Government target horror story
Government targets are often classic examples of picking losers. The intentions are almost always spot on, but the result is aiming for a target for all the wrong incentives. For example, crime is too high - set the police a target to get…
The real lesson of the Tories' campaign on hospital closures
The Times reports that the Tories' hospital campaign "was in disarray last night". One can pontificate on whether the campaign was the right point of attack (no), whether the mistakes are serious (in credibility terms, yes), and whether the…
Review of the Papers, Thursday 23 August
**Government ** Householders may be charged to dispose of their rubbish through the use of prepaid waste sacks or wheelie bins with microchips. The Local Government Association (LGA) said yesterday that people may also have to pay…
Review of the Papers, Wednesday 22 August
Government The true economic benefits of the Heathrow expansion have been vastly exaggerated, according to an independent investigation into the White Paper on the third runway. The claim of a potential £7.8bn benefit to the economy, used…
Because life's not risky enough in Indonesia?
The government of the cash-strapped Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and storms, is considering buying - from a "former fertiliser exporter and vodka salesman" - "floating nuclear…
Blundering on with HIPs...
The latest HIPs calamity is reported today. It is becoming apparent that some mortgage lenders are refusing to accept a crucial part of the reports. Solicitors, mortgage lenders and even some HIPs providers warned that many homebuyers…
And the MTAS fiasco continues too...
Despite former secretary for Health, Patricia Hewitt, saying that while MTAS was about no doctor would be jobless, more than 10,000 trainee doctors could find themselves without posts within weeks. In order to hand out as many jobs as…
Policy Announcements, Wednesday 22 August
Government Troublemakers causing or contributing to alcohol-related crime or disorder can be excluded from places such as a town centre or village green for up to 48 hours by police, under a new power coming into force today. The new…
Review of the Papers, Tuesday 21 August
Government Thousands of newly qualified nurses are facing unemployment because of hospital cutbacks, with vacancies at their lowest for 10 years. New National Health Service figures have revealed how difficult it is for nurses…