2007年11月27日 星期二

Oxford Debating Society and a BNP leade,

BBC
《獨立報》
頭版刊登了有爭議歷史學家戴維﹒歐文(David Irving)坐在車上的照片。

照片上的按語是"戴維﹒歐文,牛津辯論學會,11月26日"。標題是"一個不恰當的言論自由冠軍"。

報道說,牛津辯論學會制定的任何人、甚至是他們的意見臭名遠播,都可以發言的原則,受到了測試,數百名抗議者反對這個辯論學會讓兩名極右人士發表意見。

這兩個人分別是英國國民黨(BNP)的領導人尼克﹒格里芬(Nick Griffin)和歷史學家戴維﹒歐文(David Irving),當中歐文曾發表希特勒沒有下命令進行種族大屠殺、沒有毒氣室、600萬猶太人不是被納粹殺害等評論而被法院審訊。


Wikipedia article "British National Party".



The uprising against facism: Students storm Oxford Union debate

By Andy McSmith and Jerome Taylor

Published: 27 November 2007

The principle that everyone is entitled to their say, however obnoxious their opinions might be, was put to the test at the Oxford Union last night as hundreds of protesters gathered to voice their disapproval of the two men from the extreme right whom the illustrious debating chamber had invited there to speak.

One of the guests, the BNP leader Nick Griffin, heads an organisation that wants to see millions of people deported from the UK because they do not regard them as truly British.

He was due to share a platform with the historian David Irving, who has courted notoriety for decades by claiming that Hitler did not give the order to commit genocide, that there were no gas chambers and that six million Jews were not killed by the Nazis.

Scuffles broke out as anti-fascist groups yelled "Shame on you" at members filing into the union building, and the police shut the gates with the chamber only half full. While a handful of students crushed against the main gate to create a diversion, 30 others scaled the wall and barged past the tight security, occupying the area around the debating table until they were persuaded to leave.

"I hope we're not giving Griffin further publicity by doing this," said Peter Simpson, a student at Essex University who stormed the chamber, " but history has shown that you need to draw the line with fascists. I think a lot of people are here because they know what happened in the Second World War and they don't want it to happen again."

Dr Evan Harris, the Liberal Democrat MP due to join the debate, criticised Thames Valley Police for "failing to put a cordon around the Union" , allowing the protestors to barge through.

"The failure of the police is outrageous," he said as he told students in the chamber of plans to split the speakers after the university authorities decided it was too dangerous to walk Mr Griffin and Mr Irving across the quadrangle to the debating hall.

"The police have failed to provide for the safety of this event; failed to provide for the safety of this going ahead as planned.

"I'm very disappointed. The police imply that they don't have enough resources to move people away from the perimeter or that it is not their job. "

In order to get the debate under way, the speakers were split into two groups, with Mr Irving, jailed last year in Austria after pleading guilty to Holocaust denial, speaking in the main chamber, and Mr Griffin, convicted of incitement to racial hatred over material denying the Holocaust in 1998, in a cramped room in the main university building.

Warned to expect a maelstrom of abuse, they had avoided the main demonstration by arriving in separate black cabs, 10 minutes apart and 90 minutes early. The debate – on how far the freedom of speech should extend – finally started more than an hour late at 10pm.

Mr Irving defended accusations that his publications and speeces denied the existence of the Holocaust. "I still refuse to be bowed. I am not going to write what they want me to write. I'm going to write what I find in the archives," he said.

Across the yard, Mr Griffin went head-to-head with two student debaters. " The majority of racist attacks are on white people by members of ethnic minority communities," he said. "Those people outside are a mob and they could kill. Had they grown up in Nazi Germany they would have made splendid Nazis.

"Any restriction on free speech is dangerous. You start by saying people should not speak and you end up with burning people at the stake. Free speech is an absolute, it is universal."

Mr Irving, reported to have left at 10.45pm to a chorus of jeers from waiting demonstrators, said that disagreeing with some elements of the " whole package" did not make him a Holocaust denier. He had been invited to speak at the Oxford Union seven times, he said, but security fears had put paid to any chance of appearing. Speaking at the Union was something he cherished, he added, saying that the most important thing that any student listening to him could do was to think for themselves.

The president of the Oxford Union, Luke Tryl, was unconvinced. "I think David Irving came out of that looking pathetic," he said "I said in my introduction that I found his view repugnant and abhorrent because I wanted that on record."

