News that RBS is still stuffing money in to the top pocket of Chief Executive Stephen Hester has angered people across Manchester today.

Tony said, ‘I am still meeting many small businesses in Manchester who can’t get loans at reasonable rates from RBS. David Cameron’s failure to deal with this is in stark contrast to his words and does once again bring forward calls for legal controls on top pay. People in Manchester will be dismayed that at a time when the economy is struggling bankers still have their snouts in the trough.’

You can read the article by John Healey MP at Labour List.

A few months ago I was in Cairo and saw the hope that was inspired by the Arab Spring. Democratic countries in Europe have both a self-interest and a moral obligation to support the changes it will bring, both in enforcing the rule of law and respect for human rights. Sadly we did not always do this in the past. When Mohammed Bouazizi, a street trader in Tunisia killed himself because he could no longer endure abuse by the authorities and could not speak for himself it became obvious that we had remained silent for too long when we should have spoken out for people like him and against that abuse.

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That Israel has the right to defend itself goes rightly unquestioned by the overwhelming majority of people in Britain. That Israel takes the right to collectively punish all Palestinians in Gaza cannot be. Even the words ‘collective punishment’ disguise the cynical dehumanisation of those trapped in what is now the world’s biggest prison camp.

From our media it is easy to see Israel gallantly defending itself against attack from Islamic extremists drawn from the Bin Laden textbook who deserve only harsh response. The reality is different – brutally so.

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