Picking up on this discussion on the misuse of social science, Prof Julian LeGrand was seconded from LSE to Blair's Number 10 to support the privatisation of public services.
When I saw him make a presentation at LSE after some time in that role, he was endeavouring to 'demonstrate' that what seems like altruism in the work of nurses and teachers is actually self interest. I cannot imagine a more destructive onslaught on the social capital of people's commitment to their work, or any more deliberate attempt to demoralise and cheapen that work.
The media have brought him in to speak, over the years, because of this policy-influencing position.
More recent interviews however though have been about his role in the 'targets' culture, that has seen 40 people die unnecessarily at Stafford hospital.
Its worth similarly considering and critiquing think tank 'research', which often affects and/or is used to justify policy, and has a high profile in the public media without its financial underpinnings being revealed.
LK
________________________________
From: Chris Allen
Sent: Thu 3/26/2009 9:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: In the name of social science
A recent report 'Great Expectations' celebrated Housing Market Renewal as a shining example of an 'evidence based policy' that had
been 'informed' by social science and social scientists. Last year, two residents (Elizabeth Pascoe and Elijah Debnam) spoke at
the RGS / IBG about their bitter experience of social science informed 'evidence based policy'. They have both been fighting the
CPOs that has been served on their homes in the name of social science and social scientists. Elijah - a world war veteran - has
been very ill this year with all the stress that the CPO has caused him. And this week Elizabeth was finally defeated in the high
court. The emails below are from Sylvia Wilson and Elizabeth Pascoe. They put the debate about policy relevance, across the
social sciences, into its appropriate context. It is a story of deaths, illness, despair and loss - and all in the name of social
science. Coincidentally, I received (yet more threatening) correspondence this week from one of the researchers that has informed
the architecture of housing market renewal. He was writing to let me know that he and 'others' had had a good laugh at an article
that I published warning of the dangers of social science because the understandings it produces are so often so distant from the
lives of people like Elizabeth and Elijah. So there you go - one side cries with despair whilst the other side has a good laugh.
Chris Allen and Lee Crookes
>>> Sylvia Wilson <[log in to unmask]> 25/03/2009 02:09 >>>
Fellow Hutties,
It is with great sadness and yes, almost despair, that I tell you
now, that Fellow Huttie Elizabeth Pascoe has lost her final case for
Edge Lane West, Liverpool!
This is a crushing blow for every one of us fighting to save
everything that we believe in and hold dear... a simple roof over our
heads and the right to live our lives in homes the way we want, when
we want, how we want and not under the false aspirations of Councils,
Pathfinder or Government who wanted to deal with a Housing Market
Restructuring rather that a Nationwide Refurbishment Project, which
has been ignored for the last 15 - 20 years!
Altering the house prices on and within the Housing Market in 2003
has them all now by the short and curlie's doesn't it... I hope it
hurts, because it is hurting us the Communities far more... and has
been for the last 6 years!
This warrior has fought a true battle with greatly uneven odds to
save her home and streets, Liverpool's history and heritage, and her
very livelihood against a Council and a Government that cares nothing
for the people who pay their (exorbitant) wages, she has helped fight
for the homes and livelihoods of others too, and has been ignored by
Councils, Government, Brussels (Human Rights) and by our own laws,
that have been conveniently changed by Government to fit "their
crimes" to relieve the humble folk of this land of what they own, and
make paupers of them!
My heart and soul burns with indignation that we pay the councils and
government our taxes, and they in turn use our monies to pay
expensive Barristers and Solicitors to fight against us, and we have
to find help, usually from Legal Aid or Pro Bono Solicitors or
Barristers to obtain redress, talk about the "Poor House" and "Poor
Institutions" of the 18th and early 19th century... this is so
unfair, and we can't even claim Equality of Arms, and as yet have not
heard of any case who have won on Human Rights outright - (unless it
was so blatant and mixed in with other issues)!
There is no such thing in this 21st century, of people being equal
anymore, (not that it ever was, but at least we were getting there)
there is no such thing as democracy, and in my opinion our government
has turned into a dictatorship!
I will be with you again on this issue in a couple of days... too
late tonight to complete this and tomorrow I'm out of Town...
