Politics

The fuel crisis

Tony Blair accepts that the price of fuel is too high (1 Nov.), but he refuses to give in to the protesters, as a matter of principle. He cancels a high-profile trip to Moscow to prepare for renewed fuel protests. The protesters have lost media sympathy.

Battle lines harden (2 Nov.) as the government rules out a big cut in fuel duty. Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, tells the House of Commons of measures to deal with any fuel blockade. There is a change of mood and the media say that the hauliers are "holding the country to ransom."

As the deadline of fuel protesters approaches panic buying (3 Nov.) causes long queues at petrol stations and many garages have to close. Jack Straw is in a belligerent mood: he warns that the government will revoke hauliers' licences if they break the law. The protesters highlight the high profits of the oil companies. Although there is no shortage of supplies, people are growing hysterical about getting petrol (4 Nov.). This is the consequence of the government's recommendation to industry and hospitals that they should stockpile fuel. The hauliers' deadline is only in two weeks' time. Yet panic buying is such that more petrol stations have to close for lack of fuel. In spite of the problem, most people show sympathy with the protesters.

The protesters' associations, which still hope for a 15p cut in diesel duty for hauliers (instead of 26p initially), are aware that the floods in Britain [see below] are due to global warming (6 Nov.), which weakens their position. Moreover, several polls show that popular support for more protests has fallen to 58 per cent of respondents. The protesters promise not to stage a go-slow down the motorway if they go ahead with their plan to organise a "Jarrow march," and to keep to other roads. A go-slow would be illegal and the police are ready to arrest anyone breaching the Highways Act.

The Conservatives attack the government's handling of the fuel dispute and demand cuts in fuel taxes (7 Nov.).

Businesses and the government are stockpiling diesel as a precaution against a potential blockade (8 Nov.).

In spite of the Chancellor's concessions in his pre-budget speech [see below], the police take action to control the protesters' planned go-slow down the motorway (9 Nov.). Campaigners want to stage a mass protest in London on 14 Nov.

Protesters prepare to take part in a go-slow convoy making its way to London from the north-east (10 Nov.). The police have handed letters to the drivers spelling out what they can and cannot do. Under the law, the police have considerable powers; however, it is not clear whether they are willing to use them; they argue that they will do what they can to stop the public being inconvenienced. Support for the protest is waning because of the Chancellor's concessions and because the protesters have compared their convoy to the "Jarrow march" which was organised in the 1930s. In those days, the marchers walked from Jarrow to London to demand jobs and the end of their poverty. About twenty lorries leave the north of England (10 Nov.) and start the drive to London. A convoy leaves John o' Groats and heads to London, but there are only a dozen trucks (13 Nov.). Lorry drivers converge to London and Edinburgh for the final stage of their rally (14 Nov.) since their sixty-day deadline ran out at midnight. There are fewer protesters than expected and the organisers have a cooperative attitude, so the police relax some of their rules. In Edinburgh, the protesters are allowed to assemble in the city centre, which causes traffic jams. In London, the police close the A40 from 9am to 4pm: most protesters come from the west, so the A40 is used as a lorry park, while the protesters hold their rally in Hyde Park. This causes disruption to the traffic in the capital. The general public is indifferent, as the Chancellor made concessions in his pre-budget speech on 8 Nov. [see below]. The protest is not successful. 

The protesters meet (15 Nov.) to decide on a new course of action. 

The oil companies announce that the price of petrol will rise because of the increased cost of crude oil and high demand (24 Nov.). The People's Fuel lobby, a pressure group which was created in September, argues that the oil companies "fleece" the public and make huge profits, so they do not need to increase the price of petrol.

British politics

Peter Mandelson delivers a speech (1 Nov.) in which he argues that Labour has to renew itself if it wants to keep its momentum. He suggests the party should search for a message and a goal and that it should deal with social exclusion.

Hundreds of pensioners converge on Westminster (7 Nov.) to demand higher pensions. They reject the government's plan to have pensions indexed on inflation and want an earnings link.

Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, makes his pre-budget statement (8 Nov.): he aims at quelling popular discontent, at removing the public's perception of incompetence surrounding the government and at countering the Conservatives' plans to cut income tax. He announces plans to encourage entrepreneurship, safeguard the environment and reduce poverty. He plans to cut taxes for low- and middle-income families. He wants to give incentives to homebuyers willing to move to inner-city areas. He intends to ease the pressure on the haulage industry, which is facing growing competition from foreign hauliers. The solution is the Britdisc, a tax to be paid by all British and foreign hauliers; British hauliers will be compensated for the disc through cuts in the Vehicle Excise Duty. Moreover, fuel duties are frozen and a tax cut is to be introduced for ultra-low-sulphur diesel and petrol. The concessions undermine support for a further fuel protest [see above]. There is also a reduced vehicle excise duty for 8.4m cars with engines under 1,500cc. The Chancellor announces measures to bolster small businesses, and gives £200m to schools and help to savers. The minimum income guarantee goes up to £92.15p a week and there will be a tax-credit for poor people from 2003. Gordon Brown promises above-inflation increases in the basic state pension, which will go up by more than the rate of inflation (£5 a week in 2001). The winter fuel payment will rise by £50 to £200. He thus rectifies gross injustices inflicted on pensioners in recent years. Nearly 9m will benefit together with 350,000 disabled people and their carers.

