Saturday 11 December 2010

Early Intervention and Universal Surveillance

Early intervention and universal surveillance - 

"the sort of thing Hitler talked about" 


This is a guest post from Sheila, one of my regular readers, who has a strong interest in the area of children's education.




Tony Blair  on early intervention, identifying  tomorrow’s “problems“ in the womb. Chilling stuff.


‘This one about identifying troublesome children in the foetus – this is eugenics, the sort of thing Hitler talked about’ commented Tony Benn at the time -  a step too far even for a fellow Fabian it would seem.

Today we have the Westminster coalition pushing that very same agenda, only with added emphasis on how much money it is going to save in the current economic climate. Last year, charity Action for Children and think-tank New Economics Foundation calculated that more preventative models of children and young people's services, such as early intervention, could save the economy £486 billion over 20 years. Funny how much of the evidence supporting early intervention comes from organisations such as Action for Children who are in line to make a lot of money from it. The charity tag means nothing;  the child protection industry is big business. 

An  independent commission into early intervention, to be chaired by Labour’s Graham Allen, was announced in July. A couple of years ago Graham Allen and Conservative  Iain Duncan Smith co-wrote a report,  Early Intervention: Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens in which the Scottish  eCare/Girfec system gets an honourable mention.

In a recent interview, Graham Allen stated that early intervention could be “the poppy in the battlefield of expenditure cuts” which would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.He stresses  in the interview that  cross-party commitment to such a long-term strategy is fundamental, saying: "You can't stop this after five years — it's essential everyone is on board if we are going to change people's social and emotional capabilities. Even if by then my Labour colleagues aren't talking to me any more."

Pardon me Graham but I’d rather you kept your grubby data-mining mitts away from my “social and emotional capabilities”.


Meanwhile, another Labour MP and early intervention fan Frank Field  (Cameron’s Poverty Czar), favours an "Index of Life Opportunities" to identify children in need of support in their earliest years which would measure children's social and emotional development, cognitive and language skills, communication skills and well-being . Cameron has recently welcomed this proposal. 

The Coalition have scrapped Contactpoint and claim to be doing the same with the National Identity Register. So what.

Early intervention programmes identify those deemed at risk of not achieving government defined outcomes. To do this requires the collection of huge amounts of highly personal data  on every child and associated adults. Early intervention is the the latest cover story for databasing the population. 

Sadly, Scotland seems to be far advanced  along the road to this brave new world... 

How did we get to the stage where a Conservative/ Liberal Democrat coalition in England and a Scottish Nationalist Party  administration  in Scotland are gaily pushing Blairite New Labour eGovernment policies which in turn stem from Lisbon?

 

24 comments:

Joe Public said...

Surely the answer is that procreators must have a licence before being allowed to breed?

Derek said...

Creepy stuff. Anna Racoon posted on Stephen Neary:
http://www.annaraccoon.com/politics/the-orwellian-present-%E2%80%93-never-mind-the-future/

And Bertrand Russell lectured in the thirties on population control, eventually publishing in 1952 with 'The Impact of Science on Society'. Though I have not read his work, I am informed his claim was that society will be controlled by 'Nutrition, Injection, and Injunction'. Ring any bells?

In a previous line of work, I had call to visit a mental hospital near Coulsdon, the Royal Earlswood, I don't think it exists as a hospital today. But whilst there, learnt that the grandiose building complete with vaulted chapel and dining hall was constructed solely for members of the Royal family who might be a little 'disturbed' with the weight of their responsibilities. To put it gently.

Elby the Beserk said...

"You can't stop this after five years — it's essential everyone is on board if we are going to change people's social and emotional capabilities. Even if by then my Labour colleagues aren't talking to me any more."

Remind me. Apply for that shotgun licence I have been meaning to get for too long. This is no business of governments.

Derek said...

A stick on the fire, a bolt on the door, and one in the breech.

There are times when such basics rule. I just hope they don't come but preparation is all.

