Unison, GMB and Unite, who together represent 1.5 million public sector workers, are expected to announce intention to hold strike ballots over planned changes to pensions The leader of the country’s largest public sector union has given notice of an industrial action ballot that could result in more than 1 million members taking part in a national day of co-ordinated action. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, opened a debate on a motion calling for the TUC to co-ordinate strike action by public sector unions over the government’s proposed reforms to public sector pension schemes. Prentis told delegates that striking was the “last thing” his members wanted to do, but after “eight long months” of looking for an agreement, the union had decided “enough is enough”. He accused ministers of trying to get a “pound of flesh” from ordinary workers by planning measures that would reduce the pensions members had saved for “every week of their working lives”. As David Cameron’s envoy for trade unions, Richard Balfe, looked on, Prentis said that if members did not take a stand now, the government would come back for “more and more”. “Make no mistake congress, this is it. We will take the fight to them.” The GMB and Unite are expected to follow with similar announcements during the course of the debate. A statement is due later on Wednesday after public sector unions meet to discuss tactics. A number of other unions have already announced their intention to ballot. The GMB and Unite unions are expected to tell the TUC of their decision to hold strike ballots as they use the conference stage to attack the planned reforms of public sector pension schemes and condemn “misleading statements” put out by ministers on the case for change. The TUC will hear calls for balloted unions to co-ordinate strike action to make the maximum impact over planned changes to pensions, which will see contributions increase by 3.2%. Unions have held talks about co-ordinating action, with many eyeing the 29 November – the day that the chancellor, George Osborne, to expected to deliver his pre-budget report – as a possible date. An announcement on the plan is expected on Wednesday afternoon, when public sector unions meet the TUC leader, Brendan Barber, after the close of the conference at lunchtime to discuss the way forward. It is understood the GMB will declare a ballot, and that Unison is close to announcing a poll of more than 1 million members. A senior trade union source said strike plans had been developed for “several months” and will include “sustained action.” The source said: “One-day strikes on their own will not be enough. We need to be innovative. Some of these disputes could be indefinite.” The civil service workers’ organisation, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), already has a mandate from its members, and the PCS leader, Mark Serwotka, has already signalled his intention to co-ordinate a national strike alongside other unions. Serwotka has already said that unions have been in talks about following a national day of action with rolling “smart” strikes targeted in specific service areas. The decision of the biggest unions in the country to go ahead with ballots comes just a day after Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, told delegates that strikes over pensions would be a “mistake”. Anger over pension schemes has seen some unlikely suspects propelled into discussing ballot plans. Two civil service unions, Prospect and the FDA, announced last week their respective executives had given the go-ahead for a ballot unless the government amends its proposal to impose a pensions levy on civil servants from April 2012. Opposition to key proposed reforms could also see a union representing school leaders go on strike for the first time in its 114-year history. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) – a union outside the TUC umbrella – is expected to announce details of its ballot later this week and subject to the ballot result, intends to co-ordinate with other unions. Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said: “Unless negotiations produce real results, the NAHT will ballot its members in late September on industrial action over pension cuts. “If our members vote yes, and they appear definite on the matter, we could see school leaders on strike for first time since the union was established in 1897. It is a desperate time for our members who instinctively do not want to leave their posts even for a day. “They believe they are not only defending existing pension rights but trying to protect the future of education in this country. If we do not value teachers, we cannot hope to signal to the best graduates that this is the right career for them.” Unions who took part in the action on 30 June – including three education unions – are still covered by their ballot should they wish to take further action. The NASUWT – one of seven education unions taking part in a lobby of parliament over pensions on 26 October, announced on Friday it was planning to ballot members over pensions, pay and job cuts. Trade unions Public sector careers Public sector cuts Public sector pay Public sector pensions Conferences Hélène Mulholland Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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• More stats for this game than you can shake a stick at • Hit F5 or turn or autorefresh for updates • Email barry.glendenning@guardian.co.uk 14 min: “Squeeze ball position,” says referee George Clancy, awarding Scotland a penalty after Georgia winger Alexander Todua had sprinted down right wing and tried and failed to squeeze the ball between his legs upon being tackled. Scotland clear their lines courtesy of Dan Parks. 13 min: Georgia win a penalty just inside their own half and the camera immediately cuts to a guilty looking Scotland flanker Ross Rennie. I have no idea what he did there, but he’s allowed Merab Kvirikashvili the opportunity to kick for touch again. 10 min: Scotland win a line-out about five yards from the Georgia try-line. After a busy period of rucking, Scottish scrum-half Rory Lawson plays the ball out the left, where centre Nick De Luca knocks on. Georgia get to clear their lines. 8 min: “It’s all about the intensity of the game … the level of intensity and the level of contact,” expounds ITV match analyst Scott Hastings, as a pair of Scots double up to put a stop to the gallop of Georgian centre Tedo Zibzibadze. It’s been a bruising encounter so far, but not as attritional and forward-driven as the pundits suggested it would be before the game. 5 min: Excellent carrying by Georgia’s talismanic flanker Mamuka Gorgodze, who sets up a Georgia scrum inside the Scotland 22. Scrum-half Irakli Abuseridze pings the ball back to fly-half Kvirikashvili, who slices a left-footed drop goal attempt wide of the left upright. That’s a poor effort – he was under the posts and should have put his team ahead. 2 min: Just inside his own half, Georgian second-row Vakhtang Maisuradze charges into a wall of Scottish opposition and Nathan Hines is penalised for being offside Scotland get penalised for offside. Merab Kvirikashvili kicks for touch. Kick-off: It’s a very pleasant evening in Invercargill, types minute-by-minute reporter from London bunker, with the wind and rain of the weekend having dissipated. Georgia kick off, courtesy of fly-half Merab Kvirikashvili, but concede a penalty for handling on the ground in the ensuing ruck, allowing Dan Parks a free kick for touch. Not long now: Out on the pitch, a topless man in a grass skirt summons the teams from the dressing room by blowing into a giant conch. Meanwhile back in Blighty, ITV1 pundit Gareth Thomas claims “it’s going to be a really interesting physical encounter, like an arm-wrestle for the first 10 minutes”. He adds that Scotland fly-half Dan Parks is likely to “kick the leather off the ball” in his efforts to get Scotland into good positions, but both he and his fellow pundit Thom Evans concede that Scotland are vulnerable today. With matches against England and Argentina to come, this encounter with Georgia is decidedly “must-win”. Good morning and welcome to our minute-by-minute coverage of the Pool B match between Scotland and Georgia at Invercargill, commercial centre of New Zealand’s southland region, one of the southernmost cities in the world and a place where many of the main thoroughfares are named after Scottish rivers: Dee Street and Tay Street take a bow. The Scots have a nervy win over Romania under their sporrans and today face equally hardy east European opposition whose main strengths can be found from numbers one to eight. In the buildup to the game, Georgia’s manager Richie Dixon, a Scot, spoke of his side’s hopes of taking the game to Scotland in the scrum but conceded that Georgia are at a disadvantage because their opposition have played a game already. “I think Georgia has built a reputation on the fact that their forwards are good at scrummaging and our aim is to maintain that,” said Dixon. “Our problem is that Scotland now have a game under their belt and we are coming in cold. It’s really up to us to make sure that when we hit the ground, we hit the ground running.” Thirteen of Georgia’s starting line-up ply their trade in France and the star turn is undoubtedly openside flanker Mamuka ‘Gorgodzilla’ Gorgodze, who plays for Montpellier and was named by L’Equipe as the Top 14′s leading overseas player in the 2010-11 season. Agen’s Dimitri Basilaia will play at No8, while Toulon prop David Kubriashvili is on the bench, emphasising the strength in depth of the Georgian pack. “We have versatility in our back row and we feel for this particular game Mamuka at No7 and Dimitri at No8 is how we will start this game,” said Dixon. “It’s not a new formation for us. He [Gorgodze] plays very frequently at No7 for Montpellier and has played for us a number of times there. We feel, for this particular game, this particular combination is the way we want to go.” Scotland coach Andy Robinson has made 11 changes in personnel to the team that struggled to beat Romania, although he insists this is not a damning indictment of the players who struggled to assert their dominance in their opening game. “It’s a cracking side that we’ve selected,” said Robinson, who has kept Max Evans and Allan Jacobsen as winger and prop respectively, moved Sean Lamont from centre to wing and switched Kelly Brown from flanker to No8. “It’s very difficult for the players to play two matches in four days. We need to be very physical and be able to smash the Georgians to the floor.” Teams Scotland: 15-Rory Lamont, 14-Max Evans, 13-Nick De Luca, 12-Graeme Morrison, 11-Sean Lamont, 10-Dan Parks, 9-Rory Lawson (captain); 8-Kelly Brown, 7-Ross Rennie, 6-Ally Strokosch, 5-Jim Hamilton, 4-Nathan Hines, 3-Euan Murray, 2-Scott Lawson, 1-Allan Jacobsen. Replacements: 16-Ross Ford, 17-Geoff Cross, 18-Alasdair Dickinson, 19-Richie Gray, 20-Richie Vernon, 21-Chris Cusiter, 22-Chris Paterson. Georgia: 15-Revaz Gigauri, 14-Irakli Machkhaneli, 13-David Kacharava, 12-Tedo Zibzibadze, 11-Alexander Todua, 10-Merab Kvirikashvili, 9-Irakli Abuseridze (captain), 8-Dimitri Basilaia, 7-Mamuka Gorgodze, 6-Shalva Sutiashvili, 5-Vakhtang Maisuradze, 4-Levan Datunashvili, 3-David Zirakashvili, 2-Jaba Bregvadze, 1-David Khinchagishvili. Replacements: 16-Akvsenti Giorgadze, 17-David Kubriashvili, 18-Giorgi Chkhaidze, 19-Viktor Kolelishvili, 20-Bidzina Samkharadze, 21-Lasha Khmaladze, 22-Malkhaz Urjukashvili. Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) Touch judge: Tim Hayes (Wales) Touch judge: Simon McDowell (Ireland) Video referee: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa) Rugby World Cup 2011 Scotland rugby union team Georgia rugby union team Rugby union Barry Glendenning guardian.co.uk
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Unicef blames the fact that Britons are working longer hours and as a result parents are buying off children with ‘branded goods’ British children are caught in a “materialistic trap” in which they are unable to spend enough time with their families and instead are bought off with “branded goods” by their parents, the United Nation’s children’s agency Unicef warns. Three years ago, Unicef ranked the UK at the bottom of a league table for child wellbeing across 21 industrialised countries, by looking at poverty, family relationships, and health. It attempted to discover why children fared better in nations which were both more equal to the UK – Sweden – and more unequal, such as Spain. The results were startling. Children in all three countries told researchers that their happiness is dependent on having time with family and friends and having “plenty to do outdoors”. Despite that, parents in the UK, especially those in low-income families, said they felt “tremendous pressure from society to buy material goods for their children”. This pressure was felt most acutely in low-income homes. To help alleviate such pressures, Unicef calls for a series of measures. It says the government should follow the example of Sweden by banning television advertising aimed at children younger than 12. The UN also calls for government to pay all employees and subcontracted workers the living wage, the minimum pay rate required for a worker to provide their family with the essentials of life, which in London is £8.30 per hour. Anita Tiessen, deputy director of Unicef UK, said that much of the problem was the “long working hours of British families . Parents have a much greater pressure in fulfilling the commitment to their children. They try to make up for this by buying their children branded clothes, trainers, technology.” By comparison, this “consumer culture” does not exist in Sweden or Spain. In Scandinavia, child care duties are more equally shared and family time is prioritised. In Spain, where women tend to stay at home there is a great reliance on the extended family with grandparents and uncles and aunts helping out with children. “Consumer culture in the UK contrasts starkly with Sweden and Spain, where family time is prioritised, children and families are under less pressure to own material goods and children have greater access to activities out of the home,” said the report. The children’s agency also says that, in an age of austerity and in the aftermath of the riots, local authorities need to be honest about the impact of public spending cuts on children – so that “funding is protected for play facilities and free leisure activities for children and families is protected”. Kate Mulley, head of policy development and research at the charity Action for Children, said that the report showed “some families are facing enormous and growing pressures that undermine family life. These are the families we need to focus on to help them overcome multiple and complex problems.” She said that “substantial cuts are reducing publicly funded activities and support available for children, young people and families who are often already at breaking point. “Not only are these services critical in developing the social and emotional skills needed to maximise children and young people’s potential but they help prevent intergenerational cycles of deprivation. The government needs to stop just hearing young people and actually listen to them.” Children United Nations Parents and parenting Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Unicef blames the fact that Britons are working longer hours and as a result parents are buying off children with ‘branded