Brexit means Brexit. When I studied law, that’s what we called a “circular definition”. The question of what it does mean – that is, how Brexit is to be carried out and what future relationship with the EU we are aiming for – has been deferred. Until now that is. The political mood seems toContinue reading “What kind of Brexit? Don’t just ask the 52 per cent – we’re all leaving”
Category Archives: Society
Brexit brands: catching up with the left behind
Campaign: Brands Favoured by Remainers and Leavers Back at my desk / wheel / digi-recorder, I wanted to register this article I missed in August before we all move on and forget the summer ever happened (some of us would prefer to; but every day I wake up and it turns out it still did).Continue reading “Brexit brands: catching up with the left behind”
Gender Pay Gap: Still Holding Britain Back
If you’re a woman coming into the workforce in Britain, the best advice seems to be to join the police and make it to chief constable, go into IT, or drive a train. There you have a chance of being paid more than a man. Otherwise though, it seems you can expect to earn lessContinue reading “Gender Pay Gap: Still Holding Britain Back”
“Growth mindset”: praising process, not intelligence
This is a neat little 10 minute talk by Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford in the US (http://mindsetonline.com/abouttheauthor/), explaining the simple but powerful idea of the “growth mindset” for learning. The basic idea, based on real life study results, is that pupils with a “growth” mindset about their abilities ultimately out-perform and becomeContinue reading ““Growth mindset”: praising process, not intelligence”
Knocked non-conscious: Joanna Chrzanowska’s AQR webinar
This is a webinar Joanna Chrzanowska of Genesis Consulting did for the AQR (http://www.aqr.org.uk) last month. It piqued my interest for at least two reasons. Firstly, it’s an illuminating trot through the roots of qualitative research and its relationship with ideas of the sub-conscious, unconscious and non-conscious. Secondly, it maps out Joanna’s take on where qualContinue reading “Knocked non-conscious: Joanna Chrzanowska’s AQR webinar”
Queer as false memory syndrome
As I get older – which I gather many other people are also doing – I become ever more interested in popular and, even more so, unpopular folk traditions. Tomorrow is a belter of a day in the folk weirdness calendar: May Day. It’s like a clarion call for every nut job in the landContinue reading “Queer as false memory syndrome”
Blame and its illusions: an RSA Short by Brené Brown
Quite funny this: This is from a talk at the RSA, in which the American sociologist and writer explains the toxicity of blame. Not only is blaming people not usually really about some right-minded demand for accountability, it tends towards the opposite. Seen for what it is: Blame is simply the discharging of discomfort andContinue reading “Blame and its illusions: an RSA Short by Brené Brown”
Another great election tool (and it’s not a politician)
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2015/apr/20/election-2015-constituency-map The Grauniad has a nice interactive tool on the website now, allowing you to check the polls constituency by constituency (click on the link above). I also like the UK map on there a lot, which is morphed to reflect where most people live. It’s a great antidote to those more strictly territorial mapsContinue reading “Another great election tool (and it’s not a politician)”
“To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus …” Loss aversion and the human cost of economic cycles
Those with a passing familiarity with behavioural economics will have heard of “loss aversion”: as described by Tversky and Kahneman, it’s the idea that losses have twice as powerful an effect psychologically as gains. No surprise then to come across an article, Out Of The Loop, while leafing through the ESRC’s “Britain in 2015” magazine, with theContinue reading ““To be thus is nothing; But to be safely thus …” Loss aversion and the human cost of economic cycles”
So connected you don’t have time to think? Susan Greenfield at the RSA
Quite an interesting talk at the RSA this, with neuroscientist Susan Greenfield plugging her new book Mind Change, in conversation with Jonathan Rowson, Director of the RSA’s Social Brain Centre (an extremely interesting bloke btw – and more about the Social Brain project is here: http://www.thersa.org/action-research-centre/learning,-cognition-and-creativity/social-brain). Greenfield’s talk gets across some of the basic ideas aboutContinue reading “So connected you don’t have time to think? Susan Greenfield at the RSA”
Strangers on the Shore 