Political news

• Theresa May Launches New Drive To Close Gender Pay Gap

  27-10-2017 23:30
  Theresa May has launched a new drive to close the gender pay cap, now calling on small companies to publish data on wage disparities.The PM also wants to widen the availability of flexible working for all jobs unless there are “solid business reasons not to” and increase female representation in at senior levels.May said: “Tackling injustices like the gender pay gap is part of building a country that works for everyone.“Already many of the UK’s top companies are lea
  
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• The whitesplainer-in-chief on the undesirable Uluru Statement | First Dog on the Moon

  27-10-2017 22:00
  When we asked you to come up with a solution, we meant you should come up with constitutional recognitionSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and printsContinue reading...
  
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• Martin Rowson on Spain and Catalonia's power struggle – cartoon

  27-10-2017 21:33
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• UK 'won't recognise' Catalan independence

  27-10-2017 20:19 via bbc.co.uk
  Downing Street says the Catalan parliament's declaration was based on a vote declared illegal.
  
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• Scotland's Labour leader hopefuls go head to head over top tax rate

  27-10-2017 20:01
  Corbynite Richard Leonard proposes two new tax bands, but is accused by rival Anas Sarwar of offering too little manifesto detail Richard Leonard, the Corbynite challenger for the Scottish Labour leadership, has been accused by his rival Anas Sarwar of “shouting about being radical” but offering too little detail in his policy manifesto.In what appeared to be a direct response to Sarwar’s own more detailed and costed tax policies, released earlier this week, Leonard called for
  
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• This Guy Built A Treehouse In His Living Room From Upcycled Barn Wood

  27-10-2017 19:42
  Chris Brandler is a guy who has taken 'upcycling' to a whole other level. Not content with sanding down an old chest of drawers and coating them in a sample pot of Farrow & Ball, he's made a career out of turning old barn wood into beautiful pieces of furniture – and was even commissioned to kit-out swimmer Tom Daley's house. He's also the only person we've come across to build a treehouse in his home. Along with his wife Polly, who looks after visuals and branding, he was kind enough
  
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• The reversible rout of social democracy

  27-10-2017 19:22
  The centre left can think and campaign its way back to relevance
  
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• Sustainable Entrepreneur Diana Verde Nieto On Living Ethically, Now

  27-10-2017 19:10
  Sustainability credentials-wise, being trained by Al Gore at the Alliance of Climate Change has got to be up there with the finest. But a 2007 stint with the former US Vice President isn't the most impressive thing on entrepreneur Diana Verde Neito's CV. As well as her day gig as co-founder and CEO of Positive Luxury, (a trust stamp organisation which audits the ethics of brands and awards those that are up to scratch with a 'Butterfly Mark,') she's an advisor to the British Fashion Council, the
  
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• Google Pixel 2 XL Review

  27-10-2017 19:05
  Google’s Pixel smartphones are designed from the ground up to be the purest expression of what an Android smartphone should be.They are simple, incredibly powerful yet ultimately devoid of all personality, instead opting to give you a blank slate upon which you can build the smartphone of your dreams.The first Pixel did in many ways perfectly encapsulate this utopian vision, but it was not without its flaws. The larger version felt too big for its screen size, while the wedge shape didn&rs
  
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• International Development Policy Can Only Succeed If We Tackle Climate Change, Equality And Poverty

  27-10-2017 18:41
  Almost two months on from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the world's news cycles have moved on. But in Barbuda, entirely evacuated, and in Dominica, where 90% of buildings were damaged, people are still fighting against the odds to rebuild.Yesterday, I met with some of the 2,000 people who were evacuated to Antigua from Barbuda, leaving the island uninhabited for the first time in 300 years. They are still living in the shelters in the national stadium and teaching centres that I visited, and in tru
  
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• That sound? It’s Westminster’s sex pests rehearsing their excuses | Marina Hyde

  27-10-2017 18:36
  So George Bush Sr was just putting women ‘at their ease’. What will our dinosaurs come up with when the Weinstein contagion reaches parliament?Those of you collecting famous sex pests’ excuses for their handiwork will have bagged some real keepers this week. Probably my favourite emanated from George Bush Sr, whom confinement to a wheelchair has placed at women’s backside level for the past five years. While you’re down there, luv … as no female has ever said
  
