Sadiq Khan focuses on victims but offenders also need to be high on the agenda

Georgia Hussey offers her views on the latest Fabian pamphlet launch.

Speaking at the launch of the Fabian Society’s ‘Punishment and Reform’ report, Sadiq Khan emphasised the need to put victims at the heart of the justice system. Khan has stressed the need to reshape the way victims are involved in the justice process, calling for a “significant shift in attitudes to and treatment of victims”.

Victim support is an area the Government appear to be falling behind on; discussing his victim support package in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Ken Clarke’s mention of victims of terrorism sparked criticism from Sadiq Khan. The Shadow Justice Secretary said that “after more than a year of delay, victims of overseas terrorism are still waiting for the compensation promised by this Government”.

But dealing with offenders should be key in any criminal justice policy, and the report, which hopes to inform the conclusions of the Labour Party’s policy review, showed a heavy focus on preventing people becoming offenders and re-offenders.

Barry Mizen’s presence at the launch steered the debate away from Khan’s focus on victims. Mizen, whose son was murdered in 2008, brought first-hand experience of how victims are involved in the justice system. However, as Mary Riddell, the chair of the debate, pointed out, Barry Mizen is not the ‘typical’ passive victim. He and his wife Margaret set up the Jimmy Mizen Foundation after their son’s death, which has helped many young people take on a positive role in their community. This kind of approach, he said, helps them become “responsible citizens in their communities”. As he writes in his chapter of the pamphlet, “getting justice for Jimmy was not just about punishment for his killer, it was about finding and exposing the truth of what happened to our son. What can we do to ensure young people don’t resort to violence against each other?”. His presence steered the discussion towards prevention, and supporting young people who might otherwise become offenders.

Adding another important voice to the ‘Punishment and Reform’ report was Baroness Jean Corston, who focused on female offenders in her contribution to the pamphlet. She noted that only 3.2% of women in prison are considered a ‘danger to the public’, but over 75% exhibit some kind of psychological disturbance. With an overwhelming majority of offenders being male, women are often overlooked in criminal justice policy. But these figures clearly show that many of the women in prison are “troubled rather than troublesome”. Any new criminal justice policy should incorporate ways to tackle this issue, and Cortson stresses the importance of giving those women an alternative to offending and reoffending. Early diversion into the mental health system instead of the prison system is key, and crucial support from women’s centres will help them get support, qualifications and skills that aren’t otherwise available to them.

Sadiq Khan’s call for a change in how the criminal justice system treats victims is a clear way to improve the system for the people in it, at little cost. However the debate must always centre on the offenders and on prevention. Greater support for victims cannot encroach on a commitment to eradicating a need for victim support; we need to work towards a society where there are no victims. Getting people more involved in their community, whether in a women’s centre or on youth projects, is a proven way to prevent people becoming offenders. Barry Mizen wrote that “trying to foster more civility and humanity in all aspects of life – from schools, to the streets, to prisons – is the only way to counter the incivility and violence”. This aim should not be forgotten.

Georgia Hussey is an intern at the Fabian Society.

Protected or pilfered? What the CSR really means for R&D and science in the UK

On Wednesday 27 October, the Young Fabians Technology and Society Network held its post Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) debate, “Protected or pilfered? What the CSR really means for R&D and science in the UK”.

The week after the CSR, Pamela Nash MP chaired a lively and interactive debate between Imran Khan, Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering; John Unsworth, Chair of Scientists for Labour; Professor Evan Parker, Department of Physics at the University of Warwick; Stephen Gruneberg, Chair of Labour Finance and Industry Group, and the Young Fabian attendees.

The panel agreed that the CSR wasn’t as bad as some had feared, but there was still a cloud of uncertainty over research council budgets, capital expenditure, R&D tax credits, Departmental spending like the MoD and DEFRA and the fate of the Technology Strategy Board and the RDAs – all of which contribute significantly to research funding and support the UK’s global leadership position in science and R&D. Throw into the mix that a frozen budget over four years could fall victim to inflation, and the picture for the future of science and research in the UK looks fragile and uncertain.

However, far from groaning about the shrinking pie, our panel took on quite an upbeat debate about the kind of society and the kind of economy we should be striving for. Searching for ‘opportunity from adversity’, Professor Evan Parker talked about the need to think again about the balance between Higher Education and vocational education; Stephen Gruneberg talked about the need for a compelling strategy for growth and how research industry can support that; John Unsworth called for us to recognise the competitive threat posed by India and China and for the EU to become more coordinated about science and commercialising research; and Imran Khan asked for a new spirit of aspiration for science and to become scientists, from primary school right through the education system.

