The dream of Thatcher’s government was a nation where everybody owned their own home. Council houses would not be needed, or at least only for the tiny minority who couldn’t afford it. Her huge sell-off of council houses in the 80s was supposed to eliminate the need for public housing, and create a new society, or indeed no society at all. This way of thinking has been the policy of every Conservative Government since Thatcher, and also under Tony Blair’s...

Another day, another NHS crisis, this new problem has been uncovered by the BBC. The amount of people who are “long waiters,” those who have exceeded an 18-week target, has increased hugely. There are now 350,000 people in this dire situation, which is a huge rise of 163% in just four years. Almost a tenth of people on the list have had to wait over the 18-week threshold before they receive their treatment. The number of people waiting for operations fell under...

This is the moment a ‘locked in’ lad who learned to write using his EYES met his hero Michael Morpurgo – and the author agreed to champion the schoolboy’s own book. Jonathan Bryan, ten, was born with severe cerebral palsy after his mum Chantal was in a car crash while pregnant, leaving him unable to walk and speak. His family were told he had ‘profound and multiple learning disabilities’ and teachers did not teach him to read and write. But...

A grandmother has praised the quick-thinking efforts of her grandson after she fell down a flight of stairs in the early hours of the morning. Paula Robbins was at her daughter’s home when she plunged from the top to bottom and was unable to move. As she lay in agony on the hallway floor, Oscar, aged eight, heard her screams and leaped out of bed to help her. He grabbed his 61-year-old gran’s phone, dialled 999 and calmly answered the...

By Richard Harries, Director of Research at the independent trust Power to Change The NHS may be our national religion, but libraries—which are marking National Library Day (4th Feb) ahead of a whole week of celebration in October—enjoy their own vaunted status in the fabric of British society. The success of our library service may not get many headlines, but once it is under threat then the great and the good speak up. ‘Libraries save lives’, announced Stephen Fry last...

Yes you read the right, and it isn’t fake news, it is one of the most disturbing articles I have ever put together. It appears the world, with the US taking the lead, President Trump pushing the agenda, is regressing to the past, the far distant past. Are we going back to a brutal time nobody can even recall, possibly because it has never been so bad? A new law has just been signed off in Akansas, US, that will...

The smart home revolution has roared into action, with Nest leading the charge towards a more connected abode, and Apple Homekit not far behind. But investing in a thermostat that automatically turns on when you wake up doesn't come cheap, so you'll want to make sure you keep your tech-enhanced home safe from break-ins. We might assume the best way to protect our tech is with—yes, you guessed it—more tech. But while there’s a wealth of cameras and smart locks...

A 79-year-old has revealed he has slept with over 2,000 women - more than Playboy boss Hugh Hefner. Lothario Chris Culleton says he has been a ladies' man all his life and has bedded 2,084 partners. Chris claims he met many of the women he's been with while working as a music promoter bringing bands to Warrington in Cheshire. He says he was such a romantic he turned down jobs with the Rolling Stones and Radio Caroline because of love....