Archive for October, 2008
Sugar-coated health care
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 23/10/2008
‘The number of people who will die as a result of diabetes is forecast to rise from one in ten to one in seven in less than 20 years unless obesity rates can be reduced significantly. Costs to the NHS of treating the disease are expected to rise by a third by 2025 as the number of people suffering from diabetes reaches a record level. The figure is forecast to rise to £12 billion, before inflation, by 2025,’ says Diabetes UK. All true; it fact, if the NHS’ current productivity trends are to continue, it will probably be worse….unless, of course, we start working in a completely different way.
More Corruption of the Curriculum
Posted by Nick Cowen in Education on 21/10/2008
According to recent newspaper reports, philosophy is currently being taught in primary-schools to children as young as eight years.
Since that subject does not have the widest application in the marketplace, one cannot help but admire the enterprise a philosophy graduate has shown by persuading several primary schools to use the services of his company to bring it to their classrooms. From reports of what it is purveying, however, one cannot also help but wonder whether the company might not be in breach of the Trade Descriptions Act. For whatever is being purveyed, and however worthwhile its purveyance might be, philosophy it surely is not.
French Ambivalence
Posted by Pete Quentin in European Union on 20/10/2008
A report published by the independent Brussels-based think tank the Thomas More Institute for European Studies examines the performance of the French Presidency of the EU Council so far, assessing its contribution to the long term development of EU policy. The Presidency, which started in July this year and will end on 31st December, scored 11.5 out of 20 possible marks for its mid-term performance, writes Judith Gollata.
For richer – but for poorer?
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Family, Marriage and the Culture on 17/10/2008
“Family structure doesn’t matter,” is a favourite Labour mantra. The government’s keenness to distance itself from confused Tory “family ideals” is understandable, and on the basis of equality, in principle more appealing. There is a problem with Labour’s “diversity” embracing position, however, and that is that it’s inadvertently also embracing deprivation.
Continued at Comment is Free
Sizing up the Annual Health Check
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 16/10/2008
The Annual Health Check of NHS organisations, released today by the Healthcare Commission, presents a picture fit for the NHS’ 60th birthday bash earlier in the year. Sixty-two per cent of organisations are now rated ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ on quality of services, up from 41 per cent two years ago, and those rated ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ on use of resources are up a fantastic 45 percentage points to 61 per cent. Can we then pop open the champagne?
Cannabis and the Police
Posted by James Gubb in Crime on 15/10/2008
Defenders of a society based on a liberal political culture and a market economy have often disagreed over the best way to handle drug taking. One of the great champions of free markets Milton Friedman was famously in favour of legalisation. Others favour strict control. This week the Home Secretary announced that cannabis is to be reclassified as a class B drug, instead of class C. Simultaneously she proposed a measured approach to enforcement. A first offence of cannabis possession would lead to a warning, a second to a fixed penalty fine of £80, and a third to arrest.
What should we do? Continue at the Telegraph blog.