28 November 2008 £1.70 the DISCOVER THE CONTEMPORARYFriend QUAKER WAY An alcoholic’s recovery Inoculations withheld Escape from the bottle Refugees are second class A dream for Europe Kindertransport Looking forward A survivor’s story the Friend INDEPENDENT QUAKER JOURNALISM SINCE 1843 CONTENTS Vol 166 No 48 3-5 News 3 Learning disabilities highlighted in new report 4 European pesticide proposals come under fire 5 Geneva Declaration success 6 A European Dream? Ian Flintoff 7 Comment Judy Kirby and Bob Miller 8-9 Letters 10-11 An anonymous Quaker’s recovery 12-13 Arts 12 A Kindertransport success story Stevie Krayer 13 Small is still beautiful Philip Bryers 14-15 Children, immigration removal centres and inoculations Crystal Dickinson 16 q-eye has been watching TV 17 Friends & Meetings Cover image: Escape from the bottle. Drawn by Cally Gibson (www.callygibson.co.uk) See pages 10-11. Images on this page: Top: David Tennant as Arthur Eddington with Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein from the BBC2 show Einstein and Eddington, broadcast 22 November. Photo courtesy the BBC. See pages 7 and 16. Below: Friends from North Wales and Wirral & Chester Area Meetings at an elders and overseers day at Wrexham Meeting House earlier this month. Thirty-three Friends from across the area were involved. In this photo they are looking at how to greet new members, as part of their theme of creating and maintaining an inclusive worshipping community. Photo: Andrew Backhouse. Subscriptions Editorial UK £72 per year; Hello, I’m Judy Kirby, editor of the Friend. monthly direct debit £6.50; We welcome honest, succinct online only £45 per year. and engaging material. For details of other rates, Boldness with clarity – that’s our motto! including direct debit details, contact Penny Dunn on Articles and correspondence should be 020 7663 1178 emailed to [email protected] or [email protected] or sent to the address below. the Friend 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ Tel: 020 7663 1010 Fax: 020 7663 1182 www.thefriend.org Editor: Judy Kirby [email protected] • Production editor: Jez Smith [email protected] • Sub-editor: Trish Carn [email protected] • News reporter: Oliver Robertson [email protected] • Website editor: simon gray [email protected] • Arts editor: Rowena Loverance [email protected] • Environment editor: Laurie Michaelis [email protected] • Subscriptions officer: Penny Dunn [email protected] Tel: 020 7663 1178 • Advertisement manager: George Penaluna, Ad department, 54a Main Street, Cononley, Keighley BD20 8LL Tel: 01535 630230 [email protected] • Clerk of the trustees: A David Olver The Friend Publications Limited is a registered charity, number 211649 • Printed by Headley Bros Ltd, Queens Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 8HH 2 the Friend, 28 November 2008 News Learning disabilities highlighted in new report A major new report has highlighted about pressure from police officers, of the study the PRT has seen the problems that people with confusing court procedures, prison practical improvements on the learning difficulties have within the as a scary and lonely place and their issue in areas of staff training, prison system. fears about what would happen prison inspection and changed Prisoners’ Voices is the final after release. One Scottish prisoner practices in over eighty prisons. report of the Prison Reform Trust’s said: ‘Nobody told my mum I was The report has gone down well (PRT) three-year investigation into going to gaol; she thought I was in official circles, with ministers the experiences of prisoners with dead. I asked how they were going in Scotland and Northern Ireland learning disabilities and learning to tell my mum, but it took three committing themselves to difficulties. It concludes that the months for anyone to contact her. implementing its recommendations problems these prisoners often I finally found someone to help me in full, according to the PRT. have, particularly with reading, write a letter.’ The Ministry of Justice, which writing and being understood, have Juliet Lyon, director of the oversees prison policy in England had negative effects on the quality PRT, described the work her and Wales, said: ‘All government of justice they have received. organisation has done on this as agencies involved in the criminal The report, which looks at the ‘completely ground-breaking’. justice system, including Her times before, during and after While people have been aware of Majesty’s Court Service and Her imprisonment, includes interviews the issue, she said, it has not been Majesty’s Prison Service, are with prisoners and details their given the analysis and research that committed to ensuring those with experiences of the criminal justice other problems like mental health disabilities are given the necessary system. Many felt unable to express in prison have received. However, care and support’. themselves properly and