thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--This Is Why BAME Pensioners Are Thousands of Pounds A Year Worse Off Than White People

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Cicely Ferguson, 59, has no pension savings. Nor do most of her family or friends.
Originally from Antigua, she feels her reluctance is cultural – and she’s not alone.
Recent research from The People’s Pension showed that people from minority ethnic backgrounds are losing out when it comes to pensions, with the average pensioner from a BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) family £3,350 a year worse off.
Analysis from the pension provider shows the average BAME pensioner’s income is 24.4% less than their white counterparts.
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Cecily, who is semi-retired and ran her own business specialising in window furnishings, moved to the UK 20 years ago and lives in south-east London with her daughter.
The mum-of-two says she is suspicious of pensions, describing them as “uncharted waters”.
And she says she isn’t the slightest bit surprised by the size of the pensions gap.
“They are just not something people I know invest in,” she said. In Antigua, she added, “there just doesn’t seem to be that knowledge of pensions like there is over in the UK”.
Cicely Ferguson, originally from Antigua, who says her property is her pension. Cicely Ferguson,
Cicely says pensions hold uncertainty for her. “You know where you are with bricks and mortar.” she said. “I know that there is something there for me in the future – you can see it grow.
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“So while I am without a pension, I have the knowledge that I can fall back on property. I am semi-retired now and although I don’t have that regular monthly income coming in, I do know that I have got my property.
“That is my pension and I am happy with what I have for my retirement.”
The People’s Pension’s report Measuring The Ethnicity Pension Gap reveals that the gap is even greater when gender is taken into account, too. On average, the gap in annual pension income between a female pensioner from an ethnic minority and a white male pensioner is 51.4%.
The reasons are complex: labour market factors, lower average earnings, variable employment rates and the greater likelihood of ethnic minority workers being self-employed.
Some of the people who spoke to HuffPost UK cited cultural and generational factors; a greater focus on providing for the family and children in the here and now rather than thinking about the future; a lack of awareness and education about pensions – and the fact there is an ethnic minority pay gap leading to these employees being paid less over their lifetime.
“You Aren’t Really Taught About Pensions Or Life Skills At School”
Annila Saghir, 28, who believes people need to be taught about pensions from an early age at school Annila Saghir
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Annila Saghir, 28, lives in Peterborough and is a customer experience manager at King’s Cross station. She believes there needs to be a lot more awareness and education about pensions to help bring the savings of BAME people in line with those of white people.
She told HuffPost UK her mum works as a primary school teacher and pays into her workplace pension, but her dad was a self-employed taxi driver for many years and did not have one.
“My dad was always working and saving – but not for a pension,” she said. “He was building foundations for himself and his family.
“He is now a business owner and has only been putting into a private pension for the last 10 years because I told him to. He has a lot of catching up to do.
“To this day, he still has this concept of: ‘I have got savings – I’ll be fine.’ I feel it is because pension contributions come out of your wages but you don’t see it until retirement.
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“I think it is a generational and cultural issue and there needs to be more education and awareness.”
Annila began working on the railways at 21. When she was first given a pensions pack, she dismissed it as being of no benefit. It wasn’t until a year later that she started reading up on the scheme.
“I looked into how it would benefit me and pictured myself as a 55-year-old and thought about what kind of life I’d like to lead.
“Unlike my parents, I am a rubbish saver and, to me, my pension is saving for my future. As it comes out of my wages, it doesn’t feel like I am spending money.”
“There’s no point teaching me a formula in maths I’ll never use. Teach me about pensions or mortgages instead” - Annila Saghir, 28
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Annila feels there needs to be more education about pensions at a younger age – not just for people from ethnic minority communities, but everyone.
“You aren’t really taught about pensions or life skills at school.” she said. “There’s no point teaching me a formula in maths I’ll never use. Teach me about pensions or mortgages instead.
“My Mum Has Never Had The Luxury To Think About The Future As She Is Always Thinking About Making Ends Meet”
Vaishal Patel with his mum Bharti at his graduation Vaishal Patel
Software engineer Vaishal Patel, 27, describes his mum Bharti as his “best friend” and has watched her work hard to provide for the family throughout his life.
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Now 67, she should by rights be retired, but is working two jobs as she still has a mortgage and bills to pay.
Vaishal told HuffPost UK: “My mum works as a cleaner at a college from 6am to 11am and then from 11am to 4pm. She does cooking there as a catering assistant.
“My mum has been in this country since she was about 20 and has always worked hard. At one point, when I was younger, she had five jobs cooking and cleaning.
“She has never had the luxury to breathe and think about the future as she has always been thinking about making ends meet.
“But she also enjoys working and grafting and prefers to keep busy and contribute to society. She says as long as her legs allow it, she will keep working.”
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Vaishal says his mum does have a pension but took a lump sum from it early to help out his brother so only now gets a small payment.
Vaishal Patel Vaishal Patel
From a personal perspective, Vaishal admits the future seems far away and that he prefers to enjoy life now – but he also likes to have a contingency plan.
“It is not something I stress about, but I pay the statutory amount into my pension and my employer makes a contribution and I also top it up with an extra £25 a month.
“I have a knack for splurging and spending money so it is good to have a pension as a contingency plan for peace of mind.”
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Vaishal also bought a house at the age of 23 and aims to have it paid off by the age of 38. “Property is bought on borrowed money,” he said, “and I feel I can’t say it is really mine until I have paid it off. It is another foundation for my future.”
“There Are Still Too Few People From Ethnic Minority Backgrounds Getting Into Higher Paid Roles”
Alicia Howard who feels there are still too few people rising into higher paid roles in workplaces.
Alicia Howard, who lives in Formby, Merseyside, has a white British father and a Black Caribbean mum.
Her grandparents were originally from Barbados, and her mum – who died when Alicia was 17 – was born in Liverpool.
Alicia works as a civil servant for the government, meaning she automatically has money taken from her salary and put into her pension.
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“There are still too few people from ethnic minority backgrounds rising through the ranks and getting into higher paid roles."” - Alicia Howard
“As I am young and don’t have a family of my own yet to worry about, pensions are something I never gave much thought to,” she said. “I would rather have assets such as a house.
“But everyone always says civil service pensions are good so I knew it was important to pay into it. My dad was in the police and recently retired and is getting his pension.”
Alicia feels shocked and saddened at the ethnic minority pensions gap and feels the pay gap is a factor.
She said: “There are still too few people from ethnic minority backgrounds rising through the ranks and getting into higher paid roles. Maybe not as many people from ethnic minorities are working in certain fields where the pensions are better.
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“Pensions are a percentage of your salary, so if you get paid less, you’ll get less of a pension.
“It is really sad to know that people from ethnic minorities are retiring on almost £3,500 less a year than other people.
“People are starting to realise it is a problem and hopefully things will be better in years to come.”
“My Parents’ Investment Was In Their Children Rather Than Their Own Future”
Zoya Mir, 29, says her parents did not have pensions themselves but encouraged her to invest in one. Zoya Mir
Zoya Mir, 29, lives in Slough and is a product set-up specialist in a department store. She says her parents did not have pensions themselves but encouraged her to invest in one at the earliest opportunity.
Zoya told HuffPost UK: “My father has been self employed all his life and owned a minicab company.
“His focus was always on things like putting food on the table and petrol in the car and making sure his employees were paid as opposed to thinking 20 or 30 years in the future.
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“My mother worked for one company for the majority of her career but they did not offer a pension until the legislation kicked in a few years ago.”
“Their investment was in their children rather than their own future. It is depressing but I am thankful for everything they have done for us.” - Zoya Mir
Zoya believes the issue is both a generational and cultural one. For her parents and many like them who came to the UK, their focus was on what they could give their family and children now, rather than thinking about their own future and retirement.
“Their investment was in their children rather than their own future,” she said. “It is depressing but I am thankful for everything they have done for us.
“Even though they didn’t pay into a pension themselves, they encouraged us to do so. They want to make sure their children look after their futures.
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“I have been paying the maximum I can afford into my pension since I started work and my parents really encouraged that.
“In the long term, I will hopefully reap the rewards.”
Zoya also feels lower wages and unconscious bias still make it harder for people from ethnic minority backgrounds to attain higher positions in employment.
“There has been a lot of progress, but we are not quite there with treating people with what they are worth,” she said.
“These biases are not always conscious but they do exist.”
The Confederation of British Industry says companies should start publishing their ethnic minority pay gaps before being forced to by the government.
It says while the government might take action on ethnic pay reporting like it did on gender pay gaps, businesses should get ahead of the curve. Racial equality could boost the economy by £24bn a year, it adds.
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Matthew Fell, the CBI’s chief UK policy director, said: “Closing the UK’s ethnicity pay gap is about making our society fairer and overcoming inequality at work.
“Diverse companies are better companies.”
The People’s Pension, a not-for-profit, auto-enrolment pension provider, is calling on the government to make reforms to criteria for auto enrolment to reduce the ethnicity pensions gap over the long term.
This includes lowering the amount workers need to earn to be eligible for a workplace pension from £10,000 a year to just over £6,000 and making pensions contributions count from the first pound earned.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--A Letter To My 'Fairy Godmother' Who Taught Me What It Means To Be Human

