Expression 1
Is Britain society broken ?True Britain is not perfect and has to cope with many economics issues, but it is not broken yet.
The columnist highlights the fact the image of a broken-Britain society is more a myth than the result of a real, deep analysis. Actually, the figures are relevant, the number of murders has not been so low for 19 years, and contrary to what people say child homicides have dropped since the 1970’s. As a matter of fact there are several positive points like the decline of burglaries frequency or the drop in drugs consumption, or even the decline of teenage pregnancy. People’s mind has changed, it is certainly not a comeback to traditional values, but there is a significant positive evolution.
Besides, the journalist emphasizes the fact such a myth has been developed and encouraged by both a dominant national press and politicians who wanted to carry out attractive social policies. According to him, it is unfair to compare Britain with other European countries because if its results remain bad, nevertheless they are better than before.
To conclude, Britain is far from the “broken society” described by the media and there are real hopes for the future.

Expression 2
Competition is harder today for rich countries in our globalized world than it was 50 years ago. Countries like Britain or France have to improve in order to remain strong economies.
Obviously, rich countries, particularly European ones, cannot compete on prices or production costs when wages in developing countries attract all international firms. They have to perform on quality and high-technologies. Actually, high-tech firms are mainly American and it seems necessary to do the same and to improve in that sector. It is the only way to keep a key role in the global economy.
Nevertheless, such a performance needs huge efforts in education. The success of American Universities is a proof of it, and Affirmative Action manages to create a large social-middle