'Why won't Keir Starmer stand up to Israel?'
Every week the New Statesman podcast team answer listener questions.
In this episode, editor-in-chief Tom McTague joins Anoosh Chakelian and Rachel Cunliffe to discuss how long the UK government will continue to support Israel after actions in Gaza and Iran; why council tax reform is being 'ignored'; and whether there could be a true 'red Tory' faction in the Conservative party.
Listen to the full episode above.
To submit your questions, head to newstatemsan.com/youaskus
[See also: Britain is dangerously exposed to the whims of despots]
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Glasgow Times
3 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Mobile phone use in East Renfrewshire schools could be restricted
Parents, carers and staff have raised concerns about the use of smartphones in schools, which can 'facilitate bullying', councillors have said. There are plans to hand out questionnaires from August, which will help to refresh guidance on how phones can be used while at school. Cllr Katie Pragnell, Labour, said she has been 'contacted by a number of parents, carers and staff who work within East Renfrewshire schools' and there are 'some concerns about the use of mobile phones in our schools'. She added: 'I think it's really important that we consider this issue fully as there is evidence emerging, particularly on the impact mobile phones have on young people's mental health, especially as they are going through a quite vulnerable stage of puberty and adolescence.' Cllr Kate Campbell, Conservative, added: 'I am very aware from what I've heard from parents and pupils, it's not just receiving and sending texts, smartphones facilitate bullying. READ MORE: 'Very sad': School announces death of 'loved & respected' teacher 'They are being used for bullying, so we must really look into how they are used.' At an education committee meeting earlier this month, councillors were updated on work around the use of mobile phones in schools. Consultation has already been carried out through pupil council and head pupil meetings, parent council chair meetings and staff forums. Education officials have also audited current practice in secondary schools. They reported: 'Our next step will be to design and implement a fuller consultation, which will involve designing a questionnaire which will be issued to parents/carers, pupils and staff in schools. 'The results of this consultation will inform how we update guidance for schools in East Renfrewshire.' READ MORE: Glasgow restaurant visited by Celtic & Rangers star to temporarily close An official told councillors that they would engage with stakeholders on the content of the questionnaires and aim to 'have it ready for launching early August when schools come back'. Cllr Gordon Wallace, Conservative, said one of four rules on smartphones suggested in the book 'The Anxious Generation' by Jonathan Haidt is phone-free schools. It proposes storing phones, smart-watches and other personal devices that can send or receive texts in phone-lock pouches during the school day, he said. Cllr Wallace added: 'I appreciate to suddenly fire that out to our youngsters who really spend an awful lot of their time on smartphones, that would be a big ask. 'I do appreciate the value of going out to consultation on this, but I don't think there's any question in anybody's mind, the impact that smartphones are having on our youngsters. 'That's not to say that we must do without them but we need to find a way through this for the benefit of our young people.'
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Maybe we can start talking about the issue we've been ignoring
A commentary on the new survey written by Sir John Curtice (love him, who doesn't) delves into some of the stuff that might be going on with the figures. The public are well aware of Britain's problems, he says; indeed, lots of them are feeling it directly. But Sir John also says that rather than turning their backs on the state, for the most part the public are still inclined to look to government to provide solutions. They also feel that most people on low and middle incomes are paying enough tax already but suspect some of the better-off could pay more. If the people who run the survey had asked me for my opinion, I would have said pretty much the same thing. However, it's the consequences of all this for the political parties that really interests me because the public's view of how it's working now is remarkable. For example, just 19% think the current system of governing Britain needs little or no improvement. As for trust in government, only 12% trust it to put the country's interests before party interests 'just about always' or 'most of the time'. This is even lower than the previous record low of 14% in 2023. It's bad. The specifics of the findings are particularly troubling for Labour. The report says only 30% of people in what sociologists call semi-routine and routine occupations voted Labour, compared with 42% in professional and managerial jobs. To put it another way, Labour won the election but failed to reconnect with its traditional base of working-class voters, which is a big change. The working-class Tory and the posho socialist have always been a thing, but broadly speaking, support for political parties in this country has always been pretty much in line with social class. Now the traditional class-based support for parties is breaking down. Read more Tunnock's is being blamed for society's problems. Step away from the teacakes Are you 'upset'? The dangers of flags in Scottish schools These are the latest plans at the Glasgow School of Art. Really? The Social Attitudes Survey suggests that one of the new alternative influences on voting could be age: only 6% of 18 to 24-year-olds voted Tory compared to 36% of those aged 65 and over. But the age factor isn't new really: young people have always been drawn more to the left before tending to become conservative as they grow older. Again, there have always been exceptions – the teenage Tory like William Hague in the 70s or the ageing socialist with a mortgage and an ISA – but on the whole, oldies are less likely to be lefties. Education as a factor is also hard to pin down. The Attitudes Survey says just 5% of graduates voted for Reform compared with 25% of those with less than an A level or equivalent, but this isn't a completely different issue from class if we consider how levels of education are broadly linked to background. And we know Reform is polling better than Labour among working-class voters. A recent YouGov poll found that among the social and economic groups C2DE – I hate all this pseudo-scientific terminology but it's hard to avoid – Reform has around 30% support compared to 20% for Labour. In other words, it's class that's the factor here. Even the Attitudes Survey's results on the culture war and 'equalities' issues follows the same sort of pattern. The survey says people with liberal attitudes on culture war and equalities issues mostly voted Labour (53%), Lib Dem (17%) or Green (14%) while those with more conservative views were more likely to support the Tories (32%) or Reform (28%). You could take issue with the terms liberal and conservative here, but the survey's conclusion is that the way people vote reflects their views on culture war issues – trans, gender, race, DEI, all that – just as much as where they stand in the traditional debate between left and right. Nigel Farage of Reform (Image: Ben Birchall) But again, it's all about class. Is it any surprise that identity politics focused on gender and race has failed to catch on in working class communities when they're the ones dealing with the effects of economic inequality based on class? Thanks to multiple reports from the Social Mobility Commission, and the fact that we can see it for ourselves every day, we know that although only 7% of the population is privately educated, they're dominant in politics, business and the media. And yet when it comes to diversity quotas or lessons on DEI, social class doesn't get a mention. There are at least some people talking about it though. The Education Select Committee did a good report on the subject in 2021 in which they said ideas such as 'white privilege' were the opposite to what disadvantaged white children experience and were alienating to working class communities. They hear all the talk about their privilege and they don't hear much talk about how disadvantage affects their lives and, as we can see in the Attitudes Survey, it's started to have an effect on how they vote. Bottom line: class. Where we need to go from here would seem obvious then. As the survey points out, trust in government and party politics is low. The connection between Labour and its traditional working-class base has also been severed and it won't be restored while politicians and commentators, with that Nelsonian blindness, are talking about other things instead. Reform are scooping up votes because they're benefitting from voters who feel ignored. So stop ignoring them. Start talking seriously about economic inequality. Start suggesting solutions (it might be taxing the better-off more, who knows). But above all, start talking about what's really going on here: class, class, class.
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Torness has to close: but we'd welcome a new reactor'
Currently, about 550 full-time EDF employees are based at the nuclear power station, with a further 180 full-time contract partners. That makes the power station among the largest employers in the south-east of Scotland. However, the station will stop generating power in less than five years' time. Already, EDF has confirmed that various career opportunities will be available for those employed at the power station, located off the A1. Councillor Norman Hampshire, leader of East Lothian Council (Image: Contributed) Councillor Norman Hampshire (Labour) has represented the area for more than 30 years and was part of the construction team at the power station when he was first elected in 1988. The East Lothian Council leader said: 'Torness is close to my heart. 'I have two sons-in-law who work in the station and it is really their job; if Torness was not there, they would likely have to travel away from here. 'Both are engineers and I had a grandson who was there as well. 'He is an electrical engineer as well and he has taken a year out and is away living in Australia, but his job is there for him when he comes back. 'The family connection is really strong and Torness is of huge, huge importance to the Dunbar economy but also the East Lothian economy as a whole with people working there.' He described it as 'a huge blow' if the county were to lose the power station and pointed to the increasing demand for electricity across the country. Mr Hampshire said that this would only continue and said nuclear power was able to provide electricity '24 hours a day, seven days a week'. He called for a greater examination of a new nuclear facility, such as a modular reactor, being created on the site. He said: 'We have made that quite clear to EDF when we have been speaking to them. 