The JSPrice Perception

Fracking is back on the political agenda (Image: Sky News) I recently returned from a wonderful three-night stay in Milan. I had been looking forward to the trip for months but felt a little nervous weeks before I packed my suitcase. Up until 28th February, it was a legal requirement for fully vaccinated travellers from the UK to produce both proof of Covid vaccination status and a negative test. Thankfully, four days before I set foot at Bristol Airport, the latter wasn't needed. I say 'thankfully', because that would've cost me more than the return flight ticket. Over the past two years, the Italian government has consistently introduced stricter restrictions compared to the UK. For example, I don't know how the British public would have felt they were told they had to wear an FFP2 face mask outdoors as well as indoors, the way Italians were required to. Italy only lifted that restrictions a few short weeks ago , and by 31st March, look to remove the 'state o...

Vladimir Putin (Image: CNN) It's difficult to offer an alternative perspective to what's going on in Ukraine right now. The widespread anger and anguish over the attacks in the eastern European country by Russian forces are views I share deeply. But I want to have a go, at least, in offering alternative solutions so the nation can reach a state of equilibrium once more. At the moment, world leaders are busy questioning how we got here and in doing so, are scratching heads and slapping wrists. It's easy to argue that there's nothing more they can do, however, there probably is.  I start with where I feel the responsibility lies. On the one hand, the European Union hadn't done enough to boot Russia out of a key financial system despite warnings of growing hostility by Putin's government. Yet, the UK and US are being criticised for not doing enough to deter Russia from its plans to invade. I truly believe the entire West were in utter denial; surely, they thought...

Molly-Mae Hague (Image: Kiss.ie) Molly-Mae Hague first graced our screens in 2019 coming second in the hit ITV2 show Love Island, but since used her time to lucrative effect - amassing millions of followers on social media and being offered sponsorship deals for eye-watering amounts. Now at 22 years of age, she has profitable businesses in her portfolio and is seen as a future force for economic good in the fashion and beauty industries. After appearing on a popular reality contest, it's easy to sit back, relax and reap the benefits doing supposedly little. Many have, therefore, rightly praised Hague for her savviness - using her 'name' to helping others look and feel good. But it's her recent comments that have divided opinion. She appeared on a podcast hosted by Dragon's Den investor Steven Bartlett talking about 'how to get what you want', among other topics. Hague, using her personal experiences, stated - and I paraphrase - that we're all given the ...

Keir Starmer has two years to inspire Labour to victory (Image: BBC) If you believe in today's polls , Sir Keir Starmer would be the UK's next Prime Minister in the event of a general election, should one take place tomorrow. At the latter stages of 2021, the Liberal Democrats enjoyed a mini-renaissance, winning the last by-election at a seat the Conservatives had held for almost 200 years. Dozens of Tory back-bench members are rebelling against the government over Covid-19 measures. With all this talk, there's little wonder why some commentators are whispering rumours about a premature general election. In my eyes, a general election is the last thing Labour needs right now. It's clear Starmer isn't seeking a general election so soon, neither is he going strong on calling on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign - despite presenting an alternative vision of 'security, prosperity and respect'. Both thoughts mentioned here are logical. The pandemic isn...

Jackie Weaver (Image: This is Money) It's been another year where we've seen more drama in real life than a standard Christmas episode of a soap opera. Rules brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic changed every five minutes, and even as I write this, what we can and can't do continues to be high on the political agenda thanks to new variants; we don't know whether we're coming or going. While I stick to my guns on why the pandemic is still dominating our livelihoods, we cannot underestimate how well we've done to adapt since March 2020, and we'll continue to do so over the coming months. I share the frustration that the British government's direction may not match what we think is going on. We're all keen to get on with our lives and actually treat Covid like the seasonal flu , as Health Secretary Sajid Javid had once promised - of course, we've never locked down because of flu before. I know we will one day and I'll look forward to that moment...

Mask wearing in supermarket (Image: BBC) There's too much hysteria around the present Covid-19 situation. In the UK, the public is stuck in the middle of the fear-mongers - the government and its independent advisors - and the anger-mongers - the political commentators who seem to spend more time on Twitter than on their day jobs. And at the moment, they're peddling each other something silly, and as a result we don't know whether we're coming or going. Let's remind ourselves where we're at. So, we're edging closer to marking two years since the first positive Covid-19 case was confirmed. I don't want to delve into how the pandemic has devastated families across the world; that millions have died of the disease, millions have made an economic loss or have developed health issues fuelled by record waiting times and closed services. Right now, we have vaccines which are available for anyone over the age of 12, all businesses are now open if they financiall...

Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron (Image: Human Rights Watch) I'm not sure if it's a big deal for governments in countries other than the UK and France, but the fact both are stuck in a stubborn diplomatic wrangle at the moment is quite significant, and those nations should probably be concerned. The squabbles are basically over what's happening on the English Channel, circling around two areas; fish and refugees. Fish has been a contentious subject for what has felt like an eternity, and tensions have escalated since the UK left the European Union. Like any other sea, parts are controlled by different countries, and with the English Channel,  applications must be made in order to access certain areas. The process doesn't sound like rocket science but of course, the small print can be interpreted in various ways and while the UK may withdraw licences, France will inevitably claim there were no justifications for those decisions. These finest of margins could always be ...