climate strikes News

 

 

 

Stories of the week 22 September

 

Environment

This week saw the largest Climate Strike so far with millions marching around the world to stop the rapid destruction of our planet.   As thousands are choking on smoke from the fires in the Amazon and Pacific islands are disappearing under rising sea levels, school children inspired by Greta Thunberg and adults inspired by Extinction Rebellion took to the streets in cities around the world.

This in a week that also saw proof that toxic air and micro-plastics are crossing through the placenta and affecting unborn children.

But in good news, American citizens are waking up to the Climate Emergency and in the UK 85% of adults are concerned by the Climate Crisis.  In the UK, Labour has pledged to plant a million trees on NHS property.

 

 

Politics

This week saw the culmination of the Supreme Court’s review of whether Boris Johnson acted unlawfully by misleading the Queen over the prorogation of Parliament.  Brexit and Tory press tried to push this as unelected judges standing in the way of the will of the people but they didn’t try too hard. All other press viewed this as a fight for democracy and freedom against a dictatorial executive.  The Supreme Court is expected to reveal its decision in the coming week but legal experts are expecting a shock for the Government. They say that the fact that the judges talked about potential remedies at length and also refused to announce their judgement with reasons to follow means that that are going to find against Boris Johnson, now a Prime Minister who misled the Queen.  In the summing up, Lord Pannick said the Mother of Parliaments had been silenced by Boris Johnson, the father of lies.

Boris Johnson came in for more public humiliation this week at the Mercury Music Prize ceremony when prize nominee rapper Slowthai performed brandishing a severed Boris Johnson head and encouraged the audience to sing ‘F Boris’.

The Liberal Democrats launched ‘the fight of our lives for the heart and soul of Britain’ as they pledged to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU without a referendum if they were in power.  The party led by Jo Swinson saw a wave of new support with their decision to remain.

 

Brexit

This has not been a good week for Boris Johnson at all. He faced international humiliation as he refused to take part in a press conference because there UK protestors angry at his No Deal Brexit stance. Johnson had met the Prime Minister of Luxembourg who continued with the press conference and pointed repeatedly to an empty podium. More international embarrassment for the UK.

 

 

 

 

Stories of the week 17 March

 

World

Thousands of people came together across the globe at vigils to pay tribute to victims of the New Zealand terror attack. White right wing extremists attacked mosques killing 49 people and streaming the despicable event live to the internet. MI5 was looking into links with right extremist groups in the UK. The Press talked about the threat of ‘White ISIS’.

 

 

Brexit

It has been quite a week. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

The Government announced a cunning plan to slash import tariffs in the event of No-Deal.  However, it seems their plan wasn’t so cunning after all. In fact it was condemned as ‘madness’ and a ‘sledgehammer for the UK economy’.

In theory, these tariffs should never need to be slashed since MP’s also voted No Deal could never be an option. It remains theoretical because the motion isn’t legally binding.

The various votes, amendments and strategies played out this week in Westminster have taken their toll. Both the Conservatives and the Labour party finally suffered splits as ministers and factions could no longer support official party lines.

Theresa May remains intent on trying to get her deal back from the dead for the third time prompting a Labour MP to ask ‘how is it undemocratic to give the people a second vote and we are asked to vote three times on the same thing?’ A very good question.

MPs did come to their senses and realise what a mess we’re in and voted to extend Article 50. Europe are saying, quite rightly, if the UK has a plan they’re happy to agree. If no plan then perhaps no way.

Just to add to the Government’s distress and embarrassment, President Trump told the world how he’d advised Theresa May and was disappointed with the way Brexit was going.

 

 

Austerity

In very saddening and disheartening news, more terrible repercussions from Government cuts in benefits were revealed this week. More than half of Senior School Head Teachers reporting having to wash clothes and feed pupils.

 

 

Environment

‘It’s our time to rise up’ was the rallying cry as hundreds of thousands of children and young people staged youth climate strikes in 100 countries in a mass Extinction Rebellion. The biggest lesson of the day was teaching adults to stop destroying their future world.

 

Science

According to one report this week, time travel really is possible. In a seemingly incredible breakthrough, Scientists actually reversed time with a quantum computer. Really?

 

Stories of the week 3 March

 

 

Brexit

It turns out that Brexit really does leave a bad taste in the mouth. Trump and the US are demanding chlorinated chicken and other such delicacies are part of any post Brexit trade deal. It seems that the real Brexit Betrayal is the health of our nation.

Yet more Westminster splits this week as this time Conservative MPs joined the New Independent Group. There were further rumours of strife within. Hard line Brexiters were biding their time in return for a timetable of when Theresa May would quit to crown Boris as king. At the same time, a senior Minister approached the Independent Group with many more defections to come.

The Press couldn’t be more divided over this. Having seen its version of Brexit rejected, it moved, as it stated it would, to an option of a second referendum and came up with an ingenious method of moving the log jam. If Parliament would accept Theresa May’s deal, Labour would abstain as long as it was put to a People’s Vote with an option to Remain.

 

 

Politics

The new Billion pound man Chris Grayling or ‘Failing Grayling’ has been once again charged with more gross incompetence. Eurotunnel took the Government to court over their handling of the ferry contracts, costing the tax payer £33 million. Labour say that Grayling’s sheer incompetence across a long list of disastrous endeavours has cost the country a staggering £2.7 billion.

 

 

Environment

MPs debated recent climate strikes by school children but no-one turned up. In an almost direct response, 2000 sites across the UK were found to have toxic air. Air pollution is known to radically reduce intelligence and also severely affect health outcomes to those exposed long term.

The UK Heatwave continued to astonish climate researchers as the UK recorded the warmest ever winter’s day and almost 200 wild fires set the countryside light.

 

 

Middle East

The Shamima Begum story continued to hit the news this week. With her poof family continuing to suffer, Shamima and her baby were spirited away from the refugee camp with claims there was a price on her head. A nation still failed to do anything.

 

 

NHS

Under continuing Government cuts and underfunding, almost 50 % of GPs are considering quitting or retiring in the next five years. The Government continues to claim the NHS is safe in their hands.

 

 

World

Hostilities between Pakistan and India broke out over Kashmir. Tension mounted as the two nuclear powers faced up to each other. Planes were shot down and a pilot returned in a gesture of peace by Pakistan.

A UN court rejected the UK’s claims of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands outright and ruled its decolonisation unlawful and Britain should remove itself immediately.

Michael Cohen accuses ‘racist, conman’ Trump of criminal conspiracy and maintains he broke the law in the Oval Office.

 

 

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’.

 

 

 

Brexit

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.

 

 

World

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.