The Daily Telegraph announces that the Conservatives are preparing to base their election campaign on five populist pledges and a new symbol which is a thin yellow wave. This is the Tories' own version of the five pledges made by Tony Blair in 1997.

Tony Blair faces a huge backbench rebellion over his government's plans to part-privatise the national air-traffic control system (15 Nov.): 37 Labour MPs vote against him. Although a majority vote in the House of Commons easily overturns a Lords' vote to delay the proposals [see October 2000], the rebellion, which is fuelled by the chaos in the privatised rail industry, is embarrassing for the Prime Minister. It is also likely to encourage peers to maintain their defiance. The Lords reject the part-privatisation of the air-traffic control by seven votes for the second time (27 Nov.), which jeopardises the whole Transport Bill with its mass of proposals. The Lords argue that the part-privatisation was not a manifesto commitment, so they are free to abide by conventions and reject it. The government announces that it will delay its plan by three months for consultations before sell-off if the Bill is passed, which aims at winning over critics. The House of Commons debates the amendments to the plan (28 Nov.) and the government will present the Bill again in the Upper House before parliamentary time runs out (i.e. before the end of the parliamentary session on 1 Dec.). There is yet another backbench rebellion over Tony Blair's plan to part-privatise Britain's air-traffic control system. This time, 43 backbenchers vote against the government, which still wants to press ahead with the sale despite backbench unhappiness and the Lords' opposition. As the government has a huge majority in the House of Commons, the Lords' defeat is overturned. The Lords argue that Labour has no mandate to sell off air-traffic control, since the move was not included in the 1997 Labour manifesto. They want Labour to delay the plan until after the general election—and after including the policy in the coming manifesto. The Labour leaders think this is outrageous: the House of Lords cannot be allowed to decide on what is included in the Labour manifesto. The government says that delaying the sale for more than three months would be damaging, since some work has to be done to the air-traffic control systems. The bill returns to the House of Lords (30 Nov.). The Conservative peers do not want to defeat the government, so they pass the Transport Bill.

The government's Urban White Paper is published (16 Nov.): it aims at discouraging the building of homes in green fields. It plans urban regeneration. It promises an English cities fund, though not as large as anticipated, and a new Cabinet Committee, which will deal with urban renaissance.

The Cabinet ministers meet at Chequers to discuss political strategies for the future, as well as the Queen's Speech (17 Nov.).

Following the changes in the composition of the House of Lords, a first group of People's peers is to be appointed. Applications have to be handed in before 17 Nov. About 2,000 people have applied, but there are only 10 posts. The People's peers have to be free from any political affiliation. The candidates' applications will be scrutinised and the first appointments will be made early in 2001.

The annual election of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) shows that Labour backbenchers are frustrated with Tony Blair and the lack of communication between them and the Prime Minister. They are angry at the way the Prime Minister and the government have ignored backbench feelings. Clive Soley, MP for Acton and Shepherd's Bush, is reelected but it is a narrow victory (only 6 votes) (22 Nov.). The other two contestants were Andrew Mackinlay, MP for Thurrock in Essex since 1992, and Tony Lloyd, a former minister.

The government is running a budget surplus of £11b (21 Nov.). The critics of the Chancellor of the Exchequer argue that he has concealed the sound health of the economy in order to keep the money to cut taxes before the general election.

Three by-elections are held in Labour strongholds (23 Nov.): Preston, Glasgow Anniesland, which was Donald Dewar's constituency [see October 2000], and West Bromwich West, which was Betty Boothroyd's; Betty Boothroyd, the former Speaker of the House of Commons who resigned in July 2000 [see July 2000], is now a peer. There is also a by-election for the Scottish Parliament in Donald Dewar's constituency.

The turnout for the by-elections is low (24 Nov.). Labour wins all four seats. The Conservatives claim they have reached the level of the 1992 general election and that the gap between them and Labour has narrowed. However, the results are encouraging for Labour and the Prime Minister is likely to go to the country in May 2001 after a generous budget from the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Taxation will be one of the main points debated during the coming general election campaign. A Fabian report is published (27 Nov.), which claims that British people would prefer to pay higher taxes and have better public services. The Fabians want the tax system to be more transparent and taxes to be earmarked, i.e. people would know what their tax is used for (education, public transport, etc.).

