Showing posts with label The Power Inquiry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Power Inquiry. Show all posts

Power, psychological and economic distress, recovery.



David Smail has written some of the most scientifically honest and insightful writings on the psychologies of power in the UK, and how they afflict ordinary people's lives .....  how the effects of distal power percolate down into the lives of ordinary people who have little power by comparision to change the behaviour of that distal power. The lived experience of people subjected to political and economic adversities. and their relations within a society that maintains the disparity inherent in that distal power relationship.

"Hardly any of the 'symptoms' of psychological distress may correctly be seen as medical matters. The so-called psychiatric 'disorders' are nothing to do with faulty biology, nor indeed are they the outcome of individual moral weakness or other personal failing. They are the creation of the social world in which we live, and that world is structured by power.

    Social power may be defined as the means of obtaining security or advantage, and it will be exercised within any given society in a variety of forms: coercive (force), economic (money power) and ideological (the control of meaning). Power is the dynamic which keeps the social world in motion. It may be used for good or for ill.

    One cannot hope to understand the phenomena of psychological distress, nor begin to think what can be done about them, without an analysis of how power is distributed and exercised within society. Such an understanding is the focus of the work of David Smail."


He observe that many influential elements within the medical and political establishments look at the symptoms, the distress that people present with, and refuse to look at the whole social context, and thus they limit their examination, diagnosis and prognosis to the individual. And therefore they cannot resolve nor can they heal the situation.
He says that is a faulty approach. I agree.

We must include the social setting and context as part of the examination, diagnosis and prognosis of t
he individual. The evidence matters, all of it.

In this short video, he goes over the general thesis, in clear easy english, and so gently, yet firmly.
A must view, and I urge readers to follow up his writings, they are easy to read, simple straight language and spot on, evidence based.
www.davidsmail.info - his writings.... if you disliked Thatcher, you're gonna love Smail, and still be challenged.

Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"

Thank you for reading this blog. All we need to do is be really honest, responsive to the evidence we find,and ready to reassess when new evidence emerges. The rest is easy.

Justice in a Nurturant Society



Justice in a Nurturant Society

Justice demands that Blair and all who were party to the planning and execution of the Iraq War be made to account before the Law for their actions.

War Crimes investigations must be immediately initiated, and they must cover the entire process and institutional behaviours associated with the push towards war.





Justice demands that Ian Duncan Smith, the DWP, and all who are party to the promotion of the false and odious 'Austerity' policy that has harmed the most vulnerable people of the UK be made to account for their actions before the Law, not least Human Rights Law in the case of the disabled and other vulnerable people in our country.

The UN case must be pursued with all vigour. Human rights must prevail  over Government policy. Individuals must be held to account, in or out of Government.

Justice demands that the wounds of both Iraqi working class and British working class are dressed, and allowed to heal, and that they receive the support, respect and gratitude they deserve for the work they do. Justice demands that working class people show solidarity locally, nationally and internationally.

We must expose and de-construct the media tactics of Government, Parties and Corporations, so that all who voted, on both sides, in the EUref recognise how we have been manipulated, spun and lied to, which was all done so that Corporations maintain their power to influence and direct Governance, and thus profit from that influence at the expense of ordinary people. A correct diagnosis must prevail, in order for a positive prognosis.

Justice demands that the lie of 'Austerity' be over turned, that employers pay fair wages to UK Citizen and Immigrant alike, so that the Tax Credit's scam as a prop to the Corporate Employers can be adjusted to meet the needs of the people as opposed to the desires of profit seeking.

Brexit must expose how immigrants have been deliberately and falsely blamed for the outcome of actions taken by Government and employers alike.
Justice demands that the Ministry for Health re-instate the legal duty of care for the health of the people, as it's primary directive.

Jeremy Hunts imposition of the Junior Doctors contract must be rejected, and who ever legislated the removal of that duty of care must be held to account - that was a constitutional change beyond the remit of Government - if anything it is a matter for a referendum. 

 
Justice demands that taxes on massive corporate and investment banking profits match those of the workers, or that they meet in the middle. A just and fair taxation system must be the core of Government funding.

The Panama Papers issue, and all that it entails, must not be allowed to vanish off the radar. What that reveals must be brought out into the open, for all tax payers to see.

Justice demands that Governance is of the people, by the people, for the people as a shared responsibility.

The Power Inquiry must be re-visited, and it's details published at the local level, in local papers and by local councils, and in all our secondary schools, so that a wider understanding of deliberative democracy is encouraged.

