such as Jon Freeman and Eileen Conn.
June: Became a founding member of the Centre for Human Emergence UK (CHE-UK), launched
with the weekend event, ‘A Regent’s Summit on the Future of the UK’, facilitated
by Don Beck at London’s Regent’s College - see the Blog: ‘”Britishness” at the Regent’s
College Summit’.
Commentary: my involvement with the leadership team of CHE-UK didn’t last more than
3-4 months. This was primarily due to lack of time to give it the commitment and
effort it needed. However, CHE-UK remains a key alliance in my thoughts on how British
society needs to change and develop. I remain an active supporter and sometime participant.
Aug: Rossett A-Level Psychology results again very good, with a significant number
of students exceeding expectations. Amongst the As were 3 students co-teacher Ali
Standen and I had thought were possible but hadn’t quite dared predict! (One of these
students, Avnish Chana, got a ‘perfect A’ - 100% - on one
module, AQA ‘B’ PYB5.) A small handful of Psychology students at Guiseley also exceeded
targets. My marking for the Rossett Year 13 Health & Social Care coursework, submitted
for verification in May-June, held 100%.
Aug: ‘From Rule Britannia to Cool Britannia to Integral Britannia’ published in Integral
Leadership Review.
Commentary: This was a more formal account of the formation of CHE-UK. I was the
principal author but Don Beck, Jon Freeman and Rachel Castagne all contributed significantly.
Aug: Met with Councillor Darren Reynolds (Lib Dem) of Burnley Council to discuss
ways of using Integrated SocioPsychology to undermine support for the British National
Party.
Commentary: I had formed the idea at the Regent’s College event of setting up a single
issue project to demonstrate the effectiveness of Spiral Dynamics and related sociopsychological
technologies at a community level. With Burnley being a BNP stronghold - 4 councillors
and leader Nick Griffin being the local MEP - and much of the national media in a
virtual state of hysteria at increasing electoral support for the BNP) the opportunity
to investigate and undermine support for the far right party seemed to be just the
kind of issue I was looking for.
Unfortunately, Darren was the only councillor interested at the time!
Sept: Interviewed by leading newscaster Beth Rhodes at Ridings FM about a proposed
CHE-UK event: ‘Pennine Summit on the Future of the UK’.
Sept: Formally commenced a 1-day a week contract with Guiseley for a year.
Commentary: While I loved teaching at Rossett, it had been such a pleasure to be
invited back to Guiseley to help out. The couple of lessons a week had proved so
successful that they now decided they wanted me for a full day. As I didn’t want
to limit my non-teaching work too much and Guiseley needed time to weigh up their
options, it suited both sides for it to be a temporary arrangement.
Sept: On recommendations from both Jon Twigge of CHE-UK and Burnley’s Darren Reynold’s,
met with Carolyn Wilkins, assistant chief executive of Oldham Council to discuss
ways of undermining local support for the BNP. Again, though, the initiative seemed
to go nowhere.
Oct: Interviewed by Professor Mike Tracey of the University of Colorado about my
relationship with Sian Baverstock, granddaughter of Enid Blyton and daughter of early
BBC TV controller Donald Baverstock.
Commentary: I had gone out with Sian or a little over 6 months in 1988, during which
time I visited the Baverstocks’ home several times. From the obituaries of her mother’s
death in June 2007, I realised that Sian had died the previous year. Quite affected,
I wrote the Blog: ‘For Sian & Gillian Baverstock’ . Tracey, researching a book on
the Baverstocks, eventually found this Blog and asked for the interview.
Mike was very interested in my psychological perspective on the relationship between
Sian and her parents and told me my interpretation helped make sense of fitting certain
parts of the ‘jigsaw’ together.
Nov: ‘Julie’ came back to me for more help with the university assignments. Now,
in her third year, this was quite a stretch - tutoring someone working effectively
at honours degree level.
Commentary: Julie was now showing real signs of maturity. She was no longer coming
to me because her RED had been having too much fun and she’d got seriously behind.
Now, with her BLUE and ORANGE much more to the fore, she was thinking ahead and seeking
extra help because she wanted to get a first class!
Dec: Signed up to the Open University to do a degree in Social Sciences with Psychology
& Sociology.
Commentary: Having tutored undergraduates, I decided it was time I formalised my
knowledge and understanding of Psychology by undertaking a degree course. However,
I also wanted to develop my knowledge and understanding of Sociology at the same
time. There was also a sense of unfinished business going back 36 years, as, due
to the machinations of the Bradford Social Sciences Department, my final original
Social Sciences degree was with specialisms in History & Politics, rather than the
Psychology & Sociology I had originally signed up to.
