Storming of building comes after demonstrations two days before Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits country Egypt declared a state of alert early this morning after a group of 30 protesters broke into the Israeli embassy in Cairo last night and dumped hundreds of documents out of the windows. The storming of the building came after a day of demonstrations outside where crowds swinging sledgehammers and using their bare hands tore apart the embassy’s security wall. Hundreds of people converged on the embassy throughout the afternoon and into the night, tearing down large sections of the graffiti-covered security wall outside the 21-storey building. For hours, security forces made no attempt to intervene. A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because not authorised to speak to the media, said that one group of protesters reached a room on one of the embassy’s floors at the top of the building just before midnight and began dumping Hebrew-language documents from the windows. The prime minister, Essam Sharif, summoned a crisis cabinet meeting to discuss the situation. In Jerusalem, an Israeli official confirmed the embassy had been broken into, saying it appeared that the group reached a waiting room. In Cairo, officials at the capital’s airport said the Israeli ambassador was there waiting for a military plane to evacuate him, and other Israelis were also waiting for the flight to take them back to Israel. Barack Obama expressed concern at the intrusion and told the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, that he was taking steps to help resolve the situation without further violence. Obama called on the Egyptian government to honour its international obligations to safeguard the embassy. The attack came two days before a scheduled visit by the Turkish prime minister to Cairo amid concern in Israel that he may seek an alliance between the two countries with the aim of increasing the Jewish state’s isolation in the region. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit, the first by a Turkish leader for 15 years, comes against the backdrop of a spiralling diplomatic offensive against Israel by Ankara which the US is seeking to contain. During Monday’s talks, Turkey and Egypt are expected to explore co-operation, and Erdogan may offer the post-Mubarak government much-needed financial aid, which would inevitably secure him leverage. “Turkey may be ready to invest a lot of money and effort into building Egypt as a regional ally,” said Alon Liel, a former Israeli envoy to Ankara. “He may try to persuade them to downgrade relations with Israel.” According to Yossi Alpher , an analyst and co-editor of the bitterlemons website, Erdogan “is flexing Turkey’s muscles. He’s now trying to project Turkish influence into Egypt. There’s concern he will offer financial aid to Egypt, which needs it desperately, and that will give him a degree of influence. There’s concern Erdogan will hook up with the Egyptian Islamists, who are growing in influence. “And there’s concern that he will persuade the Egyptians to allow him to visit Gaza, where he’ll proclaim himself its saviour. None of this is good from Israel’s perspective.” In Gaza, Erdogan would get a hero’s welcome and incur Israel’s anger. But an Israeli government source said that it had not picked up indications the Egyptians had agreed to Erdogan crossing their border into Gaza. The visit to Cairo follows a series of punitive measures by the Turkish government – including expelling the Israeli ambassador, suspending defence trade agreements and threatening to deploy the Turkish navy to patrol the eastern Mediterranean – since Israel refused to apologise for its deadly attack on a Gaza-bound flotilla last May. A UN report published a week ago concluded Israel had used “excessive and unreasonable” force in stopping the Mavi Marmara, although it also stated that the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza was legal. Nine Turkish activists were killed on the ship, for which Turkey demanded an apology and compensation for the men’s families. Israel’s refusal to apologise contrasted with its swift statement of regret three weeks ago when Egyptian security personnel were shot dead after a militant attack near the Egypt-Israel border in which eight Israelis were killed. “The mistakes that Israel is making are much more evident in the case of Turkey than in the case of Egypt,” said Alpher. “Damage control was relatively more forthcoming with the apology to Egypt than in the case of Turkey, where we basically allowed ourselves to walk right into repeated traps that Erdogan has set for us.” The regret expressed to Egypt was not enough to prevent days of anti-Israel protests in Cairo. To Israel’s alarm, the post-Mubarak government made it clear it was listening to the mood on the street. Israel can ill afford to lose regional allies, especially in the runup to an expected vote to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly this month. Turkey and Egypt are backing the Palestinian bid. As well as wide political ramifications, a breach with Turkey could have serious economic consequences, Stanley Fischer, governor of the Bank of Israel, warned this week. Trade between the countries is worth $3.5bn-$4bn a year. The breach “will affect tourism, trade, culture and sport” as well as diplomatic relations, said Liel. Israeli government ministers and officials have been issued clear instructions to refrain from comment in an attempt to de-escalate the crisis. But the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Friday that Avigdor Lieberman, the provocative rightwing foreign minister, is considering a series of measures against Turkey in retaliation for Ankara’s moves. According to Alpher, that would exacerbate the current crisis. “We have a lot to lose not just economically but also regionally, to the extent that we