Comments & Speeches

The questions of leadership, agency, power and change are all wrapped up in psychological, political and personal meanings. This short piece begins to raise questions about those meanings and the impact of leadership in our lives.

Our world views, attitudes, beliefs and values underpin the way we perceive, experience and understand the world. Our ideologies can influence policy, ignite change and create frameworks of living through economic and political theory.

I had just finished reading it when a past supervisory experience that resonated with her motto, 'each one, teach one', seeped into my mind. I had arranged to visit Bethanie (not her real name) imprisoned outside of London as part of my throughcare contact. She had been sentenced to custody for Class B drug supply offences. On arrival at the prison it became apparent that unforeseen delays to visiting prisoners at the establishment would mean a shortened meeting.

At the time, however, most prisoners, if they thought about it at all, thought they would be in the chapel for a few hours, attract some attention, maybe win on a few of the points, undoubtedly lose a little remission. Nobody had any idea of the scale of the events which would unfold.

Behind this large number is a much bigger one, counted in the millions, of lives blighted through the loss of a loved one; through illness; through the ongoing effects of long-COVID and other complications.

“I’m deeply sorry for every life that has been lost”, Boris Johnson said earlier this week. “What I can tell you is that we truly did everything we could and continue to do everything that we can.”

It was a question posed this week by the MP Zarah Sultana during a meeting of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.

"Prisons are a high-risk setting for transmission, as well as hospitals, nursing homes and schools", she said to the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi. She continued: