Turkish assets fell for a second day as investors bet that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would win another five-year term and continue his unorthodox economic policies. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, has urged young Turkish voters to support his candidacy as he seeks to prevent Erdogan extending his rule into a third decade. Kilicdaroglu has vowed to revive democracy, re-establish ties with the West, return to orthodox economic policies and empower institutions that lost autonomy under Erdogan. The vote could see thousands of political prisoners and activists released if Erdogan fails to win the election, according to activists.
The UK government will introduce measures to simplify and reform the country's rental sector, with the Renters’ Reform Bill. The legislation will override Section 21 of the Housing Act, sometimes called “no-fault evictions”, and restrict the reasons landlords can remove tenants. The bill has been criticised, with landlords claiming they may leave the market and compliance costs could rise. There are at least 150 regulations governing the rental sector, according to property expert Phil Spencer.
The UK is experiencing a shortage of labour in key sectors such as farming, hospitality and social care, causing some commentators to question why the country is importing labour from abroad when there are millions of people out of work. Some suggest their unwillingness to take up these opportunities comes down to benefits payments that allow them to live off the state, a situation that was never the purpose behind the welfare state. While everyone agrees that society needs a safety net to help those who genuinely need it, when there are families in which two or even three generations have never worked, there is clearly a problem. However, incentivising employment by linking benefits to work has had little success. Another suggested solution is to address educational deficits and upskill people so they are better equipped to take on the work that is available.
Many conservatives have developed a mindset of “enlightened skepticism” regarding “shopworn liberal nostrums” that has devolved into a kind of addiction to debunking truth, writes Canadian columnist Andrew Coyne in The Globe and Mail. Coyne posits that the impulse toward the contrarian possibly arises from personality type “an ingrained oppositional mentality, a habitual, almost reflexive mistrust of whatever is conventional wisdom, a fatal weakness for the contrarian take,” sometimes spurred by frustration with liberal control of institutions. The result of this mindset is a detachment from reality leading to elaborate conspiracies and beliefs such as vaccine refusal and election fraud.
An op-ed has criticized the Eurovision Song Contest for its lack of racial diversity. Suzanne Moore, writing for the Spectator, called out the lack of representation among acts at the contest, with just a few of the 26 performers featuring a visible ethnic minority. Despite this, Moore questioned why left-wing activists did not voice criticism of Eurovision, compared to how they respond to events in the UK. She speculated that such activists remain silent due to not wanting to acknowledge that the UK is not as racist as it is often accused of being. Moore went on to accuse the Conservative government of “selling out to hyper-liberal globalists”, and for failing to take steps toward cutting immigration rates. Moore also criticized universities that she claims “discriminate against our own young people”.
A new political action committee aimed at promoting former vice president Mike Pence, “Committed to America” was recently formed. However, the committee faces hostility due to Pence’s association with the January 6th incident at the United States Capitol. In the past year, Pence’s average net favourability with Republicans only stands at plus 32, and in five polls conducted in the weeks after the attack at the Capitol, Pence’s net favourability overall was minus 9.
Several letters published in The Telegraph this week have seen landlords from across the UK complain about the negative impact they believe the Renters’ Reform Bill, proposed by UK Housing Secretary Michael Gove, will have on the private rented sector. Criticisms include that the bill will favour tenants over landlords and will lead to fewer landlords entering the property market, thus causing a shortage of rental properties for those looking to live in the sector. Previously, rents had steadily risen at rates around the same as inflation, however, following recent legistlation, rental prices have begun to soar, with one landlord claiming that his most recent let was 45% higher than its going rate several years ago. It is thought the RRB is a way of coercing more young voters into leaning towards the Labour party as the proposed legislation was thought to be more appealing to them and thus unlikely to secure Conservative support in the general election. A spokesperson for Gove has yet to make an official statement regarding the criticisms.
