What the papers said in the week ending 4 March 2023
The reminiscences sparked by the death of Lady Betty Boothroyd remind us what an impressive woman she has been, and what a significant change has occurred during our life times in the contributions made by women and people of humble beginnings to public life. Lady Boothroyd obituary | Betty Boothroyd | The Guardian
- We needed a massive amount of resilience’: the female Labour MPs from the class of ’87 | Women in politics | The Guardian
There have been encouraging agreements to bring the UK to better terms with The European Union: Sunak hails ‘new chapter’ in UK-EU relations as Northern Ireland deal is agreed | Brexit | The Guardian
But there is much which is downbeat and challenging:
- Poor people are not receiving reasonable financial support: UK benefits fall short of minimum living cost by £140 a month, charities say | Poverty | The Guardian
- This is probably fuelling an increase in the number of people who have become homeless: England likely to miss target to end rough sleeping by 2024, says Crisis | Homelessness | The Guardian
- ‘It makes me want to cry’: inside crumbling courts as judges wrestle with rise in rent eviction cases | UK cost of living crisis | The Guardian
- People who are ill, especially old people, are kept waiting for attention and die in the waiting: One patient dies every 23 minutes in England after long delay in A&E | NHS | The Guardian
- Owners, managers, staff and everyone trying to provide care for the most needful older people, are being undermined by systematic underfunding: Shortfall of £2.3bn a year in England’s care homes ‘putting people at risk’ | Social care | The Guardian
- Support for people found guilty of crime, whatever their age, is inadequate: The probation service is in a desperate state | Prisons and probation | The Guardian
- Nowhere is the situation more dreadful than in dental services: Rotten, with no quick fixes: the state of our mouths reflects the plight of NHS dentistry | George Monbiot | The Guardian
There is a groundswell of feeling that we can and must do better. Can the churches play a part in making this happen? The Guardian view on the welfare safety net: failing to catch people | Editorial | The Guardian
To be positive:
People are protective of what is good and want to see it preserved: The Guardian view on children’s reading: a gift that should be for all | Editorial | The Guardian
Language, as spoken needs respect and preservation: How ChatGPT mangled the language of heaven | Technology | The Guardian
We are told again that we can look after our health by discipline and routine: Walking just 11 minutes a day could stop 10% of early deaths, researchers find | Health | The Guardian
New ways of capturing the sun’s energy look to be safe and affordable: ‘My new solar panels and batteries should save me £1,600 this year’ | Energy bills | The Guardian
Living in harmony with others makes for better health and a longer life. This is perhaps a recommendation, but also goes some way toward explaining why so many older people are good company In sickness and health? Signs couples live longer shouldn’t worry singletons | Health | The Guardian
- Revisiting marital health protection: Intraindividual health dynamics around transition to legal marriage – Mikucka – 2021 – Journal of Marriage and Family – Wiley Online Library
- Social relationship satisfaction and accumulation of chronic conditions and multimorbidity: a national cohort of Australian women | General Psychiatry (bmj.com)
Eccentricity is valued and is to be preserved: ‘Losing it would be sacrilege’: last-minute push to save ‘Ron’s Place’ | Art | The Guardian
Perhaps the air we breathe is better in some ways and in some places, than it has been: Dickens exhibition to look at role of London fog in life and writings | Charles Dickens | The Guardian
But:
We would like more trees for their benefits to health, wellbeing and spirituality: Nearly half of English neighbourhoods ‘have less than 10% tree cover’ | Trees and forests | The Guardian
Viruses have become a new threat, especially to older people: Norovirus cases in over-65s in England at highest in a decade | Norovirus | The Guardian
Hesitation to take action has had devastating consequences. Making choices is hard. So difficult to get it right: Manchester Arena attack: families accuse MI5 of ‘devastating’ failure | Manchester Arena attack | The Guardian
Lack of rainfall threatens our established flora and fauna: ‘Very precarious’: Europe faces growing water crisis as winter drought worsens | Europe | The Guardian
And yet: clear skies share the magic of nature: Northern lights seen across the UK – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian
David Jolley Chair of Christians on Ageing in a personal capacity
