UK Prison staff struggling to spot modern slavery survivors, research finds

Survivors of modern slavery offences are being under-counted and under-supported in prison system, finds study

MODERN SLAVERY SURVIVORS ARE BEING UNDER-COUNTED IN PRISON SYSTEM, RESEARCH SUGGESTS
PA ARCHIVE
JOSH SALISBURY

1 DAY AGO

There may be many more victims of modern slavery in the prison system than previously thought, new research has revealed.

The study suggests survivors of modern slavery are being under-identified in the prison system, meaning they are not getting the support they need.

Academics at the University of Essex said that since conviction rates for modern slavery offences are so low, there could well be more survivors of modern slavery in the criminal justice system than traffickers.

Dr Marija Jovanovic, who led the study, said: “We like to think that countries deal with modern slavery by identifying and protecting survivors, whilst sending perpetrators to prisons.

“The reality is much more complicated, with many survivors being sent to prisons, sometimes for the crimes they were forced to commit by their traffickers, instead of being protected.

“Shockingly, given how few convictions there are on modern slavery charges, it’s not out of the question that there might be more survivors than perpetrators in UK prisons.”

Researchers interviewed both survivors and prison officials across the country. They found that insufficient awareness and training of prison staff, resource shortages and barriers for survivors to disclose their stories all hampered efforts to identity modern slavery victims.

They found that there was a disconnect between prisons and the National Referral Mechanism, the national system used to identify modern slavery survivors, with prisons unable to refer people as potential victims.

One survivor told researchers: “When I was inside no one wanted to listen, for so long no one wanted to listen, for so many years I was too scared to talk.”

Another said: “I mean, if [modern slavery survivors] ended up in prison, for one reason or another, it means that they weren’t supported, because I think that’s the quickest way - for us, being victims, it’s the quickest way to put us into prison rather than support us.”

The research was commissioned by the Modern Slavery Policy and Evidence Centre. The centre’s Jakub Sobik said it showed that more needed to be done to support modern slavery survivors, including the collection of data.

“Prisons represent a missing piece in the UK’s response to modern slavery,” he said. “This groundbreaking research is the first one to fill this gap, even though there’s clearly more to uncover.”

A Home Office spokesperson said new guidelines and an awareness campaign had recently been rolled out to tackle under-identification of modern slavery cases in the prison system.

“Modern slavery is a heinous crime and we support thousands of victims towards their recovery every year, with courts taking it into account when sentencing,” the spokesperson said.

“We recognise many people entering custody are themselves victims of crime including modern slavery which is why we have rolled out clear guidelines and extra support for staff to ensure survivors get the help and trauma-informed support they need.”

The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment.

UK
AI, Apprenticeships

Higher-level apprenticeships ‘most exposed’ training route to AI advancement

Education jobs also among the most affected occupation by artificial intelligence

Anviksha Patel
28 Nov 2023, 16:13






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Employees with level 4 and above apprenticeships are in jobs most “exposed” to artificial intelligence (AI) compared to any other training route, according to new Department for Education research.

Jobs in education are also among the top 20 most affected occupations by AI, particularly by the rollout of large language modelling like ChatGPT.

A report published this morning by the DfE’s Unit for Future Skills measures the exposure of UK jobs to AI, rather than distinguishing whether a job will be augmented, aided or replaced by AI.

Researchers found employees who achieved apprenticeships at level 4 or higher are in jobs that will be most impacted by the AI advancement, usually in the accounting, professional services and IT sectors.

The findings are however based on a “novel” dataset and the reference period for the data means it mostly included level 4 and 5 apprenticeship frameworks available before the introduction standards and growth in higher level apprenticeships from 2017 onwards.

The report said that level 4 and level 5 apprenticeships are expected to lead to occupations with more exposure than jobs from level 6 apprenticeships. This is due to the high proportion of apprentice starts on standards such as ‘police constable’ and ‘registered nurse degree’, which would have low AI exposure.

Excluding these two standards would increase the level 6 average exposure to AI far closer to the level 4 exposure score, the report added.

Employees with qualifications at level 3 or below in building and construction, manufacturing technologies, and transportation operations and maintenance are in jobs that are least exposed to AI.

These are the standards most exposed to the progression of AI, and with more than 1,000 starts:Level 4 business analyst
Level 7 accountancy or taxation specialist
Level 4 associate project manager
Level 3 data technician
Level 3 assistant accountant

Researchers found the insurance and finance sectors will change the most when considering the pace at which AI technologies are developing.

“More recent advancements in AI have been more applicable to software and technologies and either require skills in technical coding or use of specific software as part of the job, e.g. accountancy and finance,” the report said.

Conversely, industries least exposed to AI are environments that have more manual work and lower wages, which reduces the incentive to automate. These jobs include roofers, roof tilers and slaters; plasterers; and steel erectors, and sports players (as an outlier).

“Occupations requiring a lower level of education tend to be more manual and often technically difficult roles, which have already seen extensive changes due to developments in technologies, and it is unlikely to be cost effective to apply further automation,” research said.

The top three most affected jobs, according to the research, are management consultants and business analysts, financial managers and directors and charted and certified accountants.

Education advisers and school inspectors placed 14th on the top 20 list of most affected occupations.

Top 20 most affected occupations by AI

Meanwhile, the data shows female students are also in training which leads to more exposure to AI in jobs than males.

There is also a geographical difference in the AI impact on occupations. Workers in London and the south east have the highest exposure to AI across any geographical area of the UK, and the north east has least exposure to AI.

This is due to London having a higher proportion of professional occupations, including programmers, financial managers, and IT professionals.
‘Hallucinations’ found as AI summarises LSIPs

The government also published an evaluation report from an eight-week pilot that tested the use of AI on local skills improvement plans, which have been produced for 38 areas of England led by employer representative bodies.

Each report is around 30 pages long and contains vast amounts of intelligence regarding skills needs described in a variety of ways including sectors, occupations or cross-cutting/transferable skills, proposed local changes to help address the skills needs, and the operation of the DfE’s skills policies.

The AI pilot aimed to summarise each report in a single page, and researchers found 75 per cent were accurate with some lacking “key” details.

There was also some evidence of “hallucinations” – described in the report as a “phenomenon” where an AI model produces a confident response that is not based on real data or events – across at least three of the 38 LSIP summaries.

When asked whether they or their team would be likely to use the summaries in their work, the majority of employer representative bodies said this was “unlikely or unsure”.

The report said to produce a library of one-page, accurate and consistent summaries to provide a quick and easy overall impression of local needs and provide a reference for policy queries, there will need to be “further manual work to redraft and bring in ERBs’ comments”.

MERRY FUCKING XMAS

Barclays 'axing 900 UK jobs' in run-up to Christmas

The banking giant has not confirmed how many roles will go, but said it wanted to "simplify and reshape the business". Meanwhile, Union Unite branded the move "disgraceful".


By Daniel Binns, business reporter
Tuesday 28 November 2023 


Barclays is to axe 900 jobs in the UK, Unite has said.

The union dubbed the move "disgraceful" and accused the bank of shedding staff in order to "further boost its massive profits".

Affected staff were told at 1pm on Tuesday, Unite said.

It comes after Barclays reported quarterly pre-tax profits of £1.9bn from July to September - which was better than expected by analysts.

The bank would not confirm how many jobs were being cut in the run-up to Christmas, but said it was "taking a number of actions to simplify and reshape the business".

It is the latest in a string of financial firms slimming down on staff numbers in recent months.

Last week it was reported that the country's biggest high street chain Lloyds was considering scrapping 2,500 roles as part of a shake-up.

Many banks have also been cutting costs this year by closing dozens of branches.

Unite said the latest Barclays cuts would affect a number of divisions, including its Barclays International arm and Barclays Execution Services, which provides technology, operations and functional services to businesses across the group.

It comes on top of 450 reported job cuts at the firm in September, along with the axing of 100 roles at its investment bank division earlier this year.

A Barclays spokesperson said the changes were aimed at improving services and "deliver[ing] higher returns".

They added: "This includes changes to our headcount as management layers are reduced and the group improves its technology and automation capabilities.

"We are committed to supporting impacted colleagues through these changes."

The company employed a total of around 22,300 staff at the end of last year.

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said: "Barclays is disgracefully cutting jobs to further boost its massive profits.

"This is a mega-rich bank that is already on course to make eye-watering profits this year."

