The work of various historians, among them David Waldstreicher and Alfred W. and Ruth G. Blumrosen, supports the contention that uneasiness among slaveholders in the colonies about growing antislavery sentiment in Britain and increasing imperial regulation helped motivate the Revolution. One main episode that these and other historians refer to is the landmark 1772 decision of the British high court in Somerset v. Stewart. The case concerned a British customs agent named Charles Stewart who bought an enslaved man named Somerset and took him to England, where he briefly escaped. Stewart captured Somerset and planned to sell him and ship him to Jamaica, only for the chief justice, Lord Mansfield, to declare this unlawful, because chattel slavery was not supported by English common law.

It is true, as Professor Wilentz has noted elsewhere, that the Somerset decision did not legally threaten slavery in the colonies, but the ruling caused a sensation nonetheless. Numerous colonial newspapers covered it and warned of the tyranny it represented. Multiple historians have pointed out that in part because of the Somerset case, slavery joined other issues in helping to gradually drive apart the patriots and their colonial governments. The British often tried to undermine the patriots by mocking their hypocrisy in fighting for liberty while keeping Africans in bondage, and colonial officials repeatedly encouraged enslaved people to seek freedom by fleeing to British lines. For their part, large numbers of the enslaved came to see the struggle as one between freedom and continued subjugation. As Waldstreicher writes, The black-British alliance decisively pushed planters in these [Southern] states toward independence.

The culmination of this was the Dunmore Proclamation, issued in late 1775 by the colonial governor of Virginia, which offered freedom to any enslaved person who fled his plantation and joined the British Army. A member of South Carolinas delegation to the Continental Congress wrote that this act did more to sever the ties between Britain and its colonies than any other expedient which could possibly have been thought of. The historian Jill Lepore writes in her recent book, These Truths: A History of the United States, Not the taxes and the tea, not the shots at Lexington and Concord, not the siege of Boston; rather, it was this act, Dunmores offer of freedom to slaves, that tipped the scales in favor of American independence. And yet how many contemporary Americans have ever even heard of it? Enslaved people at the time certainly knew about it. During the Revolution, thousands sought freedom by taking refuge with British forces.

As for the question of Lincolns attitudes on black equality, the letter writers imply that Hannah-Jones was unfairly harsh toward our 16th president. Admittedly, in an essay that covered several centuries and ranged from the personal to the historical, she did not set out to explore in full his continually shifting ideas about abolition and the rights of black Americans. But she provides an important historical lesson by simply reminding the public, which tends to view Lincoln as a saint, that for much of his career, he believed that a necessary prerequisite for freedom would be a plan to encourage the four million formerly enslaved people to leave the country. To be sure, at the end of his life, Lincolns racial outlook had evolved considerably in the direction of real equality. Yet the story of abolition becomes more complicated, and more instructive, when readers understand that even the Great Emancipator was ambivalent about full black citizenship.

The letter writers also protest that Hannah-Jones, and the projects authors more broadly, ignore Lincolns admiration, which he shared with Frederick Douglass, for the commitment to liberty espoused in the Constitution. This seems to me a more general point of dispute. The writers believe that the Revolution and the Constitution provided the framework for the eventual abolition of slavery and for the equality of black Americans, and that our project insufficiently credits both the founders and 19th-century Republican leaders like Lincoln, Thaddeus Stevens, Charles Sumner and others for their contributions toward achieving these goals.

It may be true that under a less egalitarian system of government, slavery would have continued for longer, but the United States was still one of the last nations in the Americas to abolish the institution only Cuba and Brazil did so after us. And while our democratic system has certainly led to many progressive advances for the rights of minority groups over the past two centuries, these advances, as Hannah-Jones argues in her essay, have almost always come as a result of political and social struggles in which African-Americans have generally taken the lead, not as a working-out of the immanent logic of the Constitution.

And yet for all that, it is difficult to argue that equality has ever been truly achieved for black Americans not in 1776, not in 1865, not in 1964, not in 2008 and not today. The very premise of The 1619 Project, in fact, is that many of the inequalities that continue to afflict the nation are a direct result of the unhealed wound created by 250 years of slavery and an additional century of second-class citizenship and white-supremacist terrorism inflicted on black people (together, those two periods account for 88 percent of our history since 1619). These inequalities were the starting point of our project the facts that, to take just a few examples, black men are nearly six times as likely to wind up in prison as white men, or that black women are three times as likely to die in childbirth as white women, or that the median family wealth for white people is $171,000, compared with just $17,600 for black people. The rampant discrimination that black people continue to face across nearly every aspect of American life suggests that neither the framework of the Constitution nor the strenuous efforts of political leaders in the past and the present, both white and black, has yet been able to achieve the democratic ideals of the founding for all Americans.

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Letter to the Editor: Historians Critique The 1619 Project, and We Respond - The New York Times

A little history of the death penalty in the UK, and why capital punishment was abolished in 1965.

Since the early Anglo-Saxon times, the favoured method of execution in the UK has been hanging. However, that didnt mean a trip to a purpose-built gallows by horse and cart. The convicted could be hangedfrom said horse and cart or from some form of stepladder, with a rope slung over a convenient tree. They would die a miserable death from suffocation. Burning at the stake was popular between the 11th and 13th century for conviction of the crime of heresy in the 11th century, and treason in the 13th, and beheading was popular with Royalty.

As in most other countries of the world, life was cheap, and punishment barbaric. In the 13th century England, being convicted of treason could see you hung, drawn, and quartered. A process that saw the guilty dragged to a place of public execution, hanged by the neck until dead, then beheaded, disembowelled, and their limbs cut off. The head was often displayed on a stake.

There were many trivial misdemeanours a hapless person could commit which would often land them on a gallows. From the 1600s to the early 1800s, England had over 200 offences punishable by death. These could be as minor as poaching, cutting down a tree, petty theft, or working as a pickpocket. Although this period was known as Britains Bloody Code, they bought these statutes in as a deterrent and, on the surface at least, it seemed to work.

For several reasons, throughout the 18th century, there were fewer people executed than in the 16th and 17th centuries combined. As well as the deterrent element, by the late 1700s, early 1800s, the population was losing its appetite for needless death penalties in the UK. For instance, theft of goods above a certain value was a capital offence, so juries found ways to reduce the value of the goods, allowing the defendant to receive a custodial sentence, rather than facing the gallows.

During this same period, transportation,' rather than hanging, was used as a popular punishment for those convicted of petty theft, or less serious crimes. Convicts were transported to the Americas and then, after the American Revolution, to Australia.

In 1806, a barrister by the name of Sir Samuel Romillywas appointed Solicitor General, and during his time in office, managed to repeal the death penalty for some minor misdemeanours. In 1834, Liberal MP William Ewartalso got bills passed to reduce the number of capital offences, including abolishing the death penalty for rustling. In 1861, the death penalty in the UK was abolished for all crimes except those of high treason, piracy with violence, arson in royal dockyards, and murder. Some seven years later, public hanging ended, with the introduction of the Capital Punishment Act.

By the end of the 1800s, there was already growing concern over the validity of the evidence for several convictions for murder. Nonetheless, the majority of these unfortunate souls still found themselves on the gallows. After the Great War, further legislation reduced the use of the death penalty in the UK. In 1922 the Infanticide Act protected mothers who had killed their new-born child, from the threat of hanging, provided an unbalanced state of mind at the time could be proven. In 1931, the death penalty for pregnant women was abolished, followed in 1933 by the abolishment of the death penalty for all those under the age of 18 years.

With controversial verdicts on several murder cases continuing to hit the headlines, the number of vocal, high profile capital punishment abolitionists continued to grow. By the early 1920s the penal reform group, The Howard League, became involved, and in 1927 the Labour Party published its Manifesto on Capital Punishment. As the anti-capital punishment lobby began to gather pace, a Select Committee was set up in 1929, and published its findings the following year, recommending a trial five-year suspension of the death penalty. However, the committees suggestion was never followed up.

After the end of World War II, the new Labour government again failed to get the abolition of the death penalty included in the 1948 Criminal Justice Act, although flogging and prison with hard labour was abolished. In the 1950s, new controversial cases involving the death penalty in the UK continued to hit the headlines and fuelled continued concern over the use of capital punishment. These controversies included the hanging of at least two innocent men, Timothy Evans in 1950, and Derek Bentley in 1953. The last woman to receive the death penalty in the UK was Ruth Ellis. Although she had suffered mental and physical abuse, and everything pointed to the fact she was mentally unbalanced at the time she shot her lover, she was hanged in 1955.

Another failed attempt to abolish the death penalty was made in 1956, by Labours MP Sydney Silverman. However, in 1957, a change to the Homicide Act further reduced the types of murder that carried the death penalty. These remaining capital crimes were the murder of a police officer or murdering in the furthering of robbery. These changes reduced the number of hangings in the UK to three or four a year. On 13th August 1964, Peter Allen and Gwynne Evanswere the last people to be hanged in the UK. They were convicted of killing a taxi driver during the act of robbing him (in furtherance of theft) and consequently received a death sentence.

In 1965, the Murder Act, (the Abolition of the Death Penalty), suspended the use of capital punishment in the UK for a period of five years, before making it permanent in 1969, and replacing it with a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. In 1971, the death penalty for arson in Royal dockyards was abolished, and in Northern Ireland, the death penalty was abolished in 1973. In 1998, capital punishment in the UK for acts of treason, and piracy with violence were also abolished, finally making the UK totally free of the death penalty.

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When Was The Death Penalty Abolished In The UK? - Fairplanet

A play exposing the little-known history of the Indian migrant labourers indentured to work on plantations around the world following the abolition of slavery is coming to the stage in the new year.

The Great Experiment comes to audiences at the Tara Theatre on February 11-15.

This new work recounts the moment in history when more than two million Indians were indentured to replace slave labour in Mauritius, Malaysia, the Caribbean and mainland Africa as part of The Great Experiment.

Carefully devised by performers from various backgrounds in a process led by those of Mauritian heritage, The Great Experiment, directed by Michael Walling, tells two parallel stories that of the labourers and that of the actors themselves grappling with their own relationships to this difficult history and its enduring effects that are still felt today.

Having worked with expert historians and the communities descended from indentured workers, the production also makes use of multimedia and archive footage that the audience are encouraged to explore and interact with before each performance.

Director Michael Walling said: Most of Border Crossings previous work has been very contemporary but the current moment seems to call for a new look at our histories, and particularly the untold histories of the British Empire.

The story of the indentured migrations feels incredibly resonant at a time when people are travelling the world in search of a better life not just because these Indian labourers also migrated for work, but also because their work laid the foundations for the very inequalities which make Europe and America so rich and the global South so poor today.

Our confrontation with this history has brought into the open some incredibly powerful questions about who we are in the UK today: how our multicultural space came into being and why it contains so many unresolved divisions. The past is not past.

Deviser and performer Nisha Dassyne said: Working on The Great Experiment, Ive had to visit the ghosts and memories in my family. They have become more concrete, more human, more accessible.

The connection to my ancestors isnt just something to talk about anymore its a real connection.

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Theatre: The Great Experiment, Tara Theatre - London News Online

JANUARY: Former Mayor of Swindon and council leader Maurice Fanning died aged 74.

Although a staunch Labour representative, he won affection and respect across political boundaries as a person who saw his first duty as standing up for the borough and its people.

He was the first mayor after the abolition of the old Thamesdown council in 1997, when Swindon became a unitary local authority.

One of the first things he did after being sworn in was to get married.

He and Sheila were married by the boroughs registrar in the council chambers first wedding ceremony.

The many people who paid tribute to Mr Fanning included Conservative council leader David Renard, who said: Maurice was on the council when I was first elected and, as a councillor for Pinehurst and a former mayor of the borough, he had already given extensive public service to the people of Swindon by the time I arrived in the chamber.

Maurice was a great ambassador for our town and will be missed by all who knew him.