Newly elected Young Fabian Executive member, Claire French summarises the debate in more detail on Left Foot Forward.

As a Network, we are pleased to be working alongside Campaign for Science and Engineering, Scientists for Labour and Labour Finance and Industry Group to highlight these important issues.

If you would like to be more involved in the work of the Technology and Society Network, please join the Network ning community and share your ideas.

Nick Maxwell, Young Fabians Networks Officer

It makes business sense and it’s socially just, why the City can’t get it together on gender balance in the boardroom??

On Wednesday 22 September, in the heart of the City at the London Stock Exchange, the Young Fabian Womens’ and Future of Finance Networks hosted an expert panel debate entitled “Balance in the boardroom: How to get more women leaders in the City?”.

Special video highlights of the debate… link here

Women only represent 5% of executive directors from the 600 companies quoted on the London Stock Exchange, according to recent research by recruitment firm Egon Zehnder. With the passage of landmark legislation in the US aiming to increase female membership on corporate boards and the establishment of the Lord Davies inquiry into female representation in Britain’s boardrooms, the Young Fabians Future of Finance Network brought together an expert panel for lively interactive debate.

Chaired by Rachel Reeves MP, former Bank of England Economist and member of the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, panellists Clare Dobie, Immediate Past President of the Women’s City Network and witness for the Treasury Committee’s ‘Women in the City’ inquiry; Trupti Patel, Associate at Social Finance; Andrew Roscoe, London Director of Egon Zehnder International; and Cathrine Seierstad, Researcher at the Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity in Queen Mary University, all set out their views on the issues before engaging in discussion with the audience.

All the panellists agreed that female participation at the top of the financial services sector in the UK was too low, both in comparison to other sectors in the UK and in comparison to the rest of Europe. All the panellists also agreed that there were important benefits for business and the economy from having more female talent on corporate boards. Andrew Roscoe pointed to research carried out by his search firm, Egon Zehnder International, which indicated that corporate boards that are more diverse make better decisions.

So, if female talent offered so many advantages to business, why are these companies in the financial services sector missing out on the competitive advantage of having women on the board?

The panel agreed that a principal problem is that a lot of recruitment is driven by the fact that people “recruit in their own image” and British business and the financial services sector is dominated by men – and men of a particular social ilk at that.

The issues are certainly complex and intertwined. Trupti pointed to characteristics of the corporate workplace that didn’t reward typical female skills types of working. Andrew highlighted his firm’s research that showed that networking and proclaiming one’s own success were strongly associated with success, however in female focus groups these qualities were not seen as desirable. Trupti thought that women generally needed support to improve the way they sell themselves internally and earn recognition for their work, and that career networks often helped women acquire these skills and gain the necessary confidence.

Parental leave was also an important part of the picture. Businesses see maternity leave as a financial risk. The Icelandic model, where parental leave is divided between men and women and the business risk is equal, was seen as an example for the UK.

On aspiration, the panel felt that the City should do more to raise awareness of job opportunities in the city and seeking to influence the careers advice or family advice that is so influential to people’s career decisions. There should also be better case studies of positive examples of women at the top of business.

Cathrine discussed the Norwegian experience of legislation requiring corporate boards to meet minimum gender quotas of 40%. The justification for positive discrimination was based on the need for a wider distribution of power, but also on an economic argument, that companies need to use the entire wealth of talent available in society to be competitive and that diversity has a positive impact of the board and the bottom line of company performance.

The panel agreed that there has to be a change in the culture at the very top for there to be real substantive change in the long-term over the sector and in society. Panellists and attendees alike agreed that encouraging such social and cultural change – which makes economic sense as well as being socially just – was precisely what the Fabian Society was for.

This event was kindly sponsored by the London Stock Exchange and Egon Zehnder International.

The Young Fabian Future of Finance Network was launched by Lord Drayson in March 2010 with the aim of better connecting socially-minded individuals from finance and the City of London with progressive politics. The Network provides an empowering opportunity for progressives, of all shades, from the front edge of industry and research to contribute their expertise to the progressive effort to respond to global policy challenges. Network membership is not limited to Young Fabian members, but open to all individuals who identify as socially-minded progressives.

For the full event report, please visit the Young Fabian Future of Finance Network Site: http://youngfabians-networks-fof.ning.com

Are religion and democracy incompatible?

