By election

The General Election on Thursday was the most extraordinary in British history since modern elections began in 1918. We’ve had some exciting votes, from the closer than expected result of 2010 to the transformational victories of Clement Attlee, Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair in 1945, 1979 and 1997. But I’ve known nothing like 2017 in the dozen elections I have lived through since February 1974 for sheer unpredictability, drama and emotion . Ted Heath’s February 1974 general election, extraordinary in itself, provides the best mirror through which to view the utterly historic events of the last 36 hours. In both February 1974 and this time, Conservative Prime Ministers who were ill at ease with themselves and not natural communicators called a general election that they need not have triggered only to see it backfire disastrously against them and their party, leaving the country in a desperately vulnerable position at a time of great national need. Probe a little deeper, … [Read more...] about This has been the most extraordinary General Election since 1918

This election was a gamble – as all elections are gambles. You can never take them for granted. But you can run a good campaign. Unfortunately this was a most appalling Conservative campaign – thoroughly inept. There were two principal problems: personality and policy. It was far too personal a campaign , and Theresa May couldn’t carry that off. Worse, there were too many things in the manifesto that hadn’t been thought through, with social care being the most obvious. Not that the social care proposals were in themselves stupid, but it is dangerous to do these things before elections if you don’t have to; better to introduce the legislation later, once elected. In this the two problems combined, because colleagues could have alerted her to the danger, had she consulted them. But she did not . She has always been a loner . She was a loner in the Home Office, and from day one as Prime Minister. By contrast Margaret Thatcher, with whom Mrs May has sometimes been … [Read more...] about Margaret Thatcher understood the secret of winning elections: free market economic policy

Teenagers should study core subjects including maths and English beyond GCSE as part of a new “British Baccalaureate”, Rishi Sunak has said. Setting out his education policies,  the Conservative leadership contender criticised the current A-level curriculum as overly narrow, saying it fails  to prepare young people for future ­economic opportunities. The former chancellor pointed to other countries in Europe and Asia where students have to study maths until the age of 18. Mr Sunak also vowed to create a ‘Russell Group’ of technical colleges to provide young people with a prestigious alternative to university if he becomes Prime Minister. Setting out his education policies, the Conservative leadership contender also said he would increase the use of AI in schools and continue a crackdown on poor value universities courses. The Russell Group was established in 1994 and now covers 24 universities - including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London - with a reputation … [Read more...] about Teenagers should study maths and English beyond GCSE, says Rishi Sunak

A deal with the Democratic Unionist Party will mean Theresa May has a stay of execution at Number 10.  Can we expect her to perform any better than she has done in her first 11 months, which is already being compared to Anthony Eden’s disastrous leadership from 1955-1957 which crashed in flames after his mishandling of the Suez crisis? Prime Ministers usually come to power ill-prepared for what lies ahead and without the willingness to learn. Theresa May was no exception. She appointed two tenacious Chiefs of Staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill , who had worked alongside her with ferocious loyalty at the Home Office. She thought that she could employ the same style in the vastly different world of Number 10. But the job of Prime Minister is one of persuasion, not command and control. Timothy and Hill crafted a meritocratic agenda for her which had much sense: but it never gained traction across Whitehall. Both individuals have become scapegoats for the election defeat and … [Read more...] about Theresa May Mark II could well be the most successful period of her premiership

The UK Supreme Court said Thursday it will hold hearings in October on whether Scotland can call an independence referendum without the consent of the British government. Scotland's pro-independence First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she intends to hold a fresh vote on independence on 19 October 2023. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government in London says it won’t allow a vote to take place because Scots rejected independence in a 2014 referendum that was billed as a "once-in-a-generation" vote. A vote held without the approval of the London government would not be legally binding. Sturgeon’s Scottish government has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether it has the power to legislate for a consultative referendum, even if the UK government does not give the go-ahead. The court said Thursday it would hear the arguments from both sides on 11 and 12 October. 'Now is the time': Nicola Sturgeon lays out her plans for new Scotland independence … [Read more...] about UK Supreme Court to hear Scottish independence case in October

Police are investigating a string of spiking incidents through the use of needles in a popular tourist hotspot. Majorca and Ibiza police are investigating a total of six incidents after three women say they were jabbed with a needle. Another three made similar complaints but elected not to press charges. A spokesman for the Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands: "We’re investigating four cases in Ibiza and two in Majorca. "We have received three formal complaints." A source said: "There is no evidence at this stage to indicate any of the women were drugged or allegations of theft or sexual assault after the alleged needle attacks but the investigations are ongoing." Police are investigating a string of spiking incidents through the use of needles in the Balearic Islands ( Image: Getty Images) Police forces around the UK recorded at least 2,436 cases of spiking between 2017 and 2021 and 839 of them came in the last year alone. A report recently suggested … [Read more...] about Warning for Brits as police investigate holiday hotspots hit by needle spikings

By Malu Cursino Published 49 minutes ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown has called for an emergency budget before the UK hits a "financial timebomb" this autumn. Mr Brown said millions would be pushed "over the edge" if the government does not address the cost of living crisis. Conservative leadership rivals Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have clashed over how they will address high inflation. He wants them to agree an emergency budget with PM Boris Johnson this week, or for parliament to be recalled. Writing in the Observer , Mr Brown said: "The reality is grim and undeniable: a financial timebomb will explode for families in October as a second round of fuel price rises in six months sends shock waves through every household and pushes millions over the edge." A new report commissioned by Mr Brown, carried out by … [Read more...] about Gordon Brown demands emergency budget before ‘financial timebomb’

By George Wright Published 11 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing The United States has accused Beijing of "provocative" and "irresponsible" actions after Taiwan said China rehearsed an attack on the island. Taiwan said it responded to the Chinese drills, now in their fourth day, by deploying aircraft and ships on Sunday. The heightened tensions follow a trip to Taiwan by a US delegation led by senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi. China views the visit as a challenge to its claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, which sees itself as distinct. Taiwan's defence ministry said Chinese ships and planes carried out missions in the Taiwan Strait over the weekend, with some crossing the median line - an unofficial buffer separating the two sides. The Taiwan military said it responded "appropriately" to the live-fire exercises, which it described as a simulated attack … [Read more...] about Taiwan: US hits out at ‘irresponsible’ China amid attack rehearsal claims

NZ Post has reported an after-tax loss of $121 million, blaming a continuing decline in letter volumes. Despite reporting a "strong operational performance" with a $35 million increase in revenue, the postal service's bottom line was hit hard by a $51m write-down in the value of its mail assets. The lift in revenue was driven by an increase in online shopping leading to a rise in the volume of parcels NZ Post delivered. "This operational performance shows that the strategy to focus on parcels is the right one, as our parcels business continues to grow," said Rodger Finlay, NZ Post Board chairman. READ MORE: Online purchases from China to cost more after US postal threat NZ Post hikes letter price as volumes plunge 60 million in a year Weekend online buying habits deliver record mail volumes for Taranaki posties The $121m loss compared to a $13m profit last year. "We will continue to look to invest for the future, to meet the opportunities from … [Read more...] about NZ Post reports $121 million loss due to declining letter volumes

The misuse of workshops to keep the public in the dark about council issues will be investigated by Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier, with Palmerston North one of eight councils under the microscope. Boshier has launched his study because he was concerned councils were using workshops and other informal meetings to undermine local democracy. The Palmerston North City Council came to his attention after Stuff complained about the withholding of information about the Nature Calls wastewater project presented at a workshop in 2020. The material was eventually released 10 months later. READ MORE: Ombudsman criticises Palmerston North City Council secrecy Ombudsman calls for more transparency from Invercargill City Council City council criticised for keeping wastewater workshops secret In that case, Boshier found the council was not entitled to withhold the information, and instructed then chief executive Heather Shotter to apologise, which she did. He said it was … [Read more...] about Secret council workshops investigated by chief ombudsman