 May: Protesters disrupt Barclays meeting

The bank's chief executive CS 'Venkat' Venkatakrishnan revealed in October he was considering cuts as he unveiled its third quarter results.

At the time he said the bank saw "further opportunities to enhance returns for shareholders through cost efficiencies and disciplined capital allocation across the group".

Sky's Mark Kleinman revealed on Monday that Metro Bank was in talks to offload its £3bn mortgage portfolio to Barclays.

Metro Bank  announced sweeping cost-cutting plans which could see the embattled British lender lay off 20% of its staff

FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside of a Metro Bank in London, Britain, May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
Reuters

The lender expects to take a lower-than-expected one-off restructuring charge of between 10 million pounds and 15 million pounds in 2023

Sinead Cruise, Elizabeth Howcroft and Yadarisa Shabong, Reuters NewsNovember 30, 2023UNITED KINGDOM

Metro Bank on Thursday announced sweeping cost-cutting plans aimed at bolstering its finances, which could see the embattled British lender lay off 20% of its staff and axe some of its biggest customer perks including seven-day opening hours.

Metro, which this week received shareholder approval for a 925 million pound refinancing and recapitalisation plan backed by Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski, said it expected the cost reduction plan to deliver up to 50 million pounds ($63.45 million) of savings a year, with completion in the first quarter of 2024.

The lender expects to take a lower-than-expected one-off restructuring charge of between 10 million pounds and 15 million pounds in 2023.

Metro Bank did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the precise number of roles at risk, but the lender employs around 4,000 people, according to its latest annual report.

Metro launched in 2010 to challenge the dominance of Britain's big banks but hit a string of setbacks in recent years, such as accounting errors, leadership departures and delayed regulatory approval for key capital reliefs.

In addition to the jobs cull, the lender, famous for its centrally located branch network, said it would invest in automation for back-office operations and improving digital services.

It is also reviewing its seven-day opening and extended store hours and will "selectively streamline lending" to focus on relationship banking to maximise risk-adjusted returns.

"We remain committed to stores and the high street but will transition to a more cost-efficient business model while remaining focused on customer service," Chief Executive Daniel Frumkin said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the bank said it saw a 5% drop in deposits in the third quarter but that outflows had returned to "more normal ranges" after its capital injection. Its shares have lost 68% of their value

so far this year.

Separately, it announced that three board members would step down at the end of the year, leaving the board with five non-executive and two executive directors. ($1 = 0.7873 pounds) ($1 = 0.7881 pounds) (Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru, Sinead Cruise and Elizabeth Howcroft in London; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Sharon Singleton)

 

UK watchdog puts Adobe's $20bn Figma deal into regulatory limbo

Competition and Markets AuthoritySharecast graphic / Josh White

UK watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority has provisionally ruled that Adobe's $20.0bn deal to buy Figma would likely harm innovation for software used by the vast majority of British digital designers.

The CMA said on Tuesday that the deal would eliminate competition between two main competitors in product design software, reduce innovation and the development of new competitive products, and remove Figma as a threat to Adobe's flagship Photoshop and Illustrator products.

Additionally, the CMA's investigation provisionally found that, without the merger, Figma would continue to take steps to develop or expand products that threatened Adobe's position in image editing and illustration.

Margot Daly, chair of the independent group conducting the CMA's investigation, said: "The digital design sector is worth nearly £60.0bn to the UK – representing 2.7% of the national economy – and employs over 850,000 people in highly skilled work. The software this sector uses is pivotal to its success, so the CMA has from the outset been very focused on ensuring this merger doesn’t adversely affect such an important part of the UK economy.

"This proposed deal, therefore, has the potential to impact the UK's digital design industry by reducing choice, innovation and the development of new competitive products. Today's decision is provisional, and we will now consult on our findings and listen to any further views before reaching a final decision."

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Myanmar’s military violate Loikaw cathedral to strike at those fleeing the war

Bishop Celso Ba Shwe offers his dramatic testimony. With some priests, he was forced to flee the pastoral center, which provided shelter to displaced people during the fighting. But the “Burmese military attempted for three times to take over the compound of Christ the King's Cathedral.” On the night of the feast of Christ the King, “the military intentionally shot [at] the pastoral center” with several “artillery shells” landing on the target. “Please continue to remember us in your prayers,” the prelate asks.




