Chris Whiteside's Blog

Can't believe how long it took me, searching through all the versions of this lovely cantata on YouTube to find one sung audibly in clear English, and in tune, and including both verses rather than just the first one. (To be fair, that was partly because there were a lot of good versions sung in the original German!)  Never mind, found one in the end!

OVER 20 MILLION people across the UK have now received at least one dose of an approved vaccine against COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has set out, the target is now to offer a coronavirus vaccine to every adult in the country by the end of July. We have administered 20,885,663 vaccination doses throughout the UK to 20,089,551 people  - averaging more than 2.5 million doses a week and have vaccinated 1 in 3 adults across the country with at least one dose. A vaccination dose has now been offered to everyone in the top four priority groups and Britain has now given a first vaccination to two thirds of people aged between 65 and 69, after invites went out a week ago, with people aged 64 also set to be called forward this week. Only two countries, the United States and China, have vaccinated more people than the UK. We are also the third country in the world for vaccinations per capita behind only Israel and the UEA – a testament to British science, as we are leading the world from t...

It has been announced today that all households with children of school age will be able to get  two rapid covid-19 tests per person per week  – delivering on the commitment to get children back in school and slow the spread of the virus.  Young people have shown incredible resilience over the last year, continuing with their education amidst unprecedented challenges – but we all want to see our children back in the classroom from March 8. And we all want this to be safe.   That is why the government will provide regular, rapid testing to households, childcare and support bubbles of primary, secondary and college-age children and young people – helping to isolate new cases and keep our educational settings safe and children in school.    By everyone playing their part and getting tested regularly, vital public services, workplaces and educational settings can stay open and running, and we can move closer to a more normal way of life.

Today, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced £5 billion in  Restart Grants  for high street shops and hospitality firms – ensuring the hardest-hit businesses have the support they need through the next stage of recovery.  As Britain begins to move into the next phase of our recovery, and a gradual return to normality, the reopening of our high streets will be key to kick-starting our economic recovery.     That is why the government is delivering further support to the thousands of businesses that have been hit hardest by the pandemic through a new £5 billion grant scheme – ensuring firms can reopen and get going again as restrictions ease and people return to their high streets. Under the scheme, non-essential retail businesses will get up to £6,000 per premise to help them reopen and start trading safely.   Hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses in England – which will open later under the roadmap or will be more impacted by rest...

"Britain’s choice is not between a flag-waving jingoism or throwing its history into the river, and political leaders fail us when they frame debates in those terms.  The culture warriors on either side want to divide us into us-versus-them: patriots versus anti-racists. But after listening to Britons from all backgrounds over the past year, I’m convinced both sides are out of touch with the reality of public attitudes, which are so much more nuanced than a playground fight between two sides.  For example, among black and ethnic minority Brits we find a greater awareness of racism in today’s Britain and wrongs in Britain’s past, but also higher levels of pride in British identity than average. Across the whole population we find that a significant source of national pride is the progress we have made in embracing diversity – a pride shared by 68% of Britons." ( Tim Dixon , from an article on CAPX which you can read in full here .)

I have been reading David Baddiel's excellent and powerful book "Jews don't count." and was already wondering whether to post an online review. That decision was made for me because today we had an egregious display on Twitter in particular and social media in general of the exact blind spot which the book points out. Baddiel makes a convincing argument that on all sides of the political spectrum there is an extraordinary capacity even of people who are generally strongly and genuinely opposed to racism to fail to consider Jewish people, or to forget about, fail to notice, or downplay racism against Jews in a way that they would never do about almost any other form of racism. In some ways it is more alarming that this blind spot applies not just to downright Anti-Semites but to people who had no intention of being racist. Individuals who will instantly apologise and make an effort to adjust their behavior if anyone calls them on it - which strongly suggests that nobod...

Cumbria County Council's local committee for Copeland will meet online at 10.30pm this coming Tuesday (1st March 2021) at 10.30am. The full agenda including supporting documents plus a link to watch and listen to the meeting online or subsequently is available on the CCC website at  Agenda for County Council Local Committee for Copeland on Tuesday, 2nd March, 2021, 10.15 am | Cumbria County Council Among the items are 6. Children Looked After Update (To receive a report by the Executive Director – People) 7. Sellafield Transport Plan (To receive a report by the Executive Director – Economy and Infrastructure). 8. 2020/21 Local committee devolved Highways budget.  (This report presents the Highways Devolved Budget Finance figures and includes an update on the Highways Revenue and Capital Programme for Copeland.) 9. Copeland Highways Working Group (Minutes of the meeting of the Copeland Highways Working Group held on 10th February 2021) 10. Area Planning Report (This report prov...

I have previously blogged here on why I think Amnesty's decision to allow itself to be manipulated by Kremlin propaganda to remove "Prisoner of Conscience" status from Russia's best known prisoner of conscience, Alexei Navalny was a dire mistake. I linked in that blogpost to this excellent critique on The Article by Daniel Johnson of that decision, An even better piece on the subject by John Lloyd can be found here on the CAPX website. He argues that Putin has weaponised Western wokery, and if we do not want to allow the Putin regime to weaken democracy in both his country and our own, we need to understand his tactics as well as he knows how to exploit our weaknesses and avoid confronting our strengths. He argues that those who fight despotic regimes should not have to "pass an exam set by Western liberals" - especially if they are up against people who practice the ultimate forms of "cancel culture" - e.g. lethal ones.  You don't have to a...

  For the benefit of those who may not pick up the subtext of the above quote - it may seem like a statement of the obvious, but it is not.  This quote by the President of the Scottish law society is a shot across the bows of all those politicians, including the First Minister of Scotland, who have made comments unhelpful to the reputation of the Scottish legal system and to the principle that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty. 

 BREAKING NEWS:  UN resolution on ceasefires in conflict zones UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED by Security Council. Today’s decision is an important step in equitable access to vaccines, and to protecting the world’s most vulnerable. UK Foreign secretary Dominic Raab said, "I am proud that today, under the UK Presidency, the UN Security Council ceasefires resolution was unanimously agreed.  It will get vaccines to the most vulnerable people in conflict zones so that no one is left behind. We need a global solution to a global pandemic."

Like a lot of other things, almost all political campaigning has been suspended during lockdowns with the exception, obviously, of things like online campaigning and telephone canvassing. There are a large number of elections coming up on Thursday 6th May - many of which have already been postponed for a year, and it would be bad for democracy to postpone them again or not to allow any campaigning. However as the government website with guidance on campaigning rules in England says, "All those involved in the electoral process must also ensure that public health is protected. There is therefore a necessary balance to be struck in allowing campaigning activity and continuing to protect the NHS and save lives. It is essential that political campaigners continue to show social responsibility, and parties, agents and candidates ensure that their campaigners understand the rules." All forms of doorstep campaigning are currently against the COVID rules and will remain so until 8th ...

I have in the past been a member of Amnesty International's student branch at my old University and have collected signatures and otherwise supported Amnesty campaigns. So it is from the perspective of someone sympathetic to the declared objectives of the organisation that I express deep regret at their recent decision to deny "prisoner of conscience" status to a brave man who has been jailed for standing up to one of the most brutal tyrants in the world today. Alexei Navalny returned to Russia when he had recovered from Novichok poisoning. If anyone reading this believes he wasn't poisoned on the orders of President Putin, I have some shares in the Forth Bridge I would like to sell you at a bargain price. He was sent to prison on blatantly trumped up charges. Millions of Russian people do not believe he was guilty of those charges and neither do I. When I was going round asking people to sign petitions on behalf of Amnesty calling for the release of prisoners of cons...

“I am only 83 and unless I am careful, I will not have the time to start my next career.” Rt Hon Lord Fowler on stepping down as Lord Speaker of the House of Lords.

