Middle-earth Weekend 2012

From an item in ‘Amon Hen’, the bulletin of the national Tolkien Society:
The Middle-earth Weekend 2012 was held at Sarehole Mill in The Shire Country Park, Hall Green, Birmingham over two days in May. It was a great opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones. Vivienne Wilkes and the Middle-earth Weekend Planning Group brought together this mix of contemporary and historical elements and created an atmosphere redolent of the world of Middle-earth at the Mill and on the event field.
This year’s theme was ‘Celebrating 75 years of The Hobbit’ and visitors were treated to entertainments, activities, craft demonstrations, re-enactments, food, drink in the all-round hobbity surroundings that this part of the country possess.
The Tolkien Society was there as well in the Tolkien tent organised by Dave Corby of the Isengard Smial. The weather may not have brought the May sunshine; but the warmth of the hosts, and the enthusiasm of the visitors, served to brighten the whole experience.
The weekend is the culmination of months of work by the Shire Country Park Friends, the Birmingham Tolkien Group, Shire Productions and staff at Sarehole Mill. They rely on a dedicated group of volunteers both in the run-up to and over the weekend.  The regular features of recent events have been the marquees, on the recreation ground behind the mill.  These provide the covered venues for the following attractions:
Crafts, various artisans exhibiting and purveying their wares
Activities, usually themed, this year the theme was ‘Mirkwood Forest’
Performances, a variety of theatrical entertainments organised by Shire Productions
‘The Tolkien Tent’, an educational resource with representations from local historical groups, readings, quizzes and stalls.
More volunteers are needed for the Middle-earth weekend in 2013. To make next year’s weekend happen, the organisers need additional willing, enthusiastic and above all, committed volunteers. Preparations for the weekend start in the New Year and if you would like to make a contribution to the running of this unique event, please contact Viv Wilkes or Stevie Prior via middleearthweekend@gmail.com.

Lording it Over Us?

The last week has seen the effective demise of proposals to reform the House of Lords. After a century of promises, papers, reports and commissions this was very disappointing. The 21st Century is surely time for a more democratic second chamber - but please don't call it a 'senate'!

There can be no justification for half of our parliament being appointed through the patronage of party leaders to lifetime terms of office – an arrangement that we have the doubtful pleasure of sharing with Belize, Burkina Faso, and Jordan. There's also no excuse for supporting a system that allows some lawmakers to inherit their office – an arrangement that we currently share only with Lesotho.

Nearly 800 years after Magna Carta, as George Monbiot recently put it, unrepresentative power of the kind familiar to King John and the Barons still holds sway. There is no excuse for more than half of the country's lawmakers to sit in Parliament without an electoral mandate from the people.

I know that there are arguments to the contrary, but whatever happens, some things do need to change. Some of the more reasonable arguments relate to the value of experience, so that, for example, someone who has sat in the Commons would at least know the Westminster ropes and hopefully have acquired a degree of judgment.

While there may be some truth in this, it did not stop an earlier government from abolishing the role of Aldermen (retired, former long-serving councillors) from their role in council decision making. So if this is right for local government I'm sure that it should also be applied to national government. Forgive me for seeking consistency here.

There is also the question of business experience - all well and good so far as it goes (bankers, financial services, insurance, much of the legal profession and certain security firms excepted) but how many of the Lords would have experience of living on the minimum wage or surviving on benefits and about which they approve life-affecting legislation? A lopsided set of experiences may not lead to overall good decision making - as I'm afraid we know to our cost.

In addition to all of this there are some disconcerting features about the larger half of Parliament. For example, in the present House of Lords:

40% of members were educated in just 12 private schools

Seven out of ten members are party political appointments

Half of the members come from London and the South East

More than a quarter are former MPs

Only one in five are women

As is clear from these facts, while its debates often have a reasonable tone and behaviour is undoubtedly better than in the Commons - it could hardly be worse  - the House of Lords as presently constituted does not, in its composition, reflect the country that it helps to govern.

It is surely preferable for lawmakers to hold their place in Parliament through the directly expressed will of the people. This would give them greater legitimacy in standing up to a Cabinet and a Commons that can become obsessed with failing agendas and detached from reality and the best interests of the country.

