Jeremy Corbyn's hair was rather on the wispy side when he arrived on stage yesterday. He looked in need of a good spit and comb. His cheeks sagged, his hooded eyes were gluey, while his diction rose barely above a soft whisper. It was 11.30am and had I not known any better, I would have said we were staring at a man who'd just been woken from a mid-morning snooze. We are less than a fortnight into a gruelling six-week General Election campaign, and it must be said that Mr Corbyn is already beginning to appear distinctly creaky. We are less than a fortnight into a gruelling six-week General Election campaign, and it must be said that Mr Corbyn (pictured with Angela Rayner) is already beginning to appear distinctly creaky The Labour leader had invited us to Blackpool Football Club to hear about Labour's 'ground-breaking' education policies. Such an occasion called for an energetic delivery or at the very least a bit of geriatric vigour. Instead, he looked as though he would rather have … [Read more...] about Angela Rayner is less knee jerk, more knee to the groin: HENRY DEEDES sees Jeremy Corbyn outshone
Rightminds
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The way patriotism is sneered at makes you ashamed to be British!
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The way patriotism is sneered at makes you ashamed to be British! By Richard Littlejohn for the Daily Mail Published: 02:06 GMT, 15 April 2014 | Updated: 04:02 GMT, 15 April 2014 e-mail 117 View Patriotic: Winston Churchill was intensely patriotic, a quality which sustained the nation during World War II and ensured our survival The famous story goes that when Winston Churchill was Prime Minister, he was woken one freezing February morning by a Downing Street aide bearing the shocking news that a male Tory MP had been caught having sex with a naked guardsman in St James’s Park.Noting that it had been the coldest night of the winter, Churchill is said to have remarked: ‘Makes you proud to be British.’Even if this wonderful anecdote isn’t true, it ought to be. Churchill’s reported reaction epitomised the ironic essence of Britishness: an amused tolerance, admiration for the determined triumph of perseverance over … [Read more...] about RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The way patriotism is sneered at makes you ashamed to be British!
SARAH VINE: Vaping is making me fear for my daughter
Like many parents, I've been following the growing questions about the safety of vaping with some trepidation. The past few months have seen a steady stream of vape-related horror stories, all pointing to the same conclusion: e-cigarettes might not be as harmless as we thought. The latest is the tale of Ewan Fisher, a teenager from the Midlands, who was hospitalised with severe respiratory failure after suffering a reaction to chemicals in his vaping liquids. Fortunately, he's made a full recovery; but it shook me because my own daughter — who is 16 — has recently taken up the habit, which is rife among teenagers. As far as I can tell, vaping is quite simply the coolest thing ever for this generation, in the same way that when I was my daughter's age we all wore winkle-pickers and smoked multi-coloured Sobranie Cocktail cigarettes at parties (bunions and mortality being very distant prospects back then). The past few months have seen a steady stream of vape-related horror … [Read more...] about SARAH VINE: Vaping is making me fear for my daughter
The end of GP house calls would be the death knell of medicine as a true vocation, writes DR MARTIN SCURR
When I was a young doctor, I used to stop in every Tuesday morning at the home of a patient in her 80s, a chain-smoker who was bedridden with emphysema. There was little medical that could be done for her. She would sit up in bed, a cheroot in one hand and oxygen mask in the other — it was a wonder we didn't get blown up — and regale me with stories of how she and a girlfriend drove around India in a Rolls-Royce in the Thirties. Then she'd pick up the Racing Post and instruct me to put her bets on the afternoon races. This week, the doctors' trade union GPC England will vote on lobbying the NHS to end home visits (file image) Suffer That kind of friendship between a GP and his patients has all but died out today. This week, the doctors' trade union GPC England will vote on lobbying the NHS to end home visits. They say GPs no longer have the 'capacity' to carry them out and describe them as 'an anachronism'. The doctor putting forward the motion, Dr Andy Parkin from … [Read more...] about The end of GP house calls would be the death knell of medicine as a true vocation, writes DR MARTIN SCURR
We need a new way to treat the sickness of knife violence, write THERESA MAY and SAJID JAVID
Theresa May at Church on Sunday near her Maidenhead constituency The loss of a life to knife crime is horrific. It is senseless, destructive and a tragedy for the families, friends and communities of the victims. It is a terrible truth that, disproportionately, it is young people whose lives are being lost in this way. This cannot be allowed to continue. We must and will use every tool and tactic at our disposal to deter young people from carrying knives. We must treat the threat which knives pose to our society like a disease. So this week we are bringing together experts from many different disciplines for a serious youth violence summit at 10 Downing Street. The aim is to get people from right across society – not just politicians and police officers, but figures from education, healthcare and social work, religious and community leaders, youth workers and more – working side by side to spot young people at risk, flag their concerns, and make targeted interventions … [Read more...] about We need a new way to treat the sickness of knife violence, write THERESA MAY and SAJID JAVID