OK - let's have a memory test. Who remembers which film used this piece as its' theme tune?  And can anyone remember what it was about, or anything about that film other than the fact that for that reason this music was usually referred to as the 'theme from ****** *******' for a while?  Answers in the comments, please.

The government announced today that  a new, greener fuel will be introduced at petrol stations  across the UK later this year, helping to cut Britain's carbon emissions and secure jobs as we build back better and greener. If Britain is to meet our world leading commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050, then we need to accelerate our efforts to cut emissions from our roads and move towards a greener transport system.   Hence the introduction of E10 fuel – an eco-friendly blend of petrol and ethanol – in September later this year, which could cut UK carbon emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year – the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the road, while boosting job opportunities in places like the north east, where much of our bioethanol is produced.   This small switch will help drivers across the country reduce the environmental impact of their journeys, helping us to build back greener from the pandemic.

Yesterday  the Prime Minister set out to the British people  how the success of our vaccination programme is saving lives, and supports us all in the aim to build back better across every part of the country after this pandemic.  As of 25 February, 18,691,835 people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. Just over 700,000 have received both doses. More information at  Vaccinations | Coronavirus in the UK (data.gov.uk)

The government has announced that the £4.8 billion  Levelling Up Fund will be extended to cover the whole of the UK , helping to boost growth across every corner of the country as we build back better from the pandemic.  We are committed to levelling-up opportunity across every part of the United Kingdom, so that all communities can benefit from our future prosperity as we recover from this pandemic.   That is why the government is extending our Levelling Up Fund so that it covers the whole of the UK, making at least £800 million available so that communities across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can benefit from extra investment in their town centres, high street regeneration, local transport, cultural and heritage projects.   Making the Levelling Up Fund UK-wide will enable it to target funding at the places that need it most, ensuring that no community is left behind as we build back better.

The last thing children need is a repeat of the problems last year in all four UK nations with the assessments which replaced exams.  So I welcome the announced today by the government setting out  exam results this year will be awarded and determined by teachers , providing the fairest possible system for pupils in the unusual circumstances that this year has been so badly disrupted by the coronavirus, so they can progress to the next stage of their education or career. I particularly welcome the fact that no algorithm will be used.  As someone who uses statistics a lot in my professional life, I am only too aware that there things for which algorithms are very useful and things they cannot do. Assessing children fairly on the basis of data which does not exist in statistical form is one of the latter. Young people have shown incredible resilience over the last year, continuing with their education amidst unprecedented challenges while the country has fought against coro...

"In the 80s Labour and the press moaned about the Tories shutting mines; now they are moaning about Tories opening them! Par for the course ....." ( Mark Adrian Solomon , response on Facebook to my Conservative Home article) "It seems strange that now we have Conservatives wanting to open a coal mine and Labour opposing it." ( Thomas_Lokier · in the Conservative Home comments on the same article)

Yesterday  the International Trade Secretary spoke at the NFU conference  about the new doors opening for farmers through free and fair trade in the UK’s future outside of the EU. For nearly fifty years British farmers were been held back by an anti-innovation approach, high tariff walls with the rest of the world, and sometimes unreasonable  bans on our farm products.   Britain now has the opportunity to set our own tariffs and deal with these issues. We are seizing on our freedom to deepen our trade worldwide and access new markets where the real opportunities lie for Britain and our farmers as we diversify to avoid dependence on one market.   British farmers and food producers are at the heart of our international trade agreements and together we can seize the golden opportunities that lay ahead for us outside of the EU.

Today the government has announced a  £700 million recovery package for children and young people in England  – helping them to catch up on learning lost due to the pandemic and access the opportunities they deserve to learn and fulfil their potential. Everyone is grateful for the heroic efforts of teachers and parents who have been home schooling during coronavirus, but we all know that the classroom is the best place for our children to be.    To further support the re-opening of schools on 8 March the government is are providing a £700 million programme of catch-up funding, including a Recovery Premium for the most disadvantaged students, funding the extension of the already successful National Tutoring Programme and delivering face-to-face summer schools.    This extensive programme of catch-up funding will equip teachers with the tools and resources they need to support their pupils, and give children the opportunities they deserve to learn and fulfil ...

Yesterday the Prime Minister  chaired a UN Security Council session  on climate and security – the first time a British Prime Minister has chaired the Council in almost 30 years – in which he called for international action to reduce carbon emissions and help vulnerable nations to adapt to climate change, enhancing the prosperity and security of our planet for the future. Climate change represents one of the gravest threats to global peace and security. Unless we join together and take bold action to tackle it, the world risks more conflict, displacement, and insecurity in the future.   That is why the Prime Minister used Britain' presidency of the UN Security Council to urge world leaders to follow the UK’s lead in committing to reach net zero emissions and push for more support to help fragile states adapt to climate change, helping avert future conflict, misery and famine.     The UK has led the way on climate action and as we build towards COP26 we will cont...

"Professor David Miller’s work has long been deeply offensive to me and to many Jews but that is not remotely a conclusive argument for his dismissal. However, I fear the same cannot be said for his recent response to controversies about his work. Miller has chosen to attack the Bristol University Jewish Society — proper, actual students at his own university — as being part of a co-ordinated campaign of censorship directed by the state of Israel. He further told the Jewish Chronicle that: “There is a real question of abuse here — of Jewish students on British campuses being used as political pawns by a violent, racist foreign regime engaged in ethnic cleansing”. Bristol University may regard Professor Miller’s amazing theories about power elites as part of the rich tapestry of political sociology and as merely a home for views on Israel I don’t happen to share. It cannot, however, allow some 19- year-old student who comes up from Radlett to study, I don’t know, botany and joins t...

I have been struggling for some time with the conflict between my strong personal conviction in favour of free speech, particularly in Universities, and my concern over the fact that one of the professors at my old University in Bristol, David Miller, has said and written some deeply problematic things. That's "problematic" as in "resigned from the Labour party before Sir Keir Starmer could throw him out" while under investigation for alleged Anti-Semitism after Sir Keir started to make a serious attempt to do something about that problem. I am very proud of the fact that I successfully persuaded Cumbria County Council to adopt the IHRA definition of Anti-Semitism in a non-partisan manner, bending over backwards to avoid using the motion to score party-political points and thereby ensuring that the motion was passed nem. con. While researching that speech I learned about the work of the Community Security Trust in protecting Jewish places of worship and Jewish p...

I am sorry to learn from St Bees Parish Council that Gus Kennedy died in hospital in the early hours of this morning with his wife Lesley at his bedside, following a sudden deterioration in his health He died peacefully. Gus was an active and enthusiastic member of St Bees Parish council; his rejuvenation of the allotments being the first of many contributions. As recently as last week he was still actively engaged, when he volunteered to join the Beach Bowl group. This was stimulated by his love of theatre.  He was chairman of the Village Hall committee, and in this role played an important part in the regeneration of the Village Hall. He was a keen amateur playwright, and I am told that many in the village will long remember his pantomimes and murder mysteries. Thoughts and prayers are with Lesley and the rest of his family. Rest in Peace

OVER 17.9 MILLION people have now received at least one vaccination dose in the UK. As the Prime Minister set out, our ambition is now to offer a coronavirus vaccine to every adult in the country by the end of July. Britain has administered over 18.3 million vaccines - averaging more than 2.5 million doses a week and have vaccinated 1 in 3 adults across the country.   A vaccination dose has now been offered to everyone in the top four priority groups and Britain has now vaccinated two thirds of people aged between 65 and 69, after invites went out last week, with people aged 64 set to be called forward this week.  Only two countries, the United States and China, have vaccinated more people than the UK. We are also the third country in the world for vaccinations per capita behind only Israel and the UEA.  Overall, we have secured early access to over 407 million total doses of vaccines for 2021 and 2022. This means we will have the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured i...

