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Written by Dr Madsen Pirie
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Independent schools are too expensive for most people; they provide a
service that is bought by only seven per cent of the population. Yet
polls have shown repeatedly that most of us would like to send our
children to an independent school if only we could afford it.
One of the reasons for their high cost derives, paradoxically, from
their charitable status. If they were profit-making companies that
distributed their profits to shareholders, there would be incentives
for them to keep costs down and operate efficiently. They would try to
sustain dividends and share values by seeking savings.
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Written by James Lovelock
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We remember Adam Smith for his stunning intuition of the invisible
guiding hand that somehow enables rampant self interest to evolve for
the common good. Two hundred years later we face a similar paradox. We
know that the Earth is a benign and comfortable place for life and has
been so for most of its history, so how have selfish genes allowed the
evolution of so altruistic a planet? It is easy now to see how
Darwinian natural selection leads to the evolution of fit organisms but
how can the common good for all life also evolve by natural selection?
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Written by Dr Eamonn Butler
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The hype is enormous too: Morgan Spurlock's movie Super Size Me hit
British screens this weekend. Calling itself a 'documentary', it
supposedly shows that when the hapless Spurlock had spent an entire
month eating only at McDonalds, he ended up 25 pounds heavier and with
a liver like fois gras.
The BBC - Britain's politically-correct state broadcaster - got in
on the act too, heralding the movie with its own 'Healthier Britain
Week' and commissioning opinion polls claiming that the Brits are
desperate for government to save them from their bad eating habits.
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Written by Dr Eamonn Butler
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The American bank robber, Willie Sutton, was asked why he persisted in robbing banks.
"That's where the money is," was his rather puzzled reply.
And why do our museums spend so much time dogging the heels of
politicians? Because in their world, government is where the money is.
After all, if you can't charge people to come in, then visitors become
no more than a necessary nuisance, wearing out the carpets and
fingering the exhibits.
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Written by Blog Editor
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The Left's policy wonks have come up with another great wheeze to divide Britain's hard-working classes from their cash. Namely Inheritance Tax (IHT) changes which will (says the spin) 'cut tax in 87% of cases' – but which aim to rake in another £147 million by raising the tax on the other 13%.
Britain levies IHT at an already punitive rate of 40% on all estates over £263,000. And giving away your assets to your kids before you die is no protection either. Unless you live for seven years, the Treasury still demands a slice.
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Written by Alex Singleton
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Our illusions about the National Health Service are breaking down. We
used to call it 'the envy of the world'. Not any more. We now recognise
that our health service is actually pretty poor compared with other
developed countries. It has wonderful and dedicated people in it; but
they are let down by a system which creaks with incompetence
One of the old NHS principles has been that GP services, including surgery appointments and house calls must be free.
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