Chris Whiteside's Blog

The government is launching a nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness of modern slavery in the UK. The aim is to encourage the public to identify signs of slavery and report them to a new national helpline. The Human Trafficking Foundation charity estimates 20,000 people are working in what amounts to slavery in the UK, and says that number is rising. The Home Office hopes Parliament will pass an anti-slavery bill before the general election. It is spending £2.3m on the TV, online and poster awareness campaign, which will run until October. The TV advert shows three of the most common types of modern slavery: agricultural labour sexual exploitation in a brothel domestic servitude in a home. It concludes with the caption, "Slavery is closer than you think". The national helpline, which is supported by children's charity the NSPCC, will offer information and advice to child and adult victims of slavery, as well as to professionals and m...

“You've only got three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you've got.” (Anon)

I try not to use oversimplitic expressions like "loony left" but there are some people for whom no other description is adequate. In particular there are, and have always been, a certain number of Guardianista left-wingers who try to reduce everything in life to politics and sometimes end up making paranoid and delusional attacks on the most harmless or irrelevant things. To this day I can quote almost word for word an article in the Times by the late Bernard Levin, written when I was in my teens, which took the mickey out of some correspondence in the Guardian accusing the painter John Constable of being a class enemy of the working man on the grounds that the popularity of his painting with the midde class was highly "suspect" and that he never depicted agricultural workers burning ricks. I can also recall hearing Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind in the WIllows" described as a crypto-fascist manifesto. Anyone who imagines that this kind of crack-b...

“Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.” ( Robert A. Heinlein  )

No apology for returning to a subject on which I feeel very strongly as another gang of metal thieves have been jailed. It is excellent news that some progress is being made in catching the people behind this scourge of modern society and that when they do get caught, the courts are increasingly willing to put them behind bars. Ross Gamble, 33, Daniel Giddings, 24, and Kyle Norton, 22, all from Rochester, Kent, and Kieron Butt, 24, of Chelmsford, Essex, all received prison sentences of up to 21 months when they appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court in London charged with the theft of BT cable. The court heard the alarm was raised after a live BT cable had been cut in Boundary Road, St Johns Wood, north-west London, on 11 July last year.  Four men, posing as a legitimate work crew, were seen pumping out water from manholes a short distance away in Avenue Road and St Johns Wood Terrace. Lengths of cable were seen being passed from the manholes into one of the ...

And Damian McBride is not the only Labour figure with doubts about Ed Miliband ... 'Too weak to stand up for himself' 'He just gets gamed out every day' 'No positive messages to communicate to anyone...no policies which will persuade them' That's what people are saying about Ed Miliband. But those quotes aren't from Conservatives, or UKIP or Lib Dems - they're from high-profile Labour figures. Across the nation, Labour MPs, advisers and supporters agree on one thing: Ed Miliband's just not up to it. See what Labour are saying about their leader on this interactive map: If Mr Milliband's own party do not believe he is up to it, then we should listen. Labour's only answers are more spending, more taxes and more debt than future generations can ever hope to pay off. We can't let an Ed Miliband-led Labour Party win the next election and get into power. They would take Britain backwards. Share th...

"Just nine months before the next General Election, the Labour Party has no positive messages to communicate to anyone about why they should vote for them. It has no policies which will persuade them, and no clear idea who its target audience is. And it’s being run in a totally dysfunctional way." ( Damian McBride, former spin doctor to Gordon Brown, writing in today's Daily Mail here . With friends like this ...)

All too often a good story starts to go around, and it is either so entertaining or suits somebody's narrative so well that people want to believe it. Unfortunately this can mean that the story gets repeated out of context without key details in a way which makes it misleading, or indeed, if it was never true at all. There have been two examples of stories which appear to be of the former kind this week.  The first is the suggestion that the new Defence minister, Michael Fallon, blocked a request from Alex Salmond that the Red Arrows should trail Blue and White smoke representing the Scottish Saltire rather than Red, White amd Blue representing the Union flag when they did a flypast at the Commonwealth Games. Great story which has had people on both sides of the Independence debate blogging and tweeting all sorts of things, but as far as I can tell it's a classic case of making a mountain out of a molehill. There does appear to have been an i...

“Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most.” (attributed to various people including Addison H Hallock and Joe Moore)

“There are four things every person has more of than they know; sins, debt, years, and foes.” (Persian Proverb)  

“People are used to these parking spaces being free. The reality is that if people nip into town they won’t want to pay £1.80 per hour for parking. If this is being looked at by county councillors from Copeland, they need to stand up for this area. It’s down to our councillors to have the courage of their convictions.” (Gerard Richardson, of Richardson’s of Whitehaven) “We are totally against it. We are fighting to that end county-wide. We hope the council will make alterations to the proposals.” (Allan Mossop, of West Cumbria’s Federation of Small Businesses) “It will kill trade. It’s a cheap way of getting revenue but it will hit shoppers and shopkeepers hard. It’s a big charge.” (Andrew McDowell, of Market Place post office) “They might as well close Whitehaven and tell people to go elsewhere. I would imagine that 50 per cent of businesses will pack up or think about leaving. “We should be congratulating people on finding Whitehaven and shopping here, not putting the...

