The riots at Ford Open Prison over the New Year form a salutory reminder that our prison system is simply not working and it is far too expensive in cash, resources and time.
Category Archives: Radical Ideas
Living to be 100?
Do you really want to live to be 100 – the frightening prospect that faces a fifth of the current UK population? Continue reading
Politicians in denial
The government continues in its blinkered approach to the seriousness of our economic situation. This is now manifest in the greatest folly: Gordon Brown telling the Governor of the Bank of England to stop his team being so pessimistic. Gordon, try telling that to Standard & Poor’s as well. Continue reading
When a winner isn’t
Can any politician really want to win the next UK General Election? The next time the nation goes to the polls, the party with the most votes will inherit a massive headache and sorting it all out will be either impossible or massively unpopular – or both. Continue reading
Qualified for the job they hold?
How well would you expect a brain surgeon to be qualified? What about the engineer who designs the bridge you are about to cross – you hope rather better than just a pass (one statistic I found says less than 9% of Honours Degree students get more than 70%). So how about the people who are supposed to determine our national policies? Continue reading
Constitutional crisis and the chance to change
The other day a professor of politics at Oxford University was interviewed on the radio and was asked if we need a written constitution. Yes, was his reply, but only after we have sorted out the current crisis and brought in any necessary rules, structural changes and regulatations. Continue reading
You can’t save all the dinosaurs
The British and American economies grew to their modern status through world-beating industrial expansion but their productive capacity in terms of actual goods is declining in an accelerating downward curve and it can be argued that the Credit Crunch is a manifestation of the tipping point in terms of greatness. Continue reading
What really got us into this mess?
Blame the bankers for greed, criticise politicians for poor regulation or financial authorities for bad oversight: these are popular reactions to the appalling effects of the Credit Crunch and each of the accused were parties to the debacle but are they the real cause? Continue reading
A series of hard landings
The world has already seen national flag carriers in the airline industry being absorbed by operators from other countries and that trend is bound to accelerate as the effects of recession escalate. Losses during 2008 are estimated by Iata at over ten billion dollars and they have just revised their forecast for 2009 in the upward direction. Continue reading
Can we afford our politicians?
In the national accounts, the amounts of money involved in the 2009 scandals over some expenses claims by Members of Parliament are hardly burdensome, though the message on the quality of their judgement as individuals taking advantage of the rules and the whole body of Parliament in the approval of the system is immense. Continue reading