The Blog

Informing the debate

In a Times commissioned poll last month, 47% of respondents indicated that they still weren’t sure who they were going to vote for; 75% of respondents felt that it was ‘time for a change’ from Labour.

Borderline progress

Turkey and Croatia began official EU accession talks in 2005, and yet their progress has taken very different paths, writes Natalie Hamill. Last Wednesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner, Štefan Füle, praised Croatia’s progress and said it could potentially join the EU during 2010. Just a few days later, the German Chancellor tried (but failed) to scrape… [Read More]

Bogus Use of Statistics to Discredit A-Levels as Index of Academic Potential

The mantra on which New Labour came to power in 1997 was ‘Education, education, education’, chanted because of the known link between life chances and educational qualifications. Despite all subsequent efforts and the colossal sums expended, it has failed to close the gap in terms of university participation rate between young persons from the most-advantaged… [Read More]

All I want for Easter is a well-behaved child and a handmade card

Dear Teacher,

I do hope you enjoy wearing the Tiffany bracelet our precious Emily gave you at Christmas – she thoroughly enjoys her literacy lessons and we’ve see such great improvements in her reading.

‘Reform our libel laws, but not our NHS’?

The budget has set the challenge.  By 2013-14, the NHS will be expected to deliver annual efficiency savings of £15 to 20 billion.  The financial year 2010-11 will be the last year until at least 2013-14 (if not further) when the NHS will receive real terms increases in funding.  Whatever they say currently, it will… [Read More]

EU Commission reaches same conclusion … for the sixth time

On Tuesday the EU Commission criticised  Bulgaria and Romania for their lack of progress in reforming their judicial systems, and for their failure to deal with corruption. This is the sixth time the Commission has reached this conclusion, writes Natalie Hamill.

Our Steadily Worsening State of Play

With election manifestos already likely to have been decided, it is unlikely any major political party will heed the call of the charity Play England to pledge that, if returned to office, they will increase children’s  opportunities to play outdoors. That will be a pity, for, in the last several decades, Britain has been steadily… [Read More]

Double trouble

There’s something altogether appealing about mothering twins. As seemingly smug couples push their newborn darling duos around Clapham Common on Sundays, envious pedestrians can only dream of two babies for the price of one meeting with a midwife: the ready-made future playmates, the prospect of sacrificing only one, not two, evenings to traipse around school… [Read More]

A Muddy Affair

The new EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik has his eyes on our land, writes Natalie Hamill. A proposed EU Soil Directive may have been blocked in the past but it is now back, and this time Potocnik is determined to see it become law.

A Neglected Down-Side of ’Sixties Feminism

To mark the centenary of International Women’s Day, BBC Channel 4 is currently broadcasting a series about women made by feminist film-maker Vanessa Engle.  The instalment shown yesterday was designed to expose how badly done by, in the opinion of Engle, are those women who, upon becoming mothers, opt to stay-at-home to care for their… [Read More]