Imperial College team says government is ‘seriously undermining’ anti-tobacco campaign Health experts have accused the government of spending more on subsidising American films that contain smoking scenes than on anti-tobacco campaigns. Researchers at Imperial College London calculated that between 2003 and 2009, £338m of tax credits in Britain went to US-produced films with imagery “promoting” tobacco use. Foreign film-makers receive 16% tax relief against their British production costs if more than a quarter of their budget is spent in Britain. More than three-quarters of British film subsidies go to US production companies. “In the period we looked at, the government gave £48m a year in tax credits to American films that feature smoking, almost all of which were rated suitable for children and adolescents,” said Christopher Millett, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. “By comparison, the government spent £23m a year on mass media anti-smoking campaigns.” Research has shown that young people heavily exposed to tobacco imagery in films are more likely to begin smoking than those who are only lightly exposed. This led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to recommend in 2009 that films with scenes of smoking should be given an adult content rating, creating an economic incentive for producers to leave smoking out of their films. But in the open access journal PLoS Medicine, the Imperial team says its findings show the recommendation has been largely ignored in the UK, US and Canada. They accuse all three governments of underwriting many films that promote youth smoking with public subsidies. They estimate that of the “high-grossing” films that had their tobacco content monitored, 66% featured tobacco imagery. More than half (57%) containing scenes of smoking were rated U, PG or 12A, and only 8% were given an 18 certificate. Recent UK-subsidised films featuring smoking include Mamma Mia! , Nine , Quantum of Solace , Sherlock Holmes and The Wolfman . Millett said that by “promoting smoking in films” the government was “seriously undermining” tobacco control efforts. “We think film subsidy programmes should be harmonised with public health goals by making films with tobacco imagery ineligible for public subsidies,” Millett said. “This wouldn’t cost anything to implement so in the current financial climate it should be an attractive policy option.” His comments were echoed by Martin Dockrell, director of research at Action on Smoking and Health. “The research is clear: the more a young person sees smoking in films the more likely they are to try smoking themselves,” he said. “This study reveals the astonishing fact that the government has spent an average of almost £50m a year subsidising films that encourage children to smoke, more than twice as much as they spent on advertising supporting people to quit.” The previous Labour government published a tobacco control strategy that recommended smoking “must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes likely to be widely seen or heard by under-18s unless there is editorial justification”. But health campaigners attacked the recommendations for being too vague and falling significantly short of actions proposed by the WHO. “This year the government promised to look at what more could be done to tackle the role of TV and films in stimulating smoking among children,” Dockrell said. “At the moment we have a film funding system that makes the problem worse., by investing millions in films made for young people that have the effect of encouraging them to smoke.” Smoking Tobacco industry Health World Health Organisation Film industry Jamie Doward guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …So that’s the Texas miracle : Pass the buck to the federal government, and then attack the federal government for spending too much money! AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas Gov. Rick Perry has asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for nearly $350 million to cover the costs incurred detaining illegal immigrants in state prisons and county jails. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Perry criticized the federal government hasn’t been doing enough to secure the border with Mexico, thereby allowing illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. and use taxpayer-funded resources, including prisons and jails. It’s a claim the Republican governor has made many times before. The letter was dated Aug. 10, three days before Perry formally announced he is running for president. Reached after-hours Friday by phone, DHS spokesman Matthew Chandler said he wasn’t in position to comment and said he could not confirm that the DHS had even received the letter. Perry has been criticized by some fellow conservatives as being too lenient on illegal immigration issues . Unlike fellow GOP presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann, Perry does not think the U.S. should build a wall spanning the entire Mexican border. Perry also has supported discounted tuition rates for the children of illegal immigrants at Texas universities, and he has said Arizona’s tough-on-immigration law wouldn’t be right for Texas. In his two-page letter to Napolitano, Perry described the formula he used to determine the costs, including $94.4 million to cover the costs incurred by county jails.
