Archive for July, 2009
God save the… European Union?
Posted by Laura Brereton in European Union, Politics on 15/07/2009
By Nicola Di Luzio
The only symbol the opening ceremony lacked was the figurehead; all the other trappings of a fully-fledged parliament were in place. And in fact, first on the agenda this week for the 736 newly elected MEPs was the election of that figurehead: yesterday Jerzy Buzek, former Polish PM, was announced as the President of the European Parliament. Read the rest of this entry »
Advice to Vicky Pollard and Friends: Be on the Look-Out for Perambulator Chasers, Sometimes the Law Can Be of Assistance
Posted by David Conway in Education, Family, Marriage and the Culture, Health on 14/07/2009
“This was a pilot scheme and the point … of a pilot scheme [is] to find out if something works. There is no dishonour in piloting something to see whether it works and if it doesn’t work then acknowledging it and trying to press on and find out what does work.”
So did Harriet Harman cavalierly respond in Parliament last week to the recent revelation of what a disastrous failure the government-funded Young People’s Development Programme (YPDP) has proved.
BNP MEPs to remain isolated in the European Parliament
Posted by Claire Daley in European Union on 10/07/2009
According to reports yesterday, Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons (the two British National Party (BNP) politicians who made headlines in June when they were elected to the European Parliament, becoming 2 of the UK’s 72 MEPs), are facing isolation in Brussels, writes Nicola Di Luzio.
One Size Fits Most: How appropriate is an EU-wide response to the Economic Crisis?
Posted by Claire Daley in European Union on 08/07/2009
Yesterday, European Union finance ministers decided that in periods of economic growth, bank loans will be tightened, writes Nicola Di Luzio. This is in order to make sure that funds are available when recession hits.
From the Sublime to the Ridiculous: A Tale of Two Oxford Educationists
Posted by David Conway in Education on 07/07/2009
Cardinal Newman, it was reported at the week-end, is to undergo beatification. He is to do so on account of Pope Benedict having judged his soul to have interceded on behalf of an American deacon who had prayed to him for help in connection with a painful back condition that miraculously had cleared up by the following morning.
All that glitters can’t be sold
Posted by Laura Brereton in Health on 06/07/2009
By Daniel Isenberg
Every policy has costs and benefits alike, and in today’s world of tight purse strings, worth is often determined on the basis of financial outcome. The political narrative is dominated by debates over ‘spend or cut’, ‘waste or value’. Whilst the Conservatives are placing themselves firmly in the corner of financial prudence with a policy of fiscal retrenchment, this raises two concurrent questions about the latest rumours escaping CCHQ about Tory policy on electronic health records:
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