scholarly journals “It Often Feels Like You Are Talking to a Wall”: Police and Private Security Responses to the Campaign to Protect Pont Valley Against Opencast Coal Extraction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Stephens-Griffin ◽  
Jack Lampkin ◽  
Tanya Wyatt ◽  
Carol Stephenson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Private Security ◽  
Coal Extraction ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Wildlife Crime ◽  
Mining Company ◽  
Mining Site ◽  
Abusive Behavior ◽  
Private Interests ◽  
The Uk

AbstractConflict between police, private security and political protesters is a topic that has been researched widely in criminology and other disciplines (e.g., Choudry 2019; Gilmore et al. 2019; Goyes and South 2017; Jackson et al. 2018; Rigakos 2002; South 1988; Weiss 1978). Adopting a green criminological lens, this article seeks to contribute to this rich body of research by examining police and private security responses to campaigning against opencast (open-pit) coal mining in Pont Valley, County Durham, United Kingdom (UK). Based on qualitative interviews, the article examines activists’ perceptions of responses to their campaign. Our findings reveal that rather than acting as neutral arbiters, police colluded with private interests, overlooking the abusive behavior of private security and bailiffs, particularly during the eviction of a protest camp at the proposed mining site. Activists believed that their right to protest was not respected, that their safety was jeopardized, and that police had willfully ignored a wildlife crime perpetrated by the mining company in order to enable mining to go ahead. Our article argues that the Pont Valley case fits into a wider pattern of repression of environmentalism in the UK, supporting Gilmore and colleagues’ (2019) argument that a progressive transformation in policing has been overstated.

scholarly journals Interruptions: Affective futures and uncanny presences at Giemaš, Finnmark

Polar Record ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Elisabeth Lien
Keyword(s):  
Open Pit ◽  
Open Pit Mining ◽  
Mining Company ◽  
Mining Site ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Migratory Movement ◽  
A Site ◽  
Affective Relations ◽  
North Norway

Abstract This paper concerns affective relations and unexpected interruptions as the planned expansion of an extractive open-pit mining site gathers momentum. The site is a mountain in Varanger, North Norway, criss-crossed by a sand-coloured meshwork of roads that are part of the current infrastructure of a quartzite quarry. Recently purchased by Chinese investors, the mining company Elkem plans a massive expansion of the operations, which will interrupt a wide range of practices and projects, including the migratory movement of reindeer, as well as their grazing patterns. Known as Giemaš amongst Sámi speakers, the mountain is also alluded to as a site of other powers, manifesting as unexpected accidents. In this article, I explore how the planned expansion evokes this contested site as more than a singular mountain, and how divergent epistemic formations interrupt the making of extractive resources in multiple ways.

scholarly journals Medical Students’ Experience of Mindfulness Training in the UK: Well-Being, Coping Reserve, and Professional Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Malpass ◽  
Kate Binnie ◽  
Lauren Robson
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
General Medical Council ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
The Body ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Medical Council ◽  
The Uk

Medical school can be a stressful experience for students, resulting in stress-related mental health problems. Policy recommendations from the General Medical Council (GMC), the body responsible for improving medical education in the UK, recommend the use of mindfulness training to increase well-being and resilience to stress. Students participating in an eight-week mindfulness training between Autumn 2011 and Spring 2015 were invited to complete a free text survey at the end of their mindfulness course. In addition, six qualitative interviews were conducted lasting between 60 and 90 minutes. Interviews used a topic guide and were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the framework approach to analyse the data. Students reported a new relationship to their thoughts and feelings which gave a greater sense of control and resiliency, an ability to manage their workload better, and more acceptance of their limitations as learners. The small group context was important. Students described improved empathy and communication skills through building inner awareness of thoughts and feelings, noticing judgments, and developing attentive observation. The findings show how resiliency and coping reserve can be developed within medical education and the role of mindfulness in this process. We present a conceptual model of a learnt cycle of specific vulnerability and describe how MBCT intercepts at various junctures in this self-reinforcing cycle through the development of new coping strategies that embrace an “allowed vulnerability.”

scholarly journals Protocol for a qualitative study to identify strategies to optimise hospital ePrescribing systems

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e044622
Author(s):  
Catherine Heeney ◽  
Stephen Malden ◽  
Aziz Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Geographical Area ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Round Table ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Electronic Prescribing ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionElectronic prescribing (ePrescribing) is a key area of development and investment in the UK and across the developed world. ePrescribing is widely understood as a vehicle for tackling medication-related safety concerns, improving care quality and making more efficient use of health resources. Nevertheless, implementation of an electronic health record does not itself ensure benefits for prescribing are maximised. We examine the process of optimisation of ePrescribing systems using case studies to provide policy recommendations based on the experiences of digitally mature hospital sites.Methods and analysisQualitative interviews within six digitally mature sites will be carried out. The aim is to capture successful optimisation of electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) in particular health systems and hospitals. We have identified hospital sites in the UK and in three other developed countries. We used a combination of literature reviews and advice from experts at Optimising ePrescribing in Hospitals (eP Opt) Project round-table events. Sites were purposively selected based on geographical area, innovative work in ePrescribing/electronic health (eHealth) and potential transferability of practices to the UK setting. Interviews will be recorded and transcribed and transcripts coded thematically using NVivo software. Relevant policy and governance documents will be analysed, where available. Planned site visits were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Ethics and disseminationThe Usher Research Ethics Group granted approval for this study. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals in medical informatics and expert round-table events, lay member meetings and the ePrescribing Toolkit (http://www.eprescribingtoolkit.com/)—an online resource supporting National Health Service (NHS) hospitals through the ePrescribing process.

scholarly journals Knights and Knaves in the English Medical Profession: the Case of Clinical Excellence Awards

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK EXWORTHY ◽  
PAULA HYDE ◽  
PAMELA MCDONALD-KUHNE
Keyword(s):  
Health Policy ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Clinical Excellence ◽  
Medical Professional ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Written Responses ◽  
Private Interests ◽  
The Uk

AbstractWe elaborate Le Grand's thesis of ‘knights and knaves’ in terms of clinical excellence awards (CEAs), the ‘financial bonuses’ which are paid to over half of all English hospital specialists and which can be as much as £75,000 (€92,000) per year in addition to an NHS (National Health Service) salary. Knights are ‘individuals who are motivated to help others for no private reward’ while knaves are ‘self-interested individuals who are motivated to help others only if by doing so they will serve their private interests.’ Doctors (individually and collectively) exhibit both traits but the work of explanation of the inter-relationship between them has remained neglected. Through a textual analysis of written responses to a recent review of CEAs, we examine the ‘knightly’ and ‘knavish’ arguments used by medical professional stakeholders in defending these CEAs. While doctors promote their knightly claims, they are also knavish in shaping the preferences of, and options for, policy-makers. Policy-makers continue to support CEAs but have introduced revised criteria for CEAs, putting pressure on the medical profession to accept reforms. CEAs illustrate the enduring and flexible power of the medical profession in the UK in colonising reforms to their pay, and also the subtle inter-relationship between knights and knaves in health policy.

scholarly journals Effect of Cadmium, Copper and Lead on the Growth of Rice in the Coal Mining Region of Quang Ninh, Cam-Pha (Vietnam)

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1758 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Marquez ◽  
Olivier Pourret ◽  
Michel-Pierre Faucon ◽  
Sebastian Weber ◽  
Thi Hoàng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Trace Metal ◽  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Mine Waste ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Rice Paddy ◽  
Coal Extraction ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Rice Paddy Soils

The goal of this study was to quantify the mobility and partitioning of trace elements originating from mine waste rocks derived from open pit coal extraction activities. The results showed that native rice plants were adapted to growing in metal contaminated soils, posing a severe health risk to local population. Sequential extraction procedures and bulk soil chemical analyses both suggest enrichment of Cd, Pb and Cu in rice paddy soils. Lead was shown to be evenly partitioned among all mineral and organic phases. Copper was associated with carbonates and organic matter. Smaller fractions of Pb and Cu were also bound to Fe and Mn oxides. Only 25% of Cd, 9% of Pb and 48% of Cu were associated with the exchangeable fraction, considered mobile and thus bioavailable for plant uptake. Effects of Cd, Cu and Pb on local Cam Pha Nep cai Hoa vang, and control Asia Italian rice, showed marked differences in growth. The local Vietnamese variety grew close to control values, even upon exposure to higher trace metal concentrations. Whereas the development of the control rice species was significantly affected by increasing trace metal concentrations. This result suggests toxic trace elements accumulation in the edible parts of crops.

