Madeleine with an 'e', there is a lovely selection of books about 'Madeline' and her wonderful adventures. The McCanns book in ' 2008' was to be called 'Our year of hell' their latest project willl do little harm and only gain them publicity nestled' amongst 'this 'Madeline' for if you google just Madeline you will surely also find 'Madeleine' with an 'I'..shrewd move on the retailers part and free publicity for the McCanns. I doubt very much this was a coincidence and maybe in the future 'Our Maddie' will also be having adventures with her 'paeodophile abductors'...giving them her tuppence worth at least....We have already had 'Madeleine and the gypsies' Madeleine rescued' is what the book is all about and why the McCanns wish the gullible public to part with their hard earned cash...

http://www.madeline.com/

Madeline

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For other uses, see Madeleine (disambiguation).

The cover to the original 1939 Madeline children's book.

Madeline is a children's book series written by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-born American author.^[1] The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature film. The adaptations are famous for having the closing line, first uttered by actress Ethel Barrymore in a play: "That's all there is; there isn't any more."^[2] The first book in the series, Madeline, was published in 1939. It proved to be a success, and Bemelmans wrote many sequels to the original during the 1940s and 1950s. The series continues to this day, written by Bemelmans' grandson John Bemelmans-Marciano.^[3]

Contents [hide] 1 Books 2 In film 3 On television 3.1 Characters 3.1.1 Main 3.1.2 Peers 3.1.2.1 DIC/CINAR version 3.1.2.2 Live-action film 4 Multimedia 4.1 Audio 4.2 Interactive 4.3 Toys 4.4 DVD releases 4.4.1 Films 4.4.2 Television Series 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Books

The books all start with the line "In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines ...". The story is written entirely in rhyme, and the simple themes of daily life appeal to children.
The original series of Madeline books written by Ludwig Bemelmans has six books:

• Madeline - Madeline must go to hospital to have her appendix out^[4]
• Madeline's rescue - Madeline falls off a bridge and is rescued by a stray dog who joins her school.^[4] Winner of the 1954 Caldecott Medal
• Madeline and the Bad Hat - The Spanish Ambassador moves in next door, and Madeline assumes his son Pepito is mean and spoiled^[4]
• Madeline in London - Madeline and Pepito travel around the city of London^[4]
• Madeline and the gypsies - Madeline and Pepito run away to join a group of traveling gypsies^[4]
• Madeline's Christmas - Madeline celebrates Christmas with her friends^[4]

The new series of Madeline books are written by John Bemelmans-Marciano, they are:

• Madeline In America - Madeline travels to Texas in America^[5]
• Madeline Loves Animals - Madeline travels to the zoo and meets the animals there ^[6]
• Madeline Says Merci - Madeline learns how to be polite^[7]
• Madeline and the Cats of Rome - Madeline and her class travel to Rome in Spring.^[8]

[edit] In film

The earliest appearance of Madeline in the cinema was in the 1952 animated short Madeline, produced by United Productions of America (UPA) and directed by Bobe Cannon. The film was nominated for the 1952 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons), but lost to Tom and Jerry's 7th and final award winning cartoon Johann Mouse^{[citation needed]}.
In 1959, William L. Snyder's Rembrandt Films produced animated adaptations of Madeline's Rescue, Madeline and the Bad Hat and Madeline and the Gypsies for the educational film market. The latter two were featured, along with other similar adaptations of children's books, in Snyder and Gene Deitch's 1966 theatrical feature Alice of Wonderland in Paris.^[9][10][11].
A live-action feature adaptation of Madeline, produced in France by Jaffilms but shot in English, was released in 1998 by Tri-Star Pictures. It starred Hatty Jones as the title character, Frances MacDormand as Miss Clavel and a supporting cast with British actors Ben Daniels & Nigel Hawthorne. Its script encompassed the plots of four of the books. Original music for the film was provided by Michel Legrand and has Carly Simon singing the theme song "In Two Straight Lines". It was directed by Daisy Mayer^[12][13].