Sign up for Alan Turing

Alan Turing, the centenary of whose birth was celebrated on the 23rd of June was an inspired mathematician fully deserving of the description 'genius'.

Turing was, through his undaunted code-breaking at Bletchley Park, one of the hidden heroes of the Second World War who by his brilliance and dedication saved countless allied lives. The official bigotry he received in return and the conviction and chemical mutilation that led to his premature death was utterly tragic.

There have been quite a few tributes to Turing and piecemeal recognitions here and abroad and also pieces concerning his pardoning or 'rehabilitation' - but of course it is the government at the time that needs the pardoning and the attitudes of those days towards sexual orientation that need the rehabilitation if that were possible.

Despite an official Government apology in 2009 by way of a statement in the House of Commons there remains a strong case for a full hearted and unequivocal recognition of Turing's contribution not only to cryptanalysis but to computing science, mathematics and wider inspiration that is evident to the population as a whole.

So I was delighted to discover that there is an e-petition to feature Turing on the £10 note. You can sign it at epetitions.direct.gov.uk The petition is open until the 21st of March 2013 and there are some 20,000 signatures so far - so there is a good chance of reaching the crucial figure of 100,000 by that time.

While it is the Bank of England that decides who is featured on banknotes, they could hardly ignore a positive vote in Parliament in a debate triggered by the requisite 100,000 signatures from members of the public. Let's hope that we can get there - Alan Turing's memory deserves no less.

Towards the Common Good

The present position of society both in its economic and social aspects is increasingly dysfunctional and ill-served by many institutions as they now stand. This is the damaged state that we are now in. We are faced with choices that we do not want but if, in the longer term, we want to see an end to austerity, anxiety, inequity and lost esteem then I believe that measures need to be taken (set out in earlier postings) entirely different from those propounded by what is turning out to be one of the worst governments in living memory. These measures - Keynesian, interventionist and equitable will take time - a long time - to have full effect but they are urgent and the consequences of not taking action are severe. These steps are needed to form a bedrock upon which a Virtuous Economy can be founded and enable the rebuilding of national morale, and the personal and mutual self respect and security that contribute to the Common Good.

Good governance is desperately needed. Active and positive engagement is a necessary virtue, aiding and abetting the achievement of common goals with Government setting aside timidity and doctrine, releasing itself from nefarious influences providing its political funding and involving itself proactively in the process of building a wider and lasting prosperity. Prosperity itself is by no means an ignoble goal, but it is important to bear in mind that affluence is a condition and not a value. The true worth of an economy is found not in measures of monetary worth or league tables, but in the achievement of a broader well-being and the underpinning social and moral values.

At the individual level, in contrast to this exploited, deceived and litigious age when good people are rendered fearful for their future and that of their families, a Virtuous Economy, a citizenry of good intent with commonly held moral values, and the concept of stewardship more than the overhyped 'leadership' will make possible the creation of a Good Society cleansed of these negative qualities. A desire to do good - in other words to behave virtuously - should become second nature. This is the basis of the Virtuous Economy and the enhancement of the Common Good.

All of this could be done if the commitment was there. Outside of the governing class, the viperous press and the commercial elite, I believe that it is. An economy is not an abstract entity to be revered - rather it is what we choose to make it. The Common Good can be enhanced with or without economic growth - if we decide to do so. Perspectives can be changed, commerce can be reformed, Government can be engaged, exemplar institutions with a public service ethos can be created and moral re-education undertaken. Time, commitment and patience are required but the journey this time will be towards the Common Good rather than our decades long journey away from it and the likelihood of 'bumping along the bottom' for two more decades.

Restoring the Economy

The Governor of the Bank of England recently stated that 5 years in from the start of the crisis in 2007 (although its roots go much earlier) we may still not be half way to a full recovery. Prof King is quite right although his horizon is optimistic. I believe that a timescale of a generation may be required. Just as it took generations to throw away the trust and values along with the industry we'd built up over a century and a half, it may take a comparable time to restore them.

What we are now left with is an economic system with a degraded version of capitalism and a state wedded to a philosophy that sees no room for direct intervention. Linked to this is the steep decline in business ethics and morality. So what should be done in response to the mess that has been allowed to develop?