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, unveils his Rural White Paper (28 Nov.), which is a blueprint for the revival of the countryside. In order to reverse the decline of market towns and villages, the government recommends the building of affordable homes, an impovement in the public transport system and the diversification of farming activities. It is an attempt to woo rural voters with a £1b package of countryside measures.

Michael Portillo announces that he has no ambition to succeed William Hague as Conservative party leader (28 Nov.). He is said to have lost his passion for politics following criticism of his "caring Conservatism" approach and revelations of his homosexual experiences. Many Conservative colleagues regard him as the potential saviour of the Conservative party.

The government is trying to push its legislation through before the end of the parliamentary year, which is on 30 Nov. (29 Nov.). It has so little time that it uses the guillotine repeatedly to curtail all debates. The week is cynically called "national guillotine week." There is much opposition to the government's method because legislation cannot be scrutinised, which is not democratic.

The EU is to give a £1b loan to rescue plans to part-privatise the London Underground (28 Nov.). The money will be allocated to the companies which win the contract and will comprise a third of the cash which the companies themselves are supposed to raise to invest in the Tube. This shows that private companies are not keen to invest in the Underground.

The government announces that its New Deal programme, which aims at helping people who have experienced long-term unempoyment, has helped 250,000 young people find a job (30 Nov.). The government claims success but critics, especially Conservative politicians, say that the picture is too rosy and that those young people would have found jobs anyway. As employers think that the rules are too complex, the government says that it will improve the scheme.

A Mori poll (30 Nov.) published by The Times shows that Labour is far more popular than the Conservatives (48 per cent to 33 per cent). It indicates that the Conservatives have failed to capitalise on the Labour government's recent troubles and that Labour support has reached its pre-fuel crisis levels.

European politics

The European Central Bank prepares a campaign which will consist in advertisements in papers and on television, to promote the euro, to reverse the losses it has sustained and to improve public confidence in the currency (2 Nov.).The currency has lost about 30 per cent of its value since its launch.

Tony Blair and Robin Cook, the Foreign Secretary, deliver two key speeches to show that belonging to the European Union is good for Britain (13 Nov.). They argue that the current voting system, i.e. unanimous votes on key decisions, has to be changed because of the enlargement of the Union. They also say that the Nice summit, which is to be held in December, will be the first step towards the construction of a federal Europe. Robin Cook adds that the government will now show "why supporting the EU should be the natural reaction of patriotic British citizens." This is part of a plan to undermine the Conservatives in the coming general election campaign; Tony Blair accuses them of being isolationist.

A report commissioned by Tony Blair is published (15 Nov.): it shows that British farmers are confronted with too much EU red tape, which places too large a burden on their shoulders.

The German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, declares that there should be direct elections of the President of the European Commission, which would be impractical according to Neil Kinnock, one of the British Commissioners. The present President, Romano Prodi, says that tax should be harmonised and that the veto for taxation should be scrapped (15 Nov.).

European Finance Ministers meet in Brussels (27 Nov.) to discuss taxation and central banking policy. Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, says Britain will not give up its right to veto future EU tax proposals; he argues that Mr Fabius's plan is complex and deplores the proposals for a savings tax. Both he and Tony Blair believe they defend national sovereignty.

The European Union prepares a draft treaty to replace all previous treaties with a short single document. The new text is easier to understand and will form the basis of a constitution, which may be a move towards a federal Europe (29 Nov.).

Jacques Chirac flies to London to meet Tony Blair, who wants Britain to retain its veto on tax, social security and border controls. The French President is determined to hold a very significant European summit in Nice in December which will bring huge progress towards the construction of the Union. He would like the veto to be abolished in up to 50 fields. The relations between France and Britain are strained because of the beef crisis and the quarrel between Dominique Voynet and John Prescott [see below]. Tony Blair is confident there will be progress on the enlargement of the European Union at the Nice summit in early December.

The European Union, Britain and BSE

The families of two French victims of CJD take Britain, France and the European Commission to court (17 Nov.). Britain is accused of having exported contaminated animal feed to France.

In the wake of panic in France, where beef sales have dropped sharply, the EU Agriculture Ministers meet in Brussels to discuss the BSE crisis and they hold talks until late at night (20 Nov.). They fail to agree on solutions, such as widespread testing or the ban on carnal feed to animals. Most countries refuse to organise widespread testing of animals and to introduce restrictions or bans on imports of French beef.

Downing Street vetoes a ban on imports of French beef (21 Nov.): Britain considers such action unnecessary, as the number of cases in Britain is much higher than in France.

There are two cases of BSE in North-West Spain (22 Nov.).

Britain steps up checks on imported beef, as a result of the increase in the number of BSE cases in France (24 Nov.). There are also two cases of BSE in Germany. Germany recommends that the sale of animal bone-meal feed should be banned, which is a change in attitudes.

Before making a decision on the ban of imports of French beef, the British authorities examine the safeguards against the spread of the disease in France (27 Nov.).

British delegates meet the French Agriculture minister for two hours in Paris (29 Nov.). They want to make sure the rules introduced at the beginning of November are implemented, before they make recommendations to the British government on the ban of French beef.

The European Commission proposes new measures to reduce consumer fears of BSE. It intends to ban all meat-based animal feed, and to test all cattle for BSE before they are admitted to the food chain (30 Nov.).

The Rapid Reaction Force

The Institute for Public Policy Research argues that politicians should prepare public opinion for the strengthening of the European Union's defence capacity (14 Nov.). The government, however, is in favour of a rapid intervention force, but not of a European army. The Rapid Reaction Peacekeeping Force is to give the European Union military muscle to back diplomatic pressure. So far EU pressure has not had much effect, as the crisis in Yugoslavia has shown.

The Defense Ministers of the European Union meet in Brussels (20 Nov.) to discuss the Union's new defence effort. The new force will mainly have peacekeeping and humanitarian tasks. The 15 member-states offer 100,000 troops, 400 aircraft and 100 ships for crisis management operations. Britain pledges 12,500 men, 72 combat aircraft and 18 ships and no British troops will be sent anywhere without the consent of the government. The RRF (Rapid Reaction Force) will strengthen NATO. By 2003 the EU should be able to field a force of 60,000 within 60 days and maintain it for one year. William Hague, the Conservative leader, warns that Britain's overstretched defences are being drawn into an anti-NATO morass. He says that the proposed force is nothing less than a standing army for the EU, which erodes national sovereignty. He adds: "If it looks like an elephant and sounds like an elephant, then it is an elephant." The Defence Ministers meet the countries which are candidates to enter the EU since each is expected to offer its own contribution to the force (21 Nov.). Baroness Thatcher, the former Conservative Prime Minister, viciously attacks Tony Blair on his agreement to commit British troops to an EU Rapid Reaction Force; she says the move is a "monumental folly" and speaks of the Prime Minister's "vanity" (21 Nov.). Tony Blair is furious: he thought the creation of the rapid reaction force was an opportunity for him to take the lead, but it has backfired.

Lord Howe, Lord Hurd and Michael Heseltine, former Conservative ministers who are pro-Europe, say that the new Rapid Reaction Force will strengthen NATO (24 Nov.).

The Hague Conference

Ministers prepare to travel to The Hague to attend the international Conference on global warming and the implementation of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which gives targets to all nations on cuts in carbon dioxide emissions (17 Nov.). Friends of the Earth says that Britain is on target for the 2010 deadline and that it is doing much better than other European nations.

Mr Prescott, the deputy Prime Minister, goes to The Hague to argue differences on how emissions of greenhouse gases are to be cut (20 Nov.). He delivers a speech to the Conference (21 Nov.). There is disagreement between the United States, which wants to avoid action, and Europe, which wants to go ahead with increasingly protecting the environment.

After one and a half week of deadlock, there is a breakthrough in negotiations (23 Nov.) and a compromise is reached on the amount of money which is going to be devoted to the cut in carbon dioxide emissions and the use of cleaner technology. The talks, which are held all night, have focused on America's role as the biggest polluter.

The countries try to reach an agreement on greenhouse gas emissions before the close of the Conference (24 Nov.). But the talks on greenhouse gas emissions collapse (26 Nov.): John Prescott accuses the French Environment Minister, Dominique Voynet, of breaking the deal he had put forward. They start a war of words (27 Nov.): Dominique Voynet accuses Mr Prescott of acting like "an inveterate macho man." In the House of Commons, John Prescott attempts to pass the affair off lightly; he says: "A macho man? Moi? The remark leaves me most gutted," and he claims that the French Environment Minister was too tired to understand the deal he had brokered.

Business

Railways

Two goods trains collide near Bristol (1 Nov.). One of the drivers is wounded in the accident, which increases the chaos and creates even more problems for passengers.

Gerald Corbett, Railtrack's chief executive, explains his decision to carry out a nationwide track inspection programme (1 Nov.).

John Prescott, the deputy Prime Minister in charge of transport, meets Gerald Corbett (2 Nov.) to discuss rail safety. The track inspection is nearing completion, but the repair work could take several months. However, Mr Prescott demands an improvement in services.

Railtrack announces that it has to re-lay 170 miles of track, which could take six months (3 Nov.).

More repairs are undertaken during the weekend (4 Nov.). The flooding [see below] adds to the problems and many services are either cancelled or experience long delays. Passengers are advised to travel only if their journeys are vital.

The line at Hatfield opens three and half weeks after the accident which claimed the lives of four people (10 Nov.). Gerald Corbett announces that 250 miles of track still have to be replaced and that 50 miles are already done [this is an increased figure when compared to the one given on 3 Nov.]. The work will take a long time because some points have to be manufactured especially.

Railtrack announces that its pre-tax profits dropped by 31% to £175m in the six months to 30 Sept (13 Nov.). This takes into account neither the £330m compensation the company will have to pay to train operators for disruption since the Hatfield crash, nor the cost of the re-railing work.

Customers' relations with rail operators are difficult: it is nearly impossible for frustrated passengers to contact the operators by telephone or e-mail (17 Nov.). The operators are drawing up a compensation package for the disruption of the past month, whose details will be revealed next week. Some routes are getting back to normal, but there will be disruptions on the journeys to the north until Easter. People will be able to book tickets for journeys during the Christmas holidays when the new timetables come out next week.

Gerald Corbett resigns (17 Nov.). Stephen Marshall, the new chief executive of Railtrack, says that passengers come first, a hint that profits had come first under the previous management.

New revised timetables come out (20 Nov.), which marks the end of day-to-day changes. Delays will be taken into account in the timetables and, in many cases, there will be reduced services. The timetables are for this week, and probably for next week and for the week after. The compensation packages are being finalised and there will be free trips over the New Year.

Because of the difficulties of travelling by train, more people are using their cars (24 Nov.). In some areas, traffic has increased by 25 per cent. One company, GB Railways, is on the verge of bankruptcy because of the drop in the number of passengers. A survey shows that, on average, one person a week who would normally travel by train will die in a car accident because driving is more dangerous than travelling by train. 

A Railtrack report says that train drivers are confused by the numerous instructions over speed limits (24 Nov.), which makes it more likely that they will go through red lights, and thus put passengers at risk. Railtrack wants to lift speed restrictions.

The first three carriages of a Virgin train which travelled at 15 mph derail (26 Nov.) outside Glasgow; four people are injured. An investigation gets under way into the accident, which may have been provoked by vandalism (27 Nov.). This causes more headaches for Railtrack.

Rail companies prepare new "robust" Christmas timetables, on the order of the Prime Minister (28 Nov.).

Two goods trains derail in separate incidents (29 Nov.).

Sir Philip Beck, the current chairman of Railtrack, tells the government not to interfere with the appointment of a new chairman (30 Nov.). The government has increasingly tried to influence Railtrack's choice of top personnel since the Paddington rail crash in 1999.

Industry

Talks take place to save thousands of jobs at the Ford plant in Dagenham (2 Nov.). It is due to close the assembly unit in 2002. The workers threaten to strike. The unions claim Ford promised in May that the new Fiesta would be built in Dagenham. Since then, Ford has announced the Fiesta would be built at its Cologne plant. In May, Ford said it would expand the diesel engine plant at Dagenham. It has since reduced planned redundancies from 1,900 to 1,300.

Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivers a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) (6 Nov.): he argues that a big cut in petrol duties would increase interest rates, which would affect mortgages and the economy. He also says that the planned concessions in his budget [see above] will not require plundering his budget surplus or jeopardising his economic strategy.

Michael Portillo, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivers a speech to the CBI, which demands an improvement in the transport system and infrastructure (7 Nov.). He argues that a car is a necessity and that fuel tax should be cut.

Eight hundred workers' jobs are at risk at the Cammell Laird shipyard after an Italian cruise liner which was going to be refurbished there suddenly turns back (24 Nov.).

A parliamentary report investigating a helicopter crash which occurred in 1994 criticises the Ministry of Defence (30 Nov.). The accident, which killed 29 people (crew and army and intelligence officers), is the RAF's worst peacetime accident. The helicopter was on its way to Northern Ireland. At the time, the pilots were accused of gross negligence. The committee of MPs concludes that the verdict of pilot error is unsustainable and accuses the MoD of "unwarrantable arrogance" and "shocking" aircraft test procedures (the crash was probably due to the failure of newly-introduced software). The pilots' relatives want to have their names cleared. 

Finance

Marks and Spencer's results are worse than the City had anticipated (7 Nov.). Six stores are due to close down. Luc Vandevelde, the chairman and chief executive who has been at the helm for eight months, has been unsuccessful so far in helping the business to recover.