get drawn deeper into a clash with Turkey,” he said. “We were foolish not to apologise [for the Mavi Marmara deaths]. We should still be trying to maintain a low profile and hope friends like the US can try to some extent mend fences here before things get worse.” Egypt Middle East Africa Israel Turkey Europe Protest Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Group of protesters march from Tahrir square, where thousands more demonstrated against Egypt’s ruling generals A group of about 30 protesters broke into the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday and threw hundreds of documents out of the windows, Egyptian and Israeli officials have said. Hundreds of protesters had been converging on the 21-story building housing the embassy throughout the afternoon and into the night, tearing down large sections of a security wall. For hours, Egyptian security forces made no attempt to intervene. Just before midnight, a group of protesters reached a room on one of the embassy’s lower floors at the top of the building and began dumping Hebrew-language documents from the windows, according to an Egyptian security official who spoke on condition of anonymity. In Jerusalem, an Israeli official confirmed the embassy had been broken into, saying it appeared the group reached a waiting room on the lower floor. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to release the information. Since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, calls have grown in Egypt for ending the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, a pact that has never had the support of ordinary Egyptians. Anger increased last month after Israeli forces – responding to a cross-border attack – mistakenly killed five Egyptian police officers near the border. Seven months after the popular uprising, Egyptians are still pressing for a list of changes, including more transparent trials of former regime figures accused of corruption and a clear timetable for parliamentary elections. Egyptians have grown increasingly distrustful of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took control of the country when Mubarak was forced out on 11 February after nearly three decades in power. The council, headed by Mubarak’s defence minister, Muhammad Hussein Tantawi, has voiced its support for the revolution and those who called for democracy and justice. But activists accuse it of remaining too close to Mubarak’s regime and practicing similarly repressive policies, including abusing detainees. The trials of thousands of civilians in military courts has also angered activists. Protesters marched to the Israeli embassy from Cairo’s Tahrir square, where thousands more demonstrated against Egypt’s ruling generals. Demonstrators in Cairo also converged on the state TV building, a central courthouse and the interior ministry, a hated symbol of abuses by police and security forces under Mubarak. Protesters covered one of the ministry’s gates with graffiti and tore off parts of the large ministry seal. Protests also took place in Alexandria, Suez and several other cities. Up to 90 people were injured, the health ministry said. Egypt Israel Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa Protest guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Adobe unveils new software tools, adds iOS-compatible streaming video option
September 9, 2011 No Comment
At the International Broadcasters Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam yesterday, Adobe unveiled a slew of new software solutions, including Adobe Pass, Flash Access 3.0 and Flash Media Server 4.5. Pass allows cable operators and other content providers to provide streaming TV from multiple sources through a single sign-on solution, while Access is content protection platform that can now deliver streaming video to mobile devices. But, it’s Media Server 4.5 that has been garnering the most attention from the press, thanks to its support for iOS. Now don’t get too excited, you still can’t actually use Flash on your iPhone. But, the latest version of the software provides the option to stream video using the Apple-friendly HTTP Live Streaming format. So, still no Kongregate for iPhone users, but partners like MediaPlatform can now put live webcasts on your iPad. Check out the PR after the break. Continue reading Adobe unveils new software tools, adds iOS-compatible streaming video option Adobe unveils new software tools, adds iOS-compatible streaming video option originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
AOL chief sounds out Yahoo’s advisers over combination of internet companies AOL and Yahoo, fallen giants of the first age of the internet, are reportedly discussing a merger. The news comes after Yahoo axed chief executive Carol Bartz earlier this week. AOL’s chief executive Tim Armstrong has approached Yahoo’s advisers to gauge its interest in combining the companies, Bloomberg reported. Armstrong has reportedly approached investment bankers from Allen & Co. who are working with Yahoo. Yahoo announced this week that it was conducting “a comprehensive strategic review” after the decision to fire Bartz. She had been brought in to turn the company around but, while she cut costs by firing staff, she failed to grow Yahoo’s huge but dwindling business. Armstrong reportedly teamed up with several private equity firms to make an approach to Yahoo last year but was rebuffed by Bartz. Yahoo was courted by Microsoft in 2008 but rejected a $47.5bn (£30bn) offer. The firm was worth $80bn in its heyday and is now worth just over $17bn. The firm is being outpaced by Google and Facebook but remains the most visited web portal in the US. AOL, once the hottest name on the internet, is valued at $1.68bn and has lost almost $800m since it was spun off from Time Warner in 2009 as its lucrative dial-up internet access business has dried up. Armstrong has tried to rebuild the business by buying content companies in the hope of building an attractive audience for advertisers. In February, AOL bought Huffington Post, one of the US’s most visited news sites. The talks come in a week of controversy for both firms. Bartz gave an angry interview to Fortune after being ousted, calling Yahoo’s board “doofuses” and claiming they had “fucked me over”. AOL faced its own controversy after sacking Michael Arrington, founder of the influential TechCrunch blog that the company bought last year. Arrington has set up an investment fund in which AOL is a major backer. The fund will target tech startups, TechCrunch’s area of interest. AOL reacted in a confused manner to criticism that there was a conflict of interest between the fund and the blog’s editorial independence. First, it denied any conflict, then said Arrington would not work for TechCrunch, then pushed him out. Despite their downward trajectory, AOL and Yahoo remain huge players online and any merger is likely to trigger regulatory scrutiny. AOL and Yahoo declined to comment. AOL Internet Yahoo United States Technology sector Mergers, acquisitions and funding Dominic Rushe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Christine Lagarde says Britain must be ready to change tack as Downing Street rules out copying Obama’s Jobs Act David Cameron and George Osborne were forced to defend their fiscal deficit reduction plan after the head of the IMF said Britain may have to change tack if the economy struggles to recover. As Labour claimed that Christine Lagarde’s warning showed the danger of cutting too quickly, Downing Street insisted there would be no change because Britain still faced “fiscal risks”. The row broke out after Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF, offered a qualified endorsement of the plan to eliminate Britain’s structural deficit by 2015. At a joint event with the chancellor at Chatham House, she said: “The policy stance remains appropriate, but the heightened risk means a heightened readiness to respond, particularly if it looks like the economy is headed for a prolonged period of weak growth and high unemployment.” Osborne made it clear there would be no change. “Britain will stick to the deficit plan we have set out. It is the rock of stability upon which our recovery is built. It has delivered record low interest rates. “Abandoning that plan would put those interest rates at risk. For nothing would be more damaging for Britain at this fragile moment for the world’s economy than an increase in mortgage rates for families and an increase in the cost of borrowing for businesses.” But Tim Geithner, the US treasury secretary who was joined by Lagarde and Osborne at a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Marseille yesterday, also appeared to question Britain’s focus on deficit reduction and monetary, rather than fiscal, policy. In an article for the FT, Geithner warned of “unwarranted disaffection with the efficacy of the traditional fiscal tools of tax cuts and investment to encourage growth”. He added that governments with high deficits were right to cut but “can at least slow the pace of consolidation”. Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, said that Lagarde’s warning should be heeded by Britain. “Christine Lagarde is right to repeat her warning that cutting too quickly will hurt the recovery and jobs and that there is scope for reducing deficits more steadily to support economic growth. This is clearly a message aimed squarely at America, the eurozone and Britain too.”Amid the criticisms, Cameron issued a ringing endorsement of the chancellor’s plans. The prime minister told the BBC: “We have one of the biggest budget deficits in the world. That’s why the OECD and Christine Lagarde and others have said that Britain is quite a special case. We have got to deal with that. The reason we have interest rates that are as low almost as Germany’s, but our national deficit is actually bigger than Greece’s, is because we have a plan to deal with our debt. We mustn’t give up on that.” Downing Street had earlier made clear its determination to stick to Britain’s deficit reduction plan when it flatly ruled out following the example of Barack Obama. The president attempted to boost the US economy by outlining a $450bn (£283bn) jobs plan to Congress on Thursday night . Cameron’s spokesman distanced No 10 from the White House by saying that the US was facing a greater challenge than Britain. “Of course they have had particularly bad news over a sustained period with their labour market. He is seeking to address that.” The spokesman said: “Every country needs to have a response which is appropriate to its particular circumstances. The US is in a slightly different position because it has a reserve currency. Therefore it doesn’t face some of the same constraints other countries might face. It gives them more flexibility to do that.” The US Jobs Act would also not add to the US deficit, the spokesman added. “It is true, if you look at what Obama said, that he has been very clear that the American Jobs Act will not add to the deficit and that [in] the agreement passed in July, which cut government spending, he will be looking for more measures to cover the full cost of the Jobs Act.” The spokesman said Britain had to act with caution because it faced “fiscal risks”. He said: “Those countries which have particular fiscal risks – and remember we have the biggest deficit of any country pretty much – those countries need to take action to address their deficits and to consolidate.” Lagarde praised Obama’s plan. “We welcome the proposals announced by President Obama last night, which focus on supporting growth and job creation in the short term,” she said. But Lagarde added that she looked forward to hearing about Obama’s plans to cut the country’s debt. The IMF director added: “As the