Manchester Is Set To Ban Smoking In Public Spaces

Smoking is set to be prohibited in public areas across Manchester.

Well-known public places like Piccadilly Gardens, St Peter’s Square and Manchester Town Hall could all become smoke-free zones.

Other regions impacted by the plans include the new Mayfield Park and the area around the Etihad Stadium.

People smoking in these places would be asked to move on or extinguish their cigarettes, although there are presently no plans to fine or punish those who do.

Public consultation in Manchester is expected to start on the plans, with a decision anticipated to be reached in Autumn.

The proposals come after Manchester joined the Partnership of Healthy Cities, a worldwide group which aims to tackle illnesses like cancer and chronic lung disease. One of the prerequisites for membership is to have smoke-free outdoor areas.

An estimated 5,000 people die from smoke-related illnesses in Greater Manchester each year.

Nonetheless, it’s comprehensible that other people who don’t smoke don’t want to inhale smoke fumes, however, smokers have rights too and they should have designated areas where they can smoke, at least that way smokers’ rights don’t infringe upon the rights of non-smokers, and non-smokers won’t infringe upon the freedoms of smokers by demanding they’re deprived of their rights to smoke.

But then try driving behind a diesel car. Cigarette smoke will smell like perfume in comparison, and there aren’t as many that smoke outside now, certainly not enough to do anybody any harm, and what happened to people’s choice? People are actually condoning this interference in our daily lives, and I will defend to my dying day a person’s right to have a choice and to have freedom.

This is an appalling abuse of people’s freedom and choice. I agree there should be some constraints indoors where other people will have to breathe in the same air, but outside these rulings are oppressive.

They want to prohibit smoking, yet they refuse to do anything about the homeless, and if you’re considering going to Manchester for a weekend, don’t, there are far nicer places to dwell.

The problem is that once one thing is prohibited, then something else will be restricted like sitting on a bench or strolling in the park. How far will these limitations go? This has gradually become a nanny state, and this will ultimately be another money-making con, perhaps they should be banning councillors and council officials from exhaling?

‘Born To Be Eaten’ Giant Rabbits Rescued From Ashington Allotment

Dozens of oversized rabbits, kept in tiny and soiled cages, were recovered from an allotment by the RSPCA.

Officers rescued the 47 bunnies from the hutches and believe they were kept so they could reproduce.

The biggest bunny weighed in excess of 8kg, as much as a Cavalier King Charles or a Pomeranian dog, and sported ears that were 7ins long.

There was an assortment of Flemish giant rabbits and smaller rabbits of all different ages.

Flemish giant rabbits are known as the ‘king of rabbits’ due to their enormous size, although kept as pets, they’re still bred by some for their fur and their meat and it’s thought these rabbits were being reproduced to be eaten.

The rabbits have been signed over to the RSPCA and they will have been checked and cared for by a vet before the process to find them new homes begins.

The rabbits have been sent to a number of different centres and licenced boarding facilities. Others are being looked after by inspectors.

Inspector Trevor Walker, who helped to save the rabbits, said that these poor rabbits were living in cramped and filthy conditions which would have been extremely disturbing for them, particularly in the heat, but luckily the vet discovered that they were all in satisfactory shape, although one is on medication for weeping eyes and a wound on the back of his neck, but that they hoped that they would shortly find loving homes.

He said that they will make good companion animals as they have nice temperaments, but that sadly, rabbits were becoming an increasing concern across the RSPCA as they’re seeing more and more coming into their care because of the impact of the cost of living crisis.

He said that they would encourage people to do their research before taking on a pet and also to make sure they get their pet neutered at an early opportunity to prevent unwanted litters of animals and that all the rabbits would be neutered, microchipped and vaccinated before finding new homes.

Around half of the rabbits were adults and half were babies. Two of the adults were of average size but their litters were crossed with the giant breeds, so the babies will probably develop into larger rabbits than most, and a big thank you should go out to the RSPCA for saving these oversized rabbits because there’s no need for this type of negligence in this day and age.

Camilla Joked About Harry and Meghan’s Unborn Baby Having A Ginger Afro, Palace Insiders Blast as ‘NONSENSE’

Royal sources soundly disparaged assertions that Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, quipped to Prince Harry that it would be amusing if his unborn child with Meghan Markle had ‘ginger Afro hair’.

The explosive assertions were made in Tom Bower’s new no holds barred book: Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.

The bombshell book has laid bare claims of war at the core of the Royal Family and experts have argued that it paints Meghan Markle as someone who found love with Prince Harry and used his standing for her personal improvement.

Mr Bower’s book conveys Meghan Markle as self-centred, manipulative and demanding and brands Harry as spoiled, poorly educated, simple-minded and demanding. He said that the duo became agents of devastation, but thinks that only Meghan was brilliant enough to execute the plan.

Relations between the Sussexes and the rest of the family have barely recovered since they quit as royals and relocated to California in 2020, and deteriorated after they decided to sit down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and fire potshots at the royals including assertions of racism and even ignoring Meghan Markle when she was allegedly suicidal and expectant.

Now Mr Bower has alleged Camilla made the remarks about Harry and Meghan’s unborn baby’s future hairstyle during a conversation with Harry and his family about his relationship with the American actress, but royal sources speaking to a newspaper outlet said the suggestion was silliness, and Clarence House did not comment.

The Sussexes would later claim to Oprah Winfrey that a senior royal, who they refused to name, had also asked how dark the baby’s skin might be when he was born when discussing Archie.

The bombshell biography’s first extraordinary claim was that the Queen privately voiced relief that Meghan wouldn’t be attending Prince Phillip’s funeral.

It claims that the grieving monarch told trusted royal aides on the morning she was due to lay her husband of 73 years to rest at Windsor: ‘Thank goodness Meghan is not coming.’

Mr Bower is known as a top investigative journalist who’s previously written unauthorised books on Boris Johnson, Richard Brandson and Robert Maxwell.

The book, being serialised in The Sun and The Times, says: ‘In Windsor Castle, the Queen was preparing to face the public on one of the saddest days of her life. Philip had been her rock for the previous 70 years.

‘To comply with Covid restrictions she would grieve alone inside the chapel. ‘Thank goodness Meghan is not coming,’ the monarch said in a clear voice to her trusted aides.’

Commenting on Harry and Meghan’s baby was presumably a joke, but depending on your sense of humour I don’t believe that everyone would see the comic side of it, especially when the joke was at someone else’s expense.

It doesn’t matter if no harm was intended, the harm was done. I guess Camilla should have made sure that her audience would find it humorous before saying it.

Most of us say things that might be deemed offensive without realising it but just because they have and someone has taken it the wrong way we don’t all go running to the Race Relations Board, but we don’t have to like it either. People have feelings, even if some of them don’t always express them.

What people say in private is their own business regardless if it’s offensive or not, as long as the person they’re talking about isn’t present at the time, although we don’t really know if Camilla said this and presumably didn’t, on the other hand, she might have, but presumably as a joke, but then before ‘woke’ days this likely wouldn’t have been an issue, and it would have been normal speculation, and I bet even Harry and Meghan wondered the same thing.

There’s A Possibility That Boris Could Be Expelled From Parliament

A cross-party committee of MPs warned that Boris Johnson could face being booted out of Parliament by voters if he’s found to have lied over Partygate.

The outgoing Prime Minister is being investigated by the House of Commons Privileges Committee over his past denial of COVID rule breaking in Downing Street.

The Committee has now announced Boris Johnson could have to fight a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency if he’s punished as a consequence of their probe into whether he misled MPs.

They also confirmed they will drag the Prime Minister before them to be questioned in person, under oath, over the Partygate scandal, which they expect to be done in public, but the possibility of an ongoing battle over Partygate will raise speculation that Boris Johnson will leave the Commons shortly after he formally exits as Prime Minister on 6th September.

Neither ex PMs David Cameron nor Sir Tony Blair hung around in Parliament for long after leaving Number 10 as they sought new money-making ventures, although Boris Johnson’s immediate predecessor, Theresa May, remains an MP.

Under the Recall of MPs Act, an MP becomes subject to a recall petition if they’re suspended from the Commons for two weeks or ten sitting days.

A by-election is then triggered in an MPs constituency if more than 10 per cent of local voters sign the recall petition.

As part of a new report, the Privileges Committee issued a letter from Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirming that Boris Johnson could face a recall process as part of their investigation.

In a letter to senior Labour MP Harriet Harman, the Committee’s chair, Sir Lindsay revealed he had sought legal advice on the matter from an independent QC.

In their report, the Committee stated how the Speaker had made a formal decision that the Committee of Privileges was a committee concerned with the norms of behaviour of individual members to which the requirements of the Act would apply.

Since the Recall of MPs Act was introduced in 2015, there have been three instances of a recall process being initiated.

DUP MP Ian Paisley remained an MP after a recall petition failed to attract the needed number of signatures, but both Labour Fiona Onasanya and Tory MP Chris Davies lost their Commons seats after more than 10 per cent of voters signed a recall petition.

They have to ditch him now because of how much damage he’s done to the Tory party and how quickly they’re falling in the polls and let’s face it, now most of the British populace think he’s an absolute plonker, but then I guess that’s part of who he is and deception and his lack of integrity is his character flaw, but a necessary evil when you’re attempting to climb the greasy pole.

Boris Johnson is an obsessive liar and he will get all he deserves, and quite frankly he should have been sacked a long time ago.

Boris Johnson failed to develop a coherent vision for the future of our country, but his comical antics made him popular, but he never became an inspiration for the masses, and his vanity projects only served one purpose and that was to divert attention from his numerous failures. What the United Kingdom needs now is a knowledgeable bridge builder with proven competencies as a new leader.

At the moment the only time we see Boris Johnson is when he’s got a drink in his hand, and let’s face it, you can’t run a country that way and Boris has been around far too long. Sadly the new prime minister will be selected from the same rotten Cabinet that Boris Johnson himself chose.

Universal Credit Could Be Stopped Under DWP Rules 

With the end of the school term ahead of a six-week break, a relaxation on international travels and scorching heats in countries abroad, many will choose to jet set away to foreign lands to make the most of their summer.

However, if you’re claiming state support such as Universal Credit, there are important regulations to observe, or you risk losing your benefit altogether.

As it stands, there are some 5.8 million across the United Kingdom claiming benefits, with about 40 per cent of those working and using it as a top-up on a low income. The others are either in the process of looking for a job or unable to work due to health problems, and with the Universal Credit claimants being among the 8.3 million who are set to receive a £60 cost of living payment, many may be considering of putting th extra cash towards a holiday in the sun.

The first instalment is set to drop into bank accounts between July 14 and 31, although some exceptional cases may see the money later, but as a newspaper outlet reported, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has warned that people must adhere to the prerequisites attached to their claim because it could even force people to fly back from their fun in the sun prematurely.

If you’re making a new application to receive Universal Credit, you must be in Great Britain on the day that it’s submitted. You may still be okay to travel abroad later the same day, but you might have to come back from holiday earlier if it’s due to be submitted at a specific time.

Before you book getaways or head to the airport, you must notify the DWP that you plan to depart the country.

A holiday can be for up to one month, but you must adhere to the requirements of your claimant commitment that you agreed to when you first applied for the benefit.

This will more than likely include having to show proof that you’re looking for work, in the form of keeping a list of jobs you’ve applied for.

The DWP say that claimants must carry on fulfilling the conditions while on holiday, as well as other assignments with regards to looking for work. This includes putting a CV together, applying for vacancies, and attending any interviews that come up. This is no different while you’re on holiday.

How on earth can anyone consider putting ‘benefits’, ‘holidays’, and ‘flights’ in the same sentence? If you’re poor and need benefits and food banks, and children are living on the poverty line, then they’re not rich enough to suddenly fly off to Benidorm.

