Sarah Champion: Ministers must stop dragging their feet over Istanbul convention on violence against women

There are a million reasons why the government must take urgent action on domestic violence. Every one of those reasons is a woman or a girl in this country who has experienced domestic violence or abuse within the last year. Domestic violence does not discriminate. It affects women – and indeed men – of all ages, classes, races and sexualities. We must do all we can to tackle this crime in all of its forms.

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Alexander Guest
The victims of Orgreave deserve justice and the truth – despite what the Government thinks

Tomorrow marks a year since the Government’s decision to deny the request of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign for an inquiry into the events of the 1984 “Battle of Orgreave”. This was a historic betrayal of the cause of justice, making clear that, in the eyes of this Government, justice is not universal, blind and timeless, but partial, political and time-limited.

The full picture of what happened at Orgreave 33 years ago and its aftermath remains unclear, hidden by the passage of time and by a concerted effort to conceal the truth. Yet the violence of the police operation remains as shocking today as it was then. The images of mounted police, batons drawn, charging into the crowd and armoured, shield-wielding police officers beating men lying prone remain seared on the collective memory of coalfield communities.

Read more here.

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Alexander Guest