Yesterday Public Health England published a landmark UK study showing the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine provides effective protection against Covid-19 from the first dose, proving that the vaccine protects people and their loved ones around them. As we continue to rollout lifesaving vaccines, it is important that we see as much evidence as possible on the impact they are having on protection and on transmission, and we will continue to publish evidence as we gather it.   This crucial report shows the vaccines are working and that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine offers both a high degree of protection to those that take it, reducing hospitalisation and death by 75 per cent after the first dose, and reduces transmission, helping to protect others too. That isn't the only recent encouraging data. Apart from the continuing stats from Israel suggesting that the vaccination programme is helping, Public Health Scotland (PHS) has been working with Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, Strat...

Yesterday the Prime Minister produced a  roadmap   to cautiously ease restrictions in England – setting out a one way road to freedom. Because of the resolve and perseverance of the British people, and the extraordinary success of our NHS in vaccinating over 17.6 million people across the UK, the government has set out what we all hope will be a one way road to freedom.    With more people being vaccinated every day, it is now possible to begin to gradually replace restrictions across England, working closely with the devolved nations, but this should be done cautiously so that this is the final lockdown and our progress is irreversible.    The  roadmap sets out four stages  for easing restrictions, with at least five weeks between each phase to allow us to examine the latest data and subject it to four key tests:  That the vaccine rollout continues successfully. That the evidence shows vaccines are effective at preventing hospitalisation and...

I have written a piece on Conservative Home about the case for West Cumbria Mining's Woodhouse Colliery application, which you can read here .

"In an age of rage, we prefer to scald and hurt rather than understand and learn." "Much political discourse today is conducted in the feverish hives of social media. Extremes dominate, no quarter is given, and pre-worn prejudices are aggressively applied in all situations. On Covid, many have already donned the black cap and passed bilious sentence on our leaders long before any official, considered verdict can be rendered. By all means, investigate the errors (and the successes) of this destructive crisis with rigour. Dig out corruption and bad practice. Let’s learn from the what ifs. But our society is better served if we do so with empathy, some humility, and an understanding that human frailty lies at the heart of the governing process. Leave the hate and the abuse out of it. After all, what if it had been you?" ( Chris Deerin , article in The Press and Journal which you can read in full here .)

Long awaited consultation starts on Local Government reorganisation in Cumbria (and two other areas of the UK.  Views sought on all four options put forward by local councils. The government has announced today a consultation on the options for Local Government Reorganisation put forward by councils in Cumbria (and two other areas of England) All four options put forward for Cumbria by one or more of the seven principal councils in the county are included in the consultation, which is open until 11.45pm on 18th April. Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: "I have always been clear that any restructuring of local government must be locally-led and will not involve top-down solutions from government. "Now that councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset have submitted their proposals, I am pleased residents, businesses and service providers will have the opportunity to have their say on what will work best for their area. "Where there is local su...

"I’m gonna poke the beast here. TV freelancers: would you turn down a job based on a company’s previous output / who the presenter was / what message the show sends?  (Full disclosure: I worked on P*ers M*rgan’s Life Stories as a researcher but now I’d very much say no)" Adeel Amini , on Twitter "Hi Adeel, you spent precisely two months working on Life Stories in 2010 & judging by your CV that was the pinnacle of your TV career. So you really don’t need to worry about getting any more job offers from me because I’d rather employ a lobotomised Aardvark." Piers Morgan , in reply, also on Twitter Game, set and match. Yes, Adeel did rather poke the beast, didn't he?

