Opinion

It's a strange state of affairs when the prospect of an all non-league FA Cup quarter final isn't the wackiest thing that could happen in the news this week. But move aside Lincoln, Sutton too perhaps, because regardless of the outcome of tonight's clash no tangible news can any longer compete with fake counterparts been peddled by news outlets, prominent politicians and celebrities. One man who is entangled in all three is President Donald Trump, who despite speaking out about the media's...

By Dr Nigel Mellor, author of the Good, the Bad and the Irritating  ADHD and attention seeking are often confused. In this article I will have a close look at dealing with attention seeking in children and how to cope with it using mindfulness. PARENTS AND GUILT As parents we are generally racked with guilt and anxiety when managing our children. We often feel inadequate and try very hard to be “good parents” - we may, for example, do our utmost...

In 2015 it seemed shocking that over the past six years the number of households forced to install key meters owing to debt for their gas and electric supply had exceeded 500,000. The utility regulator OFGEM, under pressure from the public, launched an investigation into the reasons for this and, as such, dissenting voices went quiet.  However, the outrage of 2015 has been replaced with an acceptance that fuel poverty is part of the so called “Third Sector” and that...

Creating a successful business model isn’t always simple, but given the increasing challenges and competition that the not-for-profit industry faces these days, it has never been more crucial for charities to ensure that their business model is effective and impactful. Over 170,000 children in the developing world are born with cleft lip and /or palate each year, and many do not have the resources to undergo surgical repair. These children often live in isolation due to their untreated clefts, and...

Britain is set for decades of been overworked and underpaid as a perfect storm of stagnant wage growth and low-paid work meets inflationary pressures in the most pronounced real income squeeze of our generation. Although the Tories will most likely be celebrating the latest employment figures showing flat unemployment the self-proclaimed jammy diagnosis that has come to caption their time in office is the number of people who are working hard but struggling to manage. Ever since George Osborne shocked...

Following Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to issue a three-line whip on the Brexit vote fresh calls for his resignation are once again ringing around the halls of Westminster. Yawn. Ever since the Labour leader was voted in with the biggest mandate in the party’s history he has had to fend off opposition from within. He has received more resignation letters than he has had hot dinners in his time as leader, but he has continued nevertheless unperturbed. And now, less than...

By Mary Wandia, Manager of End Female Genital Mutilation Programme, Equality Now Today is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a campaign day established by the United Nations to raise awareness about the urgent need to end this unacceptable form of child abuse and violence against women and girls. Despite being banned in the UK, girls continue to be cut and unofficial figures estimate that 137,000 girls and women in Britain are affected. Research by the...

          With an eye-watering price for prime slots, Super Bowl ads are always sure to make a mark. And this year many did by taking a pop at the United States President - mainly by promoting the legacy of immigration and tolerance that made America great - in a rather different way than the one Donald Trump promises. Though the NFL and Fox who air the event ban explicit politicisation, the adverts paying a record $5 million for a...

By Richard Harries, Director of Research at the independent trust Power to Change The NHS may be our national religion, but libraries—which are marking National Library Day (4th Feb) ahead of a whole week of celebration in October—enjoy their own vaunted status in the fabric of British society. The success of our library service may not get many headlines, but once it is under threat then the great and the good speak up. ‘Libraries save lives’, announced Stephen Fry last...