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Victoria Richards Victoria Richards: 'Feeling heard, without judgement – takes the weight off.'
You’re reading our series The Women Who Came Before Us. At a time when the generations can seem more divided than ever, HuffPost UK writers thank women in their family – or chosen family – who paved the way for the lives they lead today. Read more letters here.
Dear Fairy Godmother,
I don’t know how to spell your first name – it could be Gilly, or Jilly, or something completely different. I don’t know where you live; only that it’s somewhere within a two-mile radius of where I live.
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I don’t know if you are married, divorced, or single, by choice or circumstance. I don’t know if you have children, or grandchildren. But you’ve taught me so much about what it means to be human – and our regular chats, on a bench by our local lake in east London, are the highlight of my week.
Before we met, I’d seen you around the area, cycling with your little dog trotting by your side. Your face always looked calm and kind, and I wondered about you. Wondered where you were going, where you’d been; and why you always chose that time of day to get there.
I wondered if you’d seen me rushing to school with my two young children, looking harassed, sometimes losing my temper and shouting. I wondered if you thought me a bad mother, and wanted desperately to tell you that I was trying my best; but that the pressures of doing it all – getting them dressed, giving them breakfast, the endless negotiating over TV or school shoes or homework – sometimes made me feel like I was drowning.
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Victoria Richards The lake and bench where we first met.
The day we finally spoke for the first time, it had been a stressful morning – and it wasn’t even 9am. I’d dropped the kids at school and nursery and was feeling the heavy burden of parenthood. I regretted the way I’d barked at my children, three and eight, to “hurry up”, and pledged to say sorry as soon as I saw them again. I was wearing a bright gold and orange dress, something to lift my spirits. I took my usual path home through the woods and paused by the local lake to sit on a bench and breathe for a moment. There you were.
I nodded shyly, not knowing whether I should sit down and join you, but you moved over to make room for me. We sat together with the winter sun on our faces. You mentioned the swans gliding over the glass surface of the water, said something like, “Aren’t they magnificent?” Then you turned, and asked me a question I’ll never forget: “What do you think it means, to be human?”
I didn’t know how to answer, but I loved that instead of ‘small talk’, you’d asked me something interesting and profound. For a moment I even wondered if you were real. I thought and thought, before finally saying, “To listen. Being human means listening to each other.”
You nodded and said: “Compassion. That’s what it is.”
“You turned, and asked me something I’ll never forget: “What do you think it means, to be human?””
It wasn’t all pre-9am philosophy... we talked about work, too. You told me of the many lives you’ve lived in your 70-or-so years: as a chef, a counsellor. You told me about a friend of yours who was going through a hard time; and about a trip you were shortly going to be making overseas.
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You told me how vital you thought it was to exchange stories and to “peer support” those who matter to you. I told you how difficult it felt sometimes, being a mother. How little time it feels like I have to myself.
You nodded and offered understanding. “I think young mothers like you have it worse than any other generation – because you’re expected to do it all,” you said. “Have a career, be present, be perfectly involved with your children – yet independent, too.” Having your empathy and compassion – feeling heard, without judgement – made my shoulders feel significantly lighter.
Since then, we’ve developed a gentle routine – when we see each other, we greet each other with easy familiarity; like old friends. We talk about our lives, without needing to get into the minutiae of biographical details. We always cut to the chase. What we’re really doing is sharing our hearts.
I’ve started thinking of you as my ‘fairy godmother’, and look forward to the sight of you, on your bike with the little wicker basket.
That first day, as we parted you told me you would “celebrate my gold and orange dress”. That it gave you “joy”. We may not know more than each other’s first names, but I celebrate you, and the serenity and joy you give to me, too.
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Every single Monday.
Thank you,


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--International Women's Day: 7 Activists On The One Thing You Can Do To Improve Women's Lives

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Period poverty, street harassment, the destruction of women’s reproductive rights… the list of challenges facing women around the globe goes on.
The issues are so huge, so insidious, that figuring out how to tackle them can present another problem in itself. How, as one reader, can you really make a difference?
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The theme of International Women’s Day in 2020 was #EachforEqual, promoting the idea of “collective individualism.” In other words, although individual efforts may feel futile, they lead to real change when society commits as a whole.
For every Goliath-sized problem, there’s a David who can overcome it – or at least lots of little Davids who can galvanise change when they join forces. To help get you started, we asked activists working to improve women’s lives what one thing we can all do to help.
Push to end period poverty
Victoria Jones - PA Images via Getty Images Amika George: 'It’s key to normalise the conversation around periods.'
Amika George, founder of the #FreePeriods movement, successfully campaigned to get free sanitary products available in schools, but says period poverty remains a huge problem in the UK among women and girls across all age groups.
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“Period poverty still affects homeless women, refugees and women who are struggling to make ends meet,” she tells HuffPost UK, adding that everyone can help to tackle the issue.
“It would be amazing if readers could donate to food banks, to charities that distribute pads to refugees and homeless women, but I also think it’s key for us to normalise the conversation around periods,” says George.
“We must not be ashamed of something as normal as a period, but we are, and the taboo and stigma is still rife, even though we’re comfortable talking about so many other issues. We need to stop apologising for them and start talking about our periods.”
Shout about street harassment
Gemma and Maya Tutton Gemma and Maya Tutton: 'Speaking out... makes harassers think twice.'
Sisters Gemma and Maya Tutton are just 15 and 20 years old, but they’ve already understand the prevalence of street harassment. Gemma was just 11 years old the first time she was harassed, which was “heartbreaking” for her big sister to hear. Together, they’ve launched an online petition to make street harassment illegal in the UK, as it is in France, Belgium and Portugal.
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If readers want to help end street harassment, the first stage is to “speak up”, the sisters tell HuffPost UK. “Tell your friends and family about this issue. Two out of three girls in the UK have experienced unwanted sexual attention in public, do they know about this problem?” they say.
The next stage is to “talk back” if you feel safe and able to do so: “Whether you’re the victim or a bystander, speaking out against street harassment when it occurs reduces the psychological harm on the victim whilst also making harassers think twice,” they say.
Finally, they want all readers to “shout out” about street harassment: “Our campaign, Our Streets Now, aims to end street harassment. Sign our petition, follow our Instagram and Twitter, and tell us about your experiences.”
Help all girls access education
Ayesha Shakya Nibras Khudaida: 'We are the ones who understand the barriers.'
Nibras Khudaida, a 21-year-old refugee, risked her life to go to school after Isis invaded her hometown in Srechka, northern Iraq. Now a student at Creighton University, US, Khudaida works with Malala Fund – the charity founded by Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai – to advocate for every girl’s right to learn.
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“130 million girls are out of school today and two-thirds are of secondary school age. Conflict, poverty, gender-based violence, inadequate sanitary provision and early marriage are all barriers,” she says. “To see every girl in school, we need leaders to invest more money in girls’ education. They’re currently spending less than half of what they need to be.”
Individuals can help by listening to what girls have to say, she says – and using that knowledge to pressure world leaders to do more.
“We are the ones who understand the barriers that prevent us from learning. Too often people ignore our experiences and make decisions about our future without our considerations,” she explains. “One easy way to learn more about girls’ lives and opinions: read and share articles from Assembly, Malala Fund’s digital publication.”
Be a proud LGBTQ+ ally
Stonewall Laura Russell: 'True equality never exists unless it includes everyone.'
Laura Russell is director of campaigns, policy and research at Stonewall UK. “We’re living in an increasingly polarised society with some looking to target and divide the LGBT community,” she says of a year that saw such shocking public incidents of homophobia as the same-sex couple attacked on a London bus by teenagers when the women refused to kiss for the boys’ entertainment.
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In 2018-19, police in England and Wales recorded a 25% rise in hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation and a jump in transgender identity hate crimes by 37%. “This means it’s more important than ever that lesbian, gay, bi and trans people look out for and have each other’s back,” says Russell.
“Allies who aren’t LGBT can also play a powerful role here by being visible and vocal in their support for equality, along with challenging anti-LGBT language and behaviour, if it’s safe to do so.”
Unity and diversity are the path to liberation, says Russell. “So on International Women’s Day, I hope we see more lesbian, bi and trans women, along with our non-binary siblings, standing up for each other. True equality never exists unless it includes everyone, so we must stand together.”
Campaign for women’s reproductive rights
Naisola Likimani Naisola Likimani': 'A new normal where all women, everywhere, decide about their bodies.'
Women in Northern Ireland may have gained the legal right to abortion in 2019, but elsewhere in the world, reproductive rights appear to be going backwards – just look at some of the headlines coming out of America.
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Naisola Likimani is CEO of the Support Unit at SheDecides – a campaign group calling for “a world where every girl and woman can decide what to do with her body, with her life and with her future”. Central to their work is the idea that having control over your body is a human right.
“But for millions of women and girls around the world, access to reproductive health services and education is non-existent or under threat, leading to unwanted pregnancies, disease, and even death,” Likimani says.
Even right now in the UK, anti-abortion activists are ramping up their protests. However, you can help change the narrative by standing up and speaking out.
“SheDecides is a movement for those who want to use their voice to create a new normal where all women and girls, everywhere, decide about their bodies, their lives and their future, without question, where they have access to all of the information and healthcare they need, to make the choices only they should make,” Likimani says.
“Sign the SheDecides Manifesto if you believe in a world where SheDecides. By signing the manifesto, individuals are committing to take action on behalf of the movement.”
Mentor the next generation
The Girls Network Charley Young: 'An equal world is a better world.'
“Every girl deserves the skills, confidence, and opportunities to shape her world and her future,” says Charley Young, founder of mentoring scheme The Girls Network. “Girls from the least advantaged communities are disproportionately held back from fulfilling their potential as they’re less likely to have all three.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--A Letter To My Nana Who Taught Me How To Be Unapologetically Myself