[edit] On television

The first television appearance of Madeline was in 1960 on The Shirley Temple Show, played by Gina Gillespie^[14]
In 1989, DiC Entertainment adapted the first Madeline book into an animated television special for HBO^[15]. The show's teleplay was written by Judy Rothman, who would serve as a writer, lyricist and story editor for nearly all subsequent Madeline animated projects^[16]. The special was narrated by Christopher Plummer^[17], and featured original music and songs by Joe Raposo^[18] (who died four months before the special aired)^[19], with lyrics by Judy Rothman. The special was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Animated Program (One Hour or Less)^[20].
In 1991, Cinar produced animated adaptations of the other five Madeline books for The Family Channel^[15], with Christopher Plummer returning as narrator^[17] and Marsha Moreau returning to voice Madeline^[21]. Each special featured new songs, with lyrics by Judy Rothman and music by Canadian composer Jeffrey Zahn, who replaced the late Joe Raposo. In addition, "I'm Madeline," Madeline's theme song from the original special, was reprised in the new specials. The specials were released on video first by Hi-Tops Video and second by Golden Book Video.
In 1993, DIC produced a Madeline cartoon series, which also aired on the Family Channel. An total of twenty episodes were produced for the first series^[15]. Christopher Plummer reprised his role as narrator again^[17], and "I'm Madeline" was used as the series' theme song. The series was later rerun on the Disney Channel and Toon Disney in the U.S.
In 1995, an additional 13 episodes were produced by DIC for ABC, under the title The New Adventures of Madeline^[15]. The new episodes featured a new theme song: "Hats Off to Madeline" composed by Andy Street^[22]. ABC cancelled the series after 7 weeks, so 6 episodes did not air in the U.S. until the series was rerun on the Disney Channel beginning in 1997.
In 2000, DIC produced another new batch of 26 episodes for the Disney Channel. The theme song was once again changed, this time to "Oh, Madeline!" (although overseas airings of the episodes still had "Hats Off to Madeline" as the opening theme instead). In addition, Christopher Gaze succeeded Christopher Plummer as narrator of the series. The show won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Animated Program. The New Adventures of Madeline was shown on KOL's Secret Slumber Party between Fall 2006 and 2007^[15].
DiC also produced two animated telefilms. Madeline: Lost in Paris in 1999 which featured Madeline being drawn into a scam by her supposed "Uncle" Horst, and finding out the true meaning to the word "family", Andrea Libman voiced Madeline^[23]. The second cartoon film, entitled My Fair Madeline was released in 2002, the title character was voiced by Chantal Strand. The plot revolved around Madeline placed in a London finishing school as punishment for trouble she had supposedly caused, while trying to stop two thieves from robbing the Louvre. When she finds out that the thieves are in London, Madeline does everything she can to stop them from stealing the Crown Jewels.^[24]
All of the DiC/Cinar Madeline episodes/specials/telefilms are owned by Cookie Jar Entertainment.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main

• Madeline: The smallest of the girls and the titular character. She is about 7–8 years old, and is the only redhead. She had her appendix removed in the first story. She is known for being the bravest and most outgoing of the girls. Contrary to popular belief, Madeline is not an orphan, as noted in the first book in the series where her "papa" sends her a dollhouse when she is ill.

• Miss Clavel: The teacher. Always trying to keep Madeline out of trouble, and she is a nun.

• Pepito: The Spanish ambassador's son. He lives next door to the girls; used to be extremely naughty, but Madeline influenced him to change his ways. Due to his bratty nature and the distinctive hat that he constantly wore, he was called "the Bad Hat" by the girls. He stopped wearing the hat after he befriended the girls. He might have a crush on Madeline.

• Lord Cucuface (known in the movie as Lord Covington): Chairman of the school's board of trustees, had a change of heart after receiving one of Genevieve's puppies.