goods’ British children are caught in a “materialistic trap” in which they are unable to spend enough time with their families and instead are bought off with “branded goods” by their parents, the United Nation’s children’s agency Unicef warns. Three years ago, Unicef ranked the UK at the bottom of a league table for child wellbeing across 21 industrialised countries, by looking at poverty, family relationships, and health. It attempted to discover why children fared better in nations which were both more equal to the UK – Sweden – and more unequal, such as Spain. The results were startling. Children in all three countries told researchers that their happiness is dependent on having time with family and friends and having “plenty to do outdoors”. Despite that, parents in the UK, especially those in low-income families, said they felt “tremendous pressure from society to buy material goods for their children”. This pressure was felt most acutely in low-income homes. To help alleviate such pressures, Unicef calls for a series of measures. It says the government should follow the example of Sweden by banning television advertising aimed at children younger than 12. The UN also calls for government to pay all employees and subcontracted workers the living wage, the minimum pay rate required for a worker to provide their family with the essentials of life, which in London is £8.30 per hour. Anita Tiessen, deputy director of Unicef UK, said that much of the problem was the “long working hours of British families . Parents have a much greater pressure in fulfilling the commitment to their children. They try to make up for this by buying their children branded clothes, trainers, technology.” By comparison, this “consumer culture” does not exist in Sweden or Spain. In Scandinavia, child care duties are more equally shared and family time is prioritised. In Spain, where women tend to stay at home there is a great reliance on the extended family with grandparents and uncles and aunts helping out with children. “Consumer culture in the UK contrasts starkly with Sweden and Spain, where family time is prioritised, children and families are under less pressure to own material goods and children have greater access to activities out of the home,” said the report. The children’s agency also says that, in an age of austerity and in the aftermath of the riots, local authorities need to be honest about the impact of public spending cuts on children – so that “funding is protected for play facilities and free leisure activities for children and families is protected”. Kate Mulley, head of policy development and research at the charity Action for Children, said that the report showed “some families are facing enormous and growing pressures that undermine family life. These are the families we need to focus on to help them overcome multiple and complex problems.” She said that “substantial cuts are reducing publicly funded activities and support available for children, young people and families who are often already at breaking point. “Not only are these services critical in developing the social and emotional skills needed to maximise children and young people’s potential but they help prevent intergenerational cycles of deprivation. The government needs to stop just hearing young people and actually listen to them.” Children United Nations Parents and parenting Randeep Ramesh guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum told supporters in Lancaster, South Carolina Tuesday that the Social Security retirement age had to be increased because “people are living too long.” “Does anybody in this room believe that somebody that 62 years old is too old to work in America today?” Santorum asked. “Social Security was established for people who were too old to work and therefore they needed the support of the federal government.” “Now back in 1936 we probably did and that made sense. Why? Because life expectancy in 1936 was 61. It’s now 80… So you have a situation where things have changed, and for our young people it will even be longer. We keep gaining about a month every few years, we gain in life expectancy. And so the idea that we’re going to keep the Social Security program locked in on a 1937 actuarial chart makes no sense at all.” He continued: “Do you know what your life expectancy at 65 is? Eighty-five. So you have folks living at least 20 years… Ronald Reagan saw this problem and said, ‘Look, we have to do the common sense thing. We have to phase the retirement age back.’ What did he do? Twenty-five years from 1983 he started to phase it back. And we did and that’s where we are right now. We are in the middle of a phase up to age 76 which will be normal retirement age.” “Well, we need to continue to do that. Not radically. But look at where the revenues are coming in and where the expenses are and we need to adjust everything from cost of living increase for high income seniors is one thing. We can look at retirement ages. And again, you still will be able to retire at 62 and take Social Security, you’ll just get a slightly smaller benefit. Why? Because we can’t afford the benefit structure we have because people are living too long.”
