Behind-the-story: A British volunteer soldier turned twitter persona April 13, 2022 The war in Ukraine has been fought on two fronts: on land against Russian troops – and on social media. Aiden Aslin, a British national fighting with the Ukrainian forces, personified these simultaneous struggles. The former care worker from Newark, in Nottinghamshire, was engaged in the very real fight against Russian troops. But was also [...]
Rishi Sunak’s weak stomach for a scandal could spell the end for Johnson April 13, 2022 When Boris Johnson catapulted a young upstart from Treasury minister to Chancellor of the Exchequer, he likely envisaged Rishi Sunak would be pliable and amenable to his insatiable desire for spending rather than the thin-skinned thorn in his side.
Scandals within the NHS have finally made us question the angelic halo of our doctors April 13, 2022 Much of the narrative around the health service over the past few years has depicted nurses as angels and doctors as living saints. Soap operas are helpful purveyors of this narrative. Perhaps the most famous is George Clooney as the charismatic Dr Ross in the long running American medical drama ER. Dr Ross, despite the [...]
As inflation pushes up prices, businesses should only hike them where it really counts April 13, 2022 Just as the impact of the pandemic was subsiding, inflation has risen to its highest rate since March 1992 – hitting 5.5 percent in January 2022. The Bank of England has projected that inflation will hit 7 percent by the spring. From freight rates to oil to furniture and groceries, prices are increasing dramatically. Many [...]
Explainer-in-brief: As NHS chiefs call for more rules, is Covid-19 back? April 12, 2022 Just as many of us were beginning to feel like the worst of Covid-19 was behind us, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation has warned that Easter could be ‘as bad as any winter’ in the health service. In the last week, around 20 NHS trusts issued divert warnings, telling ambulances to take patients [...]
From Calais, with love: CCTV funding rows capture our migration challenge April 12, 2022 In the first five weeks of war in Ukraine, more than four million people have fled their home, according to the United Nations. The bulk of these have gone to Poland, but many are trying to find permanent homes elsewhere in Europe. Before introducing the Homes for Ukraine scheme, the UK was scrambling to process [...]
Levelling up state administrators’ salaries won’t help us address economic inequality April 12, 2022 Last week, the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities advertised for a new set of lucrative public sector jobs. As part of the “flagship” plans to ensure equal economic growth across the country, a team of 12 “levelling up directors” will receive a generous, tax-payer funded salary of up to £144,000. The job? To [...]
Macron and Le Pen rematch over France’s global voice: in the choir or a monologue April 12, 2022 As Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen prepare to face off in the final round of France’s presidential election, most French voters (like voters anywhere) will probably be thinking more about their own economic situation than events in other countries. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may still be in the headlines, but after a month it [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Energy strategy won’t push prices down for years to come April 11, 2022 When asked about the effect the newly unveiled energy strategy would have on prices, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng replied“the impact could be very soon”. By very soon, he specified, he meant three or four years. Now, we know a transition to sustainable energy produced here takes time. No government could simply do some magic and [...]
Rishi stole the crypto thunder with an NFT as Whitehall fights to go digital April 11, 2022 Last week, away from the grinding tragedy of the war in Ukraine and the ongoing fears over rising costs of living, Rishi Sunak unveiled an eye-catching plan. The Royal Mint is set to launch its own non-fungible token (NFT), marking the beginning of the government’s plans to wade into the cryptocurrency sector. NFTs have been [...]