The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire
In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire
UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović
US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire
Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović
Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog. We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
The Losing Battle to Get Public Sector ?TWaTs? Back in the Office Thu Jul 25, 2024 19:06 | Richard Eldred
Years on from Covid, Civil Service 'TWaTs' (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday office workers) are harming productivity and leaving desks empty. The Telegraph's Tom Haynes explains how this remote work trend affects us all.
The post The Losing Battle to Get Public Sector ?TWaTs? Back in the Office appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
?Prepare to Go to Jail,? Judge Tells Just Stop Oil Art Vandals Thu Jul 25, 2024 17:00 | Richard Eldred
Guilty and about to face the consequences, two Just Stop Oil activists who hurled tomato soup at a Van Gogh masterpiece have been told to prepare for prison.
The post ?Prepare to Go to Jail,? Judge Tells Just Stop Oil Art Vandals appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Hundreds of Thousands Are Ditching the Licence Fee ? And It?s a Crisis for the BBC Thu Jul 25, 2024 15:00 | Richard Eldred
With an £80 million revenue drop and growing calls for a licence fee boycott, BBC bosses are struggling to prove that Britain's biggest broadcaster remains worth the cost.
The post Hundreds of Thousands Are Ditching the Licence Fee ? And It?s a Crisis for the BBC appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Democratic Party Clown Show Continues, With Giggles Replacing Bozo Thu Jul 25, 2024 13:00 | Tony Morrison
Biden's sudden exit and the canonisation of his hopeless VP is a dismal chapter in American politics ? one that will further erode trust in the democratic process, says Tony Morrison.
The post The Democratic Party Clown Show Continues, With Giggles Replacing Bozo appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
?Climate Change? Used to Justify Government?s Record ?Investment? in Renewables. Cui Bono? Not the T... Thu Jul 25, 2024 11:05 | Richard Eldred
The Government is using the excuse of 'climate change' to justify the largest taxpayer 'investment' in wind and solar farms in British history.
The post ?Climate Change? Used to Justify Government?s Record ?Investment? in Renewables. Cui Bono? Not the Taxpayer appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en
Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en
Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en
Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en
Voltaire Network >>
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Jump To Comment: 1There is a conspicuous lack of online discussion about this issue. The Community Workers Co-Operative has, true to form, come up with a short and well-written position statement. But where is the public reaction & discussion online? If anybody can point me in the direction of one, please oblige me.
Meanwhile I have some questions and points to kick off something here.
First, am I alone in thinking that the current crisis in the Community Development Programme began when CRAGA Minister Eamon Cuiv began his flawed mission to streamline the landscape of local and community development? He has been pushing for these changes since long before the panic surrounding the public finances.
Second, while acknowledging that many CDP staff and volunteers fear being muzzled or worse under Partnership Company structures, is it all bad news? I would have thought that the injection of CDP vision and community development principles and practice would be a welcome boost for at least some Partnership Companies. It might even, in some cases, result in a shake-up in Partnership Companies which have allowed gaps to open between the rhetoric and the reality.
Third, it is difficult to be anything other than cynical about the emphasis on evaluation of the CDPs. I remember when there was a so-called evaluation of the Citizen Traveller campaign some years ago. The poorly argued reasons for shutting it down were made more nauseating by the fact that official government reaction to the campaign had been uniformly positive up until a few months before it was shut down.
Fourth, on the more general question of evaluation, do we as community workers simply accept it as a fact of life, when we do not see evidence of any evaluation of other, much more costly, government expenditures? When was the last time we saw any serious evaluation of our prison system? Or of that part of FAS that provides training for young disadvantaged people? Or of the national roads system? Or of any section of the Dept of Education and Science? Would any of them EVER face the risk of closure, for failing to reach some standard? And how dishonest is it to forecast the closure of some CDPs, when any half-decent formative evaluation will point to areas where the projects need to be strengthened.
Fifth, is the Government's agenda with regard to the CDPs clear? It can not simply be about money. Even the most short-sighted hard-nosed officials in the Dept of Finance must see what we see: the investment of core funding attracting additional finances and voluntary expertise that have continued to excite a multiplier effect of community action in areas of economic disadvantage, and within disadvantaged communities of interest. So what is the government's objective here? Any takers?
Sixth, is there any sign of emerging solidarity between CDP staff / volunteers and other interested entities, such as political parties, trade unions, church groups, community workers in the public service?
Seventh, is there any strategy being considered, aside from informing public debate, to save the CDPs? For example, considering the strength of the programme nationally, is anybody talking about making the leap nationally from participative to representative democracy, i.e. by targeting marginal constituencies, and running candidates in the forthcoming General Election? The government will probably fall, and with any luck two or three seats would be enough to bargain for retention of the programme.