Archive for July, 2010
Faith in Free Schools
Posted by Nick Cowen in Education, Religion on 29/07/2010
The coalition Government’s ‘free schools’ proposal hasn’t so much split religious believers from atheists, but more those who accept parent choice as a progressive reform, and those who reject it. Despite the fears from all sides, there is a good chance that all of Britain’s diverse belief systems will benefit if schools gain more independence.
Iceland 1 – Turkey 0
Posted by Claire Daley in European Union on 28/07/2010
Yesterday (27th July), EU foreign ministers agreed to open accession negotiations with Iceland, just a year after the country formerly applied for membership of the EU, writes Natalie Hamill. The move coincided with David Cameron’s first visit to Ankara, where he lamented the lack of progress on Turkey’s candidature and identified himself as the “strongest possible advocate” for Turkey’s membership bid.
Pressing charges
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Crime on 27/07/2010
The Coalition has dropped plans to grant anonymity to men accused of rape, following protest from female MPs and rape victim groups, writes Meike Beckford.
The show must go on
Posted by Anastasia de Waal in Education, Family, Marriage and the Culture on 25/07/2010
“O Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou Romeo?” laments Juliet from a shabbily built balcony, borrowed from the set of Evita. If the Treasury has anything to do with proceedings, Romeo may not turn up at all, writes Annaliese Briggs.
MP wants to hobble a useful counter-measure to Identity theft
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Crime on 23/07/2010
Geraint Davies MP wants to end the use of anonymous pre-paid credit cards on the grounds that they can be used to purchase child pornography. The problem with his suggestion is that it doesn’t take into account all the manifold legitimate uses of pre-paid credit cards. In fact, they might well be much more of a force for good, allowing vulnerable people, especially children, to protect their identity on the Internet.
Britain already has one of the most lenient prison policies in Europe
Posted by Nick Cowen in Crime on 22/07/2010
We are sending far too many offenders to prison: at least, that is the new meme round Westminster. Ken Clarke, in a speech last month, complained that ‘Just banging up more and more people [for longer] without actively seeking to change them is what you would expect of Victorian England.’ Today Crispin Blunt, Clarke’s parliamentary undersecretary, is set to denounce support for prison as ‘populist rhetoric’. With all these accusations about current policy flying around, it may surprise some that we have one of the least punitive systems in Europe.