Science and pseudoscience…

The pseudo in pseudoscience means false , or fake , or deceptively resembling ; pseudoscience is fake science .
What then is ‘ real ’ science ?
You can think of it as knowledge found by observation and experimentation in the natural or physical world .
It is is a ‘ systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
’ This is done by the scientific method .
We are introduced to natural science in school when we study physics , chemistry and biology ; geography and geology are earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics , sociology and psychology ; logic and maths are formal sciences .
Applications of natural science include medicine and engineering ; in social sciences , law and business administration ; and in formal science , computer science .
The scientific method ‘ involves careful observation , applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed , given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation .
It involves formulating hypotheses , via induction , based on such observations ; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses ; and refinement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on the experimental findings.
’ Scientific experiments should be reproducible ; the method used in the experiment should allow other workers to repeat the experiment , and produce similar findings .
The words used in scientific enquiry have precise meanings , and these aren ’ t always the same as the everyday meaning .
A hypothesis is a supposition , an idea to be shown to be right or wrong , or a provisional explanation .
A theory is an explanation , based on a supposition which has been tested .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can mean to demonstrate the validity of something , or they can be used with the meaning of ‘ a test ’ .
Proving yeast when making bread means testing it to see that the yeast is still alive ; ‘ proof spirit ’ has been tested to confirm its alcohol content .
Induction means taking particular truths to find a general one , where as deduction is the inference of a particular truth from a previously known general one .
It should be possible to make predictions from a theory , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being tested .
For example , in the solar system , modern theory has the Earth rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun .
Foucault suspended a heavy lead bob from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris ; as it swung back and forth it marked out the Earth ’ s rotation .
Newtonian physics predicts that the Earth is flattened at the poles , and bulges at the equator ; it is ‘ orange shaped ’ .
French scientists disputed this , saying that the Earth was pointed at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equator , like a lemon .
In the early 18th century , the French Academy of Sciences sent an expedition to Lapland , and another to Ecuador , on the equator , to measure a degree of latitude .
This , together with previous measurements , showed that the Earth is oblate , flattened at the poles .
If the Earth really does revolve around the sun , then its position in space changes .
Stars , seen from Earth , should be in a slightly different position at the extremes of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stellar parallax , and was confirmed in the early 19th century .
An important feature of a scientific theory is falsibility ; that is , there should be within the theory the potential for disproving it .
Thus , if the ‘ theory of swans ’ says that ‘ all swans are white ’ , then it is sufficient to disprove the theory by finding a black one .
If fossils of today ’ s rabbits were found in ancient pre-Cambrian rocks , the theory of evolution would be disproven .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theories .
The phlogiston theory held that a fiery element , phlogiston , was released during combustion .
The discovery of oxygen rendered the theory obsolete .
Disease was thought to be due to bad air or miasmas before germs were identified .
In 1870 , Alfred Russel Wallace suspended marker poles 13 feet above the Bedford level ( to avoid atmospheric refraction ) , an unimpeded straight six mile stretch of water .
He viewed them from one end using a telescope ; the centre pole was elevated above the poles at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Earth .
Science progresses forwards , building on ideas , experiments and theories , casting aside the incorrect and seeking an ever better , more comprehensive understanding or theory .
Pseudoscience does the opposite ; it starts with a given , fixed and ‘ correct ’ end point and works backwards seeking facts to confirm this , while ignoring things that don ’ t fit .
Pseudoscience may be inerrant and infallible , that is incapable of being falsified .
For many centuries knowledge was the preserve of the Church .
Their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the wisdom of some pre-Christian thinkers .
Problems began when these teachings were at variance with human experience and thought .
The retrograde movement of the planets was well known ; it ’ s when the planet ’ s movement in the sky suddenly turns backwards for a while , before continuing ; a sort of ‘ looping the loop ’ .
In Ptolemy ’ s geocentric model he explained this through a complicated set of epicycles , wheels within wheels .
King Alfonso , when this was explained to him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had consulted me before embarking on creation thus , I should have recommended something simpler ’ .
Copernicus ’ s heliocentric solar system was much simpler , but implied that the Earth moved around the sun ; the Bible disagreed .
Galileo using his telescope saw things that the naked eye could not such as the four largest satellites ( moons ) of Jupiter .
This was at total variance with Aristotle ’ s view that all heavenly bodies circled the Earth .
Galileo ’ s observations of the phases of Venus could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory .
Despite this experimental evidence of heliocentrism , Galileo was called before the Inquisition and ordered to recant .
Archbishop James Ussher produced his Biblical chronology in , 1650 establishing that creation began on 23 October , 4004 BC .
His work was based not only on the Bible , but also on extensive reading outside it .
This chronology became popular when it was printed in the King James Bibles .
However , geologists such as James Hutton , studying the development of rock strata in Scotland became convinced that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , at least several million years old .
Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859 ; in this and the later Descent of Man he described how man had descended , not from today ’ s apes , but from an ancestor common to both .
Science now says the universe is about 13.8 billion ( 13,800,000,000 ) years old , the Earth is about 4.54 billion years old , with life beginning about 4 billion years ago .
The original ancestor of man is perhaps 6 million years old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years ago , and modern man emerging about 250,000 years ago .
These scientific views are not accepted by all .
There was a considerable fundamental Christian evangelical revival in the US in the late 19th and early 20th century , and alongside Prohibition and sexual purity , they championed the Biblical views of the creation of the Earth and of humans .
In 1925 , Tennessee passed the Butler Act which prohibited the teaching of the evolution of man : “ That it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State , to teach any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible , and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.
” In the 1960s , Creation Science was an attempt at a formal synthesis of creation theory , but fell foul of the US constitution .
It was rebranded as Intelligent Design ; some see it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are many , many more pseudosciences .
Some , such as the idea of a flat earth , are simply risible .
Others are harmful .
Homeopathy , for example , offers ineffective nostrums and ‘ vaccines ’ .
Dr Andrew Wakefield published an article in 1998 in the Lancet ; this purported to show a connection between the MMR ( measles , mumps , rubella ) vaccine and ‘ autistic enteropathy ’ .
Subsequently , vaccination rates fell , and there were significant outbreaks of disease .
Over a decade later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the British Medical Journal said , ‘ a fraud ’ .
He was struck off by the General Medical Council , and is now in the US .
There is now a significant ‘ anti-vax ’ movement ; parents refuse to vaccinate their children against common diseases .
The use of vaccine-preservatives containing a mercuric preparation is said to be toxic ; this includes at least one vaccine which has never used the compound .
Fraudulent science has now combined pseudoscience with conspiracy theory .
The vast majority of scientists who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening , and that we may be reaching a ‘ tipping point ’ where change becomes irreversible .
Global warming became ‘ climate change ’ at the behest of denier organisations whose public relations advisers thought it sounded less threatening .
Climate change denial is a dangerous pseudoscience .
Eugenics is a pseudoscience , discredited on both moral and scientific grounds .
Its malign shadow persists as “ scientific racism ” ; I hope to return to this in a future post .
There is a list of references and further reading here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madeleine Morris and Prof Sean Danaher for their comments on an earlier draft of this post .

The pseudo in pseudoscience means false, or fake, or deceptively resembling; pseudoscience is fake science. What then is ‘real’ science? You can think of it as knowledge found by observation and experimentation in the natural or physical world. It is is a ‘systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.’ This is done by the scientific method.
We are introduced to natural science in school when we study physics, chemistry and biology; geography and geology are earth sciences. Social sciences include economics, politics, sociology and psychology; logic and maths are formal sciences.
Applications of natural science include medicine and engineering; in social sciences, law and business administration; and in formal science, computer science.
The scientific method ‘involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; experimental and measurement-based testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings.’
Scientific experiments should be reproducible; the method used in the experiment should allow other workers to repeat the experiment, and produce similar findings.
The words used in scientific enquiry have precise meanings, and these aren’t always the same as the everyday meaning. A hypothesis is a supposition, an idea to be shown to be right or wrong, or a provisional explanation. A theory is an explanation, based on a supposition which has been tested. The words prove and proof are tricky; they can mean to demonstrate the validity of something, or they can be used with the meaning of ‘a test’. Proving yeast when making bread means testing it to see that the yeast is still alive; ‘proof spirit’ has been tested to confirm its alcohol content. Induction means taking particular truths to find a general one, where as deduction is the inference of a particular truth from a previously known general one.
It should be possible to make predictions from a theory, and such predictions should be capable of being tested. For example, in the solar system, modern theory has the Earth rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun. Foucault suspended a heavy lead bob from the dome of the Panthéon in Paris; as it swung back and forth it marked out the Earth’s rotation.
Newtonian physics predicts that the Earth is flattened at the poles, and bulges at the equator; it is ‘orange shaped’. French scientists disputed this, saying that the Earth was pointed at the poles, and narrow at the equator, like a lemon. In the early 18th century, the French Academy of Sciences sent an expedition to Lapland, and another to Ecuador, on the equator, to measure a degree of latitude. This, together with previous measurements, showed that the Earth is oblate, flattened at the poles.
If the Earth really does revolve around the sun, then its position in space changes. Stars, seen from Earth, should be in a slightly different position at the extremes of the Earth’s orbit. This is the stellar parallax, and was confirmed in the early 19th century.
An important feature of a scientific theory is falsibility; that is, there should be within the theory the potential for disproving it. Thus, if the ‘theory of swans’ says that ‘all swans are white’, then it is sufficient to disprove the theory by finding a black one. If fossils of today’s rabbits were found in ancient pre-Cambrian rocks, the theory of evolution would be disproven.
The history of science is littered with discarded theories. The phlogiston theory held that a fiery element, phlogiston, was released during combustion. The discovery of oxygen rendered the theory obsolete. Disease was thought to be due to bad air or miasmas before germs were identified. In 1870, Alfred Russel Wallace suspended marker poles 13 feet above the Bedford level (to avoid atmospheric refraction), an unimpeded straight six mile stretch of water. He viewed them from one end using a telescope; the centre pole was elevated above the poles at either end, confirming the curvature of the Earth.
Science progresses forwards, building on ideas, experiments and theories, casting aside the incorrect and seeking an ever better, more comprehensive understanding or theory. Pseudoscience does the opposite; it starts with a given, fixed and ‘correct’ end point and works backwards seeking facts to confirm this, while ignoring things that don’t fit. Pseudoscience may be inerrant and infallible, that is incapable of being falsified.
For many centuries knowledge was the preserve of the Church. Their teachings were based on the Bible and on the wisdom of some pre-Christian thinkers. Problems began when these teachings were at variance with human experience and thought. The retrograde movement of the planets was well known; it’s when the planet’s movement in the sky suddenly turns backwards for a while, before continuing; a sort of ‘looping the loop’. In Ptolemy’s geocentric model he explained this through a complicated set of epicycles, wheels within wheels. King Alfonso, when this was explained to him, supposedly said ‘If the Lord Almighty had consulted me before embarking on creation thus, I should have recommended something simpler’. Copernicus’s heliocentric solar system was much simpler, but implied that the Earth moved around the sun; the Bible disagreed. Galileo using his telescope saw things that the naked eye could not such as the four largest satellites (moons) of Jupiter. This was at total variance with Aristotle’s view that all heavenly bodies circled the Earth. Galileo’s observations of the phases of Venus could not be reconciled with the Ptolemaic geocentric theory. Despite this experimental evidence of heliocentrism, Galileo was called before the Inquisition and ordered to recant.
Archbishop James Ussher produced his Biblical chronology in, 1650 establishing that creation began on 23 October, 4004 BC. His work was based not only on the Bible, but also on extensive reading outside it. This chronology became popular when it was printed in the King James Bibles. However, geologists such as James Hutton, studying the development of rock strata in Scotland became convinced that the Earth must be much older than this, at least several million years old.
Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859; in this and the later Descent of Man he described how man had descended, not from today’s apes, but from an ancestor common to both.
Science now says the universe is about 13.8 billion (13,800,000,000) years old, the Earth is about 4.54 billion years old, with life beginning about 4 billion years ago. The original ancestor of man is perhaps 6 million years old, with the Neanderthals appearing about 350,000 years ago, and modern man emerging about 250,000 years ago.
These scientific views are not accepted by all. There was a considerable fundamental Christian evangelical revival in the US in the late 19th and early 20th century, and alongside Prohibition and sexual purity, they championed the Biblical views of the creation of the Earth and of humans. In 1925, Tennessee passed the Butler Act which prohibited the teaching of the evolution of man:
“That it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.”
In the 1960s, Creation Science was an attempt at a formal synthesis of creation theory, but fell foul of the US constitution. It was rebranded as Intelligent Design; some see it as a genuine alternative to evolution.
There are many, many more pseudosciences. Some, such as the idea of a flat earth, are simply risible. Others are harmful. Homeopathy, for example, offers ineffective nostrums and ‘vaccines’.
Dr Andrew Wakefield published an article in 1998 in the Lancet; this purported to show a connection between the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine and ‘autistic enteropathy’. Subsequently, vaccination rates fell, and there were significant outbreaks of disease. Over a decade later, investigation showed that his research was, as the British Medical Journal said, ‘a fraud’. He was struck off by the General Medical Council, and is now in the US.
There is now a significant ‘anti-vax’ movement; parents refuse to vaccinate their children against common diseases. The use of vaccine-preservatives containing a mercuric preparation is said to be toxic; this includes at least one vaccine which has never used the compound. Fraudulent science has now combined pseudoscience with conspiracy theory.
The vast majority of scientists who have studied it agree that global warming is happening, and that we may be reaching a ‘tipping point’ where change becomes irreversible. Global warming became ‘climate change’ at the behest of denier organisations whose public relations advisers thought it sounded less threatening. Climate change denial is a dangerous pseudoscience.
Eugenics is a pseudoscience, discredited on both moral and scientific grounds. Its malign shadow persists as “scientific racism”; I hope to return to this in a future post.
There is a list of references and further reading here.
My thanks to SeaanUiNeill, Dr Madeleine Morris and Prof Sean Danaher for their comments on an earlier draft of this post.


sluggerotoole--2020-02-17--Slugger Competition – win a pair of tickets to hear John Bercow in the Waterfront Hall

It is fair to say the former Speaker of the House of Commons is a man who divides opinion .
@ @ @ @ @ him , no one can accuse him of being dull .
So it should be @ @ @ @ @ Friday 28 February when he will be onstage in ‘ An Audience with ’ evening @ @ @ @ @ He ’ ll be interviewed by Karen Patterson and take questions from the audience .
@ @ @ @ @ have given us a pair tickets to give away .
To enter the competition just @ @ @ @ @ email address here…

It is fair to say the former Speaker of the House of Commons is a man who divides opinion. But whatever your view of him, no one can accuse him of being dull. So it should be an entertaining night out on Friday 28 February when he will be onstage in ‘An Audience with’ evening at the Waterfront Hall. He’ll be interviewed by Karen Patterson and take questions from the audience.
The organisers Chandelier Events NI have given us a pair tickets to give away.
To enter the competition just give us your name and email address here…


sluggerotoole--2020-02-17--Is Brandon Lewis on the periphery of the cabinet and without a special adviser?

At the first meeting of the new cabinet last week , Brandon Lewis could hardly have been more distant from the Prime Minister , parked at one extreme of the oval table .
Perhaps it was a metaphor for Northern Ireland ’ s lack of significance in Westminster now that Stormont is back at work and Brexit has been ticked off as ‘ done ’ .
The Guido Fawkes political blog also reports that the new Northern Ireland Secretary of State has yet to appoint a special adviser .
Guido understands newly-appointed Northern Ireland Secretary , Brandon Lewis , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was spotted returning from his first official trip to his new district thumbing through his ministerial folder containing a document entitled “ A beginner ’ s guide to the political scene in Northern Ireland ” .
Sounds like he urgently needs a hire – any Northern Ireland experts get in touch with him … Presumably , James Brokenshire ’ s ex-SPAD Peter Cardwell need not apply for the vacancy after his most recent boss , Justice Secretary Robert Buckland , was forced by Number 10 to set him loose during the reshuffle last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s advisers expect a call – even though Lilah Howson-Smith and Ross Easton had a good reputation for listening and steering their boss through NI ’ s political minefields .
Though maybe Dominic Cummings will have someone fresh and approved on his so-called “ misfits and weirdos ” list …