Labour group leader Jim Grant said: Maurice was a larger-than-life character whose good humour and generosity rubbed off on everyone.

He was one of those people who lit up a room when he walked into it.

On a personal note, he was very kind to me and helped me a lot when I first became a councillor.

He will be much missed.

Mr Fanning was survived by his wife, four children and stepchildren and grandchildren.

Mourners invited to his funeral at Kingsdown Crematorium were asked to wear a splash of colour in order to reflect his life.

JANUARY: There was a special guest for one of North Swindon Librarys storytime sessions.

The Duchess of Cornwall visited the town for a double bill of literary events as part of her work as a patron of the Literacy Trust.

Hundreds of children were waiting to cheer Her Royal Highness when she arrived for her lunchtime date at the library.

She listened intently as storyteller Olivia Williams delivered an interactive story about nature, with enthusiastic call-and-response sections for the young audience, and then presented a prize to Molly Roberts, winner of the Literacy Trusts Lost Words poetry competition.

As Molly read her poem, childrens author and artist Steve Anthony improvised a quick-fire illustration.

Steve repeated the feat when the duchess read one of her favourite works by Alfred Williams, Swindons Hammerman Poet.

The illustrator said afterwards: It was a complete honour but also quite nerve-wracking, especially when my pen started running out towards the end of the duchess reading!

It was quite a special moment to be part of an event which is the culmination of a project weve all been involved with, and an event which highlights the library service.

Later in the day, the duchess visited the borough councils Lyndhurst Centre to meet foster carers and the family support team. She also played with an energetic group of foster children.

JANUARY: A vandal who sparked widespread outrage by taking wreaths from Swindons Cenotaph and strewing them on the ground was jailed.

Magistrates sentenced 54-year-old Ashwani Kumar to eight weeks in custody after he admitted offending public decency.

His actions were reported by newspapers and other media outlets throughout the country and across the world.

The court heard that Kumar committed the offence 48 hours after being released from an earlier sentence.

The vandal, who insisted he was ashamed of himself, had drunk three quarters of a bottle of vodka before stumbling to the memorial and throwing up to 50 poppy wreaths across Regent Circus.

His attack was captured on CCTV, and when Kumar was shown the footage by police officers he admitted having thrown the wreaths.

However, he said he was unable to remember doing do because he was drunk and had not been able to take medication he needed.

The case was heard by Salisbury Magistrates. Chairman of the bench Simon Crichton told him: You would have caused a great offence to many people, both who live in Swindon and who have any connection to those names on the war memorial.

The action could also offend those who had connections to other war memorials or who had laid wreaths at Remembrance Sunday commemorations.

FEBRUARY: Honda announced that its South Marston plant would close in 2021.

Many of the workers spoke of their anger at having learned of the closure in media reports before any official statement was made to them.

Andy Foster, a union representative and 20-year assembly line veteran, said: We are not going to lay down and take the factory closure.

We are putting a case forward to save Honda. We are not talking about redundancies, lets talk about saving the plant.

Swindon will be destroyed. Its not just 3,500 jobs in the factory, it could be 10,000 or more.

People feel like the world is ending, it was like a morgue in there yesterday morning. You had some people coming in in tears.

Earlier in the month, the company had reiterated its commitment to Swindon and its workforce, but blamed market changes, notably the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, for its decision.

The firm said in its statement: The significant challenges of electrification will see Honda revise its global manufacturing operations, and focus activity in regions where it expects to have high production volumes.

Swindon MPs Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson, together with senior councillors, vowed to do all they could to help the Honda and supply chain staff affected.

Mayor of Swindon Coun Junab Ali said: I am saddened to hear that Honda will be closing its Swindon plant in 2021 and my heart goes out to every single person who will be affected.

Throughout the years, the company has played an extremely important role in Swindons economic success and Im sure I speak for many people when I say Honda will be hugely missed.

But it is important to remember that Swindon is a resilient town with an unshakable sense of community spirit which will see us through the challenges we face.

FEBRUARY: Snow blanketed Swindon and the surrounding countryside early in the month.

Care workers and nurses battling heavy snow to reach Great Western Hospital, Prospect Hospice and the Marlborough House unit near Old Town were given a helping hand, ensuring their crucial work was not disrupted.

They were driven by staff chauffeured by staff from the Grange Jaguar Landrover showroom who wanted to make sure patient safety and comfort were maintained.

The company put out an early-morning message offering all NHS workers lift in one of its three top-of-the-range 4x4s.

Mike Edwards, a boss at the Dorcan Way showroom, said: We have had quite a large response.

We expected to get some people, but its kept us busy for most of the day.

Its good to be able to help if we can. It makes sense really - thats what the cars were designed for.

Sometimes theres much more important things than selling cars.

A hospice spokesman said: We are very grateful to Land Rover Jaguar for their help in enabling staff and even patients family members get to Prospect Hospice today.

We would like to say a big thank you to them and to everyone else whose efforts and kindness helped us to give our care to people from across our community, despite the snow.

Staff at First City Nursing helped dig colleagues vehicles free, ensuring they were able to visit patients in the community.

Managing director Stephen Trowbridge said: Were so proud of our entire team our internal staff, frontline staff and out of hours team for how they have all pulled together and gone the extra mile to ensure that our customers are safe and cared for.

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The Swindon Advertiser Review of the Year - Swindon Advertiser

The income tax structure in India has undergone a series of changes in the years gone by. And it has been a work-in-progress. The last 10 years stand out in evolution of the tax system as authorities have striven to strike the right balance between tax incentives and revenue generation, in order to stay on the path of fiscal prudence. Here's a summary of the key changes in the income tax structure in 2010s.

Broadening of tax slabs

Additional deduction of Rs 20,000 for investment in long-term infra bonds (over and above existing limit of Rs 1 lakh on tax savings)

Enhancement of exemption limit for individual taxpayers from Rs 1,60,000 to Rs 1,80,000

Reduction of qualifying age for senior citizens from 65 years to 60 years

Enhancement of exemption limit for senior citizens from Rs 2,40,000 to Rs 2,50,000

Higher exemption limit of Rs 5,00,000 for very senior citizens aged eighty and above

Enhancement of exemption limit for individual taxpayers from Rs 1,80,000 to Rs 2,00,000

Deduction of up to Rs 10,000 for interest from savings bank accounts

Deduction of up to Rs 5,000 for preventive health check-up (within the existing limit for deduction allowed for health insurance)

Exemption from advance tax payment for senior citizens that do not have any income

Tax credit of Rs 2,000 to individuals having a total income up to Rs 5 lakh

Changes in taxation system introduced by Arun Jaitley, finance minister of NDA regime

Increase in personal income tax exemption limit by Rs 50,000 from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh for taxpayers aged below 60

Raise in exemption limit from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for senior citizens

Abolishment of Wealth tax

Increase in surcharge on income above Rs 1 crore, from 10 per cent to to 12 per cent

Increase in surcharge on total income over Rs 1 crore, from 12 per cent to 15 per cent

Tax rebate for individuals with income up to Rs 5 lakh raised to Rs 5,000 from Rs 2,000

Additional deduction up to Rs 50,000 on interest payment for first-time home loan borrowers (over and above Rs 2 lakh for home loan borrower)

Reduction in income tax rate on income of Rs 2.5 lakh-5 lakh to 5 per cent from 10 per cent

Rebate under Section 87A lowered to Rs 2,500 from Rs 5,000; no rebate on income above Rs 3.5 lakh

Surcharge of 10 per cent on income of Rs 50 lakh-Rs 1 crore

Penalty up to Rs 10,000 on failing to file returns on time (not more than Rs 1,000 on income up to Rs 5 lakh)

Abolition of deduction on investment in Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme

Hike in cess to 4 per cent from 3 per cent

Introduction of standard deduction of Rs 40,000 for salaried individuals

For senior citizens:

Exemption of interest income on bank/post office deposits increased to Rs 50,000 from Rs 10,000

Hike in deduction limit for health insurance premium/medical expenditure to Rs 50,000 from Rs 30,000 under section 80D of Income Tax Act

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How Income Tax Structure Has Evolved In India In the 2010s - NDTV News

In 1947, over President Harry Trumans veto, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act. In doing so, it put an end to a long-since-forgotten era of labor unrest and paved the way to the prosperous 1950s.

Taft-Hartley curbed some of the worst excesses of Depression-era law that govern labor unions even to this day. Its greatest contribution to our modern governance was the state right-to-work law. States could forbid the pernicious practice of forcing workers to pay a union as a condition of their employment. Unfortunately, Democrats in Congress, out of obedience to the Big Labor bosses who underwrite their campaigns, are threatening to repeal and ban all such laws with new legislation. Their bill is inaptly referred to as the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

Of course, the right to organize is not really under threat, but workers desire to band together in unions is vanishing as part of the natural course of events. Wherever workers have been legally freed from mandatory union dues or fees, they have consistently opted to stop paying. As a result, union bosses massive paychecks, expense accounts, and cash to spend on their favorite Democratic officeholders are under threat. This is what Democrats want to preserve in the face of workers' consistent choice to be free of such predatory constraints.

Unions have no relevance for most younger workers, and many states have adopted right-to-work laws in recent years to protect them from forced unionism. This has Democrats in a panic.

Unions face other problems. A big one is that the traditional employer-employee relationship is itself on the wane. The expenses and hassles that regulation, taxation, and mandates have loaded onto traditional, formal employment are prompting more and more employers to consider automation or contracting. More and more workers are going outside the formal, corporate employment structure, doing business for themselves in the gig economy. It is believed that 36% of the working population already do such jobs at least part time.

Bills that prop up moribund labor unions and create greater inefficiencies will do no good, and will actually accelerate this trend, forcing a too-fast transition that will harm many more workers than they help.

When this legislation is proposed in coming weeks, it will not pass. But it must also not go unnoticed. Democratic attacks on the right to work will only become stronger, especially if they continue their efforts to break down the rule of law. If Democrats manage to take control of the Senate and abolish the filibuster, pro-union, anti-worker policy will become a top priority.

The repeal of right-to-work laws would reimpose upon large and now prosperous areas of America the very sort of labor rules that used to hold them back, from a time no one remembers anymore. Many of todays baby boomers were not yet born when Taft-Hartley passed. In those times, the South was a backwater and the mountain West an undeveloped, provincial region. Those regions embrace of right-to-work laws was part of what helped them take the lead in our countrys economy in the modern era. It is no accident that 11 out of CNBCs top 15 states for business are right-to-work states, or that right-to-work states enjoy lower unemployment, or that personal incomes in those states grew 50% faster between 2001 and 2016.

Democratic efforts to abolish right-to-work laws should be viewed as the rejection of seven decades of sound labor policy, the economic equivalent of resurrecting the polio virus and setting it loose on unsuspecting populations. Washington has no business fouling up the healthy business climates of the nations best-run states, just as a kickback to union bosses for their partisan contributions and activism. The abolition of the right to work would be a quid pro quo for unions and a knife between the ribs of the workers whom organized labor is supposed to represent.

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Democrats aim to abolish right-to-work laws - Washington Examiner

The government intends to carry out the abolition of so-called no fault Section 21 evictions.

The Queens Speech announced a Renters Reform Bill, as well as a lifetime deposit which would allow tenants to swap their deposit from one property to another.

Section 21 enables landlords to evict tenants with two months notice.

David Cox, chief executive of ARLA Propertymark, said: In the absence of any meaningful plan to boost the level of social housing in this country, the announcement confirming the abolition of Section 21 in todays Queens speech is another attack against the landlords who actually house the nation.

If Section 21 is scrapped, Section 8 must be reformed and a new specialist housing tribunal created. Without this, supply will almost certainly fall which will have the consequential effect of raising rents and will further discourage new landlords from investing in the sector.

ARLA Propertymark will be engaging with the government to ensure they fully understand the consequences of any changes, and we will be scrutinising the legislation, to ensure landlords have the ability to regain their properties if needed.