President of the Union Luke Tryl and other students discuss the debate row

To get involved in the debate, please click here

Outside, some protesters chanted "Kill Tryl", to which the Union president said: "I don't think they do their cause any favours by inciting violence. That is my only regret."

Last night's meeting breached an unwritten agreement observed for years by the mainstream political parties – not to give the far right a public platform. Instead, it fell back on a much older principle, summed up in a maxim attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Mr Tryl, who has been under intense pressure to cancel the event, defended the decision to go ahead. He said: "David Irving and Nick Griffin have awful and abhorrent views but the best way to defeat those views is through debate.

"I remain committed to the principle that free speech has to prevail. I really worry about how the far right has been able to portray themselves as free-speech martyrs and I hope that this sort of debate will help dispel that myth – to show that the liberal mainstream are prepared to take them on and beat them in debate."

A minority of the students gathered outside the building agreed with Mr Tryl. Kudzh Ranga, a black law graduate living in the city, said he supported the right of Mr Griffin and Mr Irving to speak. "Though I don't agree with [Mr Irving's] stance on racism and the Holocaust I think it is only proper to let him come and address the general public," he said.

But most students and protesters in the street vehemently disagreed. They included Jean Kaigamba, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. He said: " I'm flabbergasted that people who claim to be intellectuals invite extremists in the name of free speech to give them a platform and let them air their perverted view."

David Green, a former committee member of the Oxford Union, said he had resigned from the organisation in protest. "What the union is doing today is extremely irresponsible – namely giving prominence to Holocaust deniers, people who are completely discredited," he said.




Howard leads attacks on controversial forum

By Andy McSmith

Published: 27 November 2007

The 40-year-old tradition observed by mainstream parties of denying a public platform to figures from the extreme right could be "definitively" broken by last night's event at the Oxford Debating Society, the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, said yesterday.

The 40-year-old tradition observed by mainstream parties of denying a public platform to figures from the extreme right could be "definitively" broken by last night's event at the Oxford Debating Society, the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, said yesterday.

Mr Griffin praised Oxford University students for voting to allow the meeting to go ahead, saying that it was a sign that modern youth has "more sense" than their elders. Mr Griffin and his fellow guest David Irving, the historian who has denied that the Nazis sent Jews to gas chambers, were smuggled into last night's meeting by security men employed by Oxford University to avoid a clash with protesters outside.

The decision by the Oxford Debating Society to invite the two men to speak has been widely condemned across the political spectrum. Michael Howard, a former leader of the Conservative Party, added his voice to the criticisms yesterday. "The Oxford debating union should not have given these people that platform," he said. "Obviously, they are entitled to their views – everybody has a right to free speech – but there is a separate question as to whether you give people like that a platform, and that is undesirable."

Speaking to The Independent before the meeting, Mr Griffin said: "This meeting should not even be about the BNP. It's about freedom of speech, which is a very important absolute. I'm simply going to talk about freedom of speech and why it shouldn't be restricted."

Mr Griffin lists the laws on race relations dating back to the 1960s and 1970s among the threats to free speech. BNP policies include an end to all immigration to the UK and the forced removal of more than two million immigrants already here.

He added: "The liberal left elite are people from the 1968 generation. A lot of the present generation have shown more sensible views – hence the fact that it appears we are about to see the definitive breaking of a 40-year 'no platform' policy.

"We in the BNP are certainly not in the Fascist tradition. Free speech and democracy are our absolute core values."


2007年11月26日 星期一

收購Northern Rock 競標 備抗流感藥 Tamiflu

《衛報》說,維珍集團大股東布蘭森在收購北岩銀行(Northern Rock)的競投中,處於"首發位置"。 不過報道指出,工黨政府支持維珍的收購建議,激怒了其他競逐者。 參與競逐北岩控制權的一家私募股權基金公司JC Flowers說,該公司對此表示震驚,並要求北岩銀行和工黨政府作出解釋。 《金融時報》說,財政大臣達林受到越來越大的壓力,要求他盡快解決北岩銀行的財務危機。達林借給北岩超過200億英鎊政府資金,以解決該行的資金和擠兌危機。 如果沒有私營公司收購北岩的話,這家銀行將被收歸國有。 報道說,如果維珍集團大股東布蘭森有意收購北岩,他就得要解決融資問題和贏得北岩股東的同意。

