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£1.20 Weekend edition Saturday/Sunday December 23-24 2017 Morning Star Incorporating the Daily Worker For peace and socialism YEAR IN REVIEW I’D LIKE A WOOLLY MAMMOTH THE BIG CULTURAL ROUNDUP The highs and lows of 2017: p10 Peter Frost’s request to Santa : p11 Best of the year: p16-19 www.morningstaronline.co.uk Westminster bar bill suggests peers only leapt up from their seats if it was for another drink this Christmas as they spend £70,000 on booze by Steve Sweeney Scottish National Party MSP Clare members of the Lords feasted on pub- attended,” as a taxi waited outside Haughey said it was clear that the only lic cash to pay for luxury food and drink with the engine running. thing happening in the upper house last in the Peers’ Dining Room, where One life peer has described the PEERS have been accused of living year was “Lords a-leaping to the bar.” dishes included pressed game terrine chamber as “the best day-care centre it up at the taxpayer’s expense this She said: “The public will be with baby leek and dandelion salad, and for the elderly in London.” Christmas, sparking new calls for the shocked that these unelected peers slow-cooked ox cheek with Irish champ People’s Assembly national secre- House of Lords to be abolished. are picking up their £300 a day and mash, heritage carrots and salsa verde. tary Sam Fairbairn branded the bar The Lords’ 2016 winter bar bill then getting merry at the taxpayer’s And it was revealed that bars at bill a disgrace at a time when there came in at over £70,000, all paid for expense. the House of Lords had been gifted are millions of people forced to use from the public purse. “But they have very little of use to a huge £1.2 million from the public foodbanks and poverty is on the rise. November and December of last do and plenty of free time to social- coffers to cover losses for periods “Why is it that this bunch of une- year alone saw a whopping £5,000 ise at the public’s expense, so it’s no when the upper chamber does not sit. lected scroungers who get paid too blown on champagne and almost surprise that they are spending their Members receive an astonishing much in the fi rst place just for attend- £50,000 spent on wine in the upper time and public money on champagne £300 a day just for turning up, with ing Parliament can claim £1 million house’s taxpayer-subsidised bars. and sherry.” many accused of using their positions of taxpayers’ money to spend on Unelected peers spent an incredible Ms Haughey said it was time for to drain the public purse. booze?” he asked. £1 million across a number of bars in “this useless and archaic institution Earlier this year, former lord “The corruption at the top of the the archaic institution, according to the to be abolished for good.” speaker Lady D’Souza claimed to Establishment never ceases to response to a freedom of information Although some of the money was have seen a peer run into Parliament, amaze.” request submitted earlier this year. spent by members of the public, the “presumably to show that he’d [email protected] HAPPY CHRISTMAS DEC FREE SCHOOL MEALS CHRISTMAS GAMES! TO OUR READERS! Labour piles on pressure: p5 Can you beat our teasers? p14 THE STAR WILL BE BACK ON... 29 Morning Star 2 NEWS HOME Saturday/Sunday December 23-24 2017 HEALTH Royal College of GPs gets Xmas message all wrong by Our News Desk She said: “Santa is almost while celebrating Christmas.” certainly living with multiple Ms Stokes-Lampard also morbidities which, if left joked that leaving out mince SANTA is a picture of poor untreated, can become pies for Father Christmas was health, who may well be suffer- increasingly distressing and contributing to his obesity and ing a sackful of ailments includ- debilitating. could be doing serious damage ing alcoholism and work stress, “If Mr Claus was a patient to his “elf.” according to a leading GP. at my practice, I would be Santa’s famous reindeers In a warning shot against encouraging him to adopt a Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, unhealthy lifestyles, Royal Col- vastly healthier diet and take Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, lege of GPs head Professor more exercise in the new year. Donner and Blitzen could also Helen Stokes-Lampard pointed “I’d also be keen to address be carrying ticks infected with out that Lyme disease, gout and his binge-drinking, something the bacteria that causes Lyme sleep deprivation are among which many people — perhaps disease, she suggested. those plaguing Saint Nick. even unknowingly — tend to do “He may have gout, he may have alcoholism — there’s a real bit of binge-drinking going on. “There are also issues with sleep deprivation, work stress, his mental health.” The doctor also offered advice on how Father Christ- mas could shed pounds by run- ning between houses rather than taking a ride on his sleigh. But Worcestershire GP Edward Conquest slammed the comments as “sanctimonious tripe. “I’m glad I wasn’t invited to [the Royal College of GPs’] Christmas do — kale smooth- ies all round,” he told the Star. HO HO NO: A nibble of carrot can’t save this snack, say GPs [email protected] INTERNATIONAL JUNCKET Woodcock ‘lines up with Turkish fascists’ Labour MP gives glowing report on Erdogan by Steve Sweeney checking“ propaganda for of his way to line up with Turkey’s AKP party govern- Erdogan and his AKP fascists ment, with attacks on the oppo- and everything they represent KURDISH solidarity cam- sition People’s Democratic — from the military destruction paigners accused Labour MP Party (HDP) and denials that of Kurdish towns and cities [and] John Woodcock yesterday of press freedom is severely com- the funding and sustaining of lining up with “fascists” and promised in a country where jihadists in Syria to the mass supporting a regime which has a third of the world’s jailed imprisonment of journalists, jailed the leaders of his party’s journalists are incarcerated. public-sector workers, academ- political allies. One article praises Mr ics and activists in Turkey. They condemned the Bar- Erdogan as “the liberator of the “British Labour politicians row MP for comments he made oppressed,” while another should be speaking out in in the pro-government Turkish claims that Turkish security defence of their PES/Socialist newspaper the Daily Sabah in forces did not fl atten the city of International allies in the which he linked the People’s Sirnak in March last year but HDP, nine of whose elected Protection Units (YPG), which established a “safety corridor” parliamentarians are cur- have been fi ghting Isis in allowing civilians to escape from rently in Turkish jails. Syria, to terrorism. Kurdish separatist terrorists. “Why does the MP for Bar- Mr Woodcock was hosted in Last month, Britain’s row see fi t to provide propa- Turkey by the Bosphorus Centre Kurdistan Solidarity Cam- ganda and solidarity to a for Global Affairs, a pro-govern- paign (KSC) launched a Free regime which persecutes and ment propaganda shell company the HDP campaign in Parlia- imprisons our democratic run by President Recep Tayyip ment which has the backing of socialist brothers and sisters?“ Erdogan’s son-in-law, and met Labour MPs including Chris His “absurd” claims about with a number of government Williamson, who wrote on terrorism sound like “textbook fi gures during his visit. Twitter that it was time to tell Turkish state propaganda,” she The Bosphorus Centre claims the truth about the Turkish said, insisting that the legacy to be an independent NGO that state. of seven British citizens killed organises events and challenges KSC co-secretary Rosa Gil- fi ghting Isis would long outlive “fake news” about Turkey. bert said: “It’s remarkable that Mr Woodcock’s political career. However, its provides “fact- John Woodcock MP has gone out [email protected] Morning Star Saturday/Sunday December 23-24 2017 HOME NEWS 3 INDUSTRIAL Rail safety strikes hit busy train lines ‘Rock solid’ action across England in defence of critical guards by Steve Sweeney “RMT’s fight for a safe, guards following an incident secure and accessible rail on a MerseyRail train when service for all continues, and smoke filled a carriage while STRIKE action over the our members involved in that it was in a tunnel in central removal of safety-critical battle are a credit to the entire Liverpool. guards along with staff short- trade union movement.” Yesterday staff shortages on ages disrupted trains on some The dispute centres on the South Western Railway led to of Britain’s busiest routes yes- expansion of the MerseyRail cancellations and an amended terday. service and the introduction service on its service. Members of the Rail, Mari- of new trains that will replace RMT and the Transport and time and Transport union Mick Cash said: “Once again the current fleet in 2020. Salaried Staff Association (RMT) walked out in a 24-hour our members on Merseyrail MerseyRail bosses claim (TSSA) called off strike action stoppage in the long-running are standing rock solid in the the new trains will have some on Virgin Trains West Coast dispute. More strikes are fight for rail safety and against of the most advanced safety after after a deal was reached expected across the country’s the plans to throw the guards features in Britain and can in a pay dispute.

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