Loikaw (AsiaNews) – Myanmar’s military attacked and occupied Loikaw’s Cathedral of Christ the King, which had welcomed displaced people fleeing the war. As a result, the bishop himself and some priests were forced to leave the pastoral center.

The tragic news comes from Kayah State, a mountainous area in eastern Myanmar on the border with Thailand, home to the Karen people, scene of fighting since rebel forces launched the 2710 offensive a few weeks ago against junta troops.

Appointed just a few months ago, Bishop Celso Ba Shwe in person describes the terrible ordeal his Church is going through, urging the faithful to show their closeness through prayer.

“Due to the intensifying armed conflicts in November, more than 80% of the urban and rural people in Kayah State have been internally displaced,” he writes. “On November 12, about 800 town inhabitants began to flow into Christ the King’s compound. Thus, the number of both old and new displaced persons exceeded 1,300.

“The Burmese junta has used heavy weapons, fighter jets, armored vehicles, ballistic missile systems and mobile defense systems. As a result, people both urban and rural are fleeing their residences and go into different directions.

“Some have fled to the northern part of the State, some to Ye Phyu, Hsi-hseng and other places in Shan State. Among refugees, there were old and sick people, the paralyzed, women, people who remained at the pastoral center of Loikaw.

“The Burmese military attempted for three times to take over the compound of Christ the King's Cathedral in Loikaw diocese and yet the bishop and the resident priests made effort to convince the military generals of the importance of the religious sites and requested them to spare the place.

“However, on the night of November 26, the military intentionally shot [at] the pastoral center with 120 mm artillery pieces for many times and the roof of the chapel of the pastoral center was hit and the ceiling was destroyed by the artillery shells.

“So, for the sake of safety, the bishop and the priest decided to leave the pastoral center today. Just before their departure, 50 soldiers came and occupied [it] to make of it as a shield.”

The prelate ends his dramatic appeal saying, “Please continue to remember us in your prayers.”

Swedish Left does U-turn on mass migration

Sweden has quickly shifted from being one of Europe's most ethnically homogenous nations to one of its most diverse, which has resulted in negative societal consequences, according to a report by the Social Democrats

Peter Caddle
28 November 2023

Sweden’s left-wing Social Democrats party has turned against open borders in a newly published report, warning that the levels of immigration into the country have led to a segregated society.

The document has been warmly welcomed by those on the Scandinavian nation’s Right, with one MEP for the populist Sweden Democrats saying it was “great” that the Left was U-turning on the position.

In the document titled The Emergence of Parallel Societies, the report’s authors describe how mass migration has led to a significant shift in Swedish society that has left many people in vulnerable situations.

“The biggest social change during the 21st Century in Sweden has been the change in demography due to immigration,” the report says.

It adds that the country has quickly shifted from being one of Europe’s most ethnically homogenous nations to one of its most diverse, which has resulted in negative societal consequences.

Segregation has been the main result of the influx of foreign arrivals, it says. The document describes what it calls the “ghettoisation” of many people of foreign descent in areas such as Rinkeby in Stockholm and the city of Malmö.

This has left many people of foreign backgrounds exposed to violent practices previously unseen in Sweden, such as female genital mutilation, the report claims.

Many also have a poor command of the Swedish language, further entrenching feelings of isolation and a lack of belonging, it says.

Speaking to the Swedish media regarding the report’s findings, the Social Democrats’ cultural policy spokesperson Lawen Redar admitted her party had got many things wrong on immigration while in power.

“I think we should be deeply self-critical,” she said, agreeing that the party had put too much pressure on certain poorer areas of the country through mass migration, leading to serious societal problems.

Redar insisted that the change in attitudes did not mean her party now aligned with the Sweden Democrats, which she had accused of being willing to break international law to curb immigration.

Such a slight does not seem to have bothered those within the Sweden Democrats, with Charlie Weimers MEP welcoming the shift in thinking.

“This is great news for Europe, one of the most pro-migration parties in Europe has finally come to their senses,” he told Brussels Signal, describing the party’s previous policies while in government as a “warning to politicians all around the world as what not to do”.

He added that he now expected his Social Democrats opponents to be “loyal” to the document and to consistently vote “in favour of limiting migration and for physical border barriers”.

