border wall News

Stories of the week 17 February 2019

Environment

The future takes control as thousands of UK school children stage a climate strike against the climate crisis facing us all. Following recent reports from the UN and the Met Office on emissions and global heating, there has been a growing Extinction Rebellion around the world. Theresa May slammed kids for protecting their future while adults looked the other way. Many more climate strikes are planned as part of the continuing global Extinction Rebellion.

In more distressing and alarming environmental news, insect numbers are collapsing at a staggering rate, triggering fears for the ‘collapse of nature itself’.

This week Brexit finally sank to the bottom of the glass when Theresa May’s chief negotiator was overheard revealing May’s negotiating strategy in a bar. It’s great to know our country’s future is being sorted out down the pub.

Europe remains totally bemused and confused over the UK’s approach to Brexit and the fact that Theresa May only seems to be negotiating with the Conservative Party. The Dutch Prime Minister highlighted the fact that the UK is fast retreating from the world stage and will be an insignificant force on its own.

The constant Tory party in-fighting has now turned into a total war. Hard line Brexiteers have accused of giving Brussels the perfect excuse not to renegotiate. Rees-Mogg, Johnson and the ERG have been told to leave the Conservative Party and join UKIP by the other Tory MP’s as the civil war continues and the Tories move closer to a final split. Guy Verhofstadt joined the condemnation claiming Brexiteers could end up on the guillotine like the leaders of the French Revolution for not representing true national interests.

Even worse was to come for May and the Conservatives. At least a dozen ministers and many more Conservative MP’s are set to resign if there is No Deal. At the same time, a ‘purple momentum’ is rising where UKIP members join Conservative associations to deselect moderate Tory MPs.

Middle East

This week saw strong reactions against the west in the region.

Firstly in Iran, the President called Donald Trump and idiot and there were chants of ‘Death to Theresa May’ on the streets of Tehran as the country celebrated the 40^th Anniversary of the Revolution.

In more condemnation of the UK, UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are killing women and children in Yemen as people there kill themselves rather than face the pain of starving to death.

Donald Trump called a State of emergency in order to fund his border wall. He was accused of ‘shredding the constitution’ and is being taken to court by California. Trump encouraged families to hold up images of their relatives ‘killed by illegal immigrants’ to create some kind of threat.

Stories of the week 13 January 2019

In the week running up to the big vote, Brexit was strangely muted but it did take some sinister turns.

Far Right abuse of MPs became completely out-of-hand and then a Conservative Minister warned that No Brexit would be a boost to the Far Right. A claim that was dismissed as Leaver desperation.

In Westminster, MPs backed a cross-party amendment to prevent a No Deal and the chaos that would follow. Brexiteers even accused the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s warning that the ‘whole world’ is against no deal Brexit as a stunt.

Prime Minister, Theresa May, took some unexpected twists and turns this week in an attempt to get her deal through Parliament. May met with Trade Union Leaders and Labour rebel MPs to gain support. In the meantime, continuing threats of 2^nd referendums and general elections continue to circulate.

The single thing about Brexit the Press could agree on was whatever happened in the vote, Article 50 would be extended.

In the meantime Jaguar Land Rover along with other car manufacturers announced job losses as fears of the UK crashing out of Europe grew.

In really very disturbing news, teachers are reporting that malnourished children are searching school bins for food. Four out of five teachers are paying for school resources using their own money.

The Government also quickly moved to stop more impact of the failed Universal Credit scheme even though in a staggering moment of insensitivity, Amber Rudd said these appalling stories of crushing poverty only happened to one or two people.

NHS

In more bad news for the Government, NHS chiefs have warned that the much-heralded £20bn ‘extra funding’ will not impact waiting times unless staffing problems are met.

Donald Trump has broken yet another record. He has succeeded in beating Bill Clinton to the record for shutting down the US Government for the longest time. National Parks and other federal resources have shut down as the stand-off continues on the financing of the border wall.

In an incredibly amazing and highly chastening discovery this week, scientists have found that elephants are evolving to lose their tasks after experiencing decades of ivory poaching.