28 April 2016
Week in Brief: UK
The Queen
BIRTHDAY: Her Majesty the Queen was ninety years old on Thursday, an occasion of considerable national celebration. She came to the throne in 1951, succeeding her father, King George the VIth, who himself became King on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. The Shaw Sheet wishes Her Majesty many happy returns.
Hillsborough
INQUEST VERDICTS: The inquest into those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has now reached its conclusion with the jury finding that 96 Liverpool fans were unlawfully killed. The verdict amounts to a finding of gross negligence against South Yorkshire police who then sought to cover their errors and place the blame on Liverpool fans through a deliberate campaign of misinformation. Consideration is being given to whether individual officers should be prosecuted in relation to their handling of the incident itself or their participation in the subsequent cover up.
EU Referendum
OBAMA: Over from the US for the Queen’s birthday celebrations, President Obama made a number of comments on the Brexit referendum, puncturing the Leave campaign’s optimism over trade agreements by saying that a non-EU Britain would have to join the queue and would be behind the EU where negotiations have been going on for many years. He also made it clear that the US wishes to deal with Europe as a whole and with Britain as a major player in it. Both Obama and Hillary Clinton indicated that Britain would be of less importance to the US outside the Union. See feature Fading Icons – The State Visit.
Mr Obama’s comments were attacked by Boris Johnson, on the basis that they reflected a historical antipathy to the British Empire and that Mr Obama had moved to bust of Churchill from the Oval Office. It turns out that Mr Obama has a bust of Churchill on the private side of the building.
See comment Barack Obama and the UK’s 1776 Moment.
SPENDING THE BREXIT DIVIDEND: Mr Gove has suggested that, following Brexit, the saving in EU contribution could be used to give doctors a pay rise.
WELFARE: Employment Minister Priti Patel has said that the deal done by David Cameron with the EU under which entitlements to welfare would be curbed for four years from arrival would not reduce EU migration and could undermine the universal credit system.
MIGRATION: Mr Gove has warned of an increase in migration when and if five countries, including Turkey and Albania, which have applied to join the EU, actually join. The campaign group Migration Watch UK has published a report suggesting that the Office of National Statistics has undercounted immigration from the EU by 5,000 for each of the past five years. If that is correct, the figure for EU net migration would rise from 172,000 per annum to 222,000, which would take overall figure from 325,000 to 375,000.
LEPEN VISIT: Marine LePen, the leader of the French National Front, is to visit the UK to campaign for Brexit. It is understood that she will work with a former UKIP MEP, Janis Atkinson, and that she has not been invited by either the Leave campaign or by Nigel Farage.
PASSPORTS: Dominic Raab, the justice minister and a Leave supporter, has said that visas might be required for travel to the continent if Britain leaves the EU.
UNEMPLOYMENT: Stephen Crabb, the new Work and Pensions Secretary, blamed the increase in unemployment in the three months to February on uncertainty caused by the Brexit debate. His claim was contradicted by Penny Mordant, also a minister but a member of the Leave campaign, who referred to his use of the 21,000 increase as “cynical”.
See comment Another Volley From ‘Remain’.
Health
DOCTORS STRIKE: This week’s strikes by junior doctors have resulted in the cancellation of 12,000 operations and 112,000 outpatient appointments. A proposal put forward by the Opposition that the new contracts with junior doctors be piloted in selected areas rather than being brought in universally, has been dismissed by the Secretary of State for Health, Mr Hunt, who points out that implementation will be on a staged basis in any event. On Tuesday, the first day of the full stoppage, one in five junior doctors crossed picket lines and worked as normal.
See comment Delving Beneath the Junior Doctors’ Strike.
GP FORWARD VIEW: On a happier note, the document “GP Forward View” published by NHS England has attracted the support of the Royal College of General Practitioners and of the BMA. The idea is to inject a further £2.4 billion per annum into general practice by 2020/21, making up for the fact that support for this area has lagged that given to the rest of the health service. There will be an additional £500 million package for Sustainability and Transference, which will direct funds at struggling practices, help to develop workforce, etc.
