It is time to put Putin on trial for war crimes.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/… This week’s bombing of the main children’s hospital in Kyiv, on a brutal day when multiple attacks killed at least 41 people, is a brutal reminder of Putin’s war crimes.

There is a way to put him on trial.

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As the Tories pander to the prejudices and hard-right agenda of Nigel Farage and his supporters, it’s become clear that what’s at stake in this election is nothing less than what it means to be British.

[THREAD] Britain has always been defined by three basic truths. First, fairness: a belief that we’re not just self-seeking individuals with no obligation to others - just look at the pride we take in the NHS. But this sense of decency has been torn apart by Tory vindictiveness.

Austerity’s children – those born after 2010 – now account for 3.4m of Britain’s 4.3m children in poverty, with an extra 100k children pushed into poverty every year.

The damage to them runs deep and will have devastating consequences.

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theguardian.com/commentisfree/… The assault since 2010 has been relentless.
In 2010, child benefit was frozen (it’s now worth 20% less); then the inflation link for benefits went, the benefit cap was introduced, the family premium scrapped, working-age benefits frozen, the 2-child limit brought in...

A year on from Russia's invasion, we owe it to the people of Ukraine to bring Putin to trial for war crimes.

[Thread] Having witnessed first hand the devastation inflicted on Ukraine in his visit last week, Joe Biden should now take the lead from Europe and announce American support for a special tribunal to try Putin and his henchmen for the crime of aggression.

Charging the sick for being sick.

Mark my words: this will be end of the NHS if the Tories have their way.

[Thread] If the Tories have their way. we will see the end of the NHS. They are testing the water on private funding of the NHS with Sajid Javid writing approvingly of the £20 fee some European countries charge.

Currently in Scotland, poverty dictates life chances and health outcomes.

Unless we dramatically reduce the inequalities that are causing poor health among the most deprived in our country, Scotland's NHS will be unable to cope.

[Thread] A new report by @scottish_future this week shows that men in the most deprived areas of Scotland not only live 14 years less but spend 33% of their lives in poor health.

Similarly, women from deprived areas live 11 years less and spend 35% of their lives in poor health.

Since February thousands of Ukrainians have been killed/injured, 8 million internally displaced and 8 million have become refugees.
Together with 100+ public figures and lawyers I am calling for a Special Tribunal to be summoned.

Putin's crimes must be answered for.

[Thread] Since Russia invaded Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed/injured, 10's of millions displaced, civilian infrastructure destroyed, and irreplaceable cultural monuments reduced to rubble.
Vast areas of Ukrainian land remain occupied.

It is high time that the world took the fight to Putin and his enablers.

The UK and US must act quickly both for Ukraine's sake and to honour the legacy of the Nuremberg trials when the free world stood its ground and ensured war criminals were held accountable.

[Thread] It has been 11 months since Russia, backed by Belarus, launched one of the largest ground invasions in Europe since the Second World War.

Since then, thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed or injured, and around 8 million people have become refugees.

A special international tribunal now taking shape in The Hague could indict President Putin for the crime of aggression.

[Thread] Such a tribunal which President Zelensky requested in October is now endorsed by the European Union the Council of Europe and NATO.

And the Dutch government is ready to finance the creation of an interim office to prepare the case against Putin.

12 years of Tory rule has made the UK the most regionally unequal economy in Europe.

To build prosperity and tackle poverty across the whole UK, we need to change not just who governs but how we are governed.

We need genuine political reform.

[THREAD] In our Commission On The UK’s Future, we identified nearly 300 employment hotspots capable of creating world-beating products and companies.

But these firms need a supportive, muscular local environment that can fund training, research, good transport links and infrastructure.

Britain’s poor face the worst winter in living memory.
A year ago we talked about people having to choose between heating and eating, now many can’t afford either. Basics like soap, toothpaste etc are becoming unaffordable luxuries.
And it’s only going to get worse.
[THREAD} Fuel poverty is likely to double between now and April
◾️Two thirds of the country will be in fuel poverty from April
◾️70% of pensioners
◾️96% of lone-parent families with 2 or more kids
◾️over 85% of all couples with 3 or more kids.

