Issue #1, 15 th April
state that 30-40 people are held in one
room and are tortured through being
beaten and electrocuted, sometimes
even leading to deaths.
...continued from page 2
same global influence as Russia do. The
Kremlin backs the Chechen leader and
there is little chance anything will be
done. Putin is far more dangerous to the
world. They have their own ulterior mo-
The abuses in that region aren’t surpris-
tives that haven’t fully been disclosed
ing considering homosexuality is practi-
publicly. The Kremlin backs Assad, Er-
cally illegal in Russia, but whilst it is not
dogan and the Saudi Arabian regime and
illegal, it is highly frowned upon. With
whilst they have significant power there
the government often passing legislation
little the west can do about the other re-
that discriminates against the community.
gimes.
Outraged by the reports, 100s of people
turned up and protested outside the Rus-
sian embassy in London but the Kremlin
or the embassy have yet to respond to
the claims of attempted purification with-
in the Chechen republic.
but the Russian LGBTQ network has set
up a hotline for those seeking help and
have claimed that they have received
reports of abuses within the camp
through the hotline. They are also work-
ing on evacuating people from the camps There has been outrage as to why protes-
tors don’t act when reports of Saudi Ara-
with many people said to have already
left the region. Those who have escaped bian abuses are highlighted. There have
been protests but they don’t have the
Living standards: Are
short-term policies
the fault for the de-
crease?
Latest figures suggest liv-
ing standards have fallen
for the first time since
2014. But is this the fault of
government policy?
By Matthew Clifton
Living standards have fallen for the
first time since 2014, the is due to the
rise of inflation out stripping wage in-
creases. The Office of National Statis-
tics (ONS) reported that regular pay
was 1.9% higher than last year in Feb-
ruary, however, this was lower than
the 2.3% increase in prices. Despite
the increase in available jobs and the
decrease of unemployment, the fig-
ures underline standards of living are
slipping.
The ONS reported 39,000 increase in em-
ployed in the 3 months leading to Febru- ernment’s ‘living wage’, standards are
ary, with unemployment falling 45,000 to falling rather than rising.
1.56m. The jobless rate stood at 4.7%, the
The issue is government policy, there is
lowest since 1975.
little focus on the long-term and very lit-
tle interest in beyond 2020. The very
Government focus and
heart of our political system breeds short
reformation
term economic, social and environmental
policies, with the aim of winning the next
This highlights the issues with the gov-
ernment’s policies. There is a significant general election rather than contributing
focus on job quantity rather than quality, to a long-term and sustainable future be-
with the ONS reporting 767,000 available yond the 5-year term of the party who
jobs. Those on offer are likely to be those won the latest general election. There is a
danger that UK politics is slipping into
of lower pay and with most people
‘beauty contest’ that means parties with
searching for work so they can afford to
the best PR win, rather than most agreea-
live rather than just survive. With latest
ble policies.
figures suggesting that despite the gov-
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