Leaving aside the money, the paper sets out a vision of how general practice will be carried on in future. Although a further 5000 general practitioners would be added over the next five years, that will be matched by a rise in the number of other staff. For example there will be 3000 more mental health therapists attached to GP practices and 1500 clinical pharmacists. GPs’ workloads will then be reduced by using other staff to provide those services for which a doctor is not necessary. To make this work £45 million will be used to enable reception and clerical staff to pay a greater role in case-navigation, so that patients get to the right place. They will also take a greater administrative role.
The proposals include a reduction in red tape, with inspections for good or outstanding practices only taking place every five years. Efforts will be made to reduce indemnity costs.
In putting together the proposals, the NHS has worked with the various industry bodies. It is expected that the proposals will result in a substantial overhaul of how healthcare is delivered at the general practice level.
DYING: A poll by the National Counsel for Palliative Care has revealed that one in eight people does not get sufficient food or drink while dying and that more than one half suffer pain. Pain relief was found to be best in hospices, followed by hospitals and then at home.
Education
NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS: The election of left winger Malia Bouattia as president of the National Union of Students has resulted in pressure at a number of universities for their students unions to disaffiliate from the national body. Ms Bouattia is said to be anti-Semitic, although she denies that. Generally, however, there is a concern that the NUS, with its enthusiasm for safe spaces and other minority campaigns, no longer represents its membership.
ACADEMIES: The government’s proposal to force all schools to become academies meets continuing opposition from within the Conservative party. Opponents of the plan are concerned that good schools will be disrupted and also that local authorities will not be left with sufficient control of the system to be able to discharge their obligation to ensure that all children are educated. The changes were announced by Mr Osborne at the time of the budget and a further announcement is expected in the Queen’s Speech on 18 May.
See comment Academies – A Step Too Far.
VICTORIA & ALBERT: The V&A has been criticised for banning sketching at its exhibitions on underwear and Botticelli. The museum blames congestion and various restrictions attaching to the loans of exhibits. Those criticising it, which include Sir Roy Strong, its ex-director, view the encouragement of sketching as part of its educational role.
DRIVING TEST: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is recruiting more driving test examiners to reduce waiting lists, which have risen to 18 weeks in some counties. Demand for tests has increased as more employers require job applicants to hold driving licences.
TERRORISM: Tarik Hussane, a medical student, has pleaded guilty to being part of a plot to shoot British soldiers and police officers after his return from Isis held territory. He was sentenced at the Old Bailey to life imprisonment with a minimum of twenty-one years. Mr Hussein acted in collaboration with Suhaib Majeed, formerly the chairman of the Islamic Society of King’s College London, who was sentenced to life with a minimum of twenty years.
Other News
POLLY PECK: Asil Nadir, who was sentenced to ten years in 2013 for fraud, was released by the Turkish authorities one day after his return there to serve the rest of his sentence in a Turkish prison. Had he remained in the UK he would have been eligible for parole next year.
PAY POLICIES: John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor, has promised that, if elected, Labour will set up an executive pay commission to look at ways of bringing fairness and clear economic goals to executive pay.
TAX CRACKDOWN: The government is understood to be consulting on how to ensure that offshore companies investing in UK property reveal the beneficial owners of their shares. A register of beneficial ownership of shares in UK companies is to be introduced in June and the proposal is to extend this to offshore companies owning UK real estate. Consideration is still being given as to whether or not that should include existing companies.
CONSERVATIVE BATTLE BUS: It has been revealed that the Conservative party under-declared its expenditure at the last election, although the addition of the amount accidentally omitted would not have breached national limits. It is being suggested, however, that some of the expenses of the Conservative battle bus should have been assigned to particular constituencies, pushing them over the limits.
ARMED FORCES BILL: The opposition is proposing an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill, moving the responsibility for investigating sexual assaults from military to civilian police. This follows criticism by a judge of delays in bringing rape charges in the Corporal Ellement case. In the event those charged were acquitted.
ARMS SMUGGLING: Two men were convicted at the Old Bailey last Thursday of gun smuggling and possessing firearms with intent to endanger life. The firearms had been shipped from France on board a motor cruiser and it is estimated that the firepower was four times as much as that used in the French terrorist attacks. It is believed that the weapons were acquired in Europe under an exemption for guns which could only fire blanks, and were then converted.
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