i dont know the details but from where i am standing deregulation in the UK has stunk big time. today we find that the railtrack debacle is soon to be overshadowed by the consignia debacle (formerly the post office). although the figures are probably exaggerated to make the final figure more acceptable, the number of jobs to be lost being mentioned is around 30, 000!!! a seventh of the workforce. on the plus side, three jobs have been created to help those who do not suffer from 'natural' loss, or wastage, or the like! in ten to twenty years we will have social science researchers funded by policy organisations drawing conclusions about 'underclass' or parenting styles in relation to delinquency rates. focus on 'context', as a special nod in the direction of the big unmentionable 'class, will be unable to look beyond the hairs on the end of the researcher's nose. 'context', in that sense, will ignore history and holistic concepts in understandings of people. more importantly, those self same researchers will inadvertantly negate themselves from their equation. a distance is drawn between those practicing 'advocacy' research and more 'objective' research. values have no place in the civil service after all.

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