EU trade ban reduces global trade in wild birds by 90 percent
The global trade in wild birds has plunged by about 90 percent since the EU banned imports 12 years ago after a parrot died in Britain - from bird flu. The illegal trade has been implicated as one of the main culprits in the spread of the killer disease and has brought several species to the brink of extinction. The number traded annually has now fallen from about 1.3 million to 130,000, according to new research. They are trapped and...
John McDonnell: This is a ‘nothing has changed’ Budget from an out-of-touch Government
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has described today's Budget as "a ‘nothing has changed’ Budget from an out-of-touch Government". The scathing critique follows Jeremy Corbyn's response in parliament that Philip Hammond's speech was acknowledgement of a "record failure" on behalf of the Conservative government, with economic growth revised down, productivity growth revised down, business investment revised down and people’s incomes revised down. McDonnell says Hammond has "completely failed" to recognise the scale of the emergency in our public services, adding that the Budget has...
Restaurant Review: Flank
There’s no such thing as a perfect restaurant. There are good restaurants and bad restaurants – truly exceptional ones, even; but perfection is impossible to grasp with each dining experience being so subjective. Many meat-enthusiasts believe Hawksmoor is the perfect meat restaurant, for instance. They’re entitled to their opinions, of course, yet my personal idea of perfection doesn’t include eating carelessly-cooked steaks, suffered in an atmosphere beleaguered by toxic masculinity. The menu at Flank – a new addition to Old...
Binge Watch: The Punisher
There is something dark and malicious within the concept of duty for at its root, duty is a well-told lie. Lies themselves are always betrayals for in the liar’s mind you the receiver of a lie are either too ignorant, too weak or too untrustworthy to be trusted with the truth. And then, when the lie is uncovered, the reaction can run the gamut from momentary unease forgiven in good grace through to a permanent deep break ending in violence....
Brexit guzzles Budget money as NHS left out in the cold
Philip Hammond put aside more money for Brexit than the NHS in the 2017 Budget in a reversal of the promises outlined during the referendum campaign. The Chancellor said £3 billion would be spent on Brexit planning, while just £2.8 billion will go to the NHS. In a deeply ironic twist the NHS now has just £350 million to see it through the winter, rather than the £350 million a week it was promised by the Leave campaign. Earlier this month NHS...
Beer of the Week: Goose Island Beer Co 2017 Bourbon County Brand Stout
Chicago’s original craft beer company, Goose Island Beer Co. first launched in 1988. Pioneers of barrel-aged beer, the brewery have introduced a wide portfolio of beers to the UK since launching on this side of the Atlantic, including their core Goose IPA and Honkers Ale. Following the colossal success of the brewery’s first launch of Bourbon County Brand Stout in the UK - traditionally released in the US on Black Friday - Goose Island have released yet another for 2017....
Budget 2017 proves “spreadsheet Phil” can’t really balance the books
The 2017 Budget proves Philip Hammond can't really balance the books, according to industry experts. The Chancellor was forced to revise down much of his growth forecasts for the country in what has been described as a budget that "concentrates more on the political shape of the Conservative party rather than the economic shape of the UK economy." Jeremy Corbyn slammed the Conservatives on the Budget announcement saying "it's a record of failure" with economic growth revised down, productivity growth...
Sir Winston Churchill’s Final Painting Sells For Staggering £357K
Sir Winston Churchill's final piece of artwork yesterday (Tues) smashed its auction estimate by selling for a staggering £357,000. The wartime leader painted 'The Goldfish Pool at Chartwell' in 1962 - three years before his death. He was in his late eighties and his abstract painting depicts the beloved goldfish pool in the garden of the family home at Chartwell, Kent. Churchill gave the painting, described as "a unique and moving insight into his final years", to bodyguard Sergeant Edmund...
Police still refusing to declare on cricketer Ben Stokes’ fate
Police are still refusing to say when England ace Ben Stokes might be free to join the team for the Ashes. The 26 year-old all-rounder was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm after a brawl in Bristol in September. He was released pending further investigation and suspended by the England team while the case remains unresolved. But two months on - and with the Ashes starting today (weds) in Brisbane - Avon and Somerset say they still have no update...