Alex Batty's dark fairytale has a very practical ending
Libby Purves in The Times
The decision of British teenager Alex Batty to escape a "hippyish community" in France is "something to applaud", writes Libby Purves in The Times. While the "idea of being 'off-grid' has many charms", children "are not chattels and we may not cram them into a mould". As such Alex's "nerve to step away from parental eccentricities and determinations" should be embraced. He has used "timeless teenage courage" to chart his own path.
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How far is Keir Starmer willing to go to reform the NHS?
The Telegraph editorial board
As Keir Starmer ponders the "NHS permacrisis", he is "taking aim at the inefficient use of the organisation's resources", says The Telegraph's editorial board. He is "quite right", but has he "correctly diagnosed the disease"? An "injection of funding" may help, but "it will be disappointing if this is the extent of his ambition". Only by admitting "many issues are the result of its state-dominated structure" will the NHS achieve "meaningful reform".
UK Government must share what help it's giving to Israel
Kenny MacAskill in The National
As we prepare to "celebrate the birth of a child in a manger in Bethlehem", a mere "40 miles down the road, children are dying in hospitals" due to war, says Kenny MacAskill MP in The National. Britain "cannot have any complicity in the atrocity being perpetuated in Gaza" and Rishi Sunak must cease "being supine to both Israel and President Biden, who can stop this".
Boasting season is upon us – and it can't end soon enough
Emma Beddington in The Guardian
"Be careful out there", warns Emma Beddington in The Guardian, as "it's boasting season". The end of the year often brings a "desire to scream success from the rooftops". But it is important "not to feel threatened by other people's expression of pride". Instead, "find a coping strategy" such as "That's wonderful!" because "anything that adds a drop to the leaky pot of human happiness is worth embracing".
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