The Armed Forces are not “spare capacity” for striking workers, the chief of the defence staff has said as he cautioned against relying on the military as the “ultimate backstop” during strikes.
Headlines: Sunday’s essential news
Strikes | Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of Britain’s Armed Forces, warned it would be “slightly perilous” to expect military personnel to be used routinely to cover public sector workers in the event of strikes. In an exclusive interview for The Telegraph, Adml Radakin said that while covering for striking workers would not impede forces’ operations, personnel should be allowed to get on with their day-to-day jobs.
France | McKinsey affair is sapping Macron like a ‘slow poison’
When Emmanuel Macron learned of an inquiry into allegations a consultancy firm won lucrative government contracts after helping with his presidential election campaigns, he brushed it off with a Gallic shrug and sniffed: “I have nothing to fear.”Yet despite his sang-froid, the “McKinsey affair” is sapping the French president like a “slow poison”, according to a top analyst.
Hate speech | Ardern’s law turning New Zealand into ‘nanny state’
The government is moving to shield religious groups from being insulted or abused
Jacinda Ardern has been accused by opposition politicians of turning New Zealand into a “nanny state” as she moved to toughen the country’s hate speech laws.It comes after Ms Ardern this week passed a bill that will effectively ban New Zealanders under the age of 14 from ever buying cigarettes.In a drive to shield religious groups, which were not previously included in the Human Rights Act, Ms Ardern’s administration will offer legal protection from insult or abuse.
The current law only safeguards people on the grounds of colour, race, ethnic or national origins.
New Zealand’s libertarian opposition ACT party, which polls predict will enter a coalition government in the next election, criticised the move.
New strategies | Putin shown rallying top generals for fresh war ideas Vladimir Putin has rallied his top military commanders, pressing them for new war strategies at a meeting filmed by the Kremlin to quash rumours that he is hiding from the public.In the video, released early on Saturday morning, Putin sits in a leather chair in a secret location as he listens to General Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine.
Janet Daley | Governments have learnt that fear works
We have returned to the world of Galileo vs the Vatican. Scientific dissidents are again silenced and ostracised for their opinions
Daniel Hannan | What Blair promised in the 1990s was sounder
Politics has lurched to the Left in the past 25 years. Covid, the 2008 crash, social media and the Right’s loss of self-belief are to blame
Jeremy Warner | Like ancient Rome, we have debased the coinage
There abides a sense of a nation – perhaps the entire European continent – in irreversible decline
… The rate of inflation may now have peaked, but the climb back to price stability will be long and arduous. In the meantime prices keep rising, further eating into disposable incomes. Perhaps inevitably, the year is ending in a level of industrial strife not seen in decades.Behind it all lies an abiding sense of diminished international standing and influence, of public services breaking down on multiple fronts, and of a nation – perhaps the entire European continent – in irreversible decline.
Letters | It’s time for Britain’s institutions to stand up for values
Britain has been one of the most diverse and welcoming countries in the world. You can be any gender you want, eat whatever food you want, observe whichever religion you want, speak whatever language you want. Why are we allowing this small minority of unelected do-gooders and violent protesters to tell us that we must change our traditional way of life and beliefs to suit theirs?
Sunday interview
How The Snowman became a Christmas TV classic
Crayons, pints, kebab sticks – and a lucky spot of redecoration. The team who brought Raymond Briggs’s tale to the screen 40 years ago this year reveal their tricks to Helen Brown
The Queen Consort invited children to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House. Also this week, she attended the annual Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace with the King – who earlier had a conversation with a Hollywood actor. See a gallery of more pictures.
Here is a selection of articles we think you’ll be interested in today.
A joint effort of several authors who do find that nobody can keep standing at the side and that “Everyone" must care about what is going on in today’s world.
We are a bunch of people who do not mind that somebody has a totally different idea but is willing to share the ideas with others and to be Active and willing to let others understand how "today’s decisions will influence the future”. Therefore we would love to see many others to "Act today".
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Some View on the World 