In the UK the NHS is absolutely overwhelmed, but the government has tightened the eligibility criteria for free Covid vaccination to the point that only a small minority of the population is eligible. Offering free vaccination to everyone would be an easy win here
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cov...
The constant focus on exams is contributing to our country’s mental health crisis.
At our local secondary typical child has 23 exam papers to take for their final GCSEs.
They also do 4 sets of mocks (in exam conditions) before the real thing.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
"While Wales has legislated to eliminate profit-making from children’s social care services, & Scotland is trying to limit for-profit operators, in England more than 80% of child residential homes are for profit ... nearly 1/4 of foster places in England are provided by private equity-backed firms."
More than 3,200 lawyers including 300 top barristers and retired judges have called on the Prime Minister to drop his plan to restrict the right to trial by jury
youtu.be/x6NIiM9G5ag?...
Wes Streeting is keeping Palantir’s secrets 🤫
https://goodlaw.social/dmxu
🪧Join the Protest: Protect SEND Legal Rights!
📅9th May
⏰11:30 - 13:00
📍Parliament Square, with regional demos also happening in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds and the Isle of Wight.
More information on Save our Children's Rights' website: saveourchildrensrights.org.uk/join-send-pr...
It infuriates me when I see schools making these unnecessary rules because it's not difficult to be flexible and to give young people some agency. I think it stems from a belief (encouraged by some edu people on social media) that the only options are complete compliance or total chaos.
bsky.app/profile/ther...
Dr. Cathy Finnis shared her vulnerable daughter's experience trying to get hold of a vaccine before she started school.
She also explains the need to restore the vaccine offer to include all Clinically Vulnerable people.
4/
"The virus didn't disappear. The support did."
@rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social promised "an end to sticking-plaster politics"
We invite him to meet with us to discuss practical solutions.
2/
But for unions there has to be a 50% turn out for ballots calling strike action.
www.local.gov.uk/our-support/...
Turnout at UK elections, by type Most recent election General Election 2019) 67.3% Scottish Parliament(2021)| 63.5% Northern Ireland Assembly (2022) 62.8% Welsh Parliament (2021) 46.5% European Parliament 2019) 37.2% Local elections (England) (2021) | 35.9% Note: Turnout shown for Scotland and Wales is the highest of the two (constituency and list). Data for the 2022 local elections in England are not yet available Sources: European Parliament, Election results 2019; Electoral Commission, past election results; Library Briefing Paper, General Election 2019: full results and analysis, Commons Library, 2021 Local elections handbook and dataset, Commons Library Briefing Paper 9549 Northern Ireland Assembly elections 2022
50% is a very respectable turn out isn’t it?
For context, it is greater than the turn out for the Welsh Parliament and way greater than the turn out for the local elections:
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CB...
‘The key issue is not only what happens with regard to what a child is entitled to, but also whether that entitlement can be enforced’: two legal experts issue a warning about the government’s SEND plans
This week I’ve been challenging the Govt’s sinister attempts to abolish the right to choose a jury trial.
Here is the Minister confirming that the right to elect a jury trial IS being completely abolished with this Bill!
A fundamental cornerstone of our justice system established in 1670: gone.
From the language used to imply Trump is disabled to how some people talk about assisted dying to Labour's willingness to scapegoat disabled people, progressive politics has a disability problem
open.substack.com/pub/lucywebs...
The Government consultation on powered mobility aids is closing on 22nd April.
@wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk have co-produced these key principles alongside other DPOs to help us respond!
Read and share the 10 key asks & respond to the consultation! www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/10-key-...
Government to examine deaths of vulnerable care leavers.
Review into deaths of young people leaving the care system to be published later this year, led by Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain
www.gov.uk/government/n...
$30m an hour: big oil reaping huge war windfall from consumers, extra $234bn by end of 2026
It is Trump's way of rewarding his backers. Corporations always profit from war whilst household/Govt budgets are decimated.
Govts must levy windfall taxes.
BBC News is going very hard on its investigation into advisers who help people ‘fake’ asylum claims, focusing especially on people who falsely claim to be gay. But it doesn’t say what percentage of claims are made on the basis of sexuality. As of 2023 — the last available figures — it was 3%.
Gay folks who claim asylum have to “out” themselves to bureaucrats who ask invasive and demeaning questions, face stigma from their broader communities, have to deal with abuse from people sharing their accommodation. The idea it’s “easy” to just pretend to be gay for asylum is breathtakingly false.
The government was forced to admit the EHRC’s transphobic draft guidance got it wrong, and they’ve had to send it back to the drawing board.
But the fight is far from over. They plan to bring an updated version back to parliament in May. So we need to act – fast 👇
Even the account featured at length about the abusive husband who claimed to be the victim doesn’t contain *a single piece of evidence* that he tried to remain here as a victim of abuse, let alone that he succeeded. The story is appalling but doesn’t remotely support the article’s premise 3/
For the second day, the BBC are running a story that presents itself as providing evidence of endemic abuse of the asylum system based on seemingly a single encounter with someone who is neither a lawyer nor a registered immigration adviser. Words fail. This is reprehensibly irresponsible.
In 2001, the term "accident" was banned in BMJ publications. Unintended injuries & deaths are due to the actions of people. The RoSPA report demonstrates that the implementation of austerity, for example, has caused, not only suicides and disease, but also unintended yet foreseeable deaths
Energy companies made £125bn profit from UK operations for 2020-25, fueling inflation, poverty.
They get subsidies. During high winds, turbines are turned-off because the UK does not have adequate energy transmission and storage.
Profits will rise from Iran war.
Nationalize energy.
More energy intensive UK businesses to get govt help.
£600m subsidy will be paid out of taxation, won't make a dent in energy company profits.
Everyone deserves lower energy bills. Ending profiteering is the only sustainable policy.
Nationalise energy.
If you care about the economy, you should be promoting anti-infection measures:
Long COVID could cost up to €115.3bn per year over the next decade, study shows
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
Zero issue with cracking down on dodgy immigration advisers, they cause significant harm. Predictably though the BBCs poor reporting on this is being used to attack LGBTQIA asylum seekers, who at last figures make up roughly 2% of claims. 1/
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Gary here has some stark advice to Government not to fall into the trap of lowering oil and gas prices by subsidising as that will only hand more money to fossil fuel companies and the super rich , who are making vast profits from this crisis.
youtu.be/Oi265I48MdI
