By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor & Henry Austin  A former squaddie has slammed the government’s attitude towards benefit claimants after he was left in limbo with his rent before undergoing a number of tests to find out why his is coughing and passing blood on an ever more regular basis. “I have served my country and worked all of my adult life, paying into the system the entire time,” Michael Lynch told The London Economic. “It’s not that I don’t want...

By Declan Roberts (@DeclanMR) Zachary Cole Smith and his troops return with the follow up to DIIV’s 2012 debut Oshin, still riding the wave of critical acclaim that release garnered. Are they able to better such a promising start? Probably not. But equal its clout? I think so. Is The Is Are is very similar to their debut in their distinctive collision of garage rock and surf pop. Lead single ‘Under the Sun’’s opening bass line oozes creativity and the...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Labour have attacked David Cameron for a "shameless attempt to buy votes" after it is claimed 83 per cent of additional cash set aside for cash strapped councils will go to Conservative authorities.  £300 million of transitional support is being shared out to soften the impact of tough reforms that do away with revenue support grants. Instead greater reliance on local business rates is supposed to plug the hole in finances. However, analysis by Labour has...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The seven day NHS contract on junior doctors will be imposed against their will. Jeremy Hunt brought a close to the "damaging" issue over Saturday pay - the final flash point almost three years ago to the day talks began. NHS chief negotiator Sir David Dalton gave him the green light after a last minute offer to doctors' union the British Medical Association was turned down. Mr Hunt said: "He has asked me to end...

By Harold Stone The Socialist Worker has leaked a letter from Nick Boles MP, which shows the government weighing concessions to the Trade Union Bill “in order to avoid losing a vote”. A frequenter of the Bilderberg Club (not to be confused with the Bullingdon Club), Nick Boles is not particularly renowned for his transparency. Not that he isn’t entitled to discuss the ins and outs of our nation’s democratic legislation in private. The leaked letter is important, because it...

By David Fleming  A cold, wet and windy Saturday in Dublin played host to a serious of events against the establishment of an Irish branch of the European far-right Pegida movement. Pegida Ireland had called for a demonstration to be held outside Dublin’s iconic GPO at 3pm on Saturday the 6th of February to coincide with other rallies across Europe. In response the Anti Racism Network (ARN) and a variety of other anti-racism campaigners, migrant support groups and wide range...

Freddie Mercury on vocals, Eric Clapton on guitar, Paul McCartney on bass and Phil Collins on drums – not a bad little combo. That’s the dream line-up for the perfect 70s supergroup as voted for in a poll of 2,000 music fans to mark the launch of Sky Atlantic’s new rock and roll TV drama ‘Vinyl’ available exclusively on the channel from 15 February. The ultimate band would have an amazing choice of original material for their set-list – everything...

The use of mobile phones at the dinner table has been identified as the biggest threat to romance during a Valentine’s Day meal, according to a new study. More than two in five people identified banning the use of mobile phones and tablets at the dinner table as top of their list of “romance rules” to help prevent the atmosphere being ruined on one of the most romantic days of the year. Other romance spoilers identified included the presence of children,...

The new Top Gear lineup has just been revealed on Chris Evan's BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show It's seven heaven as the new Top Gear lineup has been announced. Chris Evans and the team have broken the mould from the traditional threesome and have employed a diverse and extensive mega-team to replace the outgoing cast.   Here's the full lineup, from left to right: Rory Reid. Rory is a motoring journalist and was selected as a Top Gear host through Chris Evan's...