Pick of the week: Corbyn’s carriages, electoral pacts and cannabis laws
We have selected our five most-read articles of the week, for you to enjoy.
Five: Greens row back from 'electoral pact' with Jeremy Corbyn
In fifth place this week is our story on comments made by Caroline Lucas about a possible electoral pact between the Greens and a Corbyn-led Labour party. The Greens were quick to distance themselves from the comments, insisting they had been Lucas' personal views and unlikely to become party policy.
Four: Germany's ten-point refugee plan shows how irresponsible Britain has become
This was our piece which looked at a ten-point plan by Germany for how the EU should handle the refugee crisis. We found the suggestions to be serious, generous and level-headed but the Home Office won't even comment on them except to refer back to their existing objection to a mandatory quota system.
Three: Andy Burnham: Time is not right for a female Labour leader
In third place is our report on comments made by Andy Burnham in which he appeared to suggest that Labour was not ready for a female leader. When asked at a BBC Radio 5 Live hustings if it would be great to have a woman leader Burnham replied: "When the time is right, when the right leader comes along".
Two: The hysteria around Corbyn's women-only carriages shows why we have such boring politicians
Next we looked at the hysteria around proposals by Jeremy Corbyn to tackle harassment and violence against women. He says some women have raised the idea of women-only carriages as a solution for making public transport safer and he would consult with others to see if this is something that would be welcomed. The response by many to this was one of outrage and we suggest completely out of proportion. His proposals may be flawed but if we punish a politician every time they dare to express an opinion clearly, we will never have the authentic, straight talking MPs we all say we want.
One: Comment: The government's response to the cannabis petition is fatuous, dishonest and misleading
In our top spot this week is a piece about the government's response to a petition signed by over 200,000 people calling for the production, sale and use of cannabis to be made legal. The president of Clear Cannabis Law Reform says ministers are ignoring public opinion and all the evidence that supports the legalisation of the drug.
