Common Purpose, who are they?

[williamp]

Mark Benson said:

Common Purpose teaches mediocre people to think they have leadership qualities and that education and learning (other than the sort of learning they sell of course) come second to the 'Collab' (network of other Common Purpose drones).
They teach a communitarian view of the world and encourage networking between alumni - this inevitably leads to the left's equivalent of the Old Boy Network,
It's popular in Public Services which is why you see a lot of mediocre management and failed managers from one area popping up in another.
Also popular in the BBC and the Labour Party. And with Breadders I see, quelle surprise.

I was sent on a common purpose leadership course a few years ago. This summarises it very well. They wanted private sector to take part (they charge more...) but very few did, so you got mainly piblic sectro and third sector taking part.

[Engineer1]

Esseesse said:

Breadvan72 said:

Mnanagement gobbledegook is just like any other trend. Buzzwords and blether spread in all fields.

As for sex education for children, of course I support it, and suggest that opposition to it is frankly weird. Would you rather children just stumble their way into early pregnancies and diseases? Is telling a little girl about menstruation so she doesn't freak out when it first happens a bad thing? Also, if there is an inference in the loony list above that people can be trained to be homosexual, that's more tinfoil woo.

Sorry I removed my post because I decided it too off topic. Your 'stumbling' suggestions are undesirable, but sex education has lead to higher rate of teenage pregnancies. These topics should be tackled by parents, they're not a job for the state.

Edited by Esseesse on Friday 21st November 16:13

The septics particularly in the bible belt are proving beyond any doubt that all that happens when you avoid sex Ed and teach just say don't do it is teen pregnancies and STDs rise.

[anonymous-user]

s2art said:

Breadvan72 said:

Have many of you read Gramsci? I read him decades ago. I don't recall him setting out the woo shopping list cited above.

As for the Fabian Society as some sort of sinister machine, it's been around for ages, and has hardly been a secret. Usually derided by staunch lefties as being too right wing, too pragmatic, too bourgeois, what have you.

I believe that list is from Martin Jay, referring to the Frankfurt School and critical theory. Gramsci was one of the intellectual forefathers of the Frankfurt school IIRC. Conspiracy is probably the wrong term to describe this (Common Purpose amongst others), its a political movement.

Edited by s2art on Friday 21st November 17:53

Can you provide a reliable reference fr your assertion about Martin Jay? I bet that you can't, as the list was probably made up by whichever wingnut came up with the the conspiracy theory it is associated with. Do supporters of that theory feel no discomfort sharing the views of the likes of Breivik and assorted US hate groups?

[turbobloke]

Breadvan72 said:

s2art said:

Breadvan72 said:

Have many of you read Gramsci? I read him decades ago. I don't recall him setting out the woo shopping list cited above.

As for the Fabian Society as some sort of sinister machine, it's been around for ages, and has hardly been a secret. Usually derided by staunch lefties as being too right wing, too pragmatic, too bourgeois, what have you.

I believe that list is from Martin Jay, referring to the Frankfurt School and critical theory. Gramsci was one of the intellectual forefathers of the Frankfurt school IIRC. Conspiracy is probably the wrong term to describe this (Common Purpose amongst others), its a political movement.

Can you provide a reliable reference for your assertion about Martin Jay?

If s2art managed to retrieve a source, would it then have to be a reference that you personally consider to be reliable

Not sure if this has been posted already - it may or may not meet some reliability tests but it makes for interesting reading in terms of contributions from Jay, Horowitz and Kimball in spite of the typos in the transcript. It's long-ish but worth it for those interested enough.

Rather than observations of those involved telling us there's nothing to see, it does at least offer something to read

http://arcofcc.freeservers.com/Documents/frank.htm...

Somebody may want to count the wingnuts and coach bolts

[anonymous-user]

That document does nothing to support the shopping list, and does not link it to Martin Jay, whose comments are sober and sensible, as befitting a sensible historian. The concluding remark (not Jay's) bears no relation to what has gone before and is delightfully fruitoopy:

"By exploiting the legal system and the Federal Courts, Frankfurt School operatives have successfully oppressed the White Middle Class and substituted genuine liberties with enforced equality. Federal laws directed against discrimination have penalized White Americans for expressing opinions and beliefs which reflect the intentions of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers who forged a once great Republic."

What do you mean by "those involved"? Are you suggesting that I have something to do with Common Purpose? If so, that suggestion is bizarre. It strikes me as a silly organisation, but not a sinister one. I have never had anything to do with it.

