Gair Rhydd

EU do they think they're kidding?

The appointment of Belgium's Van Rompuy as 'EU President' changes nothing

The Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, was selected as the first ever President of the European Council, the media-mooted ‘President of Europe’. After weeks of rumours and speculation, particularly since the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty earlier this month, it took surprisingly little time for Europe’s leaders to announce the winner, after Britain’s Tony Blair pulled his name out of the running just hours beforehand.

The news was not particularly thrilling: Van Rompuy was seen as the front-runner for days before the announcement. What is perhaps surprising is the appointment of Baroness Catherine Ashton as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The title is a mouthful in itself, but is a very important role, and is actually considered by many as more powerful than the President.

Here's a thought for the day

Thought for the Day doesn't really like atheists, however that doesn't mean they can ban them from the show

I’d love to go on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. Imagine having all those people mulling over your two-and-a-bit minutes of weighty contemplation as they have their morning toast; it’d be brilliant.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t work out – for multiple reasons. Firstly, I’m profoundly incapable of coming up with deep thought which has any degree of coherence. Secondly – and this is the problematic one – I’m an atheist.

We need change, not criticism

The Sabbatical Officers' expense claims will inevitably lead to a lot of criticism. Whether or not it is warranted, we need to focus on the changes that can be made

I have a feeling that this story may run and run.

This week, gair rhydd published the expenses of the 2008/09 Sabbatical Officers, and I think it’s safe to say that more than one of them can be referred to as dubious.

A matter of life and death

The growth of DNA forensic evidence has seen nearly 140 death row convictions overturned in the US. Clearly, the system needs to be reviewed

When coming round to talking about big ethical topics such as the meaning of life, euthanasia and capital punishment, you find yourself entering into one of those moments where you either think; ‘I wish I’d never opened my mouth’, or, ‘This is too deep for me’.

At least, that’s how I’ve felt most of the time before now. However, with the growth of elaborate and widespread media coverage of such serious issues, some things are just too hard to avoid passing you by. You open the newspaper and it’s there, you listen to the radio and it’s there, or you even overhear what should be pleasant chit-chat in a café, to find out it’s there too.

Society's impatience has lead to a dangerous cosmetic surgery industry

Would you let a man whose only dental qualifications were owning gloves and a power drill fiddle with your teeth? Probably not. Perhaps you’d be thrilled if your next doctor was a white-coated stranger with a medical license scribbled on the back of an old receipt? Doubtful. Nor would you have some unqualified surgeon cut you up next time you’re knife-needy.

Yet this is the reality facing thousands in this country, apparently. The news this week surfaced that thousands are going under the knife of unlicensed and unregulated plastic surgeons with little or no medical qualifications. Some non-scalpel procedures, such as ‘chemical peels’ (when someone’s outermost layer of face is burnt off with harsh chemicals, leaving the bright red softness of the underskin on the surface) are even being carried out by ‘nurses’ with no medical training at all.