A roundup of progressive news
1.As many as 8 London parties were attended by public servants – held by Downing Street and other Government departments – in the run-up to Christmas last year – Byline Times
Byline Times says its investigations show that as many as eight London parties were attended by public servants – held by Downing Street and other Government departments – in the run-up to Christmas last year.
The Byline Intelligence Team understands that a gathering was held at Skipton House – a building in London managed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) – between military personnel in the days before Christmas week 2020.
How many more parties will be probed by the Whitehall investigation announced by Johnson himself?
2. British universities slammed for taking £90m from oil companies in four years –openDemocracy
British universities have accepted almost £90m in funding from major oil companies since 2017, openDemocracy reports.
According to the investigation, Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London have been criticised for taking the most, with one MP branding the relationship between oil giants and universities “scandalous”.
Imperial College London has accepted more than £54m, including £39m from Shell – with which it boasts of having a “long-standing and fruitful partnership”.
Cambridge University also received more than £14m from oil giants, while Oxford University got almost £8m.
3. When Will the ‘Great Resignation’ Turn Into the Great Strike?-Novara Media
Nearly a million people in Britain switched jobs over the summer, according to official figures – an all-time high for the country. A piece by James Meadway for Novara looks at how individual acts of refusal aren’t enough and why we need to build a movement to challenge how work is performed, for whom, and under what conditions.
Meadway looks at how the pandemic has changed the way we work and opened up the space for thinking about and fighting for alternatives.
4. Harriet’s legacy as she steps down at the next election: we’re all Harmanites now –LabourList
After the news that Harriet Harman will be standing down at the next election, LabourList features an article looking at not just her legislative legacy but how she inspired a ‘movement of women in parliament who have looked to her both for political leadership and care.’
Alison McGovern writes about how Harman’s ‘nearly 40 years span generational change that is remarkable and has fundamentally altered not just the Labour Party, but all the major political parties in our country.’
5. Frontline NHS doctors angry at being treated as ‘Covid cannon fodder,’ study reveals –Morning Star
NHS doctors working on the front line of the pandemic are angry at being treated as “Covid cannon fodder” rather than heroes, the Morning Star reports.
The research highlighted that medics have often lacked sufficient places to rest, food to eat and appropriate psychological support during the crisis, despite many facing relentless shift patterns as they work at permanent maximum capacity.
Co-authored by academics from the Universities of Bath, Bristol and the West of England alongside the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), the study, which consulted 1,379 doctors across Britain and Ireland, is the first to capture their views of the pandemic’s impact.
The biggest issues identified included doctors feeling exposed and unprotected, the relentlessness of the virus, the “ugly truth” of the front line and an overwhelmed system.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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