| Murder probe after men found dead Police start a double murder inquiry after the bodies of two men were found in a house in Lancashire. bbc.co.uk |
The way to a fairer Britain | Trevor Phillips UK society is now more equal than ever before. But the growing stresses of modern life mean we still have some way to goFairness, is of course, much in fashion today. But it's been a core value for Britain for centuries. A fair society in the view of the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights is one in which every one of us is as free as possible to make the most of our talents, whatever our background. A fair society is one in which our origins do not determine our destinies.Our review, How Fair Is Britain?, is the first attempt in a major nation to capture the degree to which a whole society lives up to its promise to be fair to all its people, irrespective of age, gender or gender status, race, disability, religion, belief or sexual orientation; and to report the extent to which it fulfils its obligations to guarantee basic human rights.First, fairness isn't just an arithmetical measure of equality, whether of opportunity or of outcome. It has to involve a judgment, based on objective data about what is reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances. Paradoxically, fairness sometimes means that treating people equally requires treating them differently.For example, there has been much talk in recent days about fairness as we try to manage the aftermath of the economic crisis. It is not the commission's role to advise on economic policy. But it is our role to ensure that whatever is done is done fairly.Second, fairness can't be squeezed into neat categories any more than real people can. Inequality and disadvantage don't come conveniently packaged in parcels marked "age", "disability", "gender" or "race".Third – though I don't buy the idea that the best things in life are free – fairness isn't all about money. For most of us, being treated fairly is not just about material things; it's also about the freedom to choose our own path in life; about our right to control what we do every day; it's about the right to be treated with dignity and respect by others – and about the right to have our voices heard.So what does this review tell us? That Britain is a country which is more tolerant than at any time in living memory, more intolerant of discrimination – but which has yet to live up to its own aspirations. We are a more fair-minded people than previous generations, but we are not yet a fair society.But this is not a miserabilist manifesto. There is some good news, for example in the fact that older workers are weathering the recession better than others; that the life expectancy gap between men and women is closing steadily; and that black women are more likely to be in full-time work than any other group of women.Stereotyped views about the roles of men and women are also less prevalent. People are less worried about working for a woman boss or their children marrying someone of a different race. We are slowly raising the taboo on discussing mental health, though there's not much evidence that we are ready to give someone who has had depression or a breakdown the space to work alongside us in a way that meets their needs.And, of course, perhaps the most visible and dramatic change of the past 30 years is the legal recognition of lesbian and gay relationships through civil partnerships. Today in most parts of Britain they are just as joyous, inclusive and familial occasions as any marriage, complete with embarrassing uncles and tipsy aunts.None of this means that the work of changing society is over. It just means it's gotten harder. We may have changed people's attitudes; we now need to get them to change their behaviour.Our review identified the five "great gateways" to opportunity which, if closed, leave many groups of people with little fair chance of becoming a successful member of society. They are: health and wellbeing; education and inclusion; work and wealth; safety and security; and autonomy and choice.These five gateways to opportunity are, we suggest, the best real test of fairness in contemporary Britain.For some, the gateways to opportunity appear permanently closed, no matter how hard they try; whilst others seems to have been issued with an "access all areas" pass at birth. Recession, demographic change and new technology all threaten to deepen the fault-lines between insiders and outsiders.Let me give two inequalities, historically not seen as fairness issues, that have emerged from this review. The first mostly affects young people and arises from the reach of new technologies. Cyberbullying has emerged very quickly onto our landscape, but it is lethal; we know that one-third of secondary school pupils say they've experienced this kind of bullying. That's not just cruel – it's deeply unfair.The second is one consequence of the most significant demographic trend of our time: the ageing society. We estimate that the need for care of all kinds will rise by 87% over the first half of this century. Much of it will be provided informally, mostly by relatives – today one in eight people in England provide unpaid care to adults. The need for informal care is projected to rise by 90% by 2041.But the increased burden of care will not fall evenly – one in four women and one in five men in their 50s are carers; the dutiful daughters – and daughters-in-law – of middle years, already coping with teenage children. These people might get £60 a week to help with the cleaning and petrol – if they're lucky.Unless we adjust to increased longevity and the stresses of modern life we risk turning what should be one of the foundation stones of the "big society" into a crushing burden for millions of families.It will be obvious that there are many competing priorities in this report; and this is not an exercise in competitive victimhood. The commission cannot by itself address these social issues – it will take the efforts of the whole society to swing these gates.But this review is a wake-up call for Britain. We aspire to be a better country, and we can be. By looking honestly at where we are today, we can better chart the road ahead. This review shows us Britain as it is – tolerant, fair-minded and ready to change.Our task with all of you now is to make that change happen for real people, right here right now.