Preliminary Official figures released today suggest that the British economy has finally recovered to the output levels prior to the crash of 2008. It has been a difficult few years, and the pain is not over yet. But at last the enormous economic damage which took place on the last government's watch is being reversed. There is a long way to go, but the government's long-term economic plan is working. On an annual basis gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 3.1%. The figures show the economy is now worth 0.2% more than it was at its peak in 2008, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The UK economy is forecast to be the fastest growing among the G7 developed nations, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On Thursday, the IMF predicted the UK would expand by 3.2% this year, up from a previous forecast of 2.8%. Chancellor George Osborne said: "Thanks to the hard work of the British people, today we reach a major milestone in our lo...

“Never give up, never surrender” (I was amused to see this Churchillian-sounding quote - repeated here because it is a good quote - attributed to Tim Allen. Well, he did say the words. In the film "Galaxy Quest" these words are the catchphrase of the Science Fiction TV show character, Commander Peter Quicy Taggart, who is portrayed by Tim Allen's character, actor Jason Nesmith. However I have yet to see a quotation site ascribe to Allan Rickman the words "By Grabthar's Hammer, you shall be avenged" from the same film.)

Millions of people will benefit from a right to free and impartial guidance on how to make the most of the new pension choices that come into effect in April 2015.   Backing saving is a key part of the Conservatives' long-term economic plan to build a healthier economy. People who have taken the decision to save for their future should be rewarded – and that’s what these pension reforms are all about. Under our reforms, everyone with a defined contribution savings reaching pension age will get free and impartial guidance on the choices available to them at retirement. We want to ensure this guidance is trusted and so we’re bringing together a range of partners to help deliver these changes – including the Pensions Advisory Service and Money Advice Service. A simple principle is behind these changes: it’s your pension and you should be able to choose how to spend the money you’ve saved. It’s a principle which is at the heart of the Britain we’re trying to build: ...

“A thousand years from now nobody is going to know that you or I ever lived. The cynic is right, but lazy. He says ‘You live, you die and nothing you do will ever make a difference.’ But as long as I live, I’m going to be like Beethoven and shake my fist at fate and try to do something for those who live here now and who knows how far into the future that will go. If I accomplish nothing more than making my arm sore, at least I will be satisfied that I have lived.” ( Jackson Burnett  )

I have been following the news reports of the terrible disaster of MH17 with disbelief and horror. Nearly three hundred innocent lives, including those of eighty children, were blotted out in a moment because of a conflict which was nothing to do with them. The stories which are coming out about the victims are unbearably tragic. The global fight against the scourge of AIDS has also taken a knock because irreplaceable experts on the disease who were on their way to a conference about it were among the dead. Let us hope that the black box flight recorders whic were handed over to Malaysian investigators earlier this week have not been tampered with and that this handover marks the beginning of a move to sanity on all sides about the need to establish the truth about this ghastly crime and bring those responsible to justice. I hope that both all airlines and all governments and military forces will also take action for improved protocols to reduce the risk of any...

“Life is just repeated attempts at trying to do better.”    ( Richelle E. Goodrich  )

The Girl Summit today aims to rally a global movement against the evils of child, early and forced marriage, and Female Genital Mutiliation for all girls within a generation. Doing this will help preserve girls' childhoods, promote their education, reduce their exposure to violence and abuse, and allow them to fulfil their potential in life. You can read more and pledge your support here .

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.”   ( Tommy Lasorda  )

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. The desire and ability to press on has and always will solve the problems of the human race and divide those who achieve from those who might have been.”   ( Jeffrey Fry  )

I attended with my wife and son the initial stone laying this afternoon for the "Hands across the Border" project to build a cairn on the Anglo-Scots border at Gretna, called "The Auld Acquaintance" which, obviously, is a reference to the traditional Scottish poem and song "Auld Lang Syne." There were about 2,000 people there on the first day, which was brilliantly organised. The cairn is to commemorate the friendship between the four nations of the Union. The site will be open for the next eight weeks for people who want to lay a stone as part of the cairn. Directions to the site can be found at the "Hands across the Border" website here .