Over the weekend, the Communities Secretary  confirmed  that in a historic move, a Government department is for the first time opening a dual headquarters in Wolverhampton, which will move hundreds of jobs to the Midlands in a key milestone for the "levelling up" agenda. As part of the government's continued mission to level up opportunity and prosperity across the regions, there need to be more local voices reflected in the creation of government policy.    That is why a new Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government headquarters is being set up in Wolverhampton, with at least 800 roles set to be based in the West Midlands by 2030, including posts at the most senior level. With the regular presence of ministers, it will be a centre for policy development and decision making.    By ending the Whitehall knows best approach, this historic move sends a clear signal of our commitment to support our communities more effectively and back our great smal...

Today the Prime Minister  will set out our roadmap  for a cautious easing of national restrictions, which will ensure we do not undo the incredible progress we have made so far. In a statement to the House, the Prime Minister will introduce a plan for leaving lockdown that will balance social and economic impacts, while preserving the health and safety of our country.    Our roadmap will set four stages for easing restrictions, and before we progress through each step of our plan, we will examine the latest data to ensure the following four key tests are met:  The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully.    Evidence which shows vaccines are effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths of those vaccinated.    Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which could put unsustainable pressures on our NHS.    Our assessment of the risks of easing restrictions are not fundamentally changed by new variants....

The Transport Secretary has announced that  British drivers are to be spared from an EU insurance hike , as Britain will be repealing an EU rule which would have forced up the cost of insurance by around £50 a year for the average motorist. Following Britain's exit from the EU, we are now able to set our own rules and regulations and ensure that British people are not burdened by unnecessary laws.    Plans are underway to do away with the EU’s ‘Vnuk’ law, which could have forced all motorists to cover the cost of insuring ‘vehicles’ like lawnmowers and golf buggies – even if they don’t use them. By scrapping the law, British drivers will avoid an estimated £50 a year increase in motor insurance costs and a total of almost £2 billion for the insurance industry as a whole.    This move will help the pockets of British taxpayers and is another step forwards in our lives outside of the EU, as we prosper as a country that can set our own rules and regulations.

"As George Orwell pointed out, the battle for free societies must be waged in each generation. Advocates of liberal democracy cannot offer ground-level truth. They cannot hope to match the fire and brimstone appeal of Limbaugh and his fellow pulpiteers. But they can at least offer the prospect of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. And perhaps, as the hard right storms the Capitol dressed in face paint and antlers and the left tears down statues and seeks to "dismantle capitalism" this isn't such an uninspiring vision after all." ( Matthew Syed , from a Sunday Times article yesterday, "Zealots on the right and left are true heirs of religious fanatics")

OVER 17.2 MILLION PEOPLE in the UK have now received at least one dose of an approved vaccine. The Prime Minister today set out the ambition to offer a coronavirus vaccine to every adult in the country by the end of July, allowing us to cautiously return to normality. Over 17.8 million vaccines have been administered across the UK, The next  target is to offer a vaccine to all priority cohorts 1 to 9 by April and all adults by the end of July.    We are now averaging more than 2.5 million doses a week and we have vaccinated 1 in 3 adults in the UK.    We have now offered a vaccine to  everyone in the top four priority groups  and we have now vaccinated  two thirds of people aged between 65 and 69 , after invites went out a week ago, with people aged 64 also set to be called forward this week.   Britain's vaccination programme has accelerated with nearly 1,000 vaccines being administered a minute at one point and a record 598,389 first doses d...

This weekend it was announced that  care home residents will be allowed one regular indoor visitor  – reuniting loved ones in a step-by-step way towards the cautious easing of restrictions.  The coronavirus pandemic has been an incredibly difficult and sad time for those living in care homes, unable to have visits from loved ones for many months.   From 8 March care home residents will be carefully and safely reunited with their loved ones – with them being allowed a single, named individual to regularly visit indoors, with tests required beforehand and PPE to be worn on site to keep residents, staff and visitors safe.    Reuniting loved ones is an important step in Britain's path back to normality, but we must continue to make sure we take a cautious approach with the necessary measures in place to keep the infection rate down.