scaled up, in Mondragon they make c...Su this can be scaled up, in Mondragon they make cars and other technical stuff.<br /><br />My ideas come from IOPS the "International Organisation for a Participatory Society". They can be used when some say" there is no alternative to capitalism" and we might need them sooner than many think.<br /><br />papaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-48862285927277166292014-12-08T11:20:40.061+00:002014-12-08T11:20:40.061+00:00Interesting, but there's a problem straight aw...Interesting, but there's a problem straight away. How do you get the power off of the stupid and the corrupt in the first place? These people and their political pisspots are getting worse as time goes on. how DO we de-power them??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-19063445084967337232014-12-08T09:17:14.234+00:002014-12-08T09:17:14.234+00:00This chimes for me with a programme broadcast last...This chimes for me with a programme broadcast last week <br />http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04svjbj<br />Teaching Economics After the Crash<br />and this short and very readable piece "Mainstream Misconceptions", by Dr Terry Peach<br />http://www.post-crasheconomics.com/mainstream-misconceptions-by-dr-terry-peach/<br />My first reaction (speaking as a recently departed corrupt and filthy manager type) was to dismiss this piece as idealistic and impractical, and I do have doubts about the practicality of running large organisations in a cooperative manner, although I think it is powerful in small scale. Where do tasks demanding different skills (eg IT) fit? But more importantly, there is an urgent need to explore alternatives to the way we run the economy, government and society. Thank you for this contribution! The endless assertion that There Is No Alternative, smacks to me of repeating the same behavior and expecting different resultsSu McConnelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578343158425987632.post-70930393533873302822014-12-08T07:51:01.866+00:002014-12-08T07:51:01.866+00:00Papa you have some interesting ideas, though I dou...Papa you have some interesting ideas, though I doubt that the proportion of any group of people who would make good or excellent brain surgeons is as high as 80%, all thoughts of class aside!<br /><br />I would love to see these ideas in practice in probation work - I know a couple of people who are part of a worker's collective in the city where I work, delivering training and mediation services, and it sounds like an excellent model. I wonder what would have happened if a genuinely mutual organisation like you describe (and not just a bunch of senior managers like we have now) had been able to bid for CRCs. Sadly this Government's commitment to so-called mutuals isn't even paper-thin - it's about getting things off the state's balance sheet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com