Peter J. Davies

Should the practice of medicine be a deontological or utilitarian enterprise

There is currently an unrecognised conflict between the utilitarian nature of the overall NHS and the basic deontology of the doctor-patient interaction. This conflict leads to mistrust and misunderstanding between managers and clinicians. This misunderstanding is bad for both doctors and managers, and also leads to waste of time and resources, and poorer services to patients. The utilitarian thinkers (mainly managers and politicians) tend to value finite, short term, evidence based technical interventions, delivered according to specifications and contracts. They appear happy to break care up into smaller pieces, which can then be commissioned from multiple providers. The deontological thinkers (mainly doctors and other clinicians) tend to think about care delivered through a long term continuous relationship, and regard that relationship as therapeutic and salutogenic in itself. To them breaking care up into smaller fragments is a denial of what caring is really about. Very rarely are either or both sides of this debate fully aware of where their powerfully felt and often well argued positions start from. In this paper we offer an appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of both moral viewpoints as applied in the UK NHS context and we suggest a way in which they can be reconciled, provided neither is pushed too far or too hard against the other. We believe this reconciliation would be good for patients, doctors, managers and improve the service as a whole.

Bowling Maidens Over: 1931 and the Beginnings of Women's Cricket in a Yorkshire Town

This article focuses on the development of womens cricket in a West Yorkshire town – Brighouse – in the 1930s. It situates this subject within the context of the growth of womens cricket more generally, and goes on to explore the personality and uniqueness of womens cricket in the town. The article identifies key issues in the way that womens cricket was perceived at the time, particularly in the pages of the Brighouse & Elland Echo, the local newspaper. As such, it considers the novelty of the sport, the gender stereotyping that was an important aspect of newspaper coverage, the relationship between womens and mens cricket, and also the marketing of key fixtures.

The political symbolism of Joan of Arc in front national discourse

Although the last decade has witnessed a marked expansion in the scope and detail of Front National (FN) policy’, the party‘s current philosophical perspective revolves around two key themes: ‘nation’ and ‘identity. Intrinsically related, these twin concepts condition, to a large extent, the prime thrust of F” discourse. This article does not seek to consider FN policy. Instead it aims to examine the nation-based discourse of the party, and to explore the manner in which the legacy and symbolism of Joan of Arc is utilised by the FN in its nationalist outlook