Rising Curve Blog http://risingcurve.org/blog/ Debate and discussion - the Rising Curve blog en Copyright 2010 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:25:51 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2ysb5-20051201 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss In for a penny... You crawl through the traffic chaos approaching a set of roadworks. As you pass them you give a sigh of relief, which lasts a couple of miles until you reach the next lot. You fight off the anger and rising sense of desperation and take the chance to think for a few minutes.

Across the region there are areas where there is an almost endless stream of road construction projects going on. Some of these are works brought forward by the government’s infrastructure spending intended to help stabilise - and hopefully even boost - the economy.

And now we have a national debate about government spending that is being conducted in simplistic, populist terms – “we need big cuts now”, “we need no cuts now” . . . . and on, and on, rolling over the shallow, delusional and self-serving territory over which national politics always seems to be conducted in the run up to the election.

Roadworks are one example of helpful spending on infrastructure that will pay dividends in terms of economic growth and public convenience long after the election and the quieting of the current puerile debate about spending. Some types of social expenditure really do result in long-term investment, providing rewards well into the future that more than justify the initial cost.

There are other forms of spending that we know are more debateable – although not necessarily wrong. We can understand these issues. We can debate them. The worry is that we end up with an election campaign that excludes us from these debates, almost lulling us into disengagement with an issue of long term importance. Then once the election is over the region and our local communities will have no chance of participating in these important decisions.

Perhaps before polling day we should encourage our national politicians to spend a little more time in these traffic jams, where they will be able to reflect on the road building programme and other government infrastructure initiatives. Maybe this period of reflection will help them think of ways in which they could start to have a serious debate with us about it rather than indulging in the same old childish slanging match.


]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2010/04/in_for_a_penny.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2010/04/in_for_a_penny.html Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:25:51 +0000 Go green, go wild, let your lawn go We should all be looking at our lifestyles to see how we might become greener, in terms of protecting the environment and in particular cutting down on harmful gas emissions.  When Lord Stern talks about people cutting out meat to save the planet (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6891362.ece) this is what he is really getting at – fundamentally looking at every aspect of our lives in a different way.  We need to spot check through the green lens things we have previously taken for granted.

This is daunting, but probably easier to make a start on, and make a significant difference, than we might expect.  Take lawns.  They are almost the mark of civilised British, suburban life.  A neatly manicured lawn says a lot about the inhabitants of the house.  But it takes a lot of work, and energy, to maintain and has no positive environmental benefit. 

Ah, you say, but we are green with our lawn, we put the cuttings into a big green bin and every 2 weeks or so the council come and take it away for . . .  something. 

Well they in part take it away to meet targets for the amount of green collection they do, and for little real environmental benefit.  Then there is the environmental cost of the collections.

Just let your lawn grow, and seed it with wild flowers.  Cut it back about twice a year and place the cuttings on to your own compost heap in the garden.  You’ll have a good supply of compost for the vegetables you have started growing (you have, haven’t you?), wild life will prefer the lawn and flowers helping them to flourish and there will be less consumption of CO2 emitting fuels.  In time you’ll come to prefer the wild to the manicured look, and have more time to enjoy it instead of cutting it.

Making greener choices in your life is easier to start than you might have assumed.  Go green, go wild, let your lawn go.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/11/go_green_go_wild_let_your_lawn.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/11/go_green_go_wild_let_your_lawn.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:52:40 +0000 The boys in the (banking) bubble  We are in danger of losing the plot and momentum with banking reform in this country.  Populist calls to curb bankers’ bonuses (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3733afa4-c276-11de-be3a-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1) are cheap and fail to grasp the real nature of how we got into the credit crunch and the future challenges we face.  We cannot blame what happened to the economy solely on bankers’ bonuses .  They were part of a complex system and culture – and only a small part. 

Global economic developments – like the trade imbalance between China and other economies, and the greater interconnection of global finance – were overlaid on the ways that we had structured and promoted our national finance system, which in turn were interwoven with the financial culture we developed over the last thirty or so years – expectations of credit and consumption beyond our means, something too many of us were happy to play along with in the bubble.

