Greek debt crisis: How are European parliaments voting? July 17, 2015 Greece needs a third bailout deal, and this week it had a vote which may have thrown up more trouble than calm for Alexis Tsipras, as many of his party defected and voted against the measures. Germany, France, Finland and Austria also had lengthy debates and votes this week, all voting heavily in favour of [...]
A lesson from Putin: Three Ps to stay in power – pride, propaganda and perspective July 17, 2015 Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, the tumbling price of a vital commodity, and a currency in freefall with record high interest rates. Russia’s economy has leaped from one catastrophe to another. Yet one thing remains: President Vladimir Putin holds the reigns. Putin’s approval rating is now at a record 89 per cent. And while [...]
Greek debt crisis: German MPs vote in favour of negotiating third bailout deal with Greece July 17, 2015 It’s Chancellor Angela Merkel’s birthday, and to celebrate the German parliament has voted in favour of starting negotiations with Greece for a third bailout deal. There was a clear majority in the Bundestag with 439 voting in favour against 119 votes against. 40 lawmakers abstained. Merkel, who has been a tough negotiator previously, was urging [...]
Former Fifa vice president Jeffrey Webb extradited from Switzerland to US July 17, 2015 Former Fifa vice president Jeffrey Webb has been extradited to the United States from Switzerland on charges of bribery and racketeering, filed by American prosecutors. “He was handed over to a three man US policy escort in Zurich who accompanied him on the flight to New York,” the Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in [...]
English devolution is go: Cornwall is first county to receive powers over employment, transport, business support, energy, health and social care July 17, 2015 Put down your pasty. Cornwall has become the first UK county to gain historic new powers under the government's push to give more power to local authorities. The county will now have more control over a host of key areas including employment and skills, transport, business support, energy, health and social care, public estate and [...]
Tim Farron wins Liberal Democrat leadership election over Norman Lamb July 16, 2015 Frontrunner Tim Farron has won the Liberal Democrat leadership election, overcoming the former minister Normal Lamb to win the post with 56.5 per cent of the vote against 43.5 per cent of the vote. 56 per cent of Lib Dem members voted. In a campaign the party named #LibDemFightBack, alluding to the devastating General Election [...]
MPs’ bewildering pay rise flies in the face of all we’ve heard about spending restraint July 16, 2015 They say timing is the art of comedy. Unfortunately, nobody's laughing. In the week after the chancellor of the Exchequer announced a pay rise of just one per cent for public sector employees, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) have awarded MPs a juicy 10 per cent rise – roughly £7,000. This takes their salaries [...]
Culture secretary John Whittingdale unveils green paper to look at future of BBC funding July 16, 2015 Culture secretary John Whittingdale has unveiled a green paper on the future of the licence fee, suggesting it could become a household levy of a subscription service in the long term. This comes as an independent review headed by David Perry QC found it should still be a criminal offence to not hold a TV [...]
MPs handed 10 per cent pay rise to £74,000 despite David Cameron’s objections July 16, 2015 The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) has confirmed MPs’ salaries will rise from £67,060 to £74,000 – a 10 per cent pay rise. Ipsa was set up in the wake of the expenses scandal in 2009 to monitor parliamentary expenses, and is responsible for paying salaries and expenses. The salary increase was approved despite David [...]
Europe still has a problem with low inflation July 16, 2015 While consumers may be happy to see prices rising more slowly, central bankers and politicians around Europe are a little more nervous about how they are are behaving across the European Union and Eurozone. The European Union experienced annual inflation of just 0.1 per cent in June and the Eurozone only did marginally better with [...]
