Displaying items by tag: Politics

A study of 315 staff working for MPs found that 42% met the clinical definition of experiencing psychological distress, three times higher than in the general population. They face similar levels of psychological distress as frontline NHS workers, amid a ‘toxic’ workload and fears for their safety. MPs’ caseworkers said there was a ‘worrying upturn’ in the number of actively suicidal people seeking help in the past year. Two-thirds described their work as emotionally draining and one in ten said it was ‘harrowing’. It was not unusual for them to open horrifying mail detailing child abuse or containing pictures of maimed or dead children.

Rishi Sunak has reshaped the government. Grant Shapps is secretary of state for energy, security and net zero - a new department. The government wants us to be a science superpower, but science has regularly moved departments, with many different ministers. Creating a new department enables it to be represented in cabinet. Kemi Badenoch becomes the new business secretary. Rachel Maclean is the new housing minister, the sixth person to hold the post in 12 months. She is tasked with solving the UK's housing crisis. Other government departments have also seen high turnovers since 2010, with twelve prisons ministers and ten immigration ministers. There have been five schools ministers, but Nick Gibb occupied the role on three separate occasions. Appointing Lee Anderson as vice-chairman sparked worries: he vigorously backs the death penalty and a Channel naval standoff, and believes food bank clients do not budget properly. See

A Christian Aid poll reveals 53% of British adults agree that the government should be a leader in providing humanitarian aid and commit to financing a peace process in South Sudan. The leaders of Christian Aid, CAFOD, and Tearfund have written a joint open letter to the PM after the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland visited South Sudan last week. The charities warned of South Sudan’s growing hunger crisis with 54% of the population already living with crisis-level food insecurity. Despite the worsening situation, the UK's aid budget for South Sudan was cut by 59% in 2021. This triggered cuts to critical peacebuilding and resilience work with communities. CAFOD’s director said that the people of South Sudan have suffered much due to conflict and instability, but instead of being able to rely on UK support, the UK has cut its funding.

Volodymyr Zelensky's surprise visit to the UK included meeting Rishi Sunak, making a speech in Parliament and having an audience with King Charles. He arrived as Downing Street announced that the UK will train Ukrainian pilots to fly NATO-standard fighter jets in the future, as requested by Ukraine. It is also expected the UK will announce fresh sanctions on Russia. Downing Street added that British training would be scaled up by training a further 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers. Mr Zelensky next visited Brussels, having urged France, Germany and the UK to provide fighter jets for the war against Russia. ‘Europe will always remain free as long as we are together,’ he told the European Parliament. He will meet all MEPs at a summit of EU leaders, on his second trip abroad since the war began. See Ukraine has received signals from Poland and the Netherlands to say that they are ready to supply RAF Typhoons and F-16 fighters.

Greek Cypriots voted for a new president on 4 February, with a record 14 candidates. The winner needed 50% plus one vote to succeed. Voters are concerned about corruption and the economy, particularly the cash-for-passports scandal, pressures of migration on public resources, and the deadlock over the decades-old island division with Turkey. See Nikos Christodoulides emerged as frontrunner and will face Andreas Mavroyiannis in a run-off vote on 12 February. The elections will end, but challenges and problems lie ahead.

Four Catholic priests were charged with treason and given ten-year prison terms in a growing clampdown on critics of President Daniel Ortega. Two Catholic seminarians were also given the same sentence on the same charges. All six belong to Matagalpa diocese, led by Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who is under house arrest awaiting trial. A cameraman for Catholic television was also jailed for ten years. ‘We condemn these perverse actions of the regime, which violate human rights,’ the Nicaraguan Centre for Human Rights wrote on Twitter. They called for the men's immediate release. Ortega is targeting critical Catholic Church leaders following nationwide protests in 2018. He accused them of attempting to overthrow him when they served as mediators with protesters in the unrest that claimed 300+ lives. Since then, his government has expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries, closed Catholic radio and television stations, and arrested more than a dozen priests.

Moments before he went into Downing Street for the first time as prime minister, Rishi Sunak said ‘this government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.’ Three months later, he confronts issues challenging these promises. No PM wants a reputation for harbouring fixed penalty notices gathered whilst in office but being fined for not wearing a seatbelt was his second offence after his one as chancellor during the pandemic. The deputy prime minister has reportedly had 24+ civil servants make complaints against him. Nadhim Zahawi, the Conservative Party Chairman, is determined to stay in post despite many unanswered questions over a £5m fine that was paid over a tax dispute while he was chancellor and that the prime minister knew about the whole thing.

A Wagner mercenaries Serbian-language video showing Serb volunteers training to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine has outraged Serbia's president Vucic. He said, ‘Why do you, Wagner, call Serbians when you know it is against our rules?’ So far, Serbia has prioritised Russian friendship over ambitions to join the EU, but now Belgrade lawyers and anti-war groups have filed criminal complaints against Russia’s ambassador and Serbia's state security and information agency for recruiting Serbians for Wagner. Vucic said, ‘Serbia’s path is towards the West, not towards invading Ukraine. Serbia consistently voted in favour of resolutions at the UN, condemning Russian hostility.’ That stance does not impress MEPs because Serbia refuses to impose sanctions on Russia. MEPs have called for ending Serbia membership negotiations until they agree to sanctions and forego cheap Gazprom gas from Russia.

There is a move to change Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Act, and the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) has recommended removing the right of Christian schools to exclusively hire Christian teachers. They released a Report containing 46 recommendations, four of which relate to religious bodies, one of these recommendations would narrow the 'genuine occupational requirements' so Christian schools cannot require all staff to be Christian. Only certain roles would meet that criterion, like the principal or chaplain. A science teacher, for example, would not be required to be a Christian. This dramatically undermines a Christian school’s ability to fulfil their ethos. Christian schools are places where students practise their faith along with teachers and staff. The idea that staff are not required to live according to the school’s religious ethos is at odds with faith-based learning.  The Australian Christian Lobby is encouraging Australians to write to their MPs and the Minister for Education to express their concerns.

Despite MPs having voted overwhelmingly to reject measures to legalise assisted dying in 2015, and in 2021, due to mass opposition from fellow Peers, activists are again pushing for the law to allow doctors to ‘help’ terminally ill patients end their lives. Ahead of the pending debate, MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee in Parliament are now conducting an inquiry, asking for the views of the general public into assisted dying/assisted suicide, to help shape their recommendations to Government, regardless of what, up to now, has been a clear and settled opposition to any such proposal. This debate will not go away until activists get what they want. Like water dripping relentlessly on a stone, after each defeat the campaigners return, with the same demands. The Bible says life is the gift of God for man made in His own image.