09 February 2017 Week in Brief: UK POLICE SURVEILLANCE: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which supervises police surveillance activities, has found that Cleveland Police broke the law when carrying out investigations under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. The force had monitored a police officer who was suing it over racism and also monitored the phones… Continue reading Issue 91: 2017 02 09: Week in Brief: UK
Tag: Brexit
Issue 90: 2017 02 02: Week in Brief: UK
02 February 2017 Week in Brief: UK BREXIT: The Supreme Court has handed down its judgement and has held that the Prime Minister, Theresa May, cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by exercise of the Royal Prerogative. It must be done by statute, namely an Act of Parliament passed by the House of… Continue reading Issue 90: 2017 02 02: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 89: 2017 01 26: Speech Therapy (John Watson)
26 January 2017 Speech Therapy Mrs May at Lancaster House. By John Watson A year or so ago, I was at a literary lunch where the speaker was Nick Robinson, television presenter and one time political editor of the BBC. It was before the Brexit vote and he was talking about the then Prime Minister,… Continue reading Issue 89: 2017 01 26: Speech Therapy (John Watson)
Issue 89: 2017 01 26: Week in Brief: UK
26 January 2017 Week in Brief: UK BREXIT: The Supreme Court ruled that Article 50 cannot be triggered without the consent of parliament, dismissing the government’s appeal against the earlier High Court judgement. TORTURE: A Libyan political dissident claims that the SIS (MI6) colluded with the CIA to detain him and send him to Libya… Continue reading Issue 89: 2017 01 26: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Week in Brief: UK
19 January 2017 Week in Brief: UK NHS: There are reports that 10 Downing Street has been critical, in private, about the head of NHS England who has been described as not enthusiastic and not sufficiently responsive to the problems within the NHS. He has rejected the criticism. Theresa May has insisted that GPs’ surgeries… Continue reading Issue 88: 2017 01 19: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
12 January 2017 A Very Predictable Stance Why the drop? By John Watson Here we go again. Up, up, up, up,…… cranking its way to the crest of a slope and then wheeeeee…. back down to October levels; the pound continues its imitation of the big dipper in a fairground. Well, there’s nothing surprising in… Continue reading Issue 87: 2017 01 12: A Very Predictable Stance (John Watson)
Issue 85: 2016 12 22: Where should we invest in 2017? (Frank O’Nomics)
22 December 2016 Where should we invest in 2017? by Frank O’Nomics This time last year I was rash enough to discuss what we should do with our savings with a view to making the best returns over 2016. It would be easy to brush this under the carpet and try to pretend that I… Continue reading Issue 85: 2016 12 22: Where should we invest in 2017? (Frank O’Nomics)
Issue 85: 2016 12 22: Year of Mysteries (John Watson)
22 December 2016 Year of Mysteries Hang on to your hats. It may be a bumpy ride. by John Watson As 2016 slides away it is hard not to marvel at just how much has changed. A year ago we looked destined to keep our place on the EU rollercoaster as it plunged towards greater… Continue reading Issue 85: 2016 12 22: Year of Mysteries (John Watson)
Issue 84: 2016 12 15: Week in Brief: UK
15 December 2016 Week in Brief: UK WEARING THE TROUSERS: Nicky Morgan, sacked from the role of education secretary by Mrs May, has been banned from meetings at Downing Street after publicly criticising the Prime Minister’s trousers. Apparently Mrs Morgan, an aspirant for the leadership following the resignation of David Cameron, was troubled by their… Continue reading Issue 84: 2016 12 15: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 84: 2016 12 15: Thinking Forward (John Watson)
15 December 2016 Thinking Forward Britain’s immigration offer. by John Watson Is he Remoan? Is she from the headbanging wing of Leave? Reading the popular press you might think that these were the pivotal questions of British politics. It is a relief, then, to be reminded that beneath the rhetoric and position-taking, serious thought is… Continue reading Issue 84: 2016 12 15: Thinking Forward (John Watson)
Issue 83: 2016 12 08: Week in Brief: UK
08 December 2016 Week in Brief: UK Courts SUPREME COURT: The Government’s appeal to the Supreme Court, against the High Court decision that Parliamentary approval is required before notice is given to leave the EU under article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, began on Monday. The case turns on whether the supremacy of Parliament… Continue reading Issue 83: 2016 12 08: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 82: 2016 12 01: Week in Brief: UK
01 December 2016 Week In Brief: UK Government BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS: Guy Verhofstadt, the chief EU negotiator on Brexit, has suggested that, following the UK’s secession from the EU, individual Britons should be able to pay an annual fee in return for personal EU membership, an idea unlikely to appeal to “leave” MPs. According to reports in… Continue reading Issue 82: 2016 12 01: Week in Brief: UK
Issue 81: 2016 11 24: When Racism Stalks The Streets (John Watson)
24 November 2016 When Racism Stalks The Streets Time for a message. By John Watson The cricketers call it Hawkeye. I am not sure what the equivalent term is in tennis but in any case the principle is much the same. If it is hard to tell whether a ball would have hit the stumps,… Continue reading Issue 81: 2016 11 24: When Racism Stalks The Streets (John Watson)