• Genevieve: The girls' dog. Extremely intelligent, possessing various skills such as juggling, arithmetic, etc. She was a stray until she saved Madeline from drowning.

[edit] Peers

[edit] DIC/CINAR version

Nicole, Chloe, Danielle, Yvette, Lulu, Nona, Anne, Janine, Ellie, Monique, and Sylvie

[edit] Live-action film

• Aggie: Madeline's best friend in the movie who is always with Madeline and wants to do the same things she does.
• Vicki: Bossy and snobby, who is horrible to Madeline, but they become friends in the end.
• Chantal: The girl with glasses.

[edit] Multimedia

[edit] Audio

Madeline audiobooks have been appearing since the early 70s in the form of vinyl records. The record typically consists of a mixture of stories and songs.
The first soundtrack for the TV series was Madeline's Favorite Songs, released in 1995. It contains 16 tracks of music composed by Joe Raposo or Jeff Zahn with lyrics by Judy Rothman from the DIC and Cinar specials^[25]. The second soundtrack, Hats off to Madeline, was released in 1996. It contained 17 tracks of music from the 1993 and 1995 episodes of the show^[26]. In 2002, the latest Madeline soundtrack to date, Sing-A-Long With Madeline, was released, featuring 27 tracks of music from the 2001 episodes^[27].

[edit] Interactive

Madeline CD-ROMs started appearing in the early 90s, in time with the TV show. The CDs were compatible with both Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh based PCs. They were published by Creative Wonders.

Title	Publisher	Release Date(s)
Madeline Thinking Games[28]	Creative Wonders[28]	1998
Madeline Pre-School Deluxe Companion[29]	Creative Wonders[29]	1998
Madeline 1st & 2nd Grade[29]	Creative Wonders[29]	1998
Madeline 1st & 2nd Grade Reading[29]	Creative Wonders[29]	1998
Madeline 1st & 2nd Grade Math[29]	Creative Wonders[29]	1998
Madeline Rainy Day Activities[30]	Creative Wonders[30]	1996
Madeline European Adventures[31]	The Learning Company[31] Creative Wonders[31]	1999

[edit] Toys

Madeline toys were initially produced by Eden Toys LLC. After the acquisition of Eden by Learning Curve, Learning Curve now produces Madeline toys. Most popular during the 90's was a Madeline ragdoll, with a signature half-smile and scar from the appendectomy that corresponds with the story from the book.^[32]

[edit] DVD releases

[edit] Films

Title	Region 1 release date	Region 2 release date	Distributor(s)
Madeline: The Movie	15 December 1998 (1998-12-15)[33]	18 October 1998 (1998-10-18)[34]	Sony Pictures
Madeline - Lost In Paris	13 April 2010 (2010-04-13)[35]	15 June 2011 (2011-06-15)	Shout! Factory
My Fair Madeline	3 February 2009 (2009-02-03)[36]	1 October 2003 (2003-10-01)[37]	MGM Prism Leisure