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• Theresa May urges sex abuse victims in UK parliament to come forward

  27-10-2017 18:20
  Reports that female staff are using WhatsApp group to exchange information on offenders
  
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• European capital of culture 2023: UK cities submit final bids

  27-10-2017 18:09
  Belfast and Derry, Dundee, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Nottingham in the running despite BrexitCities across the UK have submitted their final bids to be the European capital of culture in 2023, with the government insisting it is “ready and fully committed” to hosting the event despite the fact that Britain will have left the EU.Cities in both the UK and Hungary are due to be awarded the title in 2023, and Belfast, Dundee, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Nottingham formally submitted their bi
  
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• David Davis's Brexit department loses third minister in 18 months

  27-10-2017 18:05
  Former remain supporter Joyce Anelay quits due to an old injury, to be replaced by Eurosceptic peer Martin CallananDavid Davis’s deputy Brexit minister has become the third to leave his department in the last 18 months, quitting her post over an old injury caused when she leapt from a Black Hawk helicopter.Joyce Anelay, the minister of state for Brexit, will be replaced by Martin Callanan, the Eurosceptic peer who previously led the Conservative group in the European parliament. Continue r
  
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• Top obstetrician supports women taking abortion pills at home

  27-10-2017 18:02
  Prof Lesley Regan says taking misoprostol at home allows for safer care than making women travel to clinicsOne of the UK’s top gynaecologists has said the decision to allow women in Scotland to take abortion pills at home is “admirable” and she hopes there will be support for the move in England.
  Prof Lesley Regan, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), said it was another step in making it easier for women to access safe care. Continue readi
  
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• YouTube Condemned For Still Hosting National Action Propaganda Video

  27-10-2017 17:26
  YouTube has been condemned for continuing to host propaganda for neo-Nazi group National Action, as an alleged leader stands accused of being part of a plot to murder a Labour MP.The group was banned in December 2016 - making membership a crime - and Christopher Lythgoe appeared in court on Friday charged with encouragement to commit murder. The alleged target was MP Rosie Cooper.As parliament reacted with shock, Labour’s Yvette Cooper, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, said a
  
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• UK Brexit department loses third minister in four months

  27-10-2017 17:25
  Baroness Anelay resigns for health reasons
  
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• Referee Tory MP Douglas Ross to miss World Cup

  27-10-2017 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Douglas Ross said he recognised he could no longer balance his football job with his political one.
  
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• Brexit: Baroness Anelay quits role after helicopter injury

  27-10-2017 17:16 via bbc.co.uk
  Baroness Anelay leaves her Brexit role, citing an injury sustained in getting out of a helicopter.
  
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• Man accused of 'neo-Nazi' terror plot to kill MP Rosie Cooper

  27-10-2017 17:11 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour's Rosie Cooper was the alleged target of the 22-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
  
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• Free Things To Do With Your Kids In London And The UK This November

  27-10-2017 16:59
  November is the month for winter carnivals, bonfire nights and Christmas lights. With shorter daylight hours, the temptation may be to stay indoors - but a trip out with the family is a great way to bond and create happy memories together. And all the better for your mood and bank balance, if entry is free.Here are just some of the free family events happening around the UK this month.Free firework displays and traditional Guy Fawkes celebrationsMany of the most lavish firework displays are now
  
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• 8 Things Parents of Boisterous Kids Want You To Know

  27-10-2017 16:53
  ‘Boisterous’ can be one of those passive-aggressive words to describe children. “Ohh, your kids are very boisterous” translates into “How can you bear it?”So we asked parents with so-called boisterous children to tell us what they think...  They’re boys1. “They’re just seven and five year-old-boys. Yes, they are boisterous, but so are most boys their age. They also give the best squeezy hugs and are kind and thoughtful children.” J
  
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• ‘Blue Planet II’: 18 Mind-Blowing Facts About Richard Attenborough’s Latest Breathtaking Series

  27-10-2017 16:41
  ‘Blue Planet II’, the sequel to Sir David Attenborough’s 2001 landmark natural history series, premieres on BBC1 on Sunday (29 October).The landmark seven-part series promises to bring viewers face to face with new creatures and landscapes beneath the waves, using cutting edge new technology.The facts and figures involved in making the highly-anticipated follow-up to ‘Blue Planet’ are mind-boggling, and the stories the crew has recounted are almost as unbelievable a
  
