Nick Whittingham

Mother left ‘disgusted’ by DWP’s silence over secret report into Jodey Whiting’s death The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has refused to release any information about a secret report into the death of a disabled woman, despite a coroner ruling that its actions had been the “t…

The Department for Work and Pensions has refused to release any information about a secret report into the death of a disabled woman, despite a coroner ruling that its actions had been the “trigger” for her suicide.
#DWP
www.disabilitynewsservice.com/mother-left-...

Liked that a lot - thank you 😁

But without publicly funded legal advice and representation, how do people enforce their new employment rights?

CCC: Reducing emissions 87% by 2040 would help ‘cut household costs by £1,400’ - Carbon Brief The UK should cut its emissions to 87% below 1990 levels by 2040 under its...

To no one's surprise, UK newspapers are full of truly dreadful - and, at times, outright bizarre - "reporting" of the Climate Change Committee's new carbon-budget advice.

For a sane and nuanced summary – with lots of charts - here's our detailed coverage...

www.carbonbrief.org/ccc-reducing...

‘I forgive the girl and boy for what they’ve done. If I didn’t, the hate would eat away at me’: Esther Ghey on life after the murder of her daughter Brianna Transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death by two 15-year-olds. The killers had been radicalised on the dark web, while the victim was trapped in an online world of her own. Now her mother has become friends with the parent of one of the murderers

‘I forgive the girl and boy for what they’ve done. If I didn’t, the hate would eat away at me’: Esther Ghey on life after the murder of her daughter Brianna

'ever' is really hard, so thinking recent I'll give you Insomnium in London last month

Thanks to our Kings Norton South councillor Rob Grant for speaking in favour of #BlackSabbath being given the freedom of the city: the best way to honour their legacy is to preserve places like The Crown pub in Station Street. You can see his full speech here:
birmingham.public-i.tv/core/portal/...

York Minster congregation outraged over ‘deeply inappropriate’ concert Gig at cathedral by metal band Plague of Angels would be ‘outright insult’ to their faith, say parishioners

Organic Metal is a very niche sub- genre which seems to have started in Huddersfield. I saw Plague of Angels here last year when they did a brief set for the One Show. I'd definitely go to York Minster, especially if it upsets some religious zealots 😁
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Thank you for this little gift - new discovery for me and it's awesome 🤘

Five years in prison for nonviolent protest: it’s plain wrong, and Keir Starmer knows it | Caroline Lucas If the courts let 16 climate activists’ draconian sentences stand this week, we are no better than an authoritarian state, says environmental activist and former Green MP Caroline Lucas

Let's hope Lady Carr, the Lady Chief Justice, can bring some proportion when hearing appeals to the excessive sentencing of non-violent environmental protesters. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Two-Tier Reporting: When Climate Protesters Slow Ambulances They’re Vilified, So Why Are Wealthy Farmers Given a Free Pass? Media outlets rush to condemn climate change campaigners as "middle class" protesters causing "chaos" while ignoring greater disruption by millionaire landowners

Remember all the outraged coverage about a handful of climate protesters slowing ambulances a few years back?

Well it turns out that wealthy farmers doing exactly the same thing on a much bigger scale is absolutely fine

bylinetimes.com/2024/12/12/t...

Svalbard excellent as always at Manchester Academy 2 tonight #metalsky #blackmetalsky

MoJ mulls costs protection for discrimination claims Call for evidence comes four years after judicial review case was lost by disability campaigner.

Legal costs and the costs risks involved are one of the major barriers to people bringing discrimination claims. QOCS for County Court claims would be helpful. Our view is that there should be a similar arrangement for Employment Tribunals in discrimination cases.

This would be positive. (I'm sure I came up with this idea only the other week)

A safe way to die? A private member's bill introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP represents the strongest chance yet that assisted dying could be made legal in England and Wales. Do its safeguards answer the critics? Eduardo ...

As the End Of Life bill passes second reading, resharing my @lawsocgazette feature on what the bill is, and isn't; what it leaves out, and what could be added. www.lawgazette.co.uk/features/a-s...

The government is good at one thing. It knows how to break your legs, and then hand you a crutch and say, "See if it weren't for the government, you wouldn't be able to walk".
Harry Browne

So, MoJ is proposing an increase in rates and fees of 10% for Immigration and Housing Legal Aid work only. That reverses the 10% cut imposed in 2013 and puts us back to where we were in 1996. Of course, it will be wiped out by increases to salaries and employers NICs.

Government pledges millions in legal aid to clear asylum backlog The justice secretary is to announce a major increase in funding for lawyers to represent migrants in asylum courts

Government appear to be recognising the problem of de facto cuts to Legal Aid. Action to raise funding is welcome, but seems only to happen because govt needs it to support their agenda. What about the rest of Civil Legal Aid?

Farmers need to stop talking nonsense Farmers need to stop talking nonsense. I thought it worth sharing an anecdote based upon a BBC Northern Ireland radio discussion I took part in yesterday with regard to Labour's new, very modest, inhe...

Farmers need to stop talking nonsense www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2024/11... Wealthy farmers are protesting about inheritance tax changes today. Of all the people with a reason to gripe in this country they are about the last with a reasonable right to protest.

Who Are the Zapatistas? Unmasking Mexico’s Indigenous Guerrilla Army The Zapatistas are an enigmatic army of Indigenous insurgents who live autonomously in the Mexican state of Chiapas. But who are they behind their masks?

www.thecollector.com/zapatistas-m...

Donate to Help tell the story of the Zapatistas 30 years on, organized by Rowan Glass My name is Rowan Glass and I am an anthropologist, journalist, and filmm… Rowan Glass needs your support for Help tell the story of the Zapatistas 30 years on

gofund.me/f409f136

Mirfield Community Centre Xmas Fair coming up

New on Blue sky and still finding my way around but have already discovered a new band - loving this...