Why the Tories need to act like they are in opposition

So it's been announced, at last, that the new leader of the Labour Party is a Miliband and it is of the Ed variety. No surprises there then but the margin is hardly a ringing endorsement for him. One is left wondering how long he will last and whether we are simply waiting for a couple of failures in local elections before a fuller election is held with the likes of Alan Johnson standing. Ed Miliband does not feel - yet - like a Prime Minister in waiting. Unlike Cameron who felt like he might make it, the younger Miliband does not feel like he will make it all the way to number 10 or have the right gravitas for such a role. But I may be wrong and his leader’s speech may give out different signals.


Some of the papers have already been calling the next election as a Tory win. Despite my above comments, I think they need to be careful, even 4 months into a 5 year parliament, of how they plan to take on new Labour. Both parties now have younger politicians at their helm and it is clear that over the last few weeks there has been a passing of power to a new generation. The young, fresh aspect of Cameron was lost the moment he came into power and further hidden now there is newer, younger man on the scene.
Also, all the Tories are in power, they neither won the last election nor have full power. They are having to react far more to what another party says (the Lib Dems) than ever before. Just like the Lib Dems, the Tories will need to set out their own stall and show what they are about. What one can see if coalition politics is to continue is that you have parties campaigning on one issue and compromising in power. We’ve seen this for years in the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament as well as in numerous councils but the difference between promises in manifestos and actual plans for government are only going to be greater now coalition has come to Westminster.
The Tories also need to work out what will happen if they do win an outright majority in the next parliament; do they keep some links with the Lib Dems as it will be somewhat down to their involvement if they remain in power or do they cast Britain’s third party off as they will have fulfilled their usefulness? And the Lib Dems need to ask if they could swap sides and work with Labour if there is a slight shift in the numbers?
The Tories also need to be careful as the next election will come sooner than they think. A set term parliament means that we cannot be surprised so after the council and European elections in 2014, the campaign will start, particularly at the party conferences in the autumn of 2014. In many ways, just as this year and in 1997, when the date of the election is known the campaign lasts almost forever. So the parties only have 3 and a half years until campaigning for the general election will slowly start. Not long to solve the problems of state or develop new policies on how to tackle the big issues.

What I am trying to highlight here that coalition government coupled with a new Leader on the Labour side makes the next election unreadable. Along with the current political and economic issues, one cannot predict easily how politics will look in five years time. Therefore, the Tories need to act as if they are in opposition, creating a personality and identity away from the other parties and being self-critical of their acts in government. Just like the Lib Dems, the Tories must defend their identity for their own electoral success and also to make sure how politics do not go from Blue, Red and Yellow to a shade of Beige.
But the Tories have always been clever at positioning themselves (with or without Lord Ashcroft’s cash) so discussions will already be underway. But what would my betting be for the next election even at this early stage? I am not sure that much will change. Labour does not look yet like a strong force and the country is not that much in love with the Tories and has certainly fallen out of love with the Lib Dems. I would bet on a small Tory majority or a further coalition as we head into the next parliament. But who knows? As the cliché goes, a week is a long time in politics so four and a half years is a life time in – particularly coalition – politics.

Why the Pope’s Visit Makes me Feel more removed from Rome?

I remember sitting in a meeting of the Church in Wales Governing Body discussing the ordination of women. In a more frustrated moment Archbishop Barry asked those who disagree with the ordination of women on grounds of relations with Rome are damaged something like:

“Do you think that Rome pays any attention to the Church of England, let alone what we are doing here in Wales?”

And he has a point. The language used by the Vatican and indeed by the Catholic Church has always been based on a ‘top down’ notion of power. What we have seen over the last few days is a further manifestation of what the Pope sees as best for us; he sees faith as being integral to society but it is his vision rather than a vision based on the actual opinions of the people. In a similar way, in many Catholic churches (and I include those in the Anglican tradition here, too), there is a feeling that ‘Father knows best’ and that all authority comes from him. There is an argument that this idolising and rendering of the priest as ‘better’ than ‘ordinary’ people lies at many of the issues that face the catholic church. The decrease in attendance can be seen as down to the father being removed (being on his pedestal) and lacking touch with reality in a society where respect is less important. The decrease in belief that the Pope attacks can be seen as faith being a dictation process to the people rather than a listening one with the people. Even the paedophile issues are based on the priest being overly dominant and people being afraid of challenging their authority. And this is what troubles me with the Roman Catholic Church – and indeed with any alignment of the churches in this country – is the impact on free will.