• This is an edited version of a speech given at the launch of the How Fair Is Britain? reportEquality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)EqualityWomenTrevor Phillipsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Roman coin hoard valued at £320,250 Unique hoard of 52,503 Roman coins was found last April stuffed into a giant pot bellied jar, buried in a field near FromeThe unique hoard of 52,503 Roman coins found last April stuffed into a giant pot bellied jar, buried in a field near Frome, the largest ever found in a single container in Britain, has been valued at £320,250 after hours of debate and conflicting opinions from three experts.A campaign will be launched this week by the Art Fund charity to help Somerset museum in Taunton acquire the coins, including five exceptionally rare silver coins minted for "the forgotten emperor" Carausius, who ruled Britain for seven years until he was murdered by his finance minister in 293 AD.The fund will give an initial £40,250 to kick start the appeal, and will then match every pound given by the public up to a further £10,000. The British Museum will also give 50p from every copy of a new book about the find written by its experts.Dave Crisp, a hospital chef who found the hoard using a metal detector, buried on the ridge of a Somerset field near a Roman road, and the landowners Geoff and Anne Sheppard, are elated. Crisp will work on until he reaches retirement next summer, but says a new car may come earlier than planned and his daughter and her family will share his good fortune. The Sheppards are planning a rare holiday - but all three remain more excited by the find itself than the reward.Anne Sheppard said they were enthralled by the coins, which created such international interest that friends living in Australia read in their local paper of the treasure in their native village: "As a family, we have always loved history and have hoped that something of interest would be discovered on our land as the Roman road is so close to the farm, but we could not have ever imagined that such a significant find would be found here."Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said: "We're extremely excited to be part of Somerset's campaign to acquire this extraordinary treasure. To think that this pot packed full of coins lay buried beneath the soil for almost 2,000 years - it really is incredible."Putting a price on the hoard was exceptionally difficult, because it is so odd.The coins filled the jar to the brim so the archaeologists had to smash it to remove them. They must have represented every penny in cash of a whole community, but experts believe it was a single stupendous offering, rather than savings over decades, since the coins span just 40 years, with the most recent in the middle.The buried pot was first lined carefully with vegetation. The people could never have carried the coins in the thin pot, or easily retrieved them if they ever needed their money back.Unlike the beautiful Crosby Garrett Roman helmet found in Cumbria only a few weeks later, the hoard is officially treasure, protected by the Treasure Act - but the valuation committee which met at the British Museum had an exceptionally difficult challenge: three outside experts gave three widely differing estimates.Most of the coins are comparatively low value, but include the largest collection ever found of Carausius coins, including some in fabulous condition - better than the British Museum's examples.Then there are the mystery coins: more than 11,000 are too dirty or corroded to identify yet.Moorhead loves the Carausius coins showing a bull necked man with an unfortunate beard. He badly needed good propaganda - born in Belgium, and sentenced to death by Rome for looting the Imperial grain barges he was supposed to be protecting. Instead his troops proclaimed him emperor, and the coins were his Facebook page. They were the best minted in decades, portraying him welcomed by Britannia, clasping hands with the army or - uniquely - quoting from Virgil.Their weight is immense, as Moorhead found when his VW Polo was used to carry them from Frome to the British Museum: the 160 kilos almost wrecked his suspension.He is convinced it was an offering never meant to be retrieved, not a giant piggy bank, and the the weight was the point: the gods liked metal and plenty of it. The people gave the greatest weight they could accumulate, and coins were the easiest source when they couldn't get their hands on the bronze axe heads or swords and shields their ancestors had buried or thrown into rivers.Years of work remain on the coins but Steve Minnitt, of the Taunton museum, said: "We are determined to keep the hoard together and in Somerset". Some will be on display at Frome Library next Saturday morning, with Dave Crisp in attendance - a repeat event after more than 2,000 people queued for hours the first time.Crisp, praised as "impeccable" by the archaeologists for stopping heroically and calling them in the moment he spotted the first coins, is still heading out into the chilly Autumn fields with his metal detector: "Not knowing what you might find next, that's what gets you."• The Art Fund will launch a special website for the hoard later this week, but donations can be offered now through savefromehoard@artfund.orgHeritageMaev Kennedyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Webuyanycar.com criticised by Which? investigation A website offering to sell your car "the hassle free way" offers very low prices and should only be used as a "last resort", a consumer watchdog warned yesterday. telegraph.co.uk |
One New Change shopping centre to open in City of London Bankers, City of London residents and tourists are set to benefit from a new retail and entertainment centre in the Square MileBankers looking to spend their bonuses could be tempted by the lure of Topshop instead of a Ferrari showroom from this week as the City's first major retail centre opens in the shadow of St Paul's Catherdral.One New Change was built at a cost of £540m and has attracted the ire of Prince Charles who has criticised its sleek design, which has won the 560,000 sq ft complex the nickname of the "stealth bomber". Financial professionals seeking something more expensive than Topshop will be able to browse Banana Republic and Hugo Boss concessions, while Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are opening restaurants in the building. In keeping with its surroundings, One New Change will have 330,000 sq ft of office space above its retail outlets.The shopping centre is targeting the 350,000 City workers who normally have to shop in the West End and is also expecting interest from the City's 10,000 residents, as well as tourists, by staying open at weekends. The City of London gave the go-ahead to One New Change as part of a drive to improve the quality of food and entertainment in the area over the past two decades.In a Guardian interview last month, the City of London's planning officer, Peter Rees, said the shopping centre would help confirm that the City has shed its bowler-hatted image. "The City has become a much more rounded place. The quality of food available and the entertainment and leisure facilities have improved, and we're bringing shopping back to the City. It's not just a place to work any longer."Retail industryCommercial propertyReal estateFinancial sectorDan Milmoguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |