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The richest 10% of the British population are more than 100 times as wealthy as the poorest 10% of society. Whichever way you look at it, the National Equality Panel report makes shocking reading. But some will try to spot a crumb of comfort in the relative narrowing of the gender income gap.
To read the rest of Lesley's 'Comment is free' article - click here.
Roseanna and the Queen. There’s a strange connection between these two slightly lofty, distant, elegant women, gleefully set at loggerheads last week by a leaked Home Office email and a panting male press core. Although the Environment Minister is young enough to be her daughter, Australian enough (by upbringing) to have the manners of Phil the Greek, and “common” enough to have worked as a lawyer all her non-parliamentary life, Roseanna Cunningham, like the Queen, is a powerful female presence. Neither woman is exactly clubbable, but both command attention.
The prospect of one attempting to sabotage the safety of the other appears to have titillated the excitable gentlemen of the Scottish press in the manner of an upmarket mud-wrestling competition. Or perhaps, subliminally, as a rerun of the last cross-border battle when an independent-minded Scotswoman was vanquished by a vigorous English Elizabeth. Add to this heady mix, Ms Cunningham’s well known opposition to monarchy and a feminist republican plot of Fawkesian dimensions appears to be unfolding.
Until you read the details.
Continue reading "Balmoralgate is just a wee squall in a southern teacup" »
If anyone believes the sex war is over, look at the weekend’s headlines – for once double standards are not the sole preserve of men.
Iris Robinson is not a sinner according to a Times columnist, who argues any middle-aged woman who can shock the grim grey-suited orthodoxy of Northern Ireland by seeking sexual satisfaction deserves canonisation.
On the other hand, here in golf-crazy Sweden, Tiger Woods proposed £1.8million donation to the Haiti relief appeal hasn’t dented fury over his serial infidelity to Swedish wife Elin, with the normally pacifist Aftonbladet commending her vengeful golf strokes. “While Hillary and Posh Spice chose to keep silent, diet and become feminist doormats, Elin stood with both feet firmly planted on the ground and realized the shame was Tiger’s, not hers. Thank God for girls like Elin. Next time, I hope she uses a bigger club.”
Continue reading "Home Swede home? It's not an ideal family scene, Mr Cameron" »
The Glow network, a government-backed intranet to supply digital content to schools – doesn't really work. I can already hear the chorus – so what? I could say it's a waste of £37.5 million. I could say it makes Scotland look stupid on the international stage, because Glow has been hailed by educational technologist and Star Wars director George Lucas as a world pioneer.
But the failure of Glow to deliver cracking, colourful, imaginative teaching material and a common e-platform for student, teacher and parent exchange, is more serious than that.
Well at least Scotland has already had one resounding success in 2010. Hogmanay celebrations, which nowadays means sales to the ticketed spectacular in Edinburgh, went well, which means a lot of tourists paid and only four unruly locals were arrested. There was a stunning fireworks display – which punctuated the all-important moment with a visual cue allowing every Edinburgher to feel included.
Fireworks, however, happen during the festival every night and a quick stay in any northern European city – even penniless Reyjavik – reveals most do fireworks bigger, better and more spontaneously than we do.
