United+Kingdom+Briefing


 * March 7, 2011**

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 * January 23, 2011**

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A Greek ship carrying several British aid workers, originally bound for Gaza, has docked in Greece. According to the aid workers,the ship's captain had taken them to Greece to kidnap them and ensure that he was paid the fee to take them to Gaza, which had been routed through a shipping agent. The company that owns the ship, however, claims that the activist climbed on to the ship against the captain's will, and he had to take them to Greece to avoid conflict with Israeli blockaders in Gaza. Greek commandos entered the ship when it docked and confirmed the safety of the ten aid workers. []

David Cameron and four Cabinet ministers have refused to remove the Poppy flower broaches they have been wearing on their visit to China. In Britain, the poppy flower is a symbols used to honor dead soldiers. Chinese officials, however, have interpreted the broaches as symbols for the Opium wars, two wars fought between Britain and China in the 19th century. China was defeated in both of these wars, and the Chinese emissaries who greeted Cameron and his fellow travelers believed the pins were meant as an insult to China. Nevertheless, Cameron refuses to remove to poppy flower broaches. []



Britain has recently passed the European Union Bill, which holds the purpose of preventing power shifting from the government of Britain to the European Union without consent of the people and Parliament. The bill forces new EU treaties or major changes to existing EU treaties involving Britain to be approved by the British people through referendum before being approved. In addition, laws enacted by the EU will not take place in Britain until they are approved by Parliament. Many Conservatives are critical of the bill, however, believing that too much power has already been transfered to the EU by the Lisbon Treaty. Also, treaty amendments must be declared "significant" by ministers before a referendum is initiated. Critics of the bill believe that, because of this, power may transfer to the EU anyway. []

British Work Secretary Iain Smith has plans to completely renovate the British welfare system, including the introduction of a universal payment that consolidates the 30 or so current work related welfare benefits currently available to citizens. This means that instead of applying for each benefit separately, citizens can apply for one universal payment which varies in amount on an individual basis. Smith hopes that this will be instituted early on under the next Parliament after 2015. The measures will also crack down on those who simply refuse to work or repeatedly attempt to commit fraud. Some fear that the current lack of jobs and the fact that the new system is conducted almost solely over the internet may cause the renovation to do more harm than good for welfare recipients. []

The 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta is only five years away, and celebrations in Britain were publicly launched this week. Campaigns have begun to make June 15, 2015 a national holiday, and exhibitions of the document have been planned. The creation of a commemorative stamp is also being discussed at this point. The anniversary launch took place at the site where King John was first petitioned by local barons this week, and was attended by representatives from the five "charter towns," the towns which were included in the first Great Charter. []

This winter, British Gas plans to raise the cost of electricity and gas for its customers by 7%. British Gas is the second largest supplier of energy to Britain, and this cost change will effect eight million customers. The company has cited rising wholesale prices as a reason for this raise, and acknowledges that the price increase comes at a difficult time for most customers. []
 * October 22, 2010**

The two part prequel to the //Lord of the Rings// film trilogy, may end up being filmed in the UK, instead of in New Zealand as originally planned. This is largely because of a dispute between the film makers and the New Zealand Actors Equity, which had blacklisted the film over a salary issue. Many Tolkien fans are excited about the possibility of the movie being filmed in the country where Tolkien originally imagined its story. []

After a recent tie between Napoli and Liverpool in soccer, several British Liverpool fans in Naples have been brutally attacked. Seven Liverpool fans have been hospitalized, three of which had stab wounds. Though police are attempting to be more vigilant, only three of the apparently large group of violent fans have been arrested. []

British aid worker Frans Barnard, who was taken hostage by armed Somalian militia last Thursday, has just been freed. He was helped by authorities in Adado, the Somalian town from which he was kidnapped. So far, eight of the suspected kidnappers had been arrested. []

Three peers, Baroness Uddin, Lord Paul and Lord Bhatia, were recently suspended from the House of Lords for falsely claiming "main residences" outside London. This allowed them to claim allowance for staying in London, where their true homes had existed long before they claimed rarely used properties outside of London as their main residences. The peers have been asked to repay the money they gained falsely, which totals tens of thousands of pounds, and have been suspended until 2012. []

Prime Minister Cameron continues to support and defend the upcoming 81 billion pound budget cuts. The cuts are projected to cause the loss of 490,000 public sector jobs, but Cameron insists that the countries top earners will be the ones most effected by the budget cuts. The Labour party disagrees, claiming that the poor will be hit hardest, a sentiment backed up by assessments by the IFS. Despite this, Chancellor Osborne argues that the cuts are fair, and will save a total of 18 billion pounds. []

In June, the government announced plans to close 103 Magistrate Courts and 54 County Courts throughout England and Wales to save 15 million pounds a year in upkeep costs. This would shut down 30% of the courts in England and Wales. When Lord Justice Goldring was consulted on the matter, he stated that he wants to save 34 of the courts he believes it would cause difficulty to close. []


 * September 20, 2010**

Lord Ashcroft deputy chairman of the Conservative party, will be stepping down at the next party board meeting on September 27. Ashcroft has been Tory deputy chairman since 2005, and held the position of party treasurer from 1998-2001. He is also the biggest personal donor to the party. His 2010 book "Minority Verdict- The Conservative Party" outlines his perceived flaws in the party, which include counterproductive attacks on the Labour Party and an inability to translate its message to voters . These may serve as explanations for his resignation. []

The British Chamber of Commerce is arguing against a proposal to be floored next month that would extend maternity leave to 20 paid weeks in Europe.The BCC claims that this would cost UK firms an additional £ ﻿2.5 billion a year, which is especially risky during a recession. Many, however, argue that temporary economic climate shouldn't effect resolutions which could be largely beneficial to women who are taking care of newborn children. []

Treasurer Chief Secretary Danny Alexander has announced plans to cut down on tax evasion which he believes could raise £7 billion by 2015 ﻿. Support within the government for these measures is high, and £900 million is being set aside to give incentive to authorities to crack down on tax dodgers. In addition, there are plans to cut departmental budgets by 25-40% over the next four years, including cuts to welfare and benefits. These cuts are extremely controversial during a time of economic strife. []

Pope Benedict beatified Cardinal Newman, a nineteenth century clergyman, at a mass in Birmingham, placing him on the path to sainthood. This marked the end of his four day tour of the UK. The many, including Prime Minister Cameron, agree that the visit was a successful venture and valuable experience, around 20,000 London citizens amassed to protest the Pope's presence o Saturday. []

Concerned about likely attacks, Dutch police arrested a British suspected terrorist of Somali origin. The arrest took place in the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam following the arrest and later release of two suspected Yemeni terrorists earlier this month. Though the man had no explosives, he is suspected of connection with resent Jihadist activity in Somalia, which poses a serious risk of terrorist attack to the UK. []

British Petroleum has finally sealed off the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, declaring the well "dead" and preventing the leaking of more oil. This means that BP will now be able to move on to dealing with the spill's aftermath. The spill has so far cost BP $28 billion, and done untold damage to the local economy and wildlife in the Gulf. []