With the overwhelming hope of the anti-British Labour Party, Britain has now passed a law that would legalize so-called “assisted dying,” which is an Orwellian phrase intended to sanitize the true evil of this law. Lawmakers voted 330 to 275, meaning soon a lot of elderly Brits in senior homes are sure to be “encouraged” to save their families money by killing themselves.
Labour urged to take immediate action on palliative care after MPs back assisted dying – UK politics live | Politics– www.theguardian.com Source Link Excerpt:
Labour must take immediate action on palliative care, says senior Lib Dem
Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, chair of the health and social care select committee, voted for the assisted dying bill in the House of Commons yesterday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said she has “long believed, especially in the cases of terminally ill adults, that they should have that choice at the end of life”.
She said:
I’ve been moved by personal experiences, my best friend’s mother contracted cancer about 20 years ago and we lived in Belgium at the time.
She started the process but in fact died before she was able to complete the legal part of the process because the cancer was so aggressive. I saw how taking back that little bit of control in her life was important to her.
Parliament needs to take the arguments against the bill “seriously” though, she added, while saying that health secretary Wes Streeting should be taking a more proactive approach to the issue of palliative care.
She said:
I was disappointed. I was expecting an announcement from Wes Streeting yesterday to say ‘look, we’ve heard and we are going to do something’ … immediate funding commitments and a view to making sure this is dealt with in the next year or two.
I would argue that, whether this passes or not, that is one of the key messages that came out of the debate.
Key events
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Front pages in the UK on Saturday were dominated by the step taken by MPs toward legalising assisted dying in England and Wales by backing a bill that would give some terminally ill people the right to end their own lives.
Here is a round-up of how the news has been reported this morning:
Vulnerable people should not see ‘supported suicide’ as only options, says Abbott
Labour’s Diane Abbott, mother of the house, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she voted against the bill due to concerns that vulnerable people will “get swept up in the assisted dying route”.
She said that a quarter of people who want to place family members into hospices are unable to, adding:
If we are thinking about choice, we also have to think about the choice of people who if they could get support, could end their lives peacefully and happily but might find themselves either because they don’t want to be a burden or they are worried about their family’s finances being drained by the cost of care or even a few people who think they shouldn’t be taking up a hospital bed.
I think they should have a genuine choice and not see supported suicide as the only option.
She said she thought “very hard about it” but voted for “vulnerable people who, perhaps for all the wrong reasons, were going to opt for assisted suicide”.
Meanwhile, Abbott said that tweaks to the bill at committee stage were unlikely to sway her and other MPs who voted against it further down the line.
Labour must take immediate action on palliative care, says senior Lib Dem
Liberal Democrat Layla Moran, chair of the health and social care select committee, voted for the assisted dying bill in the House of Commons yesterday.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said she has “long believed, especially in the cases of terminally ill adults, that they should have that choice at the end of life”.
She said:
I’ve been moved by personal experiences, my best friend’s mother contracted cancer about 20 years ago and we lived in Belgium at the time.
She started the process but in fact died before she was able to complete the legal part of the process because the cancer was so aggressive. I saw how taking back that little bit of control in her life was important to her.
Parliament needs to take the arguments against the bill “seriously” though, she added, while saying that health secretary Wes Streeting should be taking a more proactive approach to the issue of palliative care.
She said:
I was disappointed. I was expecting an announcement from Wes Streeting yesterday to say ‘look, we’ve heard and we are going to do something’ … immediate funding commitments and a view to making sure this is dealt with in the next year or two.
I would argue that, whether this passes or not, that is one of the key messages that came out of the debate.
MPs back landmark assisted dying bill to give some terminally ill people the right to end their lives
Good morning and welcome to the UK politics live blog. I’m Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you all the latest news and views from Westminster over the next few hours.
MPs have taken a historic step toward legalising assisted dying in England and Wales by backing a bill that would give some terminally ill people the right to end their own lives.
