Ours will be the first generation in centuries of British history to hand on a less free society than the one we inherited – Henry Porter (Observer). This despite the Freedom of Information Act. Britain has the largest DNA database in the world (over 1 million people, many of them children). Since 2007 we have…

Mortality from alcoholic liver disease has doubled in the past 10 years in the UK; has increased 800% in the under 35s. There will be a 500% increase in the demand for liver transplantation over the next 10 years.

Creative capitalism – as proposed by Bill Gates for tackling global problems, using market forces to support work that improves inequities. Mishmash of government policy, sustainability, corporate philanthropy, corporate social responsibility etc. Implies that capitalism isn't creative??? Matt Miller suggests that business is better off defining public policy eg encouraging government to provide health care…

David Nutt, chief drugs advisor to the government, was dismissed in November for his stance attacking government policy, specifically the reclassification of cannabis from C to B. This increases the potential jail sentence for possession from 2 to 5 years, and moves it out of the group including ketamine and GHB into the group with…

Benefit fraud is believed to cost the country £0.8 billion per year. 3000 benefit fraud officers are employed to tackle this problem. White collar fraud eg insider dealing, bribes, expenses fiddling is believed to cost the country £13 billion per year. The Financial Services Authority has had 1 successful prosecution in 10 years. If you…

We so often fail to live up to our own aspirations and standards. We can berate ourselves, feel useless and guilty. The Buddha said that this condition of falling short of goodness was an extremely meaningful part of the human condition [Pema Chodron, on True Happiness]. When we examine our own short comings, we develop…

I knew that this was an infamous case of antisemitism, but never knew any of the details, until In our Time (Radio4). Dreyfuss was from Alsace, and like others from that contested area, determinedly patriotic. He was one of a new generation of middle class citizens who rose through the ranks of the military on…

Banks have become casinos, trying to make money out of nothing, instead of a utility for handling people's money. Fixing this problem involves more regulation, apparently. But all you're doing is supervising the casino. Junior government officials do not have the capability or the authority to advise bankers paid multimillion pound salaries and bonuses against…

This is the new footbridge across the Clyde in Glasgow, connecting the city centre with the derelict warehouses of Tradeston. The original bridge design by Richard Rogers, called Neptune's Way, was abandoned when projected costs were far above the council's budget. Instead, this bridge was designed by the Danes, Dissing and Weitling, associates of Arne…

Although the credit crunch was triggered by subprime mortgage lending, Jeff Rubin (former chief economist for a Canadian bank) thinks at the root of it, the problem is oil. He points out that not only are the Middle Eastern oilfields depleted, but the OPEC countries themselves are consuming more and more of it themselves. Oil…