How then are rhetorical demands to curb City bonuses going to get us out of this?  They aren’t.  They won’t work.  They are cheap headline grabbers.  Which is not to say we should not examine more closely the issue of bonuses, but not in this tin drum banging way.

The Midlands has been bearing the brunt of the recession as its manufacturing industries are once again pounded.  The area needs a reformed banking system which is more connected to and supportive of the manufacturing economy.  We need banks that can take longer-term investment decisions to support manufacturing and the innovation we need for a more economically and environmentally sustainable future. 

Part of the banking system needs to turn away from the seduction of quick profits from financial innovations and look to investments in greener technologies and other innovative sectors.  We need our politicians to play a leading role in drawing together the intellectual understanding of how to do this, such as examining where investment and commercial banking could be separated to manage risks and how the investment side could then be encouraged to support the development of manufacturing.  Wasting their time, the media’s time and our time on cheap grandstanding about banking bonuses is irritating and distracts from these real issues.

 

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/11/the_boys_in_the_banking_bubble.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/11/the_boys_in_the_banking_bubble.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:37:07 +0000 High-speed rail links
We can’t get carried away.  There’s a long way to go with the idea with further proposals to come, then planning, then permissions, then etc. etc.  . . dare we say from conception to a delayed reaction?  But the prospects are promising.  

The arguments have largely been aired.  The capacity issues we need to face with in a decade or so with the existing rail infrastructure compel us to begin to address the challenge now.

The environment is a handy argument to use in the current climate (excuse us again).  It may be something of a distraction, though.  The environment is important, but the environmental impact of a new high-speed line is far from clear.  It will probably mean more journeys – and in that lies something more of the rationale for the line.  The history of transport has been one of more journeys when new developments happen – bringing social and economic benefits with that.

The obsession with London is painful in the discussions about the possible line.  Sure, all of the cities on the new line will have quicker links to London – but they will also have quicker links to each other too.  A journey time of around 30 minutes between Birmingham and Manchester, for instance.  What are the implications of that for the two cities?  Can they become a more powerful economic powerhouse joined together and provide the geographic and sectored diversity our economy greatly needs?  And then there are the links into Europe through high-speed rail.

But what is not being well considered in the public debates about high-speed rail is what will a new line mean for the region beyond Birmingham?  We can see the argument both ways – positive or negative.  It may be an opportunity to move investment into the wider region and, for example, build a habitable place for people who wish to use the high-speed train.  Or a link could mean that Birmingham builds a stronger economic centre but that others beyond that do not benefit.

If a high-speed rail link is coming it could be here in about 10 years.  But now is the time to start to think and debate and plan for the implications for the whole region of its arrival.  Are we as a region jumping on board or sitting in the waiting room?

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/09/highspeed_rail_links.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/09/highspeed_rail_links.html Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:33:51 +0000 Print or be damned
Yet technology, in particular the internet, is threatening the existence of local newspapers – the Birmingham Post is the latest to openly discuss options for its future (http://blogs.birminghampost.net/news/2009/08/why-the-birmingham-post-must-c.html).  With national newspapers reviewing their incomes and strategies, and some considering charging for their online content, local media are not going to be immune.

A vibrant local media is important for local society and democracy – but has the local media been that vibrant in recent years, even before the internet mushroomed?  A decline in revenues may be partly due to competition from other media, or may be walking hand-in-hand with a lack of relevance and connections with local people.

