Brendan Barber outlines plans for campaign for ‘economic alternative’ to austerity in speech to TUC The riots which swept through English cities last month revealed “deep fractures” in Britain and have underlined the “folly of coalition policy”, the leader of the TUC has warned. Brendan Barber used his speech on the opening day of the TUC’s three-day annual conference to criticise the government’s response to the summer riots. He said the unrest took place in a society that ranks among “the most unequal in the developed world”. Barber told delegates: “What happened in August actually revealed deep fractures within our society – a society that ranks among the most unequal anywhere in the developed world, where a super-rich elite have been allowed to float free from the rest of us; where a generation of young people are growing up without work, without prospects, without hope. None harder hit than the black youngsters held back by an unemployment rate approaching 50%.” Barber outlined plans to step up a TUC-led public campaign on the case for an “economic alternative” to the government’s “cruel and mistaken objective” of getting rid of the deficit in just four years. He said the riots had raised “alarming questions” about the country Britain had become and said David Cameron was “wrong” to brand the riots “criminality pure and simple”. The unrest had served to expose “pernicious inequality, but also underlined the folly of government policies, such as cutting youth services and withdrawing the education maintenance allowance [EMA] for 16 to 19-year-olds in secondary education, he said. “Rather than addressing the complex long-term factors that lie behind the alienation – the poverty, the lack of social mobility, young lives stunted by hope denied – they have instead reached for simplistic cliches about moral decay,” said Barber. “And yet, as they have retreated to Victorian language about the undeserving poor, they have said nothing about moral disintegration among the rich, the financiers with huge assets sneakily channelled through the tax havens, the out-of-control traders and speculators who razed our economy to the ground and the super-rich tax cheats whose greed impoverishes our schools and hospitals.” He added: “Of course I accept the riots were not caused by the cuts, but, as any fair-minded person must see, the cuts will undoubtedly make the underlying problems much worse.” The cuts had hit middle- and low-income workers across the public and private sector while hardly being noticed by those who did “so well” out of the banking crash, he said. “The less you had to do with causing the crash, the bigger the price you have to pay.” Barber said the government’s austerity programme had served only to stamp on growth, and while it was “hurting”, the economic strategy was simply not working. The deficit was just “one symptom” of what was wrong with the economic model that politicians and policy makers have backed since the 1980s, which have led to an economy run on the interests of “banks and finance”. He said this model of deregulation, the “worship of markets”, and suspicion of the state had “blown up in our faces and turned into an angel of destruction”. Barber called for a new economy to be built that “delivers for all”, based on tax justice and exploiting new technologies in the fight against climate change. Speaking on the day that the Vickers report was published , Barber said its recommendations “fail to deal with what really needs to be done to transform our banks”. He said unions should press for “real reform” of the financial system, which would see banks become part of the utilities there to serve the public, rather than enrich themselves. As union leaders warned of the growing prospect of a second wave of co-ordinated strikes over planned reforms to public sector pensions, Barber said nowhere was the fight against cuts more urgent than on this issue. He told delegates the government’s plans were not about long-term affordability but making hard-pressed staff sacrifice their pensions security to contribute “even more” to the short-term deficit reduction programme. “That is wrong, wrong, wrong,” said Barber. He also vowed that unions would fight “tooth and nail” against the scrapping of the top rate of tax, amid a clamour of voices calling on the 50p rate to be abolished. The leader of the TUC, which represents 58 trade unions and more than 6 million members, said unions had a duty to lead the case for an economic alternative on behalf of all those suffering under the measures. He said this would present the “greatest battle in our living memory”. Barber outlined plans to build on the successful anti-cuts march and rally organised by the TUC in March, with activities funded over two years by a levy on affiliated unions. A decision will be made by the general council – a 20-strong board of general secretaries – in October. “No one else can claim to speak for so many of those bearing the brunt of austerity,” he told delegates. “No other part of civil society has the organisation, resources and reach of our trade union movement. And that responsibility is one that we have willingly accepted.” Responding to Barber’s comments, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “Ministers have been very clear about the difficult times people are facing, but the important thing is that we tackle the deficit. We have got to deal with the deficit and get public spending under control in order that we can get the economy back on track.” On public sector pensions, the spokeswoman insisted talks with unions on reforms were “progressing well”, a claim that is likely to be widely disputed by the frustrated union leaders involved. “We are sitting round the table talking about some quite difficult issues, but the principles haven’t changed,” the spokeswoman said. “We want to ensure that public sector pensions continue to be generous but they need to be affordable.” Brendan Barber TUC UK riots Trade unions Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk
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Interim military regime says it will fire on demonstrators to protect buildings, after Israeli embassy in Cairo was attacked Egyptian authorities have detained a further 92 people and vowed to use live ammunition to protect key buildings from demonstrators, following the storming of the Israeli embassy last week, which left three protesters dead and provoked the worst crisis in Israel-Egypt relations for a generation. “We won’t allow anyone to attack the interior ministry or any police station,” the interior minister, Mansour al-Essawy, told state TV. “According to the law, we will resist … If there is a danger to a building or those present inside the building, we will confront with bullets.” The latest crackdown brings the total number of arrests from Friday’s protests to 130, and comes as Turkey’s prime minister prepares to fly into the Egyptian capital on Monday night, to begin a four-day tour of north Africa. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is embroiled in his own diplomatic row with Israel over the killing of pro-Palestinian Turkish activists by Israeli soldiers on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid flotilla ship last year, will address the Arab League on Tuesday. He is expected to outline Turkey’s new “regional foreign policy vision”, promoting closer ties with revolutionary Arab countries and sidelining their one-time ally Israel. The trip will involve high-level talks with the de facto Egyptian leader, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, and the interim prime minister, Essam Sharaf, with discussions focused on the forthcoming Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN, which both countries support, and the development of closer business links between the two nations. Turkey’s trade with the Arab world has increased six-fold under Erdogan’s rule – an indication of the country’s shifting diplomatic and economic priorities in the Middle East. Erdogan’s rhetoric is likely to resonate strongly in post-Mubarak Egypt, where anger has been mounting in recent weeks over Israel’s blockade of Gaza and a recent border incident that left six Egyptian soldiers dead at the hands of Israeli military forces. The latest developments have left Egypt’s military junta in a tricky position, as it seeks to appease public anger while reassuring foreign allies that it will carry on meeting its international obligations under the Camp David peace treaty with Israel. Friday’s clashes in and around the Israeli embassy come at a critical time for Egypt, as the trial of the former president Hosni Mubarak gathers pace and preparations continue for the country’s first democratic elections in November. On Sunday, Tantawi rejected a summons to give evidence at Mubarak’s court case, claiming he was too busy dealing with the ongoing security situation in the capital. Tantawi is now scheduled to attend the trial in late September, along with several other key witnesses including Mubarak’s former spy chief and vice-president, Omar Suleiman, the army’s chief of staff, Sami Anan, and the current and former interior ministers. The judge has declared that testimony will be given in private, with television cameras barred from the courtroom. Meanwhile, the separate trial of 25 former regime stalwarts on the charge of organising February’s “battle of the camel” assault on Tahrir Square has begun. The incident on 2 February, which took place at the height of the anti-Mubarak uprising and provided some of the revolution’s most memorable images, saw pro-Mubarak thugs on horses and camels armed with rods and maces charging protesters, and capped one of the bloodiest days of this year’s dramatic political upheaval. An official report into the attack accused Safwat el-Sherif, a senior figure in Mubarak’s ruling NDP party, of organising the assault. Sherif and his fellow defendants have denied all the charges against them. Egypt Middle East Africa Protest Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk
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One worker is said to have died in a blast at Marcoule nuclear waste processing plant in southern France One person has been reported killed and four injured in an explosion at a nuclear waste processing plant in France. An oven reportedly exploded at the Marcoule nuclear site near Nimes in the south of France. The site produces MOX fuel, which recycles plutonium from nuclear weapons, and is partly used by the French nuclear power giant Areva. Part of the process involves firing superheated pellets of plutonium and uranium in an oven to reduce them in size to make them easier to store. The local newspaper Midi Libre reported that one person had been killed and four others injured, including one seriously, in the explosion at 11.45am (10.45 BST). The papers said the body of one male worker at the plant had been “found carbonised”, but it added that there was no evidence that the explosion had “caused any radioactive leak”. A spokesman for the French atomic energy authority told journalists: “For the moment, there is nothing coming out.” The French nuclear safety authority said in a statement that the explosion had taken place in an oven used to melt metallic waste of a “weak and very weak” level of radioactivity. Cécile Duflot, secretary general of the political party Europe Ecology, called for “real time” and “transparent” information on the incident on Twitter. Fire officers said a safety cordon had been thrown around the plant. The explosion happened in the Centraco centre used by the firm Socodei, a sister company of the French electricity giant EDF. The Marcoule site is located in Languedoc-Roussillon, in southern France near the Mediterranean. France Nuclear power Europe Energy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Paul Krugman wasn’t the only old soul at The New York Times who refused any urge to be patriotic on September 11. Former Times reporter Chris Hedges unleashed a tirade on Truthdig on Saturday. It was titled: “A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe.”
Continue reading …Sir Hugh Orde wins support of two panels for Met police commissioner job
September 12, 2011 No Comment
Home Office-convened group and special panel of the MPA back Sir Hugh Orde, who has been critical of government policy Sir Hugh Orde has been ranked as the best suited candidate to be the next Metropolitan police commissioner by both of the official panels that have interviewed the contenders, the Guardian has learned. The first panel to reach a conclusion was convened by the Home Office and composed of top civil servants and experts. It was chaired by Helen Ghosh , who serves as permanent secretary at the Home Office, and met on Friday 2 September. Last Tuesday, a special panel of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) met and also ranked Orde as best for the job, placing Bernard Hogan-Howe second. On Monday the home secretary, Theresa May, and the London mayor, Boris Johnson, are interviewing the four candidates, and it is expected that Orde’s vocal opposition to the government’s plans for reforming policing will be a significant obstacle to him getting the job. But Orde has been able to convince the two panels that he would be able to work sufficiently well with the Conservatives who run central government and local government in London, raising the prospect that his rejection by May would be seen as party political. By law the selection of the Met commissioner is the responsibility of the home secretary, who merely has to have “regard” for the views of the mayor and the MPA. Orde, who is president of Association of Chief Police Officers, has criticised the government over plans for elected crime commissioners, funding cuts and its response to the August riots, and dismissed the prime minister’s idea that the Met could be run by a foreign police chief as “stupid”. The favourite for the £260,000 a year job is Hogan-Howe, the Met’s acting deputy commissioner, with Stephen House in second place. House, the chief constable of Strathclyde police, was invited to apply by the Home Office after his force won praise for its work on gangs in Glasgow. The other candidate is the acting Met commissioner, Tim Godwin. The government believes that policing needs radical reform. A source with knowledge of government thinking said: “[Orde] is the chief spokesman for the way things have been, and the government wants to shake things up. What anybody else says, such as the MPA, is not binding on the home secretary.” The last two Scotland Yard commissioners have resigned mid-term and one Whitehall source said: “Orde is not the candidate for a quiet life.” Hogan-Howe, a former head of Merseyside police, was seconded into the force by May after Sir Paul Stephenson was forced out as commissioner over errors of judgment in the phone-hacking case. He was viewed on Merseyside as having performed well in tackling gangs and crime, as well as modernising the force. He previously worked for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. House has also modernised his force and is a favourite to be the first head of the single Scotland-wide force if he fails to get the Met job. Hogan-Howe and House have another factor in their favour: both their tenures in charge of forces outside of London saw a reduction in crime despite working with tighter budgets. Godwin, like Orde, is seen to be ill at ease with the government’s desire for wholesale changes in policing. David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, told the Guardian that the most important task for the new commissioner was to boost the numbers of minority ethnic officers in the force. Policing by consent was no longer possible unless there was a surge in recruitment of black and Asian officers, he said. “The police in London have got to start looking like the police in New York,” said Lammy. “We have stalled in relation to ethnic minority recruitment. How can you establish consent in this environment?” Minority ethnic officers represent 9.6% of the force, in a city where at least a quarter of the population are from minority backgrounds. Metropolitan police London Police Theresa May Boris Johnson London politics Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk
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Blaze rages through densely populated Embakasi slum in Kenya’s capital after an explosion in a petrol pipeline More than 100 people were burned to death after a petrol fire broke out in a densely populated slum in Nairobi, local media said. Television channels aired images of smouldering skeletons as the fire raged through the slum, according to Reuters. The Associated Press said its reporter had counted at least 40 dead bodies in the remains of burning shacks up to 300 metres (1,000ft) from the site of an explosion. Other bodies were floating in a nearby river filled with sewage. Witnesses said people had jumped into the river after catching fire. Residents said homes had been built right up to a petrol pipeline that runs through the heavily populated slum of Embakasi, between the city centre and the airport. Police said they were still counting bodies. They said some of those killed had been trying to scoop up spilled petrol. Kenya Africa Oil Energy Fossil fuels guardian.co.uk
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On the front of Sunday's Business section, Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein slammed GOP candidates: “If you came up with a bumper sticker that pulls together the platform of this year’s crop of Republican presidential candidates, it would have to be: Repeal the 20th century. Vote GOP.” Pearlstein seemed especially insulted that Gov. Rick Perry would suggest John Maynard Keynes and his “stimulus” economics were through, and no one on the Republican stage came to the liberal icon's defense. Somehow, reporters (and former reporters like Pearlstein) always expect there to be a liberal in the other party's fold. Liberals really hate it when you say their ideas are outdated. In the paper, the column headline was “The Republicans' magical thinking.” Here's how Pearlstein followed up the “Repeal the 20th century” stuff: t’s not just the 21st century they want to turn the clock back on — health-care reform, global warming and the financial regulations passed in the wake of the recent financial crises and accounting scandals. These folks are actually talking about repealing the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency, created in 1970s. They’re talking about abolishing Medicare and Medicaid, which passed in the 1960s, and Social Security, created in the 1930s. They reject as thoroughly discredited all of Keynesian economics, including the efficacy of fiscal stimulus, preferring the budget-balancing economic policies that turned the 1929 stock market crash into the Great Depression. They also reject the efficacy of monetary stimulus to fight recession, and give the strong impression they wouldn’t mind abolishing the Federal Reserve and putting the country back on the gold standard. They refuse to embrace Darwin’s theory of evolution, which has been widely accepted since the Scopes Trial of the 1920s. One of them is even talking about repealing the 16th and 17th amendments to the Constitution, allowing for a federal income tax and the direct election of senators — landmarks of the Progressive Era. What’s next — repeal of quantum physics? Not every candidate embraces every one of these kooky ideas. But what’s striking is that when Rick Perry stands up and declares that “Keynesian policy and Keynesian theory is now done,” not one candidate is willing to speak up for the most important economic thinker of the 20th century. Or when Michele Bachmann declares that natural selection is just a theory, none of the other candidates is willing to risk the wrath of the religious right and call her on it. Leadership, it ain’t. Pearlstein somehow missed (or thought it wasn't specific enough) when Jon Huntsman was set up to declare the GOP couldn't be seen as “anti-science.”
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Mitch Winehouse believes his daughter died after suffering a seizure brought on by alcohol withdrawal Amy Winehouse’s father has blamed her death on her efforts to quit drinking. In an interview to air on Monday, Mitch Winehouse said he believes his daughter died after suffering a seizure brought on by alcohol withdrawal. “Everything Amy did, she did to excess,” he told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “She drank to excess and did detox to excess.” Almost two months after she was found in her north London home, the cause of Amy’s death has still not been identified. While a toxicology report showed there were no illegal substances in the singer’s system, Mitch told CNN there were traces of Librium, a prescription drug used to fight anxiety and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Some alcohol was also found in her bloodstream. This was part of a pattern Mitch said he had seen before. Although he insists his daughter quit hard drugs in December 2008, alcohol was still a problem. “The periods of abstinence were becoming longer, and the periods of drinking were becoming shorter,” he said. “It was heading in the right direction.” Withdrawal caused seizures, Mitch said, and he believes one of these seizures killed her on 23 July. “There was nobody there to rescue her.” CNN also spoke to Amy’s mother, Janis Winehouse, her stepmother, her aunt, and Reg Traviss, the singer’s boyfriend. Two days before Amy died, Traviss said, they spent a quiet evening watching DVDs. They were planning a holiday in St Lucia in September. “She was a really clever girl,” he said. “She knew what she was doing.” Traviss said he wanted to talk to her more about her drinking problem but feared he would be seen as “nagging”. A full inquest into the singer’s death will begin next month. Amy Winehouse Pop and rock Sean Michaels guardian.co.uk
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Skilled migrants from outside Europe are to be banned from having a further 70,000 jobs under new rules Skilled migrants from outside Europe are to be banned from having a further 70,000 jobs, including as vets and orchestral musicians, under the latest official revision of Britain’s shortage occupation list, published on Monday. The proposal from the migration advisory committee, which is likely to be endorsed by the home secretary, Theresa May, will reduce the number of jobs open to highly skilled migrants from outside Europe from 260,000 currently to 190,000. More than 1 million jobs were originally open to skilled migrants from outside Europe under tier two of the points-based immigration system, introduced three years ago. The actual number of tier-two skilled migrants coming to work in shortage occupations is limited to 20,700 a year, and applications are running at just over half of the limit. The proposal to cut the number of skilled jobs open to migrant workers follows recent figures showing a 21% rise in net migration to the UK in 2010, to 239,000. Twenty-nine occupations are to be excluded from the latest shortage occupation list, including secondary school biology teachers, consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology, veterinary surgeons and “tutti” or rank and file orchestral musicians, which excludes the top level of performers. A further 33 occupations are to be added to the shortage list, including 2D/3D video games and film animators, consultants in emergency medicine, environmental scientists, geochemists and managers involved in decommissioning nuclear power stations. Professor David Metcalf, the chairman of the migration advisory committee, said: “Although the proportion of the labour market covered by our new recommended list is lower than before, our recommendation will have only a limited impact on migration volumes because overall migration through tier two is limited. “However, the list is more selective than before: it is targeted specifically on those job titles where there is currently a clear evidence of shortage.” Immigration and asylum Theresa May Alan Travis guardian.co.uk
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Tour of Britain stage cancelled and M6 closed at Thelwall viaduct due to high winds, as Met Office warns of disruption, damage and flooding Transport links and power companies face disruption in Scotland and northern England from a final flick of the tail by Hurricane Katia. Katia has already claimed Monday’s stage of the Tour of Britain cycle race, between Kendall and Blackpool, which has been cancelled due to high winds. The M6, one of the UK’s busiest motorways, has been closed at the Thelwall viaduct in Cheshire because of high winds, with drivers advised to use the M61 as a diversion. Barton Bridge on the M60 Manchester outer ring road is also closed. Sharp gusts and the beginning of gales have been reported on the north-west coast and in Snowdonia, adding strength to Meteorological Office warnings of potential disruption, damage and flooding. The Met Office severe weather warning map for Monday has the whole of central and southern Scotland under an amber block denoting “be prepared”, which also stretches south into North Yorkshire and Cumbria. An area of pale yellow, meaning “be aware”, covers the rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England as far south as mid-Wales and Lincolnshire. The Met Office said that gusts topping 70mph (112km/h) could bring down trees and power lines in the amber warning area and the Environment Agency is warning of potential flooding on both the west and east coasts. Heavy rain accompanying the high winds also threatens flooding inland, including around Derwentwater in the Lake District – the source of the disastrous floods in Cockermouth and Workington two years ago. The agency has put the Yorkshire coast between Bridlington and Barmston on flood alert at high tide, with specific warnings about spray overtopping defences. Anglesey in north Wales has been given similar advice. Several miles inland from the island, Capel Curig in Snowdonia recorded winds of 73mph at 5am. The Met Office said: “The remains of Hurricane Katia are expected to come across the UK, bringing a spell of very windy weather. There remains some uncertainty about its track and intensity, though with increasing indications that Scotland and Northern Ireland are most likely to bear the brunt. “The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to transport and of the possibility of damage to trees and structures.” Storms potentially this strong hit the UK once or twice a year on average, with hurricane remnants rather more infrequent. Katia followed Irene as the second big storm of this year’s hurricane season, rating category four on an index that goes up to five. Billy Payne, forecaster for MeteoGroup, said: “The brunt of the the wind will go through central and southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales. Gusts are from 60-70mph in some places, possibly higher, especially in exposed places in parts of western Scotland, such as the islands and hilly areas. “It will be quite windy in the south of England, too, with gusts of 40-50mph. There will be quite a lot of rain, perhaps heavy outbreaks over the next couple of days.” The Scottish government held a meeting of its Resilience Room to check preparations for the storm, with contingency details from transport companies and power firms as well as emergency services. The Scottish transport minister, Keith Brown, said: “A great deal of work is already well under way to ensure Scotland is prepared for any potential disruption. Our multi-agency response team has been activated and extra power and transport staff are being moved into areas likely to be affected, and utility companies are contacting their priority customers. “Forecasts suggest travel conditions are likely to be difficult on Monday and Tuesday, but robust contingency arrangements are in place so people should not panic but should be prepared . For example, there is likely to be some disruption to roads, rail and ferry services, so travellers are advised to allow more time for journeys. “The high winds and heavy rain are expected to peak on Monday afternoon and evening, so commuters are advised that if they can leave work earlier that would be a very sensible step to help avoid rush-hour delays. We are all working hard to keep Scotland moving and I urge everyone to allow extra time for travel, avoid unnecessary risks and keep checking websites and local radio for real-time information.” Natural disasters and extreme weather Flooding Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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