Blogs & articles

Matrix restated?

Blog

25 Apr 2012

Matthew Taylor

I chaired a fascinating conference yesterday. At the risk of being overly critical, the conference was slightly guilty of two often repeated failings of such gathering. There was an awful lot of content, with fourteen plenary speakers across a long day facing an, inevitably, diminishing audience. And because of the wide ranging nature of the speakers, from a very senior DCMS civil servant and National Portrait Gallery administrator to the brilliant young photographer Sara Shamsavari and Araceli Camargo founder of The Cube (who offered a beguiling vision of collaborative spaces flooded with oxytocin!), sessions occasionally felt unfocussed.

Chelmsford wins city status - with help from RSA fellows

Blog

24 Apr 2012

There is only one town in England to have been awarded city status as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations – that town is Chelmsford.

Race to the bottom in the name of being competitive

Blog

24 Apr 2012

Here are a couple of ideas how to help our struggling economy by introducing more competition. One option is to remove legal requirements for paid annual leave. This would make people work more days thus increasing the GDP. Also, if we lifted a ban on child labour, we would have an increase of supply of cheap labour, which would make our economy more cost-effective and more competitive in the global market.

Close to the edge

Blog

23 Apr 2012

Matthew Taylor

I remember many, many years ago an announcer on a Radio 4 comedy programme starting an item like this: ‘Once, in a small village just outside France’. The subtle joke being, of course, we need to know what country a village is in before it can be narrowed down by which other country is close by.

Fair enough?

Blog

20 Apr 2012

Matthew Taylor

A comment on yesterday’s hubristically titled post focussed on the absence in my account of ‘how to save the world’ of any mention of social inequality. It is a valid criticism. But here are some things to bear in mind when we do talk about social justice.

Saving the world (part 2)

Blog

19 Apr 2012

Matthew Taylor

In my post yesterday, I made the case for a new public sphere in which the efforts of state, civil society and individuals are more effectively combined so as to narrow the currently growing gap between social aspirations (for both entitlements and values) and the trajectory on which we are now set. I promised today (thanks to those who kindly retweeted my promise) to identify the spaces in which change is required to develop this new public sphere.

What's the best age to be?

Blog

18 Apr 2012

Jonathan Rowson

I became 35 today, and have the cake and candles to prove it. It therefore felt particularly serendipitous to read the headline in the Guardian: Is 35 really the best age to be?

Saving the world (part 1)

Blog

18 Apr 2012

Matthew Taylor

Every once in a while I get the chance to restate, and in so doing refine, a core element of my case for change in the world. So it was last night when the wonderful Tessy Britton (FRSA) and Laura Billings (FRSA) invited me to an ‘Ad-hoc enquiry’ dinner at the Hub in Westminster. I was a last minute stand-in and the group of twenty or so people sitting round the table eating soup and salad were highly impressive and accomplished, so it was quite a tough gig.

Earth Hour - how to turn Fellows into 'Doers'...

Blog

17 Apr 2012

Hermione Taylor FRSA is Founder of The DoNation, a sponsorship site that replaces cash with action, aiming to actively engage people in living more sustainably. She was one of the entrepreneurs in the RSA Social Enterprise Spotlight last year, receiving invaluable support which enabled The DoNation to survive and thrive through its first year. Hermione guest blogs here about the WWF's recent Earth Hour, enabling a community of 'Doers' and the potential of the RSA Fellowship: