Chris Sterry My Views

I am married and live with my wife and our adult daughter, who has multiple physical disabilities and severe learning difficulties. I comment on issues on which I have an interest, which is mainly on disability issues, but many other varied issues may be included.

[chrissterry]

Elderly couple who escaped from care home 'they hate' still on run one week later | Mirror

Colin Geraghty, 89, had told his family he is confident he would be able to look after his wife Claudette, 83, and the couple made a daring escape from their care home in Melbourne, Australia ============================================================================================= So Colin and Claudette Gerahty left a care home to state they escaped would assume that the care home was a…

[chrissterry]

Ukraine decimates Putin's shadow-fleet: Sea of Azov becomes Russian shipping graveyard as Kyiv hits 116 vessels in week-long drone onslaught | Daily Mail

Ukrainian drones continue to decimate the Russian Shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov with ‘Ukrainian forces hit 116 shadow-fleet vessels in a week-long drone onslaught in the latest humiliation for Vladimir Putin and his army.’ These aren’t Russian Navy vessals, but Russian shipping transporting grain and petroleum from the Russian occupied Ukrainian terroritory in Eastern Ukraine. Every vessel…

[chrissterry]

'Hundreds' of Ukrainian POWs executed by Russia | Daily Mail

Putin and Putin’s Russian forces illegal acts have no bounds for not only is the whole war illegal as Putin called it not a war, but a Special military operation, an operation which Putin expected to last just 3 days to a week but is currently lasting more than 4 and a half years. Since the war started in February 2022 there have been many acts of criminality caused by the Putin Russian forces…

[chrissterry]

UK government drops plan to stop paying coastguard volunteers | The Guardian

Move raises questions over position of the head of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency ========================================================================================= This is one government u-turn that I do agree with and Yes, this should raise questions over the position of Virginia McVea, the head of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). She was looking to save costs, ‘Rather…

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Israel-critical capitals force von der Leyen showdown over illegal settlements | Politico

A push for tougher limits on trade with West Bank settlements is set to dominate a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. ============================================================================================= ‘A group of EU countries wants to force the European Commission to crack down on trade with illegal Israeli settlements, ramping up a standoff with Brussels over its Middle…

[chrissterry]

BBC faces ‘real jeopardy’ as licence fee payments fall faster than expected | The Guardian

Director general Matt Brittin says funding model ties corporation to the past as number of licences falls by 539,000 ============================================================================================= So the numbers of people now paying for a BBC TV licence is now failing faster than ever before, so the BBC is realising it needs to cut it expenditure to more fit its income. ‘The…

[chrissterry]

Ann Widdecombe death: counter-terrorism police take over investigation | The Guardian

Shock development based on ‘new information and evidence’ renews debate over security of politicians ============================================================================================= After Devon and Cornwall Police had stated that Ann Widdecombe’s death wasn’t political or from terrorism, new evidence which is still to be disclosed, came to light the investigation was transferred to…

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Tuesday briefing: The law that Hillsborough built – and the bitter final battle to get it through | The Guardian

In today’s newsletter: A new law criminalising public bodies and officials that lie to the British public is expected to complete it final stages in the Commons. Why did it take so long? ============================================================================================ A Bill originally introduced by Andy Burnham in 2017 when he was previously an MP appears to be finally coming into…

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Citing apparent war crimes, likely next UK PM urges ‘more pressure’ on the Israeli government | The Times of Israel

Andy Burnham, who remains unchallenged as incoming Labour leader, says outgoing PM Keir Starmer ‘didn’t get it right,’ and he would weigh ‘further sanctions’ on Israel =========================================== Andy Burnham will be the next Prime Minister of the UK unless something unforeseen now occurs which may not be good news in some respects for Israel. Where while Starmer was party luke…

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Wednesday briefing: How Farage’s byelection gambit may already have backfired | The Guardian

In today’s newsletter: Reform UK’s leader has quit as Clacton MP to set up a ‘people v the establishment’ vote over his financial record. Here’s what happens now ========================================= Farage is fighting for his political life but it may be too late, for perhaps he has gone a step too far. He’s annoyed that some monetary gifts he accepted before he became an MP are now being…

[chrissterry]

Should we make voting compulsory? – Electoral Reform Society – ERS

Voting in elections is important for its the way people can officially make their views count to some degree. By voting you are actively engaging within the system, but the system doesn’t make you feel you are engaging. Make the system better, so changes are required, but governments aren’t making voting more interesting but are making it harder to vote by introducing a Voter ID system. By this…

[chrissterry]

Britain’s apology for the scandal of forced adoption can never heal the pain for people like me

An estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976. I was one of them ======================================== Forced adoption should have been illegal but it wasn’t. This is what happens when some aspects of religion are misunderstood either accidentally or even worse, on purpose. Only those who took these adoption decisions on England and…

[chrissterry]

Nepal’s highest court orders government to guarantee same-sex marriage rights | The Optimist Daily

Nepal with this Supreme Court ruling is becoming more into the 21st century and now needs to do everything it needs to do to enshrine this ruling so ‘The directive requires updating the civil code to strip discriminatory language and giving same-sex couples equal access to marriage registration.’ It’s taken nearly 20 years, but now its been done. What Nepal also needs to do is ensure that this…

[chrissterry]

Shamed Andrew's 'jaw-dropping tirade to staff about royal blood' - with 'furious demand' | Mirror

It’s been seven months since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles by his brother, King Charles. But he is still trying to retain the trappings of royal life, according to royal sources ============================================================================================ The arrogance of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor knows no bounds and he will never learn any lessons for in…

[chrissterry]

Resident doctors in England accept pay offer and end strikes - 'Very good news for NHS' | Mirror

Resident doctors in England have accepted an offer from the Government which includes an average 6.6% pay uplift to be fully implemented by April 2027 ============================================================================================= At last sense prevails and this Resident Doctors strike is over, for the time being. While the resident doctors do a great jobs they are well paid for…

[chrissterry]

Mahmood outlines safe immigration routes plan to win over Labour left | The Guardian

Home secretary speeds up major part of bill governing asylum and refugees as new prime minister set to take over ============================================================================================= At long last a Home Secretary who is seeing the light on immigration and asylum as Shabana Mahmood MP appears to be including at least two new safe routes i8nto the new immigration bill. By…

[chrissterry]

Period tax scrapped in Pakistan: what the ruling means for women | The Optimist Daily

Women in Pakistan will eventually be greatful to the two lawyers Mahnoor Omer, 25, and Ahsan Jehangir Khan, who filed a court case last year, while ‘Thousands signed a petition. Pakistan just agreed to scrap its sales tax on period products.’ However scrapping the sales tax is just the start for other taxes still prevail, ‘including customs duties on imported products. The sales tax is one…