But Jeremy Leaf, north London estate agent and a former RICS residential chairman, said: The abolition of Section 21 and the removal of the no-fault eviction process has been long discussed and is understandable if we are going to respond to the longer-term requirements of tenants and particularly families with children.

Many landlords would be happy to embrace it but there must be an equal and opposite opportunity for landlords to remove tenants who are not otherwise complying with their tenancy agreement such as non payment of rent or upsetting other nearby residents.

It has to be seen to be fair and we need to see more detail of how it would work in practice. What we dont want to see is landlords leaving the sector, which will only increase upwards pressure on rents and make deposit saving for aspiring first-time buyers even more difficult.

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Government to press ahead with abolishing section 21 - Property Wire

Japan Set to Welcome More Foreign Lawyers With Revised Gaiben Law | Asian Legal Business Japan Set to Welcome More Foreign Lawyers With Revised Gaiben Law A law change that relaxes restrictions on foreign lawyers is being welcomed in Japan, as the market gradually embraces international talent. The revised Gaiben law, which expands activities allowed and decreases the period of overseas work experience required for foreign lawyers, is expected to be conrmed during this Diet session.The bill was originally advised by Japans Ministry of Justice and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations back in 2016, and although formally adopted and expected during Japans 2018 autumn Diet session, it failed to eventuate.The arrival of the law coincides with a government-led push to boost Japans international arbitration capabilities. Last year in Osaka, the Japan International Dispute Resolution Center (JIDRC) was launched, while a second JIDRC centre is expected in Tokyo next year.Lawyer Rika Beppu, who was involved in the amendments and chairs the European Business Council Legal Services Committee, says that the changes are wholeheartedly welcome.Once the changes are implemented into law, international lawyers who have started their careers in Japan and are currently in Japan pursuing their legal careers will no longer need to disrupt their careers by going overseas for two years to satisfy the current requirement, Beppu says, noting that overseas work experience will be reduced to one year.This will be benecial to Japan-based clients as well as law rms, where an international lawyers career can be more smoothly pursued due to the reduction of the two-year overseas experience rule to one year, she says. However, she says that the committee is advocating for the complete abolition of the work experience rule for foreign lawyers in Japan.Aaron Patience, who heads the Simmons & Simmons Tokyo office, believes the law change strikes a good balance, noting that the general market reaction seems to be that its a step in the right direction.The loosening of foreign lawyer restrictions also indicates a demand for foreign talent. I think there will continue to be a need for the skill-sets of international lawyers in particular sectors; like infrastructure projects and project finance, says Patience. Japanese clients tend to appreciate service providers that can bridge cultural gaps, such as by delivering messages in a particular way, whether it be in Japanese or by using English in a way that resonates with them.While Japan may be opening up to foreign lawyers, the domestic legal market is also looking outward. Theres also more of an interest in Japanese lawyers doing international work, and theres a push from the Japanese business community to get involved in cross border transactions between Japan and the rest of the world, Patience says. I think some of the roles that were potentially in the past lled by Commonwealth or U.S. lawyers are now increasingly being done by Japanese lawyers who are interested in that space. So that could inuence the opportunities for international lawyers.To contact the editorial team, please emailALBEditor@thomsonreuters.com.

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Japan Set to Welcome More Foreign Lawyers With Revised Gaiben Law - Legal Business Online

Motorists are collectively saving hundreds of thousands of pounds per day on the Severn crossings as the first anniversary since the removal of tolls is marked today [17 December]. All drivers are saving around 365,000 per day, based on the charges which were in place when the tolls were abolished.

The UK Government removed tolls on the westbound M4 and M48 crossings in December 2018, making it easier to travel between Wales and south west England with the aim of boosting business, enhancing inward investment, increasing tourism and creating jobs.

Since the tolls abolition, journeys into Wales from England over the Prince of Wales Bridge have increased by 16% with an average of more than 39,000 journeys now being made each day.

Following the UK Governments abolition of the tolls, the Western Gateway partnership was launched last month to maximise the economic potential of south Wales and the south west of England.

By bringing together world-renowned universities, businesses and local authorities across a wide region either side of the Severn, the Western Gateway will mirror the successful, established work of the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine and will seek to ensure that the region is globally competitive.

Over the last year, drivers have reaped the benefits of free road travel into Wales which is paying dividends for businesses across both sides of the Severn.

We are better connected economically as a result and through the Western Gateway initiative we will harness the joint strengths of these two regions while respecting our distinct identities and traditions.

The UK Government is committed to boosting Wales transport infrastructure and connectivity which is central to ensuring we raise our game economically and boost our productivity as a result.

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Motorists saving hundreds of thousands per day since Severn tolls' abolition - GOV.UK

The two newest members of Iowa City Council took their oaths of office in the council chamber on Thursday afternoon. Laura Bergus and Janice Weiner, both elected to at-large seats in November, were sworn in by City Clerk Kellie Fruehling.

For Bergus, its a new role in a familiar setting. Her first job as a teenager was televising council meetings for the citys cable channel. While doing that, Bergus developed what she calls her nerdy passion for local government.

Bergus didnt mention her high school job on Thursday in her brief remarks after signing the oath of office, during which she thanked the dozens of people who attended the swearing-in.

I am so humbled and grateful to have the support of the city of Iowa City, my hometown, the place where Ive lived my entire life, Bergus said.

She said she was looking forward to working with Weiner and the other members of the council on behalf of the people of Iowa City.

Weiner also began her remarks by expressing gratitude to Iowa Citians.

I am really both honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve the city, she began. As I said during the campaign, I am a public servant at heart.

Like Bergus, Weiner grew up in Iowa City. After graduating from high school, she attended Princeton University and Stanford Law School, before starting a career at the U.S. State Department. Weiner returned to Iowa City after a 27-year career in the Foreign Service.

Weiner said that although she is careful not mix religion with politics, on this occasion she wanted to acknowledge how her religious beliefs informed her political and social justice passion.

We, as Jews, welcome immigrants and refugees, because we were once immigrants in a strange land, she said. I am proud to represent a city that strives to embody those values. We believe strongly in social justice.

Weiner told the audience that she attended the Union for Reform Judaisms biennial conference in Chicago last week. The conference addressed issues of social and political importance such as the abolition of private prisons, addressing the opioid crisis, and studying and developing reparations for slavery and institutional racism in the United States.

We have work to do at every level of government, Weiner said. Good work has been done here, theres more to do.

I was reminded during that conference that voices multiplied can effect change. That determined individuals can make a real difference.

Curious what's happening this weekend? Sign up here to stay in the know.

Now that Bergus and Weiner have joined the city council, five of its seven members are women. Thats the largest number of women ever to serve together on the Iowa City Council.

Editors note: An earlier verion of this story incorrectly stated that this was the first time women have made up a majorithy on the Iowa City Council. This is the first time since the council expanded to its current size of seven seats that the majority of members have been women.

Originally posted here:

'We have work to do': Laura Bergus and Janice Weiner officially join the Iowa City Council - Little Village

Express News Service

Former Odisha-cadre IAS officer turned entrepreneur Ashwini Vaishnaws election to Rajya Sabha from BJP with a seat gifted by BJD took everyone by surprise. Handpicked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and backed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Vaishnaw, though, has donned the new role with aplomb. He speaks toSN Agragami on his journey, the state of economy and Odishas growth and development.

Bureaucrat, technocrat, private secretary to former PM AB Vajpayee, corporate head to entrepreneur, and now a politician quite a career journey it has been. How would you describe it?I think the variety of experience has given me humility to recognise the complexities of modern world. This journey has helped me understand how countries like China, Japan and South Korea transformed themselves from third world to first world within a short span of time. Wharton MBA transformed the way of thinking. Working with Vajpayeeji gave me the privilege of understanding the world view of a great statesman. Working in industry has given me the satisfaction of creating meaningful employment.

We all remember in 1999, when internet was nascent in Odisha, how you used it to follow US Navy website for tracking the Super Cyclone. You saved many lives and your work was commended by National Human Rights Commission. Dont you miss public service?The satisfaction that ones hard work and enterprise is supporting fellow human beings is immense. I like the focus of working on one subject, but sometimes I do miss the opportunity to serve people on a much larger scale. Handling the Super Cyclone of 1999 in Balasore was a team effort. Every section of society, be it lawyers, politicians, journalists, businessmen or the common man, everybody supported the district administration. Almighty was kind that he made my team as the medium for saving thousands of lives.

Ashwini Vaishnaw was elected to Rajya Sabha as BJP candidate from Odisha with the ruling BJD giving up a seat despite having a brute majority. An unlikely candidate and an equally surprising gift by a political party to a bitter rival of the just concluded polls. Please, throw some light on it.I think this was amply clarified by the senior leaders of BJP and BJD. Rajya Sabha has many apolitical members, now as well as in the past. The not so common combination of public life and industry experience is considered useful for contributing to Indias growth story.

As a first time Parliamentarian, how has the experience in Rajya Sabha been?Rajya Sabha is a very welcoming place. Senior members are always eager to guide and mentor. While both sides debate vociferously within the House, the camaraderie outside, cutting across party lines, is a thing to experience. I think we have a mature democracy, and that is undoubtedly the biggest strength of our country.

You have been actively taking part in debates on the state of Indian economy. With the economy gripped by a great slowdown and stuttering on all fronts, how do you view the scenario and the road ahead?I think Indian economy will come out of this slowdown far stronger than ever. Bank balance sheets have purged the toxic NPAs. GST has simplified life for industries. Culture of ever-greening bank loans is over. Corporate tax rationalisation will help in de-leveraging and creating capital for next cycle of growth.

Yes, there is a significant contraction in demand. But, this can be reasonably improved by the proposed annual investment of 10 trillion rupees in infrastructure.Indias nominal GDP is 200-210 trillion rupees. Inflation is benign at 4-6%. For real growth of 8%, nominal growth required is 12-14%. That means about 26-30 trillion rupees additional output.

Investment in infrastructure has a multiplier of three to four times. Therefore, with 10 trillion rupee infrastructure investment programme, we can aim at 8-10% real growth rate. Yes, it will take a couple of years to reach that level, but it is definitely doable. I think we need to work more on our ability to execute projects by removing the archaic tender processes, giving much more freedom to operating teams, and by having a robust contract enforcement regime.

I think the infrastructure investment cycle has started picking up and it will start showing the results by Q4 of FY19-20. Some sections of politicians and academics are proposing greater transfer of money directly to people by way of increased spending in MGNREGA, etc. In my view, that kind of short-term solution will only lead to inflationary pressures without increasing long term productivity of economy.

There is a growing sense that the Modi Government is not doing enough to pull the economy out of the slump. The much-touted 5 trillion dollar economy target by 2024-25 now seems an unapproachable target.I do not agree. Government is continually listening to the needs of all sections of society. Look at the frequency and speed at which Union Finance Minister Nirmalaji has responded to every situation. We must realise that the structural changes of cleaner banking, GST, and greater transparency do take time to be digested by the system. I think that process has matured by now.

There is one more thing that we definitely need to do to attract manufacturing industries. We need more manufacturing to create employment for our teeming millions. I think if we abolish the Dividend Distribution Tax, then a large number of manufacturing businesses will come to India. This distortionary tax is a big deterrent. The effective tax rate on returns on equity is still 40 per cent despite the historic Corporate tax cut. In my opinion, the abolition of DDT and foregoing `41,000 crore revenue would have had greater impact on attracting manufacturing businesses than the `1,45,000 crore revenue foregone by Corporate tax rate cut.

You began your IAS career from Odisha with stints as Collector of Balasore and Cuttack. As an entrepreneur too, you are still connected to the State. As MP representing Odisha, what is your vision for development and progress of the State?Odisha is my karma-bhoomi. Lord Jagannath is kind to give me opportunity to serve this holy land and its people. Odisha has the highest potential to be 1 trillion-dollar economy. A combination of coastline, steel, power and aluminum industries can lead to humungous industrial growth in ship building, heavy engineering, automobile, fabrication, petrochemicals, and host of other heavy industries that can generate multiple downstream and upstream ancillaries and generate huge employment.