為防疫情政府儲備抗流感藥 Tamiflu

抗病毒药品达菲

及早服用抗病毒藥能減輕病情

英衛生大臣說,為防範未來流感蔓延,政府將加倍儲備抗病毒藥品。

衛生大臣艾倫·詹森(Alan Johnson)說,這樣做,英國儲備的藥品足夠應付總人口的一半的需要。

科學家們預計,一旦流感爆發,英國將會有一半的人口受影響。

詹森還說,英國在大量增加抗流感病毒藥品後,將成為世界上對付流感準備工作做得最好的國家之一。

有些科學家認為,世界範圍的流感可能即將爆發,而導火線就是禽流感。

防範于未然

詹森說,英國政府大量採購抗病毒藥品是“做深層的準備”,應付最壞的情況,也就是出現因流感患病的人中百分之二點五死亡這種最壞局面。

他說,一旦流感爆發,將把抗病毒藥品“達菲”(Tamiflu)作為主要的對付藥品,以便能爭取數周時間找到正在流行的感冒病毒的疫苗。

不過,他並沒有提到這需要多大的成本。

抗病毒藥品雖然不能完全治癒流感,但是如果及早服用,能有效地減輕病情,縮短病期。

詹森還表示,衛生部門還將購買1千4百70萬個療程的抗生素,幫助對付可能造成病人死亡的流感引起的併發症。

英國政府還計畫為在國民醫療衛生保健(NHS)和社會保障第一線的工作人員購置3億5千萬個手術用口罩和3千4百萬個防毒面具。

家庭戰線

衛生大臣詹森說,如果一旦流感爆發,治療工作將主要在家庭中進行,病人發病時先留在家中治療以盡可能減少傳染。

病人可以指定一名朋友前去領取藥物,如果有了併發症再去看醫生或者去醫院。

世界流感專家,也是“達菲”研發人之一的格拉米·拉夫爾(Graeme Laver)說,英國政府不光要儲備更多的“達菲”,而是應該想出更有效地辦法以便流感病人能很快獲得這種藥。

世界性的致命流感每一百年爆發大約三到四次。

專家們擔心,禽流感將引發一場新的全球流行性感冒。

雖然至今禽流感病例只確診了幾百例,但是人們擔心禽流感病毒變種可能會人傳人,最終演變成一場致命疾病大流行。

2007年11月22日 星期四

ancient Anglo-Saxon cemetery found

'Dramatic' ancient cemetery found


Anglo-Saxon jewellery found near Redcar
The artefacts will be valued by the British Museum
A freelance archaeologist has uncovered what is thought to be the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in the north of England.

Spectacular gold jewellery, weapons and clothing were found at the 109-grave cemetery, believed to date from the middle of the 7th Century.

Excavations were carried out after Steve Sherlock studied an aerial photo of the land near Redcar, Teesside.

Traditionally, Anglo-Saxon royalty were buried in the south, say experts.

The royals found near Redcar could be linked to the Kentish Princess Ethelburga who travelled north to marry Edwin, King of Northumbria.

Excavations began in 2005 and continued under Mr Sherlock's supervision with help from local archaeologists and volunteers.

After working six weeks every summer, the team has uncovered an area the size of half a football pitch near Loftus.

Gold brooch

Mr Sherlock, an archaeologist since 1979, said: "Whilst human bone does not survive because of the acidic soils, a range of high status jewellery was found, including glass beads, pottery, iron knives and belt buckles.

"Five of the graves had gold and silver brooches and a further burial had a seax, a type of Anglo-Saxon sword."

One of the graves also contained a gold brooch "unparalleled" in Anglo-Saxon England, he added.

The Teesside coroner will now carry out an inquest to confirm the find can be defined as "treasure".

The artefacts will then be valued by a panel of experts from the British Museum.

Tees Archaeology officer Robin Daniels said: "This is the only known Anglo-Saxon royal burial site in the North of England.

"It is the most dramatic find of Anglo-Saxon material for generations."





