Feb142017
MAIB assists the Greek Hellenic Bureau for Marine Casualties Investigation in data recovery
Last week MAIB technicians provided support to the Greek Hellenic Bureau for Marine Casualties Investigation in the recovery of data from the general cargo vessel Cabrera’s Voyage Data Recorder.
The vessel sank after it ran aground on the northern coast of Andros Island, Greece in the early hours of 24 December 2016. The capsule was recovered by a diver from a depth of 20m.
Feb142017
14 February 2017
The Green Party has responded to news this morning that the gig-economy is thought to cost the Government £4billion in lost taxes. [1]
Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:
“The news that insecure work is hurting public finances reinforces what we already knew – insecure work is bad for everyone.
“The gig-economy offers flexibility but in reality leaves workers without basic rights and vulnerable to exploitation. Add to this the lost tax revenue which could be supporting greater social security or the NHS, and it’s clear that the Government has been left standing by a rapidly changing world. It needs to get a grip on the gig-economy.”
The news comes just days after pressure from the Green Party saw the Government finally publish (on February 10) a report into employment status law which was completed more than a year ago. [2]
Bartley added:
“The extent of the Government’s apathy and inertia was revealed last week when it finally published the Coalition’s shelved review into employment status law, which warned back in 2015 that gig-economy workers were at risk.
“While Tory ministers shamefully sat on the findings of the report workers everywhere have been living with increasing insecurity. People need jobs they can build a life on, and they need them now.”
Notes:
Feb142017
The Ministerial Taskforce for the South Wales Valleys is holding a series of public meetings across the region to seek the views of communities about priorities for their local areas.
Alun Davies last night hosted the second town hall style public meeting of the taskforce at Merthyr’s Red House, the arts and creative industries centre in the Old Town Hall.
Speaking following the meeting he said:
“We can feel that understanding and awareness of the work of the taskforce is growing and the engagement sessions we’ve held to date have been invaluable in helping to shape our priorities.
“It is vital however we continue to work with and listen to communities throughout the lifetime of the taskforce.
“From the discussions we’ve had with the public so far, some key themes have emerged. These include the importance of linking businesses with local schools to give young people the confidence and skills they need to enter into the world of work and the importance of linking infrastructure like industrial sites, schools, colleges and transport initiatives together, ensuring true connectivity for the valleys.
“I would urge anyone who feels passionately about where they live to engage with the work of the taskforce and have their say. We’re here to listen and your views will help shape our shared vision for the valleys.”
The taskforce was set up by the Welsh Government in July and aims to build on work previously undertaken across the South Wales Valleys in a more coordinated and targeted way to meet the needs of valley communities.
To learn more about the work of the taskforce or to sign up to attend one of the public meetings, please visit the Facebook page.
Feb142017
The CPI index fell 0.5% in January compared to December. Food prices also fell 0.5% over the same time period, despite the bad weather effects on vegetables.
Core inflation over the last twelve months stayed at the same level as in December, at 1.6%.
Overall the CPI rose by 1.8% over the last twelve months. This was a higher annual rate than December owing to the fall out of a very good month a year ago. The main factor, accounting for half the annual increase came from higher oil prices affecting transport. The UK inflation rate is mirroring the German and US rates, affected by the same world oil price rise. The other most buoyant item was the increase over the last year in restaurant and hotel bills, reflecting higher wages.
January’s figures were helped by falls in clothing and footwear prices, and by the intense supermarket competition which kept food prices down.
Feb142017
By Kezia Dugdale
The effects of Brexit and the drumbeat of a second independence referendum coming from Nicola Sturgeon means that questions about how we run our country are again at the centre of our politics.
But what is clear is that neither a Tory hard Brexit nor a divisive second independence referendum is what the majority of Scots want.
People want change, but they don’t want the country to be divided again. Instead, we need to start thinking about how we work together. We need a new deal for how power is redistributed in this country. One that brings power closer to communities. Not just in Scotland but across the whole UK.
Nicola Sturgeon and Ruth Davidson sit in the Scottish Parliament chiefly because of the efforts of the Scottish constitutional convention in the 1980s, which led to the creation of the Scottish Parliament.
It was Labour that championed devolution for decades. And it is bitterly disappointing to Labour politicians like me that in a decade of SNP government, they have not unlocked the potential of devolution.
That potential includes bringing power closer to the people, bridging the gap between the governed and those who govern and to give people more influence over the decisions that affect their lives.
The vote for Brexit isn’t just the failure of the Remain campaign; it’s a failure of our system of government.
If you think Westminster feels remote in Glasgow then imagine how it feels in Wigan or Sunderland.
I lost count of the number of colleagues from across the rest of the UK who reported back from the doorsteps during the EU referendum that people were willing to gamble on Brexit because, really, how much worse could it get?
In Scotland those feelings revealed themselves two years earlier during the independence referendum.
Then it was my turn on the doorstep to hear that, while the SNP had not made the case, people were willing to take a leap into the dark because, really, how much worse could it get?
In a generation the UK has gone from feeling that things can only get better to things can’t possibly get worse.
That’s why we need to change how we govern ourselves.
Our system of government was not doing the job it should have done before Brexit or the independence referendum.
That’s why I want to see a People’s Constitutional Convention and a new Act of Union to renew the UK for a new age.
This proposal means more powers for Scotland but strengthens the whole UK as well.
It seeks to build out from the benefits we already derive from being part of the UK, and it would bring power closer to people.
Our country feels so divided just now. Between remain and leave, yes and no, rich and poor. But together we’re stronger. That’s why Labour is making the case for bringing power closer to communities, redistributing power through the UK the way we redistribute wealth through the UK.
That’s a better future for Scotland than a hard Tory Brexit, or a divisive second independence referendum.
That’s why we need to change how we govern ourselves.
This article originally appeared in the Daily Record on 14/02/17