First the government must operate a comprehensive economic and industrial policy that aids manufacturing, engineering and the industrial sector generally, agriculture, mining, fishing and all related productive areas. Linked to this there should be sustained research investment in science, engineering and medical technology. This policy should be a resourcing priority.

We have seen in the past five years the unreformed nature of the banks, the damage they continue to do and the bills that continue to come in. The spots run deep and they cannot be relied upon to provide the kind of service that helps to restore and develop the productive economy and provide a trustworthy, simple and honest service to ordinary people - especially savers.

Nor in my opinion can companies in other fields such as retailing be relied on to provide a plain and unpressured service. Unprincipled behaviour also runs deep there too and the temptation to exploit the 'punters' in the push for yet more profit would not be resisted for long. The answer is that government, preferably local, should establish 'exemplar institutions' wherever needed - the first being the re-establishment of municipal banks.

Economic policy should be actively Keynesian, meaning that major projects are established - and where necessary delivered - by government in contrast to the back seat, timid, private-sector-only stance taken over the Severn Barrage. Contracts should be framed so that British companies get the business. Opportunity should be taken to employ and train as many young people as possible on such projects. There are many other possible schemes in transport infrastructure. HS2 is one example, though not a particularly good one with its wildly exaggerated employment benefits.

In deficit reduction, timescales should be revised (this is happening anyway as current policies fail) and more emphasis should be placed on taxation and less on cutting benefits leaving room for investment. There are several reasons for this.

First is the fact that cutting public expenditure on projects and services also cuts employment and tax receipts and increases expenditure on other accounts such as unemployment benefit. In Keynesian terms there is also a reverse multiplier effect - the negative knock-on consequences of people having less to spend.

The greater part of the burden of present policies is born by the less well off. This is wrong both morally and in economic terms. Those who can afford to pay more in tax should do so - indeed a few notable figures have declared their willingness to contribute more. Loopholes allowing the unprincipled rich to avoid supporting the society from which the extracted their wealth should finally be plugged tight. If some say they will jump ship we should test this cry of 'wolf!' and see if we can scrape along with a few less executives on bloated salaries, bonuses and padded out remuneration packages.

There is little or no correlation between entrepreneurial activity and taxation of income at higher levels. There was much joy at the introduction of a 60% top income tax rate when this was reduced from 83% under Mrs Thatcher. In any case most of those paying the higher rate are internal promotions in large firms and not entrepreneurs.

At the same time let us encourage public spirited attitudes, a sense of fairness and a return to loyalty to country and community. The way that pay is determined for all employees should be the same throughout a company although levels would be different. If the boss gets a bonus, so should everyone else - they made it possible.

The government should push for a revised international approach to the basis of trade. Globalisation is not free trade - far from it. There should be inter-governmental efforts to rein in global corporations and their grasping owners that have decimated many western economies and there should be less knee bending to these outfits or appeasement of countries with unfair and inhuman economic and social practices. Trade in manufactures is far from free - with China cheating in at least six ways - and an utterly stupid money driven short term attitude to security of supply of key materials such as rare earths.

Fiscal and monetary policy should aim for sustainably expanding and balanced demand and related wider policies should involve major capital projects where the demand is met from domestic sources and where employment and training are maximised. The Keynesian 'balanced budget multiplier' should also not be overlooked. If the taxation of affluent people is increased and there is a corresponding reduction in taxes and deductions from the pay of less well off people, then demand rises since from an extra pound more is spent at lower income levels. This gives an initial tax neutral stimulus - and a net benefit in revenue as the positive knock-on consequences work through.

Quantitative Easing is of limited value in getting funds to productive sectors of the economy. It is not so effective as infrastructure projects in which governments are frightened directly to engage. The direct effects on manufacturing investment of low interest rates have in the past been damped and lagged at best. Eventually however lower rates should result in lower required yields and increased long-term investment if the conditions of lending are appropriate. But as smaller firms know to their cost this is not always so, the banks being what they are.

To this can be added appropriate levels and forms of taxation and public spending - I say appropriate rather than low. In the case of deductions from income, the irrational structure of national insurance contributions should be replaced with a flat rate covering all income levels. This would mean a top rate of deductions next year of 51 - 52% - well below the welcomed 60% and also resulting in a mild balanced budget multiplier effect. Government should help to make industrial winners where we still have a current edge. I don't say 'comparative advantage', a dubious concept that has rationalized retreat from manufacturing. The view that the winners we're left with should determine our future is inherently passive and dangerously vulnerable as the aspirations of China and the East confirm.

