Teaching the teachers
22 November 2010On 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.
The Blog
My grand day out to a British textiles manufacturer
19 November 2010If 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]
Will a ‘referendum lock’ prevent any future loss of UK sovereignty?
18 November 2010Last 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]
Independent Safeguarding Authority not above the rule of law
16 November 2010Last 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]
Speculators, not as spectacular as governments
15 November 2010With 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.
Intellectual impropriety
11 November 2010During 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]
EU accounts not signed off… for the 16th consecutive year
10 November 2010The 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]
An innovation or a waste of money?
9 November 2010This 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]
‘People power’… perhaps not
8 November 2010Today 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’.
Passing the buck
4 November 2010The final outcome of the Browne Review should please no one. The universities themselves are going to face a far tougher time, tutors can no longer be assured of their value and woe betide anyone wanting to do a ‘socially useless’ humanities degree. This time, government really has gone too far.