There has been discussions about how the churches based in Rome and Canterbury might align but the whole discussion has been around how Anglicans can become more like Roman Catholics and not how any rapprochement could happen the other way around. Again, Rome sees it fit to dictate their form of church to other rather than perhaps revising their method of doing church. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am largely at the more catholic end of the church but acknowledge our protestant heritage, too. Any movement towards Rome would austracise so many of us and I would probably end up becoming a Methodist. All of this is highly speculative as I am not convinced any formal relations with Roman Catholics will happen in my life time.

I know I am not the first to say any of this – look at Luther just as a starting point! Yet, it is worth emphasising again the difference in our churches to do with free will and the relations between the clergy and the laity. Seeing the Pope in the UK was fascinating and allows us to reflect on our spiritual life. But as Archbishop Barry points out – don’t necessarily think Benedict XVI was listening as hard to us as we were to him: power and influence is still coming from our leaders in the Roman Church rather than from the people.

And that is probably what keeps our churches generally – and me specifically – at a distance from Rome.

Zagreb: Final, Personal, Reflections

I am sitting on a plane looking out the window and watching Croatia and the Western Balkans disappearing behind me. And once again, I’m listening to Brandon Flowers cracking album. As I said in the first blog, there is always a CD that defines a holiday. When I heard ‘Crossfire’ in the middle of the Kapitol shopping centre, I knew my prediction had been right. It’s not just me that enjoys reflective (? Miserable?!) music.

I have had an interesting few days and it has shown me that I am able to travel alone and without work; I have to admit dinner is pretty lonely as a single traveller and I have done an awful lot of reading at the table and in cafes. That said, I am largely happy with my own company and at times being alone is good; when I got a little lost trying to get up the mountain and had to wait 50 minutes for a bus as the lift was closed, I can imagine Bro not enjoying this very much!! But sitting in the Sunday sun with a nice glass of Croatian Pinot, I did want someone to share how good this wine was with. But I also realise, we don’t just travel to ‘find ourselves’ but we also travel to show to others who we are; travelling to new, unusual places says something about me and I should not stop doing this as it would stop me being me.

I asked a number of questions on the way out. I asked what I would find in the city: divisions in identity and new insights into European culture? The city is certainly not neurotic and far from being of multiple cultures but you can see it collectively, adapting at once acknowledging its past and wrestling with where it is heading, politically, socially and culturally.

Personally? Well, I am once again reminded how much I like travelling (I think Sarajevo is now on the list) but also how much I want to stay in a place and discover what is really like. I enjoy being ‘imbedded’ as I was in Grenoble. I did wonder if I wanted to return to France but increasingly I think I want to go somewhere new; my trips to Prague, Tallinn and, now, Zagreb make me very interested in the ‘Eastern European’ culture. If I could find a contract helping develop research in an Eastern European (or Western Balkan) city then I would be interested. A bit of a gamble, I know, but the risk of what it would do for my career development compared to what it might do for my personal development is a bet I am prepared to place.
So a mixed personal journey allowing me time to reflect on my career and desire for someone to explore this world with as well as time to see how a country and its capital city adapts to Europe and retains its proud national identity.

Or as some lyrics from ‘Jilted Hearts and Broken Hearts’ on the ‘holiday album’ (quoted more narrowly on my way to Zagreb) describe the choices we have:

“Is there anyone out there?

Somewhere I can belong?

Man, this city just ain’t so kind tonight.

I need a place to take refuge.

See, I have been loving you blind.

I guess it may be hard for me to find

That we were caught up in the middle

Of a worn out dream

I knew we were in trouble

But baby I almost screamed.

When I saw you dancing,

On the moon now,

I watched him spin you round and round.

Why did you roll your dice? Show your cards?

Jilted lovers and broken hearts!

You’re flying away while I am stuck here on the ground!

[…]

You’re out on the wind and I’m still waiting to be found.

Will I ever win? Only time will tell!”

(Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts)

Zagreb: City of Contradictions

In the name of balance, I feel it is worth just putting reflections on what make Zagreb an interesting city and why I have found it such an intriguing place to visit.

For me, the questions of identity mentioned in my previous blog, go some of the way to explaining the reasons for a visit. The tree-lined streets are good walking territory and there are many fine buildings to inspect with the aid of a coffee or beer. Then just these odd touches of history: the graffiti, the under-investment in building preservation and the sinister police boxes with mirrored windows so you can be watched but not watch in return. But most of the time can be spend admiring the views the city offers, the stunning countryside and the genuinely excellent wine & cooking with fish!

