The NHS faces a lot of criticism, writes Dr Pari Shams, but we can still make it an organisation to be proud of.

The Tories justify their policy to privatise parts of the NHS by claiming that the private sector is more productive/ But it is quite clear from the figures that the private sector is considerably more expensive than the NHS. Andrew Lansley may be right that productivity is increasing in the private sector, but it will need to have some very impressive improvements for it to reach the productivity...

Labour having clawed its way back into contention in the General Election, the Guardian has started publishing articles suggesting it would be a good thing for Labour's own sake to lose the election: I can just about get the argument - it runs something along the lines that if you have to lose an election, lose the one when difficult decisions need to be taken to tackle the deficit. But this assum...

As James Kirkup says over at the Telegraph, it's worth paying attention to the credit rating agency Fitch when it says that the UK deficit will need to be cut quicker than is currently planned – to 3.3 percent of GDP by 2015, rather than 4.4 percent.  Throw in similar warnings from the Confederation of British Industry and the Institute of Directors yesterday, and you've got a...

I need to return to an issue I raised yesterday. You may or may not recall that Janet Daley has set off a debate about one of the most famous pieces of polling research in modern politics. The finding that...

Bar self interest, there was absolutely no need for the media to blow up in such a big way the Department of Justice decision retract Jon Venables parole license. By the time the Tabloids got wind of the story, Venables was already in jail having had his license revoked. He was not in a position to harm anyone, accept himself that is, even if he wanted to, which I am yet to be convinced of. U...

Labour Councillors have called for an inquiry into the condition of 69-77 Westbourne Terrace after residents complained about the failure of City West Homes to carry out long-promised works. Residents have told Labour Councillors that: "Balconies have deteriorated and need rendering. Major structural work has to be undertaken before they can carry out internal refurbishment. They ripped up floor c...

A call for urgent action by the Indonesian and Australian governments Merak asylum seekers need a just solution The situation at Merak has dragged on much too long. For over 120 days, the 254 mostly Tamil asylum seekers have been stranded there. They have suffered hardships at the hands of the Australian and Indonesian authorities. The International Organisation

In the history of successful anti-fascist tactics which campaigners draw on for inspiration, there is one very important one which doesn't always get the profile it deserves. If you want to beat the BNP, it's not enough to expose their arguments, or to mobilise anti-fascists for demos or elections, important though all those things are. We also need to help their supporters.

It's no secret that the polling shows Americans trust Republicans on national security issues far more than Democrats.Rasmussen, for instance, shows a 47% to 37% margin Your average human might just ponder that maybe it's the policies and some of the candidates espoused by the Democrats that need changing to improve their numbers in this area. But not according to the Donkeys. They say w...