[NicD]

Breadvan72 said:

That document does nothing to support the shopping list, and does not link it to Martin Jay, whose comments are sober and sensible, as befitting a sensible historian. The concluding remark (not Jay's) bears no relation to what has gone before and is delightfully fruitoopy:

"By exploiting the legal system and the Federal Courts, Frankfurt School operatives have successfully oppressed the White Middle Class and substituted genuine liberties with enforced equality. Federal laws directed against discrimination have penalized White Americans for expressing opinions and beliefs which reflect the intentions of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers who forged a once great Republic."

What do you mean by "those involved"? Are you suggesting that I have something to do with Common Purpose? If so, that suggestion is bizarre. It strikes me as a silly organisation, but not a sinister one. I have never had anything to do with it.

BV,
I don't know a lot about CP and I know your posts are always well considered, but if there is an element of 'brain washing' or 'indoctrination', then that in itself could be sinister.
It all starts in the schools. The recent report of an Islam flavoured religious school teaching five year olds they will go to hell if they listen to music is a case in point.

IF CP ideals filter down into the teaching of our young ones, then they become self fulfilling.
Nic

[anonymous-user]

CP is open about what it does. Marc Benson gave what strikes me as a good description above (CP would no doubt disagree). It takes mediocre people and bigs them up as leaders. Fatuous management theories are hardly brainwashing, and can be found in all sorts of training environments.

[NicD]

Sorry BV,

I have done a little research using Google (and who knows what has been removed under the 'right to be forgotten') and it definitely looks sinister.
I strongly object to the public sector and policy execution being taken over by people who are not aligned with their elected politicians.
There is mention of 'cult like' programming, quangos and networking plus diverting of public funds, all of which should be alarming.
It certainly helps explains why the world has changed so much in the last twenty years.

This may have been covered earlier (I said I haven't followed the whole thread):

look at this: Common Purpose (CP)- a hidden menace in our government and schools
http://www.taroscopes.com/miscellanous-pages/commp...

and this
http://www.cpexposed.com/document-category/cp-mind...

Here is what appears to be a balanced summary and even this doesn't look great
http://socialreporter.com/?p=531

[anonymous-user]

On that basis, is LinkedIn a sinister plot? OMG people with jobs and degrees and stuff talking to one another and bigging each other up! Joking apart, is there any evidence from non tinfoil sites that CP is more than a training and schmooozing setup? The world has changed because it always changes. The myth of a stable golden age has always been a myth.

PS: Is INSEAD a cult? McKinsey? Check out how much public Wong the latter and its peers get their hands on.

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 23 November 08:51

[MrCarPark]

Breadvan72 said:

On that basis, is LinkedIn a sinister plot? OMG people with jobs and degrees and stuff talking to one another and bigging each other up! Joking apart, is there any evidence from non tinfoil sites that CP is more than a training and schmooozing setup? The world has changed because it always changes. The myth of a stable golden age has always been a myth.

PS: Is INSEAD a cult? McKinsey? Check out how much public Wong the latter and its peers get their hands on.

INSEAD definitely

As you imply, what the likes of CP and the consultancies have in common is an effective strategy for getting their mitts on public funds, and keeping that flow going by getting repeat business. Developing a cultish loyalty obviously helps in that.

Apart from a waste of public money, where there could be some sort of unease is in CP's dealings with school kids. They choose to deliver their courses to 'future leaders' in a handful of places, one of which happens to be Rotherham. Just a coincidence.

[turbobloke]

Given the type of individual who might be attracted to this public sector club nonsense, and who opt for it rather than being forced to endure it, this goes some way to accounting for the dismal leadership and management performance in too many areas of the public sector. Phone-A-Marxist-Friend, Ask-The-CP-Drones-In-The Drinks-Machine-Audience and 50:50 just won't cut it.

[carinaman]

Having only learnt of CP this year, I have wondered if that nonsense with 'Doctor' Paula Vasco-Knight CBE was CP? Despite being NHS England's lead for Diversity and Discrimination she could see nothing wrong in altering a job spec. so her daughter's boyfriend could be her NHS Trust's 'Diversity Manager'. So the job spec. was changed, she sat in on the interview and others present said he'd seemed to have been coached, have the best answers to the questions and then when he gets the job, she's often seen in his office seeming to do his job for him.

I think it resulted in two whistle blowers that objected winning their case, and two Directors at the NHS Trust that messed around with procedures and the truth to try to help Vasco-Knight leaving.

One of the comments on the local news coverage of the two Directors going was along the lines of 'It looks like the Dark Hand of the Brotherhood'. So it could be some of these favouritism and game playing by the CP crowd that invent the rules, but don't have to adhere to those rules themselves, may be giving the funny handshake club a bad rap.

It amuses me that Vasco-Knight's nepotism was uncovered just after a university had given her an honourary Doctorate to the nurse could call herself 'Doctor' in a healthcare environment and awarded a CBE.