Brought by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, the bill would give terminally ill adults with less than six months to live the right to die once the request has been signed off by two doctors and a high court judge.
It still has further steps to go through before becoming law, and supporters believe assisted dying will not be an option for those with a terminal diagnosis for at least three years.
The vote, which is the first on the issue for almost a decade, split the political parties and the cabinet. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves voted in favour alongside prominent opposition MPs such as Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt. Those voting against included Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister; Wes Streeting, the health secretary; Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader; and Nigel Farage, the Reform leader.
During the five-hour debate, the Commons heard impassioned pleas on both sides. MPs recounted personal experiences of illness and death, and appeals they had heard from their constituents on assisted dying.
Those who don’t want an assisted death and don’t want to take part in providing assisted dying can opt out of it, don’t have to do it, don’t choose to end their lives that way. So it offers everyone equal choice, whatever their religion.
Kit Malthouse, who made an impassioned speech in favour of the legislation, said parliament had taken a “significant first step” and called for the government to now dedicate more parliamentary time to consideration to the bill.
According to recent polling, three-quarters of the public back a change in the law.
For the full report on yesterday’s historic vote, see here:
Relying on China to produce our military uniforms exposes Britain’s mu – express.uk Source Link Excerpt:
IF Covid taught us anything, it was a stark reminder of how reliant we are on China, the world’s manufacturing superpower, producing nearly a third of everything we use.
The pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains, especially when much of what we need starts or passes through China. While that’s not a big deal if you’re buying basketballs or jeans, it’s a different story if you’re sourcing essentials like British military uniforms.
In a future crisis—or even escalating tensions with China—disruptions to these supply chains could have serious consequences. Imagine reintroducing national service (not an impossibility over the next five years). instead of marching to the parade ground, new recruits might first be heading to the Army Surplus Store for their kit.
What’s missing is a clear China strategy. The lack of a unified plan for managing China’s rise—both as an economic powerhouse and a challenger to the global order—has left decision-making fragmented.
Questions about security and resilience are often overshadowed by short-term cost savings. Case in point: The UK Defence Committee, during the last Parliament debated whether to source a ceremonial gift from British or Chinese metal, with the Chinese option being £4 cheaper. Eventually the British option was chosen – to avoid bad headlines! If the committee is making such political judgements so is any business having dealings with China.
Assisted Dying Bill passes Commons hurdle as MPs listen to historic result in solemn silence – gbnews.com Source Link Excerpt:
The assisted dying Bill has passed its second reading in the House of Commons today following a five hour debate in the Chamber.
MPs voted 330 to 275 in favour of the bill which was originally introduced as a Private Members’ Bill by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater.
Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak voted to pass the legislation, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch voted against the Bill.
The legislation will continue to be scrutinised by lawmakers in the House of Lords.
The UK is engaging in digital revolt at the moment with a viral petition becoming the tip of that resistance spear. The petition asks the viewer to sign a request for the British government to hold a general election.
The petition states, “I would like there to be another General Election. I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.” As of right now, the petition has over 2.3 million signatures.
The UK is a third-class nation with free speech. It is embarrassing, says MP Graham Stringer – telegraph UK Source Link Excerpt:
Having this understanding of the importance of the press I was incensed by the “Stasi-like” intrusion into the home of Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson on Remembrance Sunday of all days. This is why I raised the matter at Prime Minister’s Questions.
I don’t know why the police are in effect pushing the boundaries of free speech back, but they are.
Although my free speech rights in the chamber are guaranteed, the rest of the citizenry’s rights are dependent on Common Law and the limits are more flexible.
I am pleased to see that the exposure to discussion in the Commons seems to have helped persuade the police to withdraw their action.
I am sure the public want them to deal with real crime and not thought crime. After all, the clear-up rates on shoplifting and burglary are pitifully low.
In the aftermath of the Commons question, some Telegraph readers and others expressed surprise that a Labour MP would raise the issue of free speech and freedom of the press. I understand why.
