Thousands of schools are closing on Thursday as teachers hold their first national strike in more than two decades.

The members of the NUT, as many as 200,000 teachers, say the action is to teach the government a lesson for offering them an unacceptable, below-inflation three-year pay deal.

They say it will deter young graduates from joining their ranks in the future while sapping the morale of current staff.

But it is not only the government which disagrees with them. Other teaching unions, such as the NASUWT and ATL have, albeit reluctantly accepted the pay deal, which was recommended by an independent organisation, the School Teachers’ Review Body. They point out that teachers have fared better than other public sector workers such as the police.

So while the NUT says enough is enough, the government argues that it will be children who suffer in the run-up to the summer exams.

Do you think teachers are right to strike on principle or are they being selfish? Send us your comments

Immigration has long been a subject to inflame passions and the issue is back in the headlines again after a new report suggested migrants do not bring the economic benefit to the country that the government says they do.

Ministers argue that immigration is worth 6 billion pounds a year to Britain’s GDP and also helps to fill labour and skills shortages.

But the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, whose members include two former Conservative Chancellors and a number of other leading economists and City figures, disputed this, saying the economic benefits are limited.

It has called for the government to review its policies and look at what impact the influx of 190,000 migrants a year is having on the country.

So is the government’s approach to immigration flawed as the committee says? Or are immigrants vital to Britain’s economic future?

Send us your comments

Crime is barely out of the headlines at the moment.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith says she does not feel safe walking around London on her own at night.

Schools may introduce metal detectors in a bid to cut knife crime after a spate of stabbings involving children.

The Sun newspaper dedicates its front page to the “scourge of feral youths” who are murdering innocent members of the public, such as Garry Newlove.

And in the background to all this is the growing row between the police and the government over pay. The Institute of Public Policy Research think tank has added to the debate by saying the police pay structure should be overhauled.

Officers shouldn’t just get more cash for their length of service, they should be judged on how well they are performing, the IPPR said. Although crime had fallen, detection rates had not improved despite a big increase in funding, it added.

Police say the job is too complicated to bring in performance-related pay, and that many of their vital duties, from tackling terrorism to helping those afflicted by events such as the recent flooding, cannot be quantified.

Should police be judged on their performance, or is the job so dangerous nowadays that they deserve to be a special case? Send us your comments.

The Queen becomes Britain's oldest monarch on Thursday beating the record set by her great-great grandmother Queen Victoria.

Despite being the ripe old age of 81, the monarch shows little sign of slowing down and there is no talk of an abdication.

However Republicans say it is time she hung up her crown and enjoyed her retirement.

What do you think? Should the Queen consider passing the mantle to Prince Charles now? Or, indeed, should the monarchy itself carry on after she dies?

Police Officers are meeting in London on Wednesday to consider what action, if any, they should take over their pay dispute with the government.

Last week Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said police would be given a 2.5 percent rise, as recommended by an independent arbitration panel, but this would not be backdated to September as expected. She said this was necessary to keep a lid on public spending.

The decision has infuriated police who say it means the rise is only worth 1.9 percent, lower than the rate of inflation.

The Police Federation, the body that represents rank and file officers, says the government is taking advantage of laws which make it illegal for the police to go on strike. It is now considering what industrial action it can and should take.

Should police be allowed to strike? Should Jacqui Smith reverse her decision? Or is she right to stick to government targets?

Let us know what you think

Bio-chemical protection suits, thermal imaging cameras, and the latest infrared night vision equipment — it sounds like James Bond’s Christmas stocking.

They are,  in fact,  just some of the latest gadgets and gizmos designed to thwart terrorists and criminals which have gone on show at a major international security exhibition in London this week. With governments regularly warning of the growing and wide-ranging threat from militants, security is now a multi-billion pound business.  

And the good news for the 100-odd companies and agencies from around the world demonstrating their latest hi-tech wares is that no one knows what the “enemy” is planning. During the Cold War, the West knew what its opponents were capable of doing but not their intent, one speaker told a conference that accompanied the exhibition. Now the reverse is true.

Nowadays, imagine a possible threat and you can be fairly sure someone is out there trying to design technology to thwart it.

The exhibition had hand-held sensors to detect nerve gases; screening machines that can detect if someone is carrying explosives, electronics, gels or liquids; scanners that can penetrate steel; and the latest control barriers deisnged to stop something weighing 7,500 kg travelling at 50 mph.

It all looks and sounds very impressive. But can new technology alone solve security problems? Probably not. 

As Jay Cohen, the Under Secretary in charge of Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told the conference, even defence systems that were 100 percent effective could hit stumbling blocks. 

He cited how his department’s researchers had come up with equipment that could defend airplanes from shoulder-fired missiles. Although it worked perfectly, none of the airlines wanted to pay the cost of installing it on all their aircraft.

They are now working instead on a new scheme where an unmanned aircraft flies at 60,000 ft with the capability of detecting a missle being launched, and then diverting or destroying it,  Cohen said. 

And despite all the impressive gadgetery on display, it was a stand with no hi-tec features that caught my attention. 

The Defence Animal Centre’s secret weapon was a two-year-old black labrador, trained to locate bombs and about to be sent on active service to Afghanistan. She was much friendlier, and I suspect much cheaper, than her rivals. 

    Barely a day goes by now it seems without someone calling for the resignation of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair over the botched police operation that led to the death of Jean Charles de Menezes.

    The country’s top policeman was in the dock at a meeting of the London Assembly on Wednesday as his opponents made full use of the chance to attack him in the glare of the massed TV crews and reporters.

    “Don’t you think you should resign?” Richard Barnes, the Conservative leader on the Assembly asked, or rather demanded.

    One Liberal Democrat member put it more politely. “I have no
doubt if you don’t go, you are going to be pushed and that’s
regrettable,” she told Blair, shortly before the authority
passed a symbolic but meaningless vote of no confidence in him.

    These are worrying times for London’s police chief as
politicians have a habit of going in for the kill when they see
their target is vulnerable, and the Conservative and Lib Dem
vultures who have called for his head can smell blood.

    For the time being at least, Blair can count on the support
of the government, which sees him as an ally over controversial
issues such as ID cards and extending pre-charge detention times
for terrorism suspects.

    He also insists he has the full backing of his officers and
senior management team. But regular leaks and private
conversations with those in the know at the Met suggest not
everyone is happy — something even Blair admits.

    With a staff of 53,000 people “it’s very unlikely there
won’t be some that aren’t concerned” he told the assembly.

    In the face of some hostile questioning at the assembly and
equally damning criticism from some newspapers, Blair remains
defiant.

    He can also point to his successful record in the job which
he believes is ultimately of far greater concern to Londoners.

    Crime has fallen by 13 percent since he took over the post
in early 2005, and 12 counter-terrorism plots had been foiled in
the last four years.

    “That work is absolutely fundamental and that’s what I have
to get on with,” he told the assembly members, sometimes barely
concealing his disdain for the political drama he has found
himself caught up in.

    At least he could count on one supporter.

    “Don’t let the politicians stop you,” shouted one old man
who had sat quietly watching Blair’s 90 minute grilling.

    For the first time since he had arrived in the Assembly
chamber, Blair smiled.