The Swiss have a rule for it

I followed this link from a comment made on Think of England. If you have never been to Switzerland, you might think the account of the hygiene inspector a wild exaggeration but you would be mistaken.

A friend's sister married a Swiss engineer and they invited us to spend the summer of 1965 with them in their apartment overlooking Lake Zurich. Being students, we travelled as cheaply as possible and arrived, after 36 hours on buses, ferry and very basic trains, looking extremely scruffy. S bundled us into her car and told us to duck out of sight as we drove through the pristine streets, up the mountain road between manicured meadows filled with super-groomed cows, to her home in a shiny apartment block.

The next day she took us for a walk in the park. Families, resembling the von Trapps before the the curtains were cut up, walked along the paths in orderly fashion. No-one played, not a dog, no mess and no litter could be seen anywhere. It was very neat and very clean but so dull! In the evening S's husband, H, drove us to an inn high up the mountain for dinner. I'm not sure that all four wheels of the car were ever on the track at the same time as he speeded around bends, skimmed the wings of cars coming in the opposite direction and took us sickeningly close to sheer drops. I heard that the lights from the villages around the lake made a spectacular sight on the drive back in the dark, but my eyes were firmly closed. As the weeks went by, I realised that driving like maniacs on the mountain tracks was the only form of excitement for young people in Switzerland.

I don't know if it is still as it was in 1965, but then every aspect of life was ordered and regulated. It was illegal to make a noise after 9.30 pm, so we had either to speak quietly and not play any music, or have all the windows closed. It was not unusual for neighbours to report one another for making a noise. One day we decided to go to Interlaken so took the 6.30 am train, expecting to have it to ourselves. But, those quiet nights send everyone to bed early and consequently the day starts early too. The 6.30 train was the commuter train, packed with business men and neatly-uniformed (and uniform) children heading for their neat offices and regimented schools. S had already told us that the schools were strictly regulated so that all children in Kindergarten would be sewing samplers at 10.45 on May 6th, while the 8 year-olds were reading page 29 of the red primer and the 11 year-olds were practising long multiplication. She had found the state school system unbearable and took a job in the American school in Zurich instead.

H was unusual, in that he had studied abroad. The Swiss have a strange form of conscripted military service, where all men between 18 and 30 have to spend part of every year on army training or assignment. Any weeks missed because of travel or studies have to be made up. That explains why there are so few Swiss sightseers in London! When H found the restricted life in Zurich intolerable and left for Canada, he paid a heavy penalty. He couldn't return without facing a prison sentence and he was not allowed to inherit his family property.

I hope things have changed, but the article on the hygiene inspectors suggests that it is still a country of rules. Of course that accounts for the precision engineering, the obsession with clocks and the perfectly regulated financial institutions. Driving on mountain tracks and eating chocolate are the only risky activities available.

Desert Island Books

Desert Island Discs has been the accompaniment to my preparation of Sunday lunch for many years. While it is a fascinating glimpse into other people's lives, I always consider peeling potatoes and basting the roast preferable to trying to select only eight significant pieces of music. I would find it even more difficult to have to select my favourite books, which is why I won't be voting in the World Book Day survey.

The Daily Telegraph has been conducting its own survey of the books its readers can't live without. The stated purpose is to see if we still favour the classics or have 'dumbed down' in our literary tastes. I expect that Ulysses, Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, The Wisdom of Insecurity and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance will retain their places in the top ten. But what does it all signify? That the same people bother to take part every year? That tastes remain static? That people say what they think they ought to say?




Every room in our house looks like this; the prospect of packing our books is what is holding up our plans to move house. With the spirit of the World Book Day in mind, I tried to select ten favourites. That proved impossible, so I thought, "Which books would you grab if the house were on fire?" That brought a surprising reaction: I discovered I would rescue the family photograph albums and all the scrapbooks we made when the children were small and then I would go for books with sentimental attachment.

So, my approach would be a kind of Desert Island Books. I would select books with memories attached, the choice being purely sentimental and having nothing at all to do with their literary or academic merit.

• From my own childhood, I would take Alice in Wonderland because this was the first book that I bought for myself. I can vividly recall going into the shop and proffering the five shillings I had been given for my seventh birthday.
• From my schooldays, I would take Northanger Abbey because that was my first encounter with Jane Austen and the start of a life-time's devotion to her work.
• How to represent my student days? The metaphysical poets? A modern novelist? Eliot, Hopkins, Donne? Ruskin , Carlyle or John Henry Newman? I'll take the Collected works of T S Eliot because that volume was given to me by a special friend and Sartor Resartus because it influenced my thinking in those days.
• My beautifully bound and illustrated Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, given to me by my husband on our wedding day, is a must.
• Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Pigling Bland plays an important part in the story of my marriage, so that would have to go with me.
• The Wind in the Willows would recall the magical early days with my children.
• The Linguistics of British Sign Language by Rachel Sutton-Spence and Bencie Woll would provide keep the professional part of my brain active and help me keep up my signing skills.
• My breviary would provide for my spiritual needs and it would also boost the literary section with its collection of psalms and poetry.
• I would have to have Calling of a Cuckoo by David Jenkins because it is the book I would have written if I had his talent.