British Telecom's second quarter results are published. They show a sharp fall in profits. The business has a £30m debt (9 Nov.). It intends to shed 5,000 jobs by the end of the year but declares all redundancies will be voluntary. It unveils plans to break up the business into five separate public companies, but no one trusts BT to carry out the plan effectively.

Vivendi, the French group merging with Seagram, the Canadian conglomerate, prepares to sever links with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation (15 Nov.).

The Nasdaq market in the United States explores an alliance with the London Stock Exchange (15 Nov.).

The Express group of newspapers is sold to Richard Desmond, a self-made multi-millionaire (23 Nov.).

The pound slumps to its lowest level in 14 years against the dollar, amid conviction that UK interest rates are too high and that they should go down (24 Nov.).

Tony Blair promises a series of measures aimed at cutting red tape in an attempt to woo back business to New Labour (27 Nov.). He will introduce a Deregulation Bill in the new parliamentary session, which will provide for the cut of regulations and unnecessary burdens on small businesses.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) meets in Birmingham (28 Nov.) to discuss the government's "inept taxation policy." It says that business taxes have increased regularly since the Labour government came to power in 1997, and that businesses will leave Britain to go to countries where taxation is lower.

Hundreds of lorry drivers are stranded in Dover (27 and 28 Nov.) because striking French dockers have closed the port of Calais.

European business

Cod numbers have slumped, so scientists recommend that the EU should close areas to trawlers for the first time in the history of European fishing policy (9 Nov.). The British government indicates it will follow scientific advice in order to ensure the industry's survival.

Wim Duisenberg, president of the Central European Bank, dismisses as irrelevant the British government's five conditions for joining the single European currency (23 Nov.). He says that the only conditions which matter are those laid out in the Maastricht Treaty.

Sir Eddie George, the Bank of England governor, warns that British membership of the euro will restrict Britain's ability to manage its economy (28 Nov.). If Britain scraps the pound it will be unable to fix interest rates, which is its biggest weapon against domestic inflation.

Society

Health

According to a BBC survey, most health authorities think that the NHS hospitals are going to feel the strain of winter crises later in the year (1 Nov.). In 1999-2000, because of a flu epidemic, many operations were cancelled and many wards closed. In spite of the billions invested by the government, the health authorities expect that pressure on hospitals will be at least as high as last year. They talk of the perpetual crisis of the NHS.

The government signs a deal to recruit up to 5,000 nurses from Spain to help solve staff shortages in the NHS (7 Nov.). The first 75 nurses, who will arrive in January 2001, will have a good command of English.

Alan Milburn, the Health Secretary, announces a multi-million-pound investment in treatment for sufferers of cancer and coronary heart disease (14 Nov.).

An independent report on the Oxford heart centre at the John Radcliffe hospital is published (15 Nov.); it was commissioned by the NHS executive. It shows evidence of antagonism between surgeons, overbooked lists, apparent emphasis on putting private patients before NHS ones, failure to prioritise by clinical need and serious management failings. The future of the unit is bleak.

Doctors say that the government's targets for the NHS are unlikely to be met, i.e. the government wanted patients to be able to get an appointment with their GP within 2 days in 2004, for lack of GPs (20 Nov.).

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommends that vulnerable patients, such as elderly people, or patients with asthma, should be prescribed the anti-flu drug Relenza which reduces the risk of complications (21 Nov.). The government relents on its decision to bar the prescription of the drug, which is very expensive, on the NHS. The Institute also recommends immunisation as the key solution.

A survey indicates that the NHS has failed to combat hospital-acquired infections: in 1999, 5,000 people died of an infection caught in hospital, which cost the NHS about £1b.

The Department of Health investigates the death of new-born babies who had a catheter inserted into their hearts (25 Nov.). Doctors use this technique frequently to feed premature babies. The investigation is unlikely to stop this common practice.

Alan Milburn, the Health Secretary, asks the National Institute of Clinical Excellence to issue general guidance on treatment for infertile couples who want to have babies (30 Nov.). At the moment, many Health Authorities refuse to provide NHS treatment because it is too expensive. The policy has been nicknamed the "post-code lottery." Alan Milburn would like all infertile couples to receive treatment wherever they live. As a consequence, other NHS areas will suffer because of the transfer of resources: the move could deprive heart and cancer patients of treatment.

Education

Chris Woodhead, the chief schools inspector, resigns (3 Nov.). He was appointed by John Major's government and was asked to keep his post by Tony Blair's. William Hague says that the resignation leaves the government's education policy in tatters, but both David Blunkett, the Secretary of State for Education, and the teachers' unions are delighted. The Conservatives are likely to offer Chris Woodhead a peerage (4 Nov.). He could use the House of Lords as a platform for criticising Labour's education policy after 28 February, before which he has to remain silent. However, Labour says it has compromising files about his private life in an attempt to contain the criticism. Chris Woodhead criticises the government for declining standards in writing. He says that the "literacy hour," which was introduced in all primary schools in 1999, has made children improve their reading, but not their writing.

