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Digital ID Cards – Will They Really Help Control Illegal Immigration ?

There has been much talk in the press and online recently about the Government’s intention to roll out digital ID in the UK. As yet, the fine detail of the cards themselves, and the process of implementation,   hasn’t been presented. Here are some thoughts regarding the practicability and implications of such a scheme, assuming the end result is some sort of smartphone-based personal ID system. First, let’s consider desirability. We are told that a personal ID card will benefit us in allowing quicker access to all manner of benefits and other state provisions, as well as removing the cumbersome requirements for paper documents needed to prove ID and address at present. That may indeed be the case, but we seem to have managed with the old paper system for many years, and most people do have access to either a passport or a driving licence, and can provide some form of address confirmation unless they are actually homeless. Indeed the application for one of the new digital ID...
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A Plea to all UK Dog Owners

  We in the UK are undoubtedly a nation of dog lovers..... While I’m all in favour of the benefits of owning one of ‘man’s best friends’, and there are undoubtedly many, keeping a dog is no mean task, and really must be taken on responsibly….. When you aspire to dog ownership and actually take the plunge, you are effectively becoming that animal’s sole guardian, and are then legally responsible for its actions during its whole lifetime.  In one sense, this a more onerous responsibility even than adopting a young child, since in that case you would only be responsible for his or her well-being and actions until they are 18; and as individuals, they will become legally responsible for their own actions at age 16 under current UK law. A dog will never be legally responsible for anything it does…you are - until it dies, or you transfer its ownership to someone else. It has to be said that most dog owners are responsible people and ensure that their dogs are kept firmly on...
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Remember Covid ? It’s Back Again, and in New Colours

  Two new Covid sub-variants have recently been identified as responsible for a surge of new Covid infections round the world. These are giving rise to some concerns in UK, in that a comparable surge here could also lead to a significant rise in hospitalisations this autumn and winter. According to WHO data , Europe seems to be ‘leading the pack’ on rises in case numbers . We might reasonably expect this, now that we’re well into the N. Hemisphere Autumn quarter ,   when seasonal respiratory infections traditionally tend to start increasing again after the summer hiatus, and we're also one of the most population-dense continents on the planet. The good news is that the new variants, named Nimbus and Stratus , don’t appear to be significantly more lethal than previous variants. They do, however, seem to be even more efficient at infecting us than their predecessors. Stratus, also known as Omicron sub-variant XFG , and Nimbus ( Omicron NB.1.8.1 ) now have the stat...
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Winter Fuel – They Thought it was All Over - It isn’t

  This summer, Labour back-benchers finally managed to force Starmer to backtrack on the draconian restrictions to Winter Fuel Payments (WFP) first announced by Reeves shortly after the election i n July 2024. For that we should certainly be grateful to them. They weren’t, however, able to reverse the damage caused by this ill-considered measure completely. Instead of agreeing to re-instate the benefit for everyone and acknowledge it was all a terrible mistake, Starmer and Reeves insisted on attempting to 'save face' by applying a means test based on an income threshold of £35k p.a. This didn't cut much ice with the electorate if the polls are anything to go by, but has set the scene for yet more pain for both the leadership and the Party…. Let’s take look at the practical implications of this move to find out why.... As we understand it, the plan now is for DWP to reinstate the £200 (£300 for over 80s) payment for all pensioners who were claiming their entitlement...
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