Chris Whiteside's Blog

  Since the start of the invasion, the Kremlin has: censored independent TV and radio stations blocked online access to international news criminalised any journalism which challenges Kremlin lies

Today the government announced that   nightingale courts will remain open for a further 12 months   - helping to put dangerous criminals behind bars, cut the backlogs in our courts, and deliver justice for victims of crime.  The number of backlogged cases in our courts fell by almost 800 at the end of 2022, but to make our streets safer and deliver justice for victims, we must continue doing all we can to put offenders behind bars quicker.   That is why the government announced today that 24 nightingale courts will remain open in 2023, building on our steps to double magistrates sentencing powers and recruit even more judges - helping to build capacity in our courts. These courts mean more dangerous offenders will be off our streets and justice will be delivered quicker to victims, while helping to cut the backlog in our Crown Courts.

 

 

And yes, one of them supposedly fell or jumped out of a 16th floor window. Two more senior Russian officials died in mysterious circumstances in the past week with both deaths, supposedly being treated as suicide by the Russian authorities.  Yeah, right. Marina Yankina , who was the head of finance and procurement of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Western Military District, was found dead after apparently falling from a high-rise apartment building in St. Petersburg, the latest death of a senior official. The report of her death on February 16 comes just days after Major General Vladimir Makarov - who was recently fired by Russian President Vladimir Putin - was found dead. The Russians say he shot himself - they don't say how many times.  Remarkable how many Russian generals, senior officials, and oligarchs have turned up dead in the last eleven months, isn't it? And how many of them supposedly fell out of windows?

Today the government   announced £421 million in extra funding for local authorities to boost drug and alcohol treatment in England , reducing pressure on the NHS, improving health and wellbeing across the country and saving lives. Addictions drive around half of all theft, burglary and robbery, so boosting treatment for addicts and tackling supply and demand for drugs through our ten year Drugs Strategy will both help cut crime and save lives. That is why the government is providing an extra £421 million to 151 councils across England to 2025 to improve drug and alcohol addiction recovery, creating over 50,000 places in a range of drug and alcohol treatment services. This funding will help more people access the support they need and prevent nearly 1,000 drug related deaths, while making our streets safer through recovery from the addictions that are known to drive offending, protecting our communities.

"My thanks go to @NicolaSturgeon for her long-standing service. I wish her all the best for her next steps. We will continue to work closely with the @scotgov on our joint efforts to deliver for people across Scotland." Statement yesterday by PM Rishi Sunak via Twitter on the announcement by Nicola Sturgeon that she is to step down as Scotland's First Minister

The latest inflation figures published today showed the third consecutive fall in the annual rate of increase in prices, from 10.5% to 10.1%. Obviously this is a reduction in the rate of increase in prices, not an actual fall in prices, and the rate of inflation is still far too high. We cannot afford any complacency about inflation or risk allowing a wage-price spiral, such as the one in the 1970's which saw inflation reach nearly 30%, to take off. That is why the government is right to make halving inflation within the next 12 months a key priority. 

Air India have signed one of the biggest UK export deals to India in decades with Airbus and Rolls Royce – a huge win for the UK's aerospace sector. With wings from Broughton and engines from Derby, this deal will support jobs around the country and help deliver one of our five priorities – growing the economy.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 15 February 2023 More details of the UK government's response at: http:// ow.ly/mbIJ50MSB4z #StandWithUkraine

Today   Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will be taking part in the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels , reasserting our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Putin’s illegal war.  Since the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, we have been unwavering in our support for the Ukrainian people as they defend their country from Russian aggression. That is why the Defence Secretary will meet with his NATO counterparts in Brussels later today to discuss our international support for Ukraine as we continue to deliver on our commitment to match or exceed the £2.3 billion of support for Ukraine during 2022 this year. The Ukrainian people are fighting for freedom in the face of a hostile and illegal invasion, and we will continue to support them as they defend their country.

On Friday, February 24 at 11am, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will lead the UK in a national minute of silence to mark one year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Yesterday   the Prime Minister visited a Community Diagnostic Centre in Oldham , one of the   92 operational one stop shops as he announces a further 19 sites to open this year   – delivering on one of his five priorities, to cut the waiting lists and get people the care they need. In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the NHS is facing an unprecedented challenge to tackle backlogs and bring down waiting times for patients.  That is why the Conservative government is investing £2.3 billion to deliver 160 Community Diagnostic Centres by 2025, of which 19 will open this year – providing over one million tests, checks and scans to tens of thousands of patients. The 92 operational Community Diagnostic Centres have already carried out three million tests, including cancer screening and MRI scans, as part of the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’ history.  We are delivering on our promise to cut NHS waiting lists – providing additional capacity for potentially life-s...

