Explainer-in-brief: Cutting company ties with Russia is a balancing act March 31, 2022 Leroy Merlin and Bayer are two of the companies that haven’t pulled out of Russia yet. When giants like BP and Shell terminated operations in the country they were praised, and rightfully so. Companies that haven’t left face boycott calls. Sanctions are seen as a way to push the Kremlin in a corner, ultimately making [...]
For love nor money: after the clapping stopped, can we fix our health system? March 31, 2022 Derek Greatorex has been a GP for thirty years. He describes the current crisis in general practice as “more significant, deeper and like a runaway train which is heading down an ever-steepening slope to an inevitable crash somewhere ahead”. Patients are feeling it too. Satisfaction with the NHS is at the lowest it’s been in [...]
A snap legislative change to isolate P&O exposes the holes of employment law March 29, 2022 First came the heavy-handed sacking of 800 workers via Zoom. Then followed the unnerving performance of P&O chief exec Peter Hebblethwaite in front of a parliamentary select committee. The P&O saga has been a total mishap. Now, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has vowed to change the laws and make it illegal to pay employees below [...]
As supermarkets keep costs low, farming bears the brunt of inflation in the middle March 28, 2022 The British farming industry is facing a tumultuous future. The impact of high inflation coupled with the reverberations of the war in Ukraine has left farmers high and dry without access to crucial products. What insiders have termed an “unprecedented crisis” could cause radical change in the British farming sector – an opportunity for some, [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Instagram and TikTok outlawed on the roads – finally March 25, 2022 From today, people driving and using their phones for any activity will be breaking the law. Reckless drivers could face a fine of up to £1,000, 6 points on their licence or a full ban. “I will do everything in my power to keep road-users safe”, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps proudly announced. The new measures, [...]
Potatoes are off the table with higher gas bills March 24, 2022 Yesterday, after the Chancellor unveiled his spending review, food banks pushed back as grim figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility warned of the biggest fall in household’s disposable incomes since records began. Richard Walker, the Managing Director of Iceland, gave a stark warning. He told the BBC that some food bank users were declining [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Boris Johnson hits the nuclear option March 22, 2022 Yesterday, Boris Johnson met with bosses from the nuclear industry to discuss the future of the sector. It was part of the Prime Minister’s bet on nuclear power, to phase out Russian gas and oil. This includes everything from small modular reactors to big power plants. As Johnson gets ready for the publication of the [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Send off-shore processing the way of other junk ideas March 21, 2022 The new quarrel unfolding in Parliament is over the Home Office’s scheme to process asylum seekers offshore. The Nationality and Borders bill is currently “ping ponging” between the House of Lords and the Commons over plans to pay countries to accept asylum seekers on their territory. Reports have suggested potential candidates could be Rwanda, Ghana [...]
My morning in the metaverse March 17, 2022 Yesterday morning, Heineken (yes, the beer), hosted a press conference for their new drink. Instead of thinking about what tube or bus I would catch, I followed a link to the brave new world of the metaverse. Their new drink – Heineken Silver – will be the booze for Decentraland, the metaverse platform. I tuned [...]
Behind-the-story: Nazanin’s liberation from Iran after six long years March 17, 2022 Yesterday, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was finally allowed to return to the UK and reunite with her family after almost six years of detention in Iran. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was on holiday in Iran visiting her parents when she was arrested for “plotting against the government.” Another British-Iranian, Anoosheh Ashoori, was also released after being arrested in 2017. Both [...]
