Life in THE TOXIC % Astunning Britain: an ’ 5G revival in the HEALTH P19 a SS LL La The SNP’s winning hand ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS. www.theweek.co.ukTo help one of the UK's f go further, Heathrow Nearly a third of the global population has no access to electricity, But Chris Baker-Brian is helping change this with BBOXX: the briefcase-sized battery box that’s providing reliable solar energy in 35 developing countries, From the Congo to Colombia, BBOXX powers phones, homes, schools and hospitals, changing the lives of some 205,000 people. Chris wants to make that 20 milion, But to do it, he needs more direct flights, to more emerging markets. Only an expanded Heathrow is able to take him there, And he isnt alone in standing to benefit. Expansion atastest growing companies needs to do the same. create up to £211 billion for the UK economy, » 180,000 jobs. we an connectito the developing world can canconnectto the developing world aw Heathrow —Taking Britain further — {8_ sce wny other brioht Britsh businesses nee an expanded Heathvow at heathrow.comMtakingbritainturther Sf #TakingBritainFurther4 NEWS What happened Tragedy at sea More than 850 migrants drowmed last week when teie fishing boat capsined off the Libyan cosst, prompting demands for trgent action rom the EU to stem the flow lof refugees across the Medievrancan, The Gosfoot trawlers believed to have colided with a passing cargo vessel thatthe alan authoctes had seo its excue; passengers then shed to one sid of the ovcrerowded boat, causing ito overture. Only 27 people were rescued, Some survivers spoke ef clinging for hours to Hloaing corpses before they were finally picked up by coastguard By one account, 300 ofthe victims were women nd children who had been locked below decks for the voyage by their Libyan traffickers, “They died like rats in a cage,” said a survivor from Bangladesh. The boat sank in deep water tnd the authorises say many bodies may never be recencred, icaving the death tll uncertain. About 350 ofthe dead were from Eritrea, the rest are believed to have been from other Afvican counties and Bangladesh, The boat's Tunisian captain and a Syrian crew member were arrested when they were brought ashore in Sicily. Italian police What happened The giveaway election ‘The Scottish National Party found itself at the centre of the ‘lection campaign this week as Westminster politicians argued about its future role. Former prime minister John Major warned that the SNP could subject a minority Labour government to “daily dose of blackmail”. But his fellow Tory grandee Michael Forsyth cautioned that talking wp the SNP threat was a dangerously divisive tactic, Ed Miliband seized on Forsyth’s remarks, accusing David Cameron of “playing fast and loose with the Union”. Launching her party's manifesto, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon extended “a hand of friendship” to all UK voters, insisting that the SNP would use is influence constructively [see page 6). Labour and the Tories sought to woo wavering voters with fresh pledges. Miliband promised to impose a mansion tax within weeks to help pay for the emergency recruitment of 1,000 new nurses, Cameron announced a plan to allow people to buy Lloyds shares at discount price. An elderly couple have tured their home into 2 school fr Bulied children, Fred Morgan, 94, and his, wife Vivian, 72, decided to ‘devote ther retirement to It wasn’t all bad ‘A British snowboarder has won 2 place in the sport's history books by performing a feat that many had considered Impossible: a backside 1,200" ‘quadruple cork. This astonishing tick involves launching off « huge ramp, then performing four side ips and {ive ful rotations Billy Morgan, 26, who representod Britain at ‘the 2014 Winter Olympics, spent committed sullde. The couple (pietured) converted ‘em ibedroom Warwickshire house in The main stories.. Migrants rescued off the cous of Rhodes ‘Are voters war 2012, and now have 20 pupils, around said both men would face trafficking charges and that the captain might stand trial for “multiple homicide”. Malta's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, described the aceident a8 possibly the “worst rragedy ever to have taken place in the Mediterranean” and called on the EU to reinstate the Fralian maritime search-and-reseue mission, Operation Mare Nostrum, which was abandoned last year. "A time will come when Europe will be judged harshly for its inaction,” he said, comparing the current political response to the failure to prevent igenocide in the 20th century. In a separate incident this week, at least three people drowned when a boat packed with moze than 90 migrants ran aground off the Greek island of Rhodes. Under presuze from the Italian government; the European Commission called an emergency summit of EU leaders. They will consider aten-poin plan already aged by EU foreign Ininisters. The proposed measures include boontng the meagre budget for Operation Triton ~ the EUéled maval patrols of the Medea can anda symemate cor ro apie an lestroy vessels used by smuggler”. Smuggling people across the Mediterranean is now a huge business, with may traffickers thought to be linked to Tallan organise crime What the editorials said Critics have rightly described the SNP manifesto as a “massive con trick”, said the Daily Mail. For all Sturgeon’s talk of extending a “hand of friendship", the nationalists’ real plan is to “sabotage the recovery and make the UK ungovernable” until they secure Scottish independence. But potent as this threat is, ‘Cameron mustn't ler the election campaign ‘ham into a re-run of last year's reterendum, The Tories have a positive story to tell about their economic stewardship, and they need to get on with telling it. “Let's have no more 11th hour electoral bribes of Scottish distractions.” ‘Of.all the likely outcomes of the 7 May pell, said the FT, “none seems to add up to.a robust government”. But this needn't cause too much flarm, Fragile minority governments have proved surprisingly effective in Canada and Scandinavia, The face that i's harder for such administrations to pass legislation is good in some ways, “Britain is not a country crying out for new laws,” Back in 2010, many predicted that the Tory-Lib Dem coalition would lead to chaos, Ir didn’. “Britain has not suddenly lost its ancestral gift for improvisation.” Ithas a way of "muddling through” political and constitutional crises ming to Edt ‘A 109-yoar-oldtonoise has been reunited with his ovener, almost fa year after going on the run, “Toby escaped from Wendy ‘Stokos's garden in Kent in Moy last year when the gate wos left ‘open. Spotted by a passerby on ‘aearby road, he was taken 10.8 fescue centre, and rehomed in Margate. But then Toby's new ‘owners made out the name Stokoe” in fadod whito paint ‘on his shal ~and set about Finging every Stokes in Kent fof whom had tied to six months prepering for the feat and achieved iton hia ft try. t's such a role to have. ‘dane i,” he sald afterwards. take their own lives as 8 result of bullying. Most wil return to mainstream education - but they're urged to keop in touch when they leave. “We thought even i we could help make a difference {or just one child then it would be worth it.” said Mrs Morgan, Uni they ound Wendy, 74. °1 went all goosey when they told me," sho said. “I had really ‘von up on him.” ‘COVER CARTOON: HOWARD MCWILLIAN THE WHEK 25 Apa 2015What the commentators said “Another day, another death trap in the Mediterranean,” said Mark Rice-Oxtey in The Guardian. If last year was bad for North Africa's would-be migrants, this year looks set to be worse. The “season” has scarcely begun but we have already seen 1,700 deaths, That compares ‘with 3,000 for the whole of 2014. Much of che blame lies with our politicians, said Memphis Barker in The Independent. Italy dropped its “excellent” Mare Nostram operation after EU governments refused to contribute to its €9m cost. They claimed its success was encouraging. ‘more people ro attempt the crossing. Yet few migrants were even aware of the operation, and numbers have actually soared since it was halted, Far more significant ace the “push factors” such as the civil warin Syria, and the prospect of unlimited military service in Eritrea. Our own government deserves particular blame, sid Peter Hitchens in The Mail on Sanday. It was David Cameron's “irresponsible” intervention in Libya that ereated the chaos ia that country, and iris this chaos cha is making itso much easice for migrants ro pour over Libya's {ong land borders aad set sal from is unpatrolled coast So you might have thought we'd be reudy to stampupa decent sha of te Page or fronen che EU boa agen which rns the Operation Triton pateols, said Paul Valley in The Independent on Sunday. Nota bit of i the Government has stubbornly refused to make any further contribution. Church leaders and sights groups argue thatthe EU has a “moral duty to protect the vulnerable”, said Gideon Rachman in the FT, and that the bloc can easily absorb the refugees {ase year 219,000 made the sea crossing), But when anti-immigrant partics are everywhere on ther, heres eat chane of Farope' leaders aking hat line No are noche. uropean governments likely o agree to take their “fair share” of the African migrants ariving in laly nd Greece, when it's impossible to predict how many are yet to come, Policians may nov address a problem they have “preferred to ignore” ~ bat effective “action may prove elusive”. What the commentators said “1 feel like Pm trapped in an episode of The Magic Roundabout,” said Camilla Cavendish in ‘The Sunday Times, “Like the characters in that 1970s TV show, our politicians seem to be joing round and round in circles, ona stage dotted with fake money tres.” Lower rail fares, iree childcare, more NHS funding, the unaffordable “bribes” keep coming. Why is nobody talking about foreign policy or how to boost productivicy? Why are che Tories not making more of the fact that UK employment is now at its highest level since comparable records began in 19712 The Tories have hardly been coy on that front, said Larry Elliot in The Guardian. ‘Their campaign is based on the idea that they've “miraculously transformed the economy” in the past five years I's not true: the economy is still hopelessly dependent on consumer debt, low pay and unsustainable property-price inflation. The truth is that the Tories “do not have a long;term plan for the economy; they have a short-term plan for winning the election”, So far, atleast, the plan's not working, said George Eaton in the New Statesman, The Tories imnew that Labou, which ean field more activists, would be able to run a superior ground ‘operation of door-to-door canvassing. But the pary thought that its ability to buy more billboard adverts, together with more favourable press covecage, would sway opiion, But it eT eae eee arene el eee aT tapected the Toties to seraain the biggest party efter the election, said the pollter Pes Kellace Ee ee eee the idea of an Ed Miliband:-ted government”, Not that thee’ great enthusiasm foc him eitee, ‘aid Philip Collins in The Times. The vision promoted by the ewo main campaigns ~ chat single parry governance can tansform the country from Whitehall ~s one that voters simply don"t buy any more, That's why this campaiga has ek so contived and icrlevant. And tha's why for all the frantic atvity on the hustngs, “the people of Britain have not listened yet". T isn't just the comedian Ruseall Brand who has been urging people ‘ot to vote. Muslim hardliners in Cardiff wore att oo, last week putting up posters with the message: "Democracy isa system ‘whereby man violates the right 6f Allah." Ina somewhat undemocratic reaction, council workers have been told to tear down the message wherever It appears: nevertheless its a thought worth Pondering. Democracy f nota rval religion, i certainly imbued with religious significance, You heed only gauge the fercity ofthe reaction to both Brand and the Cari Islamists to soe that both have Been found guity of saerilage, Ae Rabbi Dr Janathan Rornain puts it ina later ta The Times "Those who fail to vote on 7 May ean be described not only as indifferent, but as irligious." Good for him. nthe absence of such religious instruction, i doubt democracy coud funtion. What would drive people tothe ballot box? True, devoted supporters of newer, smaller partes may need ho prompt, but then ther zeal fora new Jerusalom (an independent Scotland, an England fred from Europe, Green and pleasant land independent of big ol ileal messianic as mainstream partioa lsmissively point out. That cartinly isn't so for most ofthe electorate, however. "Most people most ‘of tho time don't give polities a first thought all day tong.” 8 Tony Blair once observed. They devoto fess than Tour minutes e week, on average, to thinking about it Absenta strong sense of religious ‘duty and the average voter would give the polling booth in May amiss. Jeremy O'Grady Subsciptons 0848 844 0086: overseas 48015795 582923 ‘The Woks scons to The Wook United by Donal Putting Ute, The Wookie a regtered bade mak of Fala Doms ...and how they were covered NEWS 5 What next? Germany is likely co press EU member states to accept a form of quota system for taking in North African migrants and there is talkin Brissels of launching military ‘operations against the networks of people smugglers. Reversing its earlier policy, Britain has ‘now said itis thinking of recting some of the costs of the border protection scheme, and may well offer HHMS Bulwark, one of the largest British warships, 60 help in rescue operations. Iraly has warned that the flood of migrants is likely to intensify during the summer. As many asa million people from Libya and Sub-Saharan Africa could now be waiting to make the crossing, What next? Senior members of the shadow cabinet believe the deadlocked polls spell not only a hung parliament, says The Independent on Sunday, but a second election later this year. Such a tum of events, which last ‘occurred in 1974, would cause problems for Labour, which is very short of cash. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the former Conservative foreign secretary, has urged Tories in Scotland to consider voting Labour to keep out the SNP. Tory strategists, meanwhile, are hoping that the deployment of Boris Johnson, largely absent from the campaign crail ‘until now, will finally shift the polls in their favour. 25 Apel 2015 THE WEEK6 NEWS Politics Controversy of the week Advantage Sturgeon ‘The Queen leat er ira hs wok and expe 2 ow test oy day sol Dan Nite Tae ae era saad bes tt of gee oy te Mera ca theory of cecusttonl sh ore ee eee ere eee ‘hung padres of he poo alta hae sway cn ee ee a ee iMhocr ante Torts witetelnrvomnd BD secre on Hee aT be ilo heathen tad sla and bn emoicrepoces | STRONGER] Tmlur Daud Canceat ladseneneen aaliorentle |/FORSCOTLA in political terms for Ed Miliband to replace him”. To gain a IND] sedontyof Sgsem Laborteounereromakes4eeth pravrmoardengerurwomant TReSHD. Bu ce Nl argoon ed machance to "NER Dawll Conon ounce TV dere iibnd wasclea: is 3 mo, mae “Miliband can huff and puff all he likes,” said Marthew Parris in The Times. But if he were PM, he couldn't stop the SNP deciding which laws it would and wouldn't support. A Labour minority {government “would be there on sfferance and the SNP would have him by the halls”. And that isa ‘worrying prospect, said Martin Wolf in the FT, “The party islittle interested in the UK = which, after al it wants co leave.” Ie interest lies in *how much it can exteact for Scotland”. Sturgeon might not ‘worry about how much damage she did: “the weaker the UK, the ess the appeal of staying inside”. Ifthe SNP ends up as kingmaker, “the stability of the union is very much at risk”. I's *terifying”, said Piers Morgan in the Daily Mail. We could see the SNP tail - with a mere 4% ofthe vote ~ wagging the Labour dog. The SNP would be ina position to demand higher taxes, even the abolition ‘of Trident ~ which would greatly weaken Nato, Sturgeon is the "most dangerous woman in Britain”. Strange to think that only a few months ago, the Scats were “being love-bombed by Conservatives, ‘with us 10 retain the faternal ties that bind this sceptred Isle", said The Herald (Glasgow, lish right-wingers seem hysterical at the prospect of SNP MPs exercising their democratic rights in Westminster. Cameron described the idea asa "nightmare"; Boris Johnson this week compared Sturgeon 10 Lady Macbeth, King Herod and a scorpion, No one has done more for the SNP than the Tories, said Deborah Orr in The Guardian. Cameron's call for “English votes for English laws” the morning after the referendum was a “kick in the teeth” to Scottish unionists. He is happy to insult Scomtsh vorers, because it boost the SNP and weakens Labour ~ but italso puts the union “at risk”. Besdes, the SNP would have less leverage in Westminster than people think, said Magnus Linklater in The Times. In 1979, the SNP voted against Jim Callaghan’s Labour government inva no-confidence motion — ushering in “18 years of Tory rule" In Scotland this has never been forgotten, Sturgeon knows that "she cannot afford toring down a Miliband government”. Boring but important Primary schoo! placos The system for primary school places in England is near breaking point head. {oachers and local authority leaders have wamed. Last Wook, more than 13% of {arnlies with children due to art primary school in Septombor learnt that they hha failed to get place st {thor fistchovee of sohool ~ a small increase on last yo In London, 5% of ehildron idnt gota place atany of the aix schools they'd applied for. In the past five years, the number of Children of primary school ‘age hes increased by a ‘Quarter; by next year, two in five local authorities England wil be short of primary schoo! places. ‘Operation Elveds poration Elveden, the Metropoiiten Police's Investigation inta journalists paying public ofcals, appeared tobe ciose to Collapse this week. Last Friday, charges against Andy Coulaon and eight other journalists wore dropped, ‘whi tho were found not ‘uity of paying public officials. Since k began three ‘years ago, the £20 Investigation has charged 27 journalists, of whom two have been convicted. The prosecution of three Sun Journalists will continue. Good week for: Spirit of the age Japan, ster onc of is magnet levitation trains (maple) broke a Now that they have athe world record by hiting 374mph ina test un, Once operational, timury goods they could the tain ~ which hovers four inches above the track propelled By oss api tothe super- —clectromagnets— will travel at up to 314mph, fehargineeasnly 09 ARE departments hic are aig feet vitins