Those running local media in the Midlands need to review their strategies (and ideas about future income) and their connection with the region.  Some thoughts:

-    If your paper has a souring instead of soaring relationship with local communities, is going to fewer or thinner papers the longer-term answer, or is it to find ways to forge greater links with readers?  Grasp the opportunity for more debate, to reflect more cultures and, perhaps, to reflect more widely the region rather than the narrower niche currently occupied.  The Birmingham Post, for instance, seems to like to bask in a sense of glory from covering the region when it suits it, but does its heart or its content really make that wider connection beyond the outer ringroad?
-    Syndicating national content is not the answer to the need to build a stronger local connection.  It may help to fill part of a stronger website (which most local media need to continue to work on) but will not make and sustain the local connections needed for readership and advertising.
-    If blogs are taking away readers (by stirring more interesting debate?), is the option to start your own newspaper’s blog placing the same kind of content on line, or to link with the bloggers being read and see what they might do for your local media?  
-    Similarly, social networking and media web sites such as Facebook, youtube and flickr are full of vibrant local content and networks of people.  Have our local print media exploited all potential links with these groups?

There are so many options and ideas for the local press.  We need strong local media – local news and debate cannot be left in the hands of interest groups or dispersed across the internet.  The future may not be as definite and cosy as many would want for local media...but we should never waste a crisis.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/09/print_or_be_damned.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/09/print_or_be_damned.html Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:17:18 +0000 Away from the gloom In these hard pressed times it is heart-warming to celebrate some good news for the Midlands’ economy.  The news of fifteen West Midlands business collecting Queen’s Awards for Enterprise is excellent and shows the dynamism of local firms.

Another piece of news is the near miracle of the ‘Tipton possession’.  Over the Easter bank holiday, with good weather and even better planning, the construction of a tunnel under the west coast main train line in Tipton took a huge step forward when the tunnel lining was pushed into place below the rail line.  The construction company took ‘possession’ of the rail line for the weekend in order to do the job, and any over-run would have resulted in huge penalties for all involved.  The facts of the job get a little anoraky but are worth a close look, as is the timelapse photography film now on line. Other photos of possession and the locality are available here.

It is easy to focus on bad news, and to only berate the rail industry when things go wrong.  We should also give credit where it is due.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/04/away_from_the_gloom.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/04/away_from_the_gloom.html Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:49:12 +0000 The Rowley Hills – re-connecting with a deep past for a better future Taking a walk recently across the Rowley Hills our minds wandered as far as the views. After over a century of building its economy on the local geography and geology it is time the Black Country took another positive view of its deeper history and natural assets.

The Black Country’s future must lie in a more forward-looking image than its decayed industrial one.  Whilst the roots of the industrial history are important the Black Country must not become trapped in that version of the past.  It has to construct itself as a more desirable place to live, not just a shopping area, nor a convenient geographical base for distribution companies, nor stirring views.  These simply mean that those with more wealth can commute into and out of the Black Country, depriving the boroughs of economic and social capital.

Which was the perspective we got from the top of the Rowley Hills.  They include Turners Hill, which, at around 270 metres above sea level, offers incredible panoramas across the West Midlands.  Across the conurbation through Oldbury, West Bromwich and over to the suburbs and the city centre of Birmingham.  On the other side, across Old Hill, Netherton and Brierley Hill towards Clent Hills, the Wrekin and beyond.  Amazing to think that the Black Country area you survey from up there was once a forest with small hamlets dotted around – the ‘ley’ in Dudley, Cradley etc. means a clearing in the woods.  These are views that can inspire art (click here to view), which is perhaps surprising to you if you have not been up there.

The Hills were formed from volcanic activity and then the quarrying of the Rowley Rag, a hard basaltic rock, an important source of road surfacing material.  The Planet Art sculptures now placed at points across the hills celebrate this history – being made from the Rag, and depicting scenes from other important economic activities such as mining and manufacturing.

But in thinking about regenerating the area it is important to not get locked into this particular historical period and that experience of the Black Country.  For example, considering the Rowley Hills, we ought to think of a longer history, to the time of the leys.  There is still a strong village mindset within most of the Black Country, despite the fact the once dense, partitioning forests have given way to a blurred merging of places.  This can be a positive thing to work with – the sense of community – in these times of economic and social questioning.