Justice demands that the NeoLiberal privatisation agenda be rebutted, annulled, dissuaded, dismantled where ever it has found traction, in favour of socially nurturant policies of the people's own participation and choosing.

Power must be invested in the ordinary people, the tax paying electorate.

Justice demands that all mothers be fully supported as mothers for as long as their children need, rather than be set up as part time mothers venturing into work to pay the bills of the bankers, their mortgages and maintain house price bubbles, abandoning their children to 'care' in order to 'grow the economy'. That cannot stand.

The available evidence related to early bonding, and how disruptions to the biological mandate of early bonding creates waves and waves of chronic stress that causes harm to individuals , families, communities and to Society as a whole must inform policy in this area. Parenting must be recognised as the base of a psychologically healthy society.

Justice demands that these be done, not as revenge, or punishment, rather as a recovery of common sense and empathy in all our institutions.

These are all of one piece, all connected.



There is no unemployment in this work.

There is no end to this work.

This work is life nurturing.


Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe"

*If you like this post, if you found the themes resonant, if you agree in part, would you be kind enough to let others know about it? I would really appreciate that. You could drop a comment too, if you felt the urge. Or not. I will moderate contributions, and block any that are abusive. For obvious reasons. Thank you for reading.

One generation is all it would take... get stuck in!

ANY Family, Community or Society that does NOT care for the most vulnerable within it's domain is dysfunctional. Those that engender shituations where more people are made vulnerable through ideological, military and economic war are pathological.

The concept that democratic electorates should be satisfied and happy to merely vote and let others do the work of Governance and policy decision making is out of touch, out of date and, to be frank it breeds subservience and irresponsibility.

We all bleed red, we all cry tears of salty water, we all experience loving kindness and we suffer abuse in pretty much the same way.

We are human, first and foremost.

One generation is all it would take.

If History was taught honestly, humanely, with the children encouraged to do their own research and then share it and discuss it and write it up in in schools, the BNP/EDL and ISIS/Wahabists could not exist.

Nor would the far right or the ideological left nor the various factions within which anger and rage is the dominant currency have such a support base. If critical thinking was encouraged rather than opposed in schools, the lies and propaganda of any political power base would be seen as the lies they are, and resisted.

Simples.

One generation is all it would take.

Healthy behaviour is always realistic, and abuse is always idealistic, in as much as there is a biological mandate towards optimal human biological health and behaviour, and this mandate is more real than any invented social system that attempts to impose it's concept of what should be, through coercion and indoctrination, through punishment and reward - be it religious, ideological or any other form -  or any other method to undermine, disrupt and replace the biological mandate of optimal human biological health and behaviour.

There is a war being perpetrated by Power Establishments against any and all people who no longer accept the 'right' of 'might' and it includes spreading discord between people, between the genders, between the young and the elderly, between the different faiths. Conspiracy theories, hatred of the Jews as 'controllers' of the banking system (a lie), hatred of Muslim people, hatred of LGBTi, escalating violence at home and abroad are all planks of this war.

There is no war against white people by brown people, nor is there a war against black, brown or any other colour by white people. There is no 'clash of civilisations' as Tony Blair claims.

Study history, see the patterns, study predatory psychopathy, see the patterns and study optimal human biological health and see the patterns. Break free of your own social conditioning. Liberate yourself from mental slavery!

Become fully human, fully humane.

Check out the Power Inquiry folks, and examine the detail of what genuine devolution of power means - it means taking up the shared responsibility of decision making, policy formulation and oversight -- which means getting down into the evidence, the data and working with others to suss out what is most beneficial to the community as a whole - business, community and social welfare alike... it means challenging those in our communities who are ideologically bound, angry, abuse with the evidence, face to face, it means understanding what needs and insecurities lie behind those fears, and offering ways to meet those needs, allay those insecurities.


£10 million grifter, enabled Brexit.


Deterrent Claim Debunked. Socratic Method. It works.

1. Who had the first Nuclear Bombs?

2. Who used them, twice, on massive civilian populations, when nobody else had them?

3. Who were their declared 'enemies' after WWII? Were the detonations of the two bombs over Hirioshima and Nagasaki a 'demonstration' of who had the ultimate power, and the willingness to use it?

4. Did the declared enemies have any Nuclear Bombs?

5. Did they build their own bombs as a deterrent against the already existing bombs because they were declared enemies of the State that had the Bomb and they believed that the bombers would use them again, as the threat implied?

6. The deterrent is to deter the original threatener.

The rest is lies and hyperbole.

That aside, the possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction is a question of insane power politics trumping common sense and humanity. On all sides.

