Reform Media Summary

22 April 2008

Economy

Further coverage of Reform’s social mobility report, published yesterday and available at www.reform.co.uk.

Conservative Home

Elizabeth Truss, Reform’s Deputy Director, and Lucy Parsons, Reform’s Economics Research Officer, write: “Some present poor social mobility as an inevitable result of globalisation, reducing the lot of the unskilled…. Increased centralisation and focus on results has had unintended consequences. More “teaching to test” has led to a failure to develop a rounder education that children need to succeed. I met a head teacher this week in Hackney who told me that some pupils arriving at the school were unable to use a knife and fork. A focus on what is important has been lost. This is at a time when the skills required to get a job are no longer just the “hard skills” but also how you present yourself, your motivation and your flexibility” (Conservative home).

Liberal Democrat Voice

Elizabeth Truss and Lucy Parsons write: “There is a cross party consensus that the UK has a social mobility problem. Gordon Brown has called it ‘the great mission of the next decade’. Recent discussion has focused on the abolition of the 10p tax rate which is seen as a blow to those on low incomes. The Liberal Democrats have called it a ‘betrayal of the most needy in our society’. However, income taxes are just one piece of the vast tax and benefits jigsaw puzzle. What is required to improve social mobility is a comprehensive review of the system and a new and co-ordinated policy approach across government. If Gordon Brown does not take the opportunity to do this, he will leave the way open for the Opposition parties and the Liberal Democrats could capitalise on the demand for a new approach” (Liberal Democrat Voice).

Spectator (Coffee House)

In an article on the magazine’s website on “How the Labour Government has hurt the poor”, Fraser Nelson writes: “By granting LEAs monopoly control over education provision, bureaucrats have kept bad schools going by forcing children there. It’s the children of the poor, however. Reform points this out in its excellent social mobility report today” (Spectator).

The report is also covered at inthenews.co.uk.

Further coverage of the Chancellor's statement on the financial markets yesterday. Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, yesterday insisted that the housing market will not see a return to the profligate mortgage lending practices of the past few years. Mr King said that the Bank’s offer to acquire mortgage-backed securities would “take the liquidity issue off the table in a decisive way” but argued that the objective of the plan was not to stand in the way of a housing market correction. Alistair Darling maintained that the £50 billion liquidity package did not amount to a “subsidy” (Times, p.2, p.16 [leader], p.19 [Eamonn Butler], p.41 [Business Editor]; FT, p.1, p.2, p.3, p.3, p.16 [leader]; Telegraph, p.1, p.4, B.1, B.2 [Damian Reece], B.3 [Peter Taylor]; Independent, p.1, p.2, p.3 [Simon Carr], p.3, p.28 [leader], p.29 [Vincent Cable]; Sun, p.6; Express, p.4; Mail, p.12, p.19, p.67 [Lucy Farndon], p.69; Guardian, p.2, p.23, p.25 [Nils Pratley], p.30 [Geoff Mulgan and Will Hutton]; Mirror, p.1, p.6, p.10 [leader]).

Public Accounts Committee: initial estimate of cost of hosting the Olympic games was “entirely unrealistic” (Times, p.8; Telegraph, p.14; Guardian, p.4; Independent, p.16; Sun, p.2; Express, p.12 [leader], p.15).

Michael Devereux, a Professor at the Oxford University Centre for Business Taxation, warns that more British multinationals are likely to move abroad if the Treasury presses ahead with new corporate tax proposals (FT, p.2. p.17 [David Sproul and Bill Dodwell]).

A leader in the Guardian discusses the “warm Conservative reaction” to the report by the Policy Exchange yesterday that proposed a £55 parental care allowance (Guardian, p.32 [leader]).

A minister warned yesterday that fuel supplies could be disrupted by a planned strike at a major refinery. Pump prices have reached a record high. John Hutton, the Business Secretary, pleaded with motorists not to panic-buy. (Telegraph, p.2).

Health

In an interview with the Health Service Journal last week, Ben Bradshaw, the Health Minister, has told PCTs to “get their act together” to promote and deliver choice of treatment for patients. He said the introduction of free choice must lead to a cultural shift at PCTs (HSJ, p.7, p.12).

Surgeons have fitted “bionic eyes” to two men in their 50s to partially restore their sight. The men are the first in Britain to have the artificial retinas fitted as part of a trial in the US, Mexico and Europe (Telegraph, p.8; Mail, p.7; Times, p.3; Guardian, p.5; Mirror, p.13; Express, p.1, p.6; Sun, p.25; Independent, p.11).

Research suggests today that a chemotherapy drug used to treat thousands of cancer patients could cause serious brain damage. The drug, 5-fluorourcilis, the most commonly prescribed anti-cancer medicine is used to treat tumours of the breast, ovary, colon, stomach, skin, pancreas and bladder. (Telegraph, p.1; Mail, p.8).

Further coverage of David Cameron’s attack on polyclinics (Guardian, p.13; Telegraph, p.12; Mirror, p.4, p.10 [leader]).

Education

Further coverage of the forthcoming teacher strike over pay. The National Employers' Organisation of School Teachers reports that the strike risks damaging exam revision. Ed Balls, the Children’s Secretary, said: “Teachers should not be walking out. I’m on the side of the parents who will be disappointed if their children’s education is disrupted on Thursday” (Telegraph, p.6; Times, p.4; Mail, p.10, p.11 [Edward Heathcoat Amory]; Sun, p.20; Express, p.15).

Professor David Hargreaves, the senior researcher with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, will argue in a lecture tomorrow that the Government is “too obsessed” with a top-down approach to improving education standards. Instead, the Government should pay more attention to younger teachers on their staff and the students themselves who will help develop more innovative ways of teaching through the internet (Independent, p.17).

There is further coverage of what Donald Macleod calls the Government’s “initiativitis” surrounding diplomas (Guardian, p.2).

Politics

Widespread coverage of the Prime Minister's “confident” peformance before Labour MPs yesterday. Peter Riddell judges that the best long term solution to the 10p tax rate is to increase the starting threshold of income tax (Times, p.6, p.7 [Peter Riddell]; FT, p.2, p.17 [Philip Stevens]; Mail, p.4; Guardian, p.1; Telegraph, p.1; Independent, p.8, p.29 [John Rentoul]; Sun, p.2; Express, p.8, p.12 [Patrick O’Flynn]).

A Guardian/ ICM poll carried out over the weekend suggests that Labour has survived attacks over the 10p tax and Gordon Brown’s credibility as Prime Minister. Labour: 34 per cent (up 5 on March); the Conservatives: 39 per cent (down 3); and the Liberal Democrats: 19 per cent (down 2). However, in answer to the question: “Who do you think will make the best Prime Minister?” 37 per cent said David Cameron, 29 per cent Gordon Brown and 8 per cent Nick Clegg (Guardian, p.1, p.31 [Polly Toynbee]; Telegraph, p.12; Mirror, p.6).

In an op-ed in the Guardian, Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate, discusses the mayoral election saying that “Londoners want a serious alternative” (Guardian, p.31).

Plans to give state funding to political parties and introduce a cap on donations have been put on hold (FT, p.2).

Bob Spink MP is to become UKIP's first sitting MP (Times, p.27).