On Monday Mike Amesbury, the Labour MP for Runcorn and Helsby, was imprisoned for 10 weeks after assaulting a man in the street. Today his appeal was heard and the court decided to suspend his sent Were the rapid hearing of his appeal or the suspension of his sentence the result of special treatment for an MP? Alan Robertshaw, barrister at law, considers those questions in this video and concludes that the answers are a) no and b) not really. As ever, Alan provides a gentle education in the law and how courts operate. A recall petition can still be ...
The current Fortean Times has an article by John Clark on the famous case of the Green Children of Woolpit. It begins: They were green. There were other strange things about the two children, a boy and a girl, found by harvesters in the fields of the Suffolk village of Woolpit on a summer's day in the 12th century. But it was their green skin that people first noticed. There was much more to the story, but that's how it began. He suggests that the children were Jewish and were either fleeing persecution elsewhere in East Anglia or had been ...
The government is about to release their new NHS plan 'rethinking ME' but absurdly it's not actually coming with any funds attached to it, despite the fact there is now irrefutable evidence of its biological existence and the rapidly increasing number of patients, due to the number of Covid long sufferers who meet the diagnostic criteria. Many patients have been let down for decades over the lack of funding, not to mention being treated awfully over the years by the medical community. The funding for ME/CFS/Long Covid patients is about £40 per patient per annum, one of the lowest of ...
[IMG: This picture .some of the passionate advocates of the work of Lumiere, a craity set uup to children with complex needs] Yesterday, I visited the new premises of Lumiere a charity set up by two young women, Linda and Melissa, to care for young people with complex needs. It was not the official opening but an event to involve carers, mostly parents, so they can be involved in the final implementation of a project to create a new safe space for both the youngsters and their families. The parents that I spoke to cannot wait for the charity to ...
"Buying stuff we didn't know we wanted, with money we don't have, to impress people we don't know has become a cultural obsession, made worse by the fact that prices are going up and incomes are flat lining."Neal Lawson says Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves must abandon their Trumpian obsession with economic growth. Alexandra Hall Hall finds signs of Trumpist culture wars and a woeful lack of realism in Kemi Badenoch's set-piece speech on foreign policy. "Does she really believe that other countries around the world won't see through the double standards if we turn a blind eye to abuses ...
Ask any Brit about their last positive experience on a train - and chances are they will do one of two things: laugh in your face or wax lyrical about one of Spain, the Netherlands, France or Italy. Despite Britain introducing rail to the world, 200 years ago to this year in fact, the system is creaking - and stories are becoming more horrifying. Overcrowded trains, jaw-dropping ticket prices and endless complaints about on-board wi-fi justifiably fill social media and newspaper articles. After decades of neglect and mismanagement, the UK's railway network needs more than a fresh lick of paint ...
I'll admit that this is perhaps not the most pressing question facing the consulting profession. But it's a topic that comes up quite frequently. So let's get it out of the way. As with many things, of course, the answer is 'it depends'. If you'd asked me twenty years ago, I'd have responded immediately that yes, consultants most definitely need business cards. And lots of them. But times change. And business cards are – regrettably, in my opinion – not the necessity they used to be. With the recent increase in remote working and virtual events, the opportunities to meet ...
Thu 27th
09:24
Balancing compassion with care: Rethinking assisted dying, disability, and palliative services
I have long believed that every individual with a terminal illness should have the autonomy to choose a dignified end to their suffering. I have supported assisted dying, convinced that compassionate legislation can relieve unbearable pain. Recent debates have reignited a conversation that is both deeply personal and political. My conviction comes from enduring ideals and painful personal experience. In the final week of my mother's life, I witnessed the physical and emotional anguish of terminal illness. Although her suffering was brief, those days were marked by excruciating pain. Had she had the option of assisted dying, she might have ...
We are holding a street surgery tonight to speak with residents on any local issues or concerns they may have. Should you have an issue you wish to discuss with us, e-mail us at westend@dundeelibdems.org.uk or call us on Dundee 459378 and we will be pleased to meet you - many thanks.
The Guardian reports that BP is dropping green goals, ramping up oil and gas production and slashing spending on low-carbon energy as part of a fundamental reset of their troubled company. The paper says that the FTSE 100 fossil fuel company has promised shareholders it will increase its target for oil and gas production by 2030 to the equivalent of about 2.4m barrels a day - about 60% higher than the figure in its net zero plan set out five years ago: The move back towards fossil fuels represents a stark shift from the investment plan put forward five years ...