Peace is more, much more than the absence of War!

Don't get me wrong,

All the States that operate Hierarchical systems of organised politically motivated violence are the result of historical psychopathic behaviour, whose origins in violence are beyond doubt, which are re-created and managed by psychopaths, sociopaths and their servants, run on a day to day basis by carefully conditioned ‘citizens, all of this paid for by tax payers under coercion.

David Cameron's evasive answer to an honest question is illustrative.







The recent reports on the dealings between Saudi Arabia and The UK Government regarding mutual support for each others election to the UN Human Rights Commission, and the case of Ali Mohammed al-Nim, who was arrested at age 14, for making a pro-democracy protest in Saudi Arabia, and who is now 17, in jail and has been sentenced to being beheaded and then crucified, and David Camerons evasive answering to the question put to him by Jon Snow, "Why did you make this horrid deal with Saudi Arabia?" is illustrative.

That Cameron blurted out an unsubstantiated claim that Saudi Intelligence about a 'bomb flying over the UK' and that Saudi intelligence helps UK Security is appalling, devious and obscene.

He must be put to the test, and he must present the evidence for his claim. Even if it turns out to be true, the fact remains - the deal made to infiltrate the Saudi Regime into the UN Human Rights Commission, given their record and intransigence on Human Rights is shameful and repugnant, and brings the British Government and all it's offices into disrepute.

Is this really acceptable in the 21st Century?


Corbyn says, as did the Power Inquiry, and as many, many millions of people do, that the electorate and party membership is ready to mature our political activism and engagement, that the grass roots wants to step up to the plate and get stuck in, examine the data, the evidence, craft policy, and maintain oversight of how policy is being implemented - rather than leave it to a self selecting minority of whom we cannot be assured that they have all our best interests at heart, be it the people, our children or our business activities.

One generation is all it would take, just a matter of 30 years.

Be part of that generation. I am part of that generation. We have nothing to lose and so much to gain by engaging with all our abilities, our heart and passion.





Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe

Radicalisation, Power, Honesty and healing.

I was 'de-radicalised' by years of abuse, from Institutional 'carers' and my legal guardians and I was in my teens and 20s a very angry young man. I was abusive, manipulative, dishonest and prone to bullying : behaviours I learned as a small child growing up in a traumatising environment, in order to survive.

aged 60, and learning all the time

In my 30s, I worked on healing and recovery and became, bit by bit, less angry, less abusive, less manipulative, less of a bully.

That is when I started to become truly radicalised. I started to examine the roots of my distress.

Had I not, I might well have committed some crime of harm. As it was I did intentionally hurt other people in my life. As it was I did ignore the harms I caused. As it was I blamed those I harmed for making me harm them. These are all behaviours typical of terrorists.

And as a result of my choice to seek recovery, to step away from those behaviours, and due to the good fortune of finding helpers whose understanding of these dynamics was evidence based, efficacious and empathic, it turned out that in time I became far more meaningfully radical, in as much as I focused my gaze of the psycho-social roots of my abusive behaviour, the root of the matter as it occurred in my life, and took personal responsibility for my actions and their consequences.

Radical means 'get to the root'.

If the Government REALLY wanted to 'tackle radicalism', then the evidence is that the healing route of truth and honesty, ring fenced by empathy and a deep care and concern for the welfare of all people in our Society, and in all other Societies across the Earth, and is by far the most efficacious.

But that would be too radical for Power, because in the end it would expose the psycho-social and historical roots of Hierarchical Violence, and the symptoms of Hierarchical Violence would be seen as symptoms and not as the personal flaws and faults of those who are most vulnerable, and most wounded, and often most angry, and to would thus expose Power as we know it to the honest truth, and the choice to face that is the core element in all healing of abusive behaviours.

That is a choice that Power as we know is refusing to make. It has been offered, time and time again, and Power has refused it. The latest event in that is the rejection by the 'troika' of the meaning of the Greek referendum result.

Government executive, and Corporate Executive branches must step out of the jack-boots of distal power exercised over the people, into a new pair of shoes, the athletic shoes of a shared active participative responsibility of power with the people as equal partners.

We, the people, must stretch every sinew, move every lever, roll every stone to forward this oh-so-basic, ethical and moral change over.

The Power Inquiry 2004-6 looked at many aspects of this in great detail, and whilst the leaders of the Liberal, Labour and Tory Parties came to the 2006 Conference at Queen Elizabeth Hall, opposite the Mother of all Parliaments, in London's Westminster, and praised the work of the Power Inquiry, calling it the most important initiative in the UK regarding Democratic Power of it's time, they later dismissed it as 'impractical'.

