Earlier today (24th November) the European Court of Justice (ECJ) overturned a member state imposed limit on EU salary increases. The ruling is an ill-timed move that is likely to further complicate the 2011 EU budget negotiations, writes Natalie Hamill.
On Wednesday, the Government will publish its white paper on the future of state education in England. The reforms proposed are wide-ranging, but one is particularly welcome; the reform of teacher training.
If wool was a food chain, Fox Brothers & Co would be king. The company has been producing wool based textiles for nearly 250 years and its name is synonymous with flannel, a versatile woollen fabric. It is a British company based in Somerset and, unlike many other long established British textile manufacturers, it has… [Read More]
Last year, David Cameron promised ‘Never again should it be possible for a British Government to transfer power to the EU without the say of the British people.’ This promise has now been translated into a European Union Bill, which contains a crucial ‘referendum lock’, writes Natalie Hamill. The Bill has been reported as the… [Read More]
Last week, the High Court ruled in favour of the Royal College of Nursing, that a barring scheme imposed by the Independent Safeguarding Authority was unlawful. Although from one perspective the judgement is relatively inconsequential, pertaining only to procedure, it in fact represents a significant erosion of needless and overly protective vetting practices that are… [Read More]
With the turmoil that engulfed the global financial system in 2008, a few financial actors have, at one time or another, borne the brunt of the public’s anger. Bankers and hedge-fund managers have been widely criticised. Speculators, however, have been the target of recent outrage.
During Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to China, big names in British industry have been publicising the achievements that they hope the trip will deliver. One such voice is that of Sir Anthony Bamford, the chairman of JCB who has called for stricter measures to be taken against ‘unscrupulous Far Eastern competitors’ that exploit Western… [Read More]
The Court of Auditors has refused to sign off the EU accounts for yet another year, making this the 16th year in a row that the EU accounts have failed to receive a clean bill of health, writes Natalie Hamill. This year’s report found discrepancies in 90% of last year’s EU budget, and yet the… [Read More]
This makes me laugh… a foundation trust that is prepared to think outside the box. An innovation: putting cancer patients up in hotels, rather than in hospitals: saving some £200 a night, dramatically improving patient experience, no doubt reducing the chance of catching some nasty infection and, from reports of consultants there (to me, admittedly)… [Read More]
Today David Cameron promised to end the era of ‘bureaucratic accountability’ and usher in the era of ‘democratic accountability’. From an era with a bureaucracy held to account by the government for meeting targets to an era where the bureaucracy is held to account by ‘the people’ who monitor its progress in moving towards ‘milestones’.