That said, some of the street art is spectacular and clearly reflective of the real political and cultural identity of the Croatian capital. It is colourful, subversive and interesting. Unlike the Europeanised art of the museums, this showed me more about Zagreb.

There is pride in this city, as I found went up the nearby Skemje mountain. Two couples (probably in their mid sixties) were out for a day’s walking and sang songs about Zagreb and Croatia. And certainly in the wealthier northern city and the mountain regions above Zagreb there is a huge amount to be proud of. It is beautiful, tranquil and a part of the country that the locals are clearly proud of.

On the road in from the airport you can see the new motorway out to the airport being built and fields left fallow in between the new factories and office block. It made me wonder what holds up the economy: tourism, service-industry and infrastructure investment may not last and the longer term economic stability is something I would be interested to find out about. This is a country which has much to shout about and needs to start finding a voice because its hard is justifiably proud.

Zagreb: A European Capital?

s I left the main square in Zagreb – Trg bana Jelacica – the opening bars of Charpentier’s Te Deum bounced off the walls. Better known as the Eurovision Anthem, it seemed to symbolise the current status of relationships (nationally and internationally) within this country.
Not that this is the only link to Europe – and specifically – Charpentier’s home country of France. Yesterday I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Novi Zagreb – the southern, probably 1960s/70s part of town. Now it was a little like sitting on the edge of a motorway or some dodgy estate:

But this reminded me in so many ways of Grenoble; not only the mountains surrounding the city but the attempts of the state to ‘give’ culture to the masses by planting cultural centres in the poorer suburbs (see Maison de la culture in France) in an attempt to ‘impose’ culture which is almost guaranteed to fail. The housing blocks reminded me of the Village Olympique in Grenoble. This area of brutalist architecture has the same issues – good and bad – that can be found on the edge of any European city.

And turning to the art gallery, this again seemed very multi-cultural; I mean take these two photos.

Spot the difference? One is the Carlston Hicks ‘slides’ in Tate Modern and the other taken in Zagreb. This isn’t the only link with the Gilbert and George exhibition that was at Tate Modern now in Zagreb.
Even the coffee is changing here; I had been warned that true Croatian coffee is strong and somewhat of the Turkish variety. This was what I was served at breakfast and was a sort of caffeinated dishwater. Everywhere else I had been served Italien-esque coffee. Again, evidence of a slight chipping away of national identity and culture.
All of this is fine and all of this reflective of how things are changing in the Croatian capital. And this is my worry as Europe becomes more powerful: will this mean a harmoniosed European culture? Or are we simply seeing the common, the ‘European’ elements of our culture more dominantly; a single ‘European Culture’ with multiple regional variations?

Zagreb: Not a City of Lights

Things are a little dark at night in the Croatian capital; unlike other city centres there does not seem to be a need to light every building or, indeed, provide the coffee and beer drinkers in a variety of cafes in the city’s squares with enough light to clearly see their tipple of choice. That said, despite what various of the guidebooks said, there is a good and full nightlife.

But it is a very different night life to those in other European cities, where coffee and sparkling water are popular drinks and not considered the weak option. That said, it is a city of contradictions. Walk up Tkalciceva and there are a number of bars catering for those more desirous of its intoxicating powers: the very young, new drinker or the foreign, English-speaking tourist. As I wandered up the town hill to take the above darkened photograph, I was welcomed by the sound of a young jazz group playing to locals, on the other side of the hill a bar played out the latest ‘turbofolk’ for more drunken, younger clients. If that’s not a variety of night life, then I don’t know what is – however dark it is!!

Zagreb: Challenging & Confirming Expectations

Well, I have been walked out. As predicted, Zagreb is not quite what I expected but at times it is so hard to describe a place other than comparing it to other places that people may know a little better. The best I have come up is likening it to the 19th century/Hausmen sections of Paris or Prague without the medieval elements.