Meanwhile, academics at the University of Oxford have condemned the decision by the Oxford University Student Union to sever its relationship with the Oxford Union, which was due to the latter’s decision not to back down on an invitation it made to feminist Kathleen Stock. Saying that Professor Stock’s views were “illicit” had dangerous connotations, and calling outright for her prohibition was an “unacceptable” alternative, the academics argued. Instead, they said universities needed to remain places of open discussion, even for contentious views that could be questioned and debated.
Stellantis could cancel its plans to build an electric-vehicle battery plant in Ontario if the company doesn't receive the subsidies it applied for, however, Ottawa and Queen's Park are willing to pay the extra billions needed. The Canadian government broke the bank for Volkswagen with a promise of up to $13bn in production tax credits plus $700m in upfront construction costs, hailed as the German automaker's first battery plant outside Europe. But the incentives could become a race to the bottom and be consumed in higher after-tax corporate profits and higher costs of production, with little or no benefit to workers overall.
The fight over the direction of the next Conservative election manifesto has begun as tensions rise within the party. The newly formed Conservative Democratic Organisation held its inaugural conference last weekend criticising the current leadership. The party's National Conservative conference has also seen Home Secretary Suella Braverman challenge the idea of mass immigration to fill work vacancies. The meeting had no obvious ideological homogeneity, with some aiming to model the party along German Christian Democrat lines instead of a more harsh Conservative model, while Michael Gove presented as a social liberal. The election's focus will be on the economy, particularly inflation and the NHS.
UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng, has called for greater UK and US collaboration on energy security. Speaking ahead of his address at America's largest civil nuclear conference in Washington DC, Kwarteng emphasised the importance of both countries working together on state-of-the-art technologies and creating the conditions for renewable businesses to thrive. Kwarteng argued that the UK was already demonstrating its energy innovation, citing the country's large offshore wind farms and potential for reviving nuclear power.
The UK current fertility rate of 1.6, compared to the replacement rate of 2.1, continues to fall, according to an opinion piece by Miriam Cates, the Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge. Cates argued that since government policies either encourage or discourage family formation, public discussion should be openly held on how reforming policies such as the tax system and housing regulations could promote the creation of families. The piece also argued that the challenges facing public services outlined by Left and Right politicians will only worsen unless the UK takes measures to avoid population decline.
Choosing an apprenticeship over university was the best decision the writer ever made, says Ashley Beeby, a diesel mechanic, trade advocate and writer. Despite some initial reluctance to enter the male-dominated sector, Beeby found her work both intricate and satisfying, and said the trade offered a satisfying alternative to university debt. However, the narrow attitudes of some acquaintances suggested a lack of understanding of the complex and intellectually challenging nature of the trade. Smarts are valuable in all industries, and a passion for one's work is central to success, she said.
Russian missile strikes on May 16 may have damaged the US-made Patriot missile defence system, which is currently used by Ukraine, according to two anonymous US officials. Though the system has not been destroyed, the two countries are reportedly discussing the best way to repair it without having to remove it from Ukraine. The alleged damage follows a warning from Vladimir Putin to target and destroy anti-missile defence systems supplied by the West to Ukraine. The Patriot system is designed to counter a range of threats, from ballistic missiles and cruise missiles to aircraft.
Russia has been ramping up the number of missiles it fires in order to confuse and overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences. However, according to one US official, this may have worked to Ukraine’s advantage as it forced Russia to go through more of its limited supply of precision weaponry that can home in on targets. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at a summit of the Council of Europe, where he said that recent battlefield successes showed that Ukraine could achieve anything as long as it was united. These included shooting down 18 Russian missiles overnight, including a volley of six Kinzhals, which Russia claims have hypersonic capabilities.
