Category Archives: Politics

Fox Survey: Do Brits Love Foxes?

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Earlier this month Channel 4 launched Foxes Live: Wild in the City, an interactive natural history event which put the power into the hands of the viewers. Anyone who owned a smart phone was a potential wildlife photographer and was able to contribute to new natural history research by taking part in the largest ever urban fox survey.

Before the survey, no-one really knew how many urban foxes lived in the UK and what the general public really thought of them. With the last study on urban foxes carried out over 30 years ago, Channel 4 is now able to share brand new wildlife research and information.

Thousands of people took part in the survey sharing their thoughts and opinions on foxes and whether they believed urban foxes lived up to their cunning reputation.

Over 11,500 people completed the survey with a massive 89% of people living in urban areas saying they liked foxes and were in favour of them living in their cities. People who weren’t so keen on foxes were those who encounter them more frequently.

Females liked foxes more than males and those aged 18 and younger preferred them to people aged 18 and above (18-50 age group). Residents in Northern Ireland were the biggest fox lovers (92% liked foxes) and foxes were least liked in London (19% disliked foxes).

On the web site there were 17,532 fox sightings logged in total in the UK. Southern England had the highest frequency of sightings. Over 75% of people in London claimed to see a fox once a week or more.

When it comes to how foxes interact with other animals, 8% of people think that foxes might regularly attack pets but only 5% of people actually reported fox attacks on pets. And foxes may be the surprise victims: people reported they were three times more likely to see foxes being chased, attacked and even killed by pets than the other way round.

Eight out of 10 people agreed that seeing foxes enriched their lives and 36% of people living in urban areas admitting to feeding foxes in their gardens. Less than 1 out of 10 people said foxes should be removed from cities.

Foxes Live: Wild in The City was backed by The RSPCA and featured experts including Dawn Scott, Head of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Division at The University of Brighton. Dawn, who also analysed the online survey results, said ‘This information will provide us with a better understanding of the national distribution of urban foxes and enable us to produce new population estimates. It has also helped us to understand people’s perceptions of both the benefits and issues of living with urban foxes.’

Let’s Claim Back The Union Jack.

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The BNP can be blamed for a lot of things, but the main reason I hate them is what they have done to the Union Jack flag {or the Union Flag). Some people now see the Union Jack as racist, it’s not. It is the most inclusive flag you can think of. It is the flag of the United Kingdom; It has the St Andrews Cross (Scotland), St George Cross (England) and St Patrick’s Cross (Ireland). Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality so it could not be included on the flag. which is made up like this:

  • The red St. George’s Cross width is 1⁄5 of the flag’s height with a 1⁄15 flag height fimbriation
  • The white diagonal St. Andrew’s Cross width is 1⁄15 of the flag’s height and the broader white diagonal’s width is 1⁄10 of the flag’s height
  • The red diagonal St. Patrick’s Cross width is 1⁄15 of the flag’s height and the narrow white diagonal’s width is 1⁄30 of the flag’s height

As all of the bunting went up in London I had an Irish friend ask if I found it offensive. Offensive? Why would I? “It’s racist”, she said, “to us”. By ‘us’ she meant that I am Scottish and she is Irish. To be honest it was her question I found offensive. I may be Scottish, but I am also British and I have lived in London for over five years. My flag is in the Union Jack and no-one, not a racist and certainly no one ignorant will ever take it away from me. I am proud to be British and I love my flag. Both of them.

5 Tips to cope with the Euro Meltdown

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5 Tips to cope with the Euro Meltdown by Karen Perkins.

1 Take control. Review, and keep reviewing all your savings/bank accounts etc and decide if you have anything to worry about. If yes, make a plan and act now. if not .. relax & praise yourself, at least you have acted.
2 Choose to listen less to the News .. let go of things you cannot control.. concentrate on the things you can .. you can choose to take on less stress, especially if its not your own !
3 Get over it… think of people who are much worse off than you, imagine having to walk 4 miles a day for clean water !
4 Protect ,and futureproof your current job/ business by keeping your eye on the ball , and being indispensible.
5 Help others, do at least 1 Random Act of Kindness a day , volunteer to help a charity , we are very lucky here in Sheffield ..

