Power and Powerlessness
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 by Chris DurkinThe news has been awash with tales of woe. These have varied from the current fuel crisis, problems with the economy, debates about the extension of detention without trial for 42 days, child poverty and ongoing concerns about levels of crime in our communities. Although many of these issues may be considered in part global issues, requiring intergovernmental responses, as individuals they leave us powerless.
The powerlessness has led to the rise of single issue politics. This is in part, I believe, due to an increasing disillusionment with party politics in general and central Government in particular. This is not meant as a dig at the Labour Party, because you could see this disillusionment with party politics occurring a long time before New Labour came to power. However, this rise in single issue politics has a consequence for all Governments, leading them to be constantly reacting to events rather than setting the agenda.
Protecting Children
There are parallels within the world of child welfare. Recently in preparation for a conference paper I have been revisiting the whole issue of child protection in the U.K. As part of this preparation I was reading Harry Ferguson
Tags: Assessment, Child protection, Power
