Education is far too important to be left to politicians

I can think of no quote that better sums up the dumbing down of Britain's educational system than the following from Charles Moore:

No one would say that, because it is useful to be able to drive, the driving test should be made easier. No one says that it is "elitist" to insist that candidates know how to make an emergency stop. No one, so far as I know, compiles figures to show that a disproportionately high proportion of white males from private schools passes the driving test, and therefore "access" to test passes should be skewed in favour of black girls at state schools. Everyone knows that it is more important to avoid car crashes.

The quicker the Tories get in and introduce school vouchers, the better.

Britain's inhumane health service

It has been reported in the Times that the medical establishment is in revolt against denial of NHS treatment to patients who pay privately for cancer medicines. This follows several recent cases of cancer patients who have tried to purchase life saving drugs that were not available on the NHS. Some have since died. Britain has one of the worst survival rates in Europe for cancer. Many life saving drugs that are freely available in other European countries are not available on the NHS.

But hold on a second, isn't our national health service supposed to be morally superior to America's 'private' system (so private in fact, that 45% of healthcare is paid for by the US Government)? The latest NHS scandal has killed this myth once and for all.

It seems to me that the NHS is driven more by petty class hatred rather than by any desire for universal health coverage. This latest scandal is yet another story that is likely to infuriate Britain's already overburdened taxpayers.

Just Journalism

If you have a few minutes to spare, this video from the recently launched 'Just Journalism' is worth watching. Their aim is to promote accurate and responsible reporting about Israel in the British media.