by David Steven | Mar 27, 2007 | Conflict and security, Cooperation and coherence
In 2003, I wrote ‘A Long Peace’, a pamphlet on Northern Ireland with Unionist politician Trevor Ringland and nationalist writer Mick Fealty (founder of Slugger O’Toole). At the time we wrote that:
British and Irish governments are braced for a scenario where the DUP and Sinn Fein eventually emerge as Northern Ireland’s two largest political parties. Should this happen, a titanic ‘battle of the bottom lines’ will ensue.
That battle ended yesterday, it seems, as the DUP’s Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams sat next to each other for the first time, and then agreed to serve together in government. Four years ago, we were optimistic that this might happen (other commentators were sure that the marginalisation of moderate politicians was a sign of impending disaster). We used to the Prisoner’s Dilemma to model what we thought might be going on: (more…)
by David Steven | Mar 27, 2007 | North America
In the US, presidential candidates are struggling to get hip with the MySpace generation. ValueWiki has lots of links and a question:
How will the web audience respond to these Web 2.0 methods of campaigning. Will MySpace video blogs from aging U.S. senators be regarded with cynicism?
by Alex Evans | Mar 27, 2007 | Climate and resource scarcity, Economics and development, Global system
George Monbiot has a piece in today’s Guardian calling for a five year ban on biofuels. He writes:
In 2004 I warned, on these pages, that biofuels would set up a competition for food between cars and people. The people would necessarily lose: those who can afford to drive are richer than those who are in danger of starvation. It would also lead to the destruction of rainforests and other important habitats. I received more abuse than I’ve had for any other column – except for when I attacked the 9/11 conspiracists. I was told my claims were ridiculous, laughable, impossible. Well in one respect I was wrong. I thought these effects wouldn’t materialise for many years. They are happening already.
But, as he goes on to point out, since last year the price of maize has doubled, the price of wheat is at a 10 year high, and global grain stockpiles are at a 25 year low. And there have been food riots in Mexico because of the price of corn. A taste of what’s to come…
by David Steven | Mar 26, 2007 | Conflict and security
In 1953, during the Korean War, Ed Schein was ordered to Travis Air Force Base to interview returning prisoners of war, some of whom were thought to have collaborated with their Chinese captors and come to believe in the superiority of the Chinese communist system.
Chinese tactics were to encourage POWs into minor examples of disloyalty (admitting that America had faults), get them to commit to this position (by writing and signing a list of faults), and then to share their perspective with a wider group (in discussion sessions, or on radio broadcast).
According to Schein: “Only a few men were able to avoid collaboration altogether, the majority collaborated at one time or another by doing things which seemed to them trivial but which the Chinese were able to turn to their own advantage.”
Schein’s classic 1961 book – Coercive Persuasion – boiled down the experience to eight key lessons which Schein believes provide a model for organisational change: (more…)
by David Steven | Mar 24, 2007 | Climate and resource scarcity
The days when a whole country watched the same programme at the same time are long gone – much to the chagrin of television executives. But there’s a compensation – thanks to YouTube. With a viral polemic, you get an international debate around a series of virtual water coolers.
The Great Global Warming Swindle exploits this trend to the full. The full length version has clocked 200,000 views with as many watching various extracts. Add in other sites, in particular Google Video, and I’m guessing at a current web audience of a million. The audience will keep coming as well. Perhaps for another couple of years.
Now of course, not many of these viewers will have watched to the end. But that doesn’t matter a jot. (more…)