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• ‘Blue Planet II’: 18 Mind-Blowing Facts About David Attenborough’s Latest Breathtaking Series

  27-10-2017 16:41
  ‘Blue Planet II’, the sequel to Sir David Attenborough’s 2001 landmark natural history series, premieres on BBC1 on Sunday (29 October).The landmark seven-part series promises to bring viewers face to face with new creatures and landscapes beneath the waves, using cutting edge new technology.The facts and figures involved in making the highly-anticipated follow-up to ‘Blue Planet’ are mind-boggling, and the stories the crew has recounted are almost as unbelievable a
  
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• Brexit Minister Baroness Anelay Quits Government Over 'Injury' From Jumping Out Of Helicopter

  27-10-2017 16:34
  Brexit minister Baroness Anelay has quit the government, citing a “worsening of an injury” she sustained in 2015.She has been replaced by Lord Callanan, a former MEP who also served as a transport minister.In a letter to Theresa May on Friday, the Conservative peer Baroness Anelay said she had made the decision with “great disappointment”.“I am immensely proud of what the Government has achieved while I have been a part of it, and am grateful for having been given t
  
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• Fifty years on, the Abortion Act should be celebrated – and updated | Wendy Savage

  27-10-2017 16:17
  It was – and still is – landmark legislation for women. But some aspects are not fit for purpose in the 21st centuryToday is the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Abortion Act, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that allowed doctors in Great Britain to perform abortions lawfully so long as certain conditions were met. Doctors were given the responsibility of deciding if a woman met the conditions laid down by the act. The act has achieved its objective of eliminating deaths from illega
  
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• Brexit Minister Baroness Anelay Quits Government Over 'Worsening Of Injury'

  27-10-2017 16:13
  Brexit minister Baroness Anelay has quit the government, citing a “worsening of an injury” she sustained in 2015.In a letter to Theresa May on Friday, the Conservative peer said she had made the decision with “great disappointment”.“I am immensely proud of what the Government has achieved while I have been a part of it, and am grateful for having been given the opportunity to serve,” she said.“I will continue to support you and your Government as strongl
  
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• MPs to debate 'scrap first-past-the-post' call

  27-10-2017 16:06 via bbc.co.uk
  Campaigners say first-past-the-post is outdated but the government says it has no plans to change it.
  
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• Catalan Parliament Votes To Declare Independence From Spain

  27-10-2017 16:04
  Catalan separatist legislators have passed a motion to establish a new republic independent of Spain, in a vote boycotted by opposition members.In Madrid, Spain’s Senate is meeting and is expected to vote to remove the region’s autonomy and subject it to direct rule from the Spanish Government.The independence motion was passed in the 135-member assembly with 70 votes in favour, 10 against and 2 blank ballots, the assembly’s speaker said.Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont left th
  
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• DexEU’s Dim and Dimmer turn Brexit hearing into surreal art | John Crace

  27-10-2017 16:00
  Also this week, anger over tree-felling gets angrier and the hunt goes on for the perfect chocolate croissantIn recent weeks an ever-growing number of Conservative politicians – including the dependably dim Chris Grayling – have been talking up the benefits of a no-deal Brexit. Only this afternoon, during Theresa May’s statement to the Commons on her less-than-successful visit to the European council the previous week, John Redwood was tweeting: “Mrs Merkel, the commissio
  
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• Unpaid internships likened to modern slavery in Lords debate

  27-10-2017 15:55 via bbc.co.uk
  The Lords is told unpaid work experience has no place in the 21st Century as peers debate a ban.
  
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• Halima Aden Discusses The Difference Between Cultural Appropriation And Appreciation Of Modest Fashion

  27-10-2017 15:52
  Halima Aden believes her modelling agency “took a chance” when they hired her - not only as she on the short side for a model (5ft5 and a half), but also because she wears a hijab.Before she started modelling, Aden had never seen a woman with a hijab in a fashion  magazine.Yet that “chance” certainly paid off, as she has graced the cover of Allure magazine - the first hijab-wearing model to ever do so - and is the face of Nike sport.Aden
  
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• Simon Cowell Rushed To Hospital After Falling Down Stairs At London Home

  27-10-2017 15:50
  Simon Cowell is recovering in hospital after suffering a fall at his home.The ‘X Factor’ judge was rushed to A&E after falling down the stairs at his London mansion this morning, according to reports.The 58-year-old was reportedly stretchered out into a waiting ambulance in a neck brace following the accident at 8am on Friday (27 October) morning.It is believed he fainted and fell down the stairs after fetching a cup of hot milk .
  It is unclear if the music mogul will be well eno
  
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• Catalonia Parliament Votes To Declare Independence From Spain

  27-10-2017 15:37
  Catalan separatist legislators have passed a motion to establish a new republic independent of Spain, in a vote boycotted by opposition members.It follows the police violence in the autonomous region earlier this month as Madrid moved to prevent a referendum taking place.The independence motion was passed in the 135-strong assembly with 70 votes in favour, 10 against and 2 blank ballots, the assembly’s speaker said.Lawmakers from the Socialist Party, the People’s Party (PP) and Ciuda
  
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• We Can Celebrate 50 Years Of The Abortion Act But We Must Not Be Complacent

  27-10-2017 15:30
  Fifty years ago today, David Steel's 1967 Abortion Act made it possible to access safe and legal abortion in Britain, a right that today most of us take for granted. Sadly the same rights were not extended to Northern Ireland and to this day all but a tiny minority of Northern Irish women are ineligible for a legal abortion in their home country even in cases of rape, incest, or the diagnosis of a fatal foetal abnormality.In this way, Northern Ireland offers us a window to the past, as well as a
  
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• How will new Schengen rules affect British people?

  27-10-2017 15:30 via bbc.co.uk
  MEPs have voted for new entry and exit checks for people visiting the borderless Schengen passport area
  
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• Catalan Parliament Votes To Declare Independence From Spain, Madrid Imposes Direct Rule

  27-10-2017 15:29
  Catalonia’s parliament has passed a motion to establish a new republic independent of Spain, which responded by revoking the region’s powers.Hundreds of people reacted with jubilation outside the regional parliament in Barcelona on Friday but Spain moved quickly in its uncompromising respond to efforts to break away.Within a half an hour of the vote, Spain’s Senate met and voted to remove the region’s autonomy and subject it to direct rule from Madrid.The independenc
  
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• WhatsApp Finally Lets You Unsend Messages With New 'Delete For Everyone' Feature

  27-10-2017 15:28
  WhatsApp has finally rolled out the one feature we’ve all been waiting for: The ability to unsend messages.We’ve all been there, you quickly open WhatsApp, tap a quick reply and then suddenly you realise there’s a 50 tonne brick of lead in your stomach and it’s heading very quickly southwards. You’ve sent the message to the wrong person.Well those dark days are finally over, and the feature you can thank for that is called ‘Delete for Everyone’ and it&rs
  
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• Wetherspoons Caught Up In Social Media Hoax Over Poppy 'Ban'

  27-10-2017 15:21
  Wetherspoons has been forced to deny claims it banned its staff from wearing poppies after a social media hoax sparked a tide of anger from customers.The pub chain faced a barrage of criticism online after a parody Wetherspoons account tweeted that its employees would not be wearing Remembrance Day poppies this year due to the “ever expanding multiculturalism of our clientele”.Due to the ever expanding multiculturalism of our clientele and employees this year our staff will not be we
  
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• DJ Sara Cox: 'Why Eating Organic Makes Me Happier'

  27-10-2017 15:21
  We all know the health and environmental benefits for eating organic. Less pesticides, more ethical treatment of animals, plants and people alike.But DJ Sara Cox has taken the hype a step further, with her support of Organic UK's #FeedYourHappy campaign, as she feels that eating food that is grown the natural way will also make us happier.She gave us the low-down about why organic eating is a key way to feel good.***1. Supporting local farmers is important "I love buying British and knowing that
  
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• Maid Of Honour Upstages Newlyweds In Hilarious Wedding Photos

  27-10-2017 15:17
  Running around after the bride, even if they are your BFF, can be a dull way to spend a wedding.So one maid of honour decided to spice up her duties by turning a “veil toss” into a brilliant photobomb. When the photographer asked maid of honour Sharilyn Wester to throw the bride’s veil, the cheeky friend hammed up the melodrama - with hilarious results.Thankfully the bride, Rebecca Foster, was in on the joke from the start and knew Sharilyn was planning to make a
  
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• UK 'wants to leave Common Agricultural Policy in March 2019'

  27-10-2017 15:13 via bbc.co.uk
  A Scotland Office minister says that the UK wants to split subsidy payments from any transitional Brexit deal.
  