"The advantage of using proxies is that it is possible to deny responsibility for what happened, but the disadvantage is that it is much more likely that a horrendous accident will occur" (Patrick Cockburn writing in the Independent and i about great power use of proxy forces in the specific context of the disaster of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17)

You really couldn't make it up. It's been pointed out tonight on Twitter that there is an article on the "Stop the War Coalition" website here  with the title "Time to go to war with Israel as the only path to Peace in the MIddle East." The article was written on 5th May, so it obvously pre-dates the recent horrendous round of fighting between Israel and Hamas - both the thousands of rockets fired from civilian areas under the control of Hamas at Jewish civilians, and Israel's response. You don't have to agree with everything Israel has done in response, (and I certainly don't, although I have more sympathy for Israel than I do for Hamas) to see that the idea of a campaign called "Stop the War" publishing a piece saying that it is "Time to go to war with Israel" as a means of obtaining peace is rather self-contradictory. What an oxymoron!

The "Hands across the Border" campaign, a group of people who whether they are Scottish, English, Welsh, Irish or simply British, wish to show that we value the Union will be building a cairn at Gretna on the Anglo-Scots Border, starting tomorrow (Sunday 20th July) from shortly after mid-day with the first stones to be laid shortly before 2pm. The cairn is to be called "The Auld Acquaintance" which, obviously, is a reference to the traditional Scottish poem and song "Auld Lang Syne," which was first written down by the great Scots poet Robbie Burns and is about the wisdom of preserving old friendships. Directions to the event can be found at the "Hands across the Border" website here . I believe that all parts of the UK have gained more than they have lost from the Union over the past three hundred years and that all parts of these islands would be worse off if that union were dissolved. I will be laying a stone tomorrow both in the hope th...

I have rarely heard a debate in which both sides put forward so many strong speakers and such compelling arguments as in yesterday's House of Lords debate on assisted dying. It was quite clear that both sides were motivated by compassion and that both sides were raising very real and genuine concerns. If the bill does not progress we will continue to have tragic cases of dying people in great pain and discomfort who wish to end their lives and are prevented by the law from doing so. But if it does, and despite the strong safeguards written into the bill, I do think that the opponents have a very serious point that some vulnerable and sick people may feel pressured into asking for assisted death because they think they are a burden. This bill was based on a similar law enacted in the US state of Oregon. One of it's opponents pointed out yesterday that in at least one case in that state people who were suffering from painful and terminal cancer found their hellth care pro...

"The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale." (Thomas Jefferson)

Home Secretary Theresa May writes ... We want to make Britain an even safer place to live, work and raise a family. Parents want to be sure their children are safe, pensioners want to feel secure in their neighbourhoods, and people deserve to be protected so they can work hard and get on in life. Under Labour, the police were bogged down with too much paperwork, meaning cases were often not dealt with and the victims of crime neglected. People didn't feel safe on the streets. But thanks to our action plan to tackle crime, and the hard work of police officers, crime is now down by more than 10% since 2010. We need everyone in the country to get behind our plan - so please add your name today. Our action plan to tackle crime is helping to give people greater security by: Freeing the police to fight crime by cutting red tape and scrapping unnecessary targets Giving criminals tougher sentences so communities are protected and justice is done Giving the police...

"Nothing is ever easier than spending the public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody." (Calvin Coolidge)

Today's Whitehaven News has a very disturbing article which you can read in full   here , about a confidential report (leaked to the paper) sugesting that  major decisions are needed, including which hospital services should be concentrated on which sites. Health chiefs are calling it “radical change on a scale previously unseen”. And the report  warns: “The ever increasing cost of services...is not sustainable and the local NHS and the county council will be bankrupt if things carry on as they are.” It is apparently a draft document, subject to more work and change and has not yet become official policy. In the report health chiefs admit that “not all services are as safe as they should be” and that the future of healthcare “will involve taking difficult decisions”. The Whitehaven News said they understand from the interim document that more hospital services at West Cumberland Hospital are in danger of moving to Carlisle. Mental health : Yewdale...

A £38 billion tunnel under Morecambe Bay has emerged as a front runner for getting wind and possible nuclear power from the "Energy Coast" of West Cumbria to the National Grid. Anyone who has been following the discussion about energy generation in West Cumbria will know that something like this has been on the cards for a while. A new nuclear plant near Sellafield looks increasingly likely, and whatever the handful of anti-nuclear nutters will tell you, the great majority of residents of West Cumbria have repeatedly shown by electing pro-nuclear MPs and councillors that they will welcome this. New Nuclear build does not make a new grid connection necessary - it merely increases the shortfall of existing grid capacity. Because of the huge amount of offshore wind, other renewables, and conventional power generation which is already under construction or built on the Cumbrian Coast, we already need to double the capacity of the areas National Grid connections. Nucl...