Tourism, handicrafts, traditional handlooms, food processing, marine, and spices industries can provide the bridge between the old and the new. In my view, Odisha has the complete spectrum of industrial activity combined with the cultural strength that can lead to economic growth with stable society.

Continue reading here:

'Economy will come out of the slump far stronger' - The New Indian Express

Adelaide Thursday December 19, 2019

Outgoing Labor powerbroker David Gray says he has no intention of meddling in future factional decisions, insisting he has fulfilled his role of 10 years, to make sure the peace was kept.

As convenor of the partys Left faction, Gray has been one of the ALPs most powerful, but lowest profile figures over the past decade a period that saw the so-called PLUS (Progressive Left Union and Sub-Branches) group pull off the unlikely coup of getting one of its own installed as Labor leader and Premier.

But Gray, a pragmatist by both nature and necessity, shrugs when asked whether Jay Weatherills elevation was the greatest legacy of his tenure.

Not really, he says.

Its just maintaining the discipline.

There are plenty within the party who will privately lament Grays approach, but he insists there has been basically 20 years of stability within PLUS, which with the majority Right faction, Labor Unity, controls the vast majority of votes at the ALPs annual state convention.

I maintained the stability of PLUS as a faction, and we had stability and clout as a minority faction, he reflects.

My job as the convenor is to, as best as possible, maintain the balance so that one group or another, or individuals, dont dominate.

Which, he notes, was no simple task.

The Lefts like herding cats, he states frankly.

Labor has as many internal ructions as the Libs, but the Libs always play out on the front pages and ours never did.

People want power and influence, its that simple they want to be more important than they fucking are

Gray finished up as convenor last month, at the same time as he took a redundancy from United Voice the union he had served for much of his career and helmed for the past year, replacing David Di Troia, who also took a package after recent ill health.

The secretarys role was effectively abolished, Gray says, after the recent national merger of United Voice (formerly known as the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union) and the National Union of Workers.

What was previously a federation of state unions run by elected secretaries is now a national body the United Workers Union with the former state secretaries handed new roles as national executive directors, with specific portfolios.

I would have been executive director of something, and that didnt appeal and Im 61-years-old, Gray says.

I bear them no ill-will I left on good terms, and it was my choice to leave

Despite our disagreements, I left on good terms with them all I wish them nothing but the best and hope things work out as they hope.

David Gray earlier this year. Photo: Tom Richardson / InDaily

The state branch is currently overseen by former Labor staffer and SACOSS CEO Karen Grogan, with Grays former assistant secretary Demi Pnevmatikos currently on maternity leave slated to take over going forward.

Grogan was also Grays hand-picked successor as PLUS convenor.

Despite talk of a contested ballot for the role, no internal opponent challenged Grogan in a ballot just as none challenged Gray in each of his 10 years.

And they wouldnt have if Id run again, he argues.

Quite a few people wanted me to stay on and do it, but my view was if Im out, Im out

It wasnt a role I ever coveted [and] Im not sorry to be finished its a taxing role.

Grogan had previously been in line for a Senate role, but was forced to relinquish her claim after a factional game of musical chairs, prompted by the abolition of the safe Left-held seat of Port Adelaide, which was held by Grays longtime mate Mark Butler.

Dont construe [the convenors role] as her reward its not, Gray notes.

She took it on the chin, he says of Grogans thwarted federal ambition.

Its fortuitous that she wasnt in the senate because she was there to step into this role shes a very competent person, shes well-regarded and well-respected, and Im hoping for a smooth transition.

That transition coincided with a broad review of PLUS operations, chaired by deputy Labor leader Susan Close the Lefts most senior state MP along with Grogan and Community and Public Sector Union political coordinator Karen Atherton.

Several insiders told InDaily at the time the review had helped avert a messy power struggle to replace Gray, with one lauding it as a really open conversation and an opportunity to rebuild and renew.

But Gray dismisses any suggestion the review will herald a factional sea-change, saying: Theres nothing in it we always have reviews.

Thats their fig-leaf, he says of his internal opponents who painted the inquiry as a critique of his leadership, noting pointedly: I appointed the people doing the review!

The ultimate goal is to win government, and we cocked that up pretty spectacularly

Rather, he insists, the review was something that came out of the national council after Mays shock federal election loss.

Wed lost the federal election, wed lost state elections [so] it was about having a look at how we operated, he says.

The ultimate goal is to win government, and we cocked that up pretty spectacularly.

But, he insists, theres not one [negative] word in the review about me.

Noting some insiders had flagged an ambition to use the process as a trigger to grow the Lefts factional influence, Gray adds: People want to do more but they never do more.

All these people, its all about [the fact] they want to be politicians, he says.

People want power and influence, its that simple thats what its all about.

These are just people that want to be more important than they fucking are.

Labor has as many internal ructions as the Libs, but the Libs always play out on the front pages and ours never did

Gray appears to save particular disdain for the list of MPs and prospective MPs who defected from PLUS over the past decade, most of whom he claims were won over by offers from Labor Unity.

I dont deny its disappointing when it occurs [but] when you think about it over the scheme of things, its pretty small, he argues, adding if his former factional subordinates cant manage to leave with the one who brought them I think it reflects more on them than the faction or anything else.

Gray says hes already had offers of work within the party, and will probably return to the fold eventually doing electorate office work, using my research skills and knowledge to assist punters basically.

But not yet.

First, he wants to use his long-awaited free time to travel.

Hes already been to Mozambique since his redundancy was finalised, and wants to visit Croatia, while Canada remains on the bucket-list.

Ill remain a member of the party and the faction, but Ill be far less active, he says.

I have no intentions of being a meddler.

InDaily provides valuable, local independent journalism in South Australia. As a news organisation it offers an alternative to The Advertiser, a different voice and a closer look at what is happening in our city and state for free. Any contribution to help fund our work is appreciated. Please click below to become an InDaily supporter.

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The Left's like herding cats: Reflections of a factional 'peacekeeper' - InDaily

A new session of Parliament has opened and been marked formally by the Queens Speech in Westminster earlier today (10 Dec).An Australian points-based immigration system, a new Employment Bill and a national skills fund were among the legislative priorities announced.

Responding to the Governments education funding announcement in the Queens Speech, Cllr Judith Blake, Chair of the Children and Young People Board said:

All children deserve access to the best possible education.

The Governments announcement of an increase in schools budgets by 7.1 billion will help give certainty up to 2023, and an additional 780 million for council high needs budgets to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for next year is good news.

Councils and government now need to work together and take advantage of councils' position in the community enabling them to work closely with all local schools. Councils are uniquely placed with up to date local knowledge to ensure funding is distributed fairly and takes account of local needs and priorities.

By empowering local government to have a leading role in decisions for all types of schools, including free schools and academies, and retaining some flexibility to agree with schools a local funding formula, this will produce the best possible outcomes for schools and pupils.

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

Boris Johnson's new Government has the opportunity in this Queens Speech to right the wrongs of successive Conservative-led Governments.

Promises made during the election campaigning on school funding must be acted upon. Thanks to the pressure applied by the NEU, the School Cuts coalition, parents and others, the Conservatives promised a partial reversal of real terms cuts made since 2015. Delivering on this promise would be a start but not enough to level up and secure the better education system outlined by the Prime Minister.

Under current Government funding plans it is a simple truth that 83% of schools will be worse off in April 2020 than in 2015 in real terms. Schools will have 2bn less spending power in 2020/21 than they did in 2015/16.

The Prime Minister must face up to the fact that not enough teachers want to stay in the job. As a result, we have 420,000 more pupils compared to 2015 but there are 3,500 fewer teachers to teach them.

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We urge the Government to work with the NEU on strengthening its strategy for teacher pay and workload and create a fair accountability system so that we can retain teachers in the job and give every child a great start.

As we enter a new decade, we challenge the Government to make a New Years resolution for schools one that breaks from the past, and aligns with the profession and parents in valuing education.

MarkDawe, Chief Executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), said:

The fact that the government has only given itself a year to introduce the new system underlines the urgency of investing in skills training here, especially giving SMEs the funding to recruit more apprentices. 40 per cent of apprenticeship training providers are having to turn away firms who want to train more apprentices, often in key sectors like social care and hotels and restaurants that are heavily dependent on migrants.

Deputy Chief Executive, of the Association of Colleges, Julian Gravatt said:

I am pleased that the Queen's speech confirmed the Government's commitment to the start of proper investment in technical and professional education.

"It is clear that Brexit will dominate this new Parliament, but the focus on further education is what the country will need when and however we leave the European Union. Now, is the time to create a post-16 education system fit for the future, one that is coherent, joined up and providing the opportunities and choices for those that have been neglected for far too long.

Tom Hadley, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, said:

The election may have given the Government a clear mandate for immigration reform, but it is important that this works for the economy and the public. Record high employment has left firms struggling to find the workers they need, at all skill levels.Our datahas consistently shown a shortage of UK workers in sectors ranging from healthcare and engineering to hospitality and agriculture. For homes to be built, for the elderly to be cared for, and for shops to stock the goods we want, we need an immigration system that works for the whole economy.

We hope the Governments Employment Bill will incentivise business compliance and increase fairness and flexibility in work. Good work and flexibility go hand in handand REC datashows more people are choosing to do flexible work to better suit their lifestyle. Two way flexibility, that supports businesses and workers choices, is vital to a fair and productive labour market. The challenge ahead is to ensure that this works for all parties.

The Governments recognition of the importance of all people being able to retrain is welcome. Recruitment professionals are in a unique position to facilitatecareer transitions and progression, and to provide the latest insight into how skills needs are evolving. We look forward to ensuring that the National Skills Fund works for employers and workers alike.

Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

The Conservatives won record levels of support from people on modest incomes in the latest election. To keep them on side in the long-term, the Government needs to deliver more than just Brexit. There needs to be a laser-like focus on reducing their cost of living, improving their public services, and enhancing their local infrastructure and amenities.

This focus on so-called left behind areas is nothing new. All Governments have tried to improve the lives of those with modest means. Doing so, after all, is a primary objective of government itself.

Transforming lives and communities requires a lot of time and evaluation. The legislation outlined today provides a roadmap for further reform, but there will need to be much more investment and innovation if so-called left behind communities are truly to experience noticeable change.

"The political aim of the Conservative Government is clear, but there will be no ideological consistency to the methods employed to achieve it. The Prime Minister is more interested in political power than strict adherence to a particular set of principles. He will use whatever philosophy or policies he needs to support and maintain the new voters he has just won. He will not govern as a strongly libertarian, liberal, communitarian or traditional conservative, but do enough for all of these factions within the centre-right movement to keep them happy and united."

Below, Bright Blue has responded to the announcement of legislation that is particularly relevant to our current work. It therefore is not an exhaustive response to the December 2019 Queens Speech.

Commenting, Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

The Tories pledge to raise the primary threshold of employees National Insurance is the best tax cut they could make, since it benefits those on the lowest incomes. But cutting taxes is insufficient alone to really boost the incomes of those with modest means, to make them feel that austerity is truly over. To do this, the Government will have to make the amount of financial support that those in and out of work receive through Universal Credit more generous.

New childcare funding should seek to improve the affordability, availability and quality of childcare at pre-school level rather than school-level. Pre-school childcare should be the priority for additional government funding.

The introduction and increase in the minimum wage over recent decades has been a success. But that is in part thanks to the careful evidence and guidance of the Low Pay Commission. To maintain the support for and effectiveness of a rising wage floor, the Low Pay Commission should advise first with the Government then setting the rates after.

Commenting, Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

Improving support and rights for mothers in work is a welcome focus and will help to reduce the gender pay gap. It will be important, following the forthcoming consultation, that the right to request flexible working is made the default from day one of an employment contract.