That was a really painful exercise and I want to go back and change all my selections but I do have other things to do today. I hope my house never catches fire because I would hate to have to make real choices.

I'd be interested to hear about other people's significant books, rather than their favourites or most admired. Or how about the book you wish you had written?

Email more damaging than marijuana

It is always a relief to find something amusing amid the doom and gloom of the daily news reports. Today's gem was on the front page of the Daily Telegraph: an article warning us of the dangers of email addiction. You can now book yourself into a recovery programme to rid you of your obsessive checking for emails and, no doubt, a lot of your money, too.

A life coach for business executives in America devised
the plan for cases such as a golfer who checked his BlackBerry after every shot
and lost a potential client who thought he was a socially-inept obsessive.
Marsha Egan said email misuse could cost businesses millions of pounds in lost
productivity.

It isn't just our business that is being hit, but our IQ

Research by King's College London says addiction to email
is doubly worrying because such technology depletes cognitive abilities more
rapidly than drugs.

Anyone want a life-class on recovery from blogging addiction? Send me a cheque for a very large sum and I'll send you lots of advice, via email of course.

Cad in the kitchen

In the Weekend section of today's Daily Telegraph, sadly not available online, there is a review of W.M.W Fowler's book Countryman's Cooking. It is probably just as well that Fowler died in 1977, without his book coming to the attention of Germaine Greer; he might otherwise have finished up in one of his own pies.

The recipes look good enough, but the author's comments and prejudices are absolutely delicious. The introduction explains that the book is intended for 'men who, through choice or circumstance, live on their own' but who want to give small dinner parties. The man must do the macho preparations of hunting, skinning and eviscerating the meat, but then call on 'liberal use of blandishments and flattery' to procure a glamorous pastry maker.

Here is his recipe for rabbit pie:


This is an excellent dish. The only snag is that you must have some pastry;
and here, I fear I cannot help you. So far I have been able, by the liberal use
of blandishments and flattery to get someone else to make it for me. Anyway,
what better gambit could you have than "Come and make the pastry for my rabbit
pie, darling."?

Well now, presupposing that you have your glamorous pastry-maker positively
champing at the bit, cook the rabbit either in the same way as for a casserole,
or else dispense with the marinade and begin by flouring and frying. Then simmer
in a saucepan, using cider or mild beer as a cooking liquor. Don't forget the
salt. Whilst this is cooking, hard-boil three eggs and cut the rind off half a
pound of bacon - smoked or plain as you prefer.

Take the meat off the bones as soon as it is ready to come. You will now
have finished for the time being, with the kitchen table, so, having fortified
your pastry maker with a couple of stiff gins, let her loose with some flour,
lard, a bowl and a rolling pin. Look admiring and make encouraging noises from a
safe distance.

He adds this caveat:

"Don't kiss her till she has carried out her duties. You will find the situation gets quickly out of hand and you end up, hours later, with no gin and no lid on your pie."

Trailing clouds of glory

The dust is beginning to settle after the publication of the UNICEF Report Card 7. (From here on to be referred to as 'the report') Yesterday's newspapers carried predictable reactions, with The Guardian taking the 'blame and shame' approach and The Times using the opportunity to attack UNICEF for ... well, basically for existing. There are those who see a sinister anti-capitalist attack behind the report, some who question the age of the data used, or its relevance and some who find the league table and international comparisons odious.

I suspect that each reaction has some measure of justification but I hope the prejudices, defensiveness, anger and guilt will fade and a real debate about the experiences and expectations of children will begin.

I quoted from Wordsworth's Intimations of Immortality in my previous post and in the title of this one because that particular stanza presents, in my view, the worst and the best attitudes to childhood. It has the romantic image of the baby, having had a previous, heavenly existence 'trailing clouds of glory' as it arrives, but as the infant becomes a boy, a youth and then a man, the romance fades. Wordsworth might peddle the Lakeland idyll, but I think at heart he was a realist. Sadly, that cannot be said of all who comment on children's issues. There are those who see helpless little angels who need to be protected from every aspect of life and there are those who see potential vandals and hooligans and want tough regulations to keep them in line. Neither attitude is helpful.