Seemingly less enthusiastic about the change was the Social Democrats’ own press office. When asked, it said it did not want to comment on the report.

Danish Socialists have also supported restrictive migration policy.

• 
  

'Citizens of the Reich': Raids and suspicion as German group grows

Agence France-Presse
November 29, 2023 

Peter Fitzek, 58, is the founder of the Koenigreich Deutschland (Kingdom of Germany), part of a movement known as the Reichsbuerger.© JENS SCHLUETER / AFP

On the outskirts of the eastern German town of Wittenberg, a corrugated iron gate painted with green leaves welcomes visitors to the "Koenigreich Deutschland" (Kingdom of Germany).

Those who step through the gate to the cluster of buildings on the other side are entering place that styles itself a country, complete with its own flag, laws, currency and ID cards.

The so-called Kingdom of Germany was founded by former chef and karate teacher Peter Fitzek, who anointed himself as "king" in 2012 in an elaborate ceremony complete with a crown and scepter.

Fitzek and his followers are part of a movement known as the Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich), a loose grouping of in some cases violent extremists and conspiracy theorists who reject the legitimacy of the modern German republic.

Long dismissed as malcontents and oddballs, the Reichsbuerger have become increasingly radicalised and are considered a security threat by German authorities who launched their latest raid Wednesday on the Wittenberg site.

Fitzek, 58, ran unsuccessfully as a mayor and a member of the German parliament before deciding that founding the place was the only answer to the "mass manipulation" he saw in German society.

His territory has since grown to encompass several different sites across Germany and has more than 5,000 self-proclaimed citizens.

They tend to be people with a "pioneering spirit" who "want to make a positive change in this world", Fitzek told AFP in Wittenberg, the group's original base.

"We are open to all people who have their heart in the right place," he said, sitting on a salmon-colored sofa in the corner of a drab open-plan office.

Anti-vax

The Wittenberg complex comprises several office buildings, a carpentry workshop, a gift shop selling items made on site and a canteen that serves only vegan food.

About 30 people live and work on the site in a commune-style arrangement.

They are all non-smokers, non-drinkers and not vaccinated against Covid-19 -- the kingdom has its own health insurance system for which this is a prerequisite.

Peter Fitzek founded the Koenigreich Deutschland (Kingdom of Germany) in response to what he saw as "mass manipulation" in German society. 

© JENS SCHLUETER / AFP

As Fitzek strode around the Wittenberg site, pointing out everything from eco-friendly heating systems to a coin press machine for making "new German marks", he promoted his project glowingly.

But in the latest raid, investigators said Wednesday they targeted 10 sites belonging to the "kingdom" on suspicion that it was running "banking and insurance businesses without the necessary permits".

Despite authorities' suspicion, life at Wittenberg is attractive to its adherents.

Laina, 47, and Roland, 50, who did not want to give their last names, moved to Wittenberg from the Munich area last year with their three children now aged six, nine and 12.

"We had been unhappy with the situation we were in for a while," said Roland, who used to work in management for a TV shopping channel.

"Then the pandemic came, with all the restrictive measures, and we had a real feeling of unease."

For Laina, a graphic designer, the move was about achieving a better work-life balance and a healthier lifestyle.

"During my pregnancies, I really began to notice what was important for me and what I needed," she said.

The couple's children do not attend a private or public school -- something considered illegal in Germany.

But Laina said it is better for them to learn at their own pace.

'Real danger'

There were around 23,000 members of the Reichsbuerger movement in 2022, according to Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency -- up from 21,000 in 2021.

The number considered potentially violent also rose from 2,100 to 2,300.

While Reichsbuerger members subscribe to a similar ideology, the movement is made up of many disparate groups.

In November, German officials raided apartments nationwide over an alleged plot by a group of Reichsbuerger to spread conspiracy theories and "destabilize" the state through social media.

In December 2022, members of a group including an ex-MP and former soldiers were arrested over a plot to attack parliament, overthrow the government and install aristocrat and businessman Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss as head of state.

A cluster of buildings in the German town of Wittenberg make up the original base of the Koenigreich Deutschland (Kingdom of Germany). © JENS SCHLUETER / AFP


Another high-profile case saw a group of Reichsbuerger charged with plotting to kidnap health minister Karl Lauterbach in protest at Covid-19 restrictions.