Commenting, Sam Robinson, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

The Governments commitment to increasing the R&D tax credit rate will incentivise both employment and innovation, and is a welcome step towards improving the UKs productivity.

A review into business rates is long overdue. Increasing the frequency of valuations will make the system fairer and more responsive. But with three quarters of small business owners saying that the current tax regime is too complicated, this review must act as a springboard for a strategic, comprehensive rethink on how we tax businesses.

Commenting, Sam Robinson, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

Given an ageing population and an uncertain global economic outlook, the need for increased investment must be balanced by fiscal prudence.

These rules are a marked departure from the previous stance of eliminating the deficit. Current spending must still be balanced, but this new strategy allows public sector net investment to greatly exceed that of previous years.

There is no doubt that the fiscal straitjacket has been loosened. But there is a danger that the Government uses this looser framework to run from the difficult fiscal decisions lying in the years ahead.

Commenting, Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

Immigration policy is changing under this Government, quickly and for the better. The indiscriminate and failed net migration target is gone. And the Government is liberalising the visa regime for highly-skilled people, especially scientists and researchers, rightly aiming to ensure that Britain remains a magnet for talent post-Brexit.

We do need a controlled immigration system. And there are progressive reasons for this. Free movement across the EU is not sustainable. It is welcome that the Conservatives have dropped the net migration target, but we should have targets on gross levels of some categories of migrants.

It is right to increase the value and applicability of the NHS surcharge. Migrants should pay catch-up contributions for essential public services, which people who have lived here much longer have paid for over many years for themselves and their families. The Government should use its new powers and apply this popular contributory principle further, by asking new migrants to pay a new class of National Insurance for a short period of time.

Commenting, Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

The Government is right to commit to increases in per-pupil funding and to raise the starting salary for newly qualified teachers. There is a real recruitment and retention problem within the teaching profession, so raising starting salaries should help. But the government now needs to also offer more extensive and generous social mobility salary supplements, to incentivise more teachers to work in less desirable areas of the country.

The Government seems to be and should continue to prioritise investment in further and technical education. The financing of higher education should not be a significant focus of politicians and policymakers in the years ahead. The current student loans system is broadly successful and progresssive, and does not require significant reform.

Commenting, Anvar Sarygulov, Senior Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

The Government is setting out a comprehensive housing agenda to help people in every kind of housing tenure. It is particularly good to see continuation of action to help private renters after the recent ban on excessive tenant fees. The abolition of no fault evictions will make private renting more secure, while adopting a single lifetime deposit will make it much easier for tenants on low income to move.

The Government is correct in continuing to support a wide variety of affordable home ownership options to meet the varying needs of different people. It is vital that the Government operates these schemes by encouraging new affordable homes to be built in significant numbers, rather than simply helping buyers by making homes cheaper or making it easier to access credit.

While it is good to see a commitment to a Social Housing White Paper, it is disappointing to see the lack of a specific commitment on increasing the number of social homes. Housebuilding in Britain has tended to reach significant numbers only when governments committed to building a significant number of social homes, and the Government will have to deliver them if they are serious about building a million homes over the course of this Parliament.

Commenting, Sam Robinson, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

This Queens Speech promises a welcome boost for the social care system, although this new funding will only stabilise the system in the short term. The Government rightly recognises the need for a durable cross-party consensus on social care, but the lack of detail on how this is to be achieved is disappointing.

Commenting, Sam Robinson, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

It is great to see the Government adopting much-needed reforms, such as pensions dashboards, to tackle undersaving. However pensions policy needs a long-term, consensual strategy going forward. To ensure such a consensus emerges, the Government should consider setting up an independent Pensions Commission to assess the pensions landscape, mediate between stakeholders and advise on policy.

Commenting, Phoebe Arslanagic-Wakefield, Research Assistant at Bright Blue, said:

Domestic abuse is a significant problem in the UK that affects millions, mostly women. However, currently, breaching a Domestic Violence Protection Order is not treated as a criminal offence. Through its proposed new legislation, the Government should make the breach of its new iteration of the Domestic Abuse Protection Order a criminal offence, as Bright Blue recommended in 2017.

Commenting, Sam Robinson, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

Disabled people continue to face needless barriers in the workforce, benefits system and the housing market.

The employment gap remains stubbornly high and reducing it must be a priority. But the Government needs to focus on the quality, as well as the quantity, of work for disabled people. This will involve improving retention but also ensuring disables people have better opportunities for in-work progression.

Commenting, Patrick Hall, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

Changing how we distribute agricultural subsidies stands to be one of the most significant benefits of the UK leaving the European Union. Last year, Bright Blue called for a gradual shift away from the EUs inefficient system of distributing rural payments based on acreage in the Common Agricultural policy, to a post-Brexit system which rewards farmers, land managers, and land owners for delivering ecosystem services in line with the public money for public goods principal.

Todays announcement that the Agriculture Bill will continue to be pushed through parliament is welcome, but the final Bill needs to lay the foundations for the introduction of a market-based, commissioning scheme so private and philanthropic funding as well as public funding can be leveraged to subsidise the rural economy and vital ecosystem services.

Commenting, Patrick Hall, Researcher at Bright Blue, said:

The costs of air pollution to our health, environment and economy are considerable. The Government needs much more ambitious legal limits, legal responsibilities and policies to tackle this problem. The Government should introduce the World Health Organisations guideline limits for all major air pollutants.

Local government needs greater legal responsibilities and funding to tackle dirty air. As a first step, the Government should enable local or combined authorities to make reasonable profits from the administration of clean air zones, which could generate funding for local scrappage schemes or increased electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Conservative Governments plan to ban the export of waste to non-OECD countries is very welcome, as non-OECD countries are largely responsible for plastic waste ending up in the ocean. However, the Conservative Party could have been more ambitious in tackling the scourge of plastic waste, by supporting a ban on non-recyclable plastics.

Commenting, Patrick Hall, researcher at Bright Blue, said:

The Conservatives plan to increase offshore wind energy generation to account for 40 gigawatts by 2030 is positive. However, the Conservatives should have pledged to remove current restrictions around the development of new onshore wind.

Beyond those on the lowest incomes, there are no incentives for those in the able-to-pay sector to improve the thermal efficiency of their houses, especially in rural areas where houses are typically older. There is a real opportunity missed in not putting forward policies that will encourage private investment in retrofitting, such as new Help to Improve loans, which could save the Government billions while reducing consumer energy bills and emissions.

Commenting, Ryan Shorthouse, Director of Bright Blue, said:

Since the Union is now very fragile, the Government should use the review of the constitution as an opportunity to work towards a quasi-federal settlement for the UK.

This could include a new charter of union, a new UK council of ministers, and - more radically - a new Senate to replace the House of Lords with all parts of the UK fairly represented.

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Government's education funding announcement in the Queen's Speech - FE News

JoeyBasarabafights the urge to grab the rifle from his truck's back seat as he passes a church in Prince Albert, Sask.

His hands shake as he circles the block.

Hewants his nightmares, pain and loneliness to stop. Should he kill one of the priests who began raping him at age six? Should he kill himself?

Tears stream down the 25-year-old's face. He thinks of his promising career as apitcher. He doesn't want to give that up.

He drives home and sits awake all night before finally crying himself to sleep.

That was 30 years ago. Basarabaworked with a friend to write down these and other stories of his life.

He no longer drives past that church and is taking counselling and other life skills classes.

They've helped a bit, but he says he wants one thing above all else: justice.

Roman Catholic Church officials in Saskatchewan need to "come clean" and release their internal records to publicly name all the priests who abused children over the decades, he said.

They also need to expose anyone who knew about it and did nothing.

"When I think of them getting away with it, it's just sick. I hate that."

Officials in the Roman Catholic dioceses of Prince Albert and Saskatoon say they're compiling internal records of abuse cases going back decades. The reviews are expected to be complete in the spring.

Neither diocese has committed to publicizing the names of abusers, or even the total number of them.

Many dioceses in the U.S. have offered or been forced to release lists of priests convicted in court, as well as those who have been discovered in secret church investigations.

So far,Vancouver is the first and only diocese in Canadatorelease such information. It found 36 cases involving credibly accusedpriests, but named only a few of them. An official said privacy laws prevented more disclosure, but they're working on alternatives.

In an interview earlier this month, Regina Archbishop DonBolenpromised to release a list of priests found to have abused children,based on the reviews underway but only if that's what victims want.

Hesaid the victims he works with don't want it released, so, for now, he won't.

CBCNews has interviewed more than a dozen survivors in Saskatchewan,as well as therapists, lawyers, police and other experts. Nearly all agreed withBasaraba: there can be no healing, no forgiveness, without truth.

"Giving the names of predators is important. The truth about prevalence is important," said Faye Davis, executive director of the Saskatoon Sexual Assault and Information Centre.

"It will help people to see they weren't alone. They'll stop saying, 'It was my fault' or 'No one's going to believe me.' When it's public, it helps others come forward."

Disclosure could also protect other kids from abuse, survivors and experts said.CBCNews has learned of an internal church investigation that recently concluded a Saskatchewan priest sexually abused a girl.

The abuse occurred decades ago. Police have not been called. The law does not require the church to report these cases if the victim is no longer a minor.

JoeyBasarabagrew up in a small house in Prince Albert,with eight siblings, his parents and several other relatives.

Hewas small and often bullied at school. He remembers the pride on his mother's face when a priest asked if he wanted a job cleaning the church.

Basaraba'solder brother had suddenly stopped going to church, and would fly into rages whenever it was mentioned in their home. His brother never talked about it, and drank himself to death a few years ago, he said.

Basaraba, just six years old,arrived at the church early one morning. He thought it was odd the priest told him to use the back door.

He did some cleaning before the priest took him to the basement and told him to wait in a dark room. He remembers touching the cold, cement wall.

A few minutes later, the priest returned and sat in silence for several minutes besideBasaraba. He tookBasaraba'shand and caressed it. The priest then placedBasaraba'shand on his groin.

"I was terrified. He was a priest, just like God,"Basarabasaid.

When he left, the priest gave him a $5 bill.

The sexual abuse escalated, and continued for years. And it wasn't just one priest. Two of them would take turns sometimes on the same day, he said.

Basarabafailed Grade 1 twice. He never learned to read or write before dropping out of elementary school.

He's had some moments of triumph, too.

He pitched five back-to-back games at the 1994 All-Native Canadian Fastball Championship, striking out a total of 87 batters. Even though his team lost in the final,Basarabawas named most valuable player.

"We never thought we were going to come this far. We've got nothing to be ashamed of,"hetold the assembled reporters.

Today, his tiny Saskatoon basement suite is cluttered with family photos, trophies and weathered newspaper clippings. He said he clings to these happy reminders. Overall, however,Basaraba'slife has been a constant struggle marked by unemployment and failed relationships.

"I've got that bad angry in me. I cry in the shower. I cry when I try to sleep. I think about suicide. I can't even read and write because of this. It's tough in my shoes," he said.

Basarabasued the Prince Albert Diocese a few years ago, and the case is still before the courts.

In its statement of defence, the diocese doesn't deny the abuse occurred. Instead, it says the lawsuit should be rejected becauseBasarabatook too long to come forward, calling it an "inordinate and excessive delay."

The statement also says only the priests, who are deceased,bear any responsibility, not the diocese.

Basarabasaid money is not his top priority; he just wants the truth to come out. He's hoping the diocese will agree to publicly reveal what it knows about his case and any others.

Fellow survivor EugeneArcand, a former student of Catholic-run residential schools in Duck Lake andLebret, says the concealment of abusers' names is part of a consistent pattern of disrespect.

"They took everything from us. Now they won't even do this?" saidArcand, former head of a national survivorsgroup.

"I don't take this lightly. I don't say this to destroy people. I say this to expose the truth. I don't want to hurt these old bastards. But, on the other hand, they destroyed lives. They destroyed communities."

Other survivors gave a similar assessment. Gary Mulligan, Tim Ryan and others were victimized in the 1960s by serial abuser Rev. William HodgsonMarshall in Saskatoon.

