Chris Whiteside's Blog

We have a long way to go to recover from the present economic difficulties both in Britain and around the world, but there are some interesting figures released yesterday on the state of Britain's Labour market. Among other things the new jobs figures released yesterday show there are almost four million more people in work since 2010 , showing the progress of Conservative governments in giving more people the security of their own income as we work to halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt.  The UK, like economies across the world, is facing economic pressures, but thanks to a strong workforce our economy is resilient and we are making progress on our priority to halve inflation. New figures released yesterday show there are a total of 33 million people employed across the UK, meaning there are almost four million more people in work since 2010 and 1.2 million more people in payrolled employment since before the pandemic. Wages have also risen by the largest amount sinc...

 

Today the government   announced £250 million of investment to create 900 new NHS beds in England , boosting healthcare capacity ahead of the winter and delivering on our priority to cut waiting lists.  To deliver on our priority to cut NHS waiting lists, we must ensure the NHS has the resources it needs to deal with winter pressures and deliver quality and timely care.  That is why, alongside record NHS funding, we are investing £250 million to increase NHS capacity as part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery plan. This will create 900 beds, which includes over 60 immediate care beds, as we work toward our target to deliver an additional 5,000 permanent beds across the NHS.  This funding will help the NHS to deal with a change in demand for care over the winter months and deliver on our priority to cut waiting lists to ensure everyone can get the care they need. 

As Putin's illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues, the map and graphic below display the latest UK Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine as at 14 August 2023. More details can be found about UK Defence Intelligence and the meaning of the terms used at: https:// ow.ly/tEQf50Pyskt #StandWithUkraine

Waiting lists are a problem for the NHS in all parts of the UK: it has been an issue for a years but became dramatically worse during and as a result of the pandemic, and it is a huge challenge which must be addressed. As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said,  "We all have a shared mission to cut waiting lists." It is important that we all work together to help patients and staff by cutting waiting lists everywhere in the UK, and therefore the UK government has invited the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to talks on how to do this, and has  offered the Labour-run Welsh Government more support to tackle NHS waiting lists , helping the devolved administrations to improve care for patients.   Keir Starmer boasts that Labour-run Wales is a ‘blueprint’ for a Labour Government but patients in Wales are twice as likely to be on a waiting list than those in England, and over 30,000 people in Wales are still waiting over two years for treatment. To help address this, the...

Today is Falklands day. The Falkland Islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. The islands have full internal self-government under the 2009 constitution; the UK is responsible for foreign affairs, retaining the power "to protect UK interests and to ensure the overall good governance of the territory". The Monarch of the United Kingdom, King Charles III, is the head of state, and executive authority is exercised on the King's behalf by the governor, who appoints the islands' chief executive on the advice of members of the Legislative Assembly. The majority of the population of the island were born there, and are mostly descended from settlers who arrived over the past 180 years from Britain. In 2013 a referendum took place on the future status of the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islanders were asked whether or not they supported the continuation of their status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom in view of Argentina's call for negotiat...

"It’s a sign of the intellectual paucity of any argument, whether over Brexit, race, asylum or trans issues, when adherents of either side start name-calling, especially when “white supremacy” or, more commonly, “fascism” is invoked. If you can’t produce lucid, logical arguments for your position, then attaching playground labels to all your detractors is a sure sign that you have lost the argument." (Former Labour MP  Tom Harris , from a CAPX article, British politics is better off without Mhairi Black's binary views on 'Karens' - CapX )

 

Andrew Johnson has been selected as Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Whitehaven and Workington the next General Election. Andrew was voted in by members of our Association at a meeting in Whitehaven Civic Hall this afternoon, and brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and skill to the role. For more information about Andrew, visit: https://www.whitehavenandworkingtonconservatives.org.uk/... Unlike the Labour candidate he will face, Andrew was the free choice of members in the whole constituency he is standing to represent: Andrew was chosen by a party members at a general meeting to which Conservative members throughout the new Whitehaven and Workington constituency were invited: where the Labour candidate was chosen by party members in Copeland only and members in Workington were excluded Andrew was freely chosen by local Conservative party members: The Labour candidate was chosen from a short list which grew shorter and shorter as some members were excluded and others withd...

 

 

I was out today in Mirfield, Kirklees, today as part of a great team. We were helping the two of the three excellent hard working Conservative Councillors for the ward, Martyn Bolt and Itrat Ali, carry out a survey to ask local residents about their priorities and concerns.  It was a great session. And here is some great music to relax after campaigning: the Rondeau from Abdelazer by Purcell.