of vom for exclusive experiences’. rime as young people lose their ane fr binge drinking. A Feports The Daly Telegraph Cardiff University study found a 10% drop in the number of On Tru Story creates, saul vitims treated in hospital last year which they put down Steqpoke"Rolays nwhich 10 aling levels of alcohol consumption (parily de to people children might, say, dive off» having less money to spend), and more children playing inside. Superyacht and swim toa Private Greok slend where Bad week for: thoy are met by actors Urokend se Groviigods who Porsches and Bentleys, which - despite thie hefty price tgs ~ lead them on s treasure hunt. are the world’s least reliable ears, aecording to What Car? “The cast ofthis “experiential magazine's annual survey. There also among, the most expensive luxury"? Around £2m. to fix, Japanese manufacturers dominated the top of the reliability chat, which is based on 50,000 ongoing insurance polices Hondas retained their ite as the ears last likely to break down, Writers, with a new report highlighting just how litte money ‘ACanadian wobsite that fables extramarital affairs has chosen to float on the sede Seek Eachorve on they ear. The Queen Mary University of London study found ata rman aeae thats typical profesional writer now makes jase £11,000 year, Scpposodyrlonod aitude 82% les, in eel terms, than in 2005. Only one in ten can afford to foinfdsity Asay Madison live of ther writing lone, dawn fom ro in five a decade 980 Says hopes to use the Toseo, which posted record-breaking annual loses of £6.38 ~ money it raises to expand further into the “intemational market in adultery". the biggest ever for a British retailer. Analysts blamed tougher ‘competition and property write-downs for the supermarkets annus horsbils (se page 43) THE WEEK 25 Apel 2015 Poll watch 126% of voters think Ed Milibsnd is doing wel Usbour leader ap fram 26% last month. David Cameron is an 47% up from 45%. 52% oppose Tory plans {0 give housing association tenant the right to buy Fairer YouGov/The Sunday Times 79% of people think British Muslims should mak ‘spocaleffor to state their alogianco to Britain. 25% of people from ethnic minority backgrounds experience racism in their workplace at least once a weak. Opinium’The Observer 28% of people nave no idea ‘who wan the Bate of Woaterioo ~ and 14% think the French were victorious 153% correctly identifies Wellington as tho loader of the Bilish forces. NAMThe TimesWarsaw Holocaust row: The director of the FBI «caused a diplomatic incident last week by suggesting that Poland — a close ally of the 1S~ had been complici in the Holocaust. lina speech in Washington, arguing for the need to educate children about the ‘genocide, James Comey said: “In their minds the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many other places didn’t do something vi, They convineed themselves it was the Fight thing to do... His words ~ eprinted in The Washington Post ~ caused huge “offence to Poles, who nor only had no part in running the death camps located on Polish terivory, but were themselves the victims of the Thied Reichs six million Polish citizens were killed during the Nazi ‘occupation. Poland also had a powerful resistance network. This week, the US ambassador to Poland, Stephen Mull, was summoned to the foreign ministry in Warsaw in a formal act of protest Paris Sexual harassment problem: The French ‘government has promised ro address intolerable” levels of sextal harassment ‘on Paris's public teansport following an alarming new report. When 600 women were asked about their experiences on buses and trains inthe capital, 100% reported having been subjected to sexually motivated abuse at least once, a result that shocked even the activists who organised the poll. Theie report defined “hazassment” 2s "the imposition of any kind of words or behaviour that are intended to create a situation that is ineimidating, humiliating, degrading, or offensive”. In practice, the abuse reported ranged from insults and wolf whites to rape. Six out often women who took part said they were afraid of being attacked on public transport; only three in ten men felt ikewise Flamanville, France Nuclear reactor flaw A serious flaw has been detected ina new-generation French nuclear reactor which, if confirmed, would prove major blow to both France's nuclear industry, and the UK's nuclear strategy. The European Pressurised Reactor, or EPR, is supposed to be the safest and most ficient reactor in the world, and was designed in part to showease French nuclear expertise abroad, But last week its developer, the state corporation Areva, admitted that 2 serious weakness had been foond in the steel of a