Archive for January, 2008
Scrutiny and Irony
Posted by Pete Quentin in European Union on 29/01/2008
Europe Minister Jim Murphy recently gave “a guarantee that parliament can scrutinise the Lisbon Treaty” (mainly because he knows however much its members scrutinise the document they cannot amend even a single word of it and victory is assured by whip).
Rue Britannia
Posted by David Conway in Uncategorized on 29/01/2008
Not content with having flogged off Britain’s gold reserves at rock bottom prices, and signed up Britain to what is a European constitution in all but name – something his predecessor vowed would not happen without a referendum, it now turns out that Gordon Brown personally authorised abolishing the image of Britannia on the country’s coinage.
continued on the Centre for Social Cohesion blog.
Let’s do it Swiss-style
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 24/01/2008
The Swiss health care system – while certainly not cheap at €4,270 per head – receives international acclaim for achieving both universal coverage and a very high quality of care for all, without the constrained resources that tend to characterise government-controlled systems such as the NHS. Waiting times for treatment are short or non-existent and the uptake of new technology and drugs is high. For example, whereas only three NHS centres provide the latest intensity-modulated radiotherapy routinely to significant numbers of cancer patients, the Swiss do this as standard. Patient satisfaction is, perhaps unsurprisingly, excellent. As this Civitas study shows, there is much the NHS could learn.
Let Battle Truly Commence: How Universities Could Best Combat ‘Anti-Islamic Activity’
Posted by David Conway in Social Cohesion on 22/01/2008
Today’s Times contains a report entitled ‘Universities join battle against terror as guidelines’. It tells of how Britain’s university chiefs have finally agreed ‘to inform the police of any extremist behaviour by students or visiting speakers that they suspect may lead to terrorism’.
continued on the Centre for Social Cohesion blog.
Could the Irish save OUR independence?
Posted by Pete Quentin in European Union on 22/01/2008
Parliament is currently debating the passing of yet more powers to the EU, through ratification of the successor treaty to the constitution, most eloquently described by Giscard d’Estaing, former French President and architect of the original document, as ‘the same letter; just in a different envelope’.
Targeting the 18-week target
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 17/01/2008
Based on a recent report by Civitas, analysis of referral-to-treatment waiting time statistics show that while at the latest count, from October 2007, 59.9 per cent of patients received treatment within the targeted 18-weeks, many NHS Trusts still have a long way to go. Importantly, many of these are are in PCTs that have been most reluctant to embrace patient choice.