Coalition presides over shocking increase in number of people using food banks
The number of people using food banks to make end meet has skyrocketed this year, according to new figures released today by the Trussell Trust.
Good Society
Rape convictions at an all-time high
Data released by the Crown Prosecution Service today shows that the conviction rate for rape cases has reached an all-time high at 63 per cent of all prosecutions. According to the figures, there were 3,692 rape prosecutions last year and 2,333 convictions, up by 5 per cent since 2008.
French opponents of same-sex marriage have taken homophobic discourse mainstream
Same-sex marriage should become law in France today, as the bill goes through its second and final reading in Parliament – but the predicted victory will taste bittersweet.
Cuts to welfare and local councils hitting deprived areas hardest
Combined cuts to welfare and local councils are affecting the most deprived areas of England the most, a new study by the Labour Party has found.
Payday lenders buying personal details at £60 a head
Recently I spoke at a meeting where I asked those in attendance to raise their hands if they had had experience of a text message or an email from a payday lender offering them an expensive loan at interest rates that would make most people weep.
Cameron needs to do more than attend the Stephen Lawrence memorial service to win the Black vote
When Conservative councillor John Cherry spoke openly about his fear of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children boarding weekly at a school in the West Sussex countryside, it was reminiscent of language that was not unusual in the 1980s and 1990s. The legacy of Stephen Lawrence’s murder, 20 years ago this month, was to trigger the Macpherson Inquiry, resulting in legislative reform that has driven out the worst such overt racist behaviour by those in public life.
The global shortage in health workers is at crisis point
The global shortage in health workers is a global crisis that is undermining efforts at international development.
Did immigration really ‘depress the wages and job chances of working-class Britons’?
It’s increasingly becoming accepted, even on the left, that immigration to Britain under the previous government had some negative consequences, one of which was to depress wages and increase job scarcity for the indigenous population.
43 out of 50 top political donors gave to Tories
Forty three of the 50 biggest political donations made by individuals last year went to the Conservative Party, according to the annual Sunday Times Rich List (£).
Coalition presses ahead with discredited ‘shares for rights’ bill
Despite being rejected by the House of Lords recently, the coalition’s discredited ‘shares for rights’ scheme, which allows workers to give up basic employment rights in exchange for company shares, was passed in the House of Commons by a margin of 277 to 239.