Big whack

What David Blunkett taketh away - in the form of Pounds 1,000 tuition fees - Ronald McDonald giveth. The firm is offering up to 50 grants of Pounds 1,000 each to students who have worked for them for at least six months. All they have to do is write a 4,000-word essay on how McDonald's could improve staff retention. "Try offering impoverished recruits Pounds 1,000" may be a good beginning.