1/
There's no longer such a thing as the international community.

So said a prominent African leader aware that, along with the UN, the IMF and COP27, the G20 will fail to address the world’s multiple crises.

So what’s the solution?

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amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/… 2/
The post-Cold War order is collapsing. There’s now no consensus that open markets benefit all.
For 30 years economics drove political decisions. Now politics drives economic decisions.And it is nationalism that has replaced neoliberalism as the dominant ideology.

A message from Tory conference:
Don't get sick
Don't be disabled
Don’t be on low pay with kids to feed
Don’t rely on Universal Credit or public services
If you do, get ready to pay for £43bn in tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest the most.
[THREAD]
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/… Liz Truss and minister after minister have refused to honour Rishi Sunak’s promise to uprate benefits in line with inflation.

This would leave millions in desperate need and the number of children in poverty hitting 5 million for the first time in a generation.

After the right turn, the U-turn. But Kwasi Kwarteng's panicked climbdown still leaves £43bn in tax cuts.

Growth won’t pay for them so spending cuts worse than austerity will - an amount equivalent to closing every English school.

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theguardian.com/commentisfree/… The U-turn isn’t a change in strategy. Let's not forget:
✅£19bn corporation tax cuts
✅Doubling tax-free giveaways on share options
✅£2bn for employees who declare themselves self-
employed
✅£1bn tax cut on dividends
✅Bankers' bonus free-for-all
✅No new windfall tax

1/
Having been promised an energy price freeze, millions will be shocked when hit with a 25% rise in fuel bills in October.
5 million kids risk being pushed into poverty, with charities having to stop feeding the hungry so they can help the starving.
We have to act.
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After a summer of doing nothing the government has finally done nowhere near enough.

Things are so bad that @Human_Relief which has spent 30 years focused entirely on aid to the world’s poorest countries, has opened a food bank in Birmingham.

1/ 400m children globally cannot read by age 11.

70% of 10 and 11-year olds aren’t learning basic arithmetic and language skills.

Total world aid only amounts to $15 a year for an African girl - barely enough for a textbook. But there is hope.

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tinyurl.com/3ubxc9mc 2/
I just returned from the @UN @TransformingEdu summit where children demanded a new deal on education.

From @GirlsNotBrides fighting against child marriage to @kNOwChildLabour, striving to keep kids in class, to Afghan girls bravely standing up to the Taliban.

#LetMeLearn

The catastrophic floods in Pakistan have been devastating.

1,100 people killed

1 million homes washed away

33 million people affected

45% of agricultural land destroyed

It's also been a calamity for young people’s education.
itv.com/news/2022-09-0… Around 16m Pakistani children have been displaced, joining 22.8m who never go to school.

18,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed, thousands more are unsafe, 5,500 schools are being used as emergency accommodation. And these figures are likely to understate the damage.

1/ It’s a year since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and 3 months since teenage girls were banned from education.

No other country in the world prevents girls attending school.

The world has been patient enough. We must act.

[Thread] thetimes.co.uk/article/we-mus… 2/ When the Taliban said they needed time to make decisions, the world respected this. When they prescribed rules requiring girls to completely hide their faces, we said little, believing girls would be allowed to return to school. But the Taliban have not kept their promises.

35m people – almost half the UK population – face fuel poverty in October when prices rise again.

Time’s running out to change Universal Credit in time. Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss must agree an emergency budget this week.
[Thread] mirror.co.uk/news/politics/… I estimate that in October, 50% of children – 7 million kids - will be in households that have to do without material necessities.
If nothing’s done before another increase in Jan, the fuel poor could rise to 39m – including 4 out of 5 lone parents, pensioners and large families.

I’ve seen a confidential document from Lynton Crosby’s lobbying firm which advises Boris Johnson to ride roughshod over every convention and standard of propriety to pack the House of Lords.
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theguardian.com/commentisfree/… The plan to add at least 39 new Tory peers includes the incredible requirement that new peers sign away their right to make their own judgement and instead have to vote with the government.