Last week the Speaker closed Strangers Bar in Parliament after a spiking incident and subsequent Met Police investigation. This was “while security and safety arrangements are reviewed.” Changes are already taking place…
After there were considerations around putting CCTV in the bar Guido can report evaluation work has already started on fitting cameras inside. The builders are in…
CCTV has been the main ask of concerned parliamentarians since the spiking incident because authorities initially claimed they would be unable to investigate without camera footage. Guido is also told maintenance staff are looking at fitting access restrictions from the terrace side to the bar. A heightened security presence for some time would not be surprising either…
Speaking on Times Radio, former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke about overdiagnosis of mental problems:
“Let’s distinguish those who are really severely mentally ill, diagnosed with things that require prolonged medical and diagnostic treatment. My wife and I talk about this a lot, because she’s a retired GP, about the fact that you can be sad without being ill. You can be momentarily depressed because your boyfriend or girlfriend’s just thrown you and you’re not mentally ill. You can even have mild issues, which can be dealt with with the right kind of support, but it doesn’t make you mentally ill. So we’ve got a real task, I think, to get the psychology, if you like, of this over. But there are things where you definitely need medical intervention, and there are other things where you need good friends, you need good connectivity, and you need a job.”