Good luck !

Karen Perkins is a life coach. For more information go to her site.

Esther Rantzen Highlights International Missing Children’s Day 2012

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May 25th is International Missing Children’s Day. So where are the children and why have they gone? Esther Rantzen, founder of ChildLine opens the lid on a growing problem for the UK.

It is frightening, shocking and deeply disturbing that even in these enlightened days, even in this civilized country, thousands of children can become invisible. And their invisibility can put them into the gravest danger. We have seen cases that have made headlines recently as the evidence was revealed in court of children being plied with drugs and alcohol and then used as sex slaves. This has happened, not in the back streets of third world slums where these children were be living in rubbish dumps or starving. It happened to ordinary children living in our own towns and cities.. The new website for fresh thinking on parenting.

How is it that children like these suffer such a terrible fate? The cloak of invisibility that surrounds them seems to have been fashioned out of adult indifference. They ‘bunk off’ school and nobody notices. They run away from care and no one can restrain them. They sleep rough and nobody seems to take responsibility for them, or ask questions, or even search for them and find a safe refuge for them.

We sometimes hear from these children at ChildLine. One girl I know well ran away when she was eleven from her mother’s alcoholism and violence. She stayed on a bus until it was dark and she had run out of money, and then rang ChildLine, the children’s helpline. The first time she, and we were lucky, we found a bed for her in the only children’s refuge in London. The next day she was placed in foster care, but when that placement broke down, she ran away again and rang ChildLine once more.

This time we were not so lucky and were not able to locate a place for her, so she promised she would go home. In fact she slept in a local park overnight. I dread to think what could have happened to her. Happily she survived, rang ChildLine in the morning, and from then on was looked after. Although there were other crises in her life, each time she rang our helpline we were able to empower her and inspire her to move forward. Now she is married, with children of her own and has a thriving career working for a children’s charity. She is a wonderful success story, but how many others end up in our prisons, or addiction units, or dying in A & E with no one to mourn their passing?

It is estimated that 100,000 children run away from their homes, or from care each year in the UK – but nobody really knows the true figure. Railway Children is one of the most effective charities which supports children living on the streets, the children most of us pass by without a glance in their direction. According to Railway Children, two-thirds of runaways will be victims of violence on the streets and few are reported missing by their parents or carers in the first place. It’s not enough to suggest that the police should pick them up and return them home.

When a child runs away there can be a very good reason. And yet they may be too ashamed or fearful to tell the police what that reason is. And what happens if they do tell? One of the most appalling aspects of the recent case of teenage girls abused by gangs of predatory men is that when one did ask for help, and reported the abuse, she was not believed.

It is clear that we urgently need to open our eyes and ears. We need to see and hear the children before the moment when their desperation forces them onto the streets. Many of these children know what they are running from but have no idea what perils they are running towards.

I talked to a girl who was running away to Piccadilly but paused to ring ChildLine. She was in floods of tears so she could hardly find the words to explain what had driven her from home. Eventually she explained that she had just discovered her own adoption papers. Her parents had never revealed to her that she had been adopted. “I realise now that they could never have loved me,” she said. “They never told me the truth.” As I asked more questions she painted a picture of parents who deeply cared about her. I suggested to her idea that parents can make mistakes and that sometimes children need to forgive them. She said she had run away before and met a man who offered to let her work for him in Piccadilly, but another girl had warned her to go home. At the end of our conversation she said she would return home and talk to her mother about the adoption that they had never discussed before. I will never know if she went back. I pray that she did. Otherwise she might have ended up like so many of our invisible children, believing no one knew or cared how she lived or if she lived at all.

If you would like more information about these charities or want to get involved visit www.childline.org.uk or call 0800 1111. www.railwaychildren.org.uk or call 01270 757596.

This feature was written and commissioned for www.yano.co.uk

UN Women UK comments on Queen’s Speech

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The Queen’s Speech on Wednesday 9th May caused quite a bit of controversy from quite a few sources. It also prompted UN Women to comment on flexible working practices.

