BBC outs fakecharity

From the BBC:

Children's access to safe places to play should be treated as a serious political issue, say campaigners promoting the right to play.

Play England has issued a manifesto - including demands for a 20mph (32kph) speed limit in residential areas. A survey for the charity says 83% of adults want the government to promote policies to help children have more opportunities for outdoor play...

Having read the key words 'campaigners' and 'charity', I assumed that the BBC would then follow their usual 'write-up-of-fakecharity-press-release' template, peppered with rent-a-quotes from other fakecharities and concluding with a statement from a government spokesperson confirming that the government was going to 'do more'.

We'd then have to scurry off to the Charities Commission website to look up the 'charity', download the accounts and scroll through until we found the page which explains that they are largely government funded.

On this occasion, the BBC have saved us the hassle:

Play England, part of the National Children's Bureau and funded by the lottery...

PS, I am thoroughly in favour of there being more playgrounds, and my earliest political triumph was getting the local council to build a small playground at the end of my road, mainly by just getting on their nerves for two years, different topic. Be that as it may, children's playgrounds are very much a local issue and bugger all to do with the national government.

FakeCharity and Quango Festival

If you'd like the opportunity to see the following speakers:

Martin Narey, Chief Executive, Barnardo's
Ivana La Valle, Director of Research, Evidence and Evaluation, National Children's Bureau
Yvonne Roberts, Senior Associate, the Young Foundation
Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive, Addaction
Debbie Scott, Chief Executive, Tomorrow's People
Kathy Evans, Director of Policy, Children England
Liz Railton CBE, Director of National Programmes, Serco Education and Children's Services
Cllr Brian Connell, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Family Policy, Westminister City Council
Hugh Thornbery, Strategic Director of Children's Services England North, Action for Children Lisa Harker, Co-Director, ippr (Chair)

... and to rub shoulders with these sorts of people:

Regeneration officers
Senior management: heads and directors of services
Social services: adult, children, education, family and mental health services
Voluntary sector organisations involved in the whole family agenda - children’s charities, homeless and substance misuse fields
Parenting and family support organisations
Youth Justice Board and Youth Offending Teams
Drug and alcohol support services
Probation and ex-offender officers and managers
Children’s centre practitioners
Civil servants and policymakers
Clinical psychologists
Connexions partnerships
Primary Care Trust / Mental Health Trust representatives
Regional Development Agencies
Trades unions
Education sector
Employment service providers
Academics and think tanks
Adult learning and skills providers
Media,

... then sign up to this shindig hosted by the Institute For Public Policy Research. Don't forget to take some plastic cutlery with you to prevent serious injury should you be overcome by the urge to stab someone (or indeed to stab yourself).

Politically Correct madness of the week

Wanted: blind air traffic controller.

Department of Transport launch additional consultation on third runway at Heathrow because "We also want to be sure, given the socio-demographic mix in the Heathrow area, that we fully understand how airport development might affect different groups in terms of race, disability, age or gender". (via Ian_QT)

National Children's Bureau: "Toddlers who say 'yuk' to spicy food are potentially racist". (via Ross and Snafu)

Mother required to undergo Criminal Records Bureau vetting in order to be able to accompany her disabled son to school. (via HH)