News

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor It looks like the Chancellor’s much heralded “Northern Powerhouse,” is not quite going according to plan, which may come as not much of a surprise to people living there. Osborne will be saddened to hear that more start-ups were launched in a single London postcode than in every city and town in Yorkshire. The capital’s Silicon Roundabout, the UK’s tech hub, created 10,280 start-ups in 2014-15. Conversely, last year Yorkshire and Humberside saw 9,562 start-ups,...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Leading barrister Michael Bowsher says the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) does allow for private US firms to snap up NHS contracts. The legal analysis has also revealed that the controversial TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) deal would mean NHS privatisation maybe irreversible for future governments. The controversial trade deal would give investors new legal rights, which extend beyond both UK and EU law as well as NHS contracts. The US-EU deal is...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Mandy Boycott a UKIP campaigner, and one-time prospective parliamentary MP, has made a pretty special parody version of Baddiel and Skinner's Three Lions. It has to be seen to be believed. The singing is terrible, the lyrics are terrible, you guessed it...it is TERRIBLE. Our best line "They've taken all our fish." Watch here

By Ben Ramanauskas  In 1944, when continental Europe was on the verge of being liberated from fascism and while much of the world suffered under the oppressive yoke of communism, the Austrian economist F.A Hayek published The Road to Serfdom. Hayek argued that the abandonment of individualism and classical liberalism inevitably leads to a loss of freedom, the creation of an oppressive society, the reign of tyranny, and the serfdom of the individual. Thankfully, fascism was destroyed and the Soviet...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Labour Party leader was trying to respond to Cameron's statement on his deal with the EU, when he said: "Last week, like him, I was in Brussels meeting with heads of government and European leaders of socialist parties. One of whom said to me …” Two Tory MPs: “Who are you?” Hardly hilarious, but the standard of comedy in the Commons is rarely very high, and give the Conservatives a chance to have a dig...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Virginia McLaurin, a 106-year-old black woman, did what would have seemed impossible when she was born; she visited the White House and met the first ever black president. It was an incredible moment, McLaurin and the Obamas talked, laughed and they even danced. Unbelievable for anyone of that age. But most telling was one comment from McLaurin: "I thought I would never live to get in the White House." If this video doesn't make you...

By Ben Ramanauskas On September 15th 2008, the global investment bank Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy. It was- and still remains- the largest bankruptcy filing in the history of the United States and precipitated a global financial crisis that has had a devastating impact on the world economy. The conduct of many of the bankers at Lehman Brothers, and it’s subsequent fall, became emblematic of the culture of greed and excessive risk taking of the financial services industry. As the...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A report has found that 3,500 vulnerable people are languishing in state ran institutions, almost a thousand more than was previously thought. The Government had vowed to ensure these people received adequate care in the community, but this hasn’t been the case. This shocking news comes despite promising to move them into decent community care, in wake of the Winterbourne view scandal in 2011. The report claims that 10,000 extra members of staff are needed...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor More shocking news on the state of the health service as MPs have warned that the NHS is now in “financial freefall,” after the overspend in nine months was £622 million over what was predicted. The nation’s hospitals are facing huge pressures from soaring demand for care, sky-high costs and patients bed blocking. Numerous trusts are not hitting various national waiting times standards, almost 100,000 people are waiting for more than fours hours to be...