Nadine White Nana and some of her 16 grandchildren – including Nadine, her brother Ishmael, and cousins Jordan and Ezra.
You’re reading our series The Women Who Came Before Us. At a time when the generations can seem more divided than ever, HuffPost UK writers thank women in their family – or chosen family – who paved the way for the lives they lead today. Read more letters here.
Dear Nana,
For as long as I can remember, it has been you and me, my love. Along with your 16 other grandchildren, I grew up in your hand. But there was always something between us; a spark that has endured and grown stronger over the years.
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I’ve learned so much from you, my darling. There’s the practical lessons: how to steam cabbage to go with the boiled dumpling, yam, pumpkin and banana; or how to properly prepare a cup of tea, sew, bath. And you’ve also taught me how to throw back my head and laugh from my core; you embody joie de vivre even after going through so much pain.
You migrated from Jamaica as a young woman in 1962, just before independence, with a daughter in tow and still grieving the tragic loss of your infant son who had died suddenly months before.
Life was quite comfortable in Jamaica, you’ve told me. You lived on land we own, which happens to be a former slave plantation. You – queen of that quaint district of Mocho, Clarendon – left all that you knew to forge your own path in life, wielding sweet freedom and autonomy – something our foreparents could only dream of doing while shackled and chained.
Like many of the other Windrush generation pioneers, you were met with hostility and suspicion from racists who weren’t happy about Black people’s arrival in Britain – even if it was to help rebuild their mash up, war-torn country. Even after World War II had ended, Black people were battling for survival and dignity on Britain’s streets, treated as the enemy, at times fearing for their lives.
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When the time came for you to enter the workplace, you rolled up your sleeves and did what you had to, to put food on the table and clothes on your children’s backs – cleaning jobs, seamstress work – and in true Nana fashion, anything you did was to the very best of your ability.
You got divorced in the 1970s when ending a marriage was still considered taboo. Once again, as you did years before, you dared to strike out on your own. You showed me it was okay to leave situations which for one reason or another no longer serve you.
I have forged my own path as a woman through that example. Lately, I’ve enjoyed practical relationship advice from you; the kind a millennial woman can only glean from someone like you. After all, you’ve worn the t-shirt, honey.
You were never limited by your circumstances. By all means, you were a poor migrant woman with six children but, by God, you had ambition, dignity and pride! Your clothes were clean, beloved; skirting boards immaculate and children well behaved.
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RDImages/Epics/Getty Images Brixton market in the 1970s.
I love that you trained my mum and aunties to take care of themselves and be self-sufficient, lessons they’ve passed down to their children.
On a Saturday, you would wake them up early to go to Brixton market for grocery shopping and send one kid back home – mid-shop – with ingredients to start boiling the soup for the rest of the family, ahead of your arrival. That spirit of collaboration, togetherness, love and service to others continues to define us as a family and it is a part of the fabric of my being.
You taught me how to be myself – to dance like nobody’s watching, to belch when I need to and cry “excuse me”. To bawl if I must. Even after living in Britain for more than 50 years, your Jamaican accent remains as crisp and clear as day, no matter who you’re talking to. You have never diluted your true essence, Nana. So, “why should I?”, I often remind myself.
“Even after living in Britain for more than 50 years, your Jamaican accent remains as crisp and clear as day.”
Through you, I learned the importance of discipline. I’ve long been a bit of a rebel, a self-defined, righteous disruptor for the greater good, but the regard for boundaries you’ve instilled in me holds firm.
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“To everything there is a season,” your beloved Bible says. And we’ve had our time for mourning, Nana. I listened to your heart shatter into a million pieces when, yet again, you had to bury another son in 2004. I heard you quietly beg him to stay with you as he lay sick in hospital. I watched you weep at his graveside in the rain, helpless and hurting. A mother burying her own child; does any other pain compare?
Woman, you possess the strength of ten thousand men, unyielding and true!
Nadine White Nana and Nadine, on her first birthday.
I can remember, as a child, when none of us – not me, nor my siblings or cousins – would be allowed to leave the kitchen table until we’d finished our cereal at breakfast. Our “wheat” as you call it. Or the callalloo and saltfish for dinner. Every last scrap to be devoured. “Mi seh fi eat it!,” you’d warn, sternly looking on. Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt!
Oftentimes, during my childhood, I’d hear you humming Christian hymns while undertaking chores around the house. You still do it to this day. I thought it to be light entertainment but recently realised it’s your act of resistance, particularly in the face of life’s trials, tribulations and, lately, its debilitating aches and pains.
Those songs are soothing to your soul and mine; something like the spiritual refrains our ancestors would quietly croon on the fields – or the intent, reassuring melody of crickets as a few would learn to read by candlelight under cover of dusk. Those choruses herald safety. And, so, you’ve taught me how to hum, Nanny, and nurse my blues in times of adversity. You’ve taught me about the power of expression and the might of the word.
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To that end, you generally cannot be told. You put the ‘s’ in ‘stubborn’ but even that’s beautiful. Through this, you’ve taught me the importance of cleaving to your principles as a woman and standing up for what you believe in. We all have flaws but you have always done what you could with what you had, where you were.
As I write this, know that I am smiling absentmindedly and blinking away tears of joy because I’m truly fortunate to know a love like this. It has stood the test of time and this is perhaps the most important lesson of all that I will carry in my spirit for all eternity: how to love without condition.
Sincerely yours, forever and ever,
Nadine


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Miriam Margolyes On Body-Acceptance At 78: 'Your Skin Will Wrinkle, Your C**t Will Get Dry'

In What Works For Me – a series of articles considering how we can find balance in our lives – we talk to people about wellbeing and self-care.
“I’ve always been a fat girl,” says Miriam Margolyes. ”It’s always been in the belly and the tits. I’m not so worried about my bottom and my legs are quite a nice shape, but my body is just a disgrace. I really don’t like it.”
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The actor is as forthcoming about her body as you might expect. A regular on the chat show circuit, you only have to look at Margolyes’ plentiful Graham Norton appearances to know she doesn’t bite her tongue. But behind the humorous self-deprecation, she admits that low body-esteem has been a constant companion for years.
“I think it affects everybody’s mental health,” she tells HuffPost UK. ”I’m sad that I’ve been cursed with it all my life, because probably, I’d have been happier if I’d not had to think about my body so much.”
Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock 'My presentation to the world is a very confident, ebullient, upfront, in-your-face sort of personality.'
Being “fat”, as she calls it, caused her to embark on a string of diets throughout her twenties and thirties, sometimes losing weight short-term, but ultimately ending up at square one. “Everybody who’s been through diets will tell you, they’re very disappointing and you feel irritated with yourself and like a failure,” she says. Insecurity about her weight makes her defensive, she adds.
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“One the best ways of defence is attack. My presentation to the world is a very confident, ebullient, upfront, in-your-face sort of personality, but I’m not sure, if I were thin, if I would be like that.”
Margolyes has been with her partner, Heather, an Australian academic with whom she has a civil partnership, for more than 45 years, but insists her weight has impacted her sex life – or at least her sex appeal – too.
“Nobody has ever found my body sexually enthralling, except maybe one or two men when I was much younger who are into that sort of thing. But most people don’t like it and I certainly don’t,” she says.
“I remember one woman said to me: ‘I do find you sexually attractive, but I don’t think I could actually go to bed with you because you’re so fat.’”
Margolyes insists the woman in question was – and surprisingly, still is – a very good friend. But “society is cruel” and comments from strangers are sometimes harder to swallow.
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“I have been at the sharp end of people’s remarks and it does always hurt. But in time you get over it or you develop a thick skin,” she says. “I usually answer back. I say to them: ‘I heard what you said about me and you’re a rotten person and your breath smells.’ I go straight for the jugular.”
BBC/Wild Pictures Miriam's Big Fat Adventure on BBC Two.
Despite such encounters, the 78-year-old says she’s learned to accept her body; she doesn’t like it, but she doesn’t loathe it as she once did. “Now I think: ‘If you think my tits are too big, well actually they are, you’re quite right, we can agree about that’ and then I let it go,” she laughs. She can’t pinpoint a catalyst, but says she simply grew tired of caring so much around four years ago.
Career success, in part, has contributed to genuine confidence eclipsing any need for bravado. The Harry Potter franchise brought Margolyes a new generation of fans, while TV shows from Call The Midwife to The Real Marigold Hotel secured her as a small-screen favourite.
In the meantime, the stage roles didn’t slow. She describes her post-70 renaissance as “absolutely gorgeous”.
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“I’ve never been as popular and successful as I am today,” she says, matter-of-factly. Focusing on “the life of the mind”, rather than the body, has also enabled a shift in perspective about her appearance, she says.
“I’m interested in art and politics and religion, sociology, nature and the relationships between people,” she says. “I’m not interested in Game of Thrones, let me put it like that. I’m not interested in popular culture, I’m interested in slightly more refined things.”
Focusing on intellectual interests might help the Instagram generation, she suggests, who may be preoccupied with aesthetics, but who will age just like the rest of us. “If you think about nothing but externals, you become very trivial,” she says.
“When you get old, your skin will wrinkle, your body will droop and your cunt will get dry. You’ve got to have other things on the menu, so to speak.”
BBC/Wild Pictures Margoyles felt 'very engaged by the body positivity thing' during filming.
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The actor’s latest venture is BBC Two documentary, Miriam’s Big Fat Adventure, which follows her across the UK as she meets people who are overweight. She encounters teens who have signed up to a weight loss bootcamp, body-positivity campaigners who have no intention of losing weight, and diabetic amputees who’ve suffered the greatest consequences of obesity.
With around 28.7% of adults in England now classified as obese and a further 35.6% as overweight, what does she think is behind the nation’s weight struggles? “The fashion industry compels us to be skinny, the food industry compels us to be fat. We are treated like a punchball between those two industries for money. That’s what capitalism does,” she says.
Finding the balance between health and happiness is complex and ultimately, an individual pursuit, says Margolyes, but she felt “very engaged by the body positivity thing” during filming, particularly when she joined a dance class for plus-size women.
“I just loved all those women who said: ‘Look I’m fat, it’s your problem and not mine.’ I hope that they don’t get sick when they’re older, that’s all,” she says.
While she’s accepted her own body, she hasn’t stopped “trying to make it a bit better” for the sake of her health – particularly since being diagnosed with the same heart condition that affected her mother, who died following a stroke.
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She enjoys Pilates to keep herself mobile and tries to eat well.
“I don’t eat muck. I think I’ve had one McDonald’s in my life, in Moscow because it was the thing to do, but I think McDonald’s is a completely shocking thing. The only reason to go in McDonald’s is to use the loo,” she laughs.
She does make an unhealthy exception for fatty chopped liver – a love from her Jewish heritage – and says, unprompted, that it would be her death row meal.
“I hate Boris Johnson and everything that he stands for,” she says. “If I were going to be hung or electrocuted or something for murdering Boris Johnson, it would be a plate of chopped liver I asked for before I died. That’s very fattening, but beyond the grave we’re all the same, aren’t we?”
As she heads towards her ninth decade, the biggest lesson she’s learned around improving one’s own and other people’s health and wellbeing is to be kind, she says. But in her opinion, certain politicians will always be the exception to the rule.
“My mother was the first and most powerful influence on my life and she used to say: ‘If you can’t say something nice, shut up’. I haven’t learnt that, clearly, because I say terrible things about Trump and Boris Johnson – because they deserve it,” she says. “But in normal social intercourse, I believe in being kind.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--A Letter to My Aunty: I Promise To Live The Life You Couldn't Lead, Loudly

Sharan Dhaliwal Sharan and her partner.
You’re reading our series The Women Who Came Before Us. At a time when the generations can seem more divided than ever, HuffPost UK writers thank women in their family – or chosen family – who paved the way for the lives they lead today. Read more letters here.
Dear Aunty,
When womxn of colour are asked if there are any queer people in their families who’ve helped with their journeys, you will often notice an air of silence. It’s rare you see or hear these people. They exist, but it’s rare.
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I thought I was the only (out) queer person in mine. I came out as bisexual almost two years ago, in an article for my magazine. I did it without telling anyone first. I was scared of what people might say. And having placed myself in a vulnerable state, I was aware of the isolation that would follow.
Among my relatives, I was already considered a lost cause for being ‘reckless’ with life decisions. Some reacted negatively about my sexuality, too – seeing me as a stain on the respectability of our name.
Then one day I heard about you.
Sharan Dhaliwal A young Sharan with her father
You lived in India your whole life and I knew you mostly as the woman who had untreated schizophrenia. Only recently has your condition been diagnosed; before that, ableist terms were used to describe you. You were always referred to as “the mad one” in your lifetime. The diagnosis came after your death.
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There were a handful of times, when I was very young, that I met you, on one or other of the many trips we took to India. You were labelled as dangerous and scary, so I found myself hiding behind my parents when we were introduced. I now remember the pain in your face.
You died in old age, a few years ago and it was only last year that I found out about the relationship you’d had with another woman. I remember saying, “No, you mean she had a girl who was a friend, not a girlfriend.”
I was interrupted with a simple, “No, Sharan. She was gay.”
Sharan Dhaliwal Sharan today.
Things are changing for my generation and those younger than me. But looking back, it was harder then for people in immigrant communities to come out, due to cultural or religious strongholds. It was – is – especially hard in families where there’s an entrenched need to please, whether because of lingering colonial mindsets or honouring back-dated caste systems. In my own Indian family, these things have held some people back from living their true lives.
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You never came out. Instead, you were married at a young age and because of your mental health and abusive partner, you went through a divorce. Getting a divorce in those times was looked down upon – but because your schizophrenia was viewed as destructive, you were were branded as unlovable.
“Your sexuality has rarely been discussed until now. But since I heard your story, I’ve felt a powerful energy.”
So you stayed single and isolated, until this other woman came into your life. She helped take care of you and from there, a relationship blossomed. You fell in love and were by each other’s side constantly. Then one day, the family found out. They stopped you from seeing each other and you died alone.
Anonymity even after death is something I wish to hold for you – your sexuality has rarely been discussed until now. But since I heard your story, I’ve felt a powerful energy. Knowing that someone else in my family was out there, in a relationship with a woman, has meant the world to me.
Sharan Dhaliwal Sharan and her partner.
Now, in my relationship with my own partner, I know that every moment counts, because those before me suffered to get what I have. Every time someone tells me they don’t approve, I know I have the freedom to continue as I am, because I have your story in mind.
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Despite all that you went through and your lack of access to the care you needed, you were able to have that moment of joy with the woman you loved.
I didn’t know you had paved a way in my family to conversations about being gay. For so long, I believed I was the only one. Nor did I imagine the young girl hiding behind her parents as she looked at you in fear would one day look at you as someone who validated her existence.
There was a queer woman before me. And the life she wasn’t able to have is the life that I will loudly lead.
Thank you,


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--My Husband Transformed His Life. I Wasn't Prepared For How Much I'd Resent Him For It

“I don’t want to walk into my 40s with a paunch. I want to look good in my clothes. I don’t want to wade into the pool at the community centre with my love handles!” declared my husband one morning.
That extra bit of body peeking over the waistband of his swim shorts? I didn’t say it aloud, but I thought at the time that he was being vain. My husband had been grumbling about losing weight for some time now. I understood — I could stand to make a few lifestyle changes myself, but I’d fallen into a pattern of excuses.
If he wanted to commit to his health, I was with him one hundred per cent. But while I was prepared to see my husband attempt to turn his life around, what I wasn’t prepared for was how I’d feel when he actually achieved what he had set out to do.
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It was unsettling to see my husband suddenly doing “better” than I was, personally and professionally. He was coming into his own in his 30s. Meanwhile, after a successful and ambitious youth, I worried I was plateauing.
We started dating almost two decades ago. We shared a love of bingeing Netflix, watching cricket matches for hours, sleeping in mornings and enjoying food. As in-sync as we seemed, we were also very different. It’s one reason we fell in love. Back then he was reserved, I was loquacious. He thought things through, I charged headfirst. He was always self-analysing, I had supreme confidence. We brought out the best in one another.
“I felt like he had raced past me in life.”
I felt our relationship shift when our daughter was born in 2008. My husband became more social, and read up on religion, politics and women’s rights. He experimented with new recipes, learned to ski and struck up an interest in stand-up comedy. I, on the other hand, slacked off writing that book I’d wanted to pen since Grade 10, and dutifully put off salsa or bharatanatyam dance classes.
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One day, my husband walked right past a formerly substantial colleague, now as lithe as a teenage ballerina. He spent a week raving about how much weight his friend had lost, and wanted to give the Keto diet a shot.
It bears noting that my husband’s version of the low-carb, high-fat diet didn’t include any of my favourite foods: Twix bars, kettle chips and that delish double-layered chocolate cake from Metro. He stocked up on cauliflower rice, while I remained loyal to the plain white stuff. As he conscientiously grilled chicken or fish for his lunch, I’d watch sucking on just one spoonful of Nutella. Before leaving for work in the morning, he’d make two glasses of a rose-tinted breakfast smoothie in the new blender we swore we’d use together.
I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to use that blender as a bludgeon.
He did this every day for months. While I admired his growth into a woke, fit and sexy man, I paid scant attention to my own. I felt like he had raced past me in life.
Two years later, he’s 20 pounds lighter, his clothes fit a bit too sexily for my liking and he doesn’t burp as much (it’s the little things). Two years later, I’m still struggling to come to terms with what it was really all about: my lack of discipline and fear of change.
My initial reaction to my husband’s changes was indignation. I may have snapped “Don’t you like me just the way I am?” at my bewildered husband on more than one occasion. He had reason to be confused — he had never asked me to change. I fumed he couldn’t see that the healthier he pushed himself to be, the more my own self-doubts came into focus. I was projecting my insecurities onto him, but this self-realisation hadn’t yet dawned on me.
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“It’s important to have a marriage that challenges you to be your best self, and challenge me is exactly what my husband did.”
For example, if there’s one thing I live for, it’s cuddle time. We’ve long savoured those 20 minutes before our daughter launches herself into our bed, every morning, wiggling in between us and declaring her presence in our lives. In my resentment, I felt that he had taken that special time away from me — you’d find him at the gym every morning, sometimes even on weekends, instead. I’ve done my bit to sabotage his routine, faked illness, the blues and even diarrhoea to get him to skip. He fell for it (once!), but quickly wised up to my sulking, fake tears and occasional threats of divorce.
“We can work out together, you know,” my husband reminded me one day.
Something clicked. He was right, of course.
As I marvel at my husband’s discipline and focus, I increasingly recognise that I am an individual apart from him. It’s important to have a marriage that challenges you to be your best self, and challenge me is exactly what my husband did, although unwittingly. I’m working on letting go of my resentment before it turns into full-blown animus towards a sweet man who was just trying to look good in board shorts.
These days, I’m trying to meet my husband halfway. My meals have become healthier. I lug myself to the gym at least thrice a week (and binge watch Netflix on the Stair-master... because let’s face it, it’s BORING!). I’ve switched to egg whites, and there’s no sugar in my coffee or tea. I still refuse to ski. And it feels… good.
My husband’s doing his part to keep things even-keeled in our relationship, too. He’s loved me, and more importantly lived with me, for far too long to know not to disregard my feelings — that saint of a man has been accommodating them for over 18 years and counting. Cuddle time is back. He never tells me what to eat or not to eat. It’s always “us.” I appreciate that.
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But I may have spoken too soon. Last week, he sauntered into our kitchen looking a bit too thoughtful about — what else? — bread.
“We need to go to Costco. That bread? The low-carb one with the protein? We need to load up. I need to put some weight back on!”
This article first appeared on HuffPost Canada Personal.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Coronavirus Latest: Third Person In UK Dies After Testing Positive For Covid-19

