Professor Tim Newburn (head of social policy at the London School of Economics) ponders the ‘Officer Krupke’ question in CiF: What should we make of this new data? First, it is important not to be swayed too much by some of the media coverage. “Too sick to work, but not too sick to riot” was the Daily Mail’s take on the fact that Department of Work and Pensions data suggest…
…savages cause savagery: When I arrived to provide medical care, the four-year-old girl was unconscious. She had multiple bruises, skull fractures, a brain contusion, vaginal and anal tears, venereal disease, and was hemorrhaging from places a little girl should not. The perpetrator? Her stepfather.I actually sighed with relief when I learned she later died of her abusive injuries in the hospital; at least she was spared the anguish of surviving…
…well, fear not. Some vital services are actually being created: Teams of “eco-marshals” are to patrol London telling taxi drivers to switch off their engines when stationary to cut pollution. /facepalm Oh, and don’t worry if you’re not a cab-driver. They are planning on targeting you too, if this works… The crackdown is the start of a series of similar campaigns aimed at other professional drivers, as well as private…
Sue Marsh in CiF on the real cause of ‘disability hate crime’: There is little doubt that disability hate crime is on the rise. *sigh* Really?? A recent Equality and Human Rights Commission report concluded that “people with disabilities in the UK face harassment, insult and attack almost as a matter of routine, while a collective denial‘ among police, government and other public bodies means little is done to challenge…
No, really: Moves to impose an annual limit on benefit payments to the unemployed will affect single mothers and ethnic minorities hardest, the Government’s own analysis of the controversial policy has concluded. And a resounding ‘So what?!’ is hollered back… The planned cap was announced at last year’s Conservative conference by the Chancellor George Osborne, who argued it could not be right for families on benefit to receive more than…
Barbara Ellen on the growing opposition to overseas aid: It has been unnerving, in recent days, to observe the scene being set by those who oppose overseas aid and who feel sneeringly confident of ultimate victory. Unnerving because you know it resonates with the public? Only Gordon Brown, in his bid for the IMF job, stood up for the world’s poor, practically begging countries to keep their G8 education pledges.…
Christina Patterson on the rise of the ‘right wing’: Last week, at a literary party, I talked to a very handsome writer. “What we need,” he said, after taking a big swig of champagne, “is conviction politicians.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant. Did he mean a conviction politician like Hitler? Or like Castro? Or perhaps like Margaret Thatcher? But when I said Margaret Thatcher, he pulled a face.…
Well, not quite since it’s not quite being ignored completely, but since what there is in the news seems to be a couple of short articles linked on the home pages of the Teletubbygraph (near the top) and the Daily Wail (almost at the very bottom and behind an awful lot of guff about slebs), and as far as I could see bugger all on the Beeb, Indie, Grauniad, Express,…
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