We are facing a mental health crisis and low-pay workers are being hit hardest
The Canary UK

We are facing a mental health crisis and low-pay workers are being hit hardest

Coronavirus (Covid-19) has hit the mental health of the poorest workers the hardest, a study has found. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, found that lower-paid workers have borne the brunt of job and income losses during the pandemic. This has led to a larger impact on their mental health. Of people experiencing economic consequences of coronavirus, lower-paid workers were twice as likely to report depression and health anxiety. Doctor Dirk Witteveen, co-author of the study, said: The economic burden of the COVID-19 lockdown disproportionately fell on the shoulders of workers in lower prestige-ranked jobs – those with lower-pay and lower-skill. They were confronted…

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19 October 2020
Labour NEC election: Grassroots Voice team ‘fighting for the future we need’
The Canary UK

Labour NEC election: Grassroots Voice team ‘fighting for the future we need’

On Monday 19 October, Labour party members can begin voting for the candidates they want to see on the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). The NEC is the Labour Party’s governing body, making key decisions, such as who can run as a parliamentary candidate, as well as having a key role in deciding on the party’s manifesto. Those who are standing are competing for nine seats. “Britain needs socialist policies more than ever” Six left-wing candidates standing for election have formed a slate called Grassroots Voice. This team of candidates said: “who gets to sit on [the NEC] and what their political beliefs and motivations are is extremely…

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19 October 2020
Socialists claim major victory in Bolivia, one year after US-backed coup
The Canary UK

Socialists claim major victory in Bolivia, one year after US-backed coup

Evo Morales’ party has claimed victory in Bolivia’s presidential election. Exit polls giving the Movement towards Socialism (MAS) party over 50% of the vote.To win in the first round, a candidate needs more than 50% of the vote, or 40% with a lead of at least 10 percentage points over the second-placed candidate.The election was marked by tension after Morales was deposed in a US-backed coup in November 2019. Electoral monitors reported threats and harassment from Bolivian security forces.With a private quick count of sampled polling stations favouring MAS candidate Luis Arce by a wide margin, even unelected interim president Jeanine Áñez recognised that the socialist movement looked…

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19 October 2020
Woodland Trust plans to plant 50 million trees by 2025 to fight climate crisis
The Canary UK

Woodland Trust plans to plant 50 million trees by 2025 to fight climate crisis

A conservation charity is pledging to plant 50 million trees by 2025 to help tackle climate change.The Woodland Trust is also urging millions of people to join its “big climate fightback” by planting trees this November to build support to sustain the biggest mass planting campaign the country has seen, in the next few years.The efforts come in the face of the impacts of Covid-19, with tree planting rates falling despite the need to increase woodland cover to store carbon and tackle the climate crisis. As part of the push, the Woodland Trust is sending more than 600,000 free trees to community groups and schools over the next…

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18 October 2020
Marr just let Gove turn lying into a ‘new art form’
The Canary UK

Marr just let Gove turn lying into a ‘new art form’

Michael Gove was on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday 18 October. And its host just let him twist coronavirus (Covid-19) facts, “unchallenged”. Or as one MP put it, Gove simply ‘lied‘. Gove: turning lying into a “new art form” Cabinet Office minister Gove was talking about a range of issues. But as Green MP Caroline Lucas summed up, he turned “lies and prevarication into [a] new art form”: Michael Gove turning lies & prevarication into new art form Distorts @AndyBurnhamGM, defends failing #TestandTrace, & midrepresents EU Is he embarrassed, asks Marr? Of course not, he’s incapable of it Blame others, take no responsibility, Gove’s perfectly on message…

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18 October 2020
Serco boss sent a letter to MPs. His brass neck is staggering.
The Canary UK

Serco boss sent a letter to MPs. His brass neck is staggering.

The boss of disastrous outsourcing giant Serco has written to some MP. But he didn’t say ‘sorry’ for his company’s failings over Test and Trace. Instead, he delivered a passive-aggressive ‘STFU’ about his firm’s multimillion pound clusterfucking.Serco: profit-making clusterfuckingAs openDemocracy reported, Serco’s part in the coronavirus (Covid-19) test and trace system has been shambolic:The British government’s decision to outsource much of its flagship £12 billion test-and-trace system has been heavily criticised… rates of contact tracing have dropped and many Britons have complained about problems accessing COVID tests and testing sites. Not that Serco is worried. Because its profits are going through the roof. But still, it’s been on…

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18 October 2020
MPs slam government for paying £7k a day to private sector Test and Trace consultants
The Canary UK

MPs slam government for paying £7k a day to private sector Test and Trace consultants

Opposition MPs have slammed the government for paying £7k day rates to private sector consultants who’re helping the government to set up and run its testing system. Michael Gove has defended the practice. Sky News has reported that it had seen documents revealing Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was paid about £10 million for around 40 consultants to provide 4 months’ work. This was between the end of April and late August. The broadcaster said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) received a 10 to 15% discount from BCG. Its day rates for public sector work reportedly range from £2,400 to £7,360. The report comes amid ongoing criticism…

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18 October 2020
Outsourced contact tracing service fails to contact 250,000 people, analysis says
The Canary UK

Outsourced contact tracing service fails to contact 250,000 people, analysis says

The outsourced Test and Trace system has failed to reach nearly a quarter of a million close contacts of people who have tested positive for coronavirus, according to a new analysis.FailurePrivate firms Serco and Sitel failed to contact 245,481 contacts in England, either online or from call centres over four months. Meaning they missed nearly 40% of contacts, the figures show. Labour said the figures show Test and Trace is “on the verge of collapse”. The party also said these figures highlight the need for a short national lockdown to allow the government to fix the system. (PA Graphics)Poor contact tracing, greater restrictionsThe government defended the system, saying…

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18 October 2020
Labour’s support for Rashford is a sham. Here’s why.
The Canary UK

Labour’s support for Rashford is a sham. Here’s why.

If there’s a bandwagon to be jumped on, you can be sure that Keir Starmer’s Labour Party will be first in the queue. But its support for footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign over free school meals is actually a sham. Marcus Rashford Rashford has become a prominent anti-poverty campaigner. Most recently, he launched a petition calling on the government to end child food poverty. The petition has three asks: “Expand free school meals to all under-16s where a parent or guardian is in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefit”. “Provide meals & activities during all holidays”. ” Increase the value of Healthy Start vouchers to at least £4.25…

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18 October 2020
Burnham blames Sunak in Manchester lockdown row as he calls for Labour party support
The Canary UK

Burnham blames Sunak in Manchester lockdown row as he calls for Labour party support

Mayor Andy Burnham has blamed chancellor Rishi Sunak for being “the problem” in the row over a lockdown for Greater Manchester. It comes alongside confusion over talks with Downing Street.The feud between No 10 and the Labour mayor continued on 17 October. Downing Street said fresh talks had been set up for the weekend, only for Burnham’s office to deny this. Talks between him and Downing Street are reportedly now set to resume later on Sunday 18 October.Blame SunakBurnham has called for a return to the generosity of the original furlough scheme that saw the Treasury pay 80% of workers’ wages. But Sunak has only offered a 66%…

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18 October 2020