The Golden Age
contrary to popular belief, there never was a golden age of childhood, of family life or of education. Politicians in particular like to hark back to better times when children were all well-behaved, ate their greens and excelled at school. Utter nonsense! Not only can we not turn back the clock, we wouldn't really want to if we could. The current fancy in documentaries and literature is that the 1950s was the perfect time to grow up. I was born towards the end of 1945 so remember the fifties well. Like the curate's egg, parts were great but I wouldn't want to go back to smog, rationing, overcrowded classrooms, childhood diseases and all the other post-war conditions that prevailed.

Simple solutions
The report has coincided with the murders of three 15 year olds in London. This has prompted David Cameron to rush in with what he hopes will be a vote-winning answer to the problems of the age - blame fathers and force them to act responsibly. It makes a change from blaming working mothers, single mothers, formula-feeding babies, teachers, video games and all things American. Both Labour and Conservative parties are threatening yet more quick-fix changes to the school curriculum for 14 to 16 year olds; do they really think swapping French for Mandarin will engage the disaffected?

Subjectivity and relativity
Serious criticisms have been made about the report's use of young people's subjective views of well-being and the comparisons of relative rather than real poverty. It was ill-advised of the authors to set their critics such easy targets, nevertheless these sections are of interest to anyone trying to understand the perceived needs of the young. It takes a great deal of maturity to see one's own situation objectively. The 12 year old girl, sobbing because she is the only one who can't afford to go on the school trip, isn't comforted by the thought that she's actually better off than most children in Africa. For kids, everything is subjective and relative.

Constant change is here to stay
That was a popular bumper sticker in the 1980s, when the UK saw enormous social change. There has been change in every generation but perhaps it was more noticeable then because it was rapid and widespread. We can accommodate incremental change but that period was pretty hectic and many of the basic values and structures of society seemed to be abandoned before new ones were defined. When children experience change in one area of their lives, they need stability in other areas but everything seemed to change at once. The genie won't go back in the bottle, so 'Back to Basics' campaigns are never going to work. We have to look for new solutions to today's problems, not try to turn 21st century children into 1950s models.

Fear and engagement
There is fear in our inner-city schools, on the streets and even in some homes. I keep hearing that adults are afraid of young people: they are afraid of being mugged or stabbed; afraid of being accused of racism or abuse. Young people say they are afraid of each other and bullying is a real element in school life. Fear won't go away unless it is confronted and that can only be done through real engagement between parents and youngsters, teachers and pupils, local communities and their youth groups, pupils with one another.

Complex problems require complex solutions
I hope that there will be a real debate about these issues; even if the report itself is dismissed as flawed, let's use the opportunity it presents to evaluate our provision for young people. In my experience, the majority respond positively when presented with real opportunities and they can be very generous and committed when given a 'cause' to support. Comic Relief will be as well supported as CND and the League against Cruel Sports was in my teenage years. Here are a few of my suggestions for consideration:

• How to help families to help themselves out of poverty? (The fishing rod not the fish approach)
• How to get rid of the fear? (Opportunities for dialogue and engagement in schools and local communities - spend money on video cameras, not ASBOs?)
• How to fill the gap created by movement away from extended families? (Sure Start and Home Start schemes work well but there are not enough)
• How to restore the home as the centre for developing social skills. (Make it financially possible to have a parent at home? Issue every family with a dining table?)
• We've heard a lot about 'stakeholders' in recent years. How can we make youngsters stakeholders in their own communities?

I love young people; I love their humour, generosity and enthusiasm. They deserve the opportunity to fulfil their potential and to develop a real sense of well-being.

The well-being of our children

The publication of the Unicef report Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries' has prompted predictable sensational headlines and sceptical denials from people who haven't looked at the actual report.

The concept of 'well-being' is based on the definition used in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, accepted by virtually every country. It looks at the importance of growing up in a happy, loving family environment, at the right to an adequate standard of living, access to social security, protection from violence and exploitation, access to the highest attainable standard of healthcare and to equitable access to educational opportunity.

The report only addresses those areas where internationally comparable data is available, the sources and dates of which are published. There is one additional area - 'Dimension 6 Subjective well-being' - which is based solely on the children's own perception of well-being. The data refers to children living at home and attending mainstream schools. It does not reflect the situation of children with disabilities, refugees, members of ethnic minorities, those from immigrant families or those living in institutionalised care. While acknowledging these limitations, the authors conclude the report 'breaks new ground in bringing together the best of currently available data and represents a significant step towards a multi-dimensional overview of the state of childhood in a majority of the economically advanced nations of the world.'

The newspaper and television reports that I have seen to date have concentrated on the summary table which gives countries an average ranking position for all six dimensions covered in the study. This shows the Netherlands at the top and the UK at the bottom of the list of 21 countries and the US in 20th position. League tables, as every teacher in England knows, do not provide a complete or helpful picture. However, they do grab our attention and should lead us to a more useful examination of the details of the study.

