News

Some recent news items: Celebrity Big Brother contestant's possible affair, Oscar nominee takes his clothes off, Madonna's son seen with 'suspicious-looking' cigarette. This kind of trash journalism is everywhere. It clutters social media and arrogantly masquerades as socially relevant information. Every serious journalist should choke on stories about Kim Kardashian's arse and Made in Chelsea break-ups. And like a neighbour who's built a heap of rotting rubbish in his garden, pseudo-news is more than just an eyesore – it's genuinely...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Geoffrey Cox, Westminster's highest-earning Tory MP was a tad careless and forgot to declare £400k worth of income from outside interests, but managed to remember to claim for a pint of milk, at a cost of 49 pence. Cox is paid £74,000 a year as an MP but works hundreds of hours as a QC. Unfortunately he broke time limits for registering five hundred hours work he did between Jan and Aug 2015. His excuse...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Inefficiencies in the NHS is costing five billions pounds a year. Patients staying in hospital too long, reliance on agency workers, costly supplies and inefficient use of staff is making a huge strain on the public purse. Two official reports have published these findings. 8,500 “bedblocking” patients are stuck in NHS hospitals on a daily basis – costing £900m a year and increasing the need to use the private sector to meet patients' needs. Jeremy Hunt, the...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor New Zealand politician Steven Joyce was chatting to journalists when he was he smashed in the face with a sex toy. He had been chatting to crowds in Waitangi, near Paihia, when he suffered the assault. In the clip the member of the New Zealand National Party is surprised by the pink toy which comes flying into camera shot, hitting Joyce in the mouth. A female protestor in the crowd, threw the sex toy and...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Comedian Peter Serafinowicz has done it again, and harder than ever. His third Trump video comes on the back of "Cockney Trump" and "Posh Trump." He pulls no punches as he used his own voice to say what Trump "really means".  It is clear Mr Serafinowicz is totally fearless in his pursuit of the Republican candidate. Watch Video Here

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor There wasn’t much to say about today’s PMQs the Tories were all waiting to either bash Cameron on Europe for their constituents or back him to save their own careers, in the debate afterwards. Will PM ignore his party’s core supporters, who would happily restore the monarchy into power given half a chance; some of who seem to regard the ex-Eton and Bullingdon boy as some sort of woolly liberal lefty. If David Cameron isn’t...

By Harold Stone Thousands of people have been flooded out of their homes in the last few months, as they were in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2009 and 2007. Two weeks ago our MPs launched a flooding inquiry, and they invited George Monbiot to explain the situation. This is what happened. Streamlining floods Floods happen when there is too much water, and this water submerges the dry land. The way to prevent floods, Mr Monbiot began by explaining, was to slow...

Porterlight Bicycles’ office-come-workshop, tucked away inside a warehouse on an industrial estate in Seven Sisters, has all the space of a garden shed. Between Lawrence Brand – the founder of Porterlight Bicycles – myself, and a baby blue bicycle frame, there is little room to manoeuvre. Hunched over a workbench, we are sandwiching a small blackboard. Chalked on the board is a motivational message: ‘Time to Build’. Brand believes the Chancellor has failed to send out the same message to...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor An offshore windfarm, capable of powering over a million UK homes, has been given the green light. It will be the world’s largest and will be situated off the Yorkshire coast. DONG Energy has just made the final investment decision to ensure the 1.2 gigawatt (GW) scheme will come into fruition. The windfarm will be based 75 miles off the Yorkshire coast and will span a huge 160 square miles, five times the size of...