Parent power
‘Parents in England could get the power to force councils to improve
the quality of local schools under new plans to be announced by Gordon
Brown.’ – BBC
‘Gordon Brown will launch a fightback today as he tries to silence his Labour critics by showing that his Government has not run out of steam and fresh policy ideas.’ – Andrew Grice, The Independent
‘Gordon Brown will today try to reclaim his authority with an education speech in which he will promise parents new powers to challenge the quality of schools on offer within their local authority.’ – Allegra Stratton, The Guardian
‘A strange evolution’
‘The Conservative party is in the middle of a very strange evolution; perhaps within a year of power but rethinking policies and priorities. Because Labour is in trouble, the Conservatives are not being pressed as they should be about contradictory spending plans (shadow ministers still promise departmental largesse, while George Osborne braces for austerity) or the consequences of their hostility to the European Union. The party has instructed the Foreign Office to prepare a bill for a referendum on the Lisbon treaty – but what the question would be, or what would happen if the treaty had already passed by the time of the election is unknown. This vagueness (like the European policy itself) is risky.’ – Editorial, The Guardian
Restoring education in Iraq
‘On the day that British troops formally ended their mission in Iraq, that country’s prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, was heralding a peaceful invasion by its citizens of our universities and colleges.
This year, 500 Iraqi students will be coming to Britain under a new scholarship scheme, and thousands more will follow.’ – Peter Kingston, The Guardian
Economic matters
‘“The economy is no longer in free fall,” declared Joaquín Almunia, the EU Commissioner for the Economy, yesterday. That counts as an upbeat message by the standards of recent months. Europe is in a deeper recession than at any time in postwar history. The shock appears to be moderating, but there will be lasting damage to productive capacity. Policymakers across the EU are failing to act with the urgency and co-ordination that circumstances require.’ – Leader, The Times
‘An index of British companies’ optimism indicates businesses think the pace of the economic slowdown could be starting to diminish.’ – Sky News
‘Job satisfaction among UK employees has risen since 2006 despite the recession, a study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says.’ – BBC
‘New guidelines are being brought in aimed at protecting tenants and homeowners who use letting agencies.
The Association of Residential Letting Agents (Arla) is introducing a licensing scheme for its UK members and a code of practice for letting agents.’ – BBC
EU elections
‘This growing indifference is foolish and a pity, not just because of the obvious point that European legislation directly affects all of our lives. If we in Britain are mentally absent from the work of the Brussels-Strasbourg parliament, the Union is deprived of an important player at a time when it risks seeming increasingly adrift.’ – Leader, The Independent
‘Ukip gained 12 MEPs in the last European elections and a 16 per cent share of the vote, making it Britain’s third largest party in Brussels.
But most political pundits think that was a high watermark and they have already lost three MEPs since their 2004 victory.’ – Simon Johnson, The Telegraph