[edit] Television Series

Title	Region 1 release date	Episode(s)	Distributor(s)
Madeline: Christmas	19 October 2010 (2010-10-19)[38]	Madeline's Winter Vacation[38] Madeline and Santa[38] Madeline at the North Pole[38] Madeline and the Ice Skates[38] Madeline's Holiday with Mr. Grump[38]	Shout! Factory
Madeline: Halloween	17 August 2010 (2010-08-17)[39]	Madeline's Halloween[39] Madeline and the Mean, Nasty Horrible Hats[39] Madeline and the Mummy[39] Madeline and the Haunted Castle[39] Madeline and the Spider Lady[39]	Shout! Factory
Madeline: Great Adventures	29 June 2009 (2009-06-29)[40]	Madeline And The Magic Carpet[40] Madeline On Safari[40] Madeline And The Lost Crown[40] Madeline And The Gypsies[40] Madeline And The Pirates[40] Madeline And The Forty Thieves[40]	Shout! Factory
Madeline: Dog Stories	3 June 2003 (2003-06-03)[41]	Madeline and the Dog Show[41] Madeline Rescue[41]	Sony Pictures
Madeline Adventures: Volume 1	3 May 2003 (2003-05-03)[42]	Madeline and the Pirates[42] Madeline and the Gypsies[42]	Sony Pictures
Madeline: The Star	11 February 2003 (2003-02-11)[43]	Madeline in Hollywood[43] Madeline and the Soccer Star[43]	Sony Pictures
Madeline: Easter	11 February 2003 (2003-02-11)[44]	Madeline and the Easter Bonnet[44] Madeline and the Bad Hat[44]	Sony Pictures
Madeline: Christmas	24 September 2002 (2002-09-24)[45]	Madeline's Christmas[45] Madeline and the Toy Factory[45]	Sony Pictures
Madeline: Winter	24 September 2002 (2002-09-24)[46]	Madeline's Winter Vacation[46] Madeline in London[46]	Sony Pictures
Madeline-Best Episodes Ever Volume 1	28 May 2002 (2002-05-28)[47]	Madeline at the Ballet[47] Madeline in New York[47]	Sony Pictures
Madeline-Best Episodes Ever Volume 2	28 May 2002 (2002-05-28)[48]	Madeline and the 40 Thieves[48] Madeline and the New House[48]	Sony Pictures

