Well … autumn has well and truely arrived in England.  Apart from the colder weather and being darker for longer, I do love how beautiful the leaves and trees look.  This was the inspiration for this weeks cover photo on this post !

Snapshot of stories

The BBC has promised a “comprehensive examination” of allegations the late Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused girls while working for the corporation.  Director General George Entwistle said all “outstanding questions” would be addressed – but only after “police had finished everything they have to do”.  He also apologised to women involved “for what they’ve had to endure here”.  A growing number of women have come forward to say they were victims of the presenter.  Some have also spoken of a broader BBC culture which tolerated sexual harassment in the 1980s.  On Sunday, Prime Minister David Cameron described the Savile claims as “truly shocking”, and called for the allegations to be “properly investigated” by the corporation.

The government is determined to cut a further £10bn from the benefits budget to fight the deficit, Chancellor George Osborne has told the Tory conference.  One idea he suggested was limiting the number of children in a family that should be supported on benefits.  He said the better-off would pay more in taxes, but the budget could not be balanced “on the wallets of the rich”.  He also unveiled a plan for workers to give up a string of employment rights in return for shares in their employer.  The new owner-employee contract allows owners to award shares worth up to £50,000 to their staff, in return for the employee giving up their unfair dismissal, redundancy and training rights and also the right to ask for flexible working.  He said there would be no capital gains tax on the profits from the shares, so it would be “owners, workers and the taxman all in it together”.  Mr Osborne’s speech comes with the UK economy in recession, hitting the government’s tax takings and its plans to reduce the deficit (the difference between the amount spent by government and the amount it receives from tax etc).  In his speech in Birmingham, the chancellor made clear he was not planning to change course and said a further £16bn of savings must be found by 2015/16 to meet his target of balancing the budget within five years.  This, he said, would include cutting £10bn more from the welfare bill by 2016-17, on top of the £18bn announced in 2010.  Mr Osborne said: “Let the message from this conference be clear: we will finish the job we have started.”

Songs Played Today

Michael Gray – The Weekend
Zutons – You Will You Won’t
Fortune – Bully
Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
Status Quo – Marguerita Time
Meat Loaf – Couldn’t Have Said It Better Myself
Baseballs – Umbrella
Melanie C – I Turn To You
Meck – Thunder In My Heart
REM – The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Zephyr Song
Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris – Dance Wiv Me
Robbie Williams – Rock DJ
Shannon – Let The Music Play
Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
Smashmouth – All Star
Peran – Good Time
Placebo – The Bitter End

80s Hour

Police – Message In A Bottle
Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Shalamar – I Can Make You Feel Good
Simple Minds – Alive & Kicking
A-Ha – Take On Me
Kylie Minogue – I Should Be So Lucky

Guests

Today I was joined by local band Soma Rising.  The interview and live set can be heard below:
[audio:https://www.phoenixfm.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/soma-rising-final.m4a]