The proxy war in Ukraine is heading to a denouement with the US and Russia dividing the spoils while the European powers stand bewildered by events they have been wilfully blind to, says KEVIN OVENDEN
Empty boasts of money-saving
SOLOMON HUGHES examines questions raised about the Crown Commercial Service’s organisation of cross-departmental spending – and finds Labour sadly committed to ‘more of the same’
One can only imagine what would happen if 2.2 million Palestinian refugees were pushed into Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries, per Trump’s proposal, writes RAMZY BAROUD
This is the most anti-migrant government in decades, argues RAVISHAAN RAHEL MUTHIAH
VICTOR GROSSMAN reports, with a little chuckle, on how US readiness to work with Russia, not just on peace for Ukraine, has thrown a spanner into the German electoral machine
SOLOMON HUGHES probes the finances of a phoney ‘charity’ pushing the free schools and academies agenda
Freedom now for former PM Mir-Hossein Mousavi and other political prisoners
VIJAY PRASHAD examines why in 2018 Washington started to take an increasingly belligerent stance towards ‘near peer rivals’ – Russa and China – with far-reaching geopolitical effects
THE government celebrated the Crown Commercial Service’s 10th anniversary last month, claiming this special “procurement department” had “saved taxpayers £3.8 billion last year alone.”
But the Crown Commercial Service was central to some of the worst Covid contracts, and arguably sometimes limits competition for government work. Crown Commercial was set up by the Tories, but Rachel Reeves has expressed enthusiasm for its methods, so it may hang around under a Labour government too.
The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) was set up by David Cameron’s privatisation guru Lord Maude in 2014: this Cabinet Office department tries saving money by organising cross-departmental purchasing.
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Despite being roundly criticised by Labour shadow ministers when in opposition, the notorious outsourcing company appears to be back in the party fold and expecting further lucrative government contracts, SOLOMON HUGHES reports