The Easyjet model
‘The practices of the no-frills airlines, who charge customers extra
for services which were once considered part of the standard fare, are
being emulated by the London borough of Barnet as it embarks on “a
relentless drive for efficiency”. A spokesman for the council has
unofficially dubbed the project “easyCouncil”.’ – Robert Booth, The Guardian
Ashcroft under pressure
‘Michael Ashcroft, the Tory peer and donor who is masterminding a
key part of David Cameron’s election strategy, has been denounced in
his adopted homeland of Belize for using his money to “subjugate an
entire nation”.’ – Nick Clark and Andy McSmith, The Independent
NHS row continues
‘Another Tory MEP provoked outrage over the NHS last night by declaring patients should be charged.
Charles Tannock suggested the sick should pay £10 for the privilege of seeing a GP.’ – James Lyons, The Mirror
Middle East peace process
‘It would be wonderful if the optimism shown by the Prime Minister,
Gordon Brown, after his talks this week with the Israeli Prime
Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was to prove justified. And it is
certainly true that the message being put out by Mr Netanyahu in his
tour of European capitals is, on the whole, a positive one. Apart from
the specific exception of Jerusalem, the new Israeli coalition
government does seem prepared to call some form of halt to settlement
expansion on the West Bank as a concession to get peace talks going
with the Palestinians.’ – Leader, The Independent
Economic optimism
‘The rate of contraction of the UK economy in the three months from
April to June has been reduced by the Office for National Statistics
(ONS).’ – BBC