古老皇室珠宝重见天日
精美绝伦的黄金首饰等珍贵文物
大英博物馆专家将对这些首饰文物进行鉴定。
英国一名考古个体户(freelance archaeologist)在英格兰北部蒂赛德(Teesside)附近的一个农场发现了一处盎格鲁-撒克逊人(Anglo-Saxon)的皇家墓地,里面有不少精美绝伦的黄金首饰等珍贵文物。

这些珍贵文物埋藏在109个墓穴中,其中不乏精美的黄金首饰、武器和衣物等。

在对位于蒂赛德附近的雷德加(Redcar)的一幅航空照片进行研究后,考古个体户史蒂夫·舍洛克(Steve Sherlock)决定开始考古发掘工作。

皇室成员墓地

考古专家们说,从传统上来看,盎格鲁-撒克逊人的皇室成员一般都埋葬在英格兰的南部。

在雷德加附近发现的这些皇室成员墓穴与来自现在肯特郡地区的埃塞尔伯特加公主(Kentish Princess Ethelburga)有关;埃塞尔伯特加公主当年前往英格兰北部与诺森伯亚(Northumbria)国王艾德温(Edwin)结婚。

在舍洛克的监督下,墓穴的考古工作从2005年就开始了,发掘工作得到了当地考古学家和志愿者的帮助。

发掘工作在每年的夏天进行,每次连续工作六周,发掘队在那里挖掘了几乎有半个足球场一样大的地方。

在1979年成为考古个体户的舍洛克说,“尽管人骨由于土壤酸性高而未留存,但却发现了一系列表明其高贵地位的珠宝首饰,其中包括珠串、陶器皿、铁刀和皮带。”

精美首饰

舍洛克说,“其中五个墓穴有黄金和银佩饰,另外一个墓穴则有一把盎格鲁-撒克逊人用的特别款式的剑。”

他补充说,其中一个黄金佩饰上还用盎格鲁-撒克逊英语刻有“无与伦比”的字样。

蒂塞德验尸官将对有关发现展开调查,以确认墓穴发掘的文物属于“珍宝”。

这是按照英国法律的正常手续。

大英博物馆的考古专家小组随后将对有关文物进行鉴定。

蒂塞德考古专家罗宾·丹尼尔斯(Robin Daniels)说,“这是英格兰北部发现的唯一一处盎格鲁-撒克逊人的皇室成员墓地。”

他说,这是几十年来所发现的最精彩的盎格鲁-撒克逊人文物。

Data Leak in Britain Affects 25 Million

2007年11月22日


英國多份主要報章今天繼續追擊報道政府稅務局丟失2500萬個人資料的消息﹔此外,英格蘭國家足球隊出局,無緣進入歐洲杯決賽圈也是重點報道的消息。 《每日電訊報》報道說,丟失個人資料的危機現在算到首相布朗的頭上,因為在布朗出任財相與首相期間,有關方面已經一再告知財政部與其他部門,部門內人員疏忽行事的陋習,將可能導致保密資料落入不法者手中。 《衛報》報道說,由於政府丟失了2500萬個人資料,這當中包括銀行帳戶號碼與地址,資訊專員敦促大臣們檢討準備推出的身份證計劃收集的個人資料數量,此前支持身份證計劃的工黨後座議員,也贊成這樣做。



布朗等高層官員需要承擔責任 《泰晤士報》報道說,由於擔心個人資料落入不法分子手中,昨天有數千人更改了銀行帳戶的提款密碼。此外,銀行以及信貸資料服務機構的電話響個不停,這些來自兒童福利申請人的電話,希望能夠保護到個人的資料。 《獨立報》把政府這起丟失資料的醜聞稱為“數據門”。報章在頭版刊登了政府多個機構也儲存有諸如個人地址、銀行帳戶、繳稅記錄等個人資料,這些機構包括內政部、全國醫療保險系統、司機及汽車牌照局等。



紐約時報

Data Leak in Britain Affects 25 Million
LONDON, Nov. 21 — The British government struggled Wednesday to explain its loss of computer disks containing detailed personal information on 25 million Britons, including an unknown number of bank account identifiers, in what analysts described as potentially the most significant privacy breach of the digital era.

It has defended its decision not to disclose the loss until Tuesday, 10 days after it had been informed, saying banks had asked for time to put heightened security measures in place first.

The data went astray in October, after two computer disks that contained information on families that receive government financial benefits for children were sent out from a government tax agency unregistered, via a private delivery service. The episode is one of three this year in which the agency improperly handled its vast archive of personal data, according to an account by the chancellor of the Exchequer — including the sending of a second set of disks when the first set did not arrive.

In sheer numbers, the breach was smaller than several in the United States over the last few years. Last year, a computer and detachable hard drive with the names, birth dates and Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans and military personnel was stolen from the home of an analyst, but recovered apparently without any harm. In 2003, a former software engineer at America Online pleaded guilty to stealing and selling 92 million user names and e-mail addresses, setting off an avalanche of up to seven billion unsolicited e-mail messages.