[edit] References

1. ^ "The Author Ludwig Bemelmans". Barbara Bemelmans. Madeline.com. http://www.madeline.com/author.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
2. ^ "Ethel Barrymore Is Dead at 79; One of Stage's 'Royal Family'". New York Times. June 19, 1959. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0815.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
3. ^ "History Of Madeline". Barbara Bemelmans. Madeline.com. http://www.madeline.com/history.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Ludwig Bemelmans Bibliography". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-Bemelmans/e/B000AQ3QZK/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
5. ^ "Madeline in America and Other Holiday Tales [Hardcover"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0590039105/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
6. ^ "Madeline Loves Animals [Board book"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670060216/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
7. ^ "Madeline Says Merci [Hardcover"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/067003505X/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
8. ^ "Madeline and the Cats of Rome [Hardcover"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madeline-Cats-Rome-Bemelmans-Marciano/dp/B00381B7A0/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
9. ^ The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. 1997. p. 17. ISBN 0520209702. http://books.google.com/books?id=s1k1RsGvFwwC&dq=%22alice+of+wonderland+in+paris%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
10. ^ Phil Hall (October 6, 2006). "The Bootleg Files:Alice of Wonderland in Paris". Film Threat. http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=features&Id=1816. Retrieved 2009-08-30. 
11. ^ Jerry Beck (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 12. ISBN 1556525915. http://books.google.com/books?id=fTI1yeZd-tkC&dq=%22alice+of+wonderland+in+paris%22&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 
12. ^ Archive.org mirror of Madeline movie site
13. ^ Kristin Hohenadel, January 18, 1998, New York Times, "FILM; 'In an Old House In Paris . . . .' ", accessed November 3, 2007
14. ^ "Shirley Temple Theatre". ctva.biz. http://ctva.biz/US/Anthology/ShirleyTemplesStorybook.htm. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
15. ^ ^{a b c d e} "ABOUT Madeline". Shout-Factory.Com. http://www.shoutfactory.com/browse/319/madeline.aspx. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
16. ^ "Madeline Song". Distant Melody Online. http://aquamarine.nu/lyrics/af/madelineschristmas.php. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
17. ^ ^{a b c} "Christopher Plummer Biography". Fandango.Com. http://www.fandango.com/christopherplummer/filmography/p57110. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
18. ^ "Joe Raposo CD". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000F71Z5W/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
19. ^ VOWS; Pat Collins, William Sarnoff New York Times, March 20, 1994
20. ^ "Madeline Information". Ask Define Online. http://madeline.askdefine.com/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
21. ^ "Marsha Moreau". TV.Com. http://www.tv.com/marsha-moreau/person/52314/summary.html. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
22. ^ "Hats Off To Madeline Soundtrack". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Hats-Off-Madeline-Songs-Hit/dp/B0000033QU/?ie=UTF8&qid=1279449084&sr=1-1. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
23. ^ "Madeline:Lost in Paris [VHS (1998)"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000IBKK. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
24. ^ "My Fair Madeline". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J65R8Y/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
25. ^ "Madelines Favorite Songs". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002BDE. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
26. ^ "Hats Off To Madeline: Songs From The Hit TV Series [Soundtrack"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Hats-Off-Madeline-Songs-Hit/dp/B0000033QU/?ie=UTF8&qid=1279449084&sr=1-1. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
27. ^ "Sing-A-Long With Madeline". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000066SFU/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
28. ^ ^{a b} "Madeline Thinking Games". Amazon.Com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009MFH8O/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
29. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} "Madeline Preschool-Kindergarten". Amazon.Com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000APQYQE/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
30. ^ ^{a b} "Madeline Rainy Day Activities". Moby-Games.Com. http://www.mobygames.com/game/madelines-rainy-day-activities. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
31. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline European Adventures". Amazon.Com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000JLB5/. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
32. ^ "Madeline Toys". Madeline Online. http://www.madelineonline.com/c-4-madeline-dolls.aspx. Retrieved 18 July 2010. 
33. ^ "Madeline [DVD[1999]"]. Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00004CZTK. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
34. ^ "Madeline (1998)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767819659/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
35. ^ "The Madeline Movie: Lost In Paris". Amazon.Com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00317LM9M. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
36. ^ "My Fair Madeline". Amazon.Com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J65R8Y/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
37. ^ "My Fair Madeline". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000AM76S. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
38. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Madeline's Christmas And Other Wintery Tales". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003THSXKK/. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
39. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Madeline's Halloween And Other Spooky Tales". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003IRUFCK/. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
40. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Madeline's Great Adventures (2009)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madelines-Great-Adventures-Andrea-Libman/dp/B0039OGGXE/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
41. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline's Dog Stories". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008WJCZ/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
42. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline's Adventures". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madelines-Adventures-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B00008WJAX/. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
43. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline: The Star (2003)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madeline-Star-Artist-Not-Provided/dp/B00008G8S3/. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
44. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline's Easter (Madeline and the Easter Bonnet/Madeline and the Bad Hat) (1993)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madelines-Easter-Madeline-Bonnet-Bad/dp/B00007G1V3/?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1279522777&sr=1-2. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
45. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline's Christmas/Madeline and the Toy Factory (1993)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madelines-Christmas-Madeline-Toy-Factory/dp/B00006HAWG/?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1279539950&sr=1-11. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
46. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline's Winter Vacation/Madeline in London (1993)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Madelines-Winter-Vacation-Madeline-London/dp/B00006HAWH/. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
47. ^ ^{a b c} "Best of Madeline - Madeline at the Ballet/Madeline in New York (Vol. 1) (1993)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000648WX/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 
48. ^ ^{a b c} "Madeline - The Best Episodes Ever - Madeline and the 40 Thieves/Madeline and the New House (Vol. 2) (1993)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000648WY/. Retrieved 19 July 2010. 

[edit] External links

• Official Madeline website
• Madeline (1952 short) at the Internet Movie Database
• Madeline (Animated series) at the Internet Movie Database
• Madeline (1998 film) at the Internet Movie Database
• Intro sequence to the TV show

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeline"

Categories: 1939 books | Madeline | Children's picture books | Paris in fiction | Fictional orphans | 1952 films | 1990s American television series | American animated television series | Television series by DIC Entertainment | Disney Channel shows | Television series by Cookie Jar Entertainment | Tiny Pop shows


http://www.bookfinder.com/author/madeleine-lengle/2/

David Jones ' The Snake'

http://dewanimystery.blogspot.com/2011/01/special-investigation-vital-questions.html

Goverment to control the way we think...

