Archive for January, 2009
Freedoms, for ‘free’
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 30/01/2009
As education secretary Ed Balls announces the further rolling-out of the government’s flagship academies, resisting ‘calls for a slow-down’, a significant hidden cost of the programme has been revealed.
Put that beer down!
Posted by James Gubb in Civil Liberty, Health on 29/01/2009
On the basis of a report by the CMO, Sir Liam Donaldson, the government has recommended that no child should drink before the age of 15; and that children between the 15-17 years should only drink under the supervision of adults.
A Day in the Life Peers of Labour (With Apologies to the Beatles)
Posted by Claire Daley in Politics on 27/01/2009
I read the news today, oh boy/About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad/ Well, I just had to laugh, I read the paragraph.
He blew his street-cred as a peer/ By being willing to make laws for cash.
And though the bribe was rather small/ He didn’t notice it was just a trawl
By ‘papermen on look out for those to appall/ Their readers with from the House of Lords.
Representing the Unrepresented
Posted by David Conway in European Union on 26/01/2009
More foreboding. The run-up to the summer European Parliamentary elections has officially started. Some disquieting new findings were released last week (courtesy of YouGov): writes Lara Natale …
Aspirations and inspirations
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 23/01/2009
Last week education secretary Ed Balls called on schools to take more responsibility for low achievement amongst pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. Part of the reason for a relationship between low performance and socio-economic disadvantage, he argued, is low expectations on the part of teachers.
Although this approach garnered media interest as a new strategy for severing the link between background and performance, ‘poverty is no excuse for underachievement’ has been a long-time mantra of both this government and the previous one.
Sometimes doctors do know best
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 22/01/2009
So, the NHS Constitution has been released after almost a year of negotiations, at a reported cost of around £1 million of taxpayers’ money. Was it worth it? Will it really make a difference to patient care?