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Click here to view this media House Judiciary Committee member Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is calling for President Barack Obama’s “drunken uncle” to testify before Congress. Onyango Obama, who allegedly does not have a valid visa, was arrested in Framingham, Massachusetts, on August 24 and charged in Framingham District Court with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. He is the half-brother of President Obama’s father. King suspects that Onyango Obama will get favorable deportation proceedings due to his relation to the President. “We have to bring drunken ‘Uncle Omar’ in front of the House Judiciary Committee, drill down into this, and tell America what’s going on,” the Iowa Republican told Fox News’ Chris Stirewalt Monday. “I watched as President Obama’s aunt, Zeituni Onyango, also evaded [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” King added. “The sympathy, the bleeding heart, of [Department of Homeland Security Director] Janet Napolitano decided to use an administrative authority to grant President Obama’s aunt asylum.”
Continue reading …Ed Miliband endures rough ride at TUC after criticism of pension strike action
September 13, 2011 No Comment
Labour leader urges talks to prevent confrontation while public sector unions gear up for a long-running battle Ed Miliband survived a smattering of boos and heckles as he told the TUC that Britain cannot afford a round of union strikes over public sector pensions, and admitted he was not going to restore all the coalition’s spending cuts. Referring to the strikes in June, he said: “While negotiations were going on, I do believe it was a mistake for strikes to happen. I continue to believe that. But what we need now is meaningful negotiation to prevent further confrontation over the autumn.” The speech was important to set the tone, as he seeks to seal a deal with unions affiliated to Labour over the next few days about the role of unions inside the party, including at party conference. Senior figures claim that after recent talks between union leaders, Miliband and Peter Hain, the shadow Welsh secretary, an agreement is possible. The proposals are due to be hammered out at a meeting of the Labour national executive committee next Wednesday. More public sector unions could ratchet up the pressure on government by announcing plans to hold ballots on strikes that will run from November, in what could be a running battle over pensions. “Without a shadow of a doubt. We are planning for it to be a long dispute,” said Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite. Some are eyeing 29 November as a possible strike date – when the chancellor, George Osborne, delivers his autumn statement. But a line-up of leaders will take their turn at the podium on Wednesday to back a motion calling on the TUC to give “full support” to industrial action against pension cuts, including “action planned for this autumn”. After hearing Miliband’s speech, Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, the largest public sector union, said the largest single industrial ballot of modern times appeared inevitable, involving more than a million members. Miliband decided to risk serious barracking by telling the TUC he could not support the strikes, even though industrial action was sometimes a necessary last resort. He repeatedly urged them to make unions relevant by increasing their appeal and membership. He told them: “There are cuts that the Tories will impose that we will not be able to reverse when we return to government. And getting the deficit down means rooting out waste too. We all recognise that not every penny that the last government spent was spent wisely.” But he insisted he was not delivering the unions a simple familiar Blairite “modernise or die” message. “I’m not just going to talk about how people need to change to suit our economy. I’m also going to talk about how we change our economy to suit the needs of people.” He drew applause when he called for there to be more workers on company remuneration committees, condemned the closure of the train manufacturer Bombardier, and called for a living wage for young people. But during a question-and-answer session after his speech, Miliband drew shouts of disagreement when he defended academy schools and after he praised the report into public sector pensions by Lord Hutton, the former Labour peer. To loud applause Janice Godrich, the president of the Public and Commercial Services Union, challenged him to “stand up on the side of hundreds and thousands of workers whose pensions are under attack”. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said she had been “proud” to join a strike in June by tens of thousands of teachers and civil servants, and told Miliband that the government was not prepared to negotiate a deal over its planned pension reforms. Miliband replied: “Of course the right to industrial action will be necessary, as a last resort. “But in truth, strikes are always the consequence of failure. Failure on all sides. Failure we cannot afford as a nation. Instead your real role is as partners in the new economy.” Union leaders were split over the speech. Paul Kenny, of the GMB, said: “I have to give him credit for his courage in coming here and speaking frankly to us. What comes across is that he is not ashamed of the trade union links to the Labour party.” TUC Trade unions Ed Miliband Unite Pensions Patrick Wintour Hélène Mulholland Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Emails sent to justices’ clerks after August riots raise questions about judicial independence and the use of blanket guidance Magistrates were urged to abandon sentencing guidelines when dealing with rioters last month because “nothing like this was envisaged”, according to court documents released to the Guardian. The