But the disks lost in Britain contained detailed personal information on 40 percent of the population: in addition to the bank account numbers, there were names, addresses and national insurance numbers, the British equivalent of Social Security numbers. They also held data on almost every child under 16.

“This particular breach would dwarf anything we’ve seen in the United States in terms of percentage of the population impacted,” said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group based in California.

The head of the tax agency, Paul Gray, resigned Tuesday, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized to the nation on Wednesday and said he had ordered a review of the government’s handling of all private data. In an address to the House of Commons, he said, “I profoundly regret and apologize for the inconvenience and worries that have been caused to millions of families that receive child benefits.”

The data breach offered the opposition new ammunition. David Cameron, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party, said in Parliament that the government had “failed in its first duty — to protect the public.”

Bank officials said they had scrutinized their records back to Oct. 18, when the disks were mailed, but had discerned no unusual account activity, and the government pledged that no individuals would be responsible for any losses related to the security breach. British families are eligible for a weekly payment of $36.30 for their first child, and $25 per additional child. Those who choose to have the money deposited directly into bank accounts must provide this information to the government.

The disks were protected by a password, the government said, but were not encrypted. They were sent by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the country’s tax collection agency, to the National Audit Office, which monitors government spending, via a parcel delivery company, TNT.

According to the chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, who delivered a lengthy explanation to the House of Commons on Tuesday, a “junior” staff member sent the disks. Three weeks later, the tax agency’s managers were informed that the disks had not arrived. Mr. Darling said he was told of the problem two days later, but first had law enforcement officials hunt for the disks and then alerted banks.

“In making this statement today,” he said, “I have had to balance the imperative of informing the House and the public at the earliest opportunity, whilst at the same time ensuring that when I did so the appropriate safeguards were in place to protect the public, including in relation to bank accounts. Indeed the banks were adamant that they wanted as much time as possible to prepare for this announcement.”

But on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the British Bankers Association, Lesley McLeod, said the group had been informed only on Friday, and that its security measures had been completed by Monday.

Mr. Darling noted two other instances in which the tax agency had sent delicate information to the National Audit Office that were not in keeping with security rules: first in March this year, and then a second time in October, when the audit office first told the tax agency that the two disks had not arrived. Those, he said, were sent by registered mail, and did arrive. Experts on security data said there were signs of systemic security problems.

“It sort of beggars belief how anyone could have access to that data,” Simon Zimmo, the commercial director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at SecuriData, a data security specialist based in Scotland.

Experts said the information could allow crimes beyond identity theft. Some people use the name of a child or part of an address as a password on a bank account, so the combination of these details could allow someone to break their code.

“You can bet your bottom dollar that there will be people out there looking for those disks, and it’s not just MI5 trying to get them back,” said Mike Davis, an analyst with the Ovum technology consulting firm in London, referring to the British domestic security services.

Matt Richtel contributed reporting from New York.




When one says it 'beggars belief' it is another way of saying it defies belief. Or, in other words, it doesn't ring true. To use it in a sentence:
That story the driver cooked up and told the state trooper beggars belief.





2007年11月20日 星期二

英國紀事兩則

蕭乾編《英國版畫集》

英國版畫集. 作者:蕭乾; 濟南:山東畫報出版社 2000重印

BBC 2007/11/20
《泰晤士報》的一則報道也牽涉公共交通。報道說,倫敦市長計劃把英國一半的鐵路服務收歸公共監管。根據這項計劃,營運火車的公司將失去調整票價、時間表與服務水平的權利。


2007年11月14日 星期三

St Pancras 火車站

從倫敦滑鐵盧(Waterloo)火車站開出的最後一列歐洲之星列車已經離站,歐洲之星列車在滑鐵盧站發車長達13年的歷史從此被載入史冊。
從星期三(14日)開始,歐洲之星列車將從耗資8億英鎊裝修一新的倫敦聖潘克勒斯St Pancras發車。


第一列歐洲之星列車於1994年11月14日從滑鐵盧火車站開出,最後一列發車則是格林尼治標準時間11月13日18點12分。滑鐵盧火車站預計將用於緩解薩裡(Surrey)現有的火車運營服務。

