Nov 4, 2022 05:08 PM
Tory minister who voted to limit access to pregnancy terminations given abortion position
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho...17790.html
INTRO: A Tory minister who voted to curtail access to abortion has been granted ministerial responsibility for abortion care in the UK in a move that has provoked fury among termination services. Maria Caulfield, recently appointed as women’s minister by the new PM Rishi Sunak, is an ex-officer of the all-party parliamentary pro-life group and she voted against legalising abortion in Northern Ireland.
Abortion was banned in almost all circumstances, even rape and incest, with women seeking terminations facing life imprisonment, until the procedure was legalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. Clare Murphy, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a leading UK abortion provider, said it is “quite simply appalling that Maria Caulfield, a self-declared ‘voice of the unborn’” had been “given the government portfolio for abortion care”.
Ms Murphy added: “This is an absolute slap in the face to the women of this country and suggests a complete disregard for their needs. In the aftermath of Roe v Wade, the UK has an opportunity to really show the world what progress and protection of women’s rights looks like – this appointment would signal just the opposite.” (MORE - details)
Rishi Sunak & Star Wars: what the UK prime minister can learn about governing from his favourite films
https://reaction.life/rishi-sunak-and-st...ite-films/
INTRO: Rishi Sunak is probably the biggest Star Wars fan to hold the post of UK prime minister. It has been reported that he looks to the films for inspiration, both personally and politically. One MP said, presumably with some hyperbole, that much of Sunak’s political philosophy comes from the trade wars in Star Wars.
Personal inspiration is easy to find in Star Wars. It is a classic hero’s journey, with a call to adventure for a reluctant young protagonist who ultimately has greatness thrust upon them.
Finding political inspiration is a bit trickier. We have previously written about the lessons for constitutionalism and democracy sliding into tyranny that can be learned from the prequel trilogy. One hopes that Sunak won’t face such a challenge as PM.
Star Wars may not carry the same kind of gravitas as The Art of War or Machiavelli’s The Prince as a manual of political instruction. But it is nonetheless filled with interesting lessons and cautionary examples for those seeking to promote peace, order and good government in this galaxy or any other. Here are a few lessons Sunak should take note of... (MORE - missing detals)
COVERED: 1. Incompetence leads to secession and strife ..... 2. Trade keeps the peace, but bores people ..... 3. Don’t lead from the background .... 4. Be careful altering the deal .....
The UK was just hours from potential total financial meltdown in the wake of Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget, the Governor of the Bank of England has confirmed
https://www.scotsman.com/business/uk-hou...ey-3905508
INTRO: Andrew Bailey said the Bank was forced to step in "quickly" and "decisively" to mitigate a "very real threat to financial stability" after markets were spooked by the calamitous £45 billion tax giveaway. “We certainly reached a point where markets were very unstable, and these were core markets, this is the Government bond market, which is in many ways the most core of all," he told Channel 4 News.
"And it was becoming unstable and it was affecting ... pension funds for instance, and how they were operating. Our worry was that when you get into that situation, this can easily spread very rapidly and then you have a huge job on your hands to get it back under control. So we had to step in quickly and we had to step in quite decisively."
Asked if the UK was days, even hours, away from potential total meltdown, Mr Bailey said: "I think at that point when we intervened, I can tell you that the messages we were getting from the markets were that it was hours."
He said it was "hard to compare" the autumn's turmoil with the global financial crisis in 2008, adding: "I'm not sure I could give you an exact comparison, but this felt and was a very real threat to financial stability." The Bank intervened in direct response to the previous administration's ill-fated tax-cutting strategy in September, launching an emergency bond-buying programme to prevent borrowing costs from spiralling out of control.
The turmoil threatened to trigger a mini financial crisis in the UK at one stage, leaving some pension funds at risk of collapse. Mr Bailey suggested the chaos that followed the mini-budget was a "particular UK issue", rather than the result of global shocks... (MORE - details)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho...17790.html
INTRO: A Tory minister who voted to curtail access to abortion has been granted ministerial responsibility for abortion care in the UK in a move that has provoked fury among termination services. Maria Caulfield, recently appointed as women’s minister by the new PM Rishi Sunak, is an ex-officer of the all-party parliamentary pro-life group and she voted against legalising abortion in Northern Ireland.
Abortion was banned in almost all circumstances, even rape and incest, with women seeking terminations facing life imprisonment, until the procedure was legalised in Northern Ireland in October 2019. Clare Murphy, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), a leading UK abortion provider, said it is “quite simply appalling that Maria Caulfield, a self-declared ‘voice of the unborn’” had been “given the government portfolio for abortion care”.
Ms Murphy added: “This is an absolute slap in the face to the women of this country and suggests a complete disregard for their needs. In the aftermath of Roe v Wade, the UK has an opportunity to really show the world what progress and protection of women’s rights looks like – this appointment would signal just the opposite.” (MORE - details)
Rishi Sunak & Star Wars: what the UK prime minister can learn about governing from his favourite films
https://reaction.life/rishi-sunak-and-st...ite-films/
INTRO: Rishi Sunak is probably the biggest Star Wars fan to hold the post of UK prime minister. It has been reported that he looks to the films for inspiration, both personally and politically. One MP said, presumably with some hyperbole, that much of Sunak’s political philosophy comes from the trade wars in Star Wars.
Personal inspiration is easy to find in Star Wars. It is a classic hero’s journey, with a call to adventure for a reluctant young protagonist who ultimately has greatness thrust upon them.
Finding political inspiration is a bit trickier. We have previously written about the lessons for constitutionalism and democracy sliding into tyranny that can be learned from the prequel trilogy. One hopes that Sunak won’t face such a challenge as PM.
Star Wars may not carry the same kind of gravitas as The Art of War or Machiavelli’s The Prince as a manual of political instruction. But it is nonetheless filled with interesting lessons and cautionary examples for those seeking to promote peace, order and good government in this galaxy or any other. Here are a few lessons Sunak should take note of... (MORE - missing detals)
COVERED: 1. Incompetence leads to secession and strife ..... 2. Trade keeps the peace, but bores people ..... 3. Don’t lead from the background .... 4. Be careful altering the deal .....
The UK was just hours from potential total financial meltdown in the wake of Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget, the Governor of the Bank of England has confirmed
https://www.scotsman.com/business/uk-hou...ey-3905508
INTRO: Andrew Bailey said the Bank was forced to step in "quickly" and "decisively" to mitigate a "very real threat to financial stability" after markets were spooked by the calamitous £45 billion tax giveaway. “We certainly reached a point where markets were very unstable, and these were core markets, this is the Government bond market, which is in many ways the most core of all," he told Channel 4 News.
"And it was becoming unstable and it was affecting ... pension funds for instance, and how they were operating. Our worry was that when you get into that situation, this can easily spread very rapidly and then you have a huge job on your hands to get it back under control. So we had to step in quickly and we had to step in quite decisively."
Asked if the UK was days, even hours, away from potential total meltdown, Mr Bailey said: "I think at that point when we intervened, I can tell you that the messages we were getting from the markets were that it was hours."
He said it was "hard to compare" the autumn's turmoil with the global financial crisis in 2008, adding: "I'm not sure I could give you an exact comparison, but this felt and was a very real threat to financial stability." The Bank intervened in direct response to the previous administration's ill-fated tax-cutting strategy in September, launching an emergency bond-buying programme to prevent borrowing costs from spiralling out of control.
The turmoil threatened to trigger a mini financial crisis in the UK at one stage, leaving some pension funds at risk of collapse. Mr Bailey suggested the chaos that followed the mini-budget was a "particular UK issue", rather than the result of global shocks... (MORE - details)