RISK AND THE RATIONALITIES OF SECURITY.

1. RISK AND THE RATIONALITIES OF SECURITY. FREEDOM, RISK AND SECURITY

2. ‘a tremendous idea lies buried in the conclusion that we simply do not know. Rather than frightening us, Keynes words bring us great news: we are not prisoners of an inevitable future. Uncertainty makes us free’. Bernstein 1998

3. The fire spread through the No. 2 Mill by means of the belt drives, and it was supposed to have entered No. 1 Mill through openings where the watchman had failed to close the heavy cast iron fire-doors, which were probably hard to move. Lessons: Danger from repair work; need of two men working together; great hazard from belt openings which so rapidly spread fire; the importance of keeping fire doors closed.’ (Arkwright 1912:29

4. 1.Provide round iron hoops on sprinkler tank… 2. Put sprinklers in annex at Wood Rm., in monitor of Boiler Ho., in Dressing Rm., at beaters, in ventilators and under hood of machines, Repair broken sprinkler pipe in Digester Ho. 3.Repair bad Machine Rm. Roof – planking decayed – sprinkler lines fallen in places. 4.Thoroughly overhaul rotary pump and connections. 5.Provide 500ft. C R L 2-5/8” hose. 6.Heat No. 10 and keep water on to sprinklers. Provide dry pipe valve for #6 and #15. 7.Oragnize (sic) simple fire brigade and a system of weekly valve inspections. 8.Overhaul fire door

5. “ In order to form a clear idea of the whole extent which ought to be given to the principle of security, it is necessary to consider, that man is not like the brutes, limited to the present time either in enjoyment or suffering, but that he is susceptible of pleasure and pain by anticipation, and that it is not enough to guard him against an actual loss, but also to guarantee to him, as much as possible, his possessions against future losses. … This disposition to look forward, which has so marked an influence on the condition of man, may be called expectation – expectation of the future. It is by means of this that we are able to form a general plan of conduct.” (Bentham, 1962: 308).

6. ‘to accustom men to submit to the yoke of foresight, at first painful to be borne, but afterwards agreeable and mild: it alone could encourage them in labour –superfluous at present and [the benefits of which] they are not to enjoy until later’.

7. ‘the omission to do something that a reasonable man, guided by those considerations which ordinarily regulate the prudent conduct of affairs, would do, or doing something which a prudent and reasonable man would not do’. Blyth v. Birmingham Waterworks [1856]

8. This remedy is imperfect in itself because it is always necessary to pay the premium, which is a certain loss, in order to guarantee one’s self against an uncertain loss. In this point of view it is to be desired that all unforeseen losses that can fall upon individuals without their fault, were covered at the public expense. The greater the number of contributors, the less sensible is the loss to each one.’ (Bentham 1962:579 emphasis added).

9. (Social insurance)….. was based on past performance in employment, and from financial contributions from the individual himself; benefit could thus be justified as having been ‘earned’. In legal terms it gave rise to something akin to a contractual right. In moral, cultural terms, it incorporated the traditional puritan, capitalist virtues of thrift and foresight. Ogus 1982

10. Advanced by individuals and groups from government, industry and science, the new statistics was part of a self-consciously social science of social motion … It was offered as an eminently empirical, quantitative method for discerning the laws of a changing society… Statisticians of the early nineteenth century saw their science as an attempt to bring a measure of expertise to social questions, to replace the contradictory preconceptions of the interested parties …by an orderly reign of scientific facts. Eghigian 2000:43-44

11. ‘ The entrepreneurs sustain the world. In their careers there is little of the optimising calculation, nothing of the delicate balance of markets...The prevailing theory of capitalism suffers from one central and disabling flaw: a profound distrust and incomprehension of capitalists. With its circular flows of goods and moneys all modern economies resemble a vast mathematical drama. An elaborate stage of theory, without a protagonist to animate the play’ Tom Peters 1987

12. ‘Communities understand their problems better than service professionals’ • ‘Professionals and bureaucracies deliver services; communities solve problems.’ • ‘Communities are more flexible and creative than large service bureaucracies.’ • ‘Communities are cheaper than service professionals.’ • ‘Communities focus on capacities; service systems focus on deficiencies’ (The latter having the effect of making families feel “incompetent” rather than capable).’ • Osborne and Gaeble ‘Reinventing Government’: 1993