text of two controversial emails circulated to justices’ clerks immediately after August’s disturbances raises questions about judicial independence and the use of blanket guidance irrespective of individual cases. One human rights group described the emails as “disturbing”. The messages appear to betray a sense of confusion – verging on chaos – behind the scenes as hundreds of suspects arrested for looting and violence were processed in late night emergency sittings. The documents, written by a senior justices’ clerk in the London regional office of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), were released by the Ministry of Justice following a freedom of information request from the Guardian. They were sent out on successive days at the end of the week in which rioting had started in Tottenham, north London, following a police shooting, before degenerating into widespread looting as it spread across the capital and other cities. The emails were sent to justices’ clerks, who sit alongside magistrates providing guidance on the law and sentencing recommendations. The first, addressed “Dear all”, began: “I should be grateful if you would ensure that the following advice is cascaded to every member of your legal team as soon as possible. “The sentencing guidelines cannot sensibly be used to determine the sentence in cases arising from the recent disturbances/looting. When the guidelines were written nothing like this was envisaged.” Most of those arrested for looting had been charged with “commercial burglary”, it noted. “The general advice from the higher judiciary is that we will not be criticised if we return these … If in doubt, commit to the crown court.” Some of the words in the first email were missing. The second message read: “Apologies for the fact that the email … sent yesterday is confusing and frankly incoherent. The intention was that you should advise magistrates to commit to the crown court cases of commercial burglary, or handling … or violent disorder arising from the recent disturbances. “There is a general acceptance that what occurred earlier this week is not covered by the sentencing guidelines and it will be very much the exception that such cases are sentenced in the magistrates courts …Hopefully before too much longer we may get some guideline cases.” Commenting on the emails, Sally Ireland, the director of policy at the civil liberties group Justice, said: “Justices clerks can give directions to assistant justices’ clerks under the Courts Act; however, the content of the email is disturbing. The application or disapplication of sentencing guidelines should be a matter decided on a case by case basis.” She also questioned the term “higher judiciary”, saying: “In what way did they give this general advice? The higher judiciary does not have a role in allocation/sentencing by magistrates, except in the case of appeals and guideline judgments.” Paul Mendelle QC, a former chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said: “The idea that established Court of Appeal authorities can be set aside or ignored by the secret advice from an anonymous civil servant strikes me as undemocratic at best and unconstitutional at worst. “Blanket advice to magistrates to deal with all cases in one particular way – commit to crown court – regardless of the facts of the individual cases might be seen as an unlawful fetter on their discretion.” At the time the emails triggered alarm on at least one bench, prompting questions about magistrates’ independence. The week after the riots, Novello Noades, the chair of Camberwell Green magistrates court, in south London, claimed the court had been given a government “directive” that anyone involved in the rioting should be given a custodial sentence. She later retracted her statement and said she was mortified to have used the term “directive”. It has been generally accepted in courts in the legal and judicial world that participation in violent riots and looting should be deemed an aggravating factor, leading to harsher sentences than for theft committed as shop-lifting. Some sentences handed down immediately after the riots in August were criticised as being off the judicial scale. The former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald warned courts risked being swept up in a”collective loss of proportion”. One person got six months for stealing £3.50 worth of water. Two youths were jailed for four years each for inciting riots on Facebook that never took place. Some sentences have since been overturned. Unusually, the Ministry of Justice provided an accompanying explanation with the emails, rebutting any suggestion that magistrates had been inappropriately influenced by government officials or that the independence of the judiciary had been compromised. “HMCTS is not involved in any guidance justices’ clerks choose to give to magistrates, as this guidance is given whilst acting in a quasi-judicial capacity,” it said. “It did not contain any direction by HMCTS or the Ministry of Justice on how anyone should be sentenced. Nor were there correspondence or conversations with the justices’ clerks on any guidance prior to its issue.” The statement continued: “We believe there is a strong public interest in ensuring there is confidence in the independence of the judiciary and we do not want this to be undermined by a perception the government has inappropriately issued any directions as to the types of sentences which should be handed down.” According to the latest MoJ figures, Some 1,715 riot-related suspects have so far appeared before magistrates courts, two-thirds in London. UK riots Judiciary Owen Bowcott guardian.co.uk
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Cameron warned of long fight against ‘arbitrary, unworkable, brutal’ proposals David Cameron is being warned by his whips he faces two years of trench warfare as Tory MPs harden their opposition to proposals to shrink the House of Commons from 650 to 600 seats. As Vince Cable became the first cabinet member to voice concerns about the changes, which will radically alter his Twickenham constituency, Tories warned the party leadership they may not be able to support the changes which will have to be approved by parliament in 2013. “These changes are much more radical than anyone had expected,” one loyalist MP said of the proposals published on Tuesday by the Boundary Commission for England. England is to lose 31 seats. Another Tory said: “Unease about the recommendations is spreading.” Cable echoed those concerns. The business secretary, who could face a battle with the Tory MP Zac Goldsmith in the new seat of Richmond and Twickenham, told the London Evening Standard: “In order to get the right size of constituency, no account has been taken not just of borough boundaries, but any sense of identity.” The deep unease among Lib Dems prompted senior Tories to tell their coalition partners they are bound by the coalition agreement to support the changes. Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said: “What do I say to those within the coalition parties who don’t like it? Well, this is what we agreed to do. “It would be unprecedented for the orders changing the boundaries to be voted down. The legislation was voted through by parliament and it would be eccentric indeed to reject the results.” But Tory whips are warning ministers of similar anger among their own MPs. One Tory MP said: “You get the feeling that the Boundary Commission thought the government’s idea to equalise the size of constituencies was poo and so it has drawn up ideas that are completely unworkable. The central flaw is that many of the new constituencies have no central focus.” The unease is shared by Labour MPs. One member of the shadow cabinet said: “This is like the partition of India. Somebody has sat down in a room in London and drawn arbitrary lines through communities they know nothing about.” The changes to the Leigh constituency of the shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham, are being held up as an example of the main flaw. The name of the constituency survives but it does not include Leigh civic centre, the town’s library or its parish church. The old constituency has been hived off into three new constituencies – a redrawn Leigh, Makerfield and Westhoughton. Burnham, who is launching a Keep Leigh in Leigh campaign, said: “It is utterly random. Leigh has been paired with places that have nothing to do with it. This shows the sheer brutal process. We talk a great deal about restoring trust in parliament. But how can we do that if we have constituencies that have no linking heart?” Chris Bryant, the shadow constitutional reform minister, said: “Many of the initial proposals for new constituencies reflect the flawed legislation which brought them into being. There has been pointless disruption in some regions, leading to the unnecessary division of traditional communities and making MPs more remote from the communities they serve, not closer. The task now is to inject some common sense back into many of these recommendations.” Andy Sawford, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit said: “The proposed changes will mean that parliamentary constituencies cross more council boundaries and this will make democratic representation more complicated and confusing in some areas, not just for elected representatives, but also for the voters. “There is often a strong sense of identity, arising from history and logical geographic boundaries in many constituencies, and voters might well be confused by some of the proposed new arrangements, which stretch local links. Factor in other new developments such as elected police commissioners and it makes it even harder for citizens to know who represents them, where and for what purpose.” Under the changes, which the government said would save £12m, a constituency must have an electorate no smaller than 72,810 and no larger than 80,473. There will be a few exemptions, including splitting the Isle of Wight into two constituencies of around 50,000 voters. Boundary changes Electoral reform Liberal-Conservative coalition Nicholas Watt Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Bachmann Calls Out Perry for Taking Money From HPV Vaccine Drug Company
September 13, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media During the CNN Tea Party Express debate Monday, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann went after fellow candidate Rick Perry for taking campaign contributions from Merck, a company that sells the HPV vaccines that he had, as the governor of Texas, tried to mandate for all young girls in the state. “In the midst of this executive order, there was a big drug company that made millions of dollars because of this mandate,” Bachmann charged. “What I’m saying is that it’s wrong for a drug company, because the governor’s former chief of staff was the chief lobbyist for this drug company, the drug company gave thousands of dollars in political donations to the governor, and this is just flat-out wrong. The question is is it about life or was it about millions of dollars and potentially billions for a drug company?” “The company was Merck, and it was a $5,000 contribution that I had received from them,” Perry countered. “If you’re saying that I can be bought for $5,000, I’m offended.” “Well, I’m offended for all the little girls and the parents that didn’t have a choice. That’s what I’m offended for,” Bachmann shot back. EDITOR’S NOTE: Wait, so is Bachmann is also anti-vaccine? Is there any half-baked conspiracy theory she doesn’t tout? Also in this clip, this is the least amount of children Bachmann has ever claimed to have: three. Usually it’s in the 20s.
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