The hills also ought to be looked on as part of a green belt within the conurbation and protected and opened up as such.  Already the housing developments have encroached across the hills.  It is time to stop and leave the rest as an officially designated natural urban park, opened up with better facilities to encourage more to come and enjoy the walks.  The benefits to the image of the area, to people’s health and even to the inspiration of more local artists will be great.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/04/the_rowley_hills_reconnecting.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/04/the_rowley_hills_reconnecting.html Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:37:37 +0000 An update on The Public
There are two main lessons we can learn from The Public saga:

1. Poor management – the managers behind the original project could not cope with the scale of the project. They didn’t have the expertise to plan the work and manage the budget. Hence, the extensive overrun and ballooning of cost. In future, better project planning and management are needed for such work, with more upfront consideration given to the management skills of the team behind the project. To simply give the work to a team who had the artistic vision was misguided.

2. A vision lost in space – the team behind the original idea seem to have become isolated along with their vision. As the walls of the building were constructed they became more entrapped within them, losing contact with the local communities they were meant to serve. The grand visions they could dream became the reality for them. Space to them became the innovative design of the building and an unrealistic plan for a cyber-space gallery – the section that has still not opened, and the part that visitors will eventually have to pay to visit. The space beyond this, the reality in which local people live, became much too far removed from the dream of those planning the centre.

The centre is trapped in its own world, removed from the local community. This has fed the poor quality, negative media coverage, political wrangling and low public understanding and commitment to the arts centre. As the centre is now in the hands of new management under the Sandwell Leisure Trust for a trial period (for three months, though surely not enough time) there is an opportunity to break out of this trap, a legacy of the original management team.

There are some encouraging signs. Recent events, including a Sunday afternoon concert by the Sandwell Youth Jazz Orchestra (http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcclark/3365232562/), and a weekend long beer and music festival have had crowds flocking in. The reason is clear: events which connect with the local communities are appreciated and attended. This is not to say that events have to be limited in scope. The recent ‘Stories in Six Words’ project has shown that artistic activities can be challenging yet also rooted in local lives. Through works such as these we can see Sandwell beginning to construct and assert a positive self-image enhancing the confidence of local people and giving outsiders a better perspective on the borough.

We wish the new owners well and offer our support in their exciting endeavour to reconnect the Public to the local communities. In six words? Public and Sandwell have bright future.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/04/an_update_on_the_public.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/04/an_update_on_the_public.html Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:20:44 +0000 Challenging protectionism It was good to see Lord Mandelson making a strong case against protectionism (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7863047.stm) in relation to the disputes that originated at the Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Lincolnshire.

In any circumstances protests against the use of foreign labour would have the stink of racism about them. In this case it is also part of a wider campaign for protectionist measures in Britain and in other parts of the world. If this really gains momentum, and if the politicians turn out to be opportunistic enough to put some of these ideas into practice, then the potential for damage to the world economy is enormous.

Some of the big US exporters are fully aware of this and are lobbying to fight the “Buy America” clauses in Obama’s proposed stimulus package (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/industrials/article5587443.ece). Obama had a tendency to play the protectionist card during his election campaign and some of the more astute commentators noticed the danger of this at the time (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article4597395.ece). We need to hope that sense starts to prevail before real harm is done.

The motor industry has already lobbied hard to gain support, notably in the US but also in the UK (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7853883.stm) and elsewhere. The more astute policy makers have realized that there is no point in subsidizing industries to carry on producing cars that no-one wants to buy, but there is still a lot of pressure from trades union leaders and politicians who have forgotten that this kind of behaviour helped destroy the British motor industry in earlier decades.

There is a case, as has happened in the US, for government to take steps to secure the availability of credit to allow customers to purchase vehicles with finance in the usual way. Given the state of the financial markets this can be extended to support aimed at ensuring that all businesses have access to credit where justified on commercial grounds.

However, intervention in financial markets must not lead to the extension of credit to businesses that do not have a long term future. The practice of banks and other lenders of providing finance where there was a high risk of default is one of the things that got us into this mess in the first place.