“There is still a perception that homelessness is a housing problem”: devolution, homelessness and health in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Whiteford ◽  
Glenn Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Issue Salience ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comparative Policy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory account of the links between devolution, homelessness and health in the UK. Specifically, it focusses on the policy context and governance structures that shape the systems of healthcare for homeless people in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach Empirically the paper draws on semi-structured interviews with a small sample of policy and practice actors from the devolved territories. Qualitative interviews were supplemented by a comparative policy analysis of the homelessness and health agenda within the devolved regions. Theoretically, it takes inspiration from Chaney’s concept of the “issue salience of homelessness” and explores the comparative character of healthcare as pertains to homeless people across the devolved territories. Findings The paper provides clear evidence of areas of divergence and convergence in policy and practice between the devolved regions. These features are shown to be strongly mediated by the interplay of two factors: first, the scope and scale of national and local homelessness prevention strategies; and second, intra-national variation in public health responses to homelessness. Originality/value The paper offers considerable insight from a comparative policy perspective into the nature of healthcare provision for homeless people in the devolved regions.

scholarly journals Migration infrastructures and the production of migrants’ irregularity in Japan and the United Kingdom

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nando Sigona ◽  
Jotaro Kato ◽  
Irina Kuznetsova
Keyword(s):  
Legal Status ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Legal Violence ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Social ◽  
Access And Quality ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe article examines the migration infrastructures and pathways through which migrants move into, through and out of irregular status in Japan and the UK and how these infrastructures uniquely shape their migrant experiences of irregularity at key stages of their migration projects.Our analysis brings together two bodies of migration scholarship, namely critical work on the social and legal production of illegality and the impact of legal violence on the lives of immigrants with precarious legal status, and on the role of migration infrastructures in shaping mobility pathways.Drawing upon in-depth qualitative interviews with irregular and precarious migrants in Japan and the UK collected over a ten-year period, this article develops a three-pronged analysis of the infrastructures of irregularity, focusing on infrastructures of entry, settlement and exit, casting a comparative light on the mechanisms that produce precarious and expendable migrant lives in relation to access to labour and labour conditions, access and quality of housing and law enforcement, and how migrants adapt, cope, resist or eventually are overpowered by them.

scholarly journals ANALISIS KESTABILAN LERENG HIGHWALL MENGGUNAKAN METODE BISHOP SIMPLIFIED PADA PIT 13 PT BELAYAN INTERNASIONAL COAL KECAMATAN MARANGKAYU KABUPATEN KUTAI KARTANEGARA

2021 ◽  
pp. 46-54
Author(s):  
Muhammad Amin Syam ◽  
Heriyanto Heriyanto ◽  
Hamzah Umar
Keyword(s):  
Stability Analysis ◽  
Slope Stability ◽  
Safety Factor ◽  
Slope Angle ◽  
Stable Condition ◽  
Physical And Mechanical Properties ◽  
Slope Stability Analysis ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
Mining Company ◽  
Water Saturated

PT Belayan Internasional Coal is an open-pit system mining company, one of its geotechnical activities is the construction of the slopes. Slope stability analysis used the Bishop Simplified method to obtain the value of the dynamic safety factor (≥ 1,1). Currently, the value of the Safety Factor (FK) is an indicator in determining whether the slope is stable or not. The parameters used in the slope stability analysis are the physical and mechanical properties of the rock, namely weight (ɣ), cohesion value (c), and internal shear angle (∅). From the results of dynamic overall slope calculations, the recommended overall slope is constructed with an individual slope angle of 55°, a bench width of 5 meters, a height of 10 meters, and the number of individual slopes of 8 slopes. This design will produce dimensions of the overall slope with 41° slope angle, 80 meters high, and has a dynamic safety factor value of 1,102 with the water-saturated condition. Thus, the slopes are in stable condition.

scholarly journals Privatizing war and security in Afghanistan: Future or dead end?

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Giustozzi
Keyword(s):  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Private Security ◽  
Security Forces ◽  
Abusive Behavior ◽  
Private Security Companies ◽  
Dead End ◽  
Military Discipline ◽  
Security Companies

An assessment of the employment of mercenaries in Afghanistan gives mixed results. U.S. armed forces appear to have been happy with the Afghan Security Forces and ad hoc militias and only replaced them because of political reasons or because they felt that they were no longer needed. By contrast, the work of private security companies seems to have satisfied few. While in the short term no practical alternative to their use existed, it is not obvious that this option saves any money to the governments involved in the medium and long-term. Moreover, private security contractors are not subject to the control of military authorities, nor to military discipline. Their record of abusive behavior is indisputable and probably played a significant role in alienating the Afghan public. Unless much changes, the potential of private security companies in peacekeeping does not appear to be a bright one.

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