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• This British Woman Does A Scarily Good Trumpsformation For Halloween

  27-10-2017 15:01
  This is not Donald Trump, it’s Bianca Bonjour, a London based makeup artist and transformation master. Find out more about Bianca on her site and Instagram. 
  
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• National Fertility Awareness Week And PCOS: A Guide

  27-10-2017 15:01
  With NHS figures stating that the syndrome affects 3 - 5% of women in the UK, PCOS is one of the primary causes of female fertility issues, with symptoms that can significantly impact upon quality of life and self-confidence.Taking place between 30th October and 5th November, National Fertility Awareness Week 2017 aims to raise awareness of fertility issues such as PCOS, whilst also changing perceptions of the condition that affects so many women. The week raises funds to provide much-needed sup
  
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• 7 Ways That The Clocks Changing Actually Impacts Us

  27-10-2017 14:56
  For most people, the clocks changing in March and October every year cause little more than the inconvenience of having to change your watch. Or does it?Various have shown the 60-minute difference actually has a quantifiable impact, and has even lead to campaigns calling for it to be scrapped completely - in 2011, MP Rebecca Harris floated a bill calling for year-round daylight savings.See, we didn’t always have the daylight savings system in the UK - it was only introduced during the 
  
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• Travels To Bali - Part Two

  27-10-2017 14:51
  Bali, part two:Bali again! Well, the truth is - I can't get enough of the place. I'm literally dreaming of getting back there already. There's undoubtedly something magical about Bali that can't be compared to anywhere else on earth, but until you've been there, you can never quite feel that je ne sais quoi.In my last blog, you got to hear all about the hotels in Bali that Steph and I stayed in. But I need to get across a lot more about the island itself - and why it's so special to me. Despite
  
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• How The Label Of Bipolar Changed My Life

  27-10-2017 14:48
  10am on the 13th December 2012 was a life changing moment; I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My initial response was of anger; that it had taken until I was twenty seven to finally have a diagnosis. So many years of my life felt wasted, as I had dragged myself through horrific bouts of depression. I had self destructed countless times as my manic episodes caused my behaviour to spiral out of control. I was broke, in debt and unemployed. I wanted to scream and yell at all the doctors and the
  
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• An Idiot's Guide To NOT Sexually Harassing Women

  27-10-2017 14:42
  AFTER a shocking number of women shared their personal accounts of sexual abuse on social media under the #MeToo hashtag, there was (of course) some confusion among the usual idiots...There appears to be some concern as to the difference between flirting and sexual harassment.I would just like to clarify for the benefit of those idiots, that they are absolutely NOT the same. One is playful - the other is predatory. Put in simple terms - it is the difference between a cheeky wink and a dirty grea
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn And Sadiq Khan Awkwardly Listen To Barry From Orpington Read Out Mayor's Criticism Of Labour Leader

  27-10-2017 14:38
  Sadiq Khan was awkwardly confronted by a member of the public over his decision to oppose Jeremy Corbyn in the last Labour leadership contest - as Corbyn looked on.The London mayor and Labour leader took part in a good natured joint radio appearance on LBC on Friday afternoon.One caller, Barry from Orpington, read out Khan’s criticism of Corbyn last summer.Khan had written in The Guardian:“Jeremy has already proved that he is unable to organise an effective team, and has failed to wi
  
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• Why Do We Mistrust Black Cats And Trans Women So Much?

  27-10-2017 14:36
  Image Credit: Martin WilliamsEight months ago, my cat Star died unexpectedly.The unexpected grief I felt was devastating.His death came as everything else in my life began to come right. He had arrived 11 years earlier when it was all going wrong. A beautiful cat, he came to live with me and my daughter at really difficult time for us both.I was a single mum, she was a teen in turmoil.I'm Trans and my daughter lesbian. When Star arrived, I was facing discrimination at work and she at school.The
  
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