Best of the Brits

Bin Laden’s ‘right-hand man’ released. The freeing under curfew of Abu Qatada has been described as a dangerous mistake. Is the European convention on human rights hampering Britain’s fight against terrorism? — The Guardian blogs

Age and employment. More and more people simply cannot afford to retire in an era when, on top of incomes that could fall way short of their expectations, inflation for pensioners runs higher than in the economy as a whole. — Telegraph

Grin and bear it, health workers. The government has today announced a compassion index to promote empathetic behaviour care to assist recovery. The index will promote friendly rivalry between wards over who can secure the highest score. It means that nurses are to be rated on how much they smile! Is it April 1? Where on earth to begin? At one level it’s too funny to take seriously but at another it reveals a deep shaft light about how exactly the government view public servants. — The Guardian

Bad arguments about academic standards. Geoffrey Alderman (ex-University of London, now University of Buckingham) has been sounding off about academic standards. The argument is that university authorities are so anxious about their place in the league tables that they pressurize powerless lecturers to pass students who should rightly fail, to condone cheating and to lower standards across the board – all in the interests of getting more firsts and 2.1s, and so proving the success of students and staff alike. — Times Online