Hurricane Irma: overseas territories devastated
08 Sep 2017
Britain's fourteen overseas territories are under UK sovereignty and jurisdiction. They are self-governing but rely on the UK for defence, security and safety - including protection from natural disasters. As Hurricane Irma bombards the Caribbean, with at least fourteen deaths so far, several of these territories have been badly hit. Anguilla has been devastated, and the small island of Barbuda is ‘barely habitable’. A state of emergency has been declared in the British Virgin Islands. The first British military relief flight left RAF Brize Norton on 8 September, and one navy ship has arrived in the region, but a second might take two weeks to arrive. Theresa May said that the Government had responded ‘swiftly’ to the disaster, but others criticised the UK’s lack of preparedness, in contrast to the French who had military on the ground in St Martin, ready to help. See
Brexit: no deal no problem
08 Sep 2017
Failure to strike a trade deal with the EU would not be a disaster for the UK, according to the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). It said, ‘If a bad deal is offered by the EU, the UK should walk away and trade with the EU under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules rather than a protectionist and costly agreement.’ The report calls for unilateral free trade after Brexit, ‘complemented by free trade agreements with partners including the US, Canada and Australia. This arrangement would lead to lower consumer prices, increased productivity and higher wages through removing barriers to imports.’ IEA research director Jamie Whyte said, ‘Many believe disasters will happen without a deal with the EU. In fact, we could eliminate all import tariffs, which would give us most of the benefits of trade, and export to the EU under the umbrella of WTO rules. Then we can seek free trade deals with all major trading partners, including the EU.’
Brexit: God’s strategy
08 Sep 2017
The following declaration is from Passion for the Nation: ‘We declare over our Parliament, over the EU and over all those involved in Brexit negotiations, that the Lord God is the Master Planner of heaven and earth. His plans are for good and not for evil, greater than every plan of man or the enemy to bring confusion, division or hopelessness. We come into agreement with His word, He is “the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist”. We stand as Your Ecclesia, and in the Name of Jesus we call forth the strategies of heaven over all matters concerning Brexit. We declare they will be seen, heard, endorsed and enacted by those called to policy-making at this time’.
Parents do not understand tax-free childcare
08 Sep 2017
A survey of 17,000 parents suggests that over 60% are 'unprepared' for the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme (TFC). By 16 August, 108,000 parents had successfully signed up to TFC. This compares with over 780,000 parents currently using childcare vouchers. 98% of parents said they would like access to childcare vouchers to be kept open alongside TFC. As of April next year, childcare vouchers will be closed to new entrants. In light of the findings, there are renewed calls for the Government to revise plans to close access to vouchers. Also, over 3,000 childcare providers found that 48% of parents had either not heard of TFC or didn’t feel ‘well-informed’ about the scheme. 20% of those who had registered had experienced issues about receiving payments in a ‘timely manner'.
Scotland: education gap
08 Sep 2017
Nicola Sturgeon often says that she wishes to be judged as first minister on her government's record in education. She cares passionately about trying to close the attainment gap which sees pupils from better off homes performing better in school than children from more deprived backgrounds. But nearly three years after she became first minister, standards in Scottish schools have been judged by international measures to be slipping in reading, writing and maths. Her political opponents say she should be embarrassed by her record. On 5 September she said that education is the ‘defining mission’ of her government.
In a rare move, 17 Church of England bishops have united with church leaders of other denominations to urge the government to end indefinite detention, This move followed a BBC documentary describing Brook House immigration centre as 'a toxic, brutal and a failing environment where self-harming is commonplace'. Data from the Migration Observatory showed that in the final quarter of 2016, 2,573 of the 7,078 migrants released from detention had been held for more than 28 days, and 53 had been held for over a year. In a letter to the Telegraph on 6 September, the bishops say they are 'deeply concerned' by the findings, and accuse 'some politicians and sectors of the media' of dehumanising immigrants. The complaint was organised by former G4S manager and now whistle-blower and priest, Nathan Ward.
EU: Northern Ireland’s different Brexit deal
08 Sep 2017
The impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland - and its border with the Republic of Ireland - is one of the key issues being discussed in the early stages of UK-EU negotiations. Some feared a return to border checks that could undermine the Good Friday peace agreement and damage the economy. On 7 September the BBC reported that the EU wants Northern Ireland to have a different Brexit deal from the rest of the UK. The document says the UK should take responsibility for finding a ‘unique solution’ so that people can work, go to school or get medical treatment either side of the Irish border. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier will publish details later. He said ‘a lot more substantive work’ is needed on the border issue.
European Court orders countries to take migrants
08 Sep 2017
Many so-called asylum-seekers have refused to relocate to central and eastern Europe because the financial benefits there are not as generous as in France, Germany or Scandinavia. Now many believe a European Court ruling on 6 September, that the 28 member states must step up to the mark and accept their quota of migrants, highlights the degree to which the EU has usurped decision-making powers from countries and individuals. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán said, ‘Let us not forget that those arriving have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture. Most of them are not Christians, but Muslims. This is an important question, because European identity is rooted in Christianity. Is it not worrying in itself that European Christianity is now barely able to keep Europe Christian? If we lose sight of this, the idea of a Christian Europe could become a minority interest in its own continent.’