The RSA Blog

Collaboration in the face of chill winds

Blog

13 Mar 2009

This week has brought profound jolts with respect to political and economic predictions on climate change, the first from Rajendra Pachauri, leading the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He seriously doubts that the US will be able to make the pledge needed on carbon reduction. This is frightening given the latest revision on sea levels which has been given wide press coverage this week. Scientists think their rise will be nearly twice as much as they previously reckoned, which would be disastrous for an estimated 600 million people (the UK population was 60.5 million in 2006).

The G20 and the challenge of leadership

Blog

13 Mar 2009

Matthew Taylor

I am being interviewed this afternoon as part of a public engagement exercise ahead of the G20. So I was interested to read Philip Stephens’ piece in this morning’s FT. Maybe Stephens knows more than he is letting on because the piece gives great many reasons to be pessimistic about the G20 before ending up on a positive note.

Teach me what to ask for: literacy, numeracy, design!

Blog

13 Mar 2009

We went down to Cornwall last week to meet a number of people. The prompt was the Design Council's next public engagement exercise, Dott Cornwall, which shares the spirit our own hypothesis: that if you give people design, they become more self-reliant. 

Celebrating innovation

Blog

13 Mar 2009

I am quietly reassured when I read things in the media like this courtesy of Eric Allison. This week, Timpson, the shoe people, announced a new Academy at Liverpool prison to train up prisoners with a view to employ them on release. Yet another example of some of the fantastic initiatives in this sector. Bravo Timpson!

Stern changes predictions: says now we have to contemplate six degrees

Blog

12 Mar 2009

Today at Copenhagen, Nicholas Stern admits his 2006 Stern Report underestimated the gravity of the problem - not so much the economics of it, or in terms of the more recent data coming in, but the stunning lack of political response:

Children's education and welfare - no going back

Blog

12 Mar 2009

Directors of Children's Services have the 'job from hell' since the merger of local authorities' education and children's services, according to John Dunford of the ASCL. His argument is that a remit that makes one person accountable for the overall welfare and outcomes of all children in the borough will inevitably lead directors to prioritise avoidance of extreme abuse and neglect,  and make it difficult for schools to claim attention. His warning comes in the run up to the publication of Lord Laming's review into the changes.

1906 SF earthquake "a hoax"

Blog

12 Mar 2009

Touching on denialism in that earlier post, there's a piece on The Guardian website today about the deniers' conference held this week in New York, Global warming - Was it ever a crisis?

The 'realities' of the miners' strike

Blog

12 Mar 2009

Matthew Taylor

I am really looking forward to today’s RSA Thursday. Lord Kinnock and former Conservative Minister for Coal, Lord Hunt, will be responding to David Hencke and Francis Beckett’s new history of the miners’ strike.  

Do we need a Charter for Rehabilitation?

Blog

12 Mar 2009

What would it do, what would it mean?