22 December 2016
Week In Brief: UK NEWS
Domestic threats
RUSSIA: Concerns have been expressed in Whitehall about the campaign being waged by Russia against the UK. The attacks involve espionage, propaganda, cyberattacks and fake news stories. Theresa May will chair a meeting of the National Security Council to examine the problem. Some analysts see the Russian activity as part of a concerted attack against the West. The CIA has issued a statement accusing Russia of hacking Democratic Party e-mails and thereby seeking to discredit Hilary Clinton in the recent US election.
Industrial relations
SOUTHERN RAIL STRIKE: A strike on the Southern Rail network took place on 3 days last week. The issue concerns driver-only operated trains which the unions claim endanger the safety of passengers. The independent safety regulator has said that the trains are safe. The unions involved are ASLEF and the RMT.
Talks are taking place at ACAS to try to resolve the dispute between the owning company Govia Thameslink Railway and the unions.
The Government is considering introducing legislation which would ensure that at least a skeleton staff would have to work to ensure that vital services are kept running during a strike. Jeremy Corbyn has indicated that he will use Labour peers in the House of Lords to block any such legislation.
The Sunday Times has revealed that Sean Hoyle, who is the President of the RMT, wants to use the strikes to bring down the Tory Government. He has said that he wants to replace the capitalist system with a socialist order. His views and intentions were expressed in a series of speeches. One of the meetings he attended was organised by the National Shop Stewards Network, which is run by Trotskyists who used to be part of the Militant Tendency. Dave Ward, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union, indicated at that meeting that, if necessary, the unions will go beyond the law.
BRITISH AIRWAYS: A strike of cabin crew on British Airways has been called by Unite which will affect flights from Heathrow. The strike is due to start in the middle of this week.
Foreign policy
KURDS: The Times has revealed that Jeremy Corbyn and some of his closest political allies have links to a network of campaign groups which support the Kurdish terrorist group that killed 44 people in Istanbul recently. They are patrons of the Peace in Kurdistan movement, which is linked to the PKK. The PKK has been listed as a terrorist organisation in the UK since 2001, partly because of its involvement in drug trafficking. In the past, Mr Corbyn has called for the PKK to be removed from the list of proscribed organisations. Mr Corbyn did not comment on the Istanbul terrorist attack.
SYRIA: MPs expressed contrition for the failure of the House of Commons to take military action against President Assad of Syria after he used poison gas on civilians in 2013. Ed Miliband, then Labour leader, was criticised for orchestrating the opposition and for preventing action being taken. Some commentators have expressed the view that the failure led to Russian intervention and to the rise of Isis jihadists.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: The UK spent £285 million on the construction of an airport at St. Helena, the remote island where Napoleon died in exile. Unfortunately, the airport cannot be used because of dangerous cross winds or wind shear. The problem of wind shear was observed by Charles Darwin in 1836. The Public Accounts Committee accused the Department of International Development of refusing to reveal who was responsible, but the Minister who made the decision has been named as Sir Alan Duncan. Officials at the Department refused to comment on the involvement of Sir Alan and referred enquirers to the Foreign Office. When contacted, the Foreign Office suggested enquiries should be addressed to the Department of International Development.
In another criticism of the Department, it appears that billions of pounds have been paid into World Bank trust funds so that the Government’s aid target can be met. In addition, the UK has been charged £241 million for administration fees over the last 5 years. It is not clear how the World Bank is using the funds – large amounts are sitting in accounts and have not been paid out.
Home front
REHABILITATION: London Community Rehabilitation Company, owned by MTCnovo, has been severely criticised by the Chief Inspector of Probation who has released a report which says that services have deteriorated recently. Inspectors found heavy caseloads, inexperienced officers, poor oversight, and a lack of senior management focus. The inspectors visited 8 boroughs in North London.
SEXUAL ABUSE: The Roman Catholic public school, Ampleforth, run by Benedictine monks, is to be investigated by the Charity Commission after The Times published the results of an investigation which indicated that the school had suppressed allegations of sexual abuse by a teacher. The events were said to have taken place in 1989. In 1987, allegations were made against a monk said to have sexually abused a pupil. The monk was removed from the school but sexually abused a boy elsewhere after relocation. In 2005 he was jailed for 4 years for indecent assault and gross indecency against 10 Ampleforth boys. Since 1996, 3 monks and a lay teacher have been convicted of sexual abuse at the school.
STEROIDS: A drugs company has been accused of raising the price of a packet of steroids from 70p to £88. The increase in the price has fallen on the NHS. The Competition and Markets Authority said that it had provisionally found that the company, Auden McKenzie, had broken competition laws.
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