At the first meeting of the new cabinet last week, Brandon Lewis could hardly have been more distant from the Prime Minister, parked at one extreme of the oval table. Perhaps it was a metaphor for Northern Ireland’s lack of significance in Westminster now that Stormont is back at work and Brexit has been ticked off as ‘done’.
The Guido Fawkes political blog also reports that the new Northern Ireland Secretary of State has yet to appoint a special adviser.
Guido understands newly-appointed Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis, is currently SpAd-less; which explains why he was spotted returning from his first official trip to his new district thumbing through his ministerial folder containing a document entitled “A beginner’s guide to the political scene in Northern Ireland”. Sounds like he urgently needs a hire – any Northern Ireland experts get in touch with him …
Presumably, James Brokenshire’s ex-SPAD Peter Cardwell need not apply for the vacancy after his most recent boss, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, was forced by Number 10 to set him loose during the reshuffle last week.
Nor should Julian Smith’s advisers expect a call – even though Lilah Howson-Smith and Ross Easton had a good reputation for listening and steering their boss through NI’s political minefields.
Though maybe Dominic Cummings will have someone fresh and approved on his so-called “misfits and weirdos” list …


sluggerotoole--2020-02-18--A challenge to the separation of schools…

A closed and boarded-up primary school must be one of the commonest , and saddest , local sights .
Crumbling façades .
Peeling paintwork .
Broken windows .
The silent playground that once resounded to excited chatter .
Weeds breaking through the tarmac where generations of children played football , rounders and ‘ chasies ’ .
Schools aren ’ t just places of education , they are centres of community and repositories of communal memories , but there is little place for such sentimentality in educational planning .
Empty school desks and restrictive budgets mean that savings are imperative .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ luxury – the two-car family , the second home – when money is tight the aspiration shifts to having just one that does the job efficiently .
Yet it seems , at times , that even the smallest community requires two schools – one for them and one for us .
Keeping both sustainable in the face of declining primary school enrolment is inevitably going to be a losing game .
As has recently been seen in Desertmartin , where the Church of Ireland and the Catholic church have been unable to reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closure of one of the schools , as a consequence , appears unavoidable .
There has been considerable investment in Shared Education which maintains separation by supporting schools of different community profiles to work alongside each other .
In some cases , this has involved Shared Campuses .
Each proposal for such a shared campus seems to be fraught with difficulty .
In Moy , consensus over housing two schools under one roof has so-far proved impossible in the face of demands that St John ’ s Primary and Moy Regional Primary schools @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other on the same piece of land .
Initially , the plan had been for these schools to share a building with a common front door but with their own classrooms .
Whether separate buildings or the same building , each school would retain their own uniforms , teachers and governors .
A clergyman has recently stepped aside from the project , reportedly saying that many parents would prefer a fully integrated school .
It is not only pupils and schools that are separated ; division is endemic at every level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Initial Teacher Education .
Schools are managed and teachers are appointed by Boards of Governors that are largely composed of members that share a common community identity , and , on both sides , are often heavily influenced by clerics .
Teachers are not protected by the hard-fought-for fair employment laws that the rest of us can take for granted ; many will have been wholly separated from their neighbours from the other community as they passed through every stage of education and teacher education .
From top to bottom the system reflects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come .
This was not the vision of either the architects of education in Ireland when the National Schools were established in 1831 , nor in Northern Ireland when there were opportunities for a fresh education system across the new state in 1923 .
Both aspired to the creation of a common , non-denominational system .
Both were destined to fail .
The Transforming Education project that has been developed in partnership between Ulster University ’ s UNESCO Centre and the Integrated Education Fund has been casting light on the various elements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 90 % of pupils , community separation is the accepted norm .
The project has so far produced four evidence-based Briefing Papers and Infographics that have explored : Teacher Deployment , Religion in Schools , Isolated Pairs of Schools and The Religious Education Certificate .
Each of these uses academic research to outline the context , identify the factors that have influenced policy and practice , and examine the real-world manifestation and impact of a system that is characterised by division .
Future papers are in the pipeline which will highlight other aspects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Separation of Initial Teacher Education , Nursery and Pre-school Education , School Separation and Transport , the Teacher Unions , and the Transfer Test .
The Stormont Government ’ s “ New Decade , New Approach ” document boldly asserts that : The education system has a diversity of school types , each with its own distinctive ethos and values .
However it is not sustainable .
If the system is to change then the research undertaken through the Transforming Education project suggests that root and branch reform is needed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessarily accessing more money , but the challenge of sustaining a vision , motivation and commitment to change in the face of inevitable resistance from the familiar vested interests .
Those vested interests can not be allowed to continue to block movement towards a truly shared future , and that has to start in schools .
Dr Matt Milliken is a Researcher at the UNESCO Centre Ulster University .
You can follow him on twitter .
Dr Stephen Roulston is a Lecturer in the School of Education , Ulster University .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produced by the Transforming Education Project are available to view .
View Documents Here… Photo by klimkin is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

A closed and boarded-up primary school must be one of the commonest, and saddest, local sights. Crumbling façades. Peeling paintwork. Broken windows. The silent playground that once resounded to excited chatter. Weeds breaking through the tarmac where generations of children played football, rounders and ‘chasies’. Schools aren’t just places of education, they are centres of community and repositories of communal memories, but there is little place for such sentimentality in educational planning. Empty school desks and restrictive budgets mean that savings are imperative.
Duplication is surely the quintessential indicator of luxury – the two-car family, the second home – when money is tight the aspiration shifts to having just one that does the job efficiently. Yet it seems, at times, that even the smallest community requires two schools – one for them and one for us. Keeping both sustainable in the face of declining primary school enrolment is inevitably going to be a losing game. As has recently been seen in Desertmartin, where the Church of Ireland and the Catholic church have been unable to reach consensus on establishing a joint-faith school and closure of one of the schools, as a consequence, appears unavoidable.
There has been considerable investment in Shared Education which maintains separation by supporting schools of different community profiles to work alongside each other. In some cases, this has involved Shared Campuses. Each proposal for such a shared campus seems to be fraught with difficulty. In Moy, consensus over housing two schools under one roof has so-far proved impossible in the face of demands that St John’s Primary and Moy Regional Primary schools should have separate buildings, sitting alongside each other on the same piece of land. Initially, the plan had been for these schools to share a building with a common front door but with their own classrooms. Whether separate buildings or the same building, each school would retain their own uniforms, teachers and governors. A clergyman has recently stepped aside from the project, reportedly saying that many parents would prefer a fully integrated school.
It is not only pupils and schools that are separated; division is endemic at every level of the education system from primary schools to Initial Teacher Education. Schools are managed and teachers are appointed by Boards of Governors that are largely composed of members that share a common community identity, and, on both sides, are often heavily influenced by clerics. Teachers are not protected by the hard-fought-for fair employment laws that the rest of us can take for granted; many will have been wholly separated from their neighbours from the other community as they passed through every stage of education and teacher education. From top to bottom the system reflects community division and assures it for generations to come.
This was not the vision of either the architects of education in Ireland when the National Schools were established in 1831, nor in Northern Ireland when there were opportunities for a fresh education system across the new state in 1923. Both aspired to the creation of a common, non-denominational system. Both were destined to fail.
The Transforming Education project that has been developed in partnership between Ulster University’s UNESCO Centre and the Integrated Education Fund has been casting light on the various elements of a system where, for over 90% of pupils, community separation is the accepted norm. The project has so far produced four evidence-based Briefing Papers and Infographics that have explored: Teacher Deployment, Religion in Schools, Isolated Pairs of Schools and The Religious Education Certificate. Each of these uses academic research to outline the context, identify the factors that have influenced policy and practice, and examine the real-world manifestation and impact of a system that is characterised by division. Future papers are in the pipeline which will highlight other aspects of the education system: School Governance, the Separation of Initial Teacher Education, Nursery and Pre-school Education, School Separation and Transport, the Teacher Unions, and the Transfer Test.
The Stormont Government’s “New Decade, New Approach” document boldly asserts that:
The education system has a diversity of school types, each with its own distinctive ethos and values. However it is not sustainable.
If the system is to change then the research undertaken through the Transforming Education project suggests that root and branch reform is needed. The issue facing the reformers is not necessarily accessing more money, but the challenge of sustaining a vision, motivation and commitment to change in the face of inevitable resistance from the familiar vested interests. Those vested interests cannot be allowed to continue to block movement towards a truly shared future, and that has to start in schools.
Dr Matt Milliken is a Researcher at the UNESCO Centre Ulster University. You can follow him on twitter.
Dr Stephen Roulston is a Lecturer in the School of Education, Ulster University. You can follow him on twitter.
All papers produced by the Transforming Education Project are available to view. View Documents Here…
Photo by klimkin is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-02-18--SOAPBOX: Gambling – you can bet your life we have a problem (by John Kyle)