A strategy of trying to shift the economy ever more towards 'higher value added' activities, as if these were somehow protected areas and inaccessible to the countries that have acquired so much of the rest of our industry, is also destined to fail. Unless action is taken these areas will go the same way as their 'lower value added' predecessors. To imagine otherwise is at best wishful thinking or at worst smacks of a type of ignorant superiority.

The proponents of this approach of keeping ahead by moving up a line assume that there is an ever rising and straight line. But what is involved here is a rising curve of declining slope and of limited length. If this is the case, the consequences of this attempt to 'move up the curve' - in all essentials a retreat - are all too clear.

Action is needed nationally and internationally to retrieve the industry already lost. The country's manufacturing and engineering sectors must be rebuilt - they, along with agriculture and mining represent the economy's productive base. In the discussion about the future of the Euro, it is notable that the countries which are struggling most are those where industry has declined the most.

In economic policy the simple truths must be realised that in the absence of demand, there will not be production and that in the absence of production there will not be job creation. It should also be understood that the true meaning of the word 'economise' is not to make minimum use of a scarce resource but to make the best use of it.

The measures proposed here will take time to have full effect but they are urgent and the consequences of not taking action are no less severe. We are faced with choices we do not want but if, in the longer term, we want out of austerity, anxiety and lost esteem then this is the path we must take.

A cut above the rest?

The International Monetary Fund have come up with another stunning insight. No doubt after months of deep analysis and contemplation, the IMF are warning that as our own economy shrinks and the Government keeps on cutting and as most of our European trading partners shrink and cut there might be a threat to economic growth. Who would have believed it?

Surely we are a cut above the luckless lands in the Euro zone and anyway have we not all been led up the path of a deep cuts policy with tailor made cuts for different people? It's so clever. For example, there would be one kind of cut for the poor - punitive cuts for disabled people, young people and the many who are forced to rely on benefits - and, quite naturally, a tax cut for the better off now and another just before the next election.

The plutocrats are so vital to us - we couldn't possibly do without them. Those scraps off the heaving tables of the wealthy will assuredly trickle down you see. And none of our still-so-rich bankers are crying 'Wolf' about taking their bat, ball and bad habits out of the country - oh dear me no, perish the thought!

The one thing that all this will not cut of course is the financial deficit - with lower tax revenues from businesses and individuals and increased public expenditure anyway for the legions of unemployed, underemployed and simply forgotten. Unless of course we let them eat cake! Could this be the Government's Plan B?

But let's cut to the chase. It's been so nice to know that we're all in this together and that our wise and considerate Government, the highly paid intelligentsia at the IMF and in our beloved banks will pull us all through - with the IMF suggesting tax cuts (how imaginative!) and the bankers with their bowls ready for a further big cut of the national cake in the next financial bailout.

But enough already. Maybe I should just cut this short - it's beginning to make Reaganomics look almost sensible!

Middle-earth in 2012

The Middle-earth weekend in and around Sarehole Mill and the childhood haunts of JRR Tolkien was a great success and was also an enormous credit to the volunteers involved, particularly the two principals, whose tireless efforts and hard labour enabled this unique event to take place.

'Tireless' is a heavily overused word in certain contexts today but it really does apply in this case - 24/7 availability (admittedly another cliche, but also true here). 'Hard labour' means bent backs and rolled up sleeves when needed rather than when convenient.

There was also a cheerful willingness to pick up tasks that others had not done and resolving, through patient and time consuming management, the extensive list of issues that arise in the long run-up to an original event of this scale in society today. All this and all the while showing inspirational leadership and commitment and much else besides - all on a voluntary basis.

There is a true family atmosphere at MEWE - amongst the volunteers, the performers and exhibitors and the thousands of families who come along and who were exemplary. The Middle-earth weekend is a very special event packed with interest, nearly all of it free so that the modern idol of money does not prevent anyone from coming - and of course with good old fashioned values aplenty.

As with many cultural organisations, the volunteers get older and fewer each year and to have delivered MEWE and its predecessors on no fewer than thirteen occasions is a superb achievement in which great pride can be taken.