Anonymous said...

identifying tomorrow’s “problems“ in the womb

Happens all the time already, and they can neutralise you before you begin to spoil everyone's life by breathing the same air. Not even the Down's Syndrome Association protests.

subrosa said...

I'm hoping the author of this post will respond as promised.

Sheila said...

"Surely the answer is that procreators must have a licence before being allowed to breed?"

Nothing would surprise me Joe :(

Sheila

Sheila said...

I was aware of the Stephen Neary case but hadn't read Anna's post which explains the legal situation really well.

Will have to go and look up Russell.

Fascinating stuff about the hospital...

Sheila

Sheila said...

"This is no business of governments."

Exactly. It doesn't seem to matter who you vote for - the government always gets in and all they do is dress up the same policies in slightly different way. Lately they don't even seem to think they need to put much effort into that even...

Sheila

Sheila said...

You'll give me nightmares Derek...

Sheila

Sheila said...

Point taken berenike.

At the moment (as far as I know and I could well be wrong)we don't have state enforced abortions. Right or wrong, these decisions are taken by individuals.

These "interventions" will ultimately, if you don't jump through the hoops, be state enforced.

Sheila said...

Apologies Subrosa. Will be around for as long as laptop power supply allows...

Apogee said...

Hi SR, think that , like it or not,Derek at 09:05 may well have good advice for a lot of what is to come.

subrosa said...

No need to apologise Sheila. It is frightening because, as berenike says, no organisation has protested about this. Therefore I take it all approve.

Anonymous said...

If we didn't already have state-sanctioned, and *popularly approved*, eugenics, state enforcement wouldn't have a chance. As it is, it's barely needed. The abomination is not in the state enforcement, it's in the acceptance of eugenics, and that already exists.

This sort of story produces no popular protest.
(American source, but my internet connection has just begun to play up so I can't look for a UK account of this report).

Sheila said...

Not looking good is it? A "one party state" and a population who knowingly or unknowingly approve of what is being enacted.

When I first read the following quote, I reckoned it was a bit far-fetched. Not so sure now...

"Socialism means equality of income or nothing...
under socialism you would not be allowed to be poor.
You would be forcibly fed, clothed, lodged, taught,
and employed whether you like it or not.
If it were discovered that you had not character
enough to be worth all this trouble,
you might possibly be executed in a kindly manner;
but whilst you were permitted to live you would have to live well." George Bernard Shaw, Fabian Society

subrosa said...

Berenike, that's a difficult subject for me as I was one of the first women in UK to have an amniocentesis test many years ago. It was thought to me essential because of medical history and other issues. So I've been there and know the emotions involved.

Gordon the Fence Post Tortoise said...

The Tiny Blur's shameless and comprehensive loading of the establishment with illiberal Catholics troubles me greatly.

This all reeks of "original sin" - need I say more?

I'm surprised he didn't offer up the Catholic Church as both the arbiter and implementer of these proposals (sly, but not that stupid I suppose)- and well.... we've been there haven't we?

Wouldn't want to look a where decades of Fabian building welfare dependant urban ghettos has got us to at all?

Ghastly fellow with a ghastly spouse.

Anonymous said...

There is indeed, as your comment suggests you have noticed, nothing more illiberal than a liberal Catholic.

subrosa said...

Unfortunately Gordon he had to power to do this.

subrosa said...

Yes sorry Gordon, it was Brown who legislated.

Sheila said...

Recent footage from Dublin booksigning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5SRS77EW8g

Gordon the Fence Post Tortoise said...

I knew from the beginning that Blair was sneaking into Westminster Cathedral by the back door while Cherie was going in the front in her mantilla, clutching a rosary.

What I didn't know and still continues to surprise me is the Catholics who are being outed in one way or another who were placed in high office. The routine consultations with Cormack Murphy O'Connor...

As for Brown, phew! the famine of ideas and inspiration that characterised his tenure meant that he'd OK anything that the sheepies in Westminster would vote for - to present the impression of functioning government...

subrosa said...

Indeed it surprises me too Gordon. I hadn't really thought about it until you brought it to my attention.

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