Dr John Kyle is a retired GP and the Progressive Unionist Party councillor for Titanic in Belfast .
“ Our son Jack was bright , popular , just 24 when he began gambling [ but ] he thought he would never be free from it.
” His mother , Liz Ritchie , told the heart-breaking story of how Jack came to end his life because of an addiction to gambling at the launch of Gambling With Lives , this week in the Long Gallery , Parliament Buildings .
Gambling addiction has been a hidden problem and only recently , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gambling advertising , have we come to realise that it is a huge problem .
It is estimated that we have 30,000–40,000 individuals living in Northern Ireland whose lives are being damaged by problem gambling .
Unlike alcohol or drug addiction it has few visible signs yet it can have a devastating impact on the lives of individuals , their families , friends , community and work places .
It leads to debt , family breakdown , domestic violence , criminal activity , depression , mental health problems and , tragically in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives .
It is estimated that in the UK , annually , there are between 250–650 suicides related to gambling addiction .
As Pete Keogh , whose son Lewis took his own life , explained “ Lewis didn ’ t take his life because of debts , he took it because of a terrible illness , gambling addiction ” .
Certain people are particularly at risk of gambling addiction : the young , adolescents , unemployed , those in poor health , those living in the lowest socio-economic groups , the single , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vulnerable .
Although it is illegal for under 18s to gamble , research suggests that in the UK 1.7 % of 11–16 year olds are problem gamblers .
That ’ s 60,000 young people , many of whom are inveigled by unscrupulous firms into online gaming and gambling .
In Northern Ireland we have a particular problem .
Our prevalence of problem gambling is the highest in the UK , twice that of Scotland , three times of Wales and four times as bad as in England .
Furthermore , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shocking lack of support available in Northern Ireland to individuals who are addicted to gambling .
A report published by the NIO last September revealed that the Health and Social Care Board neither provides funding for problem gambling now commissions services for problem gamblers .
The Department of Health and Public Health Agency have provided no funding for public awareness campaigns and only one of the five NHS trusts even collects data on the number of individuals affected .
This is in contrast to the rest of the UK where there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treatment centres , recovery housing to prevent relapse , a retreat and counselling programme , public health campaigns , awareness and educational campaigns , point-of-sale safer gambling messaging , regulatory restrictions , self-exclusion schemes , a range of preventative tools and training for staff in recognising and interacting with customers exhibiting signs of problem gambling .
Two specialist clinics exist in England and this number will increase to 14 over the next five years , covering England , Scotland and Wales , funded with £100m from the gambling industry .
In Northern Ireland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turf Guardians Association ( NITGA ) represents 80 % of the local industry and gives £24,000 annually to the Dunlewey Centre for a counselling service .
The Northern Ireland Amusement Caterers Trade Association also provide some funding to Dunlewey and help to fund a dedicated helpline through Gamcare .
However , the sums involved are not large .
£24,000 is a drop in the ocean of what is actually needed from the gambling industry which makes millions of pounds a year in profits .
Last year the total gross gambling yield in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ salaries run into the millions of pounds .
Bet 365 ’ s CEO Denise Coates was paid £323m last year .
The good news is that a consultation is underway on the Regulation of Gambling by the Department for Communities .
It closes on Friday 21 February at 5pm .
Our current legislation is decades out of date and not fit for purpose .
There is widespread support , not only to update the law but also to put strong safeguards in place for vulnerable individuals and to protect young people .
An @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as the Gambling Commission in Great Britain ) .
The lack of provision in respect of education , prevention and treatment is now glaringly obvious .
The Department of Health and the Public Health Agency need to take this ignored problem seriously .
Gambling kills .
The gambling industry , which up until now in Northern Ireland has avoided shouldering its responsibility , should step up to the mark and provide the necessary funding to address a problem that they have been largely responsible for creating .
There is widespread support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Occasionally politicians are presented with an open goal : an opportunity to do something which will prevent suffering , protect children , help families and most importantly save lives , with an obvious and available source of funding .
This is their opportunity ; it is time to act .

Dr John Kyle is a retired GP and the Progressive Unionist Party councillor for Titanic in Belfast.
“Our son Jack was bright, popular, just 24 when he began gambling [but] he thought he would never be free from it.” His mother, Liz Ritchie, told the heart-breaking story of how Jack came to end his life because of an addiction to gambling at the launch of Gambling With Lives, this week in the Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings.
Gambling addiction has been a hidden problem and only recently, with greater awareness due to the explosion of gambling advertising, have we come to realise that it is a huge problem.
It is estimated that we have 30,000–40,000 individuals living in Northern Ireland whose lives are being damaged by problem gambling. Unlike alcohol or drug addiction it has few visible signs yet it can have a devastating impact on the lives of individuals, their families, friends, community and work places. It leads to debt, family breakdown, domestic violence, criminal activity, depression, mental health problems and, tragically in some circumstances, to individuals taking their own lives.
It is estimated that in the UK, annually, there are between 250–650 suicides related to gambling addiction. As Pete Keogh, whose son Lewis took his own life, explained “Lewis didn’t take his life because of debts, he took it because of a terrible illness, gambling addiction”.
Certain people are particularly at risk of gambling addiction: the young, adolescents, unemployed, those in poor health, those living in the lowest socio-economic groups, the single, widowed or divorced, often the most vulnerable.
Although it is illegal for under 18s to gamble, research suggests that in the UK 1.7% of 11–16 year olds are problem gamblers. That’s 60,000 young people, many of whom are inveigled by unscrupulous firms into online gaming and gambling.
In Northern Ireland we have a particular problem. Our prevalence of problem gambling is the highest in the UK, twice that of Scotland, three times of Wales and four times as bad as in England.
Furthermore, one of the most troubling aspects of this issue is the shocking lack of support available in Northern Ireland to individuals who are addicted to gambling. A report published by the NIO last September revealed that the Health and Social Care Board neither provides funding for problem gambling now commissions services for problem gamblers. The Department of Health and Public Health Agency have provided no funding for public awareness campaigns and only one of the five NHS trusts even collects data on the number of individuals affected.
This is in contrast to the rest of the UK where there is a National Gambling Treatment Service with residential treatment centres, recovery housing to prevent relapse, a retreat and counselling programme, public health campaigns, awareness and educational campaigns, point-of-sale safer gambling messaging, regulatory restrictions, self-exclusion schemes, a range of preventative tools and training for staff in recognising and interacting with customers exhibiting signs of problem gambling.
Two specialist clinics exist in England and this number will increase to 14 over the next five years, covering England, Scotland and Wales, funded with £100m from the gambling industry. In Northern Ireland we have none.
The Northern Ireland Turf Guardians Association (NITGA) represents 80% of the local industry and gives £24,000 annually to the Dunlewey Centre for a counselling service. The Northern Ireland Amusement Caterers Trade Association also provide some funding to Dunlewey and help to fund a dedicated helpline through Gamcare. However, the sums involved are not large. £24,000 is a drop in the ocean of what is actually needed from the gambling industry which makes millions of pounds a year in profits. Last year the total gross gambling yield in the UK was £14.4 billion and CEOs’ salaries run into the millions of pounds. Bet 365’s CEO Denise Coates was paid £323m last year.
The good news is that a consultation is underway on the Regulation of Gambling by the Department for Communities. It closes on Friday 21 February at 5pm. Our current legislation is decades out of date and not fit for purpose. There is widespread support, not only to update the law but also to put strong safeguards in place for vulnerable individuals and to protect young people. An independent regulatory body is being considered (such as the Gambling Commission in Great Britain).
The lack of provision in respect of education, prevention and treatment is now glaringly obvious. The Department of Health and the Public Health Agency need to take this ignored problem seriously.
Gambling kills. The gambling industry, which up until now in Northern Ireland has avoided shouldering its responsibility, should step up to the mark and provide the necessary funding to address a problem that they have been largely responsible for creating. There is widespread support for a mandatory levy on the industry.
Occasionally politicians are presented with an open goal: an opportunity to do something which will prevent suffering, protect children, help families and most importantly save lives, with an obvious and available source of funding.
This is their opportunity; it is time to act.