Mulligan and Ryan were too scared to tell anyone at the time not their parents, not even each other. That changed several years ago when they saw reports of Marshall's criminal charges in Ontario.

Both men, now in their60s, say public lists would help others come forward and heal, just as the publicity about Marshall did for them.

"The more it's exposed, the more people like me will try to get help," Mulligan said.

"If it prevents one moreassholefrom doing it to one more boy or girl, it's worth it," Ryan said.

Survivor and former chief of theKeeseekooseFirstNation Ted Quewezancesaid apologies are meaningless without disclosure.

"They just continue living in denial ... They did this to us. We were children. Their names have to be made public. Stop protecting the perpetrators. It's not healthy."

Dioceses across the U.S., from Boston to San Diego, have volunteered or been forced to publish lists of abusersin the past several months as survivors groups, state district attorneys and others apply growing pressure.

The lists include priests convicted in court or found liable in lawsuits. Some also include the names of those who were credibly accused, meaning they eitherconfessed privately to church officialsor were found guilty through a secret church investigation.

The Archdiocese of New Yorkpublishedbar graphs with its list, illustrating the time periods and locations where abuse rates were highest.

On Tuesday,Pope Francis announced the abolition of the "pontifical secrecy" rule around priest sex abuse cases. Senior Vatican official and Archbishop of Malta CharlesSciclunacalled the move an "epochal decision that removes obstacles and impediments."

The next day, the Canadian branch of the Jesuit order promised to release the names of all of its credibly accused priests.

Regina Archbishop DonBolen uses words like "deeply complicit" and "coverup" to describe the church's record on child sex abuse. He speaks about the issue in parishes across the region and penned a public apology this Easter speaking directly to victims.

Bolenhas launched several efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous leaders over the years. But he noted individual religious orders, not the diocese where the abuse occurred, would keep residential school records.

Bolensaid he has looked to victims to decide if the list of abusers should be published. He agreed lists can have value, by showing victims they aren't alone.

But he said he's discussed the issue in detail with the 12 victims who have agreed to work with him. He said the consensus is that the church should focus on other things.

"We're trying to do everything we can, really guided by victims, to speak to victims, to speak to other victims who've never come forward, to bring as much transparency and accountability and healing as we can, always putting the voice of victims first."

One of those victims is Pamela Walsh, head of the Regina Diocese's victimscommittee.

Walsh was abused by a Regina priest decades ago.Like JoeyBasaraba, it took her years to come forward.

She didn't go to police. Instead, she went to church officials in 2005. They rejected and harassed her, she said. She decided to try again whenBolenbecame archbishop a few years ago.

Walsh saidBolenis listening and making real changes. Although she no longer wants to be a church member, she travels with Bolen throughout the diocese, speaking to parishes and with any interested survivors.

"This doesn't have to be an adversarial process. Victims don't always want to sue or go to the police. They just want peace and healing, which is all I ever wanted," Walsh said.

She doesn't think naming perpetrators should be the priority. She fears it may even trigger victims and do more harm than good.

Her abuse claim was recently declared true following an investigation by an internal church body, she said.

Neither she nor church officials have gone to police. She said she's choosing not to name the priest.

Bolensaid the church complies with the law and reports any abuse allegations if the accuser is still a minor. For allegations involving victims who are now adults, the priest is immediately removed from service until the matter can be investigated internally.

He said it would be irresponsible to "proceed indiscriminately" without consulting further with victims.

Bolensaid he'd consider releasing the overall number of abusers,rather than names, at some point in the future.

That's not good enough forBasaraba,Arcand, Mulligan, Ryan,Quewezanceand others. They agree some painful memories will surface if the list is published, but the truth is the best way to heal.

Basarabais begging those in charge to reconsider. He said the anger will fester as long as the church chooses secrecy over truth.

"I tried to let it go," he said. "But I can't. Not yet."

If you're experiencing suicidal thoughts or having a mental health crisis, help is available.

For an emergency or crisis situation, call 911.

You can also contact the Saskatchewan suicide prevention line toll-free, 24/7 by calling 1-833-456-4566, texting 45645, orchatting online.

You can contact theRegina mobile crisis services suicide line at 306-525-5333 or Saskatoon mobile crisis line at 306-933-6200.

You can also text CONNECT to 686868 and get immediate support from a crisis responder through the Crisis Text Line, powered by Kids Help Phone.

Kids Help Phone can also be reached at1-800-668-6868, or you can access live chat counselling atwww.kidshelpphone.ca.

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'Stop protecting the perpetrators': Sask. survivors push Catholic Church to release names of abusers - CBC.ca

JUST over a year since tolls were scrapped on the two Severn bridges, the Welsh Government has said drivers are saving an average of 365,000 a day.

The charges on the two crossing were abolished on December 17, 2018 - and since then journeys into Wales from England over the Prince of Wales bridge have increased by 16 per cent, with an average of 39,000 vehicles using it every day.

At the time the UK Government, which was responsible for the tolls, said it hoped scrapping them, would make it easier to travel between the two countries, boosting business, enhancing investment, increasing tourism and creating jobs. But not everyone in Monmouthshire is happy about it.

Traffic congestion, air pollution, and a lack of infrastructure to cope with the levels of cars are some of the concerns that have arisen in the last year.

More than 39,000 cars head westbound on the M4 every day

Chris Parry, 52, who is from Cwmbran but now lives in Gloucestershire, raised concerns over house prices and traffic in Monmouthshire, saying: Monmouthshire has been a dormitory area for Bristol and Gloucestershire for a long time, but now its going the other way too, which I think is bad news for house prices and traffic. Ive got an office in Cardiff and Tewksbury and the M4 is a nightmare, especially in the mornings.

But I do believe that overall it will be a good thing for people around Newport, because it will bring more jobs as more people are commuting and living here.

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Rose White, 70, who has been a resident in Ringland for 59 years, said he doesn't agree that Newport and the surrounding areas have directly benefited from the tolls dropping, and said the state of the city concerns her.

I thought it was a good thing initially because I used to often think to myself: why should we have to pay tolls to just go to Bristol?, she said. But since the tolls have been cancelled, Ive not seen any impact on Newport. The shops are still shut and the streets are still quiet.

I think its because people dont actually travel here from England they go to Cardiff instead. Were just a pathway through and get all the traffic. I fear we left it too late to prepare ourselves for the traffic that comes through. We are desperate for a relief road to cut out the traffic on the Severn crossings.

According to statistics provided by Highways England, an average of 39,255 vehicles per day used the M4 westbound service in 2019, which has increased from 33,806 in 2018. An average of 40,364 vehicles per day used the M4 eastbound service, which has increased from 37,056 in 2018.

Highways England also said that 25,000 vehicles a day used the older M48 crossing, with around 19,000 per day using that service in recent years.

Shane Meek, 37, who lives in Newport, says he would be in favour of having the tolls reinstated if it meant lower emissions and less congestion.

Mrs White said she hasn't seen any benefit in terms of people coming to Newport city centre

Mr Meek said: I use public transport every morning and evening, but since the tolls have come down it seems more people have decided to stop using public transport and have started to drive across (the M4 or M48). It cant go on like that forever.

Following the UK Governments abolition of the tolls, the Western Gateway partnership was launched last month to maximise the economic potential of South Wales and the south-west of England.

The aim of the partnership between universities and businesses either side of the Severn is that the Western Gateway will mirror the work of Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine.

Monmouth MP David Davies, who was this week appointed to the Wales Office following last week's General Election, said: Over the last year, drivers have reaped the benefits of free road travel into Wales which is paying dividends for businesses across both sides of the Severn.

"We are better connected economically as a result and through the Western Gateway initiative we will harness the joint strengths of these two regions while respecting our distinct identities and traditions.

Monmouthshire County Council council cabinet member for infrastructure and neighbourhood services Cllr Jane Pratt and Monmouth MP David Davies

The UK Government is committed to boosting Wales transport infrastructure and connectivity which is central to ensuring we raise our game economically and boost our productivity.

Monmouthshire council cabinet member for infrastructure and neighbourhood services Cllr Jane Pratt, said she believes the cancellation of the tolls has given Monmouthshire the potential to be more ambitious.

I am working hard with Monmouthshire officers to develop plans with neighbouring English counties to deliver new road and public transport schemes around Chepstow and a new railway station at Severn Tunnel Junction," she said.

The traffic on the M4 is going to increase by 35 percent over the next 30 years and we need investment now to enable Wales to be the vibrant economy with decent jobs for our residents for the future and a place where we attract global investment.

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A year after the Severn bridge tolls were scrapped, what has the impact been for Gwent? - South Wales Argus

Two of the biggest prizes in literature were shared this year in neither instance uncontroversially. Bernardine Evaristo shared the Booker with Margaret Atwood, only to be dismissed and erased by the BBC as "another author" beside her more famous co-recipient. Meanwhile, after 2018's cancellation when three jurors quit over allegations of sexual-misconduct, the Nobel Prize in Literature split the award between Polish author Olga Tokarczuk and Peter Handke, a writer notorious for his outspoken support of Slobodan Miloevi.

The Quietus has never been one to avoid controversy, however. In fact, we reckon we can go one better than that. Share the book of the year gong between just two writers? Stuff that. How about thirty?

The following list, voted for by Quietus editors and regular Tome on the Range contributors and bodged together with extreme prejudice and no small amount of caprice by Robert Barry, is split into two halves: fiction and non-fiction. As the Tory's recent election campaign ably demonstrated, the line between the two may be shakier, more permeable than ever, but you still need to know what floor to get out of the lift in Foyles at, so

Fiction

Kevin Barry, Night Boat To Tangier (Canongate Books)

Night Boat to Tangier is a hymn to Spain and Cork and SE Hinton and the loneliness of men who like Hank Williams and much more. Kevin Barrys writing here has the brisk allusive power of those early Michael Ondaatje books like Coming Through Slaughter. Theres a similar pacing, lines as loaded and hidden as a landmine that call a sudden halting and then impact in the head with their dizzying fragments. You feel fragged. You are made to feel the pain of the pair, to empathize sometimes against your better judgement, just as in real life, and yet laugh too at their lunacy, their sad predicament. As with encounters with the staggeringly inebriated strangers you escape, enervated, a tad fried, and with a sigh of relief that theirs is not your life. Read the full review by John Quin

Ray Celestin, The Mobster's Lament (Mantle)

The third part of The City Blues Quartet is a superb noir murder mystery set in New York in 1947. Almost like a British James Ellroy, Celestin blends real history with invented drama Louis Armstrong is not just part of the series' musical backdrop but a recurring character in the narratives and the intricate construction sees different characters converging on the truth, each having picked up different pieces of the puzzle. Throughout the series the writing has been an unalloyed joy - the depth of research worn lightly; the details rich and evocative without ever weighing down the prose - but Celestin reaches new heights here. Angus Batey

Ted Chiang, Exhalation: Stories (Knopf)

Peter Watts dreamed of disconcerting transhuman futures. Jeff VanDermeer envisioned an alien eco apocalypse. Even the ever-optimistic Star Trek was reborn in grit. In contrast to the past two decades of dark and cynical science fiction, Ted Chiangs cautious hope is an aberration. His second collection of short stories Exhalation, much like 2002s Stories of Your Life and Others, deals with intricate techno-ethical questions about determinism, artificial intelligence, and time travel, among others. But instead of fear, he finds the promise of humanity in them. In place of technological apathy, he discovers a lyrical soul. A wondrous hammer to break all the black mirrors out there. Antonio Poscic

Taylor Jenkins Reid, Daisy Jones & The Six (Ballantine)

You might be able to guess what happens when young Daisy Jones, a Sunset Strip devotee, gets paired with up-and-coming rock band The Six to make a record in the early 70s, but the story goes well beyond that. Taylor Jenkins Reid weaves a magic that makes this tale more enthralling than any real-life band biography, drawing from sources of the time a la Fleetwood Mac, all while sustaining a truthfulness to their tone. Reid has us wanting, no, longing to hear the records whose creation she describes, wishing we could hold the 12 cover art in our hands to pour over those magic photos, knowing these would all hit us in just the right way, such has she set the scene. A perfect rock n roll dream. Aug Stone

David Keenan,For the Good Times (Faber)

My gold standard for an incredible book is one that seeps into your subconscious, and reading For The Good Times over two nights gave me one horrific nightmare about being captured and tortured by IRA men, and a second about having an orgy with them. Although it's set against the background of the Troubles, David Keenan's second novel isn't a book about the conflict in Northern Ireland per se. Instead, it's an honest - often brutally so - examination of masculinity and the allure of violence, and how chaos can intertwine with the mundane. Luke Turner

Deborah Levy, The Man Who Saw Everything (Hamish Hamilton)

Deborah Levy continues to stake her claim to be one of our greatest living writers of fiction with this time-shifting, magical book. Interestingly, the cold war setting means that at times it reads like a fresh take on a spy novel - it's certainly a pacey and accessible read. What's more, within the themes of unreliable memory and how our lives decay, for once it's a novel which deals with complex and fluid sexuality in a nuanced and realistic way. Luke Turner

Adam Nevill, The Reddening (Ritual Limited)

The unearthing of an important prehistoric archaeological find in Brickburghs caves brings uneasy revelations regarding mankinds violent and cannibalistic past. In drawing a connecting line between the darkness we inhabited in our ancient past, and the tense times we currently occupy, The Reddening strikes a resonating note that reverberates from the dawn of our prehistory and continues to echo threateningly in our present era.

