- 'Sharp drop' in degree courses
- Travellers 'hit by rip-off charges'
- Probe into sex-selection abortions
- UK urged to support tar sands ban
- GPs 'overpaid for ghost patients'
- Action urged on hip fracture costs
- Clegg reveals £1bn jobs fund boost
- RBS set to unveil £400m bonus pot
- 'MP' held after Commons disturbance
- Fast-track asylum delays criticised
- Korean firm wins MoD tankers deal
- Mother and daughter given Asbos
- 'Exceptionally' mild weather on way
- Teenager 'repeatedly raped by gang'
- Man quizzed over women's murders
- Cherie Blair makes phone hack claim
- Man accused of murdering vicar
- Peacocks saved, but 3,000 jobs go
- Sex attacker was under surveillance
- RBS set to unveil £400m bonus pot
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Our view
The offenders shielded by law
WHAT is the purpose of data-protection regulations? To protect people’s privacy, naturally, but in this aim, surely the key word is “protection”. And there was precious little of that on offer for Clare Wood when she was murdered by her former boyfriend after months of harassment and assaults. Yet, even though police had known of his record of violence, the law prevented them from telling her.
On the up
RELEGATION to the Second Division of the County Championship was an unexpected and unwanted detour on the long road back to recovery for Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
Closed doors
THE planned shake-up of the health service is an object lesson in how not to implement a major policy.
The spendthrift police force
IT may be that, in spending more than £23,000 of public money on trips abroad, the Chief Constable of Cleveland and his fellow officials were acting entirely within regulations.
Back to school
IT is difficult to say whether it will be head teachers or travel agents who will be more pleased by the report that the Government is to ban term-time school holidays.
Carnage in Syria
IT is easy to become disillusioned about the Arab Spring. With the military still in power in Egypt and Libya becoming embroiled in fighting between armed factions following the international intervention there, any hopes of a smooth transition to Arab democracy have long since faded.
Region’s stake in Scottish vote
DAVID Cameron portrayed himself as “a patriot for the whole United Kingdom” when he visited Scotland for talks on independence with Holyrood leader Alex Salmond.
Fees and fairness
THE complicated manoeuvring involved in coalition politics was exposed again yesterday over leaks Ministers are preparing to drop plans to impose penalties on students who pay off university loans early.
War sacrifice
THE recent deaths of the last combatants of the First World War mean that terrible conflict is no longer within living memory. The true scale of its horrors can of course only have been experienced by those who were there. Yet the lessons of what happened in the trenches as millions were slaughtered must never be forgotten by today’s or future generations.
Unemployment is defining test
THAT Lord Freud, the Welfare Reform Minister, described the latest rise in unemployment as a “sign of stability” – even after the jobless total reached a 16-year high – is a measure of the political and economic difficulties confronting the Government.
1 commentTourism travails
THE importance of tourism to this region is illustrated by continuing efforts to ensure Welcome to Yorkshire’s outstanding promotional work is not compromised by unfavourable spending decisions that disadvantage the White Rose county.
Last orders?
IT is increasingly likely that the Government’s alcohol strategy, including higher “minimum” prices for certain drinks, will be published alongside the Budget. There is no coincidence to this: the duty charged on beers, wines and spirts is a key Treasury revenue raiser.
The definition of ‘excellence’
IN launching a review of public sector bonuses, the Government intends to position itself on the side of taxpayers following the row over the £963,000 awarded to RBS chief executive Stephen Hester which he later turned down.
The gift of life
DONOR cards have always stirred strong emotions since their launch in 1994, with a record 18 million people now signed up to the transplant register.
On the front line
JOHN Prescott uses an extreme example, his intervention to prevent a whole London street being evacuated during security raids in 2006, to explain why elected police commissioners should have a say on day-to-day operations.
