Ian Wiggett
@wiggett-ie.bsky.social
Cymro, Kernow, Wrestler. Policing stuff.
Sounds not unlike scrapping jury trials to solve the backlog in the justice system. (It may help, but it’s not addressing the causes of the problem)
The 'clogging up' of A+Es is not due to the 2% of people coming to ED with this quite arbitrary list of conditions. The main reason they're clogged is poor flow through hospitals!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Patients clogging up A&E with hiccups, sore throats and niggles
NHS bosses warn the public to use hospitals wisely amid concern this could be a tough winter.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 4, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Sounds not unlike scrapping jury trials to solve the backlog in the justice system. (It may help, but it’s not addressing the causes of the problem)
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
Completely agree with Ben here. The NHS press release is even weirder, describing the NHS as "under siege" from these minor conditions
Shows a complete unwillingness in the NHS to engage with the actual reasons for long A&E waiting times
Shows a complete unwillingness in the NHS to engage with the actual reasons for long A&E waiting times
December 4, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Completely agree with Ben here. The NHS press release is even weirder, describing the NHS as "under siege" from these minor conditions
Shows a complete unwillingness in the NHS to engage with the actual reasons for long A&E waiting times
Shows a complete unwillingness in the NHS to engage with the actual reasons for long A&E waiting times
The Policing and crime minister, Sarah Jones, believes a wider roll-out of facial recognition could mark "the biggest breakthrough" in catching criminals since DNA analysis.
Facial recognition could be used more by police under plans
The Home Office hopes a new public consultation will lead to new laws expanding the use of the technology by more police forces.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 4, 2025 at 11:02 AM
The Policing and crime minister, Sarah Jones, believes a wider roll-out of facial recognition could mark "the biggest breakthrough" in catching criminals since DNA analysis.
The Government is proposing to create a regulator to oversee police use of facial recognition, biometrics and other tools and is collecting opinions on what powers it should have.
Regulator to be appointed to oversee police use of facial recognition technology
www.policeoracle.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:43 AM
The Government is proposing to create a regulator to oversee police use of facial recognition, biometrics and other tools and is collecting opinions on what powers it should have.
The Home Office has said the Police Reform White Paper (PRWP) will now be published early next year, after it was set to be released before the end of 2025.
It is expected to detail major changes to the policing system, including further details on the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners.
It is expected to detail major changes to the policing system, including further details on the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners.
Police Reform White Paper’s publication delayed until early 2026
www.policeoracle.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:41 AM
The Home Office has said the Police Reform White Paper (PRWP) will now be published early next year, after it was set to be released before the end of 2025.
It is expected to detail major changes to the policing system, including further details on the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners.
It is expected to detail major changes to the policing system, including further details on the abolition of Police and Crime Commissioners.
Scrapping some jury trial is not expected to make a significant difference to the current backlog - so what’s causing the backlog? (It can’t just be excused away by Covid, surely?)
Why has the government scrapped juries for some trials?
Listen to today's Sensemaker wherever you get your podcasts to discover more.
lnk.to/an2qggBS
Listen to today's Sensemaker wherever you get your podcasts to discover more.
lnk.to/an2qggBS
December 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Scrapping some jury trial is not expected to make a significant difference to the current backlog - so what’s causing the backlog? (It can’t just be excused away by Covid, surely?)
The worst-performing NHS trusts in the league table broadly tally with levels of deprivation. Clinicians are overwhelmed by generational ill health and entrenched poverty. Their ability to respond is often hampered by their struggle to attract the best staff.
Blackpool report: why do England’s deprived areas have the most troubled hospitals?
Clinicians in deprived areas are overwhelmed by generational ill health and poverty
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:31 PM
The worst-performing NHS trusts in the league table broadly tally with levels of deprivation. Clinicians are overwhelmed by generational ill health and entrenched poverty. Their ability to respond is often hampered by their struggle to attract the best staff.
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
Misleading write-up - it's true that there is a crisis in A&E, but this is not because of "soaring demand".
The RCN report itself shows that A&E attendances are only 3% higher than in 2019, while 12+ hour waits are 8,033% higher.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
The RCN report itself shows that A&E attendances are only 3% higher than in 2019, while 12+ hour waits are 8,033% higher.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Numbers leaving A&E without treatment triples in six years
Soaring demand has led to ‘shocking’ rise in untreated patients leaving NHS emergency departments in England, data shows
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Misleading write-up - it's true that there is a crisis in A&E, but this is not because of "soaring demand".