Perhaps surprisingly, one of the glimmers of hope and sense on the issue of protectionism has come from Russia, where communities affected by an asinine increase in tariffs on imported motor vehicles have taken to the streets to protest (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/22/russia-global-economy-cars). This is a good example of how stupid government policy can get, since the direct consequence of the politicians’ actions will be to damage a thriving industry based around the import of cars that helps provide jobs and pay taxes, while supporting domestic motor manufacturing that has proved incapable of restructuring itself and has no future as a viable business.

Firms that do not have a long term future should be allowed to go bust. Companies should be encouraged to restructure and drive down costs; this may well involve seeking cheaper or more productive sources of labour, quite possibly from other countries. The proper and only sustainable response of British workers and their unions is to work with business to help in that process, not to hanker back to some golden age of jobs for life in subsidized industries. The auto unions have played a major part in the destruction of the US car industry and a similar thing is happening with Alitalia (http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1843390,00.html) in Italy. The same poison must be resisted wherever else it turns up if we want to stop the downturn becoming something much more serious.

Glenn

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/02/challenging_protectionism.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2009/02/challenging_protectionism.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:56:47 +0000 Energy policy revisited The recent sharp falls in the oil price have dampened calls for a windfall tax on energy companies, although the profits announced by Shell and BP last week may lead to a revival.

Our concern is that the government is too keen to make demands for falls in fuel prices without taking account of the longer term interest. As we indicated in our earlier contribution, fossil fuel prices need to stay high - at least from the perspective of the consumer - in order to encourage the development of alternative technologies that do less harm to the environment.

Achieving this result will require more from the government than populist insistence on price cuts. Ministers need to be brave enough to force up prices for users, using the revenues collected to support the expansion of other sources of energy.

Policy development also needs more focus on the producer nations. Countries such as Iran, Venezuala and Russia rely on exports of energy for far too large a proportion of their revenues. It may be tempting to watch them suffer as prices collapse, given the way they used the proceeds of inflated prices to defy the democratic  world, but that temptation must be resisted. Long term partnering arrangements that allow these countries to generate funds for investment in proper infrastucture and remove reliance on energy exports are the way forward, as part of an overall strategy of encouraging human rights and democracy.

This approach will require a lot of thought and coordination among the developed economies and there is an  awfully long way to go before something coherent emerges. However, if we are really as concerned about the environment and climate change as we make out, then the effort must be made.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/11/energy_policy_revisited.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/11/energy_policy_revisited.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:03:34 +0000 Hot air, energy policy and a windfall tax
The call for a windfall tax, though, is gathering momentum.  The Think Tank Compass, for instance, has recently joined the call for one (http://www.compassonline.org.uk/campaigns/campaign.asp?n=2773).  Whilst we appreciate some of the motives behind the suggestion, especially as a number of people in the Midlands have been moved down into fuel poverty ratings following recently energy increases, in our view it is on shaky foundations.  Apart from the suspicion that there is a degree of Old Left ‘punish the rich’ mentality behind the idea, the point that energy suppliers make about the need to secure investment in future energy supplies is valid. There are a number of problems with the UK energy system that need addressing, including our limited capacity for storing reserves of gas (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/03/energy.gas). Spot prices for gas (the price for immediate purchase rather than at some date in the future) have fallen significantly recently. The UK needs a drastically improved storage system to take advantage of market fluctuations.

If we accept the need to invest in energy infrastructure then it is better if power companies are allowed to retain profits to finance that investment, rather than appropriating them to meet short term government funding requirements. If there is an area where it is appropriate for the state to interfere in the operation of the market it is to ensure that the funds are used for investment instead of immediate investor returns. On current evidence, however, the interference is not justified in that particular sphere and our view is that there is more likelihood of the energy industry making good long-term decisions than the government.

We would prefer to see a government brokered energy supply reform strategy in which the supply companies agree to a concrete plan to address the problems in the energy supply market.  This would help alleviate longer term structural problems – which a windfall tax would leave unaddressed. Recent events in Georgia have emphasised the critical need to ensure future energy security. Western European governments have relied far too much on energy deals with Russia, often involving bilateral arrangements rather than a unified European energy policy. Attention now needs to focus on meeting long-term energy requirements from reliable sources within the European Union. This would be true even if it meant reliance on existing coal reserves, although it is essential that coal fired power stations are developed and modified to improve efficiency and incorporate carbon capture technology. At the same time we must maximise the use we make of solar, wind and tidal technologies.

