A UN investigation into Greece’s detention facilities has highlighted severe failings, writes Natalie Hamill. Critics say this situation has arisen because the EU leaves Greece to shoulder the majority of the burden of EU immigration. The UN’s findings have prompted the deployment of the EU’s first ever Rapid Border Intervention Teams (RABIT-s) to assist at… [Read More]
In a written ministerial statement, the Justice Secretary, Ken Clarke announced yesterday that the Government has decided to ‘opt-in’ to the European Directive on the Right to Information in Criminal Proceedings. Whilst its central, rights-enhancing tenet may be laudable, the directive represents a worrying creep of European control into domestic criminal procedure, and is the… [Read More]
In his speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) today, David Cameron promised government support for ‘those industries where Britain enjoys competitive advantage’ . He also stated that ‘I believe in competition… I believe when new entrants challenge big business, everyone wins’ . This latter point about competition – having faith in the market… [Read More]
In response to the economic crisis, France and Germany are keen to push through changes to the Lisbon Treaty, writes Natalie Hamill. In an effort to develop a ‘more lasting mechanism’ to deal with instability in the Eurozone, Germany and France are promoting plans that would pave the way for a fixed system to respond… [Read More]
The £6 billion council house budget is likely to be one of the major casualties of this week’s spending review. The National Housing Federation has said it is expecting “doomsday” cuts that will severely slow down the construction of affordable housing. But there are a few ways of cutting this budget while saving housing construction,… [Read More]
It was reported over the weekend that the Comprehensive Spending Review would include a £1.5 billion compensation scheme for Equitable Life policy holders who have seen their policies decrease in value since the turmoil that engulfed the insurance company in 1999, writes Stephen Clarke. The scheme is larger than the £400 million recommended earlier this… [Read More]
On occasion, I arrived at school after the registration bell. My hair was a mess, my uniform rumpled and my lunchbox nearly empty. By today’s standards, I would have qualified as a neglected child.
The rise in tutorial fees is now inevitable so the debate must move on to the next stage, which involves answering the question: how can universities charging upwards of £7,000 continue to attract the ablest students? If gaining a university degree is going to cost a similar amount as under the American system, then perhaps… [Read More]
In February, the EU proposed extending the Pregnant Workers’ Directive so that all member states provide 20 weeks of maternity leave with full pay, writes Natalie Hamill. Now, with one week to go before the European Parliament votes on the proposals, the debate has been reignited, with the UK Government criticising the EU for forcing… [Read More]
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission called for a moment of national mourning and teeth gnashing yesterday. They declared that progress towards closing the gender pay gap had ground to a halt. But the details of their triennial report reveals why this is so. It is because a discriminatory gender pay gap no longer exists.