UK
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DRIPping into Fascism, one ‘law’ at a time
DRIP (Data Retention and Investigatory Powers) ignores the Court and recreates blanket surveillance powers that’ll affect all of us – allowing the Government to command retention of the entire population’s communications data for 12 months. Continue reading
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‘It defies belief’: Snowden condemns UK’s new surveillance bill
Snowden found the duress with which the UK government processed the Data Retention and Investigation Powers Bill to be remarkable, comparing it to the Bush administration’s introduction of the Protect America Act in 2007. The Protect America Act was issued after the New York Times exposed a “warrantless wire-tapping programme” that was both illegal and… Continue reading
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On TTIP and the NHS, they are trying to bamboozle us By John Hilary
The TTIP trade treaty talks re-open in Brussels this week. We should not be reassured by the convenient ‘leak’ of a private letter between key TTIP advocates claiming the treaty poses no threat to the NHS. Continue reading
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Take our ‘treatment’ or we’ll stop your benefits, Tories threaten mentally ill By Louise McCudden
Proposals to strip benefits from depressed people who ‘refuse’ treatment are unethical, ignore root causes, and are likely to force people into inappropriate treatment or penury. Continue reading
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Cameron government steps up drive to sell UK public assets By Allison Smith and Paul Bond
A proposed bill will make it even easier for the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government to sell off high-value public land. The National Health Service (NHS) is expected to be one of the social services hardest hit. Continue reading
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“Save our Surgeries” call goes out on NHS birthday By Doctor Ron Singer
As the NHS turned 66 on Saturday, patients and health workers marched through the streets of East London in protest at the threatened closure of scores of GP surgeries. Continue reading
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Destroying the NHS: Time to get even with Stevens By John Lister
New NHS boss Simon Stevens has revealed his true privatising colours with this week’s announcement on personal health budgets – which would wreck NHS services and leave the field clear for big business. We have been waiting to see whether – and how – new NHS boss Simon Stevens would work round to furthering the… Continue reading
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UK public sector workers hold one-day strike By Julie Hyland
Just prior to the day of action, Conservative Minister Matthew Hancock said that pay would be curbed for four years, until at least 2018 if his party returned to power in the 2015 general election. Pay restraint would have to remain in force until the government has “the books balanced”, he said. His admission deepened… Continue reading
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“Handing patients NHS cash” is just rebranding cuts By Peter Beresford
Personal health budgets are to be rolled out to many more patients and combined with social care personal budgets, Simon Stevens, NHS England’s new Chief Executive announced yesterday. But as spending on both social care and the NHS contracts, what is the evidence underpinning this massive shift in resources? Continue reading
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The National Security State: UK gov rushes through emergency law on data retention By Kelly Fiveash
Emergency law is expected within days to be pushed through Parliament that will force ISPs to retain customer data to allow spooks to continue to spy on Brits’ internet and telephone activity, after existing powers were recently ruled invalid by the European Union’s highest court. Continue reading
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New disability payments system responsible for deaths in Britain By Dennis Moore
A new disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), brought in by the UK government to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA), has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. In addition, many seriously ill people have been left without a payment months after applying. Continue reading
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Britain’s National Health Service “fraying at the edges” By Paul Mitchell
In 2012-2013, one in four A&E visits (nearly 6 million) took place after patients had been unable to get an appointment with a GP. Previous research has shown that the reasons include the change to GP contracts in 2004 allowing them to opt out of providing night and weekend cover, leaving it to other agencies… Continue reading
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UK to force telecom firms to spy on British citizens
The UK government is set to pass emergency laws requiring phone companies to hold detailed records of all phone calls, texts and internet usage for up to 12 months. Under the new legislation, companies would be allowed to access more data than ever before, including records of every website their customers visit, as well as… Continue reading
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UK 10 July 2014- Nationwide strikes expected
This Thursday, on 10 July, up to 2 million people will be out on strike in a co-ordinated strike action across the trade unions. There will be huge demonstrations and protests up and down the country. Continue reading
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Blair embodies corruption and war. He must be sacked By Seumas Milne
Egypt is…central to the Middle East conflict, and its government is in effect an Israeli ally. The conflict of interest between Blair’s work for regional dictators and his role as Middle East peace envoy – described by Palestinian leaders as either useless or simply parroting Israeli demands – is so extreme it verges on the… Continue reading
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UK police make one million stop and searches of young people By Robert Stevens
A report by the House of Commons All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children has revealed that more than one million police stop and searches were carried out on children and young people under the age of 18 in England and Wales over the last five years…Figures also uncovered that only about 10 percent of more than… Continue reading
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BBC revealed UK plan to attack Syria
The United Kingdom envisaged to train and equip 100,000 men in Turkey and Jordan, who would have launched a ground invasion of Syria and taken Damascus, bolstered by a British air strike on a comparable scale as the one unleashed on Baghdad in 2003. Continue reading
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Cameron is wrecking our world-beating health system By James Lazou
After all the negative headlines over the last few years you would be forgiven for thinking that the NHS was a mediocre, failing, bureaucratic service destined to collapse. That is the message that Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, would like you to believe. Since becoming Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt has seen it as… Continue reading
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Liquid (Bomb Plot) Lies Revisited By Craig Murray
Now the terror industry has moved to ramp up this entirely false fear with worldwide headlines about a new threat of bombs on planes. The BBC and Sky both link this to the great “liquid bomb plot” of 2006. Everybody remembers that massive story that dominated the headlines for weeks. It was described by the… Continue reading