Despite being a former edge of Europe country and having suffered war recently, the countryside and the city are much more consistently wealthy than, say, the suburbs of Tallinn or Prague which felt much more poorer than the centres of these capitals. That said, it is not a wealthy capital either, as a lot of buildings need graffiti removing and a general lick of paint. However, there are fewer tourists which is very pleasant and it is a genuinely pretty place with a great café/bar culture and enough interesting views to keep me interested. Take this one of the Cathedral:

Or this one looking towards Novi Zagreb:

Some might say that this is spoilt by the tower but throughout you get these architectural hints of former regimes within the country. It does not feel overly like a capital city and it is hard to work what keeps the city economically working other than the ministries and the shopping. This is a city still getting used to being a capital and one could almost overlook the parliament:

But this building does tell us something about the questions I was asking before I arrived: identity. You would be forgiven for thinking that Croatia is already a member of the European Union and not just a candidate country. This is a country very much looking towards Europe. Yet at the same time the leading news story on the national news is the fact that the UN has passed a resolution encouraging dialogue between Croatia’s neighbours Serbia and Kosovo. The national identity is very proud but in some ways is defined not in terms of what or who they ARE but in terms of what they want to be (European) or move away from (former Yugoslav republic). So over the coming days it will be interesting to see if this first analysis is right and what a wider geographic & cultural spread means for Europe. As I said in my first Zagreb post, travel brings as many new questions as answers.

Zagreb: Somewhere for the First Time

Travelling is always filled with a mixture of emotions: personal feelings about you, what you are leaving behind and what you are travelling to. For me, there are questions to be asked and answers to be searched out on every trip.

I am sitting on the plane to Zagreb with the entire emergency exit row to myself. My father would be proud of keeping the family tradition of ensuring leg roon! I have now finished the guidebook a friend lent me and the few pages I copied from the Lonely Planet (no point lugging the entire thing). The personal emotions I am travelling with are that I feel a little guilty to be doing this with Mother’s operation on Tuesday (but I am back for that) and not bringing Bro (though I am not sure he would want to come and he’s had days out/Weddings to contend with). It’s been booked a while and I think having a little break will be good for me but it is a little scarey. I have travelled a fair amount with work but this is the first time that I have done it alone. This trip was planned after my realisation of how much of Europe that is left to be seen after watching the Eurovision song contest. I am writing a PhD on the subject s of Europe so I should at least have an idea of its edges!

Reading the history Zagreb, the city is one of those parts of the former Yugoslavia which was not itself damaged by the various wars in the early 90s and instead was simply the national focus for Croatian independence. Unlike the Croatian coast or the capital of Serbia (the former Yugoslav capital of Belgrade), there are fewer hints that this country is a former member of a republic of some six countries. Having spent centuries tied into a variety of empires and still retaining some sense of national identity, it will be interesting to see how this new state combines its independence with its drive to be part of the new coalition of states as a member of the EU. The combination of personal, national and a ‘corporate’, cross-continental identities is an issue facing all members of the EU but it a new state it must be more complicated.

Croatian is often portrayed as the pretty, safe, modern country compared to some rather less safe Western Balkan sister. Indeed, in some ways, it has preferred to look to Europe than to its neighbours. Yet this was the country that in 1996 waged a war against its Serbian neighbours to defend ‘the homeland’ and its conscience is a little less clean than one might expect. Zagreb itself was divided for centuries and indeed one of the streets is called ‘Bloody Bridge’ – the link where so many battles were felt between the two sites. If the pretty sister in the Western Balkan family, I do wonder if it is a little grittier than first appearances would tell.

As whenever I travel, there seems to be album which accompanies me. This time I have Brandon Flowers’ debut solo album on repeat play which is the sort of music I particularly like: angst-filled, indie music combining guitars, piano and good lyrics. Bro would label my angst-ridden, black music but I really do see it as fairly positive; depression is always tinted with a silver lining!! Who could not love the work with lines like “Why did you role the dice? Show your cards? Jilted lovers and broken hearts? You’re out on a whim. Only time will tell.” (Jilted Lovers and Broken Heards) and “We’re caught in the cross fire of heaven and hell and we’re searching for shelter […] Tell the Devil he can go back from where he came […] And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fears”(Crossfire)?

So what will I find in Zagreb? Some kind of personal revelation? Some new insight into European culture? A city where divisions are not explicit but nuanced? A mixed sense of identity: national, European or other? As my album of choice points out, some sort of crossed/torn identity (for me and the city)? Or simply that travel throws up more questions than it answers. And that’s one of the reasons we do it.

Living with MND

As many of you know, my mother is dying from MND. Many would use the word ‘suffering’ but I am not sure that that quite encapsulates the process. There is but one end to this. It relentlessly eats away. This is particularly true for the form that my Mother has, Progressive Bulbar Palsy, where time frames are particularly short and each day some slight bodily function seems to be lost never to be regained. In the coming days she is being operated on to have a feeding tube installed; another step on the path. 

