At last – something we lead the world in

Anyone connected with business is familiar with the term “world-class”. An essential element in any self-respecting corporate Mission Statement, it is also much loved by CEOs eager to convince shareholders and employees of their company's ambition and vision . Most recently, it has been appropriated by politicians equally keen to state the bleedin’ obvious while demonstrating their business savvy.
Think back to the early days of the Blair administration – I know it’s painful but just give it a try. Our brave new country was going to be blessed with, at various times, a World Class police force; a World Class NHS and certainly, because He said it thrice, a World Class education system. We believed it would be so because, blessed with the world’s fourth largest economy, there was no reason why it shouldn’t have been.
The reality, of course, is some way short of World Class: unless we use the Third World as our benchmark. The administration of justice, the health service and education has been characterised by serial mis-management, incompetence and, in the case of the NHS and our principal police force, downright criminal negligence. Comparisons with other developed countries show us routinely lagging behind in every one of these key areas.
Now, the boot is on the other foot. Now, we can take justifiable pride in topping at least one chart. Because, when it comes to detaining innocent people without charge, nobody else even comes close to us.
Forget the wimpy Yanks. In spite of Bush’s assault on civil liberties post 9/11, the US authorities can still only hold suspects for 48 hours. The Canadian police have just 24 hours to file their charges while even the Turks have to cut people free after seven and a half days. Our boys in blue, on the other hand, can already detain innocent people without charge for 28 days: And, if Jacqui Smith gets her way that will rise, very soon, to a world beating 56 days.
Makes you proud to be British, doesn’t it?