Stories of the week 25 November
Brexit took a number of major turns this week and even sprinted down some unexpected alleys as the process comes to a decisive phase.
Hugely alarming reports in the news this week of the Army being put on the streets to protect supermarkets and petrol stations in the event of a No-Deal Brexit.
In an attempt to avoid the No-Deal scenario, Theresa May was accused of ‘cronyism’ after handing a knighthood to a Brexit-backing MP and pouring money into Northern Ireland to appease the DUP and buy her deal through Parliament.
David Davis was ridiculed for not understanding EU negotiations whilst Boris Johnson was paid £47,254 fir an hour’s work in his own Brexit dividend.
The Government also tried to stop the European Court of Justice deciding if Article 50 could be reversed but failed in a victory for democracy.
Moves for Scottish independence increased this week as the country rejected the proposed Brexit deal. In a move that would break up the UK, Scotland received support from Spain to join the EU as an independent country.
In more Brexit drama, Spain reacted furiously to the UK’s stance on Gibraltar, threatening to veto May’s deal.
There were major and extraordinary stories in the Press this week on Austerity.
In the continuing row over the UN Report into Poverty in the UK, the Government not only remained in denial over the whole issue but unbelievably a Government Minister actually suggested that poor families could take in a lodger to beat Universal Credit.
In more disturbing reports on Government austerity that can’t be denied, private police walk wealthy people home in London while vigilantes patrol the streets of Hartlepool because the town has become lawless from police cuts.
A couple of big environmental news threads this week.
In the UK, Extinction Rebellion – the movement leading the fight to protect humanity from extinction, continued their ‘swarm protests’ angering Nigel Farage, making Lord Tebbit drive at a protester and Jim Davidson say ‘don’t they like it warmer’. A job well done then.
In more shocking news for the Government, two children under 18 are stabbed every day in the UK – a rise of 80% in three years as Police Cuts bite.
Inequality was highlighted again this week with news that the poorest are dying 10 years earlier than the wealthy in the UK.
The terrible Khashoggi story continued this week. As France joined Germany in sanctioning Saudi Arabia, Trump changed his stance completely and contradicted his own earlier statements.
In exciting scientific news, a plane without any moving parts actually flew. The press called it the ‘Star Trek’ flight.
