Politics
VIDEO – Mark Ruffalo Tells Cameron to Stop Fracking
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Actor Mark Ruffalo, who recently starred in feature film Spotlight, has told the PM to abandon plans for fracking and to leave fossil fuels in the ground. Ruffalo is a vocal opponent of this method of extraction in the US and told the PM he was making "a legacy mistake" in his championing of the controversial process. His remarks were made in an interview with environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth. Ruffalo said: “Mr...
“Shameless” Cash for Tory councils to “Buy Votes”
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Labour have attacked David Cameron for a "shameless attempt to buy votes" after it is claimed 83 per cent of additional cash set aside for cash strapped councils will go to Conservative authorities. £300 million of transitional support is being shared out to soften the impact of tough reforms that do away with revenue support grants. Instead greater reliance on local business rates is supposed to plug the hole in finances. However, analysis by Labour has...
Jeremy Hunt Imposes Contract on Junior Doctors
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The seven day NHS contract on junior doctors will be imposed against their will. Jeremy Hunt brought a close to the "damaging" issue over Saturday pay - the final flash point almost three years ago to the day talks began. NHS chief negotiator Sir David Dalton gave him the green light after a last minute offer to doctors' union the British Medical Association was turned down. Mr Hunt said: "He has asked me to end...
Speaker John Bercow Strikes Again
By Harold Stone The Socialist Worker has leaked a letter from Nick Boles MP, which shows the government weighing concessions to the Trade Union Bill “in order to avoid losing a vote”. A frequenter of the Bilderberg Club (not to be confused with the Bullingdon Club), Nick Boles is not particularly renowned for his transparency. Not that he isn’t entitled to discuss the ins and outs of our nation’s democratic legislation in private. The leaked letter is important, because it...
Anti-Racism Groups Counter Demonstration Against Pegida Ireland
By David Fleming A cold, wet and windy Saturday in Dublin played host to a serious of events against the establishment of an Irish branch of the European far-right Pegida movement. Pegida Ireland had called for a demonstration to be held outside Dublin’s iconic GPO at 3pm on Saturday the 6th of February to coincide with other rallies across Europe. In response the Anti Racism Network (ARN) and a variety of other anti-racism campaigners, migrant support groups and wide range...
Parliamentary Sketch 10th February – Why is Everything Rosie Mrs Cameron?
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor It’s a shame Labour doesn’t back the Junior Doctors’ strike (still not quite sure why, answers on a post card, or to Cobyn’s PMQ question hotline) and that the Leader of the Opposition didn’t bother to mention Cameron’s mum is fighting her own son’s public sector cuts. Corbyn wore an “I love Unions,” badge but didn’t mention the strike action outside our beloved hospitals. It reminded me of the freshers who used to walk around...
Tory tax credit U-turn to hurt up to 800,000 families
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A little noticed change that slipped past the Chancellor’s U-turn will clobber hundreds of thousands of workers. George Osborne stated he was ditching tax credit cuts, which would have seen over three million families lose around £1,300 per annum. However, it has been revealed that changes to the 'income rise disregard' would still go ahead from April this year. The policy, which says how much income can increase by before tax credits are recalculated, will...
Tory MP forgot declaration of £400,000…but remembered 49p claim for milk
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...
Cutting Running Costs and ‘Bed Blocking’ Would Save NHS £5bn a Year
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...