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
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
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
Football – more than a game?
It may not have been the cause of the decline and fall of the Roman empire (explained by many as the result of complex unsustainable systems) but the dominance of the Games in their culture is arguably symptomatic of their loss of focus on the core issues that made them successful (like winning wars). Continue reading
Teaching too many
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Talk to anyone who has taught in a non-Oxbridge university and they will tell you that a big proportion of the students are just not suited to the mental disciplines that are core to such study. The universities are being damaged by being used in large part as a baby sitting service. Continue reading
How many times do I have to tell you?
The question of despair for many parents trying to get important messages about behaviour or danger to their offspring also be applies to adults and all those warnings in the small print. “Your home may be at risk…” is the standard wording in most advertising and documentation surrounding the mortgage industry. Continue reading
Eye off the ball?
Once again the nation is in uproar about the wrong subject. The media and private conversations are discussing the claiming of excessive expenses by Members of Parliament and that is being described as a crisis for democracy.
Unfortunately, the more that the topic is discussed, the more the issues become blurred. 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