If you are a regular rail user you are very likely to be at least potentially affected by proposed changes to rail ticket offices, on which the train companies are currently consulting. The consultation period was extended to 1st September. Most railway station ticket offices are affected: some are having their opening hours changed, most are proposed for closure, although the train company proposals say that the closure or reduced hours at ticket offices will be offset by changes which will make more staff available at stations outside the ticket offices to help passengers. You can read details of the extension, and find links to read the proposals and take part in the consultation by clicking on this link: Ticket office consultation extension - Transport Focus statement - Transport Focus

  “Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true. What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” Salman Rushdie Quoted by Suzanne Moore in an Evening Standard article on Free Speech which you can read by following this link: I left my job at The Guardian because I was no longer allowed to say what I wanted to say | Evening Standard

Today   the ONS confirmed the UK economy grew in the second quarter of 2023 , showing our plan to grow the economy is working.   The latest GDP figures show short-term challenges should not obscure our long-term prospects as the UK economy grew by 0.5 per cent in June.  The fact the UK grew by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2023, as well as avoiding a recession earlier this year, shows our economy is more resilient than many feared. We are not out the woods yet as inflation, exacerbated by Putin’s illegal war, is slowing growth across the world, with the IMF predicting much of the world economy will be in recession this year. There is more to do but if we stick to our plan to halve inflation this year, we can be confident of having amongst the best prospects for growth of anywhere in Europe, while protecting the most vulnerable as we manage global economic pressures. 

 

Official data has shown that the   UK-backed price cap on Russian oil and oil products is successfully undermining Putin’s ability to fund his illegal war in Ukraine . The British government has always said that Britain will be unwavering in our resolve to support Ukraine and that we would send a clear message to Putin that his actions will face consequences. Official data shows our approach is undermining Putin’s ability to fund his illegal war. The UK-backed price cap on Russian oil and oil products has led to a 20 per cent decline in Russian government income between January and March 2023 compared to a year ago. The Russian Ministry of Finance posted a 45 per cent plunge in government energy revenues in the same period. The oil price cap forms a critical part of the largest and most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. We will continue to keep the pressure on Russia alongside our international partners.

This week the UK and Turkish governments   announced a new agreement between Britain and Turkey to disrupt and dismantle people smuggling gangs and the supply of small boats , as we work with our international partners to stop the boats.   Hundreds of unseaworthy small boats and engines are transported through Europe each year for the purpose of illegal migration and Turkey has been identified as a key hub for smuggling gangs, with vessels used to cross the Channel manufactured there. That is why Britain has entered a new agreement with Turkey to share more intelligence on the gangs known to be operating across Europe. We will also establish new headquarters in Turkey so that National Crime Agency and Home Office intelligence personnel will work alongside their Turkish counterparts for the first time. As the immigration minister has said, (see below,) Each consignment is a death trap; each seizure is an opportunity to save lives, end the human misery, and stop illegal mig...

 

 

Today the British  government appointed leading experts to spearhead preparations for the first ever international AI safety summit in the UK this year, as Britain invests £13 million in AI healthcare research, seizing the opportunities of AI to grow the economy and cut waiting lists.   As AI rapidly evolves, we must work with our international allies to ensure that we minimise the risks of this technology, whilst also ensuring that we harness the benefits that AI has to offer.  That is why the government has appointeded two leading experts in the field who will be rallying leading AI nations, companies and experts ahead of the summit in the autumn. The government  also announced £13 million to transform AI healthcare research.  This will cement Britain's position as a world leader in AI and help us deliver the opportunities of this new technology for people across the UK – from growing the economy to cutting waiting lists. 

No apology for repeating this quote. In the years since I started blogging Ihave put up 16,168 posts and my blog has had more than 2.38 million hits. If as a result of that one of the people who made those pageviews has read this quote, understood what Thomas Sowell meant by this quote, and applied it to his or her decision making, it was worth all the time I put into writing it.

According to a report in the Independent,  BBC journalist Marianna Spring is target of more than 80 per cent of the messages flagged as online abuse received by the corporation .  Spring, 27, the BBC’s first disinformation and social media correspondent,hosts the BBC Sounds podcast Marianna in Conspiracyland.  In a recent Times profile, it was stated that the BBC has software that marks messages containing physical threats, cyberbullying, violent language, negative sentiment and doxxing (releasing personal information such as address or phone number). Of 14,488 pieces of correspondence that were automatically marked for review and further escalation, 11,771 were directed at Spring. After joining the BBC as part of Newsnight in 2019, Marianna Spring moved on to a dedicated role reporting on online disinformation the following year.  I gather that a significant proportion of the abuse she receives mentions various theories about COVID-19, most of which are too utterly ...

THE CUMBERLAND Community Safety Partnership (CSP) was officially launched on Friday (4 August) pledging to make communities safer. The partnership aims to prevent and reduce crime and disorder by creating healthy and secure communities. The CSP will set out a strategy to prevent crime, disorder, and reoffending, and tackle substance misuse, antisocial behaviour, and serious violence. The strategy will focus on key areas such as violence against women and girls, hate crime, antisocial behaviour, sexual abuse and exploitation, reoffending, and domestic abuse. It will also look to create strong communities, safer roads and improve resident’s health and wellbeing. The CSP board has set out its vision to create healthy, safe, and trusted communities by: Listening  to communities and focusing on safety issues that are important to them. Learning  how best to tackle crime and disorder by working with experts from the police, health, fire, and probation servic...