In a field where much of the best writing takes place in the short-story format, Nevill is one of the best long-form authors the genre has. Whilst there may be other 2019 horror books Ive not yet read (such as Catriona Wards Little Eve, which scooped the Best Horror Novel category at the 2019 British Fantasy Awards, or Chuck Wendigs intriguingly premised 800-page doorstop of a book, The Wanderers), The Reddening sets the bar for literary horror especially high, even by Nevills own standards. Read the full feature on Adam Nevill and The Reddening by Sean Kitching.

Max Porter, Lanny (Faber)

Beyond all other things, Max Porter is an author who writes about love. In Grief Is A Thing With Feathers he offered a portrait of a family coping with a situation and a loss that for most of us remains distant, only glimpsed in the bleakest, darkest point of our fearful imaginations. Lanny contemplates a similarly diabolical domestic occurrence: a child going missing. Lanny is a deeply moving, folkloric odyssey that blends ancient magic with modern life, the ordinary and the miraculous, and most importantly our innately human hopes with our deepest fears. Read the full review by Hannah Clark.

Miriam Toews, Women Talking (Faber)

Women Talking is a rich and strange creation, an imagined dispatch from the historical spaces which we cannot enter, cannot reach, which went unrecorded and ignored. It is a sort of forged historical document, deeply desired by those who refuse to believe that our foremothers were merely meek and mild. The Molotschnan women wrangling Menno Simons fevered vision and Peters angry interpretation become all women, to whom this novel is, in the words of Toewss acknowledgements, a missive of love and solidarity. All stories like it of female resistance, quiet insurrection, bravery whether history or fiction, are to us what facts are to the colony members: gifts, samizdat, currency, they are the Eucharist, blood, forbidden. With each offering of precedent, we are emboldened in our aims, and in our acts of imagination. Read the full review by Stephanie Sy-Quia.

Colson Whitehead, The Nickel Boys (Fleet)

As politicians all over the world stoke prejudice to win votes, Whiteheads brutal follow up to The Underground Railroad lays bare the systematic racism and corruption entrenched in American society. Based on a real reform school, this fictionalised version is a gripping, powerful read of injustice and cruelty. Pete Redrup

Don Winslow, The Border (William Morrow)

Winslow continues to hone his talent for demanding cerebral engagement of his readers while simultaneously forcing the adrenal glands to work overtime as his narratives gain terminal velocity. With unflinching realism, The Border brings his drug war saga to an inevitably frayed and unresolved conclusion. Here, the War on Drugs is presented as a kind of Greek tragedy. But whereas the ancient Greeks saw humans as the playthings of the Gods, in Winslows bloody deserts and urban warzones, humans are forever abandoned to their own greed, desperation and folly. A challenging yet essential read. Chris Brownsword

Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead (Fitzcarraldo Editions)

In a typically astounding passage, Polish author Olga Tokarczuk's protagonist Janina expands on her theory about why men develop "testosterone autism" with age. She claims it's a condition that makes them taciturn and appear lost in contemplation, while fostering an interest in tools, machinery, the Second World War and biographies of politicians and villains, adding: "His capacity to read novels almost entirely vanishes." I groaned with self-recognition at this paragraph. When I was 18 I read three novels a week. I'm now lucky if I read that many in a year, reasoning: how likely am I to read another White Hotel or White Noise. But I persevere in the vain hope I'll stumble across something as good as Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead. And sometimes I do.John Doran

Non-Fiction

Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya, & Nancy Fraser, Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto (Verso)

Feminism must be anticapitalist, eco-socialist and antiracist. Collecting the ideas and principles of the eponymous grassroots movement, Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto is a crucial formulation of an inclusive, transformative, and global social shift. While the book draws and aggregates ideas from various variants of feminism, it is the way they are framed within intersectional contexts which makes it so successful. The manifesto conceives feminism not only for affluent neo-liberals, but for those at the bottom of capitalist hierarchies. Not just for whites, but for all races. Feminism inclusive of trans* people and for the collective, not the select few. Antonio Poscic

John Carreyrou, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (Picador)

The veneration of tech firms created by 20-something self-promoters with CVs that inevitably include a deliberately incomplete education is a mystery for the ages, and Carreyrou explains with aplomb how one of these individuals Elizabeth Holmes, founder of blood-testing company Theranos stepped over the mark from "chutzpah" to "crime". There will be more stories like this to come: let's hope they all find someone as skilled, diligent and accomplished to tell them.Angus Batey

Graham Duff, Foreground Music (Strange Attractor)

Foreground Music is a delight. Not just for music lovers, who will find themselves resonating with much within every page, every paragraph. But also for anyone whose passion for something ignites the desire to consume and experience everything about it, and in doing so, enrich ones own life and the lives of others through the sharing of the subjects vitality. Theres something wonderful about the way someone who is so knowledgeable and effusive about a subject dear to them so much so that it seems a component of their very being can inspire another to want to come into contact with this curiosity themselves, despite not previously possessing the slightest bit of interest.

What Im trying to say is that as an American only familiar with, and for decades now confused by the success of, Ebeneezer Goode, Foreground Music had me chomping at the bit to explore the early records of The Shamen. Read the full review by Aug Stone

Alison Knowles, Annea Lockwood (Ed.), Womens Work (Primary Information)

Originally published as a two-issue magazine in 1975 and 1978, Womens Work is the sort of publication that, for better or worse, today seems as relevant and alive as 40 years ago, and not a mere archival reissue. The various graphical and text scores, which Fluxus co-founder Alison Knowles and composer Annea Lockwood collected from 25 women composersfeaturing Pauline Oliveros, Christina Kubisch, and the editors themselves, among othersare all vibrant pieces of art, inviting participation and delineating of the creativity and struggles of women in music. The physical properties were an important aspect of the magazine and Primary Informations reissue transcribes them faithfully using off-white paper and brown inks. With such care, they gifted a new generation the chance to revisit these important artefacts and carry them into the future. Antonio Poscic

Natasha Lennard,Being Numerous: Essays on the Non-Fascist Life (Verso)

The most important takeaway from this series of essays, some of them drawn from her contributions to publications such as The Nation and The New Inquiry over the past couple of years, is that Lennard argues persuasively and cannily for the use of violence in protest. At times she does this by referring to figures within the mainstream liberals comfort zone: Dr. King is quoted early on, to ease us into things ([We are dealing with] the white moderate, who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action). Read the full review by Stephanie Sy-Quia.

Nathalie Olah, Steal As Much As You Can (Repeater)

Writing this on the day when, after a decade under the thumb of a bunch of old Etonians, the British public have elected a Tory government with a huge majority, Quietus contributor Nathalie Olah's first book feels like an essential read. So often it feels that in all the contemporary conversations about diversity we're rightly having at the moment class is the last thing to be mentioned, when it arguably should be the first. An exploration of the disappointment of the Blair years and subsequent toffication of culture, Steal As Much As You Can is a fierce argument for new networks, collective action, and most of all the abolition of the private school system. Luke Turner

Ian Penman, It Gets Me Home, This Curving Track (Fitzcarraldo)

A gathering of work previously published by City Journal and London Review of Books, Penmans subjects are a canny mixture of legend (James Brown, Charlie Parker, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Prince), fascinating outlier (John Fahey, Steely Dans Donald Fagen), and movement (an unflinching unpicking of the continuing Mod revival). It Gets Me Home, This Curving Track is a stirring reminder that heading home wherever and whatever that might be does not have to be an escape from the world but a retreat to a position from where one might view the world, and your place in it, anew. Penmans worldview is, as it ever was, an abundantly humanist one and this peerless collection of work hits you where you live. Read the full review by Gary Kaill

Joe Thompson, Sleevenotes (Pomona)

At some point while reading Sleevenotes it becomes clear that it was much more than just a wise-cracking, experimentally punctuated, string of anecdotes about squat gigs in Belgium with improbably named noise rock bands and blocked studio toilets in Camberwell. This book should in fact be regarded as core curriculum reading for those just embarking on the path of rock music today, and is essential nourishment for those who have existential concerns about the point or the viability of doing such a thing in 2019. And once you acclimatise to Joe Thompsons easy-going, autodidact style you will, I guarantee it, find yourself punching the air (when you arent nodding furiously in agreement). Read the full review by John Doran (plus an interview with the author and an extract from the book)

Jia Tolentino, Trick Mirror (Penguin Random House)

Subtitled Reflections on Self-Delusion, Jia Tolentinos terrific selection of essays gleans much-needed sense out of the daily distortions and conflicted opinion that emanate from our mass media outlets. This assault, as Tolentino neatly has it, is blitzing our frayed neurons in huge waves of information that pummel us. Often the sparring dialectic in evidence here pairs Tolentinos current self in a duel with her youthful (mis)understandings; experience leads to a rigorously bracing self-interrogation.