Nudge, nudge, wink wink... How the Government wants to change the way we think

Martin Hickman lifts the lid on the secret Whitehall policy unit dreaming up psychological tricks to alter our behaviour

Monday, 3 January 2011

Shame, vanity, laziness and the desire to fit in are all to be used as tools of Government policy by ministers acting on the advice of a new psychology unit in Whitehall.

The first glimpse into the confidential work of the Cabinet Office's Behavioural Insight Team came on Tuesday when ministers suggested members of the public should be able to make small charitable donations when using cashpoints and their credit cards.

On Friday, the Cabinet Office again followed the unit's advice in proposing that learner drivers be opted in to an organ donation scheme when they apply for a licence, and also floated the idea of creating a lottery to encourage people to take tests to prove they have quit smoking.

These initiatives are examples of the application of mental techniques which, while seemingly paradoxical to the Coalition's goal of a smaller state, are likely to become a common feature of Government policy.

The public will have "social norms" heavily emphasised to them in an attempt to increase healthy eating, voluntary work and tax gathering. Appeals will be made to "egotism" in a bid to foster individual support for the Big Society, while much greater use will be made of default options to select benevolent outcomes for passive citizens – exemplified by the organ donation scheme.

A clue to the new approach came early in the life of the Coalition Government, in a sentence from its May agreement: "Our Government will be a much smarter one, shunning the bureaucratic levers of the past and finding intelligent ways to encourage, support and enable people to make better choices for themselves," it read.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, established the seven-strong unit in July, since when the Government has declined to divulge all its members and the full extent of its work.

 However, The Independent has learnt its guiding principles and some of the projects that have used its favoured techniques.

One experiment involved Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) secretly changing the wording of tens of thousands of tax letters, leading to the collection of an extra £200m in income tax.

Other ideas tried elsewhere that have been studied by the unit include reducing recidivism by changing public perception of ex-prisoners, and cutting health costs by encouraging relatives to look after family members in "patient hotels".

The unit draws inspiration from the Chicago University professor Richard H Thaler and his colleague Cass Sunstein, whose book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness is required reading for Conservative frontbenchers.

Professor Thaler, who advises the UK team, suggests that instead of forcing people to behave more virtuously through legislation, governments can guide them in the right direction using psychology.

 Ministers should become, in his jargon, "choice architects", making virtuous choices more attractive than unvirtuous ones. In his books he quotes the example of automatically opting workers into company pensions to raise the amount saved for old age, which will come into force in the UK in 2012 having been enacted by Labour.

Another is from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, where flies were etched on to urinals to give men something to aim at, reducing spillages in the gent's toilets.

Mr Cameron embraced nudge theory two years ago in a speech about "Broken Britain", but has subsequently placed more emphasis on his own idea of the Big Society, where individuals and charities play a much greater role ias the state shrinks.

Both ideas, however, fit neatly into the work of the insight team, which reports to key Government figures including Jeremy Heywood, the Prime Minister's Permanent Secretary, Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron's director of strategy, and Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary.

Central to this is limiting regulation and cost, according to the unit's director, Dr David Halpern, a former Cambridge University social psychology lecturer.

In comments to policymakers and businesspeople in Brussels recorded by The Independent last month, Dr Halpern said: "One of the policies of this new administration is essentially a 'one in, one out' approach to regulation, so departments wanting to introduce a new form of regulation have to get rid one at the same time.

One of the fashionable things to say is: 'Well, what are the alternatives to regulatory instruments?' – spending money – which they're not very keen on. So it tends to support this shift towards behavioural economics."

Dr Halpern has experience of seeking unconventional solutions to policy problems via his role as chief analyst at Tony Blair's Strategy Unit, which looked into ways of increase happiness in the UK that – in common with other western countries – have not kept pace with economic growth.

