A generation of children's education is being compromised as staff numbers are cut, classes get larger, and staff are forced to bring basic things like toilet paper from home says GMB GMB, the union for school support staff, says the Conservative’s latest grammar school plans steal from the majority of UK children to give the rich more choice. The Government has announced a £50 million fund for grammars schools to expand to "give parents greater choice". Karen Leonard, GMB National...

Graham's seven-inch facial hair has been turning heads

In April 2000, I read the extraordinary story of hungry American, Kenneth Payne, who was given a 16 year jail term for stealing a one dollar Snickers bar. The American legal system saw him as a serial food thief. The American District Attorney tried Payne as a habitual offender, increasing the severity of a shoplifting charge, which should, in the usual process of law, been seen as a misdemeanour, to felony theft, making him eligible for up to 20 years in jail. Shockingly, at no point were his...

An audience will have a more involving experience watching That Good Night going in knowing that this was the last film of legendary actor John Hurt. Death is on the horizon throughout the film, as Hurt plays terminally ill screenwriter Ralph looking to reconcile with his estranged son (Max Brown) and his partner (Erin Richards) before heading off to the great beyond. What hobbles That Good Night is how uninvolving the whole venture feels. The score hammers home how twee...

The Square Mile has a different, prettier, face at the weekend. A playground for bumbling business men during the other five days of the week, this part of the city becomes unpredictably sedate at seven o’clock each Friday, as the wolves of Wormwood Street return to Kent and Essex. Come Friday evening, however, City Social springs to life. A high-rise restaurant from chef-turned-restaurateur Jason Atherton, City Social has been operating from the 24th floor of Tower 42 for the past...

Many people these days are keen to try and make some extra money, with many looking for ways to make money on a regular basis. Well, if you are a homeowner in the London area, there are various ways in which you could do this, one of which is to have a room that you can rent out to visitors or on a long term basis. Taking in a lodger or offering short-term bed and breakfast visitors is a great...

There is no doubt that there are huge numbers of people that are looking for work these days. This means that when you advertise a job for your business, you can expect a huge response from those looking for work or wanting to change jobs. However, it goes without saying that a large proportion of the applications you receive will be from people that are not qualified, experienced, or unsuitable for some other reason. Finding the right employees for your...

Not all heroes wear capes. Take Anna (Zsófia Szamosi), for example. From the outside looking in, she lives a simple and secure existence. Mother of three adorable children, living together in a spacious apartment with her husband, and working a job that’s both stable & rewarding. On the page, it sounds perfect. The reality, however, is a little more complicated. Dropping us into the middle of Anna’s life for roughly a 36-hour period – the title is something of a...

Rightwinger Chris Chope has put forward legislation that would undermine the principle of an NHS free at the point of use. The Tory MP for Christchurch has tabled a private member’s bill set to be the third to be debated today calling for “co-payment” for NHS treatment. His National Health Service (Co-Funding and Co-Payment) Bill (HC Bill 37) is unlikely to be passed without his Government’s support, but it opens up for debate extending charges from prescriptions, dentistry and opticians...