[ 3 December 2002 ]
Heroin to be offered on the NHS
Article about the UK Government's revised strategy on illegal drugs, under
which heroin will be prescribed on the NHS to those with a 'clinical need'
for it ( BBC )
»
See also the Updated Drug Strategy 2002 (4.61MB PDF), this press release,
this Select Committee report from May, and this Observer article from May
Police National Computer - Data Quality and Timeliness (PDF)
Internal audit report on the increasingly shambolic computer system used by
UK police forces to store information about crime and criminal behaviour -
'At a time when information and intelligence have become invaluable in
targeting prolific offenders it is to the shame of the Service that such a
valuable tool as PNC has been sorely neglected, to the detriment of data
integrity' ( Home Office )
»
See also the PITO website, and this Observer article from September
2 December 2002 ]
Serving (Up) The Nation (PDF)
NGO report on UK commitments under GATS - 'When the exterior fluff of
'improved competitiveness' and 'greater efficiency' is removed and the
cold, hard reality of the UK's position – 'locking-in' deregulation and
denying alternative policy approaches – is exposed, one wonders how this
has gone so far with so little questioning. One answer lies in the pitiful
lack of public scrutiny over trade policy decision-making' ( WDM )
»
See also this press release, this Ananova coverage, this Independent
article and this Guardian article on concerns raised by local councils, and
this blog entry from October
Blame Blunkett for everything
'Senior Labour figures now recognise that Blunkett's "double whammy" of
abolishing the student grant and introducing tuition fees is the single
most serious barrier to hitting their target of 50 per cent of 18-30 year
olds experiencing higher education by 2010. Over the summer Labour’s whole
education policy unravelled'
( Martin Bright via Tribune )
»
See also Paul Farrelly's Early Day Motion from last month
Building balanced communities; the US and UK compared (PDF)
Report on gated communities - 'Broadly speaking, the emphasis on exclusion
does not appear to be linked to the reality of greater polarisation, most
clearly visible in the physical manifestation of gated communities and
ghettos which are present, and growing in number in the UK. Equally
important is the patchwork of less extreme but nonetheless economically
damaging hot and cold spots. At micro level, policy – in particular
planning policy – does not appear to be in tune with government rhetoric
promoting inclusion and balance' ( RICS )
»
See also this commentary by Gary Younge
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