sluggerotoole--2020-02-21--Why university staff are striking…

Why university staff are striking…

Staff in Northern Ireland at Queen ’ s University , the University of Ulster and the Open University , myself included , are on strike again .
Staff at Universities all over the UK are on strike again .
This is the second time in a year and the third time in three years .
It is utterly frustrating that we are back in this position .
On the one hand , I know this is a battle that we will struggle to win and that the public tend to see us as a privileged group .
On the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pensions have been put under such desperate strain by our employers who use the market place to put pressure on its workforce .
To understand why predominantly ‘ white-collar workers ’ have felt the need to do this we have to understand what has been done to the Higher Education system .
Rather than seeing Higher Education as a social good ( economic and social ) it has been made part of a market place , with student fees ( supported by loans ) , a massive range of metrics upon which staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ league tables pitting University against University for students ( customers ) and research funding .
Under this pressure the University have become fiscally conservative ( some of them are super rich , others relatively rich , whilst some struggle ) and their control of finances concentrates on increasing student numbers , decreasing staff numbers and decreasing the cost of staff .
The direction of the modern UK University is thus set .
Student numbers become paramount leading , in some institutions , to the practice of ‘ unconditional offers ’ for courses desperate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investing in campuses around the world to place themselves in the global market .
Research has been directed to projects with high social and economic impact .
Attractive new-buildings have improved the campuses , relationships with industry and private investors have become a key part of strategies , and Universities invest in courses that will sustain high numbers .
Not all of these things are bad , but they provide a problematic context .
Spending on staff has not been a priority .
Throughout all of this the pay and conditions have suffered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in casualised labour , paid by the hour , to cover a range of teaching .
With increased numbers of people studying and obtaining PhD ’ s ( a good thing ) there are plenty of highly qualified people forced to take precarious work .
They are cheap and easy to let go .
They do the work that deserves a secure contract and protection but have only a moderate chance of finding it .
Add to this , lots of evidence of gender inequality in terms of pay and promotion .
Whilst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make a difference , through the excellent SWAN initiative , there is still a long way to go .
And workloads for all staff have been getting more problematic .
For many of us a working week of around 50 hours is not unusual , sometimes working 6/7 days a week , and crucially the institutions are very poor at controlling the flow of work .
Then there is the market pressure placed on those in full time contracts .
Since 2008 we have been annually offered no increase in pay or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years staff are between 15-20 % worse off .
And within this context they also tried to alter the staff pension scheme ( USS ) demanding that staff pay more in , substantially reducing their benefits , and offering new staff inferior pension provision .
This why our Union , UCU , has designated ‘ four fights ‘ in the strike .
It is vital remember that within the University there are high paid and low paid staff .
It is vital to remember that new academics often spend around 8 years obtaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build a mountain of debt in that time .
It is vital to remember that some academic related staff work on some considerably lower pay rates .
So when a journalists goes for the cheap shot question of asking a more senior academic , like myself , what we get paid ( compared to many in society we are , of course , paid well ) they are missing the point .
We are on strike to make changes to a much wider academic environment in which people are struggling with insecurity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this directly impacts upon students .
Staff who lack time are going to produce inferior teaching and care .
Student representatives know very well that this fight for a different approach to academic staffing is a fight for students as well , and they are supporting us across the country .
So what do we hear from our Vice-Chancellors and senior managers ( who , over the same period , have seen their pay sky-rocket ! )
?
They claim that they are making our institutions ‘ sustainable ’ .
They explain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is difficult .
And they are right .
Running a multi-million £ global institution , that is vital to our economy , is a difficult job .
But their strategic decisions to maintain a profitable bottom line involves placing enormous pressure on their staff .
How many more years will we be offered a decline in salary ?
Another 10 years ?
It is interesting to note that in the Health Service senior managers become persuaders of Government demanding more funding in the interests of patient and staff .
In the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the management culture conforms to neo-liberal rules and values .
There is a lack of radical thinking and an inability to find other ways to finance the greater good provided Higher Education , even though there is a black hole of student debt lying in the Governments finances .
This is why we are on strike .
Not because a Professor is badly paid , but because a broken education system is only surviving on dedicated staff working harder for less money .
When you see the picket lines outside Universities please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ academic and understand what is happening .
Dominic Bryan , is a Professor at the School of History , Anthropology , Philosophy and Politics at Queen ’ s University Belfast .
You can follow him on Twitter here .

Dominic Bryan, is a Professor at the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s University Belfast. You can follow him on Twitter.
Staff in Northern Ireland at Queen’s University, the University of Ulster and the Open University, myself included, are on strike again. Staff at Universities all over the UK are on strike again. This is the second time in a year and the third time in three years. It is utterly frustrating that we are back in this position. On the one hand, I know this is a battle that we will struggle to win and that the public tend to see us as a privileged group. On the other hand, working conditions, pay and pensions have been put under such desperate strain by our employers who use the market place to put pressure on its workforce.
To understand why predominantly ‘white-collar workers’ have felt the need to do this we have to understand what has been done to the Higher Education system. Rather than seeing Higher Education as a social good (economic and social) it has been made part of a market place, with student fees (supported by loans), a massive range of metrics upon which staff and institutions are judged, and competitive league tables pitting University against University for students (customers) and research funding. Under this pressure the University have become fiscally conservative (some of them are super rich, others relatively rich, whilst some struggle) and their control of finances concentrates on increasing student numbers, decreasing staff numbers and decreasing the cost of staff.
The direction of the modern UK University is thus set. Student numbers become paramount leading, in some institutions, to the practice of ‘unconditional offers’ for courses desperate to keep numbers high. Universities are investing in campuses around the world to place themselves in the global market. Research has been directed to projects with high social and economic impact. Attractive new-buildings have improved the campuses, relationships with industry and private investors have become a key part of strategies, and Universities invest in courses that will sustain high numbers. Not all of these things are bad, but they provide a problematic context. Spending on staff has not been a priority.
Throughout all of this the pay and conditions have suffered. There has been a significant increase in casualised labour, paid by the hour, to cover a range of teaching. With increased numbers of people studying and obtaining PhD’s (a good thing) there are plenty of highly qualified people forced to take precarious work. They are cheap and easy to let go. They do the work that deserves a secure contract and protection but have only a moderate chance of finding it. Add to this, lots of evidence of gender inequality in terms of pay and promotion. Whilst many Universities and staff are trying hard to make a difference, through the excellent SWAN initiative, there is still a long way to go. And workloads for all staff have been getting more problematic. For many of us a working week of around 50 hours is not unusual, sometimes working 6/7 days a week, and crucially the institutions are very poor at controlling the flow of work.
Then there is the market pressure placed on those in full time contracts. Since 2008 we have been annually offered no increase in pay or an increase below inflation. After 12 years staff are between 15-20% worse off. And within this context they also tried to alter the staff pension scheme (USS) demanding that staff pay more in, substantially reducing their benefits, and offering new staff inferior pension provision. This why our Union, UCU, has designated ‘four fights‘ in the strike.
It is vital remember that within the University there are high paid and low paid staff. It is vital to remember that new academics often spend around 8 years obtaining the qualification necessary for a job and build a mountain of debt in that time. It is vital to remember that some academic related staff work on some considerably lower pay rates. So when a journalists goes for the cheap shot question of asking a more senior academic, like myself, what we get paid (compared to many in society we are, of course, paid well) they are missing the point. We are on strike to make changes to a much wider academic environment in which people are struggling with insecurity, high workloads and decreasing pay.
All of this directly impacts upon students. Staff who lack time are going to produce inferior teaching and care. Student representatives know very well that this fight for a different approach to academic staffing is a fight for students as well, and they are supporting us across the country.
So what do we hear from our Vice-Chancellors and senior managers (who, over the same period, have seen their pay sky-rocket!)? They claim that they are making our institutions ‘sustainable’. They explain that they working within an economic environment that is difficult. And they are right. Running a multi-million £ global institution, that is vital to our economy, is a difficult job. But their strategic decisions to maintain a profitable bottom line involves placing enormous pressure on their staff. How many more years will we be offered a decline in salary? Another 10 years?
It is interesting to note that in the Health Service senior managers become persuaders of Government demanding more funding in the interests of patient and staff. In the public University system, devolved through competing institutions, the management culture conforms to neo-liberal rules and values. There is a lack of radical thinking and an inability to find other ways to finance the greater good provided Higher Education, even though there is a black hole of student debt lying in the Governments finances.
This is why we are on strike. Not because a Professor is badly paid, but because a broken education system is only surviving on dedicated staff working harder for less money. When you see the picket lines outside Universities please look beyond a stereotype of a well-heeled academic and understand what is happening.


