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People need to feel confident; at the moment there doesn't seem to be a clear direction of travel from the government, nor are important messages being given to the large numbers of citizens who seem rather uninformed. What does seem obvious is that social...
Vaccines are a goddamned triumph of human ingenuity and science over the cruelty and indifference of Nature. Before vaccines, a defining feature of human life was the inevitability of pain, sickness, and early death. Especially of children- people had...
The election is about more than a few controversial reforms and some divisive rhetoric. PiS is well on the way to establishing what Orban has termed an illiberal democracy. The mechanism is simple: all state institutions are made subservient to the party...
in the 1970s. Britain was then still a great country for ordinary people to live in. Employment was still pretty full. Wages and salaries were good. Strong Trade Unions generally protected ordinary people's living standards and gave them solid political...
From Ebola to swine flu to HIV/Aids, viruses borne by animals have caused some of the most devastating epidemics in history because they are taken out of their natural habitats and sold in wet markets alongside one another. The stress of this inhumane...
One of the most remarkable things for me in this crisis has been just how readily people will change their behaviour if they agree they have to. I don't think most of the world would resist decisive action on climate change - I think the problem is that...
One of the primary methods is corporate profit-shifting. This is where a multinational company registers its headquarters in a low-corporation tax jurisdiction and then books its profits there, rather than in the country in which it actually makes its...
You must cover your nose and mouth when outside (with a mask or scarf). Children under 4 are not required to wear a mask and you do not need to wear a mask in a car if you are travelling with people you live with. When outside, you should keep a 2 metre...
It is worrying that Apple (and undoubtedly not just Apple) keeps ignoring and violating fundamental rights and continues their massive collection of data. There is a concern that big tech companies are basically wiretapping entire populations despite...
If a publisher puts out books or journals that tell lies they can be sued. Why is this not the same for the social media barons? If it were they would quickly get their acts together. It was always thought to be an ad funded internet. That has caused...
The crisis has exposed as never before the costs of an unquestioning commitment to a internationalist dogma that has caused states to become dangerously dependent upon vulnerable extended supply chains for vital medical supplies, including life-saving...
people would wear masks if they thought it would protect them from catching coronavirus but they won't wear them to protect other people from it. Sad state of affairs in this selfish rudderrless country. Such behaviour will (and has) contributed to a...
The global coal industry will “never recover” because the crisis has proved renewable energy is cheaper for consumers and a safer bet for investors. A long-term shift away from dirty fossil fuels has accelerated during the lockdown, bringing forward power...
Jam is a lot easier to make than most people think. It also doesn't have to be a mammoth effort - potting make a couple of jars is entirely possible and reasonable. The best jams are ones that really taste different to shop-bought (blackcurrant or raspberry...
acceptance of the lockdown is based on its exceptional nature, whether this continues will be a result of things like the NHS collapsing and whether the government gets a grip with the testing and isolation of infected people. To be fair to them the furlough...
I still find it quite disorientating just how incompetent this government is. First there was their ham-fisted attempt to prorogue parliament. Then they needlessly threw away their parliamentary majority. Then they caved on the Withdrawal Agreement and...
Let's face reality. We have the weirdest, most useless government ever and they act as though criticism, from right and left, is an endorsement. Everything driven by an ultra driven advisor. Just what kind of brave new world do they offer? One that certainty...
Gold and Trade Around the fifth century, thanks to the availability of the camel, Berber-speaking people began crossing the Sahara Desert. From the eighth century onward, annual trade caravans followed routes later described by Arabic authors with minute...
Children should cook Children love to chop up stuff. Teach them how to use a knife safely, remind them that they are in control of the knife, that makes a big difference if they are a little fearful at the beginning. Chop veg like courgettes that are...
this outbreak has made everyone realise how absurd the notion most of our employment has to be focused in London when it is quite clear that the jobs can be done just as well in Milton Keynes or Chesterfield. Maybe we can work as a country on not making...
Infections Germs are a part of everyday life and are found in our air, soil, water, and in and on our bodies. Some germs are helpful, others are harmful. Many germs live in and on our bodies without causing harm and some even help us to stay healthy....
Bananas don't freeze well, other than if you are planning on making banana bread or milkshakes. Anything with a high fat content that you freeze yourself, needs to be consumed within about three months, or the fat starts to degrade. Anything you buy pre-frozen...
outdoor learning is a specialism that requires training and expertise, rather than something that can be immediately transposed into conventional schools that have widely varying amounts of outdoor space available. It is a significant challenge to expect...
The state in order to properly rule needs Consent Consent gained from an open society An open government Officials that are open Shared open documents We have many luxuries Life is not a luxury Health is not a luxury So much of our life is not a luxury...
In Great Britain, the infection has spread unchecked longer than it should have. The wave of infections also spread from the hospitals to the old people’s homes, which could also have been avoided. The government is now trying to pretend to the public...