Last night   the Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand , congratulating him on his new appointment and agreeing that continued international solidarity is vital to combat our shared challenges. Working closely with likeminded countries creates new trade opportunities, investment deals and jobs in both the United Kingdom and abroad – and creates a united front in support for Ukraine. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated Prime Minister Hipkins on his election and assured him of the UK’s support in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. The pair also reiterated the need to continue international solidarity in support for the Ukrainian people – with the Prime Minister praising New Zealand’s support for Ukraine and training of Ukrainian troops. The Prime Minister said he looked forward to the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade bloc with a combined GDP of £9 trillion.

Figures released today show   30 million people are in work across the UK   – nearing a 50 year employment high with another recorded fall in unemployment – giving more people the security of a job as we grow the economy, halve inflation and get debt falling.  Conservative priorities are to grow the economy, halve inflation and get debt falling relies on a strong workforce across the UK – meaning more people have the security of their own income. The latest figures show that the number of payroll employees rose by 102,000 in January 2023 to 30 million. The number of employees on payroll now stands at 1,028,000 above pre-pandemic levels – with the unemployment rate falling by 0.2 between October and December.  No Labour government has ever left office with unemployment lower than they came to power – only the Conservatives can be trusted to make work pay and get more people into new jobs across the country.

 

The final meeting of the Cumbria Health Scrutiny committee as presently constituted will take place at 10.30 am on Tuesday 21st February 2023 in the Council chamber at County Hall Kendal. The meeting is open to the public. We will have a lot of final meetings like this in District and County council chambers around Cumbria over the next six weeks as the present councils finish their term and the new ones prepare to take over on Vesting day, 1st April, but this seems to be one of the more iconic ones - there have been a large  number of debates of enormous significance to residents of many parts of Cumbria at Health Scrutiny Committee meetings as the pattern of local NHS services was discussed. The agenda will include reviews for both North and South Cumbria of the recruitment and retention of NHS staff, of the work  being done to set up the new Integrated Care Boards, and of Mental health services. The full agenda including all the written reports for the meeting can be found ...

 

Today, the government announced that 19 additional Community Diagnostic Centres will open across England this year, boosting capacity for life-saving tests and helping to deliver on the promise to cut NHS waiting lists.  In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the NHS is facing an unprecedented challenge to tackle backlogs and bring down waiting times for patients.  That is why the Conservative government is investing £2.3 billion to deliver 160 Community Diagnostic Centres by 2025, of which 19 will open this year – providing over 1 million tests, checks and scans to tens of thousands of patients. The 92 operational Community Diagnostic Centres have already carried out three million tests, including cancer screening and MRI scans, as part of the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’ history.  This will deliver on the promise to cut NHS waiting lists – providing additional capacity for potentially life-saving tests for patients across England as part of the Elective Recovery P...

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 13 February 2023 Find out more about the UK government's response: http:// ow.ly/1HJN50MQp2I #StandWithUkraine

Today the government announced a   £12 million boost to help businesses cut carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency , helping to clean-up industrial processes and protect valuable British jobs.   Boosting the energy efficiency of industrial processes is a critical step not only in our transition to a lower-carbon economy, but also by helping businesses to cut energy costs and support valuable British jobs. That is why the government is investing a further £12.4 million in 22 projects to help businesses clean up their industrial processes and improve energy efficiency, from car manufacturing to streel production and food processing – building on the £34.8 million already awarded through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.  Today’s funding will play a crucial role in helping to clean up big-emitting industries, but also help businesses save on their energy bills and safeguard thousands of British jobs. 

No apologies for repeating this. If putting it up repeatedly causes one person to think about the point Thomas Sowell is making here, understand it, and think through the implications of what it means, this blog will have served a worthwhile purpose.

Merseyside Police have released the following statement: "We can confirm that a total of 15 people have so far been arrested following violent disorder in Knowsley last night, Friday 10 February. At around 6.30pm, officers were facilitating a peaceful protest and counter protest at the Suites Hotel on Ribblers Lane in Knowsley.  Sadly, a short while later a number of people, who were not part of the original protest group, turned up, and it is clear that they were only interested in causing trouble through violence and intimidation without any thought, or care, for other members of the public, or our officers. During the evening, missiles including lit fireworks were thrown at officers and one of our police vans was attacked by offenders, using hammers before setting it on fire. An officer and two members of the public received slight injuries. The crowds dispersed and roads were reopened in the early hours of this morning, Saturday 11 February. A total of 13 men and two women, be...