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| Our top five most read stories this week. 5. Revealed: The police arrests for offence on Twitter Has the criminalisation of "offence-giving" gone too far? Research released this week revealed that over 355 people have been charged or cautioned for messages on social media, including for the causing of 'offence'. Campaign group Big Brother Watch is now calling for the words "grossly offensive" to be removed from the Malicious Communications Act and a full review of communication legislation. 4. Talk of a Ukip revolution now looks overblown Commentators and politicians alike have got very excited in the past year over the rise of Nigel Farage's party. There have been suggestions that Ukip is a new revolutionary movement on the right of British politics. However, new polling released this week suggest that we could all be getting a bit ahead of ourselves. The polls of four of Ukip's target seats found the party trailing in second place behind the Conservatives. The party were even behind in a seat where they achieved their best result at last year's local elections. Could the great Ukip revolution turn out to be little more than a damp squib? 3. MoJ refuses to release information on legal aid Is the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) sitting on evidence about the impact of legal aid cuts to avoid embarrassment ahead of the election? It certainly appears so. Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan asked a parliamentary question 16 weeks ago on the number of litigants in person – people representing themselves in court - as a result of the reforms. No answer has yet arrived. 2. Tory obesity crackdown would hit just 1,780 people There was much excitement and uproar last weekend over Tory plans to remove disability benefits from the obese. The proposals were splashed across the front of several newspapers and dominated the news cycle for several days. The proposals conjured up stereotypes of millions of overweight 'scroungers', refusing to get off the sofa and go to work. With this in mind, our reporter Adam Bienkov thought he would take a look at how many people this new 'crackdown' would actually affect. He discovered that far from being a widespread problem affecting millions, the number of people claiming disability benefits for obesity related conditions was just 1,780. 1. What media reports on the new cannabis study aren't telling you There was also much uproar this week over a report linking the regular use of cannabis with psychosis. Much of the press claimed the study was a damning blow to those who call for legalisation of the drug. However a closer look at the report by our editor Ian Dunt found that while it did discover evidence that the strongest forms of the drug can be dangerous, it also found milder forms of cannabis, like hash, are mostly harmless. A relaxation of the law, combined with regulation, could make it easier for people to get the latter and harder to get the former. Far from disproving the case for drug law reform: the report actually strengthened it. Best of the rest...Comment: The Foreign Office pledges to help women – and then the Home Office betrays them Overseas, the UK government is stopping violence against women. At home, it fails to follow it's own guidelines. Boris Johnson says children should be bussed in to breathe London's toxic air New figures reveal dangerous levels of pollution in London EU directive will monitor MPs' bank transactions Thousands of Britain's most important figures in public life could have their banking transactions monitored closely under new rules from Brussels. Will the Russian threat bring an end to defence austerity? Michael Fallon's jitters about Russian aggression against the Baltic States will mean very little if the UK cuts its defence spending. Labour are creeping slowly towards disaster in Scotland Ed Miliband's party must change their message fast to avoid wipeout Theresa May might want a positive Tory party - but Lynton Crosby is running the show The home secretary's call for a more positive message clashes with the Tories relentless negativity Comment: Only ending our reliance on cars will clean our air There is no technological fix to air pollution Revealed: How the UK funded Kim Jong-un's spin doctors The Foreign Office has finally abandoned its policy of funding the North Korean regime's spin doctors. But the question remains: why was it doing so in the first place? Tory mayoral hopefuls mend row with 'chocs and make up sex' offer The battle to become Conservative candidate for London mayor is hotting up | Lenders back shared ownership as the UK's 'fourth' tenureWith housing affordability proving to be a major constraint for many would-be owner occupiers, could shared ownership play a bigger role in meeting the UK’s future housing needs? Reports of organised animal fighting to RSPCA up by a third in past five yearsShocking new figures come 180 years after dog and cockfighting was banned in UK. IET and IMechE merge educational grant schemesThe IET and the IMeche have merged their educational grant schemes in order to simplify funding for formal and informal learning support and to improve the impact of projects. BASC statement in response to the release of "Labour: Protecting Animals" 18th FebruaryBASC has noted the release of the Labour animal welfare policy document "Labour: Protecting Animals". BASC has taken time to brief the Labour party on all aspects of shooting, before the publication of this document. GPs must help us do more to reduce superbugs, skills and training - no cash incentives are neededMRSA Action UK supported the development of the guideline on the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections, and welcomed the introduction of the quality statement on the requirement of judicious antimicrobial prescribing. |
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