You might find yourself wondering why, when the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Health are all self-isolating, and new cases have reached the peak levels seen last over the New Year, today is a good day to declare as “Freedom Day”. And yet, for all of the […]
Sunak and Johnson in “Barnard Castle on steroids” escape from self-isolation
You couldn’t make it up. It’s like reading the cover of Private Eye. Health secretary Sajid Javid gets a positive Covid-19 result. If the Prime Minister and Chancellor, who met with him on Friday, were ordinary mortals, they would have been banished into the self-isolation wilderness for 10 days. But those at the heart of […]
Ending profit making from the care of vulnerable children in Wales
Before my election to the Senedd I was a child protection social worker. I worked with some of the most vulnerable children and young people in society and those staff dedicated to giving them every chance to thrive. That is why I jumped at the chance to table a debate on legislative proposal in the […]
Munira Wilson: Coercion is not the answer to vaccine hesitancy
Last night, Liberal Democrat MPs voted against the Government’s Statutory Instrument which made vaccinations compulsory for care home staff. Munira Wilson, our health spokesperson, had a right go at the Government for its approach, pointing out that the care sector had long been undervalued and the Government’s approach had let down so many staff and […]
Is Boris Johnson gambling on tonight’s Euro final to boost herd immunity?
Crowding together. Shouting. Singing. Welcome to the excitement of football. As England and Italy prepare for the Euro final, scientists are concerned that football is helping drive up Covid-19 infection rates by allowing potentially super spreader events such as the finals at Wembley and Wimbledon. It is predicted that seven million pints will be served […]
Hancock: Emergent class of rulebreakers are undermining government
Will he go or will he stay? Can Hancock survive a sneaky snog and buttock fondle that took place at a time when he was telling us all to social distance? Matt Hancock survived Dominic Cumming’s torpedoes and hell has no fury like a political adviser scorned. Hancock has the prime minister’s backing. Well, Johnson […]
We need to shout about …….. Community choirs
No sooner are we past the so-called freedom day than the Johnson government finally starts believing in the vaccine programme, having systematically undermined it for the last two months by pretending that vaccinated people pose a risk, should not socialise, travel and must be treated in the same way as those who have not been […]
Moran attacks Hancock on his denial that there was a PPE shortage early in pandemic
The collective memory, the memories of the front like medical workers and the records in all manner of media outlets are wrong. The PPE shortage in the early months of the pandemic was an illusion, maybe a few shortages locally. That’s according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock. He is blind to PPE shortages and the […]
World Review: Netanyahu, G7, corporation tax and going green
In this week’s look at world news, LDV’s foreign affairs editor Tom Arms reviews the situation in Israel where Netanyahu looks set to be ousted by a coalition held together, for now at least, by their opposition to the country’s leader of 12 years. Cornwall will host the G7 summit later this week. Boris Johnson […]
Local lockdowns by stealth?
The Government has been having to deal rapidly with the cock-up over the restrictions in areas where the Indian variant is spreading. Munira Wilson was in the Guardian today, after confusion reigned in Westminster: An appearance in the House of Commons on Tuesday by the vaccines minister, Nadhim Zahawi, failed to clarify the matter. “What we’re […]