sluggerotoole--2020-02-20--Fact checking and fast news

Fact checking and fast news

False information can cost lives .
Unintentional misinformation and deliberate disinformation being shared about the current coronavirus outbreak could cause unnecessary anxiety or could cause vulnerable people to drop their guard and expose themselves to a greater risk of infection .
Research suggests that the spread of anti-vaccination conspiracies in Africa deter some parents from protecting their children and will lead to increased infection and needless deaths .
Closer to home , the spread of false information during rioting and civil disturbances can heighten community tension and put people in danger .
Wearing my hat as a director of FactCheckNI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organised by ResponseSource , I commented that while social media are used to spread misinformation and disinformation , these platforms also give access to a “ huge , big brain ” of “ experts who do actually know some of those numbers or do know what happened ” who can pick holes in arguments and claims .
FactCheckNI is the first dedicated fact-checking service for Northern Ireland .
We take a twin approach : checking claims and providing training .
Fact checking can not be the sole preserve of independent organisations set up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As I indicated during the webinar , “ The volume of what can be checked and flagged [ with supportive platforms like Facebook ] is very low compared with what gets shared.
” Everyone can play a role in remaining vigilant .
“ Think , Check , Share ” is a good mantra to follow , questioning whether the information is from a trusted source , searching for a source if none is provided , asking what is missing , checking what other people are saying about the claim , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or jokes dressed up as serious news .
Journalists also have a role in helping surface the truth .
But they should expect the truth to be complex and more slippery to grasp than the simple claim someone makes .
Over and over again , at FactCheckNI we ’ ve picked up claims that seem to be straightforward — either plainly false or believably true — only to discover that the facts are more complicated whenever we try to find the source data ( often from national statistical agencies like NISRA ) or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re talking about .
For journalists , while it may take extra time to unearth , it can create a richer story to share with readers , listeners and viewers that educates about the context as well as informs .
When an elected representative stated that “ 105,486 people were waiting over a year for a consultant-led outpatient appointment [ in Northern Ireland ] .
Our waiting lists are 100 times bigger than a country [ England ] with a population 30 times ours ” , we had to look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministerial target in Northern Ireland is that by March 2020 “ at least 50 % of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a first ( consultant-led ) outpatient appointment , with no patient waiting longer than a year ” .
Was the politician comparing like with like ?
Was it credible that the waiting lists in Northern Ireland could dwarf those in England when our population is so much smaller ?
The answer to those questions turned out to be yes , and yes .
The NHS statistics for England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they track the same comparable metrics .
The claim was accurate , and while as fact checkers we don ’ t provide commentary on what a claim or a statistic means for society , this politician ’ s claim was widely reported in the media to highlight the crisis in the health service in Northern Ireland .
FactCheckNI is always happy to work with the media : talk to us !
After all , media outlets , alongside social media and press releases , are the main sources of claims that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims we check — whether we find them accurate , inaccurate or unsubstantiated — add interesting context to what can often otherwise be throwaway lines by the claimants .
As a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network ’ s code of principles , we place non-partisanship and fairness , transparency and accuracy at the heart of what we do .
In the context of Northern Ireland , impartiality means that we cover claims across the political spectrum , across all communities , without fear or favour .
From its inception , FactCheckNI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and disinformation , as well as developing fact-checking and critical thinking skills , in addition to our work of researching and publishing fact-checked claim articles .
We ’ ve trained members of the public , worked with school groups , further and higher education institutions , community/voluntary groups and public organisations , and partnered with BBC School Report for an event in Derry/Londonderry .
Off-the-shelf packages are available as well as bespoke training programmes for particular sectors .
The material often includes an introduction to fact-checking and the FactCheckNI project ; practical social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ verification ) ; online critical thinking techniques ; and a primer on free and open source fact-checking tools .
A ResponseSource whitepaper provides more information from the webinar participants and other related organisations .

False information can cost lives. Unintentional misinformation and deliberate disinformation being shared about the current coronavirus outbreak could cause unnecessary anxiety or could cause vulnerable people to drop their guard and expose themselves to a greater risk of infection.
Research suggests that the spread of anti-vaccination conspiracies in Africa deter some parents from protecting their children and will lead to increased infection and needless deaths. Closer to home, the spread of false information during rioting and civil disturbances can heighten community tension and put people in danger.
Wearing my hat as a director of FactCheckNI and participating in a recent lunchtime webinar organised by ResponseSource, I commented that while social media are used to spread misinformation and disinformation, these platforms also give access to a “huge, big brain” of “experts who do actually know some of those numbers or do know what happened” who can pick holes in arguments and claims.
FactCheckNI is the first dedicated fact-checking service for Northern Ireland. We take a twin approach: checking claims and providing training. Fact checking cannot be the sole preserve of independent organisations set up to question the veracity of claims. As I indicated during the webinar, “The volume of what can be checked and flagged [with supportive platforms like Facebook] is very low compared with what gets shared.”
Everyone can play a role in remaining vigilant. “Think, Check, Share” is a good mantra to follow, questioning whether the information is from a trusted source, searching for a source if none is provided, asking what is missing, checking what other people are saying about the claim, as well as being alert to people manipulating your feelings or jokes dressed up as serious news.
Journalists also have a role in helping surface the truth. But they should expect the truth to be complex and more slippery to grasp than the simple claim someone makes. Over and over again, at FactCheckNI we’ve picked up claims that seem to be straightforward — either plainly false or believably true — only to discover that the facts are more complicated whenever we try to find the source data (often from national statistical agencies like NISRA) or find an agreed definition for what they’re talking about. For journalists, while it may take extra time to unearth, it can create a richer story to share with readers, listeners and viewers that educates about the context as well as informs.
When an elected representative stated that “105,486 people were waiting over a year for a consultant-led outpatient appointment [in Northern Ireland]. Our waiting lists are 100 times bigger than a country [England] with a population 30 times ours”, we had to look at the figures behind this extraordinary claim.
The ministerial target in Northern Ireland is that by March 2020 “at least 50% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a first (consultant-led) outpatient appointment, with no patient waiting longer than a year”. Was the politician comparing like with like? Was it credible that the waiting lists in Northern Ireland could dwarf those in England when our population is so much smaller?
The answer to those questions turned out to be yes, and yes. The NHS statistics for England and Northern Ireland are very accessible, and they track the same comparable metrics. The claim was accurate, and while as fact checkers we don’t provide commentary on what a claim or a statistic means for society, this politician’s claim was widely reported in the media to highlight the crisis in the health service in Northern Ireland.
FactCheckNI is always happy to work with the media: talk to us! After all, media outlets, alongside social media and press releases, are the main sources of claims that we investigate. And we hope that the claims we check — whether we find them accurate, inaccurate or unsubstantiated — add interesting context to what can often otherwise be throwaway lines by the claimants.
As a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network’s code of principles, we place non-partisanship and fairness, transparency and accuracy at the heart of what we do. In the context of Northern Ireland, impartiality means that we cover claims across the political spectrum, across all communities, without fear or favour.
From its inception, FactCheckNI has offered training in dealing with misinformation and disinformation, as well as developing fact-checking and critical thinking skills, in addition to our work of researching and publishing fact-checked claim articles.
We’ve trained members of the public, worked with school groups, further and higher education institutions, community/voluntary groups and public organisations, and partnered with BBC School Report for an event in Derry/Londonderry.
Off-the-shelf packages are available as well as bespoke training programmes for particular sectors. The material often includes an introduction to fact-checking and the FactCheckNI project; practical social media and fact-checking skills (including image verification); online critical thinking techniques; and a primer on free and open source fact-checking tools.
A ResponseSource whitepaper provides more information from the webinar participants and other related organisations.


sluggerotoole--2020-02-19--The mystery of the ‘shy nationalists’ – online and face-to-face polling on Irish unity continues to

The mystery of the ‘shy nationalists’ – online and face-to-face polling on Irish unity continues to give different results

The results of an opinion poll organized by Liverpool University and Britain ’ s Economic and Social Research have been published this week .
The poll , carried out by Social Market Research , showed 29 % of voters would vote for a united Ireland , with 52 % against and 19 % indicating that they don ’ t know or wouldn ’ t vote .
Polling on Irish unity over the last couple of years has painted a confusing picture .
A poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft last year was the first to show a narrow majority in favour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released this month would indicate a substantial majority against .
Why are the polls showing such wildly different results ?
The chart at the top of the post shows the results of opinion polls on Irish unity in Northern Ireland since the UK EU referendum in 2016 .
Polls conducted face-to-face are denoted by triangles , and online polls are shown as circles .
It is obvious from looking at this that there appears to be a significant difference between polls conducted in person and those carried out over the internet .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much more pronounced in the numbers saying they would vote for a united Ireland than those saying they would vote to stay in the UK .
Since 2017 , the pro-union numbers have declined somewhat , but the “ don ’ t knows ” have broken substantially in favour of Irish unity .
However , in the face-to-face polls , there is a substantial shift from pro-unity sentiment back towards being undecided .
So , is the discrepancy between online and face-to-face polls caused by people who are shy nationalists ; people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the question is between them and their web browser , but are more reticent when the question is asked in person ?
To find out more about the “ don ’ t knows ” , I looked at the Northern Ireland Life and Times data from 2017 , the last survey which had a border poll question .
Those who declined to express a preference on a border poll question tended to be from a Catholic ( 50 % ) rather than a Protestant ( 30 % ) background , with 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who expressed a preference for a political party , the Alliance Party were the most popular party ( 34 % ) ahead of the SDLP ( 19 % ) , Sinn Féin ( 16 % ) , the DUP ( 11 % ) and the UUP ( 7 % ) .
This group were also much more concerned about the possible adverse impact on their finances due to Brexit , with 52 % believing they will be worse off personally because of Brexit , as opposed to 34 % among the population who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ From analysis of the “ don ’ t know ” population from a face-to-face survey such as NILT , it seems reasonable to conclude that the undecided group contain a substantial number of what are often uncharitably characterised as the “ latte drinking liberals ” ; middle class professionals who are deeply concerned about the potential negative impact of Brexit on the economy .
The fact that online polls are showing substantially higher support for Irish unification than polls carried out face-to-face , does seem to indicate a trend whereby centre ground voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in private polls , but for whatever reason prefer not to disclose this in person .
The discrepancy between different categories of polls means that there are ample opportunities to cherry pick results that advance your particular point of view .
However , it is worth re-iterating that social awkwardness isn ’ t a factor in real elections and referendums , which are of course carried out in secret .