The information contained in the report will be useful for governments and other agencies in evaluating child-related policies. It could lead to a more effective allocation of resources and the setting of smarter targets. By comparing countries, we can see what is possible, what works and what needs to be addressed.

For my son, and others who may not have the time or inclination to read the report in full, I offer a summary of what each section (or dimension) covers. The detailed results are far more interesting and useful than the averaged results published in the press.

Previous reports in this series have used income poverty as a proxy measure for overall child well-being. In Dimension 1 Material well-being, this study looks at three aspects of poverty:

• relative income poverty
• households without jobs
• reported deprivation

The authors point out that there is no satisfactory measure of poverty, whether relative or 'real.' A low income may be used wisely and fairly and a high income may be squandered on alcohol, gambling or drugs; the child in the latter situation suffers greater privation than one in the former.

Three indicators were used to measure 'deprivation'

• The WHO's Family Affluence Scale which uses the answers to the questions: Does your family own a car, van or truck? Do you have your own bedroom for yourself? During the past 12 months, how many times did you travel on holiday with your family? How many computers does your family own?
• Cultural and educational resources: Which of these do you have at home: a desk for study; a quiet place to work; a computer for schoolwork; educational software; an internet connection; a calculator; a dictionary; school textbooks?
• Fewer than 10 books in the home

Dimension 2 Health and Safety looks at:

• Health at age 0-1 : number of infants dying before age 1 per 1,000 births; percentage of infants born with low birth weight
• Preventative health services : percentage of infants age12 to 23 months immunized against measles, DPT and polio
• Safety : deaths from accidents and injuries per 100,000 aged 0 to 19 years

Dimension 3 Educational well-being looks at:

• School achievement at age 15 : average achievements in reading, mathematics and science
• Beyond basics : percentage aged 15 - 19 remaining in education
• Transition to employment : percentage 15 - 19 not in education, training or employment; percentage of 15 year olds expecting to find low-skilled work

Dimension 4 Relationships:

• Family structure : percentage of children living in single parent families; percentage of children living in stepfamilies
• Family relationships : percentage of children wh oreport eating main meal at a table with parents more than once a week; percentage of children who report that parents spend time 'just talking' to them
• Peer relationships : percentage of 11,13 and 15 year olds who report finding their peers 'kind and helpful'

Dimension 5 Behaviours and risks:

• Health behaviours : percentage of children who eat breakfast; percentage who eat fruit daily; percentage physically active; percentage overweight
• Risk behaviours : percentage of 15 year olds who smoke; percentage who have been drunk more than twice; percentage who use cannabis; percentage having sex by age 15; percentage who use condoms; teenage fertility rate
• Experience of violence : percentage of 11, 13 and 15 year olds involved in fighting in last 12 months; percentage reporting being bullied in last 12 months

Dimension 6 Subjective well-being

• Health: percentage of young people rating their own health as 'fair' or 'poor'
• School life : percentage of young people 'liking school a lot'
• Personal well-being : percentage of children rating themselves above mid-point on a 'Life Satisfaction Scale'; percentage of children reporting negatively about personal well-being

Mrs Pankhurst, terrorist

In today's Daily Telegraph we read that the women in the Suffragette movement were like members of al-Qa'eda, according to one Dr Bearman who gained his PhD from Hull University with this interesting thesis.

Now I know Hull is a long way from the centre of world events, but surely the news of acts of terrorism has reached there. Mrs Pankhurst encouraged women in acts of civil disobedience: some chained themselves to railings and carried banners; knocking policemen's helmets off their heads was a favourite act of 'terrorism'. Surely one wouldn't equate these actions with suicide bombings on trains and buses? Can one draw any comparison between Emily Davison, who stepped in front of the King's horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913 and the pilots of the 9/11 aeroplanes?

Douglas Reid, a senior lecturer at Hull who oversaw Dr Bearman's doctorate, said: "It is through such debates that we make progress in understanding the past."

We could agree with that, or we might wonder about the value of a PhD from Hull University.

Global cooling

It's snowing! All those plants that thought the globe had warmed are now shrivelling and browning in the cold air.

Bigfoot

I have just been watching a television programme about wildlife on Vancouver Island, presented by Bill Oddie. Surprisingly, this included a feature on Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, believed by some to inhabit the forests on the island.

Bill Oddie interviewed local people to find out how many thought Bigfoot really exists. The most interesting response came from a seemingly intelligent man:

Oddie: "Do you believe Sasquatch really exists?"

Man: "No, I don't. I have only seen it twice. If it really existed I would have seen it lots more times."