Archive for October, 2007
Don’t force children to play the Government’s war-games
Posted by Nick Cowen in Education on 31/10/2007
More powers, new targets, less tolerance for failure, a boost to several central government run schemes (Teach First and Teach Next), are the only discernible content of Brown’s latest speech on education. The tone of the speech makes it sound as if the government, having annexed and occupied the education system decades ago, still finds itself combating a never-ending insurgency of ‘failure’. These forces of failure cannot be tolerated and must be eradicated.
No, Mr Taheri, It is With Snakes not Camels that the Visiting Saudi Royals Need Comparing
Posted by David Conway in Religion on 30/10/2007
Should Saudi Royals be treated as moral outcasts?
Definitely not argues Amir Taheri in an op-ed in today’s Times. Entitled ‘They’re like camels – uncongenial, but trustworthy’, his piece bears the subtitle: ‘It’s absurd to treat the Saudi royals as moral outcasts’.
continued on the Centre for Social Cohesion blog.
They don’t like it up ‘em!
Posted by Pete Quentin in European Union on 30/10/2007
I had my own Dads’ Army experience this weekend – strangely not when accompanying a Veterans’ Association on its battlefield tour of France, but outside the Palace of Westminster…
Foundation Trusts: the way forward
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 25/10/2007
This Monday, Robert Naylor, Chief Executive of UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, gave a seminar at Civitas, in which he put a powerful case for the continuation and deepening of the Foundation Trust ‘experiment’. He argued persuasively that not only has Foundation Trust status – with its associated financial and structural freedoms – provided for both greater efficiency in use of resources, but also higher quality and more responsive care for patients. In short, it is the way forward for the secondary care sector. His presentation can be viewed here.
A prescription for disaster
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Health on 24/10/2007
Professor Julian Le Grand has a radical strategy for tackling the supposed problems of ill health in the UK: smoking permits (which might require a doctor’s note), an ‘exercise hour’ for company employees, a ban on additional salt in foods, more free fruit in general and more stern notes sent to the homes of children that have been found to be obese. Le Grand calls this broad sweep of measures ‘libertarian paternalism’, claiming, perversely that none of these actually restrict individual freedom. Wouldn’t ‘libertarian paternalism’ be more normally understood as a friendly word of advice without the backing of force?
A Well Kept Secret
Posted by David Conway in Social Cohesion on 23/10/2007
In quest of Muslim votes, David Cameron has turned for policy advice to a group of Muslim party members known as the Conservative Muslim Forum (CMF).
Last week, that group gave David Cameron the benefit of its collective wisdom on what policies his party should adopt to make itself of greater appeal to Muslim voters.
continued on the Centre for Social Chesion blog.