Demos

What if they actually believe it?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:48:37 -0100

George Osborne has now claimed "fairness" as a core Tory value, the latest of a series of raids deep into Labour territory ( from Bookmarks )
What if they actually believe it?

How intrapeneurs can change the world

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:25:49 -0100

Think-tank Demos recently published a set of essays called ‘The Future Face of Enterprise’, about what the UK needs to do to raise its game. One contribution came from Microsoft UK boss Gordon Frazer, who argued that ‘intrapreneurs’ (entrepreneurial types working within big companies) were essential if businesses are ‘to deliver greater levels of meaningful innovation’. Working in a big company might seem the antithesis of most entrepreneurs’ ambitions – but he reckons it’s the easiest and quickest way to make a big splash… ( from Bookmarks )
How intrapeneurs can change the world

Protecting the Lord Protector

samuel[dot]jones@demos[dot]co[dot]uk ( Sam Jones ) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:59:04 -0100

We're currently doing some work on heritage conservation and the importance of caring for the material world.

Two of the core themes will be the symbolic importance of conservation, and the opportunities for engaging people in caring for different heritage and cultural forms and the implications that has for identity.

With this in mind, it is interesting to see the work currently being done to clean and restore the statue of Oliver Cromwell on Cromwell Green in front of the Houses of Parliament. The work is scheduled to finish in time for the 350th anniversary of his death and so conservation is an important part of creating a sense of moment that will contribute to the celebrations of an important figure in British History.

Another interesting aspect of the work is that the restoration is being documented on Flickr. So, the process of conservation is charted in a way that has the potential to reach new audiences, as well as those who pass the statue en route to an office in Whitehall and might not even notice the work underway.

That's an interesting combination of new technologies being used in heritage work, and I think it shows the potential of things like social networking not only in engaging people in heritage, but also bringing new opinion to bear on it that will be an important negotiation of assumptions about the past and its relationship to the present.

What do you tell the public?

charlie[dot]edwards@demos[dot]co[dot]uk ( Charlie Edwards ) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:00:56 -0100

One major difference between the US approach to resilient communities and what the UK Government is doing here centres on personal responsibility. While both FEMA and CCS make explicit the importance of individuals and communities being prepared for emergencies, so that first responders can treat those most in need in the event of an emergency, the similarity stops there.

The Government suggests that the National Risk Register is a resource that 'is intended to encourage public debate on security and help organisations, individuals, families and communities, who want to do so, to prepare for emergencies'. (My italics) - i.e: people won't be forced to prepare for emergencies. Implicit in this sentence is that while responsibility for preparing for emergencies lies with individuals and communities - they will not be held responsible if they don't do anything.

This is quite a different message from FEMA as the video belows shows. Barry Scanlon a former official at FEMA urges people to be responsible for preparing for emergencies. I won't make any judgements yet on the two approaches but I do wonder what the effects these two different approaches are on communities in the long term?

Why the camping revival? Something to do with, ahem, the call of nature

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:13:38 -0100

To be dependent on the weather; to take time to construct a shelter for the night; to sleep with no bricks and mortar between you and the stars - all of that marks a radical contrast with lives that have become tame, domesticated and sanitised. Most people now do not do physical work; we live in our heads. Camping forces us to get out. As Reeves puts it: "We lead such non-elemental lives. This makes life elemental again." ( from Bookmarks )
Why the camping revival? Something to do with, ahem, the call of nature

The Dark Side of Mother Nature

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:17:30 -0100

Interesting piece in the Harvard Medical School's 'HealthBEAT' newsletter - entitled 'Be prepared for Mother Nature's dark side' - suggesting what to do in the event of natural disasters. They suggest 3 steps:

1. Collect and stockpile essential supplies (bottled water, cash, food and a first-aid kit are among the 25 recommended items suggested).

2. Create a portable supply kit - comprising the most essential items.

3. Develop and practice an emergency plan.

These chime with some of the recommendations of the UK Cabinet Office's recently published National Risk Register (NRR) - in particular those on having an 'emergency pack', a 'core stock of essential supplies' and the importance of developing plans to cope with emergency situations (see in particular Chapters 3 and 4 of the NRR for the main recommendations).

However, as I suggested in a recent post on the NRR, while such advice is clearly an important part of any approach to resilience, it often overlooks something altogether more fundamental - that is, building self-resiliency from the ground up. Rather than informing and advising, I'm referring to the process of actually engaging with communities and citizens, providing the conditions that will encourage them to become more independently resilient.

Instead of simply telling people that they need to put together an emergency kit, the aim instead should be to make them reach this conclusion themselves and act proactively on their own initiative. This is something that we're currently exploring in greater depth, so watch this space.

Michael Harvey
michael.harvey@demos.co.uk

Internet TV: insights from the Starcom Mediavest research

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:27:30 -0100

Internet TV: insights from the Starcom Mediavest research ( from Bookmarks )
Internet TV: insights from the Starcom Mediavest research

Labour warned over limits to free expression | Politics | The Guardian

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:25:00 -0100

Labour warned over limits to free expression | Politics | The Guardian ( from Bookmarks )
Labour warned over limits to free expression | Politics | The Guardian

Give us back our big idea, Mr Cameron

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:18:42 -0100

The idea that we might have a fight about ‘fraternity’ at the next election shows just how far the centre ground of politics has moved. Not so long ago, people would have laughed if you suggested the Tories might have a stab at a row about feelings of solidarity. Indeed among Conservatives the very concept may still be a specialist taste. But a casual glance at David Cameron’s recent speeches reveals a pretty clear direction of travel. ( from Bookmarks )
Give us back our big idea, Mr Cameron

Politics gets personal

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:56:22 -0100

Suddenly politics has become personal: not the enmity between David Cameron and Gordon Brown, but the relationship between government and people. From green taxes to smoking bans, obesity crackdowns to parenting contracts, marriage incentives and even organ donorship, politicians find themselves grappling with the public consequences of private decisions. ( from Bookmarks )
Politics gets personal

'No such thing as Cameronism'

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:47:54 -0100

David Cameron does not have a "coherent political philosophy" according to the director of thinktank Demos. ( from Bookmarks )
'No such thing as Cameronism'

Tories push for more surveillance

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:57:23 -0100

Tories push for more surveillance ( from Bookmarks )
Tories push for more surveillance

Britons Stick to 'Live' TV Viewing, Despite Broadband Video - WARC News

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:03:02 -0100

More on the intriguing story of TV viewing figures ( from Bookmarks )
Britons Stick to 'Live' TV Viewing, Despite Broadband Video - WARC News

Citizens, Communications and Convergence | Ofcom

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:37:49 -0100

Consultation from Ofcom on their role in furthering the interests of citizens. ( from Bookmarks )
Citizens, Communications and Convergence | Ofcom

Comment: What does Cameron believe in?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 04:18:56 -0100

Richard Reeves, the director of think tank Demos, claimed that "Cameronism is certainly not an ideology, nor even - yet - a coherent political philosophy". ( from Bookmarks )
Comment: What does Cameron believe in?