The results of an opinion poll organized by Liverpool University and Britain’s Economic and Social Research have been published this week. The poll, carried out by Social Market Research, showed 29% of voters would vote for a united Ireland, with 52% against and 19% indicating that they don’t know or wouldn’t vote.
Polling on Irish unity over the last couple of years has painted a confusing picture. A poll commissioned by Lord Ashcroft last year was the first to show a narrow majority in favour of Irish unity, whereas the poll released this month would indicate a substantial majority against. Why are the polls showing such wildly different results?
The chart at the top of the post shows the results of opinion polls on Irish unity in Northern Ireland since the UK EU referendum in 2016. Polls conducted face-to-face are denoted by triangles, and online polls are shown as circles.
It is obvious from looking at this that there appears to be a significant difference between polls conducted in person and those carried out over the internet. It is also apparent that the difference is much more pronounced in the numbers saying they would vote for a united Ireland than those saying they would vote to stay in the UK.
Since 2017, the pro-union numbers have declined somewhat, but the “don’t knows” have broken substantially in favour of Irish unity. However, in the face-to-face polls, there is a substantial shift from pro-unity sentiment back towards being undecided.
So, is the discrepancy between online and face-to-face polls caused by people who are shy nationalists; people who are in favour of Irish unity when the question is between them and their web browser, but are more reticent when the question is asked in person?
To find out more about the “don’t knows”, I looked at the Northern Ireland Life and Times data from 2017, the last survey which had a border poll question.
Those who declined to express a preference on a border poll question tended to be from a Catholic (50%) rather than a Protestant (30%) background, with 20% being classed as neither. Of those who expressed a preference for a political party, the Alliance Party were the most popular party (34%) ahead of the SDLP (19%), Sinn Féin (16%), the DUP (11%) and the UUP (7%). This group were also much more concerned about the possible adverse impact on their finances due to Brexit, with 52% believing they will be worse off personally because of Brexit, as opposed to 34% among the population who expressed an opinion on Irish unity.
From analysis of the “don’t know” population from a face-to-face survey such as NILT, it seems reasonable to conclude that the undecided group contain a substantial number of what are often uncharitably characterised as the “latte drinking liberals”; middle class professionals who are deeply concerned about the potential negative impact of Brexit on the economy.
The fact that online polls are showing substantially higher support for Irish unification than polls carried out face-to-face, does seem to indicate a trend whereby centre ground voters are breaking towards support for Irish unity in private polls, but for whatever reason prefer not to disclose this in person.
The discrepancy between different categories of polls means that there are ample opportunities to cherry pick results that advance your particular point of view. However, it is worth re-iterating that social awkwardness isn’t a factor in real elections and referendums, which are of course carried out in secret.


sluggerotoole--2020-02-19--Why do we need foreign labour when we have so many unemployed?

A texter to Good Morning Ulster today asked the question : ‘ Why do we need cheap foreign labour when we have 100,000 unemployed ?
’ I voted against Brexit and I also believe it is good to have free movement of labour , but I must admit the texter had a point .
It is a strange state of affairs that we import labour from all over the world when we have so many local people economically inactive .
From the NISRA Report on Economic Inactivity : • In 2018 , there were 318,000 economically inactive people of working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a quarter of the working age population ( 27.2 % ) .
• Students and retirees account for almost two-fifths ( 38.8 % ) of all economically inactive persons .
Excluding these students and retirees brings down the number of economically inactive people to 195,000 in 2018 .
• There has consistently been a higher number of inactive females than males , with approximately three-fifths of those inactive identifying as female .
• Those aged 50-64 made up the largest proportion of those inactive , while the 25-34 age range had the smallest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest rate of economic inactivity in the UK for the past 30+ years .
NI ’ s economic inactivity rate is 27.2 % , while the economic inactivity rate for the UK as a whole is 21.7 % .
• Long term sickness and disability were the most common reasons for economic inactivity in the UK and NI .
At 31.3 % for 2018 , the proportion citing this as the main reason for inactivity in NI was 6 percentage points higher than the UK as a whole ( 25.4 % ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ most frequently given reason over the past decade ( it held this position in 8 out of the past 10 years ) and over the past 30 years .
• The higher incidence of economic inactivity in NI is not limited to those citing long term sickness and disability as their main reason for not working or looking for work .
The proportion of working age population who are inactive due to looking after family/home , due to study and due to retirement are also higher in NI than the UK as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a bit of an issue getting people into the workforce .
There are several reasons for this : Low pay : The minimum wage is now £8.72 .
I must confess I can ’ t blame people if they are in no rush to work in nursing homes etc for this level of pay .
The UK has a very low level of productivity , and Northern Ireland has one of the worst levels of productivity in the UK .
Many employers use low paid immigrant staff to make up for inefficiencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I personally think that is a good thing .
Everyone should get a living wage no matter what the job .
Sure the price of goods and services will rise , and taxes will likely also have to rise to pay for higher wages , but if it means a more equal society that is ok by me .
Hard work : I can only imagine the horrors that await anyone working in some of our meat processing plants .
A friend used to work for a certain well-known chicken processor and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party tricks was that he would bite the head off a live chicken for 50p .
The Agri sector , in particular , is very hard work and locals are saying no thanks .
We are going to need to automate more and make the jobs less horrendous .
Burnout is also becoming a factor these days , especially with some high-stress occupations like medicine : the majority of UK GPs say they are burned out , so this is an issue across all sectors and professions .
Inflexible labour market : I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ site and for my industry of IT there were 900 full-time job listings but only 1 part-time job listing .
There is a massive pool of potential workers who can not commit to full-time work but can do part-time .
Parents of young children , carers , retired people etc .
Younger people are less willing to work long hours : as crazy as it sounds , they expect to have a life outside work .
Employers need to be more flexible .
It is better to have a great part-time employee than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Talk to any business person and they will wax lyrically about the work ethic of many foreign workers .
In particular the Polish have a reputation for being great grafters .
In comparison , many of our locals take a more relaxed view of productivity , shall we say .
Turning up late , always on their phones , poor people skills , low ability in key skills like English and maths etc .
It is a damning indictment of our education system that after 12 years of schooling we can churn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Employers are told they must train more .
But you can understand their frustration if they are expected to fill in the gaps for a poor education system .
Work gives people a sense of purpose .
It is extremely important to your sense of self-worth to be doing useful work .
Full employment is a realistic goal we should strive for .
More people in employment will drive down the benefits bill , it will improve the economy and also I believe make people happier .
Warren Buffet has a saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can see who has been swimming naked ’ .
Brexit will force us to confront these issues in our workforce .
We need to radically reform our education system and work environment to be more people-friendly .
Photo by geralt is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

