Reading for Battle
Battle Readings is a regularly updated compilation of articles, essays, and opinion pieces relevant to the themes of the Battle of Ideas.
Choose a theme from the listing on the left to narrow your search, or view all readings.
Health & Well-being
PM vows action to get addicts on benefits into work
People on benefits due to drink and drug problems will be expected to work if they can, David Cameron has said.
BBC News, 21 April 2011
People on benefits due to drink and drug problems will be expected to work if they can, David Cameron has said.
BBC News, 21 April 2011
Making a meal of school children’s diet
A survey hailing the impact of healthy school dinners on kids’ capacity to learn is not as smart as it thinks.
Rob Lyons, spiked, 18 April 2011
A survey hailing the impact of healthy school dinners on kids’ capacity to learn is not as smart as it thinks.
Rob Lyons, spiked, 18 April 2011
Are 'smart drugs' safe for students?
Students are increasingly taking neuroenhancing drugs to fight fatigue and help them concentrate. But how safe are they – and is it cheating?
Catherine Nixey, Guardian, 6 April 2011
Students are increasingly taking neuroenhancing drugs to fight fatigue and help them concentrate. But how safe are they – and is it cheating?
Catherine Nixey, Guardian, 6 April 2011
Do 'smart drugs' really make us brainier?
It is no real surprise that the use of smart drugs is on the increase. It is an attractive proposition - becoming as alert and efficient as we have the potential to be, when we need to be.
Philippa Roxby, BBC News, 3 April 2011
It is no real surprise that the use of smart drugs is on the increase. It is an attractive proposition - becoming as alert and efficient as we have the potential to be, when we need to be.
Philippa Roxby, BBC News, 3 April 2011
Improving the quality of care in general practice
The recent root -and-branch reforms of the NHS also have profound implications for the future of general practice, in particular the dual role it is being asked to play as both commissioner and provider of care that will mean GPs taking on responsibility for costs as well as outcomes of care. The timing of the inquiry’s report is therefore propitious. General practice is at centre stage and quality must be the watchword.
The King's Fund, 24 March 2011
The recent root -and-branch reforms of the NHS also have profound implications for the future of general practice, in particular the dual role it is being asked to play as both commissioner and provider of care that will mean GPs taking on responsibility for costs as well as outcomes of care. The timing of the inquiry’s report is therefore propitious. General practice is at centre stage and quality must be the watchword.
The King's Fund, 24 March 2011
We don’t need to be saved from the ‘demon drink’
The old temperance movement was made up of working men who promoted self-control. Today booze-bashing is the preserve of a killjoy elite.
Josie Appleton, spiked, 23 March 2011
The old temperance movement was made up of working men who promoted self-control. Today booze-bashing is the preserve of a killjoy elite.
Josie Appleton, spiked, 23 March 2011
Fit note ignored by many doctors, Lord Freud warns
Doctors are ignoring the new "fit note" system designed to get sick staff back to work quicker, Lord Freud, the welfare reform minister, has admitted.
Louisa Peacock, Telegraph, 22 March 2011
Doctors are ignoring the new "fit note" system designed to get sick staff back to work quicker, Lord Freud, the welfare reform minister, has admitted.
Louisa Peacock, Telegraph, 22 March 2011
Faster. Higher. Stronger. Braver.
The cynics will claim that complete eradication of doping in sports is an impossibility, so embrace what is known, and educate athletes to use the substances responsibly. The idealist will recall that sports are beloved because they allow humans to go far beyond the potential that most people see in themselves, and in others.
Jennifer Gibson, BrainBlogger, 10 March 2011
The cynics will claim that complete eradication of doping in sports is an impossibility, so embrace what is known, and educate athletes to use the substances responsibly. The idealist will recall that sports are beloved because they allow humans to go far beyond the potential that most people see in themselves, and in others.
Jennifer Gibson, BrainBlogger, 10 March 2011
It’s unethical for general practitioners to be commissioners
Decisions about prioritising resources have to be made, but, given the role of doctors and the importance of trust, they should not be made by GPs. Like anyone else working in the NHS, GPs should be aware of these decisions and their difficulty. But, if anything, the GP is, and ought to be, the patient’s advocate in this process.
Mark Sheehan, BMJ, 10 March 2011
Decisions about prioritising resources have to be made, but, given the role of doctors and the importance of trust, they should not be made by GPs. Like anyone else working in the NHS, GPs should be aware of these decisions and their difficulty. But, if anything, the GP is, and ought to be, the patient’s advocate in this process.
Mark Sheehan, BMJ, 10 March 2011
The dehumanisation of medicine
Abortion is — or should be seen as — at best, a necessary evil.
Melanie Phillips, Daily Mail, 28 February 2011
Abortion is — or should be seen as — at best, a necessary evil.
Melanie Phillips, Daily Mail, 28 February 2011
Engineering the future: cautionary tale or utopia?
"If you'd rather not have your prejudices challenged, stay away from the Battle of Ideas."
Nigel Warburton, senior lecturer, philosophy, Open University; author, Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction
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