What the papers said in the week ending 6 May 2023
We have the coronation of Charles III . People came from all around the world and enjoyed what, for the most part, was a happy occasion. Charles III is the oldest person to take the crown, perhaps this is the start of something different in the nation’s view of older people. U.K. coronation: King Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey (axios.com)
There is review of changes since the time of Queen Elizabeth 2 crowning. The country was recovering from the economic and personal costs of the Second World War. Supporting a winning cricket team was a solace. A coronation during austerity and an Ashes to remember: omens of 1953 | Cricket | The Guardian
- Between times, there has been progress: average life expectation has risen from 69 to 81. Infant mortality has fallen from 29/1000 births to 3.7/1000. Almost everyone has a bathroom. Air quality is better as domestic coal fires have been banned. There have been moves toward equality with the richest 1% now owning only 20% of all wealth – rather than 50% as it was in 1953. But there remains much which could be better. From Elizabeth II to Charles III: how the UK economy has changed | King Charles coronation | The Guardian
- More are working beyond 70 – some by choice, others out of necessity: British workers increasingly likely to work into their 70s, research suggests | Older people | The Guardian
- Generosity toward others, as reflected in rates of volunteering, have fallen, though some people give their time and talents quite naturally. The Pandemic has probably had an impact to reduce volunteering, but faith communities have been the mainstay of many such good works and the decline of churchgoing must be an additional factor: Volunteering in sharp decline in England since Covid pandemic | Charities | The Guardian
- ‘I do what’s needed’: extraordinary UK volunteers doing the extraordinary | Volunteering | The Guardian
Covid 19 is seen to be less of a threat than it has been: WHO downgrades Covid-19 pandemic, saying it is no longer a global emergency | East London and West Essex Guardian Series (guardian-series.co.uk)
The state we are in:
There is need for more nurses to support the mental health of school children: Calls for 11,000 more school nurses in UK as children’s needs grow | Schools | The Guardian
Large companies are suspected of making unreasonable profits: Shell accused of ‘profiteering bonanza’ after record first-quarter profits of $9.6bn | Shell | The Guardian
Local elections suggest that many people are unhappy with current government: Local elections 2023 live: Labour becomes largest party in local government – as it happened | Local elections | The Guardian
We know that errors were made in our attempts to cope with the covid pandemic – older people and everyone involved in care homes suffered most: Ministers missed chances to prepare social care for a pandemic, review finds | Social care | The Guardian
Sorrow at the treatment of our Windrush Generation gives rise to fine art – yet week after week we read that practical recompense has not been achieved: August in England review – Lenny Henry’s remarkable one-man show about the Windrush scandal | Theatre | The Guardian
A Brave New World?
We are fearing the power of Artificial Intelligence, rather than loving its potential: AI ‘could be as transformative as Industrial Revolution’ | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian
We are accused of walking dumb into a future which ignores the needs of ordinary people and is dictated by a few who would make themselves money-rich. Surely we will burst the bubble: Why apathetic Britons aren’t rising up in protest | UK cost of living crisis | The Guardian
And on one day (May 4th) The Guardian carried ‘news’ of another breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and letters – encouraging on the one hand even more investment in seeking a magic bullet – balances by Professor Iliffe’s wise counsel to spend our resources more wisely and to better effect: New Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline by 35%, trial results show | Alzheimer’s | The Guardian
There is correspondence rejoicing in school reports: We could do better Top marks for these scathing school reports | Teaching | The Guardian
David Jolley. Chair of Christians on Ageing, in a personal capacity.
