The last Week In Politics has seen an analysis into the governments right to buy scheme, which accuses them of fuelling the housing crisis, outsourcing giant, Capita, has issued another profit warning and the EU and UK are set to clash over citizen’s rights in the Brexit transitional period and the EU states agreed and released their guidelines for negotiations.
Meanwhile in the rest of the world has seen Republican Paul Ryan move to suppress the FBI. In the middle east, Trump continues to push the American in agenda against the Palestinians
Housing fire sale and government outsourcing
The Local Government Association released an analysis this week that accused the government of fuelling the housing crisis with its “fire sale” of council housing.
The Conservatives have spent £3.5 billion subsidising the sale of council houses but have failed to build replacements. The report says that the government have put “rocket boosters” under right to buy, however, have failed to build like-for-like replacements.
Outsourcing giant Capita, have cut its profit forecast again and plan to reveal £700 million through the issuing of new shares. They have previously issued several profit warnings and new chief executive said the company had become “too complex” and “driven by a short-term focus”. The move comes after the collapse of rival, Carillion. This does raise further concerns over government outsourcing as Capita operate London’s congestion charge, the government’s Jobseekers Allowance helpline and administers the teachers’ pension scheme.
Labour MSP, Anas Sarwar, has revealed that he was told by Labour councillor that he couldn’t vote for him because Scotland wasn’t ready for a “brown, Muslim Paki”. Highlighting the inherent racism that plagues politics and society.
Brexit
The EU and the UK government look set to clash over rights for EU citizens. The EU have offered a transition period until the end of 2020 that would see the three million EU citizens in Britain retain the same rights until the end of the transitional period.
However, Theresa May has suggested that EU citizens coming into Britain after March next year, won’t have the same rights.
Ministers decided not to oppose a Labour motion urging its publication, amid signs they would lose the vote. The leaked study suggests that in three different scenarios the UK economy would grow more slowly than it would if it stayed in the European Union.
The government previously claimed that the document's immediate publication could damage UK negotiations with the EU.
The EU member states agreed in around two minutes their negotiation guidelines for the transitional period. This a stark contrast to the UK government who are plagued by infighting over what kind of Brexit they want. Nonetheless the EU guidelines say:
“Transition should run from Brexit in March 2019 to 31 December 2020, all EU rules and regulations - as well as EU rule changes adopted after March 2019 - should apply in the UK during the transition phase, there can be no "cherry picking" on the single market - so free movement into the UK should continue, the UK will not be involved in the decision-making of EU bodies, it cannot implement its own international agreements unless the EU agrees, work should continue on finding a solution to the Northern Ireland border question”.
News of the world
Republican House Speaker, Paul Ryan, has called for “cleansing” of the FBI. He also told republicans that he supported the release of the memo that is critical of the FBI over the Trump-Russia probe. The language used by Ryan is clear in his message that he wants to suppress the truth and control the security services for pro-government propaganda.
However, the FBI are said to be assessing another report that has independently set out similar allegations made in the dossier that detailed Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia. The political activist and former journalist, Cody Shearer, is being reviewed by the FBI team who are investigating Trump-Russia ties. Despite attempts by the Republicans to suppress the information, it is vital that the investigation isn’t stifled or supressed for the sake of improving democratic processes.
On Thursday, Arab foreign ministers called for the creation of a UN-backed "multilateral mechanism" to help revive the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. The appeal was issued at the end of a two-day meeting to discuss US President Donald Trump's 6 December recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has sparked Arab anger. Furthermore, Trump's decision also to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv triggered deadly clashes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and was rejected in a non-binding UN General Assembly resolution.
