The Stern review utilises the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2001), along with more recent scientific studies. 

 The review claims that the evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global threat, and it demands an urgent global response. 

 Utilising data provided by formal economic models, the Review estimates that if action is not taken, the cost of climate change will be equivalent to losing at least 5% of global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) each year.  If a wider range of risks is taken into account, the estimates could rise to 20% of GDP.

Devolution has created a United Kingdom in which Scotland and Wales have national executives while England does not.

The Scottish Parliament has full executive powers independent of the UK in 75% of governance matters. No English MP has any voice at all in such matters as they affect Scotland.

Scottish MPs can both initiate and vote on Acts of Parliament concerning education and the NHS in England.

Constitutionally there are three sorts of people in the island of Great Britain. There are those who are Scottish and British, those who are Welsh and British and those who are just British.

Parents of children displaying anti-social behaviour could face fines of £100.  Home Secretary John Reid has also announced that homeowners could be evicted for anti-social behaviour, excessive noise or the intimidation of neighbours. 

Mr Reid has said he will put "victims' needs first" by imposing "clear and tough" punishments.  Mr Reid announced the measures at the launch of a consultation to deal with anti-social behaviour.  Mr Reid wants to make parents liable for fines imposed on under-16s who breach acceptable behaviour.   The Home Office has announced that the top rate for some existing on-the-spot Fixed Penalty Notice fines will increase from £80 to £100.  Mr Reid said: "Some people will complain that what we want to do... impinges on people's rights.  "But communities have rights too, and the rights of individuals don't entitle them to cause mayhem for locals."

A legally binding target to reduce long-term carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by the year 2050 has been set. The bill will establish a "Carbon Committee" to make sure targets are met.  However the bill makes no reference to annual CO2 reductions targets.  Opposition parties and environmentalists deem CO2 reductions necessary to tackle global warming. 

The Queen told MPs and peers: "My government will publish a bill on climate change as part of its policy to protect the environment, consistent with the need to secure long-term energy supplies."

David Cameron said he was delighted to hear the proposals in the Queen's Speech.  "I hope it will be a proper bill and not a watered down bill.  Government has got to give a lead by setting a proper framework."  That must mean an independent body with annual targets and an annual report from government on its progress."

The prime minister responded by pointing out that the UK was set to lose about 15% of its electricity generation capacity as existing nuclear power plants reached the end of their operating lives.

"We need to put nuclear power back on the agenda and at least replace the nuclear energy we will lose.  Without it, we will not be able to meet either our objectives on climate change or our objectives on energy security."

MPs are concerned that UK sovereignty is under threat if the European Commission's plan to abolish Britain's power of veto on crime policies goes ahead.

The European scrutiny committee has asked for a debate on whether member states are to give up their veto on police and judicial matters.

The loss of veto could affect the legal principle of a person being innocent until proven guilty.

Today judicial policy must be agreed unanimously by all 25 states.

The commission wants to replace the current system with one weighted according to countries' size under which no individual state holds a veto.

The proposed system would give the European Court of Justice further powers of jurisdiction and give the European Parliament a say on issues such as the definition of what constitutes a crime.

If Britain retained its veto, the committee said it could lead to the UK being excluded from future EU negotiations on crime.

Committee chairman Michael Connarty said "If it goes ahead then we would see the present certainty about our ability to protect Britain's interests in important justice matters replaced with uncertainty."

There are those who argue that the English should sing an English, not British, anthem.  They believe God Save the Queen should continue to be the British anthem, to be sung as a celebration of Britishness or the monarch, by the individual nations of Britain, or by the English, Scots, Welsh and Irish when they are gathered together as Brits.
Scottish and English teams line up together with the Scots singing a Scottish anthem and the English singing a British anthem.

It is felt by some that it may be politically convenient for the UK Government to encourage Scottishness and Welshness whilst keeping Britishness to the fore in England.   Scots and Welsh that still consider themselves British may be obliged to boo their own anthem for fear of being regarded as traitors by an increasingly nationalistic tendency.

I'm surprised English sports teams don't sing Land Of Hope And Glory instead.   Princess Anne

The prime minister's Respect Task Force is to fund 70 child psychologists dubbed "super nannies".  The super nannies are to target bad behaviour hot spots around the UK. 

The move comes after the Institute for Public Policy Research carried out a survey in which the UK's children were found to be the worst behaved in Europe.   

A Mori poll showed that 53% of people blame poor parenting as the main cause of bad behaviour and 85% blamed parents for allowing children to become out of control.  The chief executive of the children's charity NCH, Clare Tickell, said the move was "good news" but that more could be done.

John Hutton the Work and Pensions Secretary, is to warn that the retirement age has to be raised to avoid shifting the tax burden onto future generations. 

Mr Hutton will announce in his speech, that the age of retirement is to be raised to 68 over the next 40 years to avoid a 4p rise in income tax.

The new measures aimed at covering the cost of future state pensions will be included in a bill of reforms published next week.

The basic state pension is to be re-linked  to earnings within the next parliament and number of years it takes to build a full basic state pension is to be cut, from 44 years for men and 39 years for women to 30 years for everyone.

Mr Hutton is to say: "As unpopular as it may be to talk about working longer - the simple fact is that if we aren't prepared to increase the state pension age, we will simply pass an ever greater and frankly unsustainable burden on to our children and grandchildren."

He adds that those who oppose the bill: "are in effect arguing for more than a 4p rise in the basic rate of income tax to pay for a population spending more and more of their lives in retirement."

A vote is to be held in early 2007 asking MP's whether the Trident nuclear weapons system should be replaced.  The Trident system is due to go out of service in 2024 and Ministers are to select a replacement after a three-month consultation. 

Commons leader Jack Straw said: "We have a responsibility not to cop out of this but to come to a decision, and we shall.  "We're talking about defence of the nation here, not the Shops Act or fox hunting." 

Mr Blair has said that Trident is an essential part of Britain's ability to defend itself.

With an estimated cost of up to £25bn, anti-nuclear campaigners say the money would be better spent elsewhere and they fear the government has already decided to go ahead with replacing Trident. 

Kate Hudson, chairman of CND said a white paper could "close down" the wider debate.

It's just not cricket.

12 months ago the English cricket board awarded Sky the rights to show the Ashes in 2006.  If an Englishman wants to watch his national team defend their great achievement of last year, he must now pay for Sky Sports or catch glimpses of the match on the BBC's highlights program.  However the licence fee does go towards what seems to be an endless stream of reality TV shows.  This Sunday's Grandstand did show live International Rugby Union, but how long is it going to be before that goes to Sky also?  The other sport shown on this weeks Grandstand was Trampolining, is this what we have to look forward to after paying our licence fee?

Failure to pay for a TV licence is a criminal offence and you can receive a fine up to £1,000 or be sent to jail.  Even if you never watch the BBC , you must still pay the licence fee.  Being sent to jail may not be such a bad thing as you can sue the government for not allowing you to take Heroin while watching the Ashes on your Sky TV.  

The Conservatives plan to introduce a new tax on businesses, which they are calling the "carbon levy."

Shadow chancellor George Osborne told the CBI conference that he plans to increase the money collected from businesses by the carbon levy, but promises that this will be offset by reductions in other business taxes: "that is a guarantee."

Mr Osborne said: "The chancellor decided to increase National Insurance and at the same time reduce the proportion of taxes collected by green taxes.  We want to go in the opposite direction." 

The shadow chancellor told the CBI conference that the conservatives were not becoming "anti-business".

"For too long my party abandoned issues like the environment, flexible working, and social responsibility to our opponents on the left.  So I make absolutely no apology that we have been talking about the new business agenda."  

Following politicians in Italy calling for a ban on Muslim women wearing face-covering veils in public places, one in three people questioned in a survey carried out by the ICM would support a similar ban.  Dutch ministers have also said they will legislate against the all-over burqa.

Of those questioned 61 per cent said they would approve of a ban in airports and at passport control, While 53 per cent supported a ban in courtrooms and schools. 

Only Forty-one per cent of the survey participants said they would support a ban on veils in the workplace.

When questioned on wearing veils while travelling on public transport 56 per cent said they would oppose a ban. 

Chief executive of the British Muslim Forum, Zareen Roohi Ahmed, told the BBC: "If security is at stake, such as at an airport, then yes, of course, the veil should be removed.  If it proves difficult in performing a task such as in a school, then it is up to the individual who is wearing the veil whether they want to work there or not." 

A Muslim classroom assistant suspended by a school in West Yorkshire for wearing a veil in lessons was sacked last week.

The BBC's documentary Evicted shown on BBC one last night was a heart wrenching eye opener.  Many of us are in some way aware that there is a shortage in family homes, but this documentary showed us what a devastating struggle it can be for a young family trying to find one. 

Since the year 2000 1.5 million families are waiting for a home on housing registers, a rise of almost 50%. 

Gary Porter is the housing spokesman for South Holland District Council in Lincolnshire, his council has recently built its first council houses in 25 years.

Gary said: "There were about 100 homes built by councils in Britain last year.  In the same period we had a housing shortage of 279 in South Holland alone.  The fact so few are built is down to lack of funds. Central government gives money for housing to the Housing Corporation, which distributes it to social housing landlords and housing associations. "But clearly this isn't working, they can't keep up with demand and the Housing Corporation costs £26m a year to run, money that could be spent on construction."

Alan Walter, chairman of campaign group Defend Council Housing, said: "The truth is council houses served generations of people well and, if given decent government funding, can do for future generations.  The job of building decent, affordable and accountable housing should be given to councils who have the experience, the local knowledge and are accountable to the tenants, not by multi-million pound businesses out to make a profit."