In our view nuclear power is also an essential part of the mix. France offers an earlier example of a move away from reliance on insecure external sources of energy to a predominately nuclear model. It is important to note that this was made possible through the will and direction of the French state. In many ways the involvement of the state in the French economy has been unhelpful for the country’s development. In the context of energy policy, however, market forces will not lead to the best outcomes on their own. We earnestly hope that the government has enough sense of its obligations to the our future lives to resist the calls for a windfall tax coming from some unions and the Left. Instead it must do all it can to guarantee future secure supplies by encouraging the power industry to formulate a suitable strategy. It can start immediately by ensuring that the EDF bid for British Energy is concluded as quickly as possible.

We do agree with the calls by some, including Compass, to more closely couple the fuel poverty issues with environmental challenges.  Assistance with fuel poverty would be greatly helped in the longer term by more fuel efficient homes.  Further, more homes supplied with their own micro-generation facilities and renewable energies would be helped out of fuel poverty.  Many of those in fuel poverty live clustered in particular buildings and neighbourhoods so it would be possible to develop neighbourhood energy schemes to assist them.  A national commitment to this would itself offer a major component of future energy policy.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/08/hot_air_energy_policy_and_a_wi.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/08/hot_air_energy_policy_and_a_wi.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:41:10 +0000 Leave The Public alone
Yes, there have been controversies for the centre – the cost, the overrun, questionable planning – but now it is here and is a sorely needed addition to aesthetically challenged West Bromwich.  Challenged in how it looks and in its artistic facilities, but some had a vision to address both problems, and they are to be congratulated for that.

Have they, though, risen to the challenge and produced a building to add culture to West Bromwich?  Well, unlike some we thought we’d wait until the place was open before passing judgement.  We do wish the naysayers and rent-a-quote crowd, such as the Taxpayers Alliance, would have done similarly and thought before they decided and voiced their verdict.  The Black Country stoical perspective on life is often an asset to be commended, but at times it tips over into self-flagellation and denial of the good things in our society their hard work has helped to produce.  Would other areas of the country be so upset and, even worse, so vocal in disapproval that they have a new arts centre which others haven’t had?  No, they’d say ‘thanks, we’ll enjoy that, and by the way we’d now like to have one of these and those’.  

Have years of deprivation and neglect so lowered the desire of the people of Sandwell to enjoy the beautiful things in life, like interesting architecture, nice town spaces, and the arts?  We don’t think so, so why the negative commentary over the centre?  We suspect that much of it has been the usual critics using this as another opportunity for self-publicity and to moan at anyone who tries to do something positive.  This is a shameful attitude that undermines the rest of the community.

We need to dispel a couple of myths that have been allowed to build up as a result of the griping and the lazy coverage about The Public.  First, there is a view that you have to pay to get in.  That is not true – you have to pay to get into the gallery, but that is only one part of the centre.  The rest of the centre is a public building and you can just walk in and use the café and other facilities.  And, at last, there is a small but well-equipped theatre in West Bromwich.

The second myth is that the gallery is like the art galleries in Walsall and Wolverhampton and, so, ought to be free like them.  It is not like those galleries, and those that run the centre in part have themselves to blame for this confusion for calling it a gallery.  It is trying to be something very different – a sort of living artistic computer game, or a real creative Second Life.  As such, comparison with art galleries in nearby towns is not strictly fair, and so the debate about entrance fees should not be based on those grounds.

Will the gallery work?  Will it capture the imagination?  Will it span the generations?  That all remains to be seen.  Should they charge?  We do wonder whether or not it is the right thing for the area, and we wonder if charging (particularly now it has attracted such negative publicity) will deter the local community it is meant to attract in. However, we’ll wait for now and leave it to the market to decide.  But if you don’t like them charging, don’t just sit back and grumble, do something positive and at least be inspired by the spirit of an arts centre.  Mount your own free arts exhibition in the area outside the centre as your protest.  It must be more fun that writing a small minded, grousing letter or email to the local media.