A texter to Good Morning Ulster today asked the question: ‘Why do we need cheap foreign labour when we have 100,000 unemployed?’
I voted against Brexit and I also believe it is good to have free movement of labour, but I must admit the texter had a point. It is a strange state of affairs that we import labour from all over the world when we have so many local people economically inactive. From the NISRA Report on Economic Inactivity:
In 2018, there were 318,000 economically inactive people of working age in NI, accounting for over a quarter of the working age population (27.2%).
Students and retirees account for almost two-fifths (38.8%) of all economically inactive persons. Excluding these students and retirees brings down the number of economically inactive people to 195,000 in 2018.
There has consistently been a higher number of inactive females than males, with approximately three-fifths of those inactive identifying as female.
Those aged 50-64 made up the largest proportion of those inactive, while the 25-34 age range had the smallest proportion.
NI has had the highest rate of economic inactivity in the UK for the past 30+ years. NI’s economic inactivity rate is 27.2%, while the economic inactivity rate for the UK as a whole is 21.7%.
Long term sickness and disability were the most common reasons for economic inactivity in the UK and NI. At 31.3% for 2018, the proportion citing this as the main reason for inactivity in NI was 6 percentage points higher than the UK as a whole (25.4%).
Sickness and disability has been the most frequently given reason over the past decade (it held this position in 8 out of the past 10 years) and over the past 30 years.
The higher incidence of economic inactivity in NI is not limited to those citing long term sickness and disability as their main reason for not working or looking for work. The proportion of working age population who are inactive due to looking after family/home, due to study and due to retirement are also higher in NI than the UK as a whole.
So you can see we have a bit of an issue getting people into the workforce. There are several reasons for this:
Low pay: The minimum wage is now £8.72. I must confess I can’t blame people if they are in no rush to work in nursing homes etc for this level of pay. The UK has a very low level of productivity, and Northern Ireland has one of the worst levels of productivity in the UK. Many employers use low paid immigrant staff to make up for inefficiencies. Wages will need to rise and I personally think that is a good thing. Everyone should get a living wage no matter what the job. Sure the price of goods and services will rise, and taxes will likely also have to rise to pay for higher wages, but if it means a more equal society that is ok by me.
Hard work: I can only imagine the horrors that await anyone working in some of our meat processing plants. A friend used to work for a certain well-known chicken processor and he said one his fellow worker’s party tricks was that he would bite the head off a live chicken for 50p. The Agri sector, in particular, is very hard work and locals are saying no thanks. We are going to need to automate more and make the jobs less horrendous. Burnout is also becoming a factor these days, especially with some high-stress occupations like medicine: the majority of UK GPs say they are burned out, so this is an issue across all sectors and professions.
Inflexible labour market: I had a look at a local job site and for my industry of IT there were 900 full-time job listings but only 1 part-time job listing. There is a massive pool of potential workers who can not commit to full-time work but can do part-time. Parents of young children, carers, retired people etc. Younger people are less willing to work long hours: as crazy as it sounds, they expect to have a life outside work. Employers need to be more flexible. It is better to have a great part-time employee than a useless full-time employee.
Poor skills: Talk to any business person and they will wax lyrically about the work ethic of many foreign workers. In particular the Polish have a reputation for being great grafters. In comparison, many of our locals take a more relaxed view of productivity, shall we say. Turning up late, always on their phones, poor people skills, low ability in key skills like English and maths etc. It is a damning indictment of our education system that after 12 years of schooling we can churn out so many without the basic skills. Employers are told they must train more. But you can understand their frustration if they are expected to fill in the gaps for a poor education system.
Work gives people a sense of purpose. It is extremely important to your sense of self-worth to be doing useful work. Full employment is a realistic goal we should strive for. More people in employment will drive down the benefits bill, it will improve the economy and also I believe make people happier.
Warren Buffet has a saying – ‘When the tide goes out you can see who has been swimming naked’. Brexit will force us to confront these issues in our workforce. We need to radically reform our education system and work environment to be more people-friendly.
Photo by geralt is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


sluggerotoole--2020-02-19--Singing the (Good Friday) Agreement: peace in 4/4 time … only at the Imagine! Belfast Festival (Mond

Singing the (Good Friday) Agreement: peace in 4/4 time … only at the Imagine! Belfast Festival (Monday 23 March)

We ’ ve implemented it , ignored it and extended it , but never before in Northern Ireland has it been sung !
But on the opening night of Imagine !
Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics , you can settle down to hear singers from Spark Opera perform the local première of a choral setting of the Declaration of Support at the start of the Belfast ( Good Friday ) Agreement text .
The doors of Accidental Theatre in Belfast ’ s Shaftesbury Square ( under the big screen ) open on Monday 23 March at 6.30pm for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be open to quench your thirst .
The Good Friday Agreement : peace in 4/4 time is a somewhat unexpected work was composed by Clare Salters , who worked in the Northern Ireland Office and was involved in the negotiations .
Alongside the musical performances from our talented choir who will bring to life a number of other appropriate choral pieces alongside the Agreement , I ’ ll be in conversation with a former politician who was inside the talks in Castle Buildings as well as a journalist who anchored hours and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that accompanied the negotiations .
An evening of nostalgia and reflection .
So why not join us on Monday 23 March for an hour of music and talk with Spark Opera ’ s performers and our panel of guests .
Tickets for this Imagine !
Belfast event are available from the Accidental Theatre website .
The negotiations concluded in April 1998 – or entered their next phase – and when I caught up with Clare recently , I asked whether she ’ d immediately sat down to set the Agreement to music ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ really until 2018 when I became involved in the iPlay4Peace initiative .
That was mainly focused on WW1 and the centenary of the Armistice , but it was obviously also the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and I ’ d been struck by how many people – particularly in Great Britain , though not only there – had forgotten its significance , what it covered , and why it was still relevant .
So when the call came out for entries for the iPlay4Peace 2019 compositions I thought I should give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opening declaration rather than the 30 or more pages of the Agreement !
“ I ’ d really wanted to do the whole thing , but quickly realised that would make for too long a piece , and would be too difficult to sustain the opening cryptogram for the entirety of the piece without being monotonous .
Plus singing the d ’ Hondt formula would just be weird .
But I realised that so much of the spirit of the Agreement was encapsulated in that opening declaration , so I focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choirs , having sung in the Belfast Philharmonic for a number of seasons “ before work took over my life ” .
But while she was familiar with orchestrating for instrumental ensembles , the former civil servant hadn ’ t tried her hand at choral writing since school days .
Her early days at the Northern Ireland Office were as “ a very junior cog in the wheel ” .
Subsequently roles in the NIO included working on human rights and equality , the Patten reforms of policing , the legacy of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restoration of devolution , the devolution of law and order functions and – latterly – Brexit ” .
The choral piece has been performed in England , with a few familiar NIO faces in the choir , and will now get its Northern Irish premiere on the opening night of Imagine !
Belfast festival in March .
How does Clare feel about the work being heard for the first time in the city where the words were crafted and negotiated ?
Presented by Slugger O ’ Toole in association with Spark Opera as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

“singing the d’Hondt formula would just be weird”
We’ve implemented it, ignored it and extended it, but never before in Northern Ireland has it been sung!
But on the opening night of Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics, you can settle down to hear singers from Spark Opera perform the local première of a choral setting of the Declaration of Support at the start of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement text.
The doors of Accidental Theatre in Belfast’s Shaftesbury Square (under the big screen) open on Monday 23 March at 6.30pm for a 7pm start, and the Book Bar will be open to quench your thirst. Unfortunately the performance and panel has been postponed – though there are plans to restage it later this year.
The Good Friday Agreement: peace in 4/4 time is a somewhat unexpected work was composed by Clare Salters, who worked in the Northern Ireland Office and was involved in the negotiations.
Alongside the musical performances from our talented choir who will bring to life a number of other appropriate choral pieces alongside the Agreement, I’ll be in conversation with a former politician who was inside the talks in Castle Buildings as well as a journalist who anchored hours and hours of the rolling late-night TV coverage that accompanied the negotiations. An evening of nostalgia and reflection.
So why not join us on Monday 23 March for an hour of music and talk with Spark Opera’s performers and our panel of guests. Tickets for this Imagine! Belfast event are available from the Accidental Theatre website.
The negotiations concluded in April 1998 – or entered their next phase – and when I caught up with Clare recently, I asked whether she’d immediately sat down to set the Agreement to music?
“[It wasn’t] really until 2018 when I became involved in the iPlay4Peace initiative. That was mainly focused on WW1 and the centenary of the Armistice, but it was obviously also the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and I’d been struck by how many people – particularly in Great Britain, though not only there – had forgotten its significance, what it covered, and why it was still relevant. So when the call came out for entries for the iPlay4Peace 2019 compositions I thought I should give it a go.”
The composition includes the opening declaration rather than the 30 or more pages of the Agreement!
“I’d really wanted to do the whole thing, but quickly realised that would make for too long a piece, and would be too difficult to sustain the opening cryptogram for the entirety of the piece without being monotonous. Plus singing the d’Hondt formula would just be weird. But I realised that so much of the spirit of the Agreement was encapsulated in that opening declaration, so I focused on that.”
Clare is no stranger to choirs, having sung in the Belfast Philharmonic for a number of seasons “before work took over my life”. But while she was familiar with orchestrating for instrumental ensembles, the former civil servant hadn’t tried her hand at choral writing since school days.
Her early days at the Northern Ireland Office were as “a very junior cog in the wheel”.
“Graduate trainees in the political directorate were part of the department’s note taking rota, taking it in turns to trot round after the Secretary of State to record all his – later her – meetings. It was a fabulous opportunity to be part of genuinely historic developments at a very early stage in my career. I was really lucky.”
Subsequently roles in the NIO included working on human rights and equality, the Patten reforms of policing, the legacy of the past, the St Andrews Agreement and restoration of devolution, the devolution of law and order functions and – latterly – Brexit”.
The choral piece has been performed in England, with a few familiar NIO faces in the choir, and will now get its Northern Irish premiere on the opening night of Imagine! Belfast festival in March.
How does Clare feel about the work being heard for the first time in the city where the words were crafted and negotiated?
“I’m really delighted. They’re words that need to be heard elsewhere, but they belong in Northern Ireland. The nerdy constitutional equivalent of ‘football’s coming home’!”
Presented by Slugger O’Toole in association with Spark Opera as part of the Imagine! Belfast festival.