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Raiders and Saints meet with prominent players nearing statistical milestonesAs a voter, I feel let down by our members of parliament (MPs). Recent times have shown how a citizen, whether he is responsible enough to vote or not, should also be concerned about the way the parliament is going. Slogans within the house, and scuffles without but within the precincts of the parliament building are a stain on democracy. Its sanctity is being steadily eroded. We sent each one of them, at least theoretically, to discuss and debate and make laws for us the people. One section to make laws and a smaller segment to hold the mirror to the government after due scrutiny and explaining the rationale. There could be other reasons why people vote – patronage, getting things done for us using their weight in the respective constituencies, or having sold a vote. This time, the session which is just adjourned sine die, has taken the cake by sinking to levels hitherto unknown. Instead of going to the respective presiding officer –if a member of Lok Sabha, to the speaker if a Rajya Sabha member, to the chairman – both sides went to the police. One side alleged violence against them, the other made a counter-charge and is waiting for it to be converted into an FIR. It appears that the MPs have forgotten the art of debate, sarcasm, and barbs if needed, nettle the other side by observations, and keep the whole thing at a healthy level. Even innuendos could enliven the debate. The purpose is not to render the opposition useless by sending them out of the house or making it difficult for the government even to have their say. The opposition is not on the treasury benches because they are numerically weaker; they could not lead their rivals by even a single vote to capture the other side. They ought to know that they cannot vote out a government resolution or ensure tweaking policies the opposition thinks are wrong. The government, on the other hand, has a duty to listen to the opposition and respond. This business of seeking ‘an apology to the nation’ means nothing. Both sides are quite adept at seeking it and ignoring it as well, depending on which side of the well the member of parliament sits. A correction is what the opposition should seek and the government should be amenable to explain its stand, not hustle it through merely by mere numerical strength. Both sides are wrong in the manner in which they conduct themselves. Both the sides have veterans in both the houses and have seen better parliamentary conduct. The ugliness is seen by millions of viewers because of the live telecasts. But even here, the television does not show all; there is apparently a choice of who should be seen is likely exercised by the editor. While much of what transpired within the houses’ chambers leaves much to be desired, what happened outside of it is a low point in the history of parliament. Opposition strategy was to expose the government’s unwillingness to discuss Adani or the home minister’s remarks on Ambedkar. It ended up in ugliness. The NDA too showed itself in a bad light, very bad light. What the individual MPs, including a minister, said separately is at variance from what they complained to the police, indicating how it was working to cow down the opposition. They dragged it to the police station while they should have gone to the presiding officers. I remember a remark made by the late Pramod Mahajan, the then MP and minister for parliamentary affairs. The live telecast brought out the best in the MPs’ sartorial appearance but did not buy the best of conduct because the people were watching them live on the television. Probably they are now watching it as entertainment and conclude that this is the best we can get.Similarly, the former spokesman and former Director-General of Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr Doyin Okupe, has stated that the south and not the north, should produce Nigeria’s president in 2027. In an interview, Okupe said it was only fair to allow the south to produce the next president. Okupe said though Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 PDP presidential candidate, was eminently qualified to contest in 2027, it would not be right for the PDP chieftain to be president. The ex-presidential spokesman said the problem with the idea of Atiku presidency in 2027 is geopolitics, not age, adding that the south should be allowed to complete its eight-year term, just as the north did before the coming of President Bola Tinubu. “Atiku failed in 2023, not because he was not a good person, but because people felt that a northern Muslim cannot succeed another northern Muslim after eight years. “If Atiku still contests in 2027, he has a right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have,but geopolitics is an issue. “The conditionality still persists, a southerner would have just completed four years and needs another four-year term. “It’s not in the constitution ,but we agree that when a northerner does his eight years, a southerner will do. “So, the north cannot now terminate the tenure of the south in 2027 .It is not going to work.”,Okupe said. The ex-LP chieftain said his former ally Mr Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party could also vie for the highest office in 2027, as a southerner. He, however, said it would be very difficult for Obi to dislodge Tinubu as the president working well for the progress of the country. “Obi can contest. Obi is a young man, very dynamic and very ambitious; but geopolitics is important in a country that has not achieved horizontal and vertical unity. “The person who is occupying the place right now, Tinubu, is also a southerner, who is doing well. “We can see what this gentleman (Tinubu) is doing. I wish Obi luck, but it is going to be an uphill task,” he said. On whether alliances of politicians and parties could unseat Tinubu in 2027, Okupe said he did not see any political gang-up working against the president. According to him, alliances against Tinubu will fail because the participants will not be willing to give concessions . “I have been in this game for 40 years and above. I came into politics in 1978. I have been in several talks, discussions and I have represented my party, my movement in several alliances. “We have not attained that maturity to get to the level of being rational and reasonable and ready to give the necessary concession for a group interest. We are not there yet. “Even if you look at our private businesses, go and check, 90 per cent of business partnership will crumble within the first three years. “I wish those who are trying alliance, I wish them luck but it is going to end up the same way it has always ended up. All the alliances will end up in futility,” Okupe said. On the alliance that brought ex-President Buhari in 2015, Okupe said that though he criticised the alliance, but the leader of the alliance, Tinubu, conceded everything to make it work. “The man who spearheaded that alliance, has grown beyond this constitution of naivety and selfishness. “You put up an alliance, you set up a dining table, you cook food, and say other people should go and eat it. It is not done anywhere. “Everything he conceded so that the thing could work,” he said.NE states strive for 100% tap water coverage
Samoa Touch Rugby: Men’s Open to Participate in Prestigious Queensland State Cup