No engagement. Just a trite and brief dismissal.

And then came 2008 and 'Austerity' (which had been planned well in advance of 2008) which was directed primarily at the Community Voluntary Sector and the people they serve, to undermine and punish that constituency, for their temerity in describing how Power can be safely devolved to the UK's grass roots, the tax payers, and the marketing Guru's of the Government called it 'Big Society'.  Because 'we are all in it together'. And that is true, the three mainstream political parties are all in it together. And they are all committed to excluding the grass roots from meaningful participation in decision making on matters that affect our lives.

Power is their God, and great wealth is more about utility than it is about greed, great wealth is a tool - it can be used as an oppressive or it can be turned to genuinely nurture a truly humane culture.

The people are the subjects of Power. As long as this remains, the inhumanity of Power will remain.

Voting on it's own was never truly democratic.

The bullying must cease. The abuse must cease. The lies and manipulation must cease.

The Pope travels the world, making great statements, and yet .... The Vatican is refusing to open it's files on all known predatory abusers within it's culture, and leaving it to those who are still alive, the survivors, to bring their cases forwards, fully aware that as time passes, many of those will pass on, and their witness evidence will be lost (let alone the loss within their own lives of so much for so little)

George Osborne announces a new Minimum Wage whilst planning to remove Working Tax Credits, Child Benefits and other supports that poor, vulnerable people, many of whom are in work, but being paid low wages (to enlarge the profits of their employers) - a sleight of hand worthy of a bully - and the red faced triumphalist Tory parliamentarians crow, bellow and grunt their approval in a manner befitting a hyperactive sweaty crowd cheering a boxing match as their champion strikes his opponent down to the floor.

A bit like the air punching of the Obama Situation room, when Osama Bin Laden was executed.

What manner of men and women are these?

Well, they too are 'radicalised', are they not?

They pursue radical policies with enforcement actions that cause harm and they deny the meaning of that harm, they dehumanise those they have harmed and they justify their actions through bland ideological statements.

Are they not similar to the 'terrorists' in this?

Is it not a reasonable demand that they and the terrorists they claim are 'radicalised' desist?




Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.

Thank you for reading this blog.

https://patreon.com/corneilius - donations gratefully received




Beyond Voting: the central issue of Power laid bare.




"To vote or not to vote, that is  a good question to start a conversation, an exploration, to express a desire to understand how democracy functions and how it ought to function."

The Power Inquiry of 2006 looked at this is a lot of detail.

By asking people why they don't vote.

Seems like a good approach.

If done well, and if people are being honest, the it would produce useful information, evidence... it would test current public domain assumptions on the matter.

They did it very well.

It's amazing what listening to people, what hearing and understanding with feedback can create, in terms of expressing and identifying needs, and then helping people to meet those needs, if they need help, if they request help...

What they found was that people's perception of professional politicians was accurate.

Liars, cheats and crooks who represent those who lobby them with cash incentives, who protect entrenched Power to Rule the People through the control of social and political institutions and exonomics, whilst pretending otherwise.

What they found was that a growing constituency of people were ACTIVE in their local communities, providing short and long-term support services to the poor and vulnerable, and the community at large, which had .historic roots in victorian local philanthropy mixed with a tradition of peasant self-reliance, how communities of peasants and later workers have long organised to help each other...

What they found was that for many people political activism was action on the ground to deal with issues in their area. Voting does not convey the same degree of social committment, and could be said to be inferior in many ways, if a citizens political action was limited to voting.

The Power Inquiry found that the Community Voluntary Sector was larger than membership of political parties by a massive margin, that as a diverse commjunity, it was politically and ethically aware and was taking active responsibility in their local areas.

They found that the Community Voluntary Sector was well versed in delivering services those they helped really needed, fund raising, consciousness raising, treasury management, listening and learning from those the served, in essence the skills of self-Governance.

What they found was that the Community Voluntary Sector crossed all age and income groups.

What they found was that the Community Voluntary Sector was also versed in real democracy, in real decision making and policy creation and implementation.

What came out of The Power Inquiry was a series of recommendations for meaningful changes which would devolve power as a SHARED RESPONSIBILITY to the grass roots.

One of which was removal of the official post of Party Whip. 100% anti-democratic post.

One of which was no private funding of parties for Elections. A fund based on the number of the electorate registered, to be split equally between all candidates.

One of which was a re-call at every level of Public Office. A form of oversight.

