… on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

  • ‘Answer to youth unemployment is not cut benefits and any job available,’ Burnham told

    ANDY BURNHAM was warned against pushing young people into “any job available” today after he pledged “big changes” to reduce the welfare bill.

    …

    Writing in The Times, he said that every young person will be guaranteed a “high-quality technical pathway, work placements, apprenticeships and the skills and experience they need to secure a good job” with “timely, high-quality mental health support” available.

    But that will be matched by an “expectation that young people will take up the opportunities made available to them”, Mr Burnham said.

    Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Fran Heathcote told the Morning Star: “Creating opportunities for young people is welcome, but apprenticeships and placements are only meaningful if they lead to decent, secure jobs with proper pay and progression.

    “Young people need more than a foot on the career ladder — they need a realistic chance to build a future.

    “The answer to youth unemployment cannot be to cut benefits and push people into any job available.

    “The government must invest in genuine employment support, good-quality jobs and the public services that provide thousands of career opportunities for young people.”

    Green Party deputy co-leader Mothin Ali also accused Labour of planning a “welfare cuts charter that would take support away from young people who are already struggling and vulnerable.”

    …

  • Morning Star Editorial: The centre cannot hold

    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/centre-cannot-hold

    A protester holds a placard with a photo of French president Emmanuel Macron and a guillotine in front of a burning tourism office during a demonstration against rising living costs and in solidarity with students’ grievances in Lyon, France, October 17,

    …

    The escalating political and social crisis exposed by the young people, workers, unemployed, and retirees joining demonstrations in France last week, marks a new stage in a movement building for weeks and whose origins are decades old.

    This crisis is rooted in the decision of French and EU political leaders and bankers to embark on a road to a Federal Europe enshrined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty with a single currency and a single interest rate run by a European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

    The current protest movement in France cannot be resolved by snap elections or a change of bourgeois government. The demands of the protests in France are for higher wages, increased social welfare benefits, and better pensions.

    These are demands for a different kind of society, one that was ruled out by the Maastricht Treaty. The protesters are demanding a radical rupture with the politics of the EU and of so-called “centrism” exemplified in Emmanuel Macron.

    As Europe approaches the fifth year of a war with Russia in Ukraine that its political and military leaders have stoked with money, guns and long-range missiles, frenzied discussions taking place in Paris, Brussels and Berlin, reveal the weakness and illegitimacy of the centrist project, which is predicated on denying the democratic right of citizens to choose an alternative path to that of neoliberalism and war.

    …

    This was the spark that lit the explosion in France’s streets. It is a result of a young generation being offered a future of poverty, low pay and war-readiness by their ruling political parties and emphatically rejecting it.

    …

    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/centre-cannot-hold

  • Tommy Robinson used ‘bully-boy tactics’ to frighten journalists, court told

    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tommy-robinson-used-bully-boy-tactics-frighten-journalists-court-told

    Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appearing in the dock at Southwark Crown Court, London, where he is charged with the harassment of two journalists, October 19, 2026

    FAR-RIGHT leader Tommy Robinson used “bully-boy, intimidatory tactics” to frighten two journalists, forcing them to employ security or leave home, a court heard today.

    Mr Robinson, 43, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is charged with two counts of harassment causing fear of violence to MailOnline reporters Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber through his X account between August 5 and 7 2024. 

    He is accused of telling Mr Young “I’m coming to get you” and messaging Mr Dirnhuber “I’ll be knocking at your door.”

    Prosecutor Ben Holt told Southwark Crown Court that Mr Robinson circulated images of the journalists’ homes to millions of followers, and that supporters threatened them. 

    …

    Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tommy-robinson-used-bully-boy-tactics-frighten-journalists-court-told

  • New Green Party transport policy aims for 75% cut in carbon emissions within ten years 

    The Green Party’s revised transport policy, approved at its Autumn Conference, sets out a radical programme to transform transport in England & Wales. The proposed measures would aim to reduce carbon emissions by around 75% within a decade by reducing travel and expanding electrification of all modes. The party says the measures would also hugely reduce transport’s impacts on road danger and health while delivering a more equitable society. 

    Among a raft of ambitious initiatives, the policies include: 

    • Transforming road and public transport – A step change away from car dependency, with major investment in better buses and rail. It aims for a 50% increase in rail travel and more frequent and reliable bus services, connecting homes with jobs, education, shops, healthcare. The policy also opposes almost all new road building. 
    • Making Active Travel the natural choice – Safe, high-quality walking, wheeling and cycling networks, using road space reallocated from private motor vehicles. The policy aims for at least half of journeys in England’s towns and cities to be by active travel within five years, compared to a third in 2025. 
    • Fairer and cleaner aviation – Reduce demand for passenger and freight flights, halt airport expansion, and ensure those who take the most polluting and unnecessary flights contribute the most. The policy specifically targets private jets, premium-class travel, and frequent flyers, while supporting cleaner alternatives and sustainable aviation. 

    Green Party parliamentary spokesperson on transport, Sian Berry MP, said:  

    “For too long transport policy has focused on moving vehicles rather than enabling people to get where they need to go. Our new policy is about giving everyone genuine choices – reliable and affordable public transport, safe walking, wheeling and cycling, and communities where owning a car isn’t a prerequisite for participating fully in society. 

    “We also need to tackle transport’s contribution to the climate crisis in an equitable and fair way. That means providing attractive alternatives to car and air travel, moving more freight onto rail and electrification.  Those responsible for the most polluting and unnecessary journeys, including users of private jets and frequent flyers, will make the greatest contribution.” 

    Co-convenors of the policy, Jeremy Drew and Mark Strong, said: 

    “We have worked hard with an expert team of professionals and academics to revise our policy. It sets out measures to achieve a 75% reduction in transport carbon emissions within ten years, while making it easier for people and businesses to choose cleaner and healthier alternatives, which will improve not just transport but wider society.” 

  • Polanski calls for bold and immediate action on the cost of living in October Budget

    Green party leader Zack Polanski (Green Party of England and Wales). Image: Bristol Green Party Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
    Green party leader Zack Polanski (Green Party of England and Wales). Image: Bristol Green Party Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

    Commenting on John Healey’s forthcoming budget at the end of October containing a £35 billion funding gap, leaving the government facing a choice between higher spending on public services or deep real-terms cuts later in the decade Green Party leader Zack Polanski said:

    “Economists are telling the Chancellor today that a steady-as-she-goes budget ‘is not an option’. With three in five families already cutting back on spending, and many about to see a £300 increase in their bills in January, we’re challenging the government to take bold and immediate action on the cost of living. For a start, this means moving more costs off energy bills, properly funding a national home insulation scheme, clamping down on profiteering by energy companies, and rapidly scaling up cheaper, cleaner energy.”