New broom at PMQ

So, in the national news we've got the new Labour leader shaking up Prime Minister's Question Time. For anyone who doesn't know, that's an hour in the week when the Prime Minister answers questions from other MPs, and it's famous in part for the MPs behaving quite immaturely (some call it Punch and Judy politics). 

As the proverb says:

Jeremy Corbyn has said he wants to get away from the kind of behaviour that wouldn't look out of place in a primary school (though I imagine the head teacher would be pretty annoyed).

In and effort to give ordinary people the voice, he put questions to Prime Minister directly from emails and tweets.  He was passionate , but he was civil and polite, and asked the questions that mattered to his voters.

That said, Jeremy Corbyn has not been elected without controversy: he's already been in trouble for not singing the National Anthem at the Battle of Britain, and for not giving as many shadow cabinet jobs to women as his predecessors.

Nothing is perfect, and a new person taking on a job brings new problems as well as fixing old ones.

Perhaps it's worth remembering the other half of the proverb.

   

Local news

The first gathering of the Copeland Community Forum took place last week. This is a place where representatives of all the major sectors can come together: health, police, education, sport, charities, local businesses, and talk about the priorities for Copeland. 

Young people have been represented too, and the services offered by the Council will be shaped by these meetings, so it's important that everyone living in the borough comes forward with any thoughts about what would make life better in Copeland.

Seeing things differently

So, here's a video of the 41 most unexpected cat jumps of all time

Which is great, but when I watch it I just think the title's all wrong. It should really be, "There are two kinds of cat: evil cats and idiot cats".

And finally...

At the Women's Institute Centennial Fair in Harrogate, merchandise from Cockermouth was banned because the name of the town is too rude and may cause offence.

Captain Picard say...

 

Assisted Dying

The big news story this week is around the Assisted Dying Bill. As most of you know a Bill is something that MPs discuss and vote on to decide if it should become the law; and this Bill is all about whether someone has the right to be helped to die.

This assistance can only happen in some very specific circumstances: the person has to be terminally ill, with (probably) fewer than six months to live, and the prescription of a lethal dose of medication must be agreed by two doctors.

For some people, this is a good thing, as it helps people who are very close to the end of their life, often living in pain and discomfort, to die with some dignity.

For others, there's a fear that it could change how we view life, and could lead some people to feel like a burden, and want to die for the good of their families.

This is a subject that people on both sides feel really passionate about, and today's vote will likely lead to some bitter disappointment

Tony Nicklinson, who campaigned to be helped to die

Local News

The Gaiety cinema is set to reopen after 12 years.  That means the people of Copeland won't have to travel to Workington to see every new release.

It's not all good news though: the Gaiety has limited access for the disabled, and the Copeland Disability Forum have expressed their disappointment that wheelchair users will not be able to make use of the building.

The cinema owners have said that they investigated improving disable access, but the layout of the building itself makes this impossible.

If you were making the decision to reopen or not, what would you do?

Seeing things differently

Remember, there's always more than one perspective:

And finally...

Science is magic. Wow.