News digest 25 October 2011
The digest opens with Cameron’s failed
gamble to try and kick the eurosceptics into touch, and Cameron
also got it wrong on the riots. As the government makes the biggest
cuts to education in 60 years the public sector pensions’ change
goes to court, Cameron brings back Young as agency workers get a
raw deal, energy prices rocket and the government backs bus cuts,
but there’s a boost for Nissan in Sunderland and as Fullers adds
five bars you may finally have the answer as to why you can never
get your favourite stinky cheese in your local
supermarket…
Cameron’s authority
challenged – The debate on Europe dominates all the papers
with the result even worse than expected as 81 Tory MPs supported
the bid for a referendum on Britain’s EU membership. Cameron tried
to shrug off the largest post-war rebellion by his party and was
told that he will face further rebellions unless he takes a tougher
stance on EU treaty negotiations. Two ministerial aides quit and
the rebels came from across the party from modernisers like Zac
Goldsmith, A listers like Priti Patel, ex UKIP candidate George
Eustice, committed eurosceptic John Redwood and what could be more
ominous for Cameron, former shadow home secretary and leadership
challenger David Davis, could this be the start to a challenge to
Cameron’s authority… (Mirror
p6-7, Sun p8-9, Express p1/4-5, Mail p1/6-7, Times p8-9, Indie p1/4-5, Guardian p1/4-5, Telegraph p1/4-5, FT p1/3, Morning Star p4)
Cameron wrong on riots – In
August prime minister Cameron said: “At the heart of
the violence sits the issue of street gangs…” but
yesterday the government’s own report into the riots said the
unrest across the country in August owed more to poverty than to
gang culture with the vast majority of looters acting alone. Just
13 per cent involved belonged to gangs while just over three
quarters of those prosecuted had a previous conviction and 53 per
cent of rioters were aged 20 or under. The report said 90 per cent
of rioters were male, 42 per cent white and 46 per cent black/mixed
race and that people’s involvement in the riots were linked to
socio-economic factors such as special educational needs and
deprivation (Mirror p11,
Sun p13, Express p9, Mail p10, Times p17, Indie p1, Guardian p14, Telegraph p10, FT p2, Morning Star p5).
Education faces biggest cuts since
1950s – Report by Institute for Fiscal Studies says
education spending is being slashed by more than 14 per cent;
schools and college building projects will suffer the most with
budgets cut in half and universities could see cuts close to 40 per
cent, even the under fives will see a 20 per cent cut in real
terms, on the day that thousands of youth workers come to
Westminster to protest, the attack on the nation’s youth continues
(Mirror p15, Sun p2, Indie p6, Guardian p7, Telegraph p1, FT p2).
Pension protest goes to court
– The Con-Dem coalition’s controversial switch in the way pension
increases are calculated for public sector workers is being
challenged in the High Court today. Unite, together with five other
trade unions, have called for a judicial review into the policy
which is aimed at cutting the budget deficit and not benefiting
scheme holders arguing that it involves an improper use of
ministerial decision making. All the unions have either already
balloted for industrial action, are balloting, or will be
supporting the day of action over pensions on 30 November (Mirror p6, Express p2, Times p6, FT p4, Unite
release).
New business tsar for Cameron
– Except it’s not, instead the Mirror (p6) reports that Lord Young
- who was forced to resign over a gaffe when he said families ‘had
never had it so good’ in the recession - is to be brought back to
drive through a bonfire of workers’ rights.
Sacked staff told to train
replacements – The Sun (p43) reports that support
services firm Carillion has asked staff facing the sack to spend
the last 30 days of their employment training up the workers that
will replace them before they go.
Employers exploiting agency
workers – Unite’s Jennie Formby is featured in the
FT (p16) as she calls on new
European regulations on equal treatment for agency workers to
be properly applied. Companies are trying to exploit loopholes by
making the agency rather than the company they eventually work for
their employer. Said Jennie: “What was supposed to give
security and equality has, in many cases, put people in a worse
position.”
Don’t axe the AWB - From
agency to agricultural workers and another protest at a packed
Westminster sees Unite members dressed as scarecrows as they
demonstrate to say they are extremely concerned at the plans to
abolish the agricultural wages board, a body which has supported
rural workers for generations and was set up specifically to
protect this vulnerable group (Morning Star p5, Unite
release).
Energy complaints rocket –
Complaints about energy suppliers jumped by 81 per cent last month
to 632 with most complaints about billing. The Mirror (p25) launched its ‘Fair
Price for Power’ campaign, backed by Unite national officer Kevin
Coyne said: “What baffles people is the continuation of
raised tariffs when the wholesale market price has gone down … the
government should address fuel poverty.”
Government backs bus cuts –
The FT (p2) reports that the
Department for Transport tells select committee on the impact of
austerity measures on services outside London that local
authorities should be free to cut bus services as a means of
dealing with cuts from central government.
Electric boost – The Times (p47) reports Nissan’s
Sunderland plant has received a boost from the Japanese carmaker
after the company announced tough new pollution limits on its
vehicles which will benefit production of vehicles like the new
Leaf, billed as the world’s first mass market electric powered
car.
Toys R now US – US Toymaker
Mattel has snapped up UK toymaking rival Hit Entertainment for £426
million meaning Thomas the Tank Engine and Bob the Builder
are now US bound (Mirror
p46, Sun p43, Express p45, Mail p58, Times p38, Indie p50, Guardian p26, Telegraph b1).
Fullers adds five – London
brewer to buy five pubs from rival Marston’s bringing the group’s
total to 365 pubs or one for each day of the year, I spy an idea
for a pub crawl there (Mirror p46, Express p45, Mail p61, Telegraph b8)
Virgin bids again – Virgin
Money is expected to submit a second bid for Northern Rock today
(Sun p43).
Housing burden hits first time
buyers – The FT (p4)
looks at the UK’s housing burden and has found that more than half
of Britain’s first time buyers in some of the country’s poorest
areas were granted mortgages worth more than 90 per cent of the
value of their home.
St Paul protestors under fire
– A number of the papers start to attack the occupy protestors,
with many saying just 10 per cent are actually camping in the tents
near the cathedral as they demonstrate against corporate greed in
the City (Express p2,
Mail p4, Times p7, Indie p9, Telegraph p1, Morning Star p3).
EU crisis continues – Fears
that the debt crisis will lead to a double dip in the UK and Europe
rise as Europe’s leaders are still arguing about the rescue plan
(Sun p9, Express p44, Mail p2/58, Times p37, Indie p30, Guardian p22-23, Telegraph p1/b1, FT p8).
Cheeseburglars – And you know
the recession is starting to spread to the middle classes as the
Sun (p27) and Mail (p19) report on the latest
results for shoplifting across the country, apparently cheese –
including posh stilton and brie – is the most popular item to steal
with almost four per cent placed on shelves going missing, some may
argue they could probably walk off by themselves but the figures
mean Britain remains the shoplifting capital of Europe with total
losses estimated at £5 billion last year…
Edited by Mik
Sabiers
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