With the Pope visiting Britain, amidst a sea of controversy, last night seemed an apt time for the Young Fabians to stage a debate on religion and democracy, in this case a debate on Islam and democracy, at the Embassy of the most populous Muslim democracy in the world – Indonesia.

A fascinating country, with a rich and diverse history, Indonesia has made the transition from Dutch colonoy, post-war independence, the regimes of Sukarno and Soeharto to modern democracy – in some respects more modern, some may contend, than ourselves. Just over a decade since emerging from dictatorship, the proportion of women elected to Indonsia’s parliament is 27.3 per cent; in Britain, the figure is only 21 per cent.

As Young Fabian Claire French writes in last week’s Tribune Magazine:

“… 47% of Swedish Members of Parliament are female … in Rwanda … 56 per cent of legislators are women.

“Britain’s measly 21 per cent ranks 41st out of 184 lower chambers, in terms of representation of women.”

So that’s one myth about a Muslim nation and democracy knocked down. Another, that of Islam subsuming all other religions and driving them out, is neatly dispelled by the map below, which shows the breadth and spread of religions in Indonesia:

For the record, the figures are 86.1 per cent Muslim, 8.7 per cent Christian, 3 per cent Hindu, 1.8 per cent Buddhist or other.

In the debate, the speakers were Dr Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre in Oxford and trustee of the board of British Muslims for secular democracy and Dr Sukma, a leading Indonesian academic in this field who is visiting the UK, with Dr Hargey quoting chapters from the Qur’an to make the case for why Islam is perfectly compatible both with other religions and democracy, hitting out at extremist Wahhabi preachers in east London.

As we were reminded by a question from the floor, the effect of these preachers can be corrosive, a primary school teacher from Newham telling the story of a Muslim boy in his class who’d been told it was irreligious to bow to non-believers – this, coming from a British-born child in London 2010.

Young Fabian boat party – Friday 9th July

We are determined to start the summer properly with our annual Young Fabian Boat Party in London. After months of hard campaigning, we think our members deserve a night off on the Miyuki Maru.

With a great DJ, and special guests to be annouced, the evening will be a party to remember. Plus we’ve booked fantastic weather as well. So dust off your best summer outfit, and get out your dancing shoes.

Tickets are limited, and cost £15 for members and £20 for non-members. Book yours using the form below or on the Young Fabians website – www.youngfabians.org.uk:

Alternatively, send a cheque and covering letter to Shamik Das, c/o The Young Fabians, 11 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BN.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us for the final leaders’ debate

Tonight we have events in London and Manchester where live screenings of the final Leaders’ debate will take place.

As with the last two debates, if you can’t make it along to one of our live screenings, then please contribute your thoughts on the Leaders and their responses to the public’s questions by joining the Left Foot Forward-hosted live chat, which you can access below from 8pm, or alternatively leave a comment on our blog.

Join us for the second Leaders’ debate

Tonight we are hosting another live event in London where the second Leaders’ debate will be shown on a big-screen. The event is in conjunction with LabourList, Progress, Compass, and LGBT Labour, and will take place in the Old Crown (33 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1BH) from 7pm till late.

If you can’t make the event then you can still share your views on the leaders debate by joining the Live Chat hosted on this site below run by our friends at Left Foot Forward. The Live Chat starts at 7.30pm.

Executive members David Chaplin and Vincenzo Rampulla will be live-Tweeting the event. Their tweets will feature in the live chat, or you can follow them by adding @chaplindavid and @vmrampulla to your follow list on Twitter.

Share your views on the leadership debate with us

Tonight the Young Fabians will be hosting a joint Leadership Debate event in central London with LGBT Labour, LabourList and London Young Labour. We’ll be at Bar Soho on Old Compton Street if you can make it along.

If you can’t make it along to the event, then I’ll be live-tweeting from the event. Follow me on Twitter by adding @alexanderbaker to your feed.

And you can join in the debate by sharing your views on the Left Foot Forward/LabourList/New Statesman/Liberal Conspiracy live chat which will begin at 8pm tonight. We’re hosting the chat on this blog, below.

And feel free to share your thoughts by adding comments to this post.

Young Fabians Networks go live…

On Thursday last week, we launched our Fabians ‘Technology and Society’ and ‘Future of Finance’ Networks at a reception in the heart of the City of London.

We were delighted that so many young financiers, scientists and academics – many of whom had not been involved in the work of the Young Fabians before – packed the room to hear our guest speakers spell out their visions for the potential role the Networks could play.