However, we have to remember that many of those people that are in receipt of Universal Credit are actually working, sometimes in two part-time jobs so that they can put a few bob aside each week. After all, everyone’s entitled to a short break or holiday!

The thing to remember is that not everyone on benefits is jetting off on foreign holidays, but it’s easier to condemn them for the disaster that’s happening in this country because then it deflects from the richest and what wickedness they get up to while we’re not looking.

During The Tory Crown Battle, Who Will Prevail?

Liz Truss is mounting an all-out bid to overhaul Penny Mordaunt in the Tory leadership race as the four remaining candidates gear up for another crucial knockout vote.

Conservative MPs will whittle the numbers down to three this afternoon, with Rishi Sunak apparently guaranteed a place in the final run-off ballot of party members, with the race for second place still too close to call.

After a sluggish start, Liz Truss is expecting to build on her momentum from last night’s vote when she added another seven supporters, taking her count to 71, although she’s still short of Ms Mordaunt’s numbers, the trade minister’s early surge seems to be slowing as she dropped a vote to 82.

Kemi Badenoch will be the favourite for ejection today but is still in touch after racking up an additional nine supporters to reach 58.

Liz Truss has been wooing followers of ex-soldier Tom Tugendhat, who came bottom and was eradicated last night, by pledging to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030.

Liz Truss said that we’re living in an increasingly precarious world where the danger level is higher than a decade ago, and they require a more powerful deterrent to face down those threats and to ensure Britain leads on the global stage.

She said that ultimately that needs more resources and that her number one focus is keeping the country safe and people could trust her to do that.

But her opponents are also wooing Mr Tugendhat, with Ms Mordaunt tweeting that she’d admired him for years and Ms Badenoch said he would be an asset to any prospective Conservative government.

Leaving home, Ms Badenoch said it’s still all to play for.

Rishi Sunak’s team had feared he wouldn’t add much to his count, but in the event, they were rejoicing as he raised his score from 101 to 115, and anything over 120 guarantees a spot in the final two, as there are 358 Conservative MPs in total.

Rishi Sunak has been attempting to beef up his support on the Tory right, pledging more drastic punishments for offenders who refuse to attend court for their sentencing hearings and a crackdown on grooming gangs. He has also been boosted by an endorsement from ex-leader Lord Hague, who lauded him as an outstanding person who could be trusted at one of the most difficult times to be prime minister in our lifetimes, certainly since 1979, possibly since 1945.

But it just demonstrates how the Tory party have declined when the plurality of Conservative MPs are voting for a man who single-handedly decimated the economy, and ruined lives, with many sadly passing away, and their livelihoods.

Rishi Sunak is nothing more than a privileged, pretentious, smirkingly sly serpent, and all this voting is just a fake race and just theatre, and if he’s made prime minister you can forget any prospects for your children and instead you will just see unadulterated wickedness turning its unsightly head.

And why does Rishi Sunak with all that money that he’s got wear suits that don’t fit him? Trousers and jackets with legs and arms that are too short. Perhaps he’s trying to keep that schoolboy look! But really he’s just that silent smiling assassin.

The whole voting thing is just a pantomime and the participants are all puppets and whoever prevails will just be given a script to follow.

I have said from the get-go that Rishi Sunak will become prime minister. I hope that I’m mistaken because Rishi Sunak can’t even get a pair of trousers that doesn’t look like they’ve divorced his ankles and married his knees.

TIGHT CALL

A mother whose daughter was expected to wear thick black tights during the heatwave has told of her rage.

The parent, who doesn’t want to be named, articulated that students at Thorp Academy in Ryton, Tyne and Wear, are normally made to adhere to a strict dress code whatever the weather.

They’ve been told they can wear home clothes today and tomorrow as temperatures swell across the country and millions of Brits work from home, but it’s understood they will have to be back in uniform from Wednesday.

But the Northern Education Trust school says at all other times, girls must either wear ‘black, opaque tights with a minimum 60 denier’ or trousers.