It's secret hidden aisle way that helps some into the first class carriages on the gravy train.

[Countdown]

carinaman said:

Having only learnt of CP this year, I have wondered if that nonsense with 'Doctor' Paula Vasco-Knight CBE was CP? Despite being NHS England's lead for Diversity and Discrimination she could see nothing wrong in altering a job spec. so her daughter's boyfriend could be her NHS Trust's 'Diversity Manager'. So the job spec. was changed, she sat in on the interview and others present said he'd seemed to have been coached, have the best answers to the questions and then when he gets the job, she's often seen in his office seeming to do his job for him.

I think it resulted in two whistle blowers that objected winning their case, and two Directors at the NHS Trust that messed around with procedures and the truth to try to help Vasco-Knight leaving.

Tbh that suggests to me that the system of "checks and balances" works. It's disappointing (well, downright wrong) that she was allowed to change the JD/PS as well as the fact that she was allowed to be on the interview panel. Which in trun suggests a weak HR gatekeeping system.

[Countdown]

carinaman said:

It's secret hidden aisle way that helps some into the first class carriages on the gravy train.

Much the same rules apply in all fields I'm afraid. it's quite often not "What you know" but "who you know". In this respect the Public Sector is far better than the Private Sector. To give you a real life example - a group of solicitors all up for promotion to Director - purely coincidental that the son of the Managing Partner gets the job

In my very first job I remember there being a vacancy for Office Manager - quite a few internal applicants and yet the successful candidate was the MD's daughter.

[tangerine_sedge]

NicD said:

Sorry BV,

I have done a little research using Google (and who knows what has been removed under the 'right to be forgotten') and it definitely looks sinister.
I strongly object to the public sector and policy execution being taken over by people who are not aligned with their elected politicians.
There is mention of 'cult like' programming, quangos and networking plus diverting of public funds, all of which should be alarming.
It certainly helps explains why the world has changed so much in the last twenty years.

This may have been covered earlier (I said I haven't followed the whole thread):

look at this: Common Purpose (CP)- a hidden menace in our government and schools
http://www.taroscopes.com/miscellanous-pages/commp...

and this
http://www.cpexposed.com/document-category/cp-mind...

Here is what appears to be a balanced summary and even this doesn't look great
http://socialreporter.com/?p=531

Nice research. A couple of anti CP sites and a blog.
But you used Google, so they must be unbiased and correct then?

[audidoody]

Explains why Lin Homer gets to run and ruin various public services (Border, HMRC)

Edited by audidoody on Sunday 23 November 13:55

[anonymous-user]

Pretty much that, as far as I can see. See also Mark Benson's analysis a page or two back.

EDIT: the above was a response to a post since edited, removing the question to which the above was an answer.

Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 23 November 20:44

[carinaman]

Countdown said:

Tbh that suggests to me that the system of "checks and balances" works. It's disappointing (well, downright wrong) that she was allowed to change the JD/PS as well as the fact that she was allowed to be on the interview panel. Which in turn suggests a weak HR gatekeeping system.

It only came to light after two whistle blowers were hounded out of their jobs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-2595993...

I think Vasco-Knight's resignation statements said that the report that one of the Directors of her NHS Trust wrote said she followed procedures and had achieved a lot at during her time with her NHS Trust. The statement for her honourary Doctorate said that she lived and breathed the values of diversity and equality. Who knows perhaps her daughter's boyfriend was the best applicant for the job? Some played the race card saying that she'd have gotten away with giving the partner of one of her offspring a job if she was in that role and white.


Do CP do media training?

[elster]

carinaman said:

It only came to light after two whistle blowers were hounded out of their jobs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-2595993...

I think Vasco-Knight's resignation statements said that the report that one of the Directors of her NHS Trust wrote said she followed procedures and had achieved a lot at during her time with her NHS Trust. The statement for her honourary Doctorate said that she lived and breathed the values of diversity and equality. Who knows perhaps her daughter's boyfriend was the best applicant for the job? Some played the race card saying that she'd have gotten away with giving the partner of one of her offspring a job if she was in that role and white.


Do CP do media training?

They sure do media training. At a hefty price too. A lot of top Public Sector bods are given a training budget and CP get a good chunk of that. Leadership, media & policy (such as equalities, etc)

[carinaman]

elster said:

They sure do media training. At a hefty price too. A lot of top Public Sector bods are given a training budget and CP get a good chunk of that. Leadership, media & policy (such as equalities, etc)

Thanks elster. I don't know if that stuff at Torbay NHS Trust involved CP groomed personnel but the way Vasco-Knight came across on video reminded me of someone I've met that may be CP comes across on video.