耗資1億3000千萬英鎊的聖潘克勒斯火車站的玻璃屋頂裝修得到了普遍好評。 1994年,聖潘克勒斯火車站裝修設計獲得了英國皇家建築設計院的最佳建築大獎。

歐洲之星列車在滑鐵盧站發車長達13年的歷史從此被載入史冊。在今後6個月,該火車站將由歐洲之星負責管理,隨後將交給英國交通部管理。
鐵路基礎建設公司"網絡鐵路"發言人說,"我們正與交通部合作,把滑鐵盧火車站完全投入國內火車運營服務。"

在滑鐵盧火車站的最後一班歐洲之星列車發車之前,鐵路當局安排了現場音樂和歌舞表演。 最後一班歐洲之星列車從滑鐵盧車站開出後,歐洲之星列車將從聖潘克勒斯車站運營。

周三上午11點04分,首列載著付費乘客的歐洲之星列車將從那裡開出,前往布魯賽爾。

2007年11月13日 星期二

英國證實H5N1病毒 (2007/11/14 )

英國證實H5N1病毒 引爆最新禽流感疫情
時間: 2007/11/14 撰稿‧編輯:吳寧康 新聞引據:中央社


   英國獸醫當局13日證實東部爆發可能致命的亞洲禽流感病毒株疫情,這對於英國畜牧業是一項新打擊。  

當局已經下令撲殺這座位於諾福克養殖場內的6千多隻家禽。這座農場爆發疑似禽流感疫情之後,已經在12日設置隔離區。  

副首席獸醫藍迪格說,現在能夠證實,在遭到感染農場發現的禽流感病毒株,是高病原性的H5N1禽流感病毒株。這個病毒株屬於亞洲株系,和今年夏天在捷克及德國發現的高病原性禽流感病毒株高度相關。

2007年11月10日 星期六

Middle classes abandon state schools

《每日電訊報》報道,在工黨掌權的10年中,越來越多的英國中產階級家庭決定不讓孩子去公立學校讀書。

文章說,有關數據顯示,在包括曼徹斯特、諾丁漢、布裡斯托、紐卡斯爾、裡丁、布萊克本和布萊頓在內的很多英國城市,儘管這些城市中有些區域並不富裕,但每10個兒童中就以一人在私立學校就讀。

在倫敦,這一比例更高。有人擔心,越來越多的白人中產階級家庭把子女送去私校讀書,將導致公立學校中只剩下移民子女,從而重蹈種族隔離的覆轍。

文章還說,儘管布萊爾當政時力主提高公立學校教育水平,減輕家長為了送孩子上私校而背負的經濟壓力,但實際數字卻事與願違。工黨成員表示,政府對本國教育體制的改革是失敗的。

Middle classes abandon state schools


By Graeme Paton and Toby Helm
Last Updated: 2:27am GMT 10/11/2007

Have your say Read comments

A growing proportion of middle-class parents are giving up on state education after 10 years of Labour rule by paying to educate their children in the independent sector, official figures have disclosed.

  • Have your say: State or private?
  • 'We are buying what we used to get for free'
  • Pupils in Third World conditions, says head
  • Middle classes abandon state schools
    Many families outside the traditional fee-paying heartland of the South East are shunning comprehensives

    The scale of the exodus is shown for the first time in statistics indicating that many families outside the traditional fee-paying heartland of the South East are shunning comprehensives in favour of private schools.

    In almost a third of towns and cities - including Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Newcastle, Reading, Blackburn and Brighton, which have some of the most deprived neighbourhoods - more than one child in 10 attends a private school.

    In parts of inner London the figures are even more stark, fuelling fears of an emerging educational "apartheid" in the biggest cities.

    The split comes despite Tony Blair's repeated pledge to improve state schools so much that parents no longer felt pressure to go private.

    Last night, Labour MPs reacted with dismay to the figures, saying their own government had failed to reform the state system sufficiently.

    The official statistics show England's independent primary and secondary schools now teach more than 430,000 children - and the proportion in the independent sector has grown in the past three years.

    Figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families showed that on average, 7.1 per cent of 11- to 15-year-olds were taught in independent schools in 2004. But by this year the proportion had risen to 7.3 per cent - a total of 232,620 pupils.

    There was also a rise in the number of primary-school age children in private education over the three-year period, from 5.5 per cent to 5.6 per cent - a total of 199,030 pupils.

