u3a

South East London

U3A Current affairs discussion group 1 July 2024

2024 General Election.  Two and a half days to go.

 Week 1  3/6Week 2 10/6Week 3 17/6Week 4 24/6Week 5 1/7
How many voting21171215 
Cons, Governing majority0000 
Cons Largest Party01  (6%)01 (6%) 
Lab Governing Majority13 (61%)13 (76%)12 (100%)14 (93%) 
Lab Largest party8 (38%)2 (11%)01 (6%) 
SNP Do Well?0000 
Reform to get MPs?0-11(52%)6 (35%)1 (8%)8 (53%) 
1-8(38%)8 (47%)3 (25%)5 (33%) 
> 13 (17%)6 (50%)3 (2%) 
Will Nigel Farage get elected? 9 (53%)8 (66%)8 (53%) 
Green Party, how many MPs0-5(23%)1 (6%)01 (6%) 
1-14(66%)11 (64%)4 (33%)8 (53%) 
2-1(4%)5 (29%)6 (50%)5 (33%) 
We are keeping a tally of what we expect the of the outcome of the election.
  1. Election

Nigel Farage claims Russia was provoked into Ukraine war

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/21/russia-was-provoked-into-ukraine-war-claims-nigel-farage

Rivals attack Farage for saying West provoked Ukraine war

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cldd44zv3kpo

JK Rowling accuses Labour of abandoning women

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cndd65k06x8o.amp

Greens' tax rises are modest, insists co-leader

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c14448vez8eo

JK Rowling accuses Labour of abandoning women

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cndd65k06x8o

1a. Tax

Nearly 9mn pensioners paying income tax as frozen thresholds bite

https://www.ftadviser.com/pensions/2024/06/27/nearly-9mn-pensioners-paying-income-tax-this-year

Number of UK income tax payers leaps by 4.4m in three years due to threshold freeze

https://www.theguardian.com/money/article/2024/jun/27/income-taxpayers-leaps-in-three-years-due-to-threshold-freeze

Tax rises hard to avoid over next 5 years, says IFS

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckkkk90lw50o

Britain’s millionaires are fleeing. Good night and good luck, I say

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/21/britain-millionaires-leave-tax-havens-uk

Betting on the date of the Election all the fuss seems to have drowned any talk of policy.

Warnings of a super majority, is this an attack strategy or a defensive one.

Leaders debate “ is this the best we have got?”

  • 2.      French Elections

French election: Your guide to a vote that is set to shake the EU and NATO

https://www.politico.eu/article/french-election-far-right-national-rally-nato-eu-emmanuel-macron-marine-le-pen

The French election risks torpedoing the global order

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-election-national-rally-marine-le-pen-jordan-bardella-far-right-emmanuel-macron

 Far-right National Rally ready to govern France, Jordan Bardella says at manifesto launch

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/24/far-right-national-rally-ready-to-govern-france-jordan-bardella-says-at-manifesto-launch

Britons think UK is in a bad way, but French more pessimistic, survey shows

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jun/25/britons-think-uk-is-in-a-bad-way-but-french-more-pessimistic-survey-shows

Macron's election gamble puts French democracy on the table

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cekk9n1je9yo

Le Pen raises the stakes by challenging Macron’s role as commander-in-chief

https://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-emmanuel-macron-jordan-bardella-ukraine-france

  • 3, American Presidential Debate

Stumbling debate performance worsens age fears for Biden

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crgedpw4r5eo

US election 2024: A really simple guide

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67285325

  • 4. NHS

Can’t get a doctor’s appointment yet locum GPs can’t get work.

Four in five locum GPs in England unable to find work, BMA study finds

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/21/four-in-five-locum-gps-in-england-unable-to-find-work-bma-study-finds

Doctors go on strike

11th strike of junior doctor pay dispute begins

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmmm23n9761o

NHS Waiting lists – why are they so long

NHS backlog data analysis

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/nhs-backlog-data-analysis

The past and future of NHS waiting lists in England

https://ifs.org.uk/publications/past-and-future-nhs-waiting-lists-england

  • 5. Julian Assange freed.

Julian Assange: Campaigner or attention seeker?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11047811

Wikileaks founder freed after five years in prison

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crgggyvp0j9o

  • 6. Wandsworth council to ban leaving e-bikes on pavement.

London council to ban leaving e-bikes on pavements

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c28808jjrx1o

  • 7. Post Office Horizon Scandal

Post Office system not a scandal, insists ex-union boss

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyxxz799vxko

  • 8. NHS Blood test database hack – Why is it taking so long to recover?

NHS confirms stolen data published online is from blood test provider

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/24/nhs-england-confirms-theft-of-patient-records-data-from-its-provider