Lord Drayson, Minister for Science and Innovation, spoke about the power of politics and the opportunity for young people with expertise and enthusiasm to make a difference in politics. On science, technology and finance, Lord Drayson talked about the pride he had in the UK’s leadership role and called on young people in those sectors to put their expertise forward to help government continue to support jobs and investment for the future.

Rachel Rachel Reeves, PPC for Leeds West and former Bank of England Economist, called on the Networks to bring fresh energy to debates around financial transaction taxes, to principled banking and to end Casino banking. Huw Evans, ABI Director of Communications, talked about the value of a more sophisticated understanding of financial services on the left and set out the role of insurance in the UK economy. He saw the Networks helping in the effort to respond positively and effectively to public concerns about the financial industry, with ideas and actions.

Our aim in hosting the Networks is to provide a forum for socially minded professionals to meet and discuss ideas and to bring sector expertise to progressive debates. Our speakers underlined that there was great value in hosting the Network and that now was the time when ideas and insights would have real influence.

But the hard work starts now. People have noticed the Networks exist and expectations are high. Now we need to see what they can deliver. If you’re interested in joining either the Future of Finance or the Technology and Society Network – it’s simple – just visit the website and join up. You don’t have to be a Young Fabian member to take part in the Networks.  If you want to take a more active role, come to the steering group meetings and put your ideas for the Network into action.

To see a taster of the discussion the Networks are hosting, see Chris Calland’s response to the Chancellor’s debate on the Future of Finance Network or see what Chris Jones had to say about the launch event.

Thanks for all the hard work that went into the launch event and I look forward to seeing what you all have to say on the Networks.

Nick Maxwell

GUEST POST: London, bloody London

Sam Bacon is a Young Fabian member and has helped organise the Young Fabian social which will take place in Spirit bar in Manchester after this year’s Greater Manchester Fabian Society Conference on Saturday. In this guest post, he writes about his frustration at London-centric events.

When I was younger, I LOVED Blue Peter. I mean really. What better to my childish sensibilities then DIY toys and projects, animals, exotic travel and Christmas and holiday specials, all wrapped up with an awesome theme tune and presenters that I either wanted to befriend or have my first kiss with (when I was old enough to understand what that was).

But there was always one bit of the show I completely dreaded. Every time they had a feature on some new museum exhibition opening, or some games expo with the toys of the future they would always end the piece with the same line to camera ‘and that exhibition opens this weekend in London’.

London, bloody London. As a boy growing up in the north of England, unless you were also from as parochial a town as I, (Preston – home of the mighty PNE!) you can not understand how angry and frustrated this made me. ALL the coolest stuff happened in London. It had every band, every gallery, every exhibition, every free event etc etc etc. And there was just no way for me to access it, stuck as I was in my little northern town.

So cut to now, I’m a grown man in a professional job, and appropriately enough I no longer watch Blue Peter. However, working and being active in Politics, I still find myself having similar sentiments to that I had when I was a child; why is everything scheduled to take place in London? Though I have felt this particularly strongly, through talking to other YF members, potential members, and perhaps most importantly ex-members, I know that I’m not the only one.

I now live in Manchester, and proud I am of it. We have an enormous amount of interesting and cutting edge things going on. But the point remains that almost all political activity is in London. All events, talks, conferences revolve around the Westminster bubble, in US terms, our very own ‘beltway’. But unlike myself as a child, I now have the ability to do something about this.

At the Fabian National Conference in January, I challenged the Young Fabian executive as to why they didn’t do more outside of London. I wanted to know why, as a fully paid up member of the Young Fabians, I couldn’t attend events without travelling the length of the country.

To their credit, the Exec responded to this challenge overwhelmingly positively. When I suggested that they might want to consider doing something to coincide with the Greater Manchester Fabian Society Conference which is happening this Saturday, March 13th, they immediately said yes and asked if I would help arrange something. And it’s been my pleasure to do so.

So at 3:30pm-5pm immediately after the Greater Manchester Fabian Society Conference, there will be a Young Fabian Social in Spirit bar on Canal Street in Manchester. And i’d love to see you there!

If you live outside of London, this is your chance to show that demand does exist for events in other areas, and your chance to come and shape what format they could take. We will have a number of Young Fabian exec members there and will be having an informal chat about what YF activity outside the SE might look like. It promises to be a fun and interesting event, and the more people we have there the better it will be.

So I can’t wait for Saturday, and the first tentative steps of national, and not just South East, Young Fabian events.

(note: Blue Peter badge wearers will get a free drink from me….)