Fitzek himself has had several run-ins with the law and has served time in prison for illegal insurance transactions, among other things.

Most recently, he was sentenced to eight months in jail in July for assault, though he has appealed the conviction and remains free until a final decision is made.

According to Jochen Hollmann, head of the domestic intelligence agency in Saxony-Anhalt state, the Reichsbuerger pose a "real danger" to German society.
Far-right overlaps

Some have already resorted to violence and with the movement growing, "there is always a danger that... more will feel called upon to take action against the state order," Hollmann told AFP.

Many ordinary Germans are also concerned about the rise of the movement.

In the village of Halsbreucke, near Dresden, local residents have formed an association to oppose plans by Fitzek's "kingdom" to build an organic farm, in the hope of getting authorities to impose a right to refuse.

"It all sounds quite harmless at first," said Jana Pinka, 60, an engineer and local councillor. But it is the "context" of the plans that troubles her.

The Koenigreich Deutschland (Kingdom of Germany) has its own flag, laws, currency and identity documents. 

© JENS SCHLUETER / AFP

"We see both this rejection of the state, including Germany's borders, and the fact that people are seeking proximity to right-wing populist groups. That scares us a little," she said.

Only around eight percent of Reichsbuerger in Saxony-Anhalt are classified as right-wing extremists, according to Hollmann, though "there are certainly overlaps".
'Marginalized'

What they do tend to have in common is that they are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, especially in the former East Germany.

"Many people (here) feel marginalized and that is of course always a breeding ground for extremist parties or structures," Pinka said.

"People look for a strong leader, which unfortunately we have already had bad experiences of in Germany. And that is something that all of us... need to think about."

Fitzek, meanwhile, is undeterred.

His ultimate aim is for his project to become so big that "the old order... simply dissolves peacefully," he said.

"And we would not regret this loss at all, because we would have a much, much better order," he said with a determined grin.

© 2023 AFP

My 1994 warning about Trumpism — and the complaints I got from the White House for it

Robert Reich
November 29, 2023

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

On Saturday’s coffee klatch, I mentioned a speech I gave almost exactly 29 years ago that predicted Trumpism. The speech made headlines — and also made the White House furious. Many of you wanted to know more.

(You can catch the critical nine minutes a the end of this commentary or here).

As secretary of labor, I thought it important to explain why the Democrats had lost both the House and the Senate in the 1994 midterm elections. I attributed it to the fact that many Americans felt angry and frustrated about not getting ahead, and they took it out on Democrats who had been running Congress for many years.

I also felt it necessary to sound the alarm about the future:

“My friends, we are on the way to becoming a two-tiered society composed of a few winners and a larger group of Americans left behind, whose anger and disillusionment are easily manipulated. Once unbottled, mass resentment can poison the very fabric of society, the moral integrity of society, replacing ambition with envy, replacing tolerance with hate. Today the targets of that rage are immigrants and welfare mothers and government officials and gays, and an ill-defined counterculture. But as the middle class continues to erode, who will be the targets tomorrow?”

I was tragically prescient.

Speeches by Cabinet members were supposed to be approved in advance by the White House, but in this case I doubted the White House would approve my speech because it was so foreboding. So I sent to the White House a different speech — one that was anodyne and boring.

I thought I could get away with this because I doubted the media would pay much attention to my speech.

I was wrong. It made headlines.

Not surprisingly, I was ordered to the White House — where an ambush awaited me. Clinton’s chief of staff Leon Panetta, his economic adviser Bob Rubin, his political adviser George Stephanopoulos, and other top advisers told me in no uncertain terms that I had violated White House rules.


They accused me of not being a team player and barred me from making any further speeches.

I told them I didn’t work for them. I had been nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and they had no power over me. I’d be silenced only if the president directed me to be.

Well, that was the end of it. I knew Bill Clinton wouldn’t tell me to stop speaking my mind.


But his top advisers did have a point. Cabinet officers must be team players. Otherwise, the executive branch can’t function. In this instance, I wasn’t a team player.

A Warning from 1994 of a Two-Tiered Society | Robert Reich

youtu.be

I never regretted giving that speech.