G7 leaders meet in Cornwall this weekend
G7 leaders from across the world have travelled to Carbis Bay, near St Ives in Cornwall as talks continue across the weekend, with Covid-19 vaccines and the environment high up on the agenda. The G7 brings together the largest capitalist economies, from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. Russia joined to form the G8 but has since been excluded. Other leaders have also been invited this year, including the far right leader of the BJP in India, Narendra Modi, who will attend virtually, while Ursula von der Leyen will represent the European Union.
More than half of UK adults fully vaccinated … but Britain isn’t out of the woods yet
As of Thursday (3 June 2021), 26,422,303 people across the UK have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, also confirmed that three quarters of UK adults have had their first jab. One of the few achievements in an otherwise disastrous response from the UK Government over the last 15 months.
10p bag charge introduced in England today
Government measures raising the price of single-use carrier bag from 5p to 10p have been introduced across England today.
Protesters successfully stop Home Office raid in Glasgow
Hundreds of protesters in the Southside of Glasgow have today (13 May 2021) managed to stop a Home Office attempt to detain and deport two local residents to Afghanistan. At around 10am this morning, calls went out from local direct action groups, including the No Evictions Network, to physically resist the deportation attempt. One individual lodged himself underneath the Home Office van before other activists could arrive to stop the van from moving.
Hundreds of British Gas engineers face sacking
As nearly 500 British Gas engineers face sackings, it is becoming increasingly clear that both employers and the Tory government are using the COVID crisis to attack workers’ rights.
Philip Mountbatten dead at 99
Buckingham Palace announced this afternoon (9 April 2021) that the Philip, so-called ‘Duke of Edinburgh’, had died. The BBC’s stations all took a moment of silence before a rendition of God Save the Queen was broadcast throughout the country. Flags will be flown at half mast, and testimonials will follow from across the political spectrum.
Labour Party shadow equalities minister apologises over anti-Traveller leaflet
In the same week as a botched Governmental report found the UK was not institutionally racist, there have been a number of incidents proving the contrary.
Rangers bow out amid Slavia racism row
Thursday nights Rangers V Slavia Prague match ended 1-3 on aggregate with the Czech side going through to the Quarter finals of the Europa League, drawing the Ibrox sides European campaign to a close. However, it isn’t the score line that is being discussed in the aftermath of the game.
Tory ‘Integrated Review’ pushes Britain closer to nuclear war
This week in Parliament, Boris Johnson published the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, described widely as the largest review of its kind since the end of the Cold War. Its publication comes after a string of related announcements, and an inflated defence budget last year.
Holyrood passes controversial Hate Crime Bill
MSPs have passed what has been described as “Scotland’s most controversial piece of legislation”. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill was passed on Thursday (11 March 2021) by 82 votes to 32, with 4 abstentions after a marathon debate of amendments on Wednesday. The legislation seeks to consolidate existing law and extends protection for some vulnerable groups with a new offence of “stirring up hatred”. Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on freedom of speech, with opponents arguing that the full implications of the proposed law have not been thought through. While supporting the principle of protecting people from prejudice, they argue that the definition of “‘stirring up hatred” is too vague and open to interpretation.