'We would support a new conventional nuclear power station. 'Rolls Royce have now been appointed by Government to deliver modular reactors in the UK. 'They have got a test site somewhere south of the Border and we would support a modular reactor to be delivered at Torness. 'If it were possible to get a new conventional station, we would support that, but we need the Scottish Government to change its current stance against any new nuclear. 'We have got a real issue that in the future we are going to have a lot of renewable energy but, when we have no wind, then the country will be struggling to keep the lights on, unless we can import power from south of the Border, and that is not the way we should be looking to develop our energy system.' Councillor Donna Collins (Image: Contributed) Councillor Donna Collins (Conservative) lives on the opposite side of the A1 from the power station and described its impact on employment in the area as 'massive'. She said: 'You see a line of cars coming out of Dunbar in the morning. 'It is a massive employer. 'I think they really need to look at how they can retain as many people as possible for decommissioning.' Nuclear power stations at Hunterston B and at Sellafield in Cumbria are among the stations to have stopped generating power in recent years. Mrs Collins said: 'It is learning lessons from those decommissioning projects and making sure mistakes are not made here and it is as smooth as possible, any way they can move people to other jobs and they can minimise redundancies.' Finally, Councillor Lyn Jardine (SNP), who also represents the Dunbar and East Linton ward, described Torness as 'a fairly significant employer'. Councillor Lyn Jardine (Image: Contributed) The leader of the opposition on East Lothian Council said: 'Having been there a couple of times and being something of an engineering geek myself, I am aware that the vast majority of jobs are general engineering jobs rather than specific to the nuclear industry. 'I would hope there would be significant opportunities for the workforce to retrain or direct their skillset – and they have a huge skillset – especially if you look at the extent we have got renewable energy coming into the area as well, I would hope there is a bit of a crossover. 'Torness has to decommission, which will happen over a period of several years.' Douglas Alexander (Labour), Lothian East MP, echoed Mr Hampshire's calls for further consideration to be given for new nuclear facilities in Scotland. Douglas Alexander, Lothian East MP (Image: UK Parliament) He said: 'Clearly, Torness has been a significant local employer, providing many hundreds of skilled jobs and apprenticeships for people in Dunbar and the wider area since 1988. 'It also supports further jobs and the local economy through its supply chain and use of contract workers. 'As it approaches the end of its lifetime, many staff at Torness will be involved in the process of defuelling and decommissioning the plant, which will take several years. 'EDF has experience of this at other sites, including Hunterston B, and I'm sure it will be working with trade unions and other partners to support staff through the various phases of its closure in the coming years. 'However, I also hope to see a change in the Scottish Government's current block on new nuclear projects in Scotland to allow for the possibility of the Torness site having a longer-term future in providing skilled jobs and generating clean, consistent nuclear power.' Paul McLennan, East Lothian MSP, is looking for a focus on the renewables sector (Image: Jane Barlow/PA Wire) However, Paul McLennan (SNP), East Lothian's MSP, stressed that the Scottish Government would focus on renewable energy, rather than nuclear power. He said: 'The SNP think the investment is much better placed in areas of renewable energy, which is cheaper to produce and is also cheaper for consumers. 'I am aware of figures around 450-500 staff being employed at Torness, in addition to contractors. 'In 2021, when I was elected, I set up the East Lothian Energy Forum meeting with renewable energy providers and local companies looking to benefit from the growth of renewables, such as Sunamp and HadFab in East Lothian amongst others who have seen an increase in their employment. 'I meet with Torness station manager Paul Forrest on a regular basis as we move towards 2030. 'Paul managed the process of closing Hunterston, which was managed very well. 'We discuss the role of EDF, enterprise agencies and Scottish Government in that process. 'Torness are also part of the East Lothian Energy Forum. 'EDF also has a renewables division, where with them, EDF and others, we are looking at the opportunities for hydrogen in East Lothian.' A spokesperson for EDF pointed to what happened at Hunterston B in Ayrshire as it approached the end of its life. They said: 'During defueling at Hunterston B, people were trained to take on project management roles, which the station needs more of now. 'People have also been supported to gain additional qualifications in HGV driving or electrical skills which are needed on site during defueling but can also be used to build a career outside of the nuclear industry. 'Now Hunterston B is getting ready to transfer to Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), there are further opportunities for retraining to take on jobs the station will need during decommissioning like health physicists and waste technicians. 'We expect to see the same kinds of opportunities at Torness when it reaches this stage.'