    The increases are despite an estimated 40 per cent rise in private school fees over the past five years, which analysts feared was pricing many middle-classes parents out of the independent sector. Head teachers said many families were making sacrifices to send children to fee-paying schools because it was hard to get them into good state schools.

    Others said families were fleeing the culture of testing and Whitehall targets.

    Paul Farrelly, the Labour MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, who was educated at a comprehensive before going to Oxford, said: "For anyone who believes in universal state education these figures have got to be a worry.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Click to enlarge: Percentage of 11 to 15-year-olds at secondary schools

    "The Government needs to look deeper into them to understand what is going on and why.

    "It is not good enough to say people are becoming better off and exercising their choice because they are leaving the state sector behind."

    John Trickett, the Labour MP for Hemsworth, said Mr Blair had "failed in his objective".

    "What we need to do now is set firm targets to achieve the equivalent funding for private and state schools."

    Last year, Gordon Brown, as Chancellor, said his "long-term aim" was to ensure that all children received the same funding as pupils in private schools. Despite this the difference is unchanged - with about £3,000 a year more spent on privately educated children than those in the state system.

    The Conservatives insisted that the education gap between working class and affluent families was widening.

    Michael Gove, the shadow children's secretary, said: "In significant parts of the country there are not enough good school places. This reinforces one of our main concerns: the attainment gap between children from wealthy backgrounds and the poorest." Figures show that 41 local education authorities lost more than a tenth of secondary pupils to the independent sector - more than the national average - compared to 37 in 2004.

    Cities with some of the highest levels of child poverty had large numbers of privately-schooled pupils, fuelling fears of social segregation.

    In Manchester, 40 per cent are eligible for free meals - the Government's main indicator of deprivation - yet one in 10 goes private. In Newcastle, almost 30 per cent are "deprived" yet 14 per cent are privately-educated - twice the national average. A quarter of Nottingham pupils are on free meals yet a tenth go private.

    The finding was most striking in inner London. In Kensington and Chelsea, 45 per cent of children are educated in independent schools, yet the borough has the seventh-highest rate in the country for children on free meals.

    Because of falling birth rates, there are now fewer five- to 16-year-olds in the education system. This means that although the independent sector has increased its share, raw numbers have fallen - down 5,000.

    The DCSF said almost 93 per cent of children in England attended state schools.

    "The overwhelming majority of parents are clearly satisfied with the state education system," said a Government spokesman. "New research from Keele University shows that nine out of 10 are happy with their children's schools.

    "The state school system is continuing to deliver for parents, regardless of their wealth or background, with record results across the board."

    Mick Brookes, of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "We have to consider what parents are buying when they opt for the independent sector.

    "They are buying smaller class sizes and quite often enhanced resources. Some parents are buying the fact that their children are not going to be quite as pressured by the tables, targets and tests regime in the state sector.

    "I've spoken to parents who say, 'I don't want my child to grow up like this, I want my child to grow up enjoying education.' That is becoming more difficult in state schools."


    2007年11月6日 星期二

    英國房屋擴建計劃受阻--恐怕吞噬郊野

    恐吞噬郊野 英國房屋擴建計劃受阻 bbc
    買房者
    房屋供應緊張導致房地產價格上漲

    英國政府擴建住房的計劃,遭到了英國國家信托基金會的堅決反對。

    英國首相布朗承諾,將在2020年修建300多萬座住房,以解決國內住房緊張的狀況。

    但布朗的這一決定遭到了英國國家信托基金會的反對。基金會主席威廉爵士表示,政府如此大規模的擴建活動,將嚴重損害英國鄉野的美麗與寧靜。

    英國政府表示,政府的擴建計劃不會越界到綠色保護區。

    政府方面還說,房屋擴建的範圍將限制在"棕色地帶"和現有的公共區域,不會涉及綠地。

    有限空間

    英國國家信托基金會主席威廉爵士說,擴建計劃將逐步吞噬英國的郊野。

    此前,英國政府成立了一個獨立機構專門負責就住房擴建問題向政府提供諮詢。該機構認為,政府計劃修建3百萬戶新住宅的計劃並不足以滿足市場的需求。

    在政府即將與信托基金召開的會議上,威廉爵士將質問政府,等棕色地帶用盡之後,再要擴建要去哪裡?

    此外,威廉爵士還有可能和政府討論以基金會的名義購買綠地,以便永久性保護綠地的方案。目前,英國國家信托基金會的年收入為3.5億英鎊。