West of Centre

In recent times, there have been growing numbers of local councillors elected as "Independent". On the face of it, this would appear to represent a welcome change from the more traditional tribal approach in which we vote for the proverbial donkey according to the colour of the rosette. Indeed, in many instances, we see "Independent" councillors whose political allegiances are very well concealed. This begs the obvious question; is it really possible not to have any political allegiance? Famously, Martin Bell the former BBC foreign correspondent stood successfully against the disgraced Tory MP Neil Hamilton in the 1997 general election. It was a major coup although there were plenty who claimed that an actual donkey may well have toppled him anyway. This was because Neil Hamilton had just been found guilty of accepting "cash for questions" from the then owner of Harrods, Mohamed Al-Fayed. He briefly started a libel action against the Guardian but soon wi...

At a time when the NHS dominates the news columns of our beloved media, Her Majesty’s Government has just announced a sugar tax in a bid to address the growing (no pun intended) problem of childhood obesity. They have also indicated their support for measures to promote exercise. On the face of it, the intended outcome of this latest approach might be viewed with optimism. As ever though, greater scrutiny would seem to urge caution. The debate relating to the effect of sugar on obesity has now largely been resolved. To be clear though, the sugars referred to in this context are those with a high glycaemic index. This just means that they will give sudden spikes to blood sugar levels as opposed to the more favourable low glycaemic index sugars which will tend to keep blood sugar levels at a more stable level. A diet rich in high glycaemic sugars is now thought to predispose an individual to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and a whole host of other undesirable health outcomes. ...

Until today's headline on sexual harassment in the workplace published by the TUC, we might have been forgiven for thinking that such behaviour was a thing of the past. Not so. Harassment of any kind is just another form of the bullying which has destroyed the school years of many a child. That it progresses to being of an overt sexual nature in the adult workplace is a damning indictment of just how far our society needs to go. But as with all such behaviours, it is sadly very difficult for the victim to fight back. Thus, the cycle of inequality is perpetuated. But it is only perpetuated by those who would seek to take advantage thus abusing their positions of "power". During the recent EU referendum debate, we heard endless arguments relating to workers' rights and the need to stay in the EU with it's more fair approach to employment law. Such arguments though failed to adequately acknowledge the painful truth; more than ever, we find ourselves resident in a...