Jan Grasty, President of the UK National Committee of UN Women, which focuses on encouraging economic empowerment for women as a route to education, career progression as well as benefitting society as a whole, comments on the recent Queen’s Speech:

“There are some welcome announcements from the Queen’s Speech, which offers opportunity for women to continue in their careers through moves to make parental leave more flexible. At the same time, we are seeing many employers in the UK taking steps to mitigate and challenge unconscious gender bias in the workplace, providing parents with greater flexibility in the workplace.

“These companies recognise the benefit of retaining staff – especially women – after they have children. Of these organisations, many have signed the CEO Statement of Support for the UN Women/UN Global Compact Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), launched in the UK last week. These principles offer businesses of all sizes a set of guidelines to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community with the goal of creating a better working environment for all and improving financial performance for the company.

There is still a long way to go however, and potential remains for both Governments and corporate thought-leaders to implement flexible parental leave policies, particularly within small and medium-sized organisations or those companies working in sectors which have historically been male-dominated. There are many reasons for wanting to take extended leave and return from it, raising children, caring for elderly or infirm relatives are just some of them, and all can apply for men and women.”

The Queen Looks as unamused with former President Bush as some were with the 2012 Queen's Speech.


1) Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality

2) Treat all women and men fairly at work – respect and support human rights and non-discrimination

3) Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers

4) Promote education, training and professional development for women

5) Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women

6) Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy

7) Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality

Have your say.

7-49 UP DVD

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Arguably the best documentary series ever made for British television and certainly the longest running factual programme in the history of UK TV, The release of 7-49 Up is now out on DVD. The flagship ITV series about children from different social backgrounds made between 1964 and 2005 as they evolve through life will be available to buy on DVD for the first time in the UK in a 6-disc set,

The first instalment of 7-UP was broadcast in 1964 as a one-off World in Action special, featuring children talking about their hopes and dreams for the future. As members of the generation who would be running the country by the year 2000, what did they think they would become? Inspired by World In Action founder editor Tim Hewat’s passionate interest in both the Jesuit saying: “Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man,” and the rigid class system of 1960s Britain, Seven Up set out to discover whether or not the children’s lives were pre-determined by their background.

This forward thinking television show – the very first example of a programme recording real people living real lives – and the follow-up documentaries – have won an array of accolades and awards. Director Michael Apted, who has since moved to Hollywood to direct films, has returned every seven years to chart the children’s progress through life. Over the past five decades, the series has documented the group as they have become adults and entered middle-age, dealing with everything life has thrown at them in between.

 

Rebekah Brooks & Husband to be Charged with Perverting the Course of Justice.

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Rebekah Brooks, the former News International chief executive, and her racehorse trainer husband, Charlie Brooks, are to be charged with perverting the course of justice during the phone-hacking scandal.

Mrs Brooks and her husband revealed the charger themselves in a statement which critiscised the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision.

They said: “We have been informed by the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions that we are to be charged with perverting the course of justice.

“We deplore this weak and unjust decision. After the further unprecedented posturing of the CPS we will respond later today after our return from the police station.”

Four other people are also to be charged which includes the personal assistant of Mrs Brooks’s, Cheryl Carter and Mark Hanna, head of security at News International.

There are a few different charges. Mrs Brooks has three against her, the rest have one. The charges include conspiring to conceal material from Scotland Yard detectives, conspiring to conceal documents, computers and other electronic equipment from detectives and conspiring to remove seven boxes of material from the archive of News International.

Alison Levitt QC, principal legal advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions, revealed the details of the charges:

“The Crown Prosecution Service received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police Service on March 27 2012 in relation to seven suspects: Rebekah Brooks; Charles Brooks; Cheryl Carter, Mrs Brooks’ personal assistant; Mark Hanna, head of security at News International; Paul Edwards, Mrs Brooks’s chauffeur who was employed by News International; Daryl Jorsling and a seventh suspect – both of whom provided security for Mrs Brooks supplied by News International.

“All the evidence has now carefully been considered. Applying the two-stage test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors, I have concluded that in relation to all suspects except the seventh, there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.”

Politicians ‘Least Trusted Profession in UK’.