The league tables show that the first state comprehensive school to achieve a 100% success rate at GCSE is the Thomas Telford school at Telford, Shropshire: every pupil achieved at least five grade A-C passes (12 Nov.). No non-selective school has ever achieved such high marks at GCSE. The school is one of the 15 city technology colleges (CTCs) which get more state funds than other schools as well as private funding from local industries. The unions declare that better results can be achieved in all schools with the necessary funding. More than 100 secondary schools are threatened with closure after failing to achieve the government's targets.

A report by the schools' inspectors shows that the Hackney local authority is unable to run its schools properly [Hackney is a London borough and one of the most deprived inner-city areas in Britain]. It proposes that a private company should take over (17 Nov.).

The Oxford Union debates the perceived inequalities of the admissions system at Oxbridge (21 Nov.).

Other news

The Times reports that over half of all parents say they do not have enough time to read bedtime stories (2 Nov.). Less than a third of children aged between two and eight have a bedtime story on five or more nights a week, compared with three quarters of their parents' generation at the same age. When they do get a bedtime story, children complain that their parents fall asleep after one or two pages.

An anti-abortion group launches a legal challenge to the Court of Appeal's ruling that Jodie and Mary, the Siamese twins hospitalised in Manchester, should be separated surgically (3 Nov.). The twins are three months old and the operation is due to take place within two weeks. As a result of the operation, Mary will die [see September 2000]. A team of twenty surgeons operate on the twins to separate them at St Mary's hospital in Manchester (6 Nov.). The operation, which lasts for twenty hours, is a complex and emotionally-draining experience. Inevitably, Mary dies. Jodie is in critical, but stable condition (8 Nov.).

Under the changes announced in Gordon Brown's pre-budget speech, nearly four million middle income earners will pay increased National Insurance contributions from April 2001 (8 Nov.).

The House of Lords defeats the bill on the lowering of the age of consent for homosexual relations by 205 to 144 (13 Nov.). Ministers insist that they will force through measures to lower the age of consent for gay sex to 16 by using a rarely-used Parliament Act which allows them to override the House of Lords if it defeats a bill (28 Nov.). The government does use the Parliament Act to impose the lowering of the age of consent for homosexual relations to 16 (30 Nov.) on the last day of the parliamentary year. In the meantime, some religious leaders and family campaigners put pressure on the government not to lower the age of consent for gay sex.

Ken Livingstone, the elected Mayor of London, promises that an extra 20,000 low-cost homes will be built for essential workers, such as nurses, policemen, or teachers (16 Nov.). The homes will be available for people who earn between £17,000 and £27,000 a year, which is a little too much to qualify for council housing and too little to obtain a mortgage. The move aims at attracting essential workers to the capital.

The government launches an initiative under which millions of children are to receive free fruit (16 Nov.).

Rural post-offices are closing at the rate of two a day, which further isolates people who live in the country (21 Nov.). In 2003 social benefits will no longer be paid at post-offices, but will be sent by cheque, which means that many more rural post-offices are likely to close down. 

A survey shows that unmarried couples with children are more likely to split up than married ones (22 Nov.).

Hundreds of prison industrial staff who deal with cooking, electricity repairs, etc. are threatening industrial action (23 Nov.). They have been ordered to wear name badges, which they refuse to do because they think identification puts them and their families at risk. Consequently, some are to be disciplined, which causes anger.

Miscellaneous

Floods and storms

Many parts of the country are still flooded as a result of the gales of 30 Oct. (1 Nov.). The regions which are most affected are Kent, Sussex and the Shrewsbury and Leeds areas. There is a high risk of pollution, especially of drinking water. Geoffrey Nance, of the Environment Agency, says that much recent construction in the South has taken place on flood plains. 1,800,000 homes are at risk. 

It rains even more (2 Nov.) and many areas are still on flood alert. More homes are evacuated. The environment agency issues 11 severe flood warnings for communities along the Severn, and in Yorkshire and Wales (3 Nov.).

In York, the flood waters reach their highest level since records began nearly 400 years ago (4 Nov.). Some inhabitants refuse to evacuate their homes and build defences with thousands of sand bags. As a result, their homes are not flooded. Thousands of acres are also flooded along the river Severn, especially in the Midlands. The government is concerned and considers the use of troops to help evacuate people and reinforce defences. It says that local authorities have to help the people.

The government announces an extra £51m for flood defences to avoid a political backlash from the current floods (4 Nov.). Hundreds of soldiers are put on stand-by as a new storm approaches Britain.