And what of the rest of the building?  Architecturally it makes you stop and look.  It also makes you want to come back and have another look– which is something the old bus depot never did. And the fact there are pink bits to it is nothing new nor controversial for West Bromwich - we remember when the Sandwell pub was painted pink.

It is a bit cramped in its space, particularly at the back, and we do hope there are plans to clear more open ground around it.  Imagine a space in which you could have a picnic on a summer’s evening while they screen a film on the side of the building.  Also, we would have liked a better view out towards the Rowley Hills from the third floor - the gap to the windows is too large, or the windows too small.

Inside it is a stimulating profusion of pipes, struts, pink neon lights and metal cladding.  As you sit on the ground floor and have a coffee you can’t help but let your eye wander to some new facet of the interior.  And surely looking out of the window to see a pink tinted sky must be more uplifting than trudging the scarred high street.

We come back to the point; at last there is an interesting building in West Bromwich.  Do you recall when you were a kid and everything was new and awe-inspiring?  Wasn’t it great - and wouldn’t it be good to have some more of that in your life? Architecture and art can give you that. The Public offers it to those who are prepared to come with an open mind and make up their own mind after actually experiencing the place.

Will The Public work to stimulate and invigorate a new generation to build a better place, or will it inspire them to leave when they see there is another way in life?  We hope it is the former as so many good people come out of the Black Country – and stay that way, out of the Black Country.  But ultimately it is not the moaners and naysayers, it is not the planners, and it is not the centre’s managers who will decide on the future of this interesting new arts centre – it is you, the public who will decide.  Come and give it a go.


]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/07/leave_the_public_alone.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/07/leave_the_public_alone.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:51:33 +0000 Pride in the Virtual Midlands
The power of this development is the opportunity for people to express themselves – and the irony of a blog of this is not lost on us!

It is wonderful to see people using these facilities to show their pride in their Midlands towns and cities.  The multi-media possibilities have not been lost on our independent, innovative citizens who are seizing the chance to display their abilities and promote the Midlands - which is a lot better than using the power of Web 2.0 for sharing empty-headed opinions, videos of idiotic behaviour, or tedious football songs.

Some examples are:

−    Jim Sofa and his song for Stafford

−    The Stoke on Trent tribute song

−    Ian Dowdeswell’s Tribute song to Wolverhampton’s ‘tramp’ 

−    The young man who was born in Shrewsbury

It’s sad that such pride can be lost in the mass of internet banality.  Someone ought to compile these outpourings of creativity into a (virtual) Album of the Albion’s Midlands to promote the region, its people and their talents, and all the other things there are to be proud of in the area.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/06/pride_in_the_virtual_midlands.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/06/pride_in_the_virtual_midlands.html Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:27:42 +0000 Death and taxes
Green taxes are one such example, whereby taxation is used to seek to influence public behaviour to be more environmentally friendly.  Hence, increasing taxes on vehicles according to higher degrees of carbon dioxide emissions is hoped to encourage people to buy and drive less polluting vehicles, although it is of course debatable whether someone who is prepared to pay £50,000 for a five litre Mercedes is going to be much deterred by a few hundred pounds on the road tax.

Another form of this behavioural taxation is where there is an intention to encourage people into more healthy lifestyles.  Increased taxes on cigarettes and alcohol have been argued for on this basis, in the hope that higher taxes on these products will discourage people from buying them and help them to become healthier. International evidence suggests that increased taxes are the most effective single intervention to reduce smoking levels.

With estimates of around 100,000 smoking related deaths per year in the UK, encouraging people to stop smoking has been a major public health concern for many years now, with much success in helping people to stop smoking.  Large increases in taxation on tobacco products have very been significant in these efforts.