One of which was lowering the voting age to 16. Inclusion of the young because they are not represented, and quite often are very well aware of the issues of the day, and yet excluded.

One of which was introducing Democratic Power to students in secondary Schools, to give them a responsibility and voice on matters that affect their lives. You cannot exercise or share Power unless you have some MEANINGFUL practice.

A NOTA segment on the ballot box. We ought to be able to register non-confidence in those offering themselves up for election.

And much else besides....

The Three 'leading parties' Lab/Tor/LibDem attended the conference in 2006, and praised the initiative and content of The Power Inquiry report, before an audience of more than 500 people.

Two days later, they dismissed the Power Inquiry as 'impractical.'

'Impractical'!

And then the assault on the Community Voluntary Sector was initiated, by people who KNEW the crash of 2008 was coming, and who knew they could use that to justify the cuts to the Community Voluntary Sector, and the privatisation of much of the work being done by the Community Voluntary Sector.

In other words, a clear manipulation and assault on pro-Democracy activism at the local level, designed to stress the Community Voluntary Sector, which they KNEW would also harm many of those whose lives were being supported by the Community Voluntary Sector.

And this has been carefully ignored by mainstream media, because it was and still is intentional professional cruelty designed to undermine REAL democratic intelligence within the UK.

The Greens, SNP and Plaid are gaining ground BECAUSE their policies are HUMANE, above all else.

The issue of voting/not voting is being manipulated to mask this cruelty and intentionality.

That The State and Established Power are willing to be cruel to protect, enhance and expand their power is OBVIOUS - Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and our own bloody history (when read accurately, away from school texts and media history programs).

Few people ever fought and died for freedom, the majority fought and died because they were enlisted, or because they were socially conditioned to support the State. None of the political leadership fought, other than the likes of Churchill who fought the Boers and treated their civilian population with horrific abuse.

The treatment of Greek Resistance fighters post liberation of Greece, by UK Military and State, ought to be standard subject in school Histories. The UK Military and UK State enlisted those within Greece who had collaborated with the Nazis to slaughter those who had resisted on the basis that the resistance was largely populated by 'communists'.

The response to African Democratic Nationalists post WWII discloses the nature of Power in the UK. The response to Iraqi Democratic Nationalists in late 2003 disclose the nature of Power in the UK.

They plunged Greece, Africa and Iraq into a nightmare of Authoritarian Government proclaiming LIBERTY! They KNEW exactly what they were doing, and remain unapologetic about it.

Russel Brand said WHY he doesn't vote, rather than urging people not to vote per se.

And his intention was misrepresented. Willfully misunderstood.

I will vote Green, not because I think the Green candidate can win, but because the Green Candidate represents a humanist approach that is humane, that is kind, that is more empathic and that is practical, and I'd rather lose standing for that, than win a Pyrrhic victory claimed by excluding the Tories from Government, when in fact Government is the entirety of Parliament and Local Councils, and our acceptance of them as our Rulers, with the grass roots excluded from real decision making.

I vote for the entire community, not for my special interest,or traditional alliance.

I vote because I think on these matters, deeply and I care about all the people in this country, non excluded.

And I vote Green because I despise the political culture, in power and on the streets, that enables the protection of serial pedophiles in Church and State Institutions, the cover-ups, the wars, the profiteering, the lies.

I am not hopeful of an outcome based on one election.

I am hopeful because there is a growing awareness of all that I have indicated above, and it will continue to grow, year on year, generation on generation.

I vote thinking of long term outcomes, thinking of my grandchildren and their contemporaries.

I totally get why so many people do not vote, and I would not dare suggest to them that they are incorrect, given all that I have indicated above.

This election is 100% illegitmate BECAUSE of the cover-ups of the War Crimes, the cover-ups of priofteering and cover-ups of the sexual abuse of children by members of the Power structure (it also happens in families, the cover-ups..) has not been tackled head-on., Not by Power and not by the people at large.

The only reason we know what has been going on is because brave SURVIVORS broke the stories, again and again and again, in the face of opposition within the Police, within Councils, Schools, Churches and the great offices of State.

We all need to think and think again on this. Not least because we are adults with a core responsibility towards each others welfare that defines our very humanity. Whether we like it or not.

We need to act as mature responsible adults. Way beyond mere voting.


Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

This blog, like all my other content creation work is not monetised via advertising. If you like what I present, consider sharing my content. If you can afford the price of a cup of coffee or a pint of beer/ale/cider for a few months, please donate via my Patreon account.

Thank you for reading this blog.

https://patreon.com/corneilius - donations gratefully received