Archive for May, 2009
Cause & effect
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 29/05/2009
This week the Conservatives have uncovered statistics showing that the richest 10% of young people in England are almost twice as likely to go to university as the poorest 10%, despite the annual £2.3bn spent in publicly-funded measures to widen access to higher education.
Target failed? Let’s have more of them!
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 28/05/2009
Perhaps this blog is a bit of a cop-out. Yes, it’s not really a blog at all, suffice to refer you to this brilliant article by Nigel Hawkes, former health editor of The Times, in this week’s BMJ. An eloquent exposition of what this blog has argued time and time again when it comes to the NHS.
Here’s a extract to tempt you…
Angling for a solution
Posted by Claire Daley in European Union on 27/05/2009
Motivated by the undeniable failure of the existing EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), EU member states’ fishing Ministers have agreed to “radically decentralise” a new CFP, due to come into force in 2012.
The True Significance of the Parliamentary Expenses Imbroglio
Posted by David Conway in European Union, Politics on 26/05/2009
Every day for the past several weeks has brought fresh disclosures about the scale of free-loading in which our law-makers at Westminster have seemingly been happy to indulge or at least to condone.
At this late stage of the unfolding saga, I have no wish to add my own voice to the many who have expressed their disgust, anger and dismay at just how far up the greasy pole at Westminster the rot would appear to have ascended.
Conkers anyone?
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education on 22/05/2009
Increasing amounts of ‘screen time’ are leaving children ill prepared for real life, a leading headmaster has argued. The Chairman of the Independent Schools Association (ISA), John Gibson, aired grave concerns about the implications of children’s rejection of outdoor play for Internet games and ‘virtual lives’ through social networking sites.
Misconceived market forces
Posted by James Gubb in Health on 21/05/2009
The NEJM continues its focus on Obama’s health reforms this week by carrying an article on ‘market-orientated’ health policy. For me, though, it’s as misconceived as the Department of Health’s latest initiative to ‘legislate’ for innovation.
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