It is incredible what the Ukrainian army has achieved. If NATO answers the Ukrainian foreign minister's call for "weapons, weapons and weapons" then Vladimir Putin is almost certain to suffer the most humiliating of humiliating defeats. A few facts and figures: Ukraine's defence budget is $5.4 billion. Russia's is $61.7 billion. Russia has five times as many active military personnel as Ukraine; six times as many tanks and artillery, four times as many armoured vehicles; 13 times as many aircraft and more than ten times as many ships. The line-up in Ukraine resembles the Biblical David and Goliath tale and ...
Brighter days ahead The blossom on the trees and shy crocuses poking out their heads provides a promise that brighter days are ahead. With lockdowns and the grief for loved ones lost to Covid weighing upon us like dark clouds it feels like it has been a long, long winter. But seasons turn, vaccines are [...]
Pre-election fever is in the air but an action-packed night of gains, swings and Town Councils brought us into April with a bang. Although there were nine principal authority elections, we kick off proceedings with all the Town Council results. Here is the tale of the tape. Amersham Town Council Chesham and Amersham lives in Lib Dem folk law after a momentous parliamentary By-election victory last year, but could we carry on the victories in Buckinghamshire and pick up another town councillor in the area? After a hard-fought campaign, our candidate, Elizabeth Shepherd won, gaining the seat from the Conservatives ...
Today's Headline of the Day contest sees a victory for the mainstream media. Well done, the Guardian.
The Health and Care Bill, which is about to reach its end after the Easter break, has been a good example of a Bill which had not been thought through by the Government but massively improved in the Lords. It is also a good example of what can be achieved by cross party working and a Minister who has been willing to listen, except when the Treasury has stuck its oar in and prevented compromise. The Bill replaces the current Care Commissioning Groups in England with 42 Integrated Care Systems, each headed by an Integrated Care Board responsible for commissioning ...
Following the atrocities uncovered in Bucha and Irpin, Liberal Democrats are today calling for Russian military units involved to be proscribed by the UK Government. In his address to the House of Commons in March 2022, President Zelensky asked Parliament to, "please recognise [Russia] as a terrorist state". The Liberal Democrats are proposing the use of proscription orders as part of a renewed package of measures in response to the atrocities being committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. The proposed measures include the expulsion of Russian diplomats based in Britain; and for the UK to lead calls at the ICC ...
As the title of the book suggests, the author believes meeting jaw to jaw would be far better than catastrophic conflict and war between the US and China. He also lays out in painstaking detail no less than 10 different scenarios, as a "cautionary guide" to policy makers navigating the dangerous waters in the decade ahead. Would America have their Waterloo moment with China taking over Taiwan militarily or will it relive a new Korean stalemate with protracted military conflict and large- scale casualties on both sides? Of course, ideally China and the US could also find themselves within a ...
This article aims to summarise the recent Climate Change report that was released by the UN's IPCC, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This will be done first by reference to the relevant global region, and near the end there is some further discussion on what comes next, and the role of this Government. Europe The report identified some key risks for the European region. First, there are likely to be heat-and-drought related risks to crop growing. While the rising temperatures may make agriculture more successful in Northern Europe, the higher heat and increased water scarcity will reduce output ...
There must be a rule somewhere that says that if a law is effective and benefits freedom, democrcay and ordinary people, then the establishment will do anything it can to undermine and corrupt that law. Let's call it the 'Yes Minister Rule'. Something akin to this has been going on in the world of freedom of Information. The Guardian reports that more than 100 journalists, politicians and campaigners have signed an open letter warning that the UK's freedom of information (FoI) laws are being undermined by a lack of resources and government departments obstructing lawful requests. The paper says that ...
Yesterday's result in the Warbreck by-election is a foretaste of things to come in next year's all up elections. The swing came about in what was considered to be a safe Labour ward in the safest constituency in England for ... Continue reading →
In the Times Red Box yesterday, Wendy Chamberlain tackled the continuing issue of homelessness, especially in rural areas. When asked to think about homelessness, it's easy to conjure up a mental image of a man, sleeping in a doorway, somewhere in the centre of a big city. When the media reports on homelessness, that's the stock photo. But the reality can be very different... People who experience homelessness are all genders; families as well as single people; spanning all backgrounds. And homelessness is a problem in rural communities as much as it is in large, urban areas. Homelessness is not ...