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Human rights campaigners say Chinese factories using children as young as 14 and that workers forced to do overtime Disney’s best-selling Cars toys are being made in a factory in China that uses child labour and forces staff to do three times the amount of overtime allowed by law, according to an investigation. One worker reportedly killed herself after being repeatedly shouted at by bosses. Others cited worries over poisonous chemicals. Disney has now launched its own investigation. It is claimed some of the 6,000 employees have to work an extra 120 hours every month to meet demand from western shops for the latest toys. The factory, called Sturdy Products, makes toys for the giant Mattel company, which last month announced quarterly profits of £48m on the back of strong sales of Barbie dolls and Cars 2 toys. Sturdy Products, in the city of Shenzhen, also makes toys for US superstore chain Walmart. Among the brands produced are the Thomas the Tank Engine range, Matchbox cars, Cars , Toy Story , Barbie and Fisher Price products, Scrabble and the Hot Wheels sets. The undercover investigation was carried out with the help of human rights group Sacom (Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour), which helped to expose abuses in Apple’s Foxconn plant in China this year. Workers were interviewed away from the factory, and an investigator then spent a month working inside it to gather more information. He found evidence of the use of child labour and illegal working hours, along with concerns over the use of poisonous chemicals. Sacom’s accusations against the factory include: ■ The employment of a 14-year-old. Staff also reported the presence of other child workers, according to the investigator. ■ Routine excessive overtime. Employees produced a “voluntary” document they said they had to sign agreeing to work beyond the maximum overtime legal limit of 36 hours a month, along with wage slips that suggested they were averaging 120 hours of overtime a month. ■ A harsh working environment in which workers complained of mistreatment by management. One worker injured on the production line was shouted at and ordered back to work despite needing medical treatment. ■ Concerns about the chemicals in use and poor ventilation. Employees claimed three workers had fallen ill. They said they had to hide pots of adhesive and thinners during audits of the factory by its client companies. ■ They also claimed that they were paid by the factory to give misleading answers during audits and that they were fined for failing to hit targets. The calculation of wages for different workers was described by Sacom as arbitrary. Concerns were raised about conditions at Sturdy Products when a 45-year-old female employee, Hu Nianzhen, jumped to her death from a factory building in May after she was allegedly shouted at by managers. Colleagues subsequently described the environment in the factory as tense and complained about the demanding workload. “A female worker committed suicide,” one said, “because she was always scolded. However, I feel helpless because it is not easy for me to find another job.” The allegations are sure to concern many parents whose children are pestering them to buy the extensive range of Cars 2 toys launched to coincide with the movie, which hit UK cinema screens in July. Cars 2 has so far grossed £303m worldwide, overtaking the original movie despite being panned by critics. The poor reviews have not hindered sales of the merchandise, which Disney expects to exceed the £1.7bn spent last year on Toy Story 3 merchandise. Cars 2 toys will compete with Transformers and Smurfs items as the must-have Christmas toys. But Sacom said that parents should think twice before buying the toys. A spokeswoman said: “Mattel, Walmart and Disney, the renowned toy companies, always claim they strictly comply with local laws and adhere to their respective code of conduct. The rampant violations at Sturdy Products, including excessive overtime, arbitrary wages, unfair punitive fines, child labour and negligence of occupational health, prove that the pledges are empty statements. There is no effective enforcement mechanism and remedies for workers at all.” She said the violations exposed the failings of the International Council of Toy Industries, which is supposed to police the industry. “Consumers could never expect that the lovely toys which bring joy to children are manufactured in such deplorable conditions. They should convey messages to toy companies including Mattel, Walmart and Disney to launch remedial actions to compensate the wronged workers. Without remedies, there is no cost for labour rights violations.” She said the companies should already have been aware of the dangers of dealing with Sturdy Products after a previous investigation in 2007 uncovered similar problems. That investigation also found a six-day working week, with staff working up to 288 hours a month. During peak periods there was a compulsory seven-day week and the company was found to be failing to pay the minimum wage. Investigators said that some employees had attempted to raise awareness of the abuses by setting up their own group to inspire colleagues to fight for their rights. Sturdy Products’ parent company, Winson, failed to respond to requests to discuss the allegations. Walmart issued a statement in which it said: “As soon as we learned of the allegations of human rights abuses at the Sturdy Products factory, we immediately launched an investigation. We are also in contact with the International Council of Toy Industries, a worldwide toy industry organisation that is also investigating this issue. We take reports like this very seriously and we will