UK heatwave News

 

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 9 September

 

 

Austerity

‘Father battling cancer whose benefits were cut because he was ‘well enough to make a cup of tea’ died aged 56 with just £8 to his name, his family says’. The headline says it all.  There are many kinds of austerity wrapped up in this from universal credit to NHS cuts in finding.  Again, the headline says so much more than we could ever say.

 

 

Brexit

‘Brexit’ became associated with unexpected and exciting situations this week.  None of them were what Theresa May or arch-Brexiters might have wanted or expected.

EU Chief Negotiator, Michael Barnier, rejected May’s Chequers plan and suggested a counter-proposal himself. He was not the only one to reject May’s Brexit plan.  Apart from Labour, DUP leader Arlene Foster, David Davis and other hard-line Brexiters rejected it too.

All this against the backdrop of millions of Leave Voters switching to Remain since the referendum in more compelling evidence for another vote.

To make matters even worse for optimistic Brexiters, China called the UK ‘Washington’s sharksucker’ and accused it of provocation by sending the Royal Navy into the South China Sea.  The UK’s support of the US put any post Brexit trade deal at risk, Chinese state authorities confirmed.

 

 

 

Politics

With continuing calls for a Scottish Independence vote and a second referendum, the Scottish National Party (SNP) have more paying members than the Conservatives for the first time. Labour still have the largest paying membership.

Membership of the Conservative party wasn’t the only thing that wasn’t growing. After the summer heatwave, farmers became increasingly unhappy with Michael Gove and the government’s inaction with any support.

 

 

 

NHS

Just at a time when the NHS faces a severe shortage of nurses, figures show a large percentage of student nurses are dropping out before graduating their courses. This at a time when there are increasing job vacancies and increasing reliance on agency nursing support.

 

 

 

Environment

Two environmental stories this week focussed on the letter ‘H’ – humans and hedgehogs.

Humans. We may become extinct. Since every major rise or fall in temperature in the earth’s history has resulted in mass extinction, climate change could be the time for human beings to be no more according to biologists.

Hedgehogs are disappearing fast.  In fact most of the countryside is devoid of any at all according to scientists.

 

 

 

Technology

If you can’t beat them, join them.  Addicted to smartphones?  Can’t stop swiping. Road signs could be put on the ground so people looking at their phones can see them and reduce the smart phone accident syndrome.