Dr Halpern's approach, carried over from his days with Mr Blair, centres on his favourite term, "Mindspace," an acronym that stands for: Messenger (i.e. he who communicates information affects its impact); Incentives; Norms (what others do influences individuals); Defaults (pre-set options tend to be accepted); Salience (revelance and novelty attract attention); Priming (sub-conscious cues); Affect (the power of emotional associations); Commitments (keeping public promises); and Ego (the stroking of which encourage positive action).

Seeking to explain Messenger he told his Brussels audience: "It matters who tells you. If you are go to say something about vaccination, you are much better off having the Chief Medical Officer say it than a Cabinet minister ... if you want anybody to follow the advice."

Similarly, tax officials who reinforce "norms" dramatically increase their collection rates. The authorities tend to be "quite aggressive and assertive" when chasing late payers, Dr Halpern said. "We will send you a rude letter and say: 'We're going to come and find you and break down your door and take away your children.' So [HMRC] officials had been reading a bit of [nudge] literature and they changed letters on just one block of letters [chasing] £600m in unpaid tax.

"The normal repayment rate is about 50 per cent. The [new] letter says: '94 per cent of people pay their tax on time', so now you emphasis the underlying social norm – and then: 'Even if one person doesn't it has a significant impact'. The repayment rate went up to 85 per cent, [collecting] £200m just in that experiment."

Intriguingly, closer co-operation between the unit and HMRC was referred to in passing by the Cabinet Office on Friday. At the centre of the unit's work, though, are its priorities: well-being, public health, the environment and philanthropy.

While there are few details so far on how the unit will tackle happiness, plans for public health are more advanced.

 Britons have one of the worst records in Europe when it comes to rates of obesity, drug use, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley favours nudging rather than legislation and has controversially recruited food and drink multinationals, who profit from unhealthy behaviour, to devise appropriate strategies.

One is likely to see signs placed at supermarket checkouts reinforcing social norms about the amount of fruit and vegetables bought by the average shopper. Another is the idea of "patient hotels", a Continental innovation where relatives can sleep alongside patients, cutting costs and improving outcomes. This has the added attraction of reducing health spending at a time when the NHS budget will come under increasing pressure from rising demand.

Public health campaigns on STDs are likely to replace factual warnings with questions designed to emphasise social norms. So, instead of advising people of the likelihood of sexual partners having an STD, posters would ask: "What would your girlfriend think of you if you say you don't want to use a condom?"

Some professional health organisations, such as the British Medical Association, are concerned that nudges will be used at the expense of new legislation on tobacco advertising, tax on junk food and other issues.

But Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, who is not involved with the unit, welcomed the new emphasis on psychology. "Broadly speaking, I think it's a valid approach," he said.

"If you are interested in changing people's behaviour for their own or the collective good, then regulation is often a blunt tool and it often doesn't harness goodwill. But it's misleading to think with a few nudges consumer behaviour will head off in another direction.

 [Behavioural economics] is definitely an additional tool, [but] I don't see it as a way to eliminate regulation or redistribution."

The nudge unit's priorities

* Health

Public health is a priority for the unit, because half of UK health spending goes on treating the consequences of unhealthy behaviour such as drinking, smoking and having unprotected sex. Yet only one half of one per cent of NHS spending goes on promoting healthy behaviour. The unit suggests using respected medical figures to give health warnings and reinforcing social norms about other people's behaviour, to spur consumption of fresh produce and condom use.

* Environment

The unit has been drafted in to help the Coalition achieve its aim of being the greenest Government ever. While investing in new sources of low-carbon energy generation should limit greenhouse gas emissions, individuals will also need to make greener choices.

* Giving

Creating a band of active citizens who contribute to public life is central to the Big Society. The Coalition wants to create a "culture change" to increase time and money for good causes. Its green paper Giving last week noted that the average UK citizen spends 16 hours a week watching TV, but only one hour doing voluntary work. But telling people that volunteering increases life satisfaction is unlikely to be enough, it warns. As Dr Halpern explains: "Evolution has endowed us with a social brain that predisposes us to reciprocate acts of kindness, not to just blindly help anyone and everyone, regardless of how they treat us."

