James Wright

6 days ago | thecanary.co | James Wright

Nigel Farage’s party is on the rise. In the local elections, Reform took 31% of contested seats to Labour’s 14%. In fact, Keir Starmer managed to lose 65% of the up for grabs seats that Labour held, the most of any new prime minister. Of course, this would be a resigning matter if Jeremy Corbyn were still leader of Labour, but we hear barely a peep over Starmer’s historic losses.

1 week ago | thecanary.co | James Wright

At Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday 7 May, Lib Dem MP Roz Savage challenged Labour Party PM Keir Starmer on inequality:Under the Conservatives, inequality has surged with now over 14 million people… living in poverty while the richest 1% see their incomes soar. Of the developed countries we are now the ninth most unequal.

1 week ago | thecanary.co | James Wright

Managing director of Southern Water Tim Mcmahon has told the public to ration water in spring time hot weather. But water companies sold off 35 reservoirs in just five years, making £26 million from flogging what were public assets. That’s before Margaret Thatcher privatised them in 1989. Southern Water: asset strippingReservoirs that once provided water for dry weather have now been converted to for-profit housing, as well as fishing locations.

1 week ago | thecanary.co | James Wright

I’m a lifelong Harry Potter fan. As a teenager, I even queued up outside WH Smiths at midnight to secure a copy of The Deathly Hallows, which I then read in one sitting. There wasn’t much of a queue and I was out late anyway, but it’s a cherished series for millions of us. Nonetheless, do I believe JK Rowling deserves to hold a ‘cool’ £820 million that increases by tens of millions every year through her stakes in Potter assets? No, I do not.

1 week ago | thecanary.co | James Wright

The fact that people are facing hunger and hardship cost the UK economy, public finances and public services at least £75.6 billion in 2022/23, according to a new report from the Trussell Trust. Hunger: uncivil and economically backwardsThe charity broke down the figure. £38.2 billion is from the loss of productivity and employment, most prominently because people undergoing hunger and hardship are ‘scarred’ by the experience, whereby it’s more difficult to sustain a job.