implement a corrective action plan if our investigations confirm any of the findings. “We remain committed to sourcing merchandise that is produced responsibly by suppliers that adhere to Walmart’s rigorous Standards for Suppliers code of conduct.” Disney said: “We take these matters impacting our licensees and business partners very seriously and will continue to evaluate this situation based upon the information available to us.” Mattel declined to comment directly on any of the allegations other than to note that the company was “deeply saddened” by the suicide but that, while it was “very tragic”, it was an isolated event and local authorities had found nothing suspicious about the circumstances. The company said it had carried out a detailed investigation. It said it was committed to working collaboratively through the International Council of Toy Industries’ Care (Caring, Awareness, Responsible, Ethical) process “to achieve continuous improvements in factory working conditions”. Sacom’s findings brought a rebuke from the International Council of Toy Industries’ Care Foundation. “We are the first to concede that much more work lies ahead of us, but we refuse to accept the sensationalist, media-oriented declarations of any group, especially when they are carping and filled with incorrect information. It is simply counter-productive,” the foundation said. “The plain truth is that workers in many toy factories in China are better off now than they were before and that this is due in considerable part to the ICTI Care Process.” China Child labour Walt Disney Company United States Human rights Gethin Chamberlain guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Human rights campaigners say Chinese factories using children as young as 14 and that workers forced to do overtime Disney’s best-selling Cars toys are being made in a factory in China that uses child labour and forces staff to do three times the amount of overtime allowed by law, according to an investigation. One worker reportedly killed herself after being repeatedly shouted at by bosses. Others cited worries over poisonous chemicals. Disney has now launched its own investigation. It is claimed some of the 6,000 employees have to work an extra 120 hours every month to meet demand from western shops for the latest toys. The factory, called Sturdy Products, makes toys for the giant Mattel company, which last month announced quarterly profits of £48m on the back of strong sales of Barbie dolls and Cars 2 toys. Sturdy Products, in the city of Shenzhen, also makes toys for US superstore chain Walmart. Among the brands produced are the Thomas the Tank Engine range, Matchbox cars, Cars , Toy Story , Barbie and Fisher Price products, Scrabble and the Hot Wheels sets. The undercover investigation was carried out with the help of human rights group Sacom (Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour), which helped to expose abuses in Apple’s Foxconn plant in China this year. Workers were interviewed away from the factory, and an investigator then spent a month working inside it to gather more information. He found evidence of the use of child labour and illegal working hours, along with concerns over the use of poisonous chemicals. Sacom’s accusations against the factory include: ■ The employment of a 14-year-old. Staff also reported the presence of other child workers, according to the investigator. ■ Routine excessive overtime. Employees produced a “voluntary” document they said they had to sign agreeing to work beyond the maximum overtime legal limit of 36 hours a month, along with wage slips that suggested they were averaging 120 hours of overtime a month. ■ A harsh working environment in which workers complained of mistreatment by management. One worker injured on the production line was shouted at and ordered back to work despite needing medical treatment. ■ Concerns about the chemicals in use and poor ventilation. Employees claimed three workers had fallen ill. They said they had to hide pots of adhesive and thinners during audits of the factory by its client companies. ■ They also claimed that they were paid by the factory to give misleading answers during audits and that they were fined for failing to hit targets. The calculation of wages for different workers was described by Sacom as arbitrary. Concerns were raised about conditions at Sturdy Products when a 45-year-old female employee, Hu Nianzhen, jumped to her death from a factory building in May after she was allegedly shouted at by managers. Colleagues subsequently described the environment in the factory as tense and complained about the demanding workload. “A female worker committed suicide,” one said, “because she was always scolded. However, I feel helpless because it is not easy for me to find another job.” The allegations are sure to concern many parents whose children are pestering them to buy the extensive range of Cars 2 toys launched to coincide with the movie, which hit UK cinema screens in July. Cars 2 has so far grossed £303m worldwide, overtaking the original movie despite being panned by critics. The poor reviews have not hindered sales of the merchandise, which Disney expects to exceed the £1.7bn spent last year on Toy Story 3 merchandise. Cars 2 toys will compete with Transformers and Smurfs items as the must-have Christmas toys. But Sacom said that parents should think twice before buying the toys. A spokeswoman said: “Mattel, Walmart and Disney, the renowned toy companies, always claim they strictly comply with local laws and adhere to their respective code of conduct. The rampant violations at Sturdy Products, including excessive overtime, arbitrary wages, unfair punitive fines, child labour and negligence of occupational health, prove that the pledges are empty statements. There is no effective enforcement mechanism and remedies for workers at all.” She said the violations exposed the failings of the International Council of Toy Industries, which is supposed to police the industry. “Consumers could never expect that the lovely toys which bring joy to children are manufactured in such deplorable conditions. They should convey messages to toy companies including Mattel, Walmart and Disney to launch remedial actions to compensate the wronged workers. Without remedies, there is no cost for labour rights violations.” She said the companies should already have been aware of the dangers of dealing with Sturdy Products after a previous investigation in 2007 uncovered similar problems. That investigation also found a six-day working week, with staff working up to 288 hours a month. During peak periods there was a compulsory seven-day week and the company was found to be failing to pay the minimum wage. Investigators said that some employees had attempted to raise awareness of the abuses by setting up their own group to inspire colleagues to fight for their rights. Sturdy Products’ parent company, Winson, failed to respond to requests to discuss the allegations. Walmart issued a statement in which it said: “As soon as we learned of the allegations of human rights abuses at the Sturdy Products factory, we immediately launched an investigation. We are also in contact with the International Council of Toy Industries, a worldwide toy industry organisation that is also investigating this issue. We take reports like this very seriously and we will implement a corrective action plan if our investigations confirm any of the findings. “We remain committed to sourcing merchandise that is produced responsibly by suppliers that adhere to Walmart’s rigorous Standards for Suppliers code of conduct.” Disney said: “We take these matters impacting our licensees and business partners very seriously and will continue to evaluate this situation based upon the information available to us.” Mattel declined to comment directly on any of the allegations other than to note that the company was “deeply saddened” by the suicide but that, while it was “very tragic”, it was an isolated event and local authorities had found nothing suspicious about the circumstances. The company said it had carried out a detailed investigation. It said it was committed to working collaboratively through the International Council of Toy Industries’ Care (Caring, Awareness, Responsible, Ethical) process “to achieve continuous improvements in factory working conditions”. Sacom’s findings brought a rebuke from the International Council of Toy Industries’ Care Foundation. “We are the first to concede that much more work lies ahead of us, but we refuse to accept the sensationalist, media-oriented declarations of any group, especially when they are carping and filled with incorrect information. It is simply counter-productive,” the foundation said. “The plain truth is that workers in many toy factories in China are better off now than they were before and that this is due in considerable part to the ICTI Care Process.” China Child labour Walt Disney Company United States Human rights Gethin Chamberlain guardian.co.uk
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Listerine maker is alleged by Oral Cancer Prevention International to have blocked sales of disease detection kit A company that makes an oral cancer detection kit has launched a $60m lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the multinational prevented its product from being sold to protect its own Listerine mouthwash, which, along with other mouth rinses, has been linked to mouth cancer. In a complaint filed in a New Jersey court, Oral Cancer Prevention International says the multinational’s executives were “leery of highlighting” the risk of oral cancer if Listerine were to be sold alongside the detection kit, as the OCPI and a division of Johnson & Johnson had previously agreed. In February last year OCPI signed a contract with OraPharma, then part of Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare product manufacturer, to sell the company’s Oral CDx Brush Test. However, almost immediately it allegedly found its product sidelined by the sales team. Johnson & Johnson sold OraPharma to a private equity firm this year. OCPI alleges that Johnson & Johnson had been worried by a 2008 study in the Australian Dental Journal that concluded that mouthwashes with high alcohol content could cause oral cancer. According to the allegations, the effect of sidelining the test “is that an estimated 584 cases of otherwise preventable oral cancer in the state of New Jersey and 7,300 such cases throughout the US” would have occurred. Alcohol and smoking have both been linked to the cancer, and symptoms include loss of teeth and bleeding. “This is a case of concealment,” said Mark Rutenberg, chief executive and founder of OCPI. “Johnson & Johnson wanted to conceal that studies had shown there was a problem with Listerine and oral cancer. In the US alone Listerine sales exceed $1bn a year.” The OCPI product was a “Brush Test” that dentists could use to determine if a common oral spot contained abnormal cells that could develop into oral cancer. Rutenberg claims that the company’s response to the Australian study was to secretly commission a new product, Listerine Zero, an alcohol-free product launched in 2009 in the US. Listerine has high concentrations of alcohol, between 21.6% and 26.9%. Both Listerine and Listerine Zero are sold in Britain. The American Dental Association said in 2009 that “the available evidence does not support a connection between oral cancer and alcohol-containing mouthrinse”. There are around 5,000 oral cancer cases diagnosed every year in the UK. Chris Steele, a GP who appears on ITV’s This Morning and edits an influential newsletter, www.drchrisconfidential.com , said: “”This test is available in the UK privately at £80, but only a handful of dentists are using it at the moment. It’s not available on the NHS, but experts are calling for more widespread use to combat this deadly cancer, which is only diagnosed once it’s in an advanced state.” In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said: “We are aware of the complaint that has been filed by OCPI. The company is confident that we have engaged in proper business practices and we look forward to the opportunity to resolve this matter through the legal system.” Cancer Healthcare industry Health Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk
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Listerine maker is alleged by Oral Cancer Prevention International to have blocked sales of disease detection kit A company that makes an oral cancer detection kit has launched a $60m lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, claiming that the multinational prevented its product from being sold to protect its own Listerine mouthwash, which, along with other mouth rinses, has been linked to mouth cancer. In a complaint filed in a New Jersey court, Oral Cancer Prevention International says the multinational’s executives were “leery of highlighting” the risk of oral cancer if Listerine were to be sold alongside the detection kit, as the OCPI and a division of Johnson & Johnson had previously agreed. In February last year OCPI signed a contract with OraPharma, then part of Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare product manufacturer, to sell the company’s Oral CDx Brush Test. However, almost immediately it allegedly found its product sidelined by the sales team. Johnson & Johnson sold OraPharma to a private equity firm this year. OCPI alleges that Johnson & Johnson had been worried by a 2008 study in the Australian Dental Journal that concluded that mouthwashes with high alcohol content could cause oral cancer. According to the allegations, the effect of sidelining the test “is that an estimated 584 cases of otherwise preventable oral cancer in the state of New Jersey and 7,300 such cases throughout the US” would have occurred. Alcohol and smoking have both been linked to the cancer, and symptoms include loss of teeth and bleeding. “This is a case of concealment,” said Mark Rutenberg, chief executive and founder of OCPI. “Johnson & Johnson wanted to conceal that studies had shown there was a problem with Listerine and oral cancer. In the US alone Listerine sales exceed $1bn a year.” The OCPI product was a “Brush Test” that dentists could use to determine if a common oral spot contained abnormal cells that could develop into oral cancer. Rutenberg claims that the company’s response to the Australian study was to secretly commission a new product, Listerine Zero, an alcohol-free product launched in 2009 in the US. Listerine has high concentrations of alcohol, between 21.6% and 26.9%. Both Listerine and Listerine Zero are sold in Britain. The American Dental Association said in 2009 that “the available evidence does not support a connection between oral cancer and alcohol-containing mouthrinse”. There are around 5,000 oral cancer cases diagnosed every year in the UK. Chris Steele, a GP who appears on ITV’s This Morning and edits an influential newsletter, www.drchrisconfidential.com , said: “”This test is available in the UK privately at £80, but only a handful of dentists are using it at the moment. It’s not available on the NHS, but experts are calling for more widespread use to combat this deadly cancer, which is only diagnosed once it’s in an advanced state.” In a statement, Johnson & Johnson said: “We are aware of the complaint that has been filed by OCPI. The company is confident that we have engaged in proper business practices and we look forward to the opportunity to resolve this matter through the legal system.” Cancer Healthcare industry Health Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Paralympians warn legal aid reforms will penalise serious accident victims
August 27, 2011 No Comment
Hopes of rehabilitation are likely to be hit by cost-cutting plans, warn skier and gold medal-winning swimmer Two of Britain’s leading paralympians fear the government’s shakeup of the legal aid system will have a severe impact on the ability of seriously injured people to claim adequate compensation. Baroness Masham of Ilton, who won gold in the 25m breast stroke in the first Paralympic games in 1960, and Talan Skeels-Piggins, who represented Britain at skiing in last year’s Winter Paralympics, are urging ministers to rethink the reforms drawn up by Lord Justice Jackson. Their high-profile intervention will highlight the plight of victims of serious accidents who require significant resources to rebuild their lives. Jackson’s cost-cutting reforms include a proposal to abolish the “success fee” paid to a claimant’s solicitor by the defendant’s insurer. Instead, claimants will pay their own solicitor’s fees, which would be capped to a maximum 25% of the damages awarded. To “soften” the blow, the government will increase the ceiling for damages payouts by 10%. But legal experts argue that the reforms, designed to save taxpayers more than £350m a year, will have serious financial consequences for severely injured people and warn that the imposition of a cap on fees would see solicitors declining to take on complex accident litigation claims. “Under the proposals, accident victims who have successfully made a claim will now be liable to pay their own solicitors’ ‘success fees’, which are likely to be equivalent to a significant proportion of their damages,” said Des Hudson, chief executive of the Law Society, which has launched a campaign group, Sound Off For Justice, to fight the proposals. “This will have a particularly serious impact on those high-risk and complex claims where the victims have suffered traumatic injuries,” Hudson warned. “Many cases may become uneconomic to pursue and victims who have suffered serious injury through no fault of their own will then have to rely upon state funding for the rest of their lives.” Sound Off For Justice warned that, if the reforms were introduced, prospective paralympians would find it “very difficult, if not impossible, to rehabilitate their lives and get the vital support and financial assistance that they will need to succeed in sport”. Masham, a former paraplegic sportswoman of the year, said there was increasing disquiet within the legal and medical communities about the proposed changes and pledged to fight them when they come before Parliament in the autumn. “The trouble is that when you try to save money you hit the most vulnerable,” said Masham, president of the Spinal Injuries Association, which is seeking a judicial review of the reforms on the grounds that ministers have failed to adequately consider their impact on disabled people. “People who have broken their necks or backs need all the compensation they can get.” Skeels-Piggins, who took to the ski slopes within a year of being paralysed from the chest down in a motorbike crash in 2003, said the huge costs involved in ensuring that a severely injured person received adequate rehabilitation meant potential reductions in compensation payouts would have a big impact on how they chose to spend the rest of their life. “When limits are put on people with regard to what they can claim because somebody else has caused them to have this accident, this new life, you are stopping them from reaching their potential,” Skeels-Piggins said. “If ministers spent a year in a wheelchair, they might take a bit more time before they make any of these rash decisions.” The legal aid system has been criticised for resulting in large payouts to lawyers and encouraging a “compensation culture”. Supporters of the Jackson reforms say they are long overdue and redress an imbalance in the system that sees defendants hit with significant costs as a result of defending themselves against no-win, no-fee lawyers. Ministers also believe the new system will see an end to “trivial” small claims that could be settled out of court. But Nigel Muers-Raby, chair of the Consumer Justice Alliance, accused the government of “choosing to paint injured victims as spurious claimants, driving a mythical compensation culture”. He added: “It deliberately fails to acknowledge that what the compensation victims are awarded is used to rebuild shattered lives. Some will never earn a wage again. Many will need special care for the rest of their lives.” Experts suggest many compensation cases are lost and that the current system ensures “winning” cases pay for “losing” ones. In medical negligence cases, for example, around 40% of claims are unsuccessful. The introduction of a capped fee would see solicitors fight only the more simple compensation claims, according to lawyers. “Complex cases require detailed investigations by the claimant’s solicitor which are expensive and time-consuming,” said Rob Bhol of DBS Law. “It is only possible for solicitors to carry out a thorough search of the evidence in every claim because of the current funding arrangements.” A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman denied that the reforms would hinder deserving cases. “The current system can encourage excessive, costly and unnecessary litigation,” she said. “There is little financial risk for those bringing cases, but defendants can face enormous costs which discourage them from fighting cases where there is justification to do so. Plus we can see a perverse situation in which lawyers are awarded a greater proportion of payouts than the person who has been wronged.” Legal aid Disability Paralympics 2012 Daniel Boffey Jamie Doward guardian.co.uk
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Minister for cities Greg Clark asks eight core cities to make a bid for new powers as part of devolution project English cities are to be given new freedoms, including control over transport investment, under plans designed to spark economic growth. Greg Clark, the minister for cities, intends to change the law so that he can strike deals between Whitehall and eight core cities that would allow them to set their own policies. Leaders from Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield have been asked to make a bid for new powers and to treat London’s independence under its mayor, Boris Johnson, as a role model for the future. It is understood that a number of the cities want to take over skills training from national programmes so that they can cater to local employers’ demands. The devolution of power over transport could also see cities arranging joint public-private deals to connect each other through high-speed rail lines. The devolution project would be further enhanced, the government believes, when 12 cities hold referendums next year on whether to elect mayors. Clark told the Observer that cities could be the engines of growth necessary to revitalise the economy. “I think there are deals to be done which will allow policies to be different in one city than another,” he said. “It is part of my conversations with the cities to encourage them to make proposals about how they want things done differently in their areas.” The move to devolve powers will be the first major act by Clark in his new ministerial role, in which he works both with Vince Cable’s Department for Business and Eric Pickles’s Department for Communities and Local Government. Appointed in July as part of the government’s growth strategy, Clark has seen his role take on fresh importance since the riots in English cities earlier this month. However, in an apparent departure from David Cameron’s position that the riots were evidence of a general moral collapse in the country, Clark told the Observer it would be wrong to offer “pat solutions” or to generalise about society in every part of Britain. “I think the causes of this require mature reflection. I don’t think it is possible, I don’t think it is right, to say: ‘Well, it was A and B and the causes are obvious.’ I think it does require everyone in the government, but also all parties, to think carefully about it. I think it would be wrong to present a list of my pat causes and solutions. We need to consider why it happened in some places and not in others.” Clark, who was a member of the SDP, a forerunner of the Liberal Democrats, before he joined the Conservatives in the early 1990s, added: “I think it is still the case that we are a broadly law-abiding country. It is worth pointing out that it was by no means every place in the country that was affected. On the night of riots, in Newcastle there was open-air cinema – very well attended, people having a very nice time. Not everywhere in Britain was subjected to this.” Local government Local politics Transport policy Transport Daniel Boffey guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Notting Hill carnival curfew plan is ‘pie in the sky’, warn police on ground
August 27, 2011 No Comment
Rank-and-file officers say move to turn off music much earlier than normal will cause friction and may lead to standoffs As record numbers of officers are deployed on Sunday to police the Notting Hill Carnival, there is confusion over how a proposed “curfew” is to be enforced, with rank-and-file officers saying they have not received adequate instruction on how to clear the streets following the event’s early closure. In the wake of the London riots, carnival organisers are to proceed on the condition that the parade of floats will finish by 6.30pm, and the static sound systems will be turned off by 7pm – hours earlier than usual – to minimise the potential for disorder after dark. However Metropolitan Police Federation vice-chairman John Tully said that hopes of clearing Notting Hill’s streets so early were “pie in the sky” and could create potential flashpoints. “We need direction – we being the rank-and-file officers that I represent – about when we are given an instruction from senior officers to clear the street what they actually mean by that?” he said. “We have no definition. If we go in heavy handed and a few people get cuts and bruises or injured, then my members are up in court on an assault charge. When we are told to clear the streets, we should get the backing of not just our managers but the politicians as well. “I don’t think it’s achievable because of the volume of people who are going to be there and who don’t want to go home. If they want to carry on, there is the potential for problems.” Tully also voiced wider concerns among colleagues that police officers were increasingly seen as a legitimate target by those who felt abandoned by the state: “Just look at Edmonton [north London] two nights ago when a police van was petrol bombed for no reason. That’s an indication of how tense the streets of London are. In the current climate, there is obviously a worry that there could be a potential flashpoint.” He cited a meeting in Tottenham last week, where the first of the UK riots began following the shooting of Mark Duggan, in which there was a sense of fury among locals who had turned up. “There was an atmosphere of absolute hatred towards the police and the establishment – the government – because they feel abandoned, the cuts in youth services, the cuts right across the board.” Commander Steve Rodhouse, the Met’s spokesman for the carnival, said he remained confident that the early closing time of 7pm would prove effective and diminish the potential for trouble: “Carnival ends at 7pm and that is certainly our intention. ‘We would hope that, combined with licensed premises closing at least between 7pm and 9pm, will be helpful in terms of encouraging people to leave the area and return it to normal for residents and businesses.” Organisers believe the latest festival will not only be safe but as memorable as the event the year after the 1976 riots at the carnival, which left 100 police injured and saw scores arrested. Ancil Barclay, Notting Hill Carnival director, said: “People have said to me that the best carnival they can remember was the year after the Notting Hill riots and we are hoping that this will be the same. We need to demonstrate to the world that we can deliver. People are looking forward to making this a successful carnival.” Barclay said that crime at the carnival was decreasing: “Met commanders have said that you’re likely to be safer in the carnival than in the West End on a Friday night.” He added that local residents were acting as the “eyes and ears” of the community to help identify any potential troublemakers. So far, more than 2,000 people have been arrested in connection with this month’s riots, while another 40 have been detained following pre-emptive raids under Operation Razorback designed to prevent troublemakers attending the carnival. However, last week Scotland Yard said up to 30,000 people were suspected to have been involved in the arson, looting and violence during the riots. About 16,000 officers will be on hand in the capital during the duration of the carnival. Up to a million people are expected to attend on both days, the majority on Monday, with the weather forecast predicting sunny intervals. ‘Preparing the show brings us all together’ Rosalind Thomas, 39 The costume-maker from Paddington has helped with the carnival outfits. This year the colour scheme is red. “I’ve been coming to the pre-carnival preparations since I was a baby. Sometimes there is so much to organise for a mas band that people sleep beside their costumes because of all the things that need to be completed. Preparing the show brings the whole community together; we have all generations from children to grandparents and teenagers – our junior king is 17 and junior queen is 16 – under one roof. It’s an important time for us, celebrating all the Caribbean islands, all the community, everyone.” Nolan Simmons, 68 A carnival “king”, for the last month he has travelled from south London to Notting Hill to help make his costume, a 20ft devil. He has been king of Elimu Paddington Arts Mas band for 30 years. “We build the costumes from scratch, it takes time. This year I have my leg, so I’m a little worried. We’ll have to see how I get on. I also have to dance with the costume on, but this year is a big carnival – the dry run for the 2012 Olympics. “A lot of things have changed since I’ve been doing this. We used to have police assigned to the band. They would have a great time – maybe, it was felt, too much of a good time. We also used to be able to go wherever we wanted, but now it is much more regulated.” Angela Badal, 40 The primary school teacher from Peckham works as a volunteer in the headquarters of the carnival organisers. She dedicates the bulk of the school holidays to helping organise the carniva l. “I love carnival. I have been coming since I was two or three. My parents are from Trinidad and I used to make costumes for the fancy dress shows at school and would win every year, then I would wear them at the carnival. Because of what has been going on, I really believe it is going to be very safe because of the number of stewards and police. It is a chance for everybody in London to show that we can come together, enjoy ourselves and be
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Click here to view this media enlarge Photo Credit: NOAA Ron Paul thinks “we should be like 1900″ and return to the era before there was government assistance to help rebuild cities devastated by natural disasters. This seems to be a common theme among Republicans these days — the idea that there should be no disaster assistance to cities devastated by disaster. Like Joplin, MO. Or cities directly in the path of Hurricane Irene. In 1900, a hurricane made landfall in the city of Galveston, Texas, a city inside Ron Paul’s current Congressional district. The death toll was between 6,000 to 12,000 people and is regarded to be the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history . Here’s a first-hand history from Isaac M. Cline about the aftermath of the 1900 hurricane: The grain elevators which were full of grain suffered the smallest damage. Ships have resumed loading and work is being rushed day and night. The railroad bridges across the bay were washed away, but one of these has been repaired and direct rail communication with the outside world was established within eleven days after the disaster. Repairs and extensions of wharves are now being pushed forward with great rapidity. Notwithstanding the fact that the streets are not yet clean and dead bodies are being discovered daily among the drifted debris, the people appear to have confidence in the place and are determined to rebuild and reestablish themselves here. Galveston being one of the richest cities of its size in the United States, there is no question but that business will soon regain its normal condition and the city will grow and prosper as she did before the disaster. Cotton is now coming in by rail from different parts of the State and by barge from Houston. The wheels of commerce are already moving in a manner which gives assurance for the future. Improvements will be made stronger and more judiciously; for the past twenty-five years they have been made with the hurricane of 1875 in mind, but no one ever dreamed that the water would reach the height observed in the present case. The railroad bridges are to be built ten feet higher than they were before. The engineer of the Southern Pacific Company has informed me that they will construct their wharves so that they will withstand even such a hurricane as the one we have just experienced. Well, let’s just be clear here. Ron Paul is less interested in cities getting federal aid than he is in *poor* cities getting federal aid. And it’s the poor cities that suffer most. From a Guardian article in 2009: The question is: what is it that determines the likelihood that you will lose your life, or your limbs, or your livelihood, or your home? The answer is simple enough. To be at the greatest risk, you have to be poor, and live in a country with corrupt, dishonest or ineffective government. The odds are quite high that you already do so. This is because more than half the world lives in cities. By 2010, 73% of the world’s urban dwellers will be in the developing world and many of them will be in unregulated housing. There are a billion people already living in shanty towns and slums, and this figure is rising by 25 million a year. I wonder how many of the people who died in 1900 were poor. I wonder whether an organized rescue response from the federal government might have saved them. But mostly, I wonder why anyone listens to Ron Paul. [h/t Think Progress ]
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