Nonetheless, one anxious mother told a newspaper outlet that during this hot weather and the heatwave they’re experiencing, girls at Thorp Academy are being forced to continue to adhere to the uniform policy of wearing black, opaque tights, minimum 60 denier.

She said that she never had an issue with uniform regulations, and that she saw uniforms as a positive thing, and that she believed that tights were okay, ordinarily, but she said not in this heat. The school isn’t budging and thinks that it’s acceptable for the girls to continue to have to wear 60 denier or more, black tights.

The mum added that she worries that the girls would be more inclined to fungal infections should bacteria build up in their tights.

She has reportedly approached the school directly, presenting an alternative in the form of ankle socks instead of thick and heavy tights or trousers, but she felt her concerns were being dismissed.

A Northern Education Trust spokesperson said that due to the unusually hot weather, they’ve made reasonable adjustments for both primary and secondary pupils regarding uniform requirements.

The spokesperson said that for secondary students, this has included the relaxation of the requirement to wear blazers unless they wish to do so, and said they don’t comment on individual cases, but they were satisfied that pupils were safe and comfortable to allow them to learn.

The spokesperson said that the trust was aware of the extremely hot weather alert, and they have two non-uniform days planned that coincided with those days to raise money for the worthwhile charity British Ukrainian Aid.

But this isn’t just about girls being cool and comfortable, it’s about boys being cool and comfortable as well, and in this intense heat, boys should be permitted to wear shorts because it can’t be about one sex and not the other.

When I was at school, girls had a summer dress option which was a summer dress down to the knee with ankle socks, and boys were allowed to wear trouser shorts down to their knees and ankle socks, so why don’t these kids have that option now?

Photos Of Southend Beach Show A Heaving Crowd

People herded to Southend beach to enjoy the sunny climate while they could before many are forced back to work for Monday and Tuesday’s intense heatwave. Though the most sizzling temperatures are still yet to come, as it smashed a sweltering 31C in Southend on Sea, attracting hundreds if not thousands of visitors to the Thames Estuary.

As one of the busiest beaches in Essex. Southend is packed on most sunny weekends and this one has been no different, with photographs illustrating the sand obscured from sight as groups sat shoulder to shoulder (July 17), and the seaside city has a long sandy beach and calm waters, ideal for a dip on a hot day.

With attractions such as Adventure Island and the pier, Southend has an abundance of places for tourists to enjoy and the hot weather draws people in from around the county and adjacent regions.

Pictures of the beach show umbrellas and towels on the sand, with plenty of people taking to the water for a swim to cool down, and although the sand was extremely packed, there was plenty of room for paddlers.

Security Guards At Tesco Are Set To Be More Lenient On Shoplifters

The police have given their backing to a scheme that will go easy on shoplifters amid the cost of living crisis.

A Tesco store in West Derby, Liverpool which is losing £50,000 a month to thieves will be the first to launch the pilot scheme amid rising inflation and there are hopes it could be rolled out nationwide.

Those who’ve been caught red-handed shoplifting essential goods like food won’t be arrested by police.

According to a newspaper outlet, instead, they will be referred to local food banks and debt advice services by Tesco security staff.

The head of a police watchdog just a few months ago told officers they should use their discretion when determining whether to prosecute shoplifters amid a soaring rate of thefts at the start of this year.

Suggestions not to act on theft have previously prompted a hostile retort from the retail industry which has called it irresponsible.

Labour MP Ian Byrne, behind the Tesco idea, told a newspaper outlet it’s not giving people ‘carte blanche’ to steal and wants it to go nationwide.

He said that this type of theft is an act of desperation and that they have many mums and dads who never would have considered shoplifting and that what he wants is to stop the criminalisation of the working classes.

Merseyside Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell, also told a newspaper outlet that no one in our society should need to steal to eat or provide for their children.

She said that it was a damning indictment of the legacy of this Government and that their priority was always on stopping crime, and that they were engaged with the retail industry and community safety partners to try to ensure vulnerable people get help.

