Latest thinking

The consequences of throwing stones - and this time I really mean it

Blog

19 Aug 2011

Matthew Taylor

Apologies to Shane, Neil and Ian: you all commented on a post I wrote at Sydney airport on Wednesday afternoon which I then comprehensively rewrote when I got to Bangkok nine hours later. The original post was called ‘the consequences of throwing stones’ and contrasted the punishment being meted out to rioters and looters with the way those who behaved irresponsibly in the financial sector have got away Scot-free. I don’t sleep well on planes and at some point in the first leg of my journey back to London I decided the post was trite. But now, back in England, I find myself wanting to make the point more strongly. But this time in the form of an urgent challenge to the Prime Minister.

Can we teach moral reasoning?

Comment

18 Aug 2011

There is currently another curriculum review underway in the UK. Emma Worley asks whether lessons in morality be considered within the review and if schools should 'build character and virtue', how should this be done?

British lovers of tea – A habit that has last for centuries

Blog

18 Aug 2011

By the end of today, 66,000,000 cups of tea will have been consumed in the UK. But have you ever thought about why we developed the habit of drinking tea? Over the course of several hundred years, tea became Britain’s national drink, and in fact is so integral to our routine that it is difficult to imagine British people without drinking tea.

Capital requirements

Blog

17 Aug 2011

Matthew Taylor

At a Fellows' breakfast in Sydney I found myself sitting next to a guy whose work focusses on business innovation with social purpose.  We got to talking about the problems of engaging the investment community in thinking long term. He suggested I look up a speech made recently by Bendigo and Adelaide Bank MD Mike Hirst. Partly because I still haven't got my head round hyper linking on my iPad, I will quote his comments about financial analysts directly;

What's real social enterprise?

Comment

16 Aug 2011

The ‘revolution’ in social enterprise is much wider and more radical than traditional definitions allow for, argues Geof Cox FRSA.

I Love Hackney: why don't the rioters?

Blog

16 Aug 2011

The well viewed video of a woman lecturing rioters in Hackney last Monday reveals an identification with place that is clearly not shared with the young people she is addressing. We need to pay more attention to the ways in which the spaces inhabited by young people differ if we hope to engage young people positively in the shaping of our neighbourhoods.

London Riots 2011

Comment

15 Aug 2011

Comparisons between the disturbances in London and other cities last week should not be overplayed argues Ted Cantle CBE who led a major review of the riots of the early 1980s.

Towards a global network?

Blog

15 Aug 2011

Matthew Taylor

I am writing this in the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge. This really is an amazingly beautiful place and it's not just the delights of the metropolis, there are fantastic beaches within the city and a massive national park - which I visited yesterday - just a few miles away.

Skills, Jobs, Riots - Informal Learning on Monday Night

Blog

12 Aug 2011

It could be argued that for some the conventional skills and employment system no longer works. This is a particularly relevant topic given the recent civil unrest that Britain has seen. Such an observation does not excuse the widespread violence and looting that the past week has seen but it does provide some context to the situation and an indication as to why there are so many who feel the best way to enrich themselves and get something out of their community is by going on a rampage.