Perhaps it is time now though to review how much farther taxation on cigarettes can go in contributing to smoking cessation and health improvement goals.  Indeed, to reduce heath inequalities it may even be time to reduce these taxes.

There are very worrying public health warnings about counterfeit cigarettes flooding the market. Since it has been estimated that around 25% of cigarettes smoked in the UK avoid taxation, it can be seen that black market and counterfeit tobacco is a problem.  Not being subject to any regulation or quality controls, laboratory tests have found that these products are often contaminated with very poisonous substances – potentially more poisonous than those usually found in tobacco itself.  It may be that higher taxes are no longer encouraging enough existing smokers to quit and instead may be driving them to smoke more harmful counterfeit cigarettes – driving them to even earlier deaths.

With smoking prevalence in the West Midlands being estimated as between around 20 to 27% of the adult population smoking issues are significant for the region.  Estimates by the West Midlands Regional Observatory suggest that proportionally more of the population in deprived areas smoke (nearly 30%), compared to those in more affluent areas (around 12%).  Hence, any ill effects from higher tobacco taxes encouraging people to consume more highly toxic counterfeit cigarettes will disproportionally affect poorer people that we already know to have generally poor health and shorter life spans.

Wealthier people are unlikely to avoid smoking because of high taxation. It is much more probable that the health information on smoking has got through to them, either because of where it is provided or because the find the messages contained easier to understand. We need to work out much more effective ways of getting those messages through to the less privileged, rather than continuing with the blunt weapon of higher taxation.

Are health taxes increasing health inequalities?  It is time for a review.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/05/death_and_taxes.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/05/death_and_taxes.html Thu, 29 May 2008 10:32:55 +0000 Bank holiday special see for example.  Sometimes the case for another bank holiday is proposed on the basis of raising our number of holidays to the level of other counties. Often it is raised by those with a desire to use the day to celebrate a particular person or institution.  Some have suggested a Diana Bank Holiday or a NHS Bank Holiday, as well as the national day idea discussed in the Guardian article.

If we are to have another bank holiday, we ought to have a better debate about the purpose of the day.  We would suggest it is not simply introduced on the basis of giving us a comparable number of holidays to others.  Germany may have more holidays, but the country somehow manages to achieve levels of industrial productivity that the UK has not matched in the past (in Germany it is also the case that if the holiday falls on a weekend no extra day off is given on the Monday).  Another bank holiday for its own sake would be wasted to bad television, commercialised sport, sitting in traffic jams, dodging rain and other current bank holiday traditions.

If there has to be another Bank Holiday we suggest it is specifically targeted as a way of bringing communities closer together.  Communities are a major part of the glue that holds our society together. Good community cohesion provides connections and resilience to some of the toxic effects of modern life.  For each of us, our small cluster of streets around our homes is our little village, even if we live in city centres or suburbs.  But communities are too often forgotten in the drive to modernise our society and we forget our own villages.

A bank holiday built around communities would be an opportunity to encourage people to engage with those around them, perhaps rebuilding the stronger connections that existed in the past.  Events such as street parties, litter collecting groups (perhaps after the street party!), park pride days, and walking groups could provide a range of immediate and longer terms social, environmental and health gains, as well as bringing people closer together  

Commercial organisations could be encouraged to support these days, for example through sponsorship for particular events, as a way of demonstrating the important role that business plays in the community.  Public sector organisations could also provide for information and support for activities to encourage better health.  Voluntary organisations could use the day as a focal point for raising awareness and levels of involvement across the locality.

Considering this idea of a community day, it is striking to us how much it resembles the traditional idea of May Day. That is, of course, before May Day was hijacked in the name of one sterile ideology, before becoming a moving target in service to another. If at all possible we would like to see the traditions of the day restored and once more offering an opportunity to bring localities together. If, shamefully, that can no longer be done, then an Our Village Day might provide the chance to revive the spirit of the old celebration.

]]> http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/04/bank_holiday_special.html http://risingcurve.org/blog/2008/04/bank_holiday_special.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:34:23 +0000