1 commentNew hacking risk identified
THE growing threat posed by computer hackers was vividly illustrated when a group named Anonymous released details of a telephone call between police leaders in Britain, and their FBI counterparts in America, which was discussing this very issue and the likelihood of future arrests.
Unsporting hand
IT is one of the most iconic images in sport; the embrace between Bobby Moore and Pelé after Brazil had shattered England’s World Cup hopes in 1970. The photo, both warriors shirtless, illustrates the epitome of sportsmanship.
Stop these shams
ONE question goes to the core of the UK Border Agency’s announcement that it collected nearly £7m of fines last year from businesses that employed illegal workers – an increase of £600,000 on the figure accrued in 2010.
Economy drive
THE motorist’s priorities, it seems, have changed. Whereas, three years ago, the common cry was one of anguish over the rising cost of motoring, it is the appalling state of Britain’s roads that tops the concerns in a new AA poll.
Another own goal
ONLY four months to go until the European Championships, two years of meticulous preparations are bearing fruit and another England manager is resigning, yet again for non-footballing reasons.
Speaking up for business
ONLY a few weeks ago, Ed Miliband was on the ropes, down and on the way out, with the only question being who would replace him as Labour leader. That he has managed since then to mount a small, but significant, recovery is largely down to two factors.
Is this the only game in town?
THERE are significant geographical and political differences between Yorkshire and Merseyside that explain the latter’s significant new financial powers to create jobs, improve education and kickstart regeneration schemes.
Down on the farm
THE future of farming was a precarious one a decade ago – the industry was still counting the cost of the foot-and-mouth crisis that ravaged British agriculture and imperilled the entire rural economy.
Guilty of naivety
STEPHEN Hester’s naivety was self-evident as the Royal Bank of Scotland boss spoke for the first time about forgoing his £963,000 bonus because of a political and public outcry.
Joined-up care: a prescription
ONE of the measures of a civilised society is how well it looks after its most vulnerable members, a phrase that has particular resonance with the care of the elderly.
On the power play
FOR too long, energy companies have held the upper hand with pricing policies that lack transparency – and unfathomable bills, where credits can appear to be debits and vice versa, that appear designed to confuse and to stymy competition, the principle that was at the core of the energy industry’s privatisation.
Left to chance
IT does not matter whether the Parliamentary debate revolves around the future of Halifax or Barnsley, as was the case yesterday, but one of the fundamental issues is the same: is this Government doing enough to help school-leavers?
Phantom plan for free school?
THERE is just one problem with the flagship free school proposed for Rotherham, and which Education Secretary Michael Gove described as “outstanding” when he was confronted in the House of Commons by the plan’s critics.
Benefits balance
THE Government, it appears, cannot win on welfare reform. Having shown the robustness that has been lacking from previous administrations whose inaction led to the cost of benefits spiralling out of control, Ministers are being accused of fuelling abuse towards disabled people with their rhetoric and zealousness.
Rural redress
IT has become customary for leading politicians to hold forums with voters since Tony Blair began these electoral roadshows in the 1990s, and which David Cameron has since replicated. They provide a welcome opportunity for leaders to meet ordinary voters – and there have been occasions when the politician concerned has been caught off-guard by the unforeseen question.
Taming the Wild West
ONE of the most important roles of the internet is as a bastion of free speech which can defy government censorship. In the same way, Britain’s liberal immigration policy has meant that, for a century or more, this nation has provided a refuge for political firebrands whose views are unwelcome in their own countries.
Rural retreat
IN lauding the beauty of the Oxfordshire countryside, David Cameron famously declared that he “would no more put that at risk than I would put at risk my own family”.
Turbine trouble
IT IS grimly appropriate that the Conservative MPs’ rebellion over onshore wind power, which has landed, in the form of a letter, on the desk of new Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey, has coincided with the onset of Britain’s big freeze.
Still out of credit
BARELY a day goes by without a renewed attack on the rewards paid to Britain’s top bankers. But, while most concur that these packages are grotesque, it is time to look at the real problem; the failure of the banks to drive Britain’s economic recovery.
