In Northern Ireland, the Leavers’ folly is now manifest. How can the opposition stay silent about the root cause of the crisis?
Keir Starmer in Stormont: ‘Labour’s attitude to the EU has always been a rollercoaster ride.’ Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Keir Starmer in Stormont: ‘Labour’s attitude to the EU has always been a rollercoaster ride.’ Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
Sun 25 Jul 2021 02.00 EDT
Last modified on Sun 25 Jul 2021 07.33 EDT
‘He did not want to die until Brexit was reversed.” These words were spoken at the funeral last week of my dear friend and former
Observer colleague Dick Leonard.
Regina a fost refuzată. Downing Street a trebuit să fie oprită pentru vizita considerată crucială pentru „stabilirea unei relații bune de lucru” între noul premier, Tony Blair și președintele Bill Clinton. Palatul Buckingham a dorit să-i invite pe soții Clinton la ceaiul de la ora 17:00, însă, deși recunoscători pentru invitație, cei doi au dorit să se plimbe ca niște simpli turiști.
Americanii și-au dorit un altfel de eveniment, sugestiile Ministerului Afacerilor Externe incluzând un prânz muzical, în care președintele și primul ministru să cânte împreună. Altă sugestie a fost prezența celor doi într-un pub, deoarece americanilor le plac astfel de locuri. O altă sugestie a fost o plimbare în Trafalgar Square, înainte de a vizita Sports Cafe din Haymarket, unde ambilor bărbați li s-a putut arăta cum să joace diverse jocuri pe computer, de către un grup de copii. A fost respinsă de Casa Albă, fiind considerată prea puțin serioasă.
Boris Johnson has been forced to put off announcing his social care reforms until the autumn after he failed to reach agreement with leading ministers.
He was understood be considering a 1p-in-the-pound increase in National Insurance (NI) contributions to fund his long-awaited plans.
But critics said such a plan would hit the low-paid and would spare even well-off pensioners – including those still working – from having to contribute anything to the cost of the new care system.
The plans are understood to include measures to integrate the NHS better with the local-authority-run social care system, to ensure elderly people are properly cared for. There will also be reforms to ensure better training.
My late mother’s cousin Marguerite never married. Her working life was spent at a confectionery firm much to our delight as children who benefited from the treats she shared and in building up a nest-egg for her golden years.
She was robust and mentally alert to the end. But during the final months of her life she was denied access to family visitors by the pandemic although the virus killed her anyway, entering the care home by an unknown route.
Her death during the lockdown was deeply painful for my brother and me, her closest living relatives. Not only because of the circumstances of her death, but because her last wishes were denied her.
Then US leader also turned down Chequers dinner because he wanted to ‘be a tourist’, archives show
The Clintons and Blairs in London in May 1997. The US president wanted to ‘be a tourist’ - they eventually ate at a French restaurant. Photograph: Greg Gibson/Associated Press
The Clintons and Blairs in London in May 1997. The US president wanted to ‘be a tourist’ - they eventually ate at a French restaurant. Photograph: Greg Gibson/Associated Press
Mon 19 Jul 2021 19.01 EDT
Bill Clinton turned down tea with the Queen and dinner at Chequers because he wanted to “be a tourist” and try out an Indian restaurant during his first official visit to the UK with Tony Blair as prime minister, formerly classified documents reveal.