07 April 2016

Week in Brief: UK

EU REFERENDUM DEBATE: This week:

• John Whittingdale, the Culture Secretary, said that the national living wage will fuel immigration unless we leave the EU;
• 200 health professionals published a letter in “The Times” warning that Brexit will result in a worsening of public health as Britain loses the benefits of collaboration with and sharing policy with the EU.
• Priti Patel, the Employment Minister and an advocate for the out campaign, disagreed and thought that the money saved by leaving the EU could be used to boost NHS services;
• Lord O’Donnell, who served as Cabinet Secretary and is a crossbench peer, said that it would take far longer than the two years envisaged by the Lisbon agreement, for the UK to separate from the EU. He also pointed out that if no agreement is reached as to terms, we would revert to the general tariffs set by the World Trade Organisation and that the French and German governments, who would be fighting elections against anti-EU parties, would have an interest in making exit look unattractive;
• a number of artists including Sigma, Elle Eyre, and the Electric Swing Circus, pulled out of a concert supported by Leave UK on the grounds that they had not been told the nature of the concert and were not Brexit supporters; and
• “The Times” reported allegations by Franklin Dehousse, an EU judge, that the European Court of Justice had deliberately lengthened its backlog so that it could create more judges.

LIVING WAGE: With the living wage coming in at £7.20 per hour for those over 25 years of age, the press has been  full of stories of companies trying to avoid its impact. It is being suggested that it will result in discrimination against those in their late 20s, that other benefits for employees will be withdrawn and that it will make many care homes unviable.

PANAMANIAN LINK: There are thought to be a number of donors to UK political parties among the individuals revealed as clients of Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm whose confidential documents have been extensively leaked to the press and which Mr Cameron’s father used in relation to the management of an investment fund. The firm says that it has always complied with the law and that its clients have not been involved in illegal activities. (see comment)

EDUCATION: A report by the think tank, Centreforum, indicates that, although white British children start school level with other ethnic groups, they drop behind by the time they take their GCSEs.

A new style of GCSE marking next summer is likely to lead to lower results.  It is hoped that three quarters of children will pass eight of the new GCSEs by 2030 but it is estimated that only 38% would achieve that at the moment.

The Conservatives’ policy of turning all schools into academies is meeting opposition from within the party. Tory Councils which run successful schools are annoyed at the prospect of having to hand over control.

MEDICINE: A review by the Royal College of Physicians has found that, although end-of-life care has improved since the abolition of the Liverpool Care Pathway, people dying in hospital are still suffering from dehydration and lack of care. Apparently only 11% of hospitals offer palliative care services round the clock.

New rules are to prevent Clinical Commissioning Groups within the National Health Service from allocating resources to organisations in which members of the group have a financial or professional stake. The move follows an enquiry by “The Times” which indicated that conflicts of interest were being ignored.

The President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Cliff Mann, has said that doctors are refusing to work for the locum rate set by the government, which is restricted to 55% of the amount paid to permanent staff. Hospitals struggling to obtain cover have made extensive use of the exemption for emergency provision and have also sought to counteract the decrease in rates by including travel time etc.

STEEL INDUSTRY: The government is being criticised for contributing to the steel crisis by being slow to give steel makers exemptions from green taxes and by working to limit EU Tariffs to 9% by resisting attempts to lift the “lesser-duty rule”.  Tariffs imposed by China run at 46% and, although they appear to be primarily designed to stop dumping by Japan and South Korea, they also apply to steel imported from the EU and are likely to affect the sale of some steel  manufactured at Port Talbot. The US currently imposes tariffs on certain Chinese products at 266%.

Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, has been criticised for travelling to Australia at a time when Tata steel was deciding whether to support its previous investment.  He has now returned with his daughter who accompanied him. It is likely that Tata’s plant in Scunthorpe will be sold to a private equity firm.

CRIME: Frauds committed against holidaymakers amounted to £11.5 million for 2015, up from £2.2 million in 2014, according to a report by the City of London Police National Fraud Intelligence bureau.

Thieves who stole items made of rhino horn and jade worth up to £57 million for sale in China were sentenced to terms of imprisonment of up to 6 years eight months.

GENDER POLITICS: Novelist Ian McEwan, the author of Atonement, has walked into a barrage of criticism by referring to a “troubling” wave of political correctness and victimhood sweeping through universities and saying that which sex people belonged to was a biological question and not just a question of choice.

TERRORISM: Junead Khan, a Luton delivery driver, has been convicted at the Old Bailey of “preparing an act of terrorism” after planning to attack and kill US service personnel at air force bases at Lakenheath and Mildenhall.

RADICALISATION: The Department of Education is investigating schools run by the Deobandi movement following allegations of links between the movement, which controls about 40 % of British mosques, and radical Islam. The movement claims that references to Jihad have been misunderstood and that it unreservedly condemns the taking of innocent life.

One school being investigated is the Tarbiyah Academy in Dewsbury which has been accused of promoting anti-Semitism and Islamic extremism.  It is understood that leaflets have been discovered attacking mixed sex teaching and suggesting that Muslims should not adopt British culture.  Mufti Zbair Dudha, who runs the school, says that the publications have been misunderstood.

MUSIC: Mr Chris Goldscheider, formerly a viola player, is suing the Royal Opera House for failing in its duty of care by placing him next to the brass section in a rehearsal of Wagner’s Die Walküre.  Mr Goldsheider, who suffered acoustic shock, is now chronically intolerant to noise and, quite apart from no longer being able to play music, cannot bear normal sounds.

JEWISH TARTAN: The Scottish National Register of Tartan has accepted a new Jewish tartan.  The design combines the Saltire and the Israeli flag. There are already Sikh and Muslim tartans.

HMRC: HM Revenue and Customs are to replace their existing IT contract with 200 smaller, more flexible, contracts. This follows recommendations by Lord Maude of Horsham, who believes that the change will save £200 million a year. Critics are concerned as to whether HMRC has the ability to manage the new contracts and whether there will be a disruption in the collection of tax.

LABOUR: Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, has urged supporters of Mr Corbyn to change the nature of the Labour party, sparking fears that moderate MPs and councillors will be deselected.

INTERNET TROLLS: The family of 9 year old Bonnie Armitage who died as a result of being kicked by a horse at a meet of the Cotswold Hunt has been harassed by internet trolls who are animal rights supporters.

T E LAWRENCE: Research carried out by the University of Bristol in the Arabian desert has confirmed the truth of the account of the Arab Revolt given by T E Lawrence in his book “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”. Critics of the book had always suggested that the account of Lawrence’s exploits had been embellished – also see features.

GETTING FATTER: Research carried out by Imperial College London indicates that Britain is the fourth fattest European nation and will be the fattest within the next ten years. Four out of every ten people will be clinically obese by 2025,

CRICKET: England lost the final of the world Twenty20 cricket championship to the West Indies, Carlos Braithwaite hitting four consecutive sixes off the bowling of Ben Stokes in the final over.

 

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