vivweb01

  Once again, Rachel Reeves has a thorny problem on her hands…and it's a significant one, and not one she can ignore.... We’re all starting to feel the pinch as a result of the latest economic shock – Trump’s ill-advised Iran War.  We all knew the economic pain it would cause; even before it started, a large slice of our population, on low wages but not entitled to benefits were really not able to make ends meet without taking out additional high-interest loans or cutting their outgoings to the bone. For some of them, yet another economic shock will bring them to the brink of bankruptcy. The excessive electricity and gas price rises imposed by the supplier ‘cartel’ to maintain their profit margins, and sanctioned by a compliant OFGEM, have been particularly injurious. This trend was apparent well before the start of the Iran war, so cannot be blamed on higher world prices as the suppliers claim. Many consumers have been left with large personal debts in the form of u...

  There is no doubt that exposure of young children to online porn and other such 'adult' material can be harmful, whether it occurs by their own choice or by accident. The advent of the ‘always on’ internet, along with ready access to personal smartphones for some kids as young as 4 years old, and in some cases lack of parental oversight, has created a ‘perfect storm’. A number of cases in the media where problems have been highlighted has brought matters to a head recently. Older pre-teens and teenagers are also at risk of harm, but for different reasons, and access amongst these older groups is rarely accidental. The key question is – how do we manage the problem as a responsible and caring society ? It's obvious from reactions by governments around the world to the problem that none of them really have a clue how best to solve it. The Australians have (rather bravely and possibly foolhardily) pioneered a complete ban for the under 16s. Our UK government has seen...