She said the West Derby Tesco will train securities and staff to spot signs of desperate theft and respond accordingly, and that signs will be put up around the store giving details of support services.

Andy Cooke, the head of the new policing watchdog, suggested in May that officers should weigh up whether it was best to haul those who steal to eat before the courts.

Andy Cooke, a former Merseyside police chief who took over as head of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in April, said that the impact of poverty and the impact of lack of opportunity for people did lead to an upsurge in criminality.

Is this a good idea or is it an invitation to crime? And it sounds like they’re now getting security guards to do the job of the police, and it appears that the police service is now advocating it’s alright to steal.

If Tesco was to set up a free distribution site separate from the main store, they could then estimate and manage how much they were giving away. The main store would then hopefully remain a theft-free site.

It’s fantastic that Tesco is doing this, but I’ve got a funny feeling the good and the great on the Director’s Board at Tesco HQ are going to regret this brand new shiny enterprise.

Again it’s a great idea, but people shoplift for numerous reasons, and being hungry is only one of them. However, many shoplifters steal to sell to finance drugs and alcohol, and this doesn’t send an exemplary message to our children, and it will just teach them that criminality pays, but still, it’s nice to know that now anybody can just help themselves to whatever they want in Liverpool.

A Mother Faces Judgment After She Reveals Grandmother Steps In To Help Breastfeed Her Baby

Families come in all kinds of various forms and shapes, with all sorts of different ways of doing things that might appear weird to outsiders, and when it comes to breastfeeding mothers, some have a different way of doing things.

Breastfeeding has been around since the dawn of time, there’s absolutely nothing unnatural about it. It’s the most natural thing in the world, and it’s the bond between mother and child that makes breastfeeding so special, and often comforts both mother and child.

Not only that, but the health advantages for the child are unmatched, but where is the line, when it comes to breastfeeding?

There are many women out there who overproduce milk and share their milk with other mothers who can’t produce enough themselves, but is the same idea appropriate when that person is family?

This St. Louis family is turning heads after revealing an unusually close connection.

Julia Cannon, a 22-year-old nurse, and Angela Owns, her 47-year-old mother, breastfed Julia’s 10-month-old daughter Naomi.

Julia, who is a big supporter of breastfeeding, says it all began with Naomi who was just four months old at the time.

Julia said that she loved breastfeeding, adding that she’d been breastfeeding right from the start, and she told a newspaper outlet that she would cluster feed all the time and that her daughter wanted to be on the boob all the time.

She said that it was like a comfort thing and that one day she wanted to have a shower and get out of the house so she headed over to her mother’s house.

She said she was in the shower and her daughter needed a feed, and so her mother who was still lactating asked her how she would feel about her breastfeeding Naomi. She said that she’d been okay with the idea, but up until that moment, they hadn’t tried it.

After having five children of her own, Angela never stopped lactating, and she was an overproducer of milk. Her mother had checked for any concerns and had cat scans done but there were no health concerns.

Julia said that her mother breastfeeding Naomi had brought their family together, and made them closer and that it was incredibly empowering as a woman to know that her mother was feeding her daughter from the same breast milk that fed her for years. That it was magical and it made her feel so good.

Of course, not everyone agrees that it’s a magical arrangement and that people have said that it’s weird, strange, and disgusting, but she said what was more natural than feeding a baby?

Of course, Angela hasn’t been feeding Naomi all the time, but she still steps in when babysitting, maybe a couple of times a month.

Julia said her mother likes to do it, although they weren’t sure if Naomi would latch on, but she did immediately, and she said it was awesome and it was a tremendous help for her and that a real bond had developed between Naomi and her mother.

She explained that the whole thing had been a tremendous convenience for her, allowing for things most mothers miss out on, and she said she can sleep and get something to eat.

Unfortunately, culture is weird about a lot of things, especially when breastfeeding and everyone seems to have an opinion about the best ways to do it, and they are extremely willing to share those opinions, and people are more than content to comment or correct parents who are total strangers.

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