Another fantastic report from Ramita Navai.
I would rather the UK government provides a minimum standard of living by providing a basic level of accommodation and food. It may not be great but it ensures nobody dies and people don't play the system to get benefits they don't need. So many people have council accommodation when they could rent somewhere and the government pays out money which is used to buy large screen TVs.
On Thursday night Vince Cable, who had attended a grammar school, says he doesn't believe in grammar schools. He said that people who failed their 11+ were "put on the scrap heap". Whether that was true in the past doesn't mean that people who can benefit from an academic education shouldn't have one. People who would be better off having a more vocational education should have one. It seems like only people who are well off are able to ensure their children get a good education. Other people may get degrees but the level of education is such that employers don't want them.
Pensions are another issue that the government is now starting to address. They appear to be doing it piecemeal and I'm not sure how fair it will be. Public sector employees will get a reasonable pension but private sector employees will not. Dealing with the problem using age alone will not be enough.