Opinion
Brexiteers should be the biggest backers of a transition, here’s why
By Sammy Russell A number of pro-Brexit figures have criticised the transition period for leaving the UK a ‘vassal state’. Granted, the conditions of the transition period are a world away from the ‘take back control’ mantra of the Brexiteers - it leaves the UK a neutered state. But for the Brexiteers, championing a transition has always been their best bet. The UK leaves the EU at the end of the Article 50 period in March 2019 (the point of no...
Migrants aren’t a threat to the NHS – Losing the migrants that helped build it is
Migrants aren't a threat to the NHS - Losing the migrants that helped build it is That the NHS is acutely and chronically underfunded is an observation so often made as to be banal. Stats released last week showed the depth of the crisis: in January alone, more than 1,000 patients waiting 12 hours or more on trolleys and 55,000 operations cancelled. But its problems do not stop there. Another crisis is brewing in the NHS that risks being terminal:...
Think Brexit fanatics are angry? History may judge them even harsher
Why can’t Remainers just accept ‘they lost’, that it was a ‘democratic vote’, and just get on with their lives? Why can’t they just get with the programme? I’ll tell you. I'd consider myself a kind person. I've had some highs in my life, but it's definitely slapped me about a fair bit too. As a result, I continually try to empathise, to be polite, fair, and to do the right thing. They're about the only traits I pride myself...
Benefits assessments “still failing many people with mental health problems”
Last Friday (9 February), the Work and Pensions Committee released their interim first report into the experiences of disabled people claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), benefits intended to provide support for disabled people to live independently, or to manage the costs related to being out of work. Nearly 3,500 people provided evidence - an ‘unprecedented public response to a departmental select committee inquiry’ – according to the Committee. The report was described by the...
Australia emerging as a key post-Brexit trading partner
Courier records 54 per cent rise in enquiries about shipping to Australia since the Brexit vote. It’s an obvious export market but one that seems in danger of being overlooked, says David Jinks As retailers and businesses begin to plan their export strategy for a post Brexit world, there is much talk of trade deals with the USA and the huge potential of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China). But there’s a danger of missing the obvious trading...
Right of reply: Trussell Trust responds to selling on food donations
By Garry Lemon, Head of External Affairs at Trussell Trust In the House of Commons on the 18th October last year, MPs were debating the biggest change to the British welfare system in a generation – a radical transformation that will eventually affect millions of UK households. On that day, MPs were locked in debate around Universal Credit, which aims to simplify the current system of benefits by rolling several benefits and tax credits into one package, while making it easier for...
Some of the best healthcare systems in the World are publicly funded, the NHS just isn’t one of them
Donald Trump today used the NHS as a reason not to push for Universal Health Care in the US. The President pointed to demonstrations yesterday in the UK with thousands of Brits taking to the streets to protest the poorly run system. But even though Trump might have a point about the UK, he doesn't have a leg to stand on in regards to publicly funded health care systems. Indeed, many people have pointed out that some of the best healthcare...
How Brexit is hitting the new drugs market
By Robert Seiler One of the first concrete signs of Brexit’s approach came late last year when two EU agencies, currently located in London, were sent off to new pastures on the European mainland. In November, an EU-wide vote saw the European Medicines Agency (EMA) relocate to Amsterdam and the European Banking Authority (EBA) move to Paris. Arguably the biggest prize was the EMA: with a budget of approximately £232 million and 900 staff, the agency also attracts over 40,000 business visitors to the UK...
Boots robbed from the NHS and then pillaged the institution that funds it
Boots has today emerged as the face of modern capitalism after reports found that it had been charging the NHS extortionate amounts for drugs that were available on the high street for a fraction of the price. According to a Times report the high street chain charged the health service as much as £1,500 for single pots of moisturiser that others have sold for less than £2. The obscene bill for "specials" medication joined other charges such as £650 for coconut...