There is growing awareness of MND; there’s the MND Association’s campaign using ‘Patrick The Incurable Optimist’ (a good awareness raising technique though I worry about him being subject to media manipulation but thus far it has been excellently managed), the blogs of the likes of Prof D. Mark Cato (an excellent chronicler of how this disease eats away at the body and life from an upper middle class perspective) and blog entries by those who are not directly affected by the disease but moved by it (e.g. ‘Thoroughly Good’). This makes it a little easier and less necessary to explain the ins and outs of the disease, as these people do it far better than I ever could.

In simple terms, the disease stops the functioning of the nerves which tell the muscles what to do. In my mother’s case this is happening in the mouth, throat and respiratory system areas. Eating, drinking and even breathing are becoming hard work. Gradually now she is losing mobility in her limbs – the left foot has a permanent limp and the left hand is less responsive. We suspect the right is going the same way though this is less obvious. She is gradually losing weight and find even the simplest things are tiring and take far longer than they ever used to.

It was hard on holiday witnessing the affects knowing the woman as she was but also inspiring watching my mother fight it day by day:

• The woman who helped me learn how to swim now needs help swimming but is determined to join us in the pool.
• The woman who washed me in the bath as a child, resists us supporting her in the bath, even though occasionally it makes life easier. 
• The woman who used to cook all the family’s meal, only allows Bro and I to help occasionally; we, as her children, are still seen as the ones who need caring for. 
• The woman who would have walked the walls of Carcassonne without thinking now has to do with a tour on a French 'town train' but wants to see the world around her. 
• The woman who seemed to drink a coffee every 20 minutes now takes 20 minutes to manage even half a cup but wants to spend the time chatting with her friends with her drink.  
• The woman who has proof-read nearly every single one of my essays and dissertations, still helps me out with a word for an essay and to shape my thinking on issues. 

You see, though the body works slower, the brain has no problem.  The kindness of the people that we tell and their understanding is astonishing.  Yes, you find the odd company (Barclaycard, Our Burglar Alarm Firm etc.) who badly manage things (and at times ignoring any anti-discrimination legislation) but on the whole one has been impressed with the NHS, with the kindness of colleagues and the thoughtfulness of strangers.  So in another way, we are not 'suffering' this disease but learning to live with it.

Research Update - Nationally and My Own

So where have I been?  Well here there and everywhere if I am honest - I presume you've been checking out the twitter feed?!    Well the essay on 'what counts as education' has now been completed as has the redraft of the journal article.  Only the small issue of a Literature Review Chapter to plan and write.  It is all taking a bit longer than I ever predict - coupled with an extra trip home next week! 

Whilst things have been going steadily with the research, the university world around me has been continually moving forward and is a little worried about the cuts going forward.  Even today, Universities UK used a press release about their conference to raise concerns that the UK's investment of 1.3% of GDP into Higher Education is below the OECD's average of 1.5% of GDP.  Furthermore, the patterns of international mobility are changing with the UK as the second most popular destination but Canada, Australia and New Zealand all increasing their shares.  Indeed, the OECD says that governments should increase the amount they spend on Tertiary education to firm up their economic growth.  Listening to the noises coming from the coalition government, I would be asking more 'how deep are the cuts' (25% upwards is my guess) rather whether there should be cuts. 

One of the blogs I read regularly is Research Fundermentals which has some of the best news of what is happening in the research funding world.  Included this week has been a discussion on impact and an article talking by a report from the Society of Scholarly Publishing on the fact that peer reviewing is important.  They argue that given all the non-peer reviewed sources out there academic journals are more important.  I am not so sure.  The BBC produced a report on the growth of social networking sites and the way that we interact.  Now I have blogged about this in the past but it is clear that certain media are growing (facebook and twitter) and certain shrinking (flikr and myspace).  The way we interact is constantly changing and who we consider an audience is important.  So whilst we the peer reviewed article will be important in academic circles (and after the time I have spent on one this week, I do hope so), we really do need to look more widely so that research affects the world more widely. 

So why have I brought these three elements: my research taking time, the potential cuts and the way we communicate our research?  Well because I do not believe them to be separate.  Research takes time - and a lot of it - and is also very personal to the individual.  The freedom to do research must be defended but perhaps the risks of funding cuts is down to the way communicate this work and its findings.  The undergraduate degree has been opened up to nearly 50% of the population and research affects our country in so many ways but appears so closed.  Engagement in a fuller, newer way with the wider community using technology or whatever methods is important.  Until our presence is felt our funding will always be endangered.