talked she added, during the three years Oliver Robertson Business-minded Quakers consider future of work ‘The Future of Work’, the title of the fifth Quakers in the twenty-nine hour conference gave plenty of & Business conference held at Woodbrooke Quaker choice but still left time for informal and stimulating Study Centre on 18 and 19 November, could hardly networking and conversation. have been more apposite in the light of current ‘Blue-sky thinking, doing things and meeting people financial convulsions around the world, but the mood I don’t usually meet in my business life were the best among the forty-five participants was far from gloomy. aspects of the conference’ is a typical reaction among If anything, the crash of the ‘culture of greed’ was seen participants, who brought an amazing range of skills as an opportunity for Quakers in business to wave the to the event. A chat show host on Iranian TV, a social flag for ethical practices, sound finance and treating issues film maker, the director of finance at a Quaker customers, suppliers and employees with equal school, a bespoke shoe maker, a creative learning fairness. consultant and the CEO of The Retreat mental health As David Price, a marketer of shoes, socks and centre in York were just a few of the wide variety of hosiery, put it: ‘Practising Quaker values in business, jobs held by those who attended and all were willing paying invoices within ten days, listening to feedback to share their wisdom (and their bruises). More from customers, and looking after your staff makes it a information about the activities of the Quakers & better and more profitable enterprise’. Business Group is available on their website. Felicity Kaal, the keynote speaker, introduced the Don’t let anyone tell you that there is no place for concept of Spiral Dynamics, a provocative insight business in Quaker life – it’s very much alive and into individuals, organisations and cultures developed kicking! by Don Beck, Clare Graves and others. Seven Andrew James participatory workshops repeated up to three times Quakers & Business Group the Friend, 28 November 2008 3 News European pesticide proposals come under fire Two proposed new European laws law drawn up by the European argues for a ‘risk-based’ system. on pesticides have led to heated Parliament and the NFU supports ‘In a risk-based system you look at disputes between farmers and a different version proposed by the the realistic use of a product in the pesticide campaigners. Council of the European Union, the field’, explained Paul Chambers. The new rules, which would grouping of European governments. ‘If you’re looking at how they redefine which pesticides can be Paul Chambers, plant health adviser [pesticides] are actually used in used within the European Union for the NFU, argued that with practice, they’re not dangerous.’ and restrict the ways in which increasing populations but a fixed One likely feature of the laws they can be used, are expected to amount of land for farming, the that could help allay the fears of be agreed in the next few months. world needed to produce as much pesticide users is a clause that The present proposals would see at food as possible. ‘Pesticides are allows blacklisted pesticides to be least twenty-three – and possibly already very very regulated’, he said. used if there is no safer alternative. many more – currently available ‘They go through one of the hardest ‘We’d rather that that weren’t in products banned. The proposals registration systems.’ However, this place but it’s a compromise’, said have been vociferously opposed by was dismissed as ‘misinformation’ Nick Mole. the farming industry. by PAN UK; Nick Mole talked about Everyone is expecting a deal to Nick Mole, policy officer for the ‘long history’ of supposedly be thrashed out: as Paul Chambers Pesticides Action Network UK safe products being recognised put it, ‘the process is devised to get (PAN UK), which campaigns to as dangerous. The reasons the agreement’. However, the precise eliminate the dangers of toxic pesticides currently at risk are still nature of that deal is still uncertain pesticides, said that while the popular are, he said: ‘They work, and Linda Craig, PAN UK’s organisation would like to see they’re cheap and they’re pushed by director, has called on the public to stronger regulations, ‘overall the agro-chemical industries’. contact their MEPs about the issue. we’re pretty happy with the way One area of dispute is how to ‘That isn’t something that Friends it is at the moment’. However, the respond to any potential risk. often think about’, she said, adding National Farmers’ Union (NFU), While PAN UK advocates use of that while the proposed laws will which is against greater restrictions the ‘precautionary principle’ to stop not achieve everything that PAN on pesticide use, is also content the use of those pesticides which UK wants, ‘we know that this work with the draft legislation.