Simon Duffy

Thoughts, Bemusements & Arguments

Simon Duffy

Thoughts, Bemusements & Arguments

Donate

You can find all of Simon's blogs from here


Words are Like Maps

Words are Like Maps

3rd May 2016

An aphorism

10 Things I Love About Finland

10 Things I Love About Finland

29th March 2016

Reflections on the wonderful Suomi - hyvä maa

Questions about Disability Cuts

Questions about Disability Cuts

21st March 2016

Answering questions on welfare reform and disability benefit cuts.

Czars, Commissioners or Just Us?

Czars, Commissioners or Just Us?

7th March 2016

The idea of super leaders who will come in and get things organised is very attractive, especially when we are in the middle of a crisis. However sometimes we are just kidding ourselves about their potential value.

Anaxaphobia or Who Will Lead?

Anaxaphobia or Who Will Lead?

29th February 2016

We have a fear of leadership that is rooted in our own unwillingness to act.

Further Apologies for the Complex RAS

Further Apologies for the Complex RAS

8th December 2015

Good ideas can often come unstuck. The complex RAS (Resource Allocation System) was one such idea.

In Praise of Doubt by Bertolt Brecht

In Praise of Doubt by Bertolt Brecht

26th November 2015

Brecht on the value of doubt, especially in our leaders.

Does the Sound of the Crash Exist?

30th October 2015

Faith in materialism is peculiarly resistant to argument or evidence.

Customers or Citizens

5th October 2015

A support provider asked me how their organisation could become customer-focused.

We're Getting Older - Don't Panic, Don't Panic!!

25th September 2015

Two meetings in one day separated by very different visions of what it means to grow old.

Time to Rethink Charity

24th September 2015

Charities are not fit for purpose. We need to rethink the idea of the public good.

Assisted Dying or Nazi Eugenics

7th September 2015

Assisted dying seems so neutral. But it's only a small step from eugenics.

Dr Andrew Lucas and Perpetual Life - A Film

5th September 2015

A sketch for a movie about the emerging force of vampirism.

Robocop and the Civil Servant

26th August 2015

Civil servants are under increasing pressure to shed their objectivity. But does the concept of the neutral civil servant really make sense?

Why We Mustn’t Murder Beethoven (or Anyone Else)

25th August 2015

The risk of eugenics is much greater than that we might eliminate future Beethovens.

The Soul in Dialogue with Time

24th August 2015

Thoughts on the nature of the soul.

Let The Power Fall - The Value of Fripp

27th July 2015

Thoughts on the wisdom of the great Robert Fripp.

At The Heart of A New Welfare State

9th July 2015

A new welfare state must be a welfare state that is easier to defend from injustice.

Clever Clever Tories

26th May 2015

An exploration of the successful rhetorical strategies used to undermine social justice by the UK Conservative Party.

The Marriage on the Mountain - Independent Living and Person-Centred Support

18th March 2015

There is a gulf that exists between those advocating independent living and those who develop the ideas of person centred planning and inclusion. But it is a gulf that should be bridged.

On the Mountain - Roles or Relationships

17th March 2015

Reflections on the We Chose to Climb Conference in Glasgow: True security lies in the quality of our relationships.

Coming Down the Pyramid or How to Give up Power

16th March 2015

Reflections on power in social services and how to give it up or make it anew.

Mountains, Pyramids and the Fate of Self-Directed Support

15th March 2015

The proper purpose of self-directed support is to ensure that each person can lead a life of meaning and value.

The Self-Sacrificing Gene

30th January 2015

The idea of the selfish gene was always very muddled indeed. In fact if any category should be applied to genes it would be self-sacrificing.