The news just now had poor old Gordon Brown wriggling on a hook about the economic collapse around the world. Gordon rightly said you need to diagnose the problem before you come up with the solution, then ignored his own advice by talking about robust regulation, strongest possible regulation, global regulation. He's right and also wrong. It all depends what you mean by regulation.
The idea of Popper's Nightmare is that this steady process of centralisation has been going on for years, the slow undermining of local practice and knowledge leads to a position where local knowledge and the structures that support it is destroyed. Technology plays a part in this, just as it plays a part in the re-animation. But, if you were the bloke in Central HQ facing an imminent election, and not terribly popular, you might not want to think about long term solutions to the crisis screaming in your face. BUT, a short term knee jerk increase in centralised power weilding (often what politicians mean by Robust Regulation, Strong Regulation, and Global Regulation) is going to make things worse. It keeps us locked into the nightmare.
Still, as this is likely to be the strategy, the rest of us need to think up some tactics. Humour, and humanity, theatre and maybe music, poetry perhaps. Antidotes to the boredom and lifelessness inflicted by the increasing administering of rules and their policing.
We should wish each other luck.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
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2 comments:
I attended the PLG today as an 'observer'. A strange state of elected passivety, condemned to listen but not to speak. The appointed furrowed their brows. Forms of words were earnestly drafted as microphones flashed red. Supervision for ever was one of the cries.
Late in life Bion deflated the word 'supervision'. The heart of the matter is only ever between therapist and patient. If asked he could only offer a 'second opinion'.
I think this is a fine blog. Thank you Janet.
Hello urban dream machine, good to hear from you here. It is an extraordinary accomplishment to be able to sit silently and not utter a word even when some members at the table say the most ridiculous things. So many seem really out of their intellectual dept, others seem in their deliciously pernicious element. The idea that 11 people can sort out a century's debate in a few days is, well, either it's daft, or it is dangerous. Your dream machine is needed - we are in rather desperate need of a third way... Janet
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