Cheers and Jeers #10

For a while in 2019 I ran an irreverent look over the week's news called "Cheers and Jeers". it got sidelined, mainly dur to having other priorities, but I feel it's time to resurrect it! Every Sunday I will take a look back at the week's events and ascribe cheers - and jeers - as appropriate.

As for this week...

Cheers to the National Trust, which has announced it will be creating "green corridors" to link city centres to the countryside. It is planning 20 of these "corridors", with the first confirmed project a three-mile stretch running from Bath. 

Cheers to Rafael Nadal, who has set a new record in winning his 21st Grand Slam title after an incredible fightback against Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final. 

Jeers for the Metropolitan Police's abysmal communications and its handling of the "partygate" investigation. The situation is an absolute farce.

Jeers to the Polish authorities whose refusal to allow a woman essential abortion care resulted in her death. A 37-year-old, known as Agnieszka T, was pregnant with twins; when one foetus died, doctors refused to remove it until the death of the second. After both had died in her womb, Agnieszka herself died from likely septic shock. I can understand pro-life views but to take it to this ludicrous extreme, and create a situation that destroys life, is absurd and inhuman. This is not pro-life policy, it's legalised murder and the inhuman consequence of adopting a rigid and legalistic "pro-life" perspective.

Jeers to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (a UK government-appointed body) following its disappointing decision to tell the Scottish government to pause its gender-recognition reforms. I remember a time when the EHRC could be relied upon to stand up for the rights of minority groups...

Jeers for Prince Andrew and his legal team, who really don't seem to understand how badly their demands and apparent bullying make them appear in the public eye. However this saga ends, I would hope Prince Andrew would learn some valuable lessons but from what we've seen so far that seems highly unlikely.

Jeers for Joanna Lumley who made an unhelpful contribution diminishing the reality of mental ill health for many people. It seemed to pass her by that mental health is not the absence of formal psychiatric diagnoses but a question of emotional, psychological, and social well-being. 

Tears for Erlend Watson and Ronnie Fearn, two great Liberals who passed away this week. Erlend was an incredible support to me personally last year and his loss will be deeply felt by his family, friends and the party he cared so much about. Ronnie, MP for Southport from 1987 to 2001, was 90.