Immigrants. Ah, yes, they’re always expendable. They come to the UK to do the dirty and unglamorous jobs the natives refuse to do, yet we blame them for taking our jobs, commiting crime and sponging off the social. No wonder they have become the nation’s favourite whipping boys (and girls).

Another in a long line of examples of this (there’s plenty to be read in newspapers, on TV, radio, and on the web) was when a government minister was forced to apologise when figures on the numbers of foreigners working in the UK were said to be ‘underestimated’ by around 300,000. The new ‘official’ figures now stand at a current total of 1.1million. Apparently, the numbers are being seen as a ‘problem’ by policy makers. This mistake was criticised by both media and politicians alike.

1.1 million foreign workers? We should be damn grateful that many still want to work in this country, in spite of the vicious media attacks brought against them.

The creation of the Scottish and Welsh parliaments along with the revived Northern ireland assembly was one of the Labour government’s (very) few policy success stories. Now, however, that successs story is beginning to work against them, creating a ‘constitutional crisis’.

Each of the parliaments now have their own funding and spending priorities, but it seems to be causing some jealousy and resentment on the English side. Many of the controversial policies that Labour have been put forward since 1997 had only affected England, voted in by many of their own Scottish MPs. A controversial funding formula meant that English taxpayers are ‘supporting’ the rest of the country (England has a larger population than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland put together).

The Scottish Parliament, now led by the Scottish National Party after their stunning election victory earlier this year, plans to hold a referendum on independence from the UK as soon as possible. If a majority had voted “yes”, this would set them on a collision course with Westminster. Now the Scots are planning a referendum, why not the Welsh and Northern Irish be allowed to hold one too (In Northern Ireland’s case, how about a referendum over whether they wish to be governed from Dublin)?

Surely it’s time to let the four nations free from each other’s shackles… and for those ministers in the UK government to start growing up.

I read this article online that the government will not bring in a law against the smacking of children by their parents. The issue of smacking in the UK rouses passions from those who would either support or oppose such legislation.

Lets’ face it- most of us have been smacked as a child. Smacking, mainly a slap by the hand on the bottom, used reasonably, will hope to stop a child getting up to mischief. However, some people, such as Richard Smith in the Guardian today, claim that smacking leads to violence and accuses the government of lacking leadership on this issue.

With all the more important things the government should be doing, the decision is welcome. I believe there should be intervention where a child is clearly in danger of genuine violence or physical abuse, but smacking is a different matter altogether, and should be a personal matter between the parent and the child.