Torrential rains sweep through Britain during the night (5/6 Nov.) and bring new flooding. More rivers burst their banks, especially in the south-east. A report which was commissioned by the governement and published in June 2000, warned ministers that Whitehall needed to spend more on flood defences. The report showed that 10 per cent of the population and 12 per cent of agricultural land in England are flood-prone areas.

Transport is disrupted in many places as more areas are on high flood alerts (7 Nov.) and more people are evacuated.

Prince Charles declares that mankind's "arrogant disregard" for the delicate balance of nature is responsible for calamities like the current storms and the BSE crisis (7 Nov.).

The Environment Agency issues 43 severe flood warnings, and more rain is forecast (8 Nov.), mainly in Yorkshire and Kent. River levels drop, but there are still 27 severe flood warnings in several parts of England and Wales (9 Nov.). A combination of high tides and more rain may cause more flooding over the wekend (10 Nov.).

Flooding eases in mid-November.

The Millenium Dome

The government refuses to give listed-status to the Millenium Dome (6 Nov.), which means it will be pulled down early in 2001. It will be humiliating for the government but better than maintaining a reminder of the disastrous project.

Some burglars attempt to snatch £350m worth of diamonds from the Dome (7 Nov.). They are prevented from doing so by an elaborate Flying Squad operation. Twelve men are arrested, and questioned by the police (8 Nov.).

The National Audit Office, the government's spending watchdog, publishes the results of an inquiry into the blunders at the Millenium Dome (9 Nov.). The Dome's management is strongly criticised; as a result, there are more calls for the resignation of the Millenium Dome Minister, Lord Falconer, although the report does not blame anybody directly. During the coming election campaign, the Conservatives are likely to use the Dome as the symbol of what has gone wrong with New Labour, although it was John Major's government who put the show on the road.

Three new bids are made for the Dome (16 Nov.): Pierre-Yves Gerbeau's own bid, Experience, which wants to create an entertainment centre, as well as Legacy.

Birmingham claims compensation (16 Nov.) because it entered the competition for the Dome, which was costly. the city argues it was misled since the Government had chosen Greenwich as the location of the Dome before the competition started.

Legacy says it will drop its £125m bid unless it gets the go-ahead this week (17 Nov.), which puts ministers under intense pressure. Legacy, which is owned by Robert Bourne, a Labour donor, wants to turn the Dome into a high-tech business park, which it claims will create 14,000 jobs in North Greenwich.

The National Audit Office, Parliament's financial watchdog, launches an inquiry on ministers' handling of the sale of the building (20 Nov.).

Other news

Under a government scheme, celebrities give some of their cast-offs to help unemployed women look smart at job interviews (10 Nov.). Cherie Blair gives a trouser suit.

Lawyers for Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who murdered a two-year-old boy, James Bulger, in February 1993, ask the High Court to maintain the cloud of secrecy surrounding them although both are over 18 years old, and to protect their private lives when they are released (13 Nov.).

It is going to cost £5m to repair the Millenium Bridge (17 Nov.). The bridge, which opened in February 2000 to mark the Millenium celebrations, wobbled so much that it had to be closed the day after the inauguration. The cost of the repair-work is so high that an alternative solution, which consists in restricting the number of people on the bridge at any one time, is envisaged.

The man accused of murdering Jill Dando, the TV presenter, in 1999, makes his first appearance at the Old Bailey (24 Nov.).

Malcolm Bradbury dies at the age of 68 (28 Nov.). He was a prolific and influential novelist, critic and academic. He taught creative writing at the University of East Anglia; one of his "students" was Kazuo Ishiguro, who wrote The Remains of the Day. 

Damilola Taylor, a ten-year-old schoolboy who arrived from Nigeria in July to have a better life, is stabbed in the leg and left to bleed to death on a council estate stairwell in Peckham, south London (28 Nov.), after having endured bullying at school for weeks [Peckham is an inner-city area]. The police hunt for three schoolboys who were seen near the body of the schoolboy (29 Nov.). Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, visits Damilola's school, the Oliver Goldsmith school in Peckham (30 Nov.). The school is proud of its anti-bullying policy, but Damilola's mother says that her repeatedly-voiced concern went unheard. The murder prompts a wave of soul-searching similar to the one which hit Britain after the murder of James Bulger (30 Nov.). Richard Taylor, the boy's father, wants to confront Tony Blair over the "type of society Britain has become." Papers blame urban deprivation and institutional neglect in Britain's council estates, while politicians attack a culture of thuggery and violence.

The Carlton Club, which is a very Conservative all-male London club, votes on whether women should be full members (29 Nov.) but decides to retain exclusive full membership for men despite a push for change from the Conservative party leadership.

   by Marie-José Arquié (Université de Metz)