* Social networks

The unit believes that individuals' social contacts and connections are vital to their health and welfare, and are an untapped resource for the whole of society. "Harnessing the capacity of social networks and affecting the behaviour of the individual" is one of its aims. The Giving green paper said it wanted to do more to support community groups, charities and social enterprises.

* Well-being

Monthly polls by Ipsos-Mori show that the UK is a fearful place. Despite being among the wealthiest in Europe, Britons are less happy than others in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia. We are also less trusting of our fellow citizens. The unit is looking towards Denmark, which studies suggest is the happiest nation in Europe. The most important thing to Danes is "love". By contrast, the least happy people, Bulgarians, are "much more worried about jobs and money", Dr Halpern told an EU conference in Brussels.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nudge-nudge-wink-wink-how-the-government-wants-to-change-the-way-we-think-2174655.html

Goverment 'mind control' nudges on...

After 13 years of New Labour nannying – all that non-stop hectoring about what we should eat, how we should raise our kids, where and with whom and how often we should have sex – many people breathed a sigh of relief when the Lib-Cons seized Downing Street in May last year. This rosy-cheeked government promised to elbow aside nanny and replace her with a renewed respect for individual autonomy. It sounded wonderful.

But they’ve done nothing of the sort. Instead David Cameron and his yellow sidekicks have managed the remarkable feat of replacing nanny with an even more freedom-loathing, brain-invading political creed: nudging. Their desire to nudge the populace towards good behaviour makes New Labour’s bossy prudery seem almost liberal and level-headed in comparison.

This year is likely to be the Year of the Nudge, the year of politicians using all kinds of Derren Brown-style mind-trickery to try to coax or cajole or hoodwink the people of Britain into adopting a state-approved lifestyle – that is, a healthy-eating, bike-riding, beer-avoiding lifestyle, which will guarantee you instant access (should you want it) to the Cleggite set of former prefects and perfect bores who never abuse their bodies with anything more toxic than a weekly glass of chardonnay.

The Lib-Cons have a Behavioural Insight Team inside Downing Street. Inspired and advised by Richard Thaler, co-author of the phenomenally successful book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Wealth, Health and Happiness, the team aims not only to change people’s behaviour but to “change the way citizens think” (to quote Clegg himself).

As yesterday’s Independent reported, it will use various “mental techniques” and “psychological tricks” to “alter our behaviour” – for example, by offering less well-off shoppers health vouchers to encourage them to buy Hellman’s Light Mayonnaise rather than a King Sized Mars Bar; or by changing our local community infrastructure to make it harder to drive a car and easier to ride a bike; or by having cashpoint machines ask us: “Would you like to make a donation to a charity?”

In the past, the revelation that there was a Behavioural Insight Team at the heart of government would have set alarm bells ringing. It would have brought to mind the worst excesses of the Soviet Union (which treated political dissent as a mental illness to be corrected) or even of Orwell’s nightmare world in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In that novel, O’Brien, the torturer of Winston Smith, says: “We create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable.” Cameron and Clegg have merely added a bit of PC spit-and-polish to this authoritarian view of men’s minds as putty for the elite to play around with.

The whole nudge thing is spectacularly Orwellian. A Cabinet Office document says that because the masses make decisions “outside of conscious awareness” (ie. we’re a bit thick), the government should aim to become our “surrogate willpower”, making decisions on our behalf. In short, the authorities should colonise our minds and do our thinking for us. It is pure Big Brother. The state-approved lifestyle is no life at all.

Tags: 1984, Behavioural Insight Team, Big Brother, George Orwell, Nick Clegg, Nudge, Richard Thaler

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100070399/nick-cleggs-sinister-nannies-are-nudging-us-towards-an-orwellian-nightmare/