The RCN report itself shows that A&E attendances are only 3% higher than in 2019, while 12+ hour waits are 8,033% higher.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
The RCN report itself shows that A&E attendances are only 3% higher than in 2019, while 12+ hour waits are 8,033% higher.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
Thames Water half-year profit leaps to nearly £400m after it raises bills by third
Thames Water half-year profit leaps to nearly £400m after it raises bills by third
Revenues jumped 40% to nearly £2bn after debt-ridden utility hiked water bills sharply in April
Thames Water has reported a leap in half-year profits to £386m after bills rose by nearly a third, even as it warned it faced huge funding uncertainties that could result in a rapid collapse into government control.
Britain’s biggest water company on Wednesday said it had swung into profit for the six months to September, after losing £230m in the same period in 2024. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Thames Water half-year profit leaps to nearly £400m after it raises bills by third
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
Councils using unregistered homes to care for young children which can charge £30,000 a week bit.ly/4pDAksi another social infrastructure scandal due to past underinvestment now exploited by profiteers
Cost of unregistered children's care homes a 'national scandal' - Ofsted
The Children's Homes Association says there is no clear national plan and government must 'fix the system'.
bit.ly
December 3, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Councils using unregistered homes to care for young children which can charge £30,000 a week bit.ly/4pDAksi another social infrastructure scandal due to past underinvestment now exploited by profiteers
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
Majority of drivers pulled over for drug-driving in Scotland test positive
Topical spotlight: Shifting gear - 1919 Magazine
Can Scotland’s law enforcement cope with more drug-drivers?
1919magazine.co.uk
December 3, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Majority of drivers pulled over for drug-driving in Scotland test positive
Nine in 10 councils across England are placing children in unregistered homes which can charge up to £30,000 a week per child.
Cost of unregistered children's care homes a 'national scandal' - Ofsted
The Children's Homes Association says there is no clear national plan and government must 'fix the system'.
www.bbc.com
December 2, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Nine in 10 councils across England are placing children in unregistered homes which can charge up to £30,000 a week per child.
The Pentagon has “cut off contact” between American defence officials and their German counterparts, according to the head of Germany’s army.
German army chief says contact with US military cut off by Pentagon
Lieutenant General Christian Freuding fears the longstanding military partnership between the two allies is unravelling under President Trump’s administration
www.thetimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 9:27 PM
The Pentagon has “cut off contact” between American defence officials and their German counterparts, according to the head of Germany’s army.
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
UK terror watchdog warns national security plan ignores escalating online threats
UK terror watchdog warns national security plan ignores escalating online threats
Independent reviewer says need to protect against online threats is now as important as need for robust armed forces
The UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism laws has criticised the government’s latest national security strategy for failing to take online threats more seriously, despite Keir Starmer claiming it would result in “a hardening and sharpening of our approach” in the face of Russian menace.
Jonathan Hall KC said it was “a very surprising omission” that the 2025 national security strategy did not focus more on online risks, including from terrorists and hostile states, which he said were now a “major vector of threat”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:31 AM
UK terror watchdog warns national security plan ignores escalating online threats
So monolithic has the multi-billion dollar global scam industry become that experts say we are entering the era of the “scam state”. Like the narco-state, the term refers to countries where an illicit industry has dug its tentacles deep into legitimate institutions
Age of the ‘scam state’: how an illicit, multibillion-dollar industry has taken root in south-east Asia
Like the narco-state, a ‘scam state’ refers to countries where an illicit industry has dug its tentacles deep into institutions and transformed the economy
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 6:13 AM
So monolithic has the multi-billion dollar global scam industry become that experts say we are entering the era of the “scam state”. Like the narco-state, the term refers to countries where an illicit industry has dug its tentacles deep into legitimate institutions
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
"Canada has reached a final agreement to join the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe program, two EU diplomats told POLITICO, marking the first time a third country will formally participate in the bloc’s flagship joint procurement initiative." www.politico.eu/article/cana...
Canada clinches deal to join Europe’s €150B defense scheme
The deal concludes months of tough talks and will allow Ottawa to take part in procurements financed by the EU’s SAFE program.
www.politico.eu
December 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"Canada has reached a final agreement to join the EU’s €150 billion Security Action for Europe program, two EU diplomats told POLITICO, marking the first time a third country will formally participate in the bloc’s flagship joint procurement initiative." www.politico.eu/article/cana...
Data shows increase in neighbourhoods where few metres of asphalt, hedgerow, or wall can separate deep inequality @gmhales.bsky.social
‘Posh-poor divide’: the rise in areas of England where wealth and deprivation appear side by side
Data shows increase in neighbourhoods where few metres of asphalt, hedgerow, or wall can separate deep inequality
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Data shows increase in neighbourhoods where few metres of asphalt, hedgerow, or wall can separate deep inequality @gmhales.bsky.social
‘the Treasury and the Cabinet Office should also shoulder some of the responsibility for maintaining IT systems that lacked the level of security needed to prevent unregulated access by outside bodies’
OBR says inadvertent budget leak is ‘worst failure’ in its 15-year history
Investigation finds organisation’s leadership over many years was to blame for error, and similar breach happened earlier this year
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 5:03 PM
‘the Treasury and the Cabinet Office should also shoulder some of the responsibility for maintaining IT systems that lacked the level of security needed to prevent unregulated access by outside bodies’
Officers leading Operation Olympos said that without more cash from the government they were going to have to make “tough decisions”.
Police inquiry into Post Office and Horizon may run out of cash
Officers have told victims there will have to be ‘tough decisions’ on Operation Olympos despite the number of criminal suspects doubling to eight
www.thetimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Officers leading Operation Olympos said that without more cash from the government they were going to have to make “tough decisions”.
Police officers investigating the Post Office Horizon IT scandal are now considering corporate manslaughter charges.
Police consider corporate manslaughter charges in Post Office scandal
The move comes as police continue to investigate what has been called the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Police officers investigating the Post Office Horizon IT scandal are now considering corporate manslaughter charges.
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
New funding plans for mayors may not have made the headlines last week but they represent important steps on the government's journey to 'complete the map' of English devolution.
More from me, @akashpaun.bsky.social and @matthewfright.bsky.social below.
More from me, @akashpaun.bsky.social and @matthewfright.bsky.social below.
New funding plans will give mayors more autonomy to boost growth
The chancellor's budget announcements are important steps on the government’s journey to ‘complete the map’ of English devolution www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/autu...
The chancellor's budget announcements are important steps on the government’s journey to ‘complete the map’ of English devolution www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/autu...
New funding plans will give mayors more autonomy to boost growth | Institute for Government
Longer-term funding arrangements are a welcome step towards deepening English devolution.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
December 1, 2025 at 9:39 AM
New funding plans for mayors may not have made the headlines last week but they represent important steps on the government's journey to 'complete the map' of English devolution.
More from me, @akashpaun.bsky.social and @matthewfright.bsky.social below.
More from me, @akashpaun.bsky.social and @matthewfright.bsky.social below.
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
Ajax Amsterdam: Partie gegen Groningen wegen Pyrotechnik auf Tribüne abgebrochen: Sogar der Fußballplatz geriet in Brand: In Amsterdam ist das Gedenken an einen verstorbenen Ajax-Fan komplett aus dem Ruder gelaufen. Spieler und Offizielle reagierten fassungslos.
Ajax Amsterdam: Partie gegen Groningen wegen Pyrotechnik auf Tribüne abgebrochen
Sogar der Fußballplatz geriet in Brand: In Amsterdam ist das Gedenken an einen verstorbenen Ajax-Fan komplett aus dem Ruder gelaufen. Spieler und Offizielle reagierten fassungslos.
www.spiegel.de
December 1, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Ajax Amsterdam: Partie gegen Groningen wegen Pyrotechnik auf Tribüne abgebrochen: Sogar der Fußballplatz geriet in Brand: In Amsterdam ist das Gedenken an einen verstorbenen Ajax-Fan komplett aus dem Ruder gelaufen. Spieler und Offizielle reagierten fassungslos.
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
The rollout of the label follows a long tradition of corporate jargon to describe employees, including Disney’s ‘imagineers’ and Amazon’s ‘ninja coders’ on.ft.com/48J5Cbq
December 1, 2025 at 1:31 AM
The rollout of the label follows a long tradition of corporate jargon to describe employees, including Disney’s ‘imagineers’ and Amazon’s ‘ninja coders’ on.ft.com/48J5Cbq
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
'We have historically high welfare spending.' No we don't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
November 29, 2025 at 5:08 PM
'We have historically high welfare spending.' No we don't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
'We have a historically high proportion of working-age people not actually working.' No we don't.
'The number of Britons emigrating is skyrocketing.' No it isn't.
Reposted by Ian Wiggett
🇵🇱 My @thetimes column: Poland’s economic miracle
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
October 12, 2025 at 11:59 AM
🇵🇱 My @thetimes column: Poland’s economic miracle
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3
12 out of 17 Polish regions are now richer than West Wales. It has faster internet, cheaper electricity and more high speed rail than Britain
When it comes to regional development it’s the UK, not Poland, that needs to catch up
1/3