Monday, 23 July, 2007
- 23 Jul 07, 04:58 PM
Floods
I am writing this in the dark. Because of a pan Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ systems failure. Indeed I am actually writing it by hand, at present, because of a pan Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ systems failure. Curiously, though, this plays into what feels like a return to biblical times. Floods, thousands displaced, water supplies and electricity supplies cut and the threat of worse to come. And this is Tewkesbury, not Bangalore.
So tonight, there are no prizes for guessing our focus. The Met office warned of floods in no uncertain terms. Yet this country has failed to cope - why? Have we been spending money on the wrong things? Can this government realistically go ahead with building plans which include housing on flood plains?
Changing Weather
And of course the wider issue: Be you a sceptic or a card-carrying member of the climate change argument this amount of rain makes the issue slightly tricky to ignore. We'll be asking whether this is ever more proof of our world getting wilder or just another twist in a complex weather cycle which shouldn’t be over interpreted.
Tories
David Cameron's in Rwanda whilst there are these problems at home. And he's getting a fair amount of stick for it. Not least because there are murmurings within his own party that it may be time to change his style - or should we say policies - and stop isolating the right wing of the party. And after a poor showing in the by-elections last week when the Tories came third in each seat, those murmurings may gain a stronger foothold. Is he in trouble? Political Editor, Michael Crick's on the case.
Obesity
A staggering two and a half million children in Britain are overweight or obese. Newsnight's been following the progress of a group of families on a nine week programme. Is it working? In the second of her films, Jackie Long goes back to find out. Watch the film now here and the first film here.