Tolentinos mental cleansing acts like a literary disinfectant; the verbal equivalent of a water cannon fired at the fetid walls of the foul stable that is Trumps America. Short of wiring the entire body politic to ECG machines it is hard to imagine, after reading Tolentinos diagnoses, a more accurate and prescient way of taking her nations pulse. Read the full review by John Quin

Luke Turner, Out Of The Woods (W&N)

A beautifully written, open and honest account of growing up in a religious family as someone whose sexuality and lifestyle are at odds with how he has been told to be by both society and the church. Finding peace and something close to redemption in the woods, its impossible not to be moved by Lukes realisation of how he needed to learn to overcome his personal demons. Pete Redrup

Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (Profile)

I usually despise the label of books that everyone should read, but Shoshana Zuboffs The Age of Surveillance Capitalism fits neatly into this category. With a technological revolution that has, as always, caught societies at large unprepared, it becomes crucial to understand how our new normal of daily interactions with the digital shapes our real world. Here, unscrupulous techno-capitalist actors manipulate our naivet to destroy and reconstruct the fabric of society, one bit at a time. While sometimes dense due to the nature of the subject, the book as a whole reads like a thriller: exhilarating and frightening. Antonio Poscic

Paul Gill & Ste Pickford (Editors), Freaky Dancing: The Complete Collection (tQLC)

Im glad that ageing ravers now have this psychedelic time capsule of art from the near past but I also hope some young people read it and do whatever the 2019 equivalent is. I hate the way that large commercial interests have warped the ecosystem of even leftfield electronic dance music, insinuating that it's now the preserve of well-off people. The big, monopolistic platforms present an unhelpful image of who the modern clubber is by catering primarily to people to whom buying a fitted, designer black T-shirt for 278 or spending 48 hours at the Berghain on a whim is no big thing. For most of us who still go out, clubbing is something that's local and styled by TK Maxx. So if any young person is sat in a bedsit in Cheetham Hill, looking at Boiler Room on YouTube and thinking, Fuck it. I cant afford all this - rather than finding it aspirational - then something's gone wrong somewhere. I hope Freaky Dancing remains a clarion call: don't be a passive observer of other people's art when you can produce your own. It's your preserve, not just 'theirs'. Own it.John Doran

Paul Hanley, Have A Bleedin Guess: The Story Of Hex Enduction Hour (Route)

This is really top notch stuff. Its a book written squarely for Fall fans (something I applaud as I have very little interest in slogging through loads of always the same/ always different style received wisdom, although there is some necessary discussion of the grandmother/bongos jurisprudence), so is full of very detailed factual information (including kit lists) while never at the expense of being really well written. Its sanguine, droll and even-handed - respectful to Smith while calling out his poor behaviour where necessary. It corrects many of MESs fanciful tall stories (some ably propagated by me to be honest) without attacking the core mystique of the album at the centre of the text: Hex Enduction Hour. Makes a superb companion piece to his brother Steve Hanley's The Big Midweek: Life Inside The Fall for a rounded view of what it was like being in the greatest rhythm section of the world's greatest band while they recorded their greatest album.John Doran

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Features | Tome On The Range | 2019 In Books: Quietus Writers Pick The Year's Best Fiction & Non-Fiction - The Quietus

An unpublished GAA-commissioned report aimed at outlining the organisations future towards its 150th anniversary in 2034 proposed the removal of the provincial championships.

Having been done at the behest of former GAA president Aogn Farrell, the GAA Towards 2034 committee produced the wide-ranging document in January of last year. However, it never saw the light of day.

Seen by the Irish Examiner, the report is a fascinating piece of work completed by a committee chaired by former general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation John Carr and involving individuals such as current playing rules group chair David Hassan and Connacht secretary John Prenty, who recently sat on the fixtures review taskforce.

However, that fixtures review body did not take into consideration the 2034 document, which as well as calling for the replacement of the provincial championships with a tiered championship also proposed the club and county seasons be separated entirely.

As well as calling for an overhaul of the GAAs provincial and national administrative structure and the revolutionary idea of replacing the current mileage expenses with an allowance structure for inter-county players and managers only, the 2034 committee described the provincial championships as unfair and unsustainable.

The report read: While the committee recognised the allegiance that county boards have towards the provincial championships, it deems the current imbalance structure to be unfair and unsustainable on players, coaches, and officials in many counties.

Turning a blind eye to this issue is not an option if the GAA is to thrive and prosper in the future.

"The committee is of the view that the structure imbalances within the inter-county game must be addressed by the Association and suggests that provincial championships be replaced by inter-county championship competition, which will be tiered, with an overarching committee managing all national fixtures across the Gaelic games family.

The report explained the provincial championships were no longer viable considering the growing polarisation of counties in a myriad of areas. The GAA inter-county championships are based on county structures whose boundaries do not change, thus creating major disparities between counties in terms of demographics, population distribution, fundraising capacity, and geographical factors.

"For example, Connacht consists of five counties, Munster six, Ulster nine and Leinster 12.

A major demographic disparity exists between County Dublin with a population of approximately 1.3 million and less than 33,000 living in County Leitrim and 40,000 in Longford. Ten other counties have populations of less than 100,000 people (2016 Census).

In addition, the larger, more successful counties have been able to attract significant sums of money through sponsorship whereas the less populated areas are struggling to make ends meet.

It is no wonder a gulf exists between competitive andnon-competitive county teams with fewer county teams being able to realistically compete in order to win championship titles. In some provinces, the gap in standards between county teams has so widened that only two or three teams have any chance of being successful in provincial championships (The weakness of formerly strong counties is an issue that requires further consideration and is beyond the scope of this committee).

The current imbalance between counties, both nationally and within provinces, is already having a detrimental effect on inter-county championship competitions in terms of aspirations and the morale of officials, mentors, and players.

"It could be argued that the provincial, as presently constituted, is an impediment towards progress and, in effect, could be counter-productive to the development of Gaelic games in less competitive counties.

There have already been changes made to the provincial structure especially in hurling with positive effects on the game itself. Overseas structures have also been devised to enable teams from abroad to play in provincial championships.

The fixtures review taskforce ruled out removing the provincial championships on the basis that there will still enough support for the competitions. They also rejected the idea of making a clear distinction between the club and county seasons for a number of reasons including separating players entirely from their clubs for over half the year would not be desirable.

However, the 2034 body backed the split season idea on the basis of championship only.

The report read: In order to enhance the playing experiences of club players, it is imperative the Association creates separate and distinct playing seasons for inter-county and club championships in order to provide a regular and meaningful schedule of games for all players and, in turn, recognises the important ongoing work taking place in this regard at the time of writing (November 2017).

The report added: The overlap of inter-county and club fixtures makes it impossible to have proper club and inter-county seasons. One outcome is that the majority of club games are fixed in the early or late months of the year where weather conditions are more likely to be adverse, leading to match cancellations, damage to pitches through overuse and increased difficulty attracting spectators and indeed, for that matter, players.

The inescapable conclusion is that there is a pressing need to restore equilibrium between the club and inter-county games.

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Unpublished report proposed abolition of provincial championships - Irish Examiner

On December 2, the U.N. commemorates the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery marking the adoption, by the U.N. General Assembly, of the U.N. Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. The focus of the U.N. day is to strengthen efforts to eradicate contemporary forms of slavery (modern day slavery), such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labor, forced marriage and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

Despite long-standing efforts to address the issue, the facts are mind-blowing:

An estimated 40.3 million people are in modern day slavery, including 24.9 in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage;

1 in 4 victims of modern slavery are children;

Out of the 24.9 million people trapped in forced labor, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction or agriculture;

4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million people in forced labor imposed by state authorities;

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by forced labor, accounting for 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors.

A child break bricks at Postogola brick breaking yard in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 3, 2017. With ... [+] over half of the population living below the poverty line, women and children are often forced into hard manual labor such as brick breaking. (Photo credit: Mehedi Hasan/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

It is crucial to emphasize yet another important fact. Slavery, in its many forms, is a man-made problem. It reinforces the social construct of a differentiation of human value between the master and the slave and undermines the human dignity of the latter.

Money is the driver of slavery, and especially forced labor. Slavery is a lucrative business. The 24.9 million victims of forced labor are believed to contribute $150 billion worth of profit. As long as money remains the powerful incentive it is, the issue will remain unaddressed. There is a higher role business should play in countering slavery. Recognizing this role, the International Labor Organizations Global Business Network on Forced Labor brings together businesses of all sizes and sectors, and their networks, from around the globe to eradicate forced labor.

One of the recent campaigns, 50 for Freedom, a campaign led by the International Labor Organization and its partners, the International Trade Union Confederation and the International Organization of Employers, called upon at least 50 countries to ratify the International Labor Organizations Protocol on Forced Labor (the Protocol) by the end of 2019. The Protocol is a legally-binding treaty that requires states to introduce new measures to tackle forced labor in all its forms. It focuses on protection, prevention and compensation. The Protocol imposes a duty on states to ensure that all workers in all sectors are legally protected from being exploited, including by way of strengthening labor inspections, or educating about slavery-related criminal offenses and their consequences. The Protocol is set to assist the victims of slavery as it requires states to ensure the release, recovery and rehabilitation of people subjected to forced labor. The Protocol further protects them from prosecution for legal violations they were forced to commit while enslaved. The Protocol further provides victims with access to justice and compensation.

For the Protocol to come into force, it must be ratified by states. Currently, only 42 states have ratified it. More states need to join it to ensure that the messages of the Protocol are universally accepted and implemented. We must put an end to slavery and so restore human dignity of those subjected to it. The Protocol provides a comprehensive response to the issue of slavery and restoration of human dignity for its victims.

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Calling For More Action On The International Day For The Abolition Of Slavery - Forbes

The Minimum Age Convention (138) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which includes the abolition of child labour, was approved on Tuesday.

The convention has 18 articles and aims to effectively abolish child labour, support economic development, and provide job opportunities consistent with the fullest physical and mental development of young people, according to Labour, Immigration and Population Minister U Thein Swe.

But undeveloped countries, including Myanmar, are allowed to lower the age limit to between 12 and 14-year-old.

According to a 2015 government survey, there are about 1.12 million child workers in Myanmar between five and 17-years-old. The minimum age range for child workers under the Minimum Age Convention (138) is from 13 to 15-years-old.

MP Daw Tin Tin Win representing Constituency 5 of Bago Region in the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), said the ratification of the convention is useless if the government does not have the mechanism and resources to implement it.

How can we handle if children between 5 and 13 are being forced to work, who will take charge of monitoring? she asked.

Daw Tin Tin Win said poverty and lack of knowledge are among the reasons while parents forced their children to work as young as 5-years-old.

The parents do not know the bad consequences of forcing to work at an early age, she added.

U Nay Kyaw added that the government has not been able to implement effectively the Convention on the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (No. 182), which it signed in 2013.

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Myanmar parliament approves joining treaty on abolition of child labour - Myanmar Times

December 10 is Human Rights Day, when we honor the incredible work of human rights advocates around the world. It is also a time when we should demand the abolition of nuclear weapons.

When people think of human rights, nuclear weapons might not immediately come to mind. But these weapons violate our human rights by threatening our health and even survival. With about 14,000 nuclear weapons remaining in the worlds arsenals, the potential for a catastrophic nuclear war is an omnipresent threat.

On this Human Rights Day, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the national advocacy organization for which I work, is calling on decision-makers to acknowledge this threat to our human rights and respond appropriately.

How?

For starters, President Donald Trump should respond positively to Russian President Vladimir Putins request to immediately extend the New START arms control treaty. Then the United States should actively pursue an agreement among all the nuclear-armed countries to totally eliminate their arsenals.

And all of the countries on earth should join the 122 nations that in July 2017 adopted the U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and bring that treaty into force.

A nuclear war would create one of the worst humanitarian crises imaginable, one for which no nation would have an adequate emergency or health response. And climate modeling has shown that a nuclear war involving less than 1 percentof the worlds arsenalstargeted on citiescould trigger global climate disruptions for ten years, degrading agricultural production and putting up to two billion people at risk of starvation.

The right to health and the right to clean air and water are human rights, not privileges reserved for the most fortunate members of society.

Physicians for Social Responsibility was founded in 1961 in order to draw attention to the grave health and humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons. Its motto is: Prevention is the only cure.

Even if we manage to prevent a nuclear war, the arsenals are still a major health hazard. The processes of mining and refining uranium, building and testing nuclear weapons, and transporting and handling the radioactive waste byproducts have jeopardized the health and safety of communities in the United States and around the world for decades.

These activities have disproportionately impacted indiginous peoples, low-income communities and communities of color, whose families experience the harmful inheritance of multi-generational toxic nuclear legacies. Between 1946 and 1958, the residents of the Marshall Islands were forced to endure 67 atmospheric nuclear test explosions in their homeland.

These communities have called for accountability and for justice, but they havent been heard. This is a social justice issue, a health issue, and a human rights issue. The right to health and the right to clean air and water are human rights, not privileges reserved for the most fortunate members of society.

Those who stockpile and threaten to use nuclear weapons are violating our human rights. On this Human Rights Day, lets make them stop. Its time to ban nuclear weapons, for good.

This column was produced for the Progressive Media Project, which is run by The Progressive magazine, and distributed by the Tribune News Service.

December 9, 2019

11:59 AM

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On Human Rights Day, Let's Abolish Nuclear Weapons - Progressive.org