The one thing Michael Gove must do to avoid ruining decent landlords
Telegraph
23-05-17 10:08
The UK needs a clear and workable plan to ensure that the court system can efficiently hear and process possession cases, according to Ben Beadle, CEO of the National Residential Landlords Association. Freedom of Information data from Scotland shows the number of administrative officer grade caseworkers in the country's Housing and Property Chamber increased 72% between 2017 and 2021, and Beadle called for a similar increase in staff for England and Wales. He said tenants should have access to legal advice when possession cases are being heard, while the Renters’ Reform Bill should enable both rogue landlords to be challenged and responsible landlords to deal with issues regarding rental properties. The cross-party housing select committee recently warned the government that an "unreformed courts system" could undermine its tenancy reforms.
The British government's plan is to fight the next election having successfully delivered on its five pledges to the electorate, according to Inside Politics. However, the government is far from keeping those pledges and, unless something changes, its election argument will be “Hey! Two out of five ain’t bad!” The one thing the Conservatives could do to make the problem worse is add a sixth pledge that they don't plan to meet, according to the platform. Michael Gove has said that the current level of migration to the UK is causing “inevitable pressure” on housing and public services with Suella Braverman arguing for lower immigration and tighter controls. Yet Jeremy Hunt and various spending departments have called for more migration to help fill vacancies and keep the economy running. Labour is also in the news over plans like gradually prohibiting smoking by increasing the age you can start buying cigarettes, which are thought to increase attention on Conservative targets. The Labour party's policy platform will be hammered out at a meeting of the party’s national policy forum in mid-July.
A group of readers have written to The Sydney Morning Herald to express their concern over Australia’s tax policies. They argue that the government's mistake is to have introduced tax cuts that benefit wealthier individuals rather than focusing on fixing the imbalances affecting low and middle-income employees. The piece, in particular, mentions the fact that Australia is a wealthy nation that is attached to the fair go concept, making it particularly important to address the issue of income inequality by ensuring that the rich don’t get richer while the poor fall further behind. Further opposition is expressed with regards to the proposed move of the Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta, in addition to the ban on a Mem Fox illustrated book in Florida.
Toronto WNBA game further proof Canadian market is ready for women's pro sports
CBC
23-05-17 08:00
Canada's first ever Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) game was hosted by Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on 18 May; with a sellout crowd of 19,923, the Chicago Sky took on Minnesota Lynx. Regarding the game, sport journalist and female athlete advocate Shireen Ahmed stated, "This game was a celebration of women in sport: athletes, coaches, officials, sports business people, fans and the wider community". The event was also linked to Mother's Day, and Ahmed commended the current momentum behind women's sport, whilst stressing that "no space is perfect".
US President Joe Biden's decision to cancel his visit to Australia for the Quad meeting due to disagreements over a US debt ceiling, has called into question the US as a reliable partner in the region and could further damage US/Asia-Pacific relations as it battles to restrict China's influence. Despite visiting Japan for a three-day G7 summit, the personal and public slap-in-the-face for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is viewed as a gift to China from the US, which has prompted Australia's media to question the US's ongoing commitment to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue when it is really needed.
Ukrainian air defences using US-made Patriot interceptors neutralised a heavy Russian missile attack against Kyiv, with six KH-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched missiles reported to have been stopped by Patriots. However, the Kinzhal missiles are modified air-launched versions of the ground-launched Iskander short-range ballistic missile developed three decades ago, and do not incur the additional hypersonic boost-glide system of manoeuvrable hypersonic descent hypersonic weapons that can be fired atop booster rockets, making them harder to intercept. Therefore, while Patriots can indeed stop Kinzhal missiles, they cannot necessarily intercept swerving-and-jinking weapons. Additionally, Russia has been developing an Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, deployed on Russian ICBMs, capable of descending at Mach 20 and outpacing any interceptors. China is also said to be developing similar weapons.
Ahead of Greece's election on May 21, political parties are turning to social media platforms TikTok and YouTube to win over young voters frustrated by years of crises that have cost them their youth. Many young voters remain undecided and feel political pledges do not reflect the issues resilient in their minds, such as economic growth and inflation. Economists argue the scarring effects of lost income, skills and productivity, as well as a shrinking population worsened by the exodus of skilled young Greeks during the crisis, could spell problems for state finances down the line.
