What the papers said in the week ending 26 March 2023
There is outrage as people put two and two together, and realise that the squeeze on council budgets, which is reflected in their inadequate payments for older people who need to be in care, has led to their sponsoring care homes which provide poor care: Five care chains thought to make £150m a year for low-rated homes in England | Social care | The Guardian
Outrage is the only response. We need there to be a change of policy from the top.
- Blame for the unreasonable exclusion of visitors to care homes, probably rests squarely with the management of individual homes: Relatives locked out of UK care homes due to Covid call for visitor guarantee | Coronavirus | The Guardian
A further covid link says that happiness in the world has survived covid, though Britons are more gloomy than they were: Covid has not affected people’s happiness around world, study reveals | Happiness indices | The Guardian
Pension issues threaten the government of France: French government survives no-confidence votes amid protests | Emmanuel Macron | The Guardian
On the down side:
Brokenness within the NHS has consequences: Hundreds left with lost or damaged eyesight after NHS delays – research | Health | The Guardian
Changes to the benefits system are feared likely to make matters worse rather than better: The Guardian view on reforms to disability benefits: exacerbating misery | Editorial | The Guardian
The spectacle of a recent Prime Minister under questioning of his honesty is not appetising: Boris Johnson’s pathetic Partygate defence fools nobody | Partygate | The Guardian
Our new governors are accused of favouring the already rich: Sunak cares nothing for the 99% – and after his pensions hike for the rich, they know it | Polly Toynbee | The Guardian
More trees are under threat: Hundreds of trees to be felled for Cambridge bus route to tackle climate change | Environment | The Guardian
- Though sorrow for recent losses is evident: Plymouth council leader quits after approving cutting down of 110 trees | Plymouth | The Guardian
The inspectorate of schools is accused of being too brutal: Punishing Ofsted regime is driving us out of education, say school leaders | Ofsted | The Guardian
Banks are having difficulties: Lloyd’s of London swings to loss after £21bn of claims including Hurricane Ian and Ukraine | Lloyd’s | The Guardian
- Deutsche Bank shares tumble as fresh banking sell-off grips Europe and US – as it happened | Business | The Guardian
- Bank of England raises UK interest rates by quarter-point to 4.25% | Interest rates | The Guardian
The use of hormone contraceptives caries some increased risk of cancer: All hormonal contraceptives ‘carry small increased risk of breast cancer’ | Breast cancer | The Guardian
But there are things to be pleased about:
Community action can save valued assets: Beloved Somerset pub marks five years since community ‘found a way’ to save it | UK news | The Guardian
There is a stay of execution for The BBC Singers: BBC Singers: decision to scrap choir reversed after public outcry | BBC | The Guardian
Friendship has enduring benefits: Celebrating the comfort and joy that old friends bring | Friendship | The Guardian
Increasing the price of dangerous substances leads to a reduction in their use and an improvement in health statistics: Minimum unit pricing decreases alcohol deaths by 13% in Scotland – IAS
- Evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing on deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland: a controlled interrupted time series study – The Lancet
- And we learn that such substances do not increase creativity: Drugs and alcohol do not make you more creative, research finds | Psychology | The Guardian
Faith:
Misplaced passions can sometimes lead to violence: Man charged with attempted murders after men leaving UK mosques set alight | UK news | The Guardian
Other matters:
The past is here to be rediscovered: Kitchen renovation reveals 400-year-old friezes in York flat | York | The Guardian
Spring comes every year: Simon Armitage savours spring ‘ecstasy and melancholy’ on World Poetry Day | Poetry | The Guardian
David Jolley. Chair of Christians on Ageing, in a personal capacity