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POLITICIANS VOTED LEAST TRUSTED PROFESSION IN THE UK

The RatedPeople Trust Index, calculated from four different attributes, has today revealed that politicians are the least trusted profession in the UK from a list of professions, coming bottom for reliability, honesty and quality of work.

The research of 2,054 adults, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the online trade recommendation service, assessed a range of different professions on four criteria: value for money, honesty, reliability and quality of work. Politicians were most likely to be voted as poor or very poor for reliability (62%), honesty (70%) and overall quality of work (57%), performing worse than both bankers and estate agents despite the maligned public image of these professions.

However, politicians managed to place ahead of premiership footballers in one category, value for money, where premiership footballers fared considerably worse, perhaps as a result of their multi-million pound annual salaries (76% rated footballers as poor or very poor value for money, compared to 60% for politicians.) By comparison, teachers enjoyed a clean sweep coming top across the board on the four criteria.

The research highlights which professions are trusted most by the British public, and of the different types of tradesmen included in the list, gardeners topped the list, however they came second overall across all the professions, to teachers for reliability, value for money and honesty. Electricians were named as the tradesmen that provide the best quality of work (50% rated the quality of electricians’ work as good or very good).

Perhaps because of the trade’s reputation for cowboys, and reflecting the 2.5 million disputes that happen every year, builders were named as the least trusted tradesmen nationally, scoring the lowest marks of all the trades assessed.

The UK’s most trusted professionals from our list are as follows:

1. Teachers

2. Gardeners

3. Electricians

4. Plumbers

5. Roofers

6. Builders

7. Bankers

8. Estate Agents

9. Premiership Footballers

10. Politicians

Rated across all four criteria: value for money, reliability, honesty and quality

RatedPeople.com’s brand ambassador and celebrity gardener, Toby Buckland, commented:

“I’m delighted to see gardeners made it to the number two spot in this research.

“Perhaps the reason that we have fared so well in the study is that gardening is a labour of love, it’s very easy for people to see the amount of hard work that goes into doing a gardening job and the results can completely transform an outside space.

“Building trust with your customers is an essential part of being a gardener if you want to achieve the best results for them. Trust ensures that they take your recommendations on board and have the confidence to rely on you to achieve the highest standards. Like so many in the trade, our reputation as professionals is built on this.”

The RatedPeople.com Trust Index also assessed which attributes are most likely to cause people to feel distrust when they first meet them. For more than two thirds (68%) of Brits, they are most likely to distrust a person if they have bad manners. This is followed by poor eye contact (52%), an unkempt appearance (40%) and being inarticulate (28%).

Brits aren’t a superficial bunch however, as being shorter (0%), unattractiveness (1%) and being younger (2%) were least likely to be cited as factors that make the most difference when it comes to deciding whether to trust someone. A further 1 in 10 (9%) people said that there are no attributes that would cause them to feel distrust. With actions speaking louder than words for these people, the four trust criteria are all the more important for helping to build a positive impression of a profession.

The features that will most make a Brit distrust someone are:

1. Bad manners

2. Poor eye contact

3. Unkempt appearance

4. Being inarticulate

5. A weak handshake

6. Badly dressed

Tariq Dag Khan from Rated People commented:

“They say that you form an opinion on someone within the first 30 seconds of meeting them, and our research has shown that a person’s behaviour can make all the difference.

“Builders, like other tradesmen, need to improve their image. Shows like Cowboy Builders and Rogue Traders taint the reputation of all tradesmen when in fact the vast majority of them deliver a job well done and at good value. One way for them to counter the unfair misperceptions is to improve communication with homeowners, as not doing so can fuel distrust. What helps is to be clear upfront about each project, starting with: what work is required; when it will be completed; and at what cost.

“Investing in home improvement can be a major commitment. So it helps when homeowners can be sure that the people they’re hiring to carrying out the project can be trusted to do the job right. Services like RatedPeople.com give consumers the confidence to know what they are getting before they take the plunge. The service works like word-of-mouth, by allowing homeowners to review the recommendations of thousands of other homeowners as part of the hiring process. It also allows tradesmen to build a profile for the great work they’re doing. This only helps to boost their trust ranking, so that next year they top the chart.”