ENTRUSTED with our readers’ deep secrets, the Dear Deidre team really have a unique insight into what dilemmas the nation is grappling with. Of course, there are some constants — cheating, differing sex drives, low self-esteem and loneliness. But some issues loom larger in certain years as new problems come to the fore. As 2024 nears an end, we take a look at what exactly our readers have been writing in about. Every year, we help thousands of people by answering every single dilemma with a personalised answer, and we’ve kept a record of the issues we’ve tackled. Relationship issues consistently come out on top, with 23 per cent of the emails Dear Deidre receives focused on romantic problems. Sex came a close second, with 19 per cent of readers writing in with a sexual dilemma. Interestingly, half of every single relationship message addressed cheating. Sometimes, the unfaithful party would be writing in, otherwise a suspicious or heartbroken partner worried about their relationship. Among the emails about cheating on partners, home surveillance and doorbell cameras featured more prominently, with some partners forgetting to turn off cameras before inviting flings to come back to their homes. A growing number of readers also wrote in because, although they were separated, financial constraints meant they could not move out of the marital home. The reluctant house sharers were frustrated at being unable to move on — a trend that reflects economic uncertainty in the UK. Notable developments this year have been new requests for support with quitting vaping. Another new issue came in the form of pensioners worrying about losing their winter fuel allowance. Social media has been a common theme in all the categories. It is impossible to quantify but has had a huge impact. So many of the relationship problems relate to partners ogling scantily clad influencers or flirting with others they have met online. Plenty don’t see this as cheating but the feeling of betrayal is real for those on the receiving end. And it’s not just cheating that worries people. Time spent watching endless videos encourages weird infatuations, with one woman complaining her husband had become obsessed with the French election. He insisted they spend their family holiday in France watching speeches — and had previously had no interest in politics. The issue of phone addiction came up, particularly for parents fretting about not only what their children were being exposed to, but also how their mobile activity was affecting their own behaviour. They asked our team for help on how to manage this. And a huge number of adults wrote in fed up with their partner, who had little interest in them but spent all hours playing online games or scrolling through their socials. It’s clear that while technology enables us to do far more and do it efficiently, left unchecked it threatens our real-world connections and provides more opportunity for temptation. Next year, I will be recording when social media, phone usage and the internet are mentioned as part of the problem, and I predict this will be a huge growth area. Below is a reader’s letter about ogling, followed by one about winter fuel allowance. I also break down what percentages of our mail different types of letter make up. DEAR DEIDRE: MY ex saw me having sex with a one-night stand using the camera security system he’d installed as a favour to me. I was completely unaware that he was watching this, until he turned up the next morning and got very upset with me. Originally, I was grateful for his help setting up the system, but now I feel really uncomfortable. He said he’d received an alert on his phone and checked it by chance, but I can’t help worrying he’s keeping an eye on me. He insists he hasn’t been watching and that was a one-off, but the whole experience has really unsettled me. I’m 36, my ex is 39, and we were together for eight years before we broke up five months ago. Our split was both mutually agreed, and amicable, and we decided to remain friends. We still met up and sometimes even had sex, but as we didn’t discuss what this meant I thought we were simply friends with benefits. I really appreciated still having him in my life. When I was moving house, he offered to help, knowing how useless I am at DIY. He helped put up shelves, and installed security cameras which he set up online so I could view them through an app. I knew he had access to it all while he set it up but assumed he’d log out. So when I brought a man home, I didn’t think twice. Now I feel mortified. He says he didn’t mean to breach my privacy, but I feel so conflicted. DEIDRE SAYS: Watching you have sex with another man was a huge breach of your privacy, and you shouldn’t take it lightly. As a priority, please ensure that you are the only one with access to your security system. Make sure you’re the primary account holder and change your password so that he doesn’t have access. It’s completely understandable that this experience has made you question the sort of person he is. Unless you decide you can trust him completely, you would be wise to stay away. At the very least, it’s clear that the lines are blurred between you and your ex and some boundaries need to be re-established. As for your relationship with him, you need to decide if there’s any hope of a future together. If you decide there’s not, it would be best to step away so you can both move on. My support pack Moving On will help. DEAR DEIDRE : SINCE the Government cut my Winter Fuel Payment, I’ve been struggling to afford my bills. Now I’m forced to choose between putting my heating on or buying food, and the stress is making me unwell. I’m a 76-year-old pensioner, and live alone. Until this year, I was receiving £200 payments to cover the cost of my heating bills, and I heavily relied on it. So when the Government announced the change, I went into a complete panic. My pension is already low as it is, so without the extra payments I knew it was going to be a hard couple of months. When I contacted the council for help, they told me that, while I was eligible to apply, I had missed the deadline so now I’d have to go without. Ever since, my life has been an absolute nightmare. Now I wake up every morning to a freezing house – and no matter what I do, I can’t keep warm. The constant dread is getting me down, and I’m now struggling to cope. DEIDRE SAYS: I can only imagine how distressing this must be for you. While the qualifying week for this year’s Fuel Payment has now passed, you may still be eligible if you successfully apply for Pension Credit by December 21. Please note that you only have two days to do this, so please take action today. You may also be eligible for a £150 Warm Home Discount. You can find out more about this on the government website ( gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme ). TOP TOPICS: Relationships 23% Sex 19% Family 8% Parenting 7% Friendships 4% Workplace issues 5% Mental health 11% Health 5% Addictions 8% Bereavement 5% Sexuality 4% Other 1% SEX WOES Sex drive 43% Fetishes 16% Threesomes 12% Erection problems 11% Fantasies 7% Climaxing 4% Menopause 3% Other 4% LOVE Cheating 49% Domestic abuse 12% Addictive love 10% Broken heart 14% Online romance 6% Age gaps 5% Other 4% ADDICTION Alcohol 42% Porn 22% Drugs 13% Smoking 8% Vaping 5% Gambling 9% Shopping and spending 1%
USC women move to No. 4 in AP poll as top three unchanged
