Monthly Archives: October 2012

The death of Daniel Morgan and the (im)possibility of Justice

Posted on October 31, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time.” —Socrates, in Plato’s Apology, 31d–32a Daniel Morgan died with an axe in his face.  We … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, local government, philosophy, public sector, statesmanship, transparency | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

It didn’t start with Savile: BBC’s internal crisis has been brewing for years

Posted on October 22, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

The headlines about the Jimmy Savile scandal have rocked the BBC to its core.  They have revealed that the BBC, long considered the standard in British Broadcasting, if not the world, has a corporate cultural crisis. Some observers will believe … Continue reading →

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No time for history? Take a video tour of a County Record Office

Posted on October 18, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

  In a previous blog, on Jimmy Savile and the Shaw report  I mentioned the need to visit the County Record Office to know how our collective memory was stored.  For many people, this may prove difficult because of the … Continue reading →

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Jimmy Savile and the cult of celebrity: how could he not get away with it?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

As more details emerge about Jimmy Savile’s behaviour as a sexual predator, what is becoming clear is that his status as a celebrity helped to protect him.  The question most people have asked, as the scale of his crimes is … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, philosophy, privacy, transparency | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Finding Jimmy Savile: the Shaw report haunts England’s Archives

Posted on October 10, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Finding Jimmy Savile: the Shaw report haunts England’s Archives The name of the title is instantly familiar to readers in the United Kingdom.  Jimmy Savile has been in the news because he has been accused of molesting young girls.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in privacy, public sector, transparency | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Leveson’s fatal flaw: the Queen

Posted on October 3, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Looking back on the Leveson Inquiry, it is clear that the review was fatally flawed from the start.  Although the terms of reference focused on the press, media relationship, the underlying issue was the way power is distributed and used … Continue reading →

Posted in Government, philosophy, republicanism, statesmanship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment