Borderline policy
25 August 2010France’s decision to expel its Roma minority has reignited debate on who should decide citizens’ right to free movement: ‘Should it be the host state or the EU?’ asks Natalie Hamill.
The Blog
How bad are short custodial sentences?
24 August 2010It is an article of faith amongst some prison reformers that the use of short prison sentences increases the chance of re-offending, sometimes turning a one-time offender towards a life of crime. They are counter-productive in terms of fighting crime, they argue. According to the most recent systematic evidence, this is probably not the case.
The parent trap
23 August 2010The one GCSE guaranteed not to get any results is in Parenting, writes Annaliese Briggs.
1066 and All That
19 August 2010The BBC series The Normans, presented by Professor Robert Bartlett, concluded last night and has shown the licence payer just how well History programmes can be made. Not only was it well-rounded on facts, interesting asides and minimal judgements; it also displayed great insight into themes such as multiculturalism and colonialism, both still hot topics… [Read More]
Re-sits undermining the A-level
Michael Gove has proposed scrapping modular A-levels and reverting to linear ones, in a bid to restore the ‘gold standard’. However both teachers and top universities have made clear that re-sits, not modular exams, are the major cause of grade ‘inflation’.
The ‘catch’ in Iceland’s EU negotiations
Iceland’s EU accession negotiations have got off to a stormy start due to its determination to increase its fishing quotas, writes Natalie Hamill. The Nordic country, which was granted EU candidate status less than a month ago, is determined to increase its mackerel catch quota, despite warnings it will damage its relations with the EU.
Probophilia
18 August 2010In this article, written for Civitas, Dr Peter Davies and Dr Adrian Kenny, two GPs from Yorkshire, draw on an amusing medical analogy – probophilia – to describe a painful affliction across UK public services today – not least the NHS. ‘The probophile’, Davies and Kenny write, ‘ places false confidence in numbers , and… [Read More]
Less custody, or more intelligent use of custody?
17 August 2010The Coalition Government wants to use more rehabilitation in order to cut the costs of crime and imprisonment. However, effective rehabilitation (though a valuable aspiration) is unlikely to yield immediate cost savings and may well involve greater investment, writes Holly Terry.
The NHS: going Dutch?
16 August 2010Good article in the FT today by Nick Timmins on possible future direction of NHS… competing health insurers (or GP consortia) along the lines of the acclaimed Dutch health system. For a bit more flesh on the bones as to how such a transformation could be achieved have a read of this book and article… [Read More]
So long, and thanks for all the work
12 August 2010A recent survey by Aon has found that only 43% of Britons want to retire and enjoy their golden years in this country, the lowest satisfaction rate in Europe. However, the figures involved don’t add up to anything worthy of pessimism, as they are merely fantasy and ideals.