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A third patient has died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, officials have confirmed.
The man, aged in his 60s, who had underlying health problems, died at North Manchester General Hospital having recently returned from Italy.
The announcement of the death follows confirmation on Friday that an 83-year-old great-grandfather had become the second person to die in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus.
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The man, who also had underlying health conditions, died on Thursday while being treated at Milton Keynes University Hospital.
His family paid tribute to him as a “truly loving and wonderful person”.
On Thursday evening, another patient, reported to be a woman in her 70s, became the first person in the UK to die after being diagnosed with Covid-19, while at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has jumped to 273 in the the largest day-on-day increase in positive tests, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed earlier on Sunday.
North Manchester General Hospital. PA
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Italy has now registered more cases of coronavirus than any country outside China, while its death toll has risen to 366.
After mass testing uncovered more than 7,300 infections, the country has followed China’s lead and has now locked down around 16 million people – more than a quarter of its population – for nearly a month.
A spokesman for Manchester General Hospital said: “We can confirm that sadly a patient being treated for Covid-19 has died at our specialist regional Infectious Diseases unit at North Manchester General Hospital.
“The man in his sixties tested positive after travelling to Italy and had a number of underlying health problems.
“Our thoughts are with the patient’s family who are being supported by our specialist bereavement staff.”
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Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “I am very sorry to report that a third patient in England who tested positive for Covid-19 has sadly died.
“I offer my sincere condolences to their family and friends and ask that their privacy is respected.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Italy's Coronavirus Death Toll Rises By 133 In A Day

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The number of deaths from coronavirus in Italy has risen by 133 to 366 on Saturday, officials have said.
The 57% increase is by far the largest daily rise in fatalities since the outbreak came to light last month.
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The total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 7,375 - up by 25% from 5,883 on Saturday, the Civil Protection Agency said.
The update came after more than a quarter of the country’s population was placed in mandatory quarantine as the government attempted to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The head of the agency said that, of those originally infected, 622 had fully recovered, compared to 589 the day before. Some 650 people were in intensive care against a previous 567.
Meanwhile in the UK, more than 270 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, the Department of Health has said.
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As of 9am on Sunday, 273 people had been diagnosed with Covid-19 – an increase of 67 from the 206 cases confirmed at 7am on Saturday.
It represents the largest day-on-day increase in diagnoses.
More than 23,500 people have been tested for the virus in the UK, with two patients with Covid-19 having died.
Two more cases have been confirmed in Scotland, bringing the total there to 18.
On Saturday night, three more people were diagnosed in Northern Ireland pushing its total to seven, while on Sunday morning it was announced confirmed cases in Wales had risen from two to four.
Supermarkets have started placing restrictions on items including pasta, anti-bacterial wipes and hand soap in a bid to prevent shoppers from stockpiling.
Around the world, more and more countries are bracing for a surge in virus cases.
Western countries have been increasingly imitating China – where the virus first emerged late last year, and which has suffered the vast majority of infections – by imposing travel controls and shutting down public events.
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Other countries around the world were also limiting activities, with events and festivals called off, and travel restrictions and warnings issued.
A nosedive in tourist traffic and possible disruptions to supply chains sparked fears of a worldwide economic slowdown.
Saudi Arabia banned spectators at any sports competitions, and the NBA, as well as British and Japanese sports teams, are considering doing the same, as baseball and soccer seasons are starting.
Of particular concern are passenger-packed cruise ships, many of which are confronting their own virus problems.
The Grand Princess, where 21 people tested positive for the virus, was heading for the port of Oakland, California, after idling off San Francisco for several days. There is evidence that the ship was the breeding ground for a deadly cluster of almost 20 cases during an earlier voyage.
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A man walks in Duomo square in Milan, Italy on Sunday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Also on Saturday, the port of Penang in Malaysia turned away the cruise ship Costa Fortuna because 64 of the 2,000 on board are from Italy. The ship had already been rejected by Thailand, and is now heading to Singapore.
While the global death toll has risen past 3,400, more people have now recovered from the virus than are ill with it.
As of Saturday, nearly 90,000 cases have been reported in Asia; more than 8,000 in Europe; 6,000 in the Middle East; about 450 in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean; and fewer than 50 cases reported so far in Africa.
While many scientists said the world is clearly in the grip of a pandemic – a serious global outbreak – the World Health Organisation isn’t calling it that yet, saying the word might spook the world further.
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The virus is still much less widespread than annual flu epidemics, which cause up to five million severe cases around the world and up to 650,000 deaths annually, according to the WHO.
In Iran, fears over the virus and the government’s waning credibility has become a major challenge to leaders already reeling from American sanctions. More than 1,000 infections were confirmed overnight, taking the country’s total to 5,823 cases, including 145 deaths.
South Korea, the hardest-hit country outside China, reported 93 new cases on Sunday morning, taking the total to 7,134, with 50 deaths overall.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--In Pictures: How Women Worldwide Marked International Women's Day

A spokeswoman for the group said: “It’s mainly women in poorer countries in the global south that are experiencing the increase in violence but this will be the reality for all women if the climate and ecological crisis continues to go unaddressed.”
“We are here to raise the alarm about what is happening to our sisters around the world and to tell women in the UK the climate and ecological emergency is your issue – it will affect you as a woman if we do not persuade our Government to take urgent action starting now.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Hecklers Brand Boris Johnson A 'Traitor' During Visit To Flood-Hit Town

Boris Johnson was met with shouts of “traitor” as he arrived in Worcestershire on Sunday to see efforts to tackle flooding.
The PM arrived on the banks of the River Severn in Bewdley on Sunday afternoon and was taken to view flood defences by Environment Agency staff.
Some onlookers shouted “traitor” at Johnson, who has faced criticism for failing to visit flood-hit communities sooner.
Bewdley has been among the worst-hit areas in England following the wettest February on record.
Johnson received a mixed reception as he walked through Bewdley town centre.
While a number of teenagers asked him to stop for a selfie on the bridge, and he happily obliged with a smile and a thumbs up, as he walked back on to the river bank, one man shouted “do your f****** job”.
The PM was then given a demonstration of how the barriers work on Severn Side North, and told affected residents he would “get Bewdley done”.
He said he was “so sorry to hear it” when he heard homes had been overwhelmed by as much as 2ft of water.
The PM spoke to the Environment Agency and said they discussed “what permanent defences can we put in and what’s the business case”.
He added: “What we’re doing is we are doubling the funding for flood defences to £5.2 billion and we’re also going to be looking at all the things we can do upstream.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Number Of Confirmed UK Coronavirus Cases Jumps To 273

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The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has jumped to 273 in the the largest day-on-day increase in positive tests, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed.
As of 9am on Sunday, there was an increase of 67 cases from the 206 confirmed at 7am on Saturday.
More than 23,500 people have been tested for the virus in the UK, with three patients with Covid-19 having died.
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The third patient, a man aged in his 60s who had underlying health problems, died at North Manchester General Hospital having recently returned from Italy, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Two more cases have been confirmed in Scotland, bringing the total there to 18.
On Saturday night, three more people were diagnosed in Northern Ireland pushing its total to seven, while on Sunday morning it was announced confirmed cases in Wales had risen from two to four.
Supermarkets have started placing restrictions on items including pasta, anti-bacterial wipes and hand soap in a bid to prevent shoppers from stockpiling.
UPDATE on coronavirus (#COVID19) testing in the UK:
As of 9am 8 March 2020, a total of 23,513 people have been tested:
23,240 negative.
273 positive.
2 patients who tested positive for coronavirus has sadly died.
For latest information:https://t.co/e1hwL62CDI pic.twitter.com/YCE94Cw5SR — Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) March 8, 2020
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Commenting on reports of people panic-buying in shops, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday: “We’ve had no advice from the scientific advisers or medical officers that there’s any need for people to buy stuff in.
“If you think you have symptoms, the best thing to do as you know is to stay at home and contact the NHS.
“We will make sure we give the NHS… the investment it needs to cope with this crisis.”
The latest coronavirus figures were published as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said a “national effort” is required to tackle the outbreak.
He hailed the “good example” set by a group of people released from hospital quarantine on Sunday, who had been repatriated to the UK last month from the coronavirus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
The group of 30 Britons and two Irish nationals are now allowed to leave Arrowe Park hospital in the Wirral, having been given the all-clear from infection.
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Meanwhile in Italy, more than a quarter of population has been placed in mandatory quarantine as the government attempts to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The number of deaths from coronavirus in Italy has risen by by 133 to 366 on Saturday, officials said on Sunday.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office is now advising against all but essential travel to a wider area of northern Italy due to the country’s coronavirus crisis.
One unnamed man diagnosed with coronavirus in the UK told BBC Radio 4 he was “shocked” and “surprised” at the lack of coronavirus information when he arrived at Manchester Airport after a skiing holiday in northern Italy last weekend.
Immediately self-isolating at home with his wife, he said the experience of being tested was “frightening” but was now feeling “well recovered” as he waited for a further test.
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“By self-isolating think of all the lives we’ve saved,” he said.
Hancock has set out plans contained in emergency legislation to deal with the impact of the virus.
The Bill, which is likely to go through parliament by the end of the month, is expected to include measures to allow some court proceedings to be conducted via telephone or video.
Volunteers will be given additional employment safeguards, allowing them to leave their main jobs and temporarily help health and social systems in the event of a widespread pandemic.
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, preparing to deliver his first Budget, said on Sunday the government was ready to deliver “whatever action is required” to deal with the crisis.
On Monday, Johnson will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee, Cobra, while sports governing bodies and broadcasters will attend a meeting with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to discuss how to handle the outbreak’s possible impact on the sporting calendar.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will chair a meeting of the House of Commons Commission to discuss parliament’s response.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Six Killed By Avalanches In Austrian Alps

Six people have been killed in two separate avalanches in the Austrian Alps.
Five snowshoers who were hiking in central Austria were hit by one avalanche on Sunday morning, authorities have confirmed.
Several people witnessed the avalanche and immediately informed emergency services, but the hikers, believed to be from the Czech Republic, were already dead by the time rescuers got to them.
In south-western Austria, a policeman who was undergoing Alpine training was killed when he was hit by a separate avalanche.
The officer was hit by a large piece of frozen snow and died at the scene from his injuries.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Angela Rayner Demands Action As Poll Shows Men Twice As Likely To Stand For Office As Women

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Labour deputy leadership candidate Angela Rayner has said there needs to be a “fundamental change” in politics to close the “gender power gap”.
Polling conducted by Rayner’s campaign has revealed men are twice as likely to stand for public office as women.
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Rayner, who is seen as the clear frontrunner in the deputy leadership contest, made the intervention while speaking to care workers on Saturday in Birmingham.
“This is a vicious circle. Women are locked out of politics in part because of an economy where our jobs are under-valued. But we can’t change the economy if we’re locked out of politics,” she said in her speech to mark International Women’s Day.
“And women are put off public office or promotion because the image of leadership is male. But the image is male because so often women aren’t pushed for leadership.”
The survey conducted by Survation revealed that fewer than one in five women would consider standing for public office. But nearly a third of men would do so.
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It also revealed those without formal qualifications, in blue-collar jobs and on lower incomes are least likely to consider it.
According to the poll, women are also less likely to consider speaking in public, apply for a workplace promotion or put themselves forward for career opportunities.
The biggest reason cited by women for not applying for a promotion was “lack of confidence” (38%) whereas for men the top reason given was “I’m happy as I am” (40%).
Empics Entertainment
Rayner said: “There is a gender pay gap, because there is a gender power gap. But there are answers to these problems.”
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Rayner, the shadow education secretary, said Labour had to “blow the doors off democracy and give people the means to have a say over their own lives”.
“I spent a long time not talking about my life story, I was embarrassed that I had to care for my Mum who couldn’t read and write, that I didn’t get qualifications at school, that I was pregnant at 16 – but women have to tell those stories,” she said.
“We have to show how strong we are, how we can succeed – you can see from this one snapshot that it really matters in encouraging others to dare to put themselves forward.”
Rayner is in a race with Richard Burgon, Dawn Butler, Rosena Allin-Khan and Ian Murray to replace Tom Watson.
The result of the deputy leadership contest will be announced on April 4 - alongside the winner of the leadership race.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--'She Really Is Beautiful Innit' – Head Boy Steals The Show As Meghan Markle Surprises School Pupils

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Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance in front of hundreds of pupils in Dagenham – but it was the school’s head boy who stole the show.
In one of her last solo engagements as a working royal, the Duchess of Sussex met with delighted pupils at the Robert Clack Upper School in Dagenham to discuss International Women’s Day.
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In a speech addressing the school’s boys in particular, she urged them to “continue to value and appreciate the women in your lives and also set the example for some men who are not seeing it that same way.
“You have your mothers, sisters, girlfriends, friends in your life, protect them.
“Make sure that they are feeling valued and safe and let’s all just rally together to make International Women’s Day something that is not just on Sunday, but frankly feels like every day of the year.”
The duchess also extended an invitation to the school’s boys, asking one of them to come up and explain the importance of International Women’s Day.
Head boy Aker Okoye, 16, jumped at the chance to take to the stage. Greeting the duchess with what appeared to be a kiss on the cheek, he told his fellow pupils: “She really is beautiful innit. I had to speak the truth there.”
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With a smile, Meghan praised Aker’s “incredible confidence”.
Footage of the moment has been shared widely on social media, with Twitter users praising Okoye’s bold approach.
“She really is beautiful innit”
Man, I love being British 😭😂pic.twitter.com/KGg6Hiygbv — De'Graft Mensah (@DGMensah) March 7, 2020
This kid- bravery, honesty and pure swag 💜😂 and the way Meghan responds 🙏🏽 Gorgeous. https://t.co/wL3jYlrrio — Rachel C. Boyle (@RachelCBoyle1) March 8, 2020
Omg this boy actually got up on stage in front of a whole ITV news crew to shoot his shot with Meghan I ADORE IT 😭😭 https://t.co/BmudmOXs6G — Otegha K. Uwagba (@OteghaUwagba) March 8, 2020
Markle’s visit had been kept secret from pupils at the Dagenham school, and though rumours had circulated about who the special guest could be, most of those waiting inside were audibly surprised when Meghan arrived on Friday, to be warmly greeted by headteacher Russell Taylor.
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Meghan smiled broadly at two of the school’s youngest pupils, 11-year-olds Fiona Addai and Harvi Shehi, who both appeared shocked as she approached and asked their names.
The duchess thanked Fiona after the youngster presented her with a small bouquet of purple and white flowers. Fiona later said: “I was so happy, I thought I was going to faint.”
Meghan also marked the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act on her visit to the school.
Her choice of location was noteworthy as strikes in the 1960s by female sewing machinists at the nearby Ford Motor Plant triggered the passing of the legislation. That struggle was depicted in the 2010 film Made in Dagenham.
Meghan told around 700 pupils in an assembly: “I think being able to be in Dagenham is incredibly profound…
“It is the best example of no matter how small you might feel, how low you may feel on the ladder or the totem pole, no matter what colour you are, no matter what gender you are, you have a voice and you certainly have the right to speak up for what is right.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received a standing ovation at the Royal Albert Hall as they attended one of their final public engagements before they step back as senior royals.
The couple were treated to a sustained round of applause ahead of the national anthem, as they took their seats in the royal box at the London venue.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-08--Layla Moran Announces Lib Dem Leadership Bid

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Layla Moran has said she will run for the Lib Dem leadership, as she described its revoke Article 50 Brexit policy as a “big mistake”.
The party’s education spokesmen announced her bid to succeed Jo Swinson on Sunday morning.
Moran, the Lib Dem education spokesperson, said the party needed to earn the “trust” of voters again.
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She told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Yes, I will be standing for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.
“I believe it’s time that we move on as a party and offer a positive vision for the country, and I’m the right person to lead that change.”
The Oxford West and Abingdon MP said it is “really important that we listen and understand where we’ve been going wrong”.
She added: “They (voters) come back and say in the election revoke was a big mistake because it felt very top down, and actually co-operation is a key part of what we believe as Liberal Democrats and we need to earn their trust again.”
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Moran said she did not rule out supporting the UK rejoining the EU “one day”.
“If there is a way to move that door open so that one day, with public consent, we go back then I would be first in line,” she said.
The Lib Dems fought the 2019 election on a platform of stopping Brexit on day one if the party won a majority.
Swinson began the campaign pitching herself as a viable prime minister in waiting.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--Sunday Brunch Mistakenly Serves Up Non-Vegan Dish To Vegan Guest

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Sunday Brunch hosts Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy had to apologise to guest Jon Richardson after serving up a non-vegan dish to the vegan comedian.
During Sunday’s edition of the Channel 4 show, chef Asma Khan cooked up a Massor dhal with prawns, which was then served for the guests to try.
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Knowing Jon was vegan, Simon told him that the dish was OK to eat if he obviously avoided the prawns.
However, the dhal wasn’t actually vegan at all, as it contained ghee, which is a clarified butter.
Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer on Sunday Brunch Channel 4
Following a commercial break, Simon donned a pair of glasses to deliver a comedy apology, remarking: “Earlier on in the previous cooking item, I may have informed guests that the dhal was in fact vegan. It was, of course, ghee used in the recipe, which isn’t vegan. I allowed Jon Richardson, who is indeed a vegan, to eat some of it.
“On behalf of myself and the Sunday Brunch team, I would like to sincerely apologise and hope I haven’t offended you and spoiled your life.”
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Jon joked: “When I’m sick during my interview, you can take responsibility for that.”
Jon Richardson was served non-vegan dhal Channel 4
Showing off his own cooking credentials, Jon then noted that viewers could actually made the dish vegan at home.
“There’s no reason why you couldn’t use a vegan spread in it,” he said.
However, Jon faced some embarrassment when his wife Lucy Beaumont, who was also a guest, told Simon and Tim that he’d recently enjoyed a Halloumi burger.
While Jon obviously had a light-hearted response to the incident, Simon and Tim’s apology didn’t wash with everyone.
Why didn’t Asma speak up? #Ghee isn’t Vegan! #SundayBrunch Weak apology too, nothing like taking the piss out of Vegans it’s like the Piers Morgan school of mockery. Bravo! — Ali. (@WavyHair78) March 8, 2020
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#SundayBrunch This programme has done more to offend vegans this morning than Bernard Matthews has his whole life — Auld Bryan (@BCollier2012) March 8, 2020
Seems like someone (or 3 people at least) need to learn the basics of where their food comes from. Do we need the “Vegan Food For Dummies” guide?! Utterly ridiculous. #SundayBrunch More basic training required. — Ali. (@WavyHair78) March 8, 2020
@simonrim @SundayBrunchC4 I’m really offended by the ‘joking’ apology and the laughing in the background. It would literally make me sick. You own a vegan/vegetarian restaurant! #sundaybrunch #vegan — evasarawelch (@evasarawelch1) March 8, 2020
Sunday Brunch airs on Sundays from 9.30am on Channel 4.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--Joe Swash Beats Perri Kiely To Become Surprise Dancing On Ice Winner

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Joe Swash has been crowned the surprise winner of this year’s Dancing On Ice.
The former EastEnders star beat bookies’ favourite Perri Kiely to win the ITV skating show on Sunday night.
The Diversity dancer had been the hot favourite to skate away as the winner throughout the series, but finished as runner-up with Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg in third place.
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Joe Swash and Alex Murphy won this year's Dancing On Ice Matt Frost/ITV/Shutterstock
Joe and skating partner Alex Murphy were visibly shocked when presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield announced they’d won, later telling them: “Honestly, this is the most amazing experience to share with Al.”
Phillip told Perri that “everybody thought you had this in the bag”, to which the dancer replied: “I did everything I wanted to do, Joe has come so far and I’ve genuinely made a friend for life.”
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Earlier in the show, the 24-year-old pulled off a dangerous backflip on the ice, the first in the show’s history.
The pair beat favourites Perri Kiely and Vanessa Bauer in the final Matt Frost/ITV/Shutterstock
He was also told he had “the best Bolero we’ve ever seen from any contestant” by judge Christopher Dean.
The panel also praised Joe for being the most-improved contestant of the series.
Both he and Perri scored perfect 10s for all their performances during the final.
However, while some fans were thrilled to see Joe win, others were disappointed that Perri did not.
Never trust the british public to vote for anything 🙄 Perry and Vanessa were the better skaters / dancers with with the best bolero I’ve ever seen #DancingOnIce pic.twitter.com/fuoTcrf32O — Kyle McKinnon (@kipmckinnon) March 8, 2020
Surely it's meant to be the best skater/dancer and not the most improved 🤔 #DancingOnIce — David Bedwell (@DavidBedwell) March 8, 2020
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People are trying to say Joe was the better skater????
NONSENSE!!!
#DancingOnIce pic.twitter.com/hDPsnNsxmG — kryssy 💜 (@krystlew123) March 8, 2020
I love perri and Vanessa but Perri has been amazing from the start, Joe has been on a journey on that show and improved so much, Joe and Alex have my vote 100% deserving of the win⛸ #DancingOnIce — Lauren Colling (@laurencolling_) March 8, 2020
Joe Swash has had no dance background, no idea or practice on how to balance or trick or lift at all. To have his journey was beyond me! Well done, truly deserved! #DancingOnIce — Iona💛 (@IonaJardine) March 8, 2020
Joe’s win came after he sustained an injury to his ear last week, when Alex’s skate blade caught his skin.
He was forced to spend the rest of the week training with a large bandage around his head, only taking it off for the final.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--The Funniest Tweets From Parents This Week

My kids: [pretending to bake] Here are some cookies for you, Papa!
Me: Aw, thanks guys-
My 4 year-old: We were going to throw them in the trash because they are gross but gave them to you instead.
Me: And there it is.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--Here's How Inspiring Women Around The World Celebrated International Women's Day

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Scores of high-profile women celebrated International Women’s Day on Sunday by sharing empowering and galvanizing messages spotlighting female achievement and the work that needs to be done to create a gender-equal world.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #EachforEqual, drawing on the notion of “collective individualism” as a reminder that each person’s actions, conversations and behaviors to challenge stereotypes and discrimination can contribute to real change when society commits as a whole.
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Here are some of the ways they chose to celebrate women, and the issues they chose to highlight this International Women’s Day.
Michelle Obama
The former first lady called for people to “work together to empower the next generation of women” this International Women’s Day, the goal behind the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance program which seeks to invest in adolescent girls’ education. Her upcoming YouTube special will feature YouTube creators Liza Koshy, Prajakta Koli and Thembe Mahlaba as they visit Vietnam, Namibia and India to speak with young women battling adversity to pursue education.
This #InternationalWomensDay, let’s work together to empower the next generation of women.
That’s the idea behind the @GirlsAlliance—and I’m thrilled @YouTube is sharing the stories of our work in a new Creators For Change special. Tune in on March 17: https://t.co/r6CEE98VRz pic.twitter.com/yJz9G9PCnm — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) March 8, 2020
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Ellen DeGeneres
The talk show host celebrated some of the inspiring women who have appeared on “The Ellen Show” such as teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, actors Laura Dern, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman and pro tennis player Naomi Osaka. “I see you all. You look fantastic,” Degeneres tweeted.
Happy #InternationalWomensDay. I see you all. You look fantastic. pic.twitter.com/q86vrAUgBz — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 8, 2020
Nancy Pelosi
The House speaker reminded readers that the ongoing fight for women’s equality around the world was important “today, and every day.”
“Every woman, everywhere, deserves the opportunity to reach her full potential, with respect and recognition in the workforce, security and dignity in society and a voice and a vote in government,” she wrote in a linked statement.
Today, and every day, we commit ourselves to the ongoing fight for genuine equality for all of the world’s women and girls. #InternationalWomensDay https://t.co/XAAriMbLqN pic.twitter.com/xJWyLJCjEl — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 8, 2020
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Greta Thunberg
The teen climate activist recognized that like the battle for climate justice, the fight for gender equity will continue. She added, “And remember; what we women want today - and every day - is equality, not congratulations or celebrations.”
Today is #InternationalWomensDay and we recognise that women are still far from equal to men in today’s societies.
We can not have climate justice without gender equity.
And remember; what we women want today - and every day- is equality, not congratulations or celebrations. pic.twitter.com/g1CuEN6YLX — Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) March 8, 2020
Sen. Kamala Harris
The California Democrat invoked her mother’s words about trailblazing women, calling for recognition of the sacrifices made by women throughout history to continually move forward in the fight for equality and representation.
As my mother always used to say, “you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.”
On #InternationalWomensDay, let’s recognize the sacrifices of all the extraordinary women who came before us and continue their fight for equality and representation. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) March 8, 2020
Meghan Markle
As one of her final official duties as a royal, the Duchess of Sussex visited Dagenham where a group of female factory workers went on strike in 1968, eventually prompting the passing of the Equal Pay Act.
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Meghan visited with Geraldine Dear, one of the strikers, and met with students at a local school to encourage the town’s next generation of women.
Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift
The two pop sensations highlighted the achievements of women in the music industry, both creating playlists of music by female artists and bands to listen to on this International Women’s Day.
It’s #InternationalWomensDay and I’m celebrating all of the strong, women of choice all over the world with this playlist full of songs all from female artists 💖💪💋 @applemusic https://t.co/a8bfTXKtax — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) March 8, 2020
In honor of International Women’s Day, I changed out my @AppleMusic playlist to songs I’m loving right now by female artists and bands. 💕 Let’s all celebrate together by honoring the women in our lives and the women out there pushing things forward 😘 https://t.co/YSUOgCUqIa — Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 7, 2020
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Hillary Clinton
The former secretary of state reminded the world that “women’s rights are human rights—and no administration, political party, court, legislature, or biased attitudes can change that.”
On #InternationalWomensDay and every day, let’s say out loud once more that women’s rights are human rights—and no administration, political party, court, legislature, or biased attitudes can change that. pic.twitter.com/Zoc437YsHS — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 8, 2020
Emma Watson
The actor and UN Women Goodwill ambassador highlights an important cause each year to mark March 8, and this year was no different. She honored all those who have spoken up about rape and violence against women, and shared a book recommendation: Sex & World Peace by Valerie M. Hudson, Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Mary Caprioli and Chad F. Emmett.
Malala Yousafzai
The Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner shared the goals and ambitions of several young women, highlighting the importance of girls’ education.
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Happy #InternationalWomensDay! Imagine how much better our world will be if every girl can live out her ambitions. https://t.co/LJFwYZ4lrk https://t.co/f1oZpF4FFf — Malala (@Malala) March 8, 2020
“I want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon because I want to be able to help save the lives of children because they are our future. I also want to show other people that it’s possible to be a black female doctor in neurology.” — Jonté (@noturaveragept2), 19, U.S. pic.twitter.com/0kZYuTP88c — Malala (@Malala) March 6, 2020
Shakira
The singer spotlighted two women she admires, Michelle Obama and Malala Yousafzai, praising both women’s advocacy for girls’ education.
Two women I admire are @MichelleObama and @Malala, thank you for standing up and setting examples for women around the world. Girls, everywhere, are combatting child marriage, stereotypes, education inequality, and violence - and they won’t stop. (1/3) #InternationalWomensDay — Shakira (@shakira) March 8, 2020
Through my work with @UNICEF I’ve seen the power of education and how it gives children the tools they need to break stereotypes, think big and go after their dreams and recent reports show girls are now much more likely to attend secondary school than 25 years ago. (2/3) — Shakira (@shakira) March 8, 2020
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--Trump Mocked For 'Fiddling While Rome Burns' Over Coronavirus Chaos

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President Donald Trump shared a meme on Sunday with an image of himself playing a fiddle and text warning that “nothing can stop what’s coming.”
Given the rapid spread of coronavirus combined with the sinking stock markets – including Dow futures plunging nearly 1,000 points around the time the president tweeted – more than a few found the message a little ominous.
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The president also added his own sentiment to the meme posted by his social media director, saying it sounds good to him... even if the meaning isn’t exactly clear:
Who knows what this means, but it sounds good to me! https://t.co/rQVA4ER0PV — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 8, 2020
The phrase in the meme is popular among QAnon conspiracy theorists, some of whom celebrated the tweet.
But Trump’s critics on Twitter were quick to suggest the image might have a meaning the president likely didn’t anticipate: The popular – if probably untrue – legend of Nero fiddling as Rome burns around him.
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And since Trump played golf throughout the weekend as the crises unfolded, more than a few suggested that golf was his own version of the fiddle:
Fiddle while Rome burns. To do something trivial and irresponsible in the midst of an emergency; legend has it that while a fire destroyed the city of Rome, the emperor Nero played his violin, thus revealing his total lack of concern for his people and his empire. — Morten Øverbye (@morten) March 8, 2020
The president, who is goofing off at his golf resort as his administration's train wreck of a pandemic response goes from bad to worse, retweets an image posted by HIS OWN social media director that's reminiscent of Nero fiddling as Rome burned. Because neither has heard of Nero. pic.twitter.com/qlYvzV2NOn — Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 8, 2020
I was a day early with my "Nero fiddles while Rome burns" reference, apparently https://t.co/1W2JadieiX — Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) March 8, 2020
The American Nero fiddles while the U.S. burns. https://t.co/LVEPr1HDyZ — Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) March 8, 2020
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You see, Nero was a decadent and unpopular ruler. In fact, he's remembered as one of the cruelest and most sadistic rulers.
The phrase "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" refers to people who neglect their duties by engaging in frivolous pursuits
(like golf).
You're welcome. https://t.co/0D9qBSnOar — Teri Kanefield (@Teri_Kanefield) March 9, 2020
It means that playing golf while Americans die during an uncontained epidemic makes you look like the Emperor Nero fiddling while Rome burned. The fact that neither you nor your social media director understand this meme and retweeted it makes you even more oblivious than Nero. — Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) March 8, 2020
Nero is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more pic.twitter.com/NrBhRXNRLY — Max Weiss (@maxthegirl) March 8, 2020
Lazy Nero? — John Weaver (@jwgop) March 8, 2020
I was about to write the same thing: It means Donald Trump is fiddling while America burns. Impressively subversive esoteric tweet by @DanScavino. — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) March 8, 2020
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I know what it means. You’re cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. https://t.co/QwMDANN4y7 — George Conway (@gtconway3d) March 9, 2020
It means that you are fiddling while Rome burns. You might want to look up what happened to Nero. — Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) March 8, 2020
Trump: “Who knows what’s this means, but it sounds good to me!”
Me: “Somebody wanted to make you look like Nero, photoshopped a fiddle in your hands, and you and Dan Scavino are too dumb to understand the metaphor.” pic.twitter.com/4f9sqEfeh6 — Santa Claus, CEO (@SantaInc) March 8, 2020
It means that Nero fiddled while Rome was burning, but you play golf and post stupid memes while many Americans are at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
It means you are clueless.
It means you're an idiot.
It means November is coming.
Dumbass. — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) March 8, 2020
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I have to admit that I did not have "I'm Nero!" on my Donald Trump Batshittery Bingo card — Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) March 8, 2020
It means Trump is just like Nero, but instead of playing the fiddle while Rome burns, Trump plays the violin in a stupid meme as our country is engulfed in a coronavirus outbreak. — Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) March 8, 2020
It's true.
The coronavirus will wreck havoc on America, and your inaction, incompetence, and attempts to mislead the public will go down in history as 1,000x worse than Bush's Katrina. — William LeGate 🧢 #ByeDon 2020 (@williamlegate) March 8, 2020
When your own social media director is posting Nero images during your disastrous pandemic response, do you a) try to do better b) fire him or c) assume it’s a compliment and RT pic.twitter.com/21XIhJPq54 — Hari Kunzru (@harikunzru) March 8, 2020
Someone’s never heard of Nero... https://t.co/esu9rpOjNx — Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) March 8, 2020
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--David And Victoria Beckham Are Couple Goals At Son Brooklyn's 21st Birthday Party

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David and Victoria Beckham looked to be the stars of the dancefloor at son Brooklyn’s 21st birthday party over the weekend.
The pair put on a sweet display of affection as they celebrated their eldest child’s milestone at a lavish bash on Saturday night.
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And what’s more, Victoria even wore flats for the occasion.
Victoria shared some pictures of her and David cosied up on the dancefloor, with him cheekily grabbing her bum in one shot.
The pics also revealed that Posh had swapped her trademark heels during the bash, popping on a pair of biker boots so she could dance the night away.
Victoria Beckham danced the night away at son Brooklyn's bash Instagram
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She revealed on Instagram that they were “dancing til 6am” with family and many famous friends, including the likes of Stormzy and Victoria’s former Spice Girls bandmates Emma Bunton and Geri Horner.
She also shared posts on her Instagram Stories showing the bash in full swing, including a video of daughter Harper, eight, dancing with grime star Stormzy.
David posted clips of the rapper performing for the guests at the party, which was reportedly held in a marquee in the garden of their Cotswolds home.
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Brooklyn also shared a selection of images from the night, including ones of him with younger brothers Romeo and Cruz, as well as with and his girlfriend, US actor Nicola Peltz.
“Thank you mum and dad for throwing such an amazing party last night,” he wrote.
“To all my friends thank you for being part of a night I will never forget.”
Stormzy also performed at Brooklyn Beckham's 21 birthday Instagram
Victoria with Emma Bunton and Geri Horner Instagram
Brooklyn turned 21 last Wednesday, with David and Victoria both sharing touching messages about their son on social media.
“Happy 21st to my big boy,” David wrote. “What more can I say about you other than you have grown into the most beautiful human being and that makes dad so proud.
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“You are kind, passionate and caring and as a father that’s what you want to see in your son... we have had so many great moments as a father and son together like lifting trophies in all the places that I won them and for me that was always my dream.”
Stormzy danced with Harper Beckham Instagram
David added: “I love you bust have the most amazing day because u deserve it.”
Victoria later shared a photo of David holding Brooklyn as a baby, writing: “21 years ago today the most beautiful soul came into the world and changed our lives forever.
“Sensitive, sweet, kind and funny, you are our everything. I love you so much.”
It’s been a big 12 months for the Beckhams when it comes to big family celebrations, with David and Victoria marking their 20th wedding anniversary in 2019.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-03-09--Trump 'Can't Bluff His Way Through' This Crisis, Slams Conservative US News Site

Donald Trump is revealing how “deeply unsuited he is to deal with a genuine crisis that he can’t bluff his way through,” per an editorial published Sunday in the Washington Examiner, a conservative political news site and weekly magazine that often has the president’s back.
This time, the Examiner had a serious problem with the president’s deceitful approach to the coronavirus threat.
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“It’s one thing for Trump to insist he had a ‘perfect’ phone call [to Ukraine] and have all his Republican minions fall in line. It’s another thing to downplay a growing epidemic as more and more Americans get sick,” wrote the Examiner’s executive editor Philip Klein.
Trump’s comments on Friday while touring the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention were particularly disturbing, the Examiner noted. Instead of making sober, steadying statements about the concrete steps being taken to protect Americans, Trump attacked CNN, called Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) a “snake” for criticising the administration’s handling of a disease that has killed 14 people in Inslee’s state and asked about ratings for his Fox News town hall meeting.
Trump also claimed tests devised by the CDC were perfect and that anyone who needed one could get it, even though CDC and other federal officials revealed that early tests were flawed and demand for tests had outstripped supply.
Most stunning, Klein noted, was Trump’s reluctance to allow the passengers, including some 1,000 Americans, to leave the Grand Princess cruise ship, which is carrying nearly two dozen people who are sick with coronavirus, because it would increase the reported numbers of cases.
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“Trump appears to be more concerned with numbers that might make him look bad in the short-term, then he is with actually taking the most prudent measures to save lives over time,” Klein wrote.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the coronavirus threat is all but over, even as cases continued to mount. He also claimed that the 15 domestic cases reported last month would “go down close to zero.” As of Sunday, there were more than 500 cases — and 22 deaths.
“Trump will be judged on his handling of the spread of a virus,” Klein warned. “And the outcome will be clear no matter how many things he makes up, no matter how confident he pretends to be, and no matter how many insults he heaves.”