Letter to My MP: Tobin Tax

Dear Diane Abbott,

Like everyone else in this country I am worried about the level of debt
that the banks, this government, and many individuals have contributed
to, and have been interested in ways to alleviate this problem.

While increasing the top rate of tax is important, and reigning in
bankers bonuses is satisfying, neither of these options will pull the
UK out of recession, pay of the national debt, or improve the
well-being of the majority of the population.

However, when Gordon Brown brought up a Tobin tax at the G20 summit
recently I was a little shocked. This is exactly the kind of measure
that many people have been suggesting for months, and exactly the kind
of measure that is needed now.

Thus my message to you is please, please, please do what you can to
support this idea. Bring it up in parliament, campaign on its behalf,
vote on it if the chance arises. The amount of money that could be
raised would make a massive difference and would allow the government
to continue with the positive social programmes that have been so
important, and that, unfortunately, may have to be abandoned due to
lack of money.

Yours sincerely,

Nicholas Watts

Posted via email from I’ve been out to sea for a long time.

On Theft….

….. and Policing

I received a letter the other day. From the Metropolitan Police. It read:

Dear Mr Watts

We are very sorry that you have become a victim of a crime. Thank you for reporting this matter to us.

We have reviewed the crime but so far there is not enough evidence to continue with further inquiries and the case will now be closed. However, if we get any new evidence we will of course act on that new information.

We appreciate that this decision may be disappointing to you – unfortunately, not all crimes reported to us lead to an arrest. however, by reporting crimes you can help us police your local area more effectively. The Safer Neighbourhoods Team and their police community support officers (PCSOs) work with your local community to tackle local issues and problems. You can find details of your local team at www.met.police.uk/saferneighbourhoods.

 

Well this left me thinking, what is the point in reporting a crime at all, and where is the disincentive to not commit crimes? The main reason I chose to report the theft of my bike is because I needed the reference number for my insurance, but is there really any other reason? 

The police obviously did not even consider investigating the crime. This means that whoever did steal my bike is never going to get caught or prosecuted. They will inevitably go on to steal more bikes and leave others in the situation that I'm in now, and many won't have insurance. Don't get me wrong, I never expected the police to investigate this, and in many ways I'd be slightly worried if they did: there are far bigger crimes that deserve their attention. But the suggestion in the letter is that the crime was "reviewed", why not be honest? Further, the advice that I can police my local area by reporting crimes sounds rather hollow; if I report a crime which is not investigated how is that likely to help my local area? 

Any thoughts?

Posted via email from I’ve been out to sea for a long time.

Are they really heroes?

I've been debating whether to write this for a while now. I'm probably going to get a lot of people vehemently disagreeing with me, but it has been bothering me for ages. The Help for Heroes campaign is the object of my ire, not that it exists, where people want to spend their money is their choice (though I can think of better charities), but it's the name that really gets me: help for Heroes. 

I looked up the definition of hero for the sake of this post: "a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength". I'm not suggesting that this label cannot be applied to anyone in the British armed forces, some may have earned it, but the campaign suggests that these people have earned the right to be called a hero simply because they've been injured. Now these soldiers ought to be treated with respect, the same as everyone else, and deserve appropriate healthcare, the same as everyone else; again, this does not make them heroes. 

The whole campaign is reminiscent of the "we should support our soldiers" rhetoric that (thankfully less frequently now) gets rolled out when people are critical about the war in Iraq/Afghanistan. It suggests that these men and women deserve our unthinking support, regardless of their actions or morals, just because they are fighting for "our country". These arguments entail so many assumptions about individual's beliefs regarding politics and people's lives that any comment quickly gets misinterpreted and blown out of proportion. I'm not trying to denigrate soldiers, I wouldn't want to do what they do, and I'm sure some do it for good reasons and dislike the fact that they are killing people in a foreign country for money. But they are not, by default, heroes.

My Plan to Save Education and the NHS

So we run the risk in this country, with the massive debt that our government has accumulated, of funding being cut from schools and the NHS. This is particularly true if the Tories get elected (which seems probable), as they have an inherent dislike for government spending. 

I wont argue here with the idea that spending cuts are needed, but if they are going to go ahead there are much more worthy places (Trident anyone?). Education is one of, if not the most important areas for our tax money to go, the NHS must also come pretty close, so here is my proposal to stop any future government from spending less on these vital institutions:

• all Members of Parliament must send their children to a state school
• no Member of Parliament may have private health insurance

David Cameron has pledged to send his children to state schools if the standard is high enough, then sent his daughter to a faith school. You can bet that if these conditions were enforced that our elected representatives would fight tooth and nail to ensure that these services are as well funded as possible.

Brilliant song, pretentious video

Beirut are amazing, their music is sublime, but this video doesn't really do it for me. Anyone else feel the same?

We Share Out Mother’s Health

We Share Our Mother’s Health (Ratatat Remix) by The Knife  
Download now or listen on posterous

weshareourmothershealthratatat.mp3 (9456 KB)

I'm adoring this song at the moment. Ratatat do the best remixes. 

See the video also:

Bordeaux Quay

A lovely restaurant. I miss is sometimes.

Is Afghan Star exposing the people of Afghanistan to democracy, or simply placating them?

I watched Afghan Star the other night. It was an enjoyable film that charted the first series of the Pop Idol type show, in which people sing and the public can vote with their mobile phones for who they believe to be the best. I got me to thinking about the fledgling democracy in such a state. 

Channel 4 Sales

People were obviously engaged in what they saw as an important opportunity to express themselves in a country where any semblance of such independence has long been impossible. Yet it felt somewhat hollow. There was a quote about half way through the film which I think suggested that more people had voted for Afghan Star than had in the elections. Is this really a positive sign? 

The film portrayed the competition as a positive social force, uniting various ethnic groups to vote for who they felt was the best singer (though it seemed that many people were voting based on ethnic divisions). Indeed it can be seen in a positive way in that it is exposing people to the idea of voting and that one's vote can make a difference. Could it be that a simple TV programme is encouraging people to go out and vote, and familiarising then with the process?

My feeling is somewhat more cynical. Such entertainment is a distraction. It is keeping people occupied with the illusion of democracy while those in charge run the country as they want. The show was even gamed in a way which is depressingly familiar. Some people were alleged to be spending vast amounts of money buying multiple SIM cards so they could vote many times. 

The film was good, I would recommend it to anyone, it gave an insight into what sort of country Afghanistan was and has become. But don't let the heart-warming message fool you, this is not democracy.

I’m wondering how this would go down when applying for hospital work over the summer: http://ping.fm/BX9ei

A Month of Books and Screens

Well I’m nearly there. Four weeks of revision, two weeks of lectures, then exams and it’s summer. Assuming the next four years go as smoothly and quickly I’ll be practising before I even realise I’m a student again.

So the plan is to study 8 hours a day for the next four weeks. Knowing me that won’t happen, but aim for the stars and all that. If anyone happens to read this and wants to visit me then the next month will be a good time for it as I’ll be looking for any distraction.

I got a new bike, though I’m sure you all know that, as I won’t shut up about it. Here’s a picture for those that haven’t seen it: http://ping.fm/dOC1O

Enjoy Easter, I doubt I will.