Elizabeths email below:
Begin forwarded message:
> Fr> ... as soon as I got out of court. Please, you all have to leave me
> quiet for a while, I am too drained. Sorry I didn't here...
> London... mention you and hutties, or my website, I realise now I
> should, I am pushing myself to tie up loose ends now!
>
> As apparently everyone will know by now, I lost today.
> It was very close. The proponent barristers were not in the least
> confident before hearing today's judgement.
> I can't consider an appeal (as was said on the news may happen so
> the taxi driver just told me) partly as half my income is from
> overseas university student lodgers, and it simply isn't fair to
> take on new ones for next year when these leave at the end of this
> academic year when I can't promise them a full year, or even part.
> In all it has cost me over £40,000 to fight this last 4 years, and
> all the lodger money pays for the borrowing I needed (as that was
> how I funded it).
> I have no contingency plan, it was a fight "to the death" as far as
> I was concerned. It has to be up to others now, younger than I, to
> fight for "the future", against the insanity of mindless
> consumerism, obviously damaging the planet and society, not just
> our built heritage, and the sort of hype that tells us what is
> being done is progress.
> My conscience is clear. I tried. I fear greatly for what our
> grandchildren will inherit. Hopefully sense will prevail before it
> is too late.
> We had a good judge, who knew his onions, my lawyers were
> "committed" (I know did many all-night efforts, not all lawyers are
> merely mercenaries / merely mercenary). This time (unlike last)
> there was no "technical" remedy in law. As quangos become ever
> more powerful and ever less accountable alongside increasingly
> "joined up" I (and so many others who know) fear it will be
> virtually impossible for anyone to "have a voice".
> I must thank all of my over 70 witnesses, about half of whom
> attended the Inquiry at their own expense (representing Oxford,
> Cambridge, London School of Economics, Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool
> Uni, John Moore's Uni, Hope Uni and several others) and from Save
> Britain's Heritage, Save our City, Merseyside Civic Society, and
> especially my right hand man architect Dai Gwynne, statutory
> objector, and my left hand IT man Mark Shooter, whose mother
> another statutory objector was the first of me neighbours / friends
> to die thanks to the additional stress, and SO many others, most of
> whom had also to burn the candle at both ends to fight in their day-
> jobs, families, own problems, and helping with this. As "the wider
> public" know, despite the "stakeholders' rhetoric" the support I
> have had has been almost universal both in this city and across the
> nation (and in fact in the 60 or so nations from which my "old"
> students this last 14 years have come).
> As I see it the battle is like housework. We don't ever "get
> anywhere" but my goodness it is so much worse if we don't try. I
> gave it my best shot. There is an outstanding issue brought to my
> attention by various professional civic design colleagues to which
> I have alerted "Europe" about regarding "state aid" which may be
> able to identify that funding supposedly to help poor communities
> is being hijacked to "decant" them into oblivion.
> Media-persons I don't know what else I could say that people would
> want to hear. Maybe what I have said is "inappropriate" and could
> "cause me trouble" (besides losing my home and half my income! and
> costing me 4 years of my life). Use what you feel is of interest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAVE THE HONEY BEEs! Honey bees are essential to mankind's survival,
our very lives depend on this tiny creature, without them this Planet
would die! Einstein said that... "if the bees go, then humans will
go four years later...!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ferengdeclare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.
Sylvia Wilson
Coordinator: Homes Under Threat (HUT) Network.
Secretary: Whitefield Conservation Action Group.
16 Kensington Street.
Springbank,
NELSO.
Lancashire. BB9 7DQ.
01282 604749
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/AC/1H/HV/HM
Department of Sociology
Manchester Metropolitan University
Geoffrey Manton Building
Rosamond Street West
MANCHESTER M15 6LL
UNITED KINGDOM
+ 44 (0)161 247 6170
http://www.sociology.mmu.ac.uk/
NEW BOOK: Housing Market Renewal and Social Class
http://tinyurl.com/28w5pu
Find out more about the struggle against housing market renewal here:
http://www.fightforourhomes.com/
Read the IJURR debate on The Eviction of Critical Perspectives from Gentrification Research here:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/ijur/32/1
Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the
Manchester Metropolitan University's email disclaimer available on its website
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