Priced off the road
HAVING been told the cost of insuring her modest Vectra was increasing from a mere £700 to £100,000 a year, Wakefield motorist Sian Jones can consider herself fortunate that she does not drive a more high-powered vehicle. Even though Vauxhall Insurance said it was the most competitive quote before later blaming a “one-off system error”, the cost of the insurance would have outstripped the car’s actual value many times over.
1 commentA rubbish way to rule Britain
NEW governments attempt to make their mark by announcing a series of policies that play to the public mood, some of which struggle to pass closer inspection. But the sheer number of coalition initiatives failing this test is alarming.
Another threat to Green Belt
THE Leeds City Council housing strategy makes the authority’s priorities clear in no uncertain terms – 70,000 new homes needed by 2028 with the least impact on the Green Belt.
Cold comfort
IT is cold comfort – literally – but at least the big freeze now gripping Yorkshire is unlikely to be as prolonged as last year, or accompanied by large quantities of snow that made conditions so treacherous.
Immigration move
FOR far too long, the immigration debate has been dragged into war of words between far right groups on one side and hysterical campaigners on the other, frequently leaving the general public caught in the confused middle.
Gestures will not create jobs
THE decision to strip disgraced banker Fred Goodwin of his knighthood has been welcomed by the country’s political leaders – but this dramatic gesture, on its own, will not transform the economy.
The Apprentices
AHEAD of National Apprenticeship Week which begins on Monday, it is encouraging that The Co-Operative Group is to recruit 800 new apprentices this year, twice as many as in 2011. It may only be a tiny fraction of the number of new jobs that are required to offset record levels of youth unemployment, but it is testament to the Co-op movement’s roots in social responsibility.
Care champion
IT is a growing nightmare for families across the region – how to ensure signified and affordable care for loved ones as their lives draw to a close and when the onset of dementia, or other conditions, means they are even more dependent on others.
Councils versus the Minister
IT is certainly tempting for the Government to insist that council tax bills are frozen for a second successive year – the Conservative’s pre-election commitment only covers this financial year – so Ministers can acknowledge the financial difficulties being suffered by families.
Hockney heritage
IT is not unusual for detritus to help an artist win the prestigious Turner Prize – a wonky bin was the absurd centrepiece of Martin Boyce’s winning entry last year.
Making the grade
MICHAEL Gove’s desire to raise academic standards is laudable, so much so that he is the first Education Secretary for two decades who is willing to see the GCSE pass-rate fall on his watch if his reforms bring about lasting rigour.
Banking on a greener future
EVEN though bankers remain persona non grata, despite RBS chief executive Stephen Hester waiving a share bonus worth almost £1m, there is one initiative that would make a lasting difference to the Yorkshire economy – and that is the creation of the world’s first Green Investment Bank in the region.
Flood funds farce
IT is nearly five years since great parts of Yorkshire were washed away by floods that prompted Gordon Brown and David Cameron to visit this region, make similar undertakings on flood prevention funding and promise affordable insurance to affected properties.
Degree of concern
THE fact that applications to Sheffield Hallam University have fallen by 18 per cent will not be lost on its local MP Nick Clegg following his party’s volte face on student tuition fees.
Bonus betrayal
IT had become inevitable that Stephen Hester, the chief executive of the taxpayer-funded Royal Bank of Scotland and who was educated at Easingwold School, North Yorkshire, would have to waive a share bonus worth £963,000.
1 commentNew questions on mayor move
PETER Box’s willingness to become Wakefield’s first directly elected mayor, should voters back the concept, means there will at least be one name on the ballot paper in the West Yorkshire city. That is a plus, given an abject lack of interest thus far.
1 comment- Exclusive: Grayson takes lower deal from Leeds to make quick return with Huddersfield - Have your say
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Weather for Yorkshire
Thursday 23 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: West