president also emphasised, it remains critical for the United States to clarify its medium-term plan to put public debt on a more sustainable path, and we look forward to the proposed consolidation plan to be announced in the coming days.” Treasury sources said Lagarde’s suggestions for future action were already government policy. These are: allowing the automatic fiscal stabilisers, which allow welfare spending to rise as tax receipts fall in a downturn, to kick in; and emphasising monetary policy. David Cameron IMF Economics Global economy Christine Lagarde George Osborne Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Department of Health data shows 4.7% fewer patients referred for first hospital consultation in April-July period of this year The number of patients being referred by their GP to see a hospital specialist has dropped by almost 5% over the past year, prompting fresh concern that access to care is being rationed as a direct result of the pressure on NHS finances. GPs in England referred about 3.6 million patients for a first hospital consultation between April and July, according to data from the Department of Health (DoH). That was 4.7% fewer than the same period in 2010 – 3.8 million referrals. The number of patients being seen by consultants after a GP’s referral also fell during the same period, from 3.1 million last year to 2.9 million – a drop of 5.2%. The two sets of figures do not match because many patients remain on waiting lists. The British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors’ trade association, said that reductions in patients’ access to healthcare were happening more often. “The NHS is under a lot of pressure to do less, for example through referral management initiatives, which seem to be on the increase. These may save money but for every lost referral there is a patient who is not getting diagnosed or treated, and a hospital that is more likely to encounter financial problems,” said a BMA spokesman. John Healey , the shadow health secretary, also warned that some patients may be missing out on drugs, surgery or other treatment because of the falling number of referrals. “While it is important to reduce demand for hospital care, patients will want reassuring that they are not being denied necessary treatment,” he said. “These figures show the huge pressure on hospital finances at a time when David Cameron is wasting millions of pounds reorganising the NHS bureaucracy.” The NHS in England is struggling as its budget increase this year is just 0.1% – after a decade of big annual rises – while it seeks to save £20bn by 2015. The efficiency drive was ordered by the NHS’s chief executive, Sir David Nicholson, in 2009, intending to free resources for the growing number of patients, especially elderly people, with long-term conditions such as cancer, diabetes and obesity. Nicholson has told the NHS several times not to limit services in order to meet the target. But Dr Clare Gerada, the chairwoman of the Royal College of General Practitioners , said the fall in referrals could be due to better care by GPs and the NHS’s efforts to reduce patients’ unnecessary hospital visits, as well as preventative medical help. The DoH denied that “less hospital activity” meant care was being cut. “Far from it,” said a spokesman. “We would expect to see this trend as the NHS helps prevent more people becoming unwell and provides more services in the community, closer to patients’ homes. Alongside more day-case surgery, this is a clear sign that the NHS is working more effectively for patients and more efficiently for taxpayers.” He added: “Decisions on appropriate referrals should be made by clinicians in the local NHS in line with the best available clinical evidence.” NHS Health GPs Doctors Denis Campbell guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Resignation of senior German ECB official Jürgen Stark sends markets plunging
September 9, 2011 No Comment
Decision to quit fuels speculation that central bank policymakers are split amid fears that Greece could default The dramatic resignation of a senior European central banker sent stock markets plunging, amid fears that Greece is on the brink of default and the fragile consensus in Berlin over support for the ailing Italian and Spanish economies was close to disintegration. Bank stocks, down more than 5% in some cases, were the worst affected as the Dow Jones dropped almost 3% to below 11,000. European exchanges joined the panic with the FTSE falling more than 100 points to 5230. Speculation that several French and German banks would soon embark on massive capital raising schemes to offset write-offs on holdings of Greek debt, added to the febrile atmosphere. Greece issued a statement to say it remained solvent and would not need to seek funds beyond the sums already agreed with the EU and International Monetary Fund. Deputy prime minister Evangelos Venizelos said: “It is not the first time we see an organised wave of “rumours” about an upcoming Greek default. This is a game of a very bad taste.” But the statement from Athens failed to rally markets, which have remained wary of assurances by EU leaders that they will do everything necessary to keep peripheral eurozone countries afloat. Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Bank, said investors globally were concerned at the potential collapse of a European sovereign. “The European troubles are permeating across global financial markets” The decision to quit by Jürgen Stark, a member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) rate-setting governing council, was quickly seen as a signal that policymakers remained at loggerheads. Stark, a German hardliner and former member of the Bundesbank board, has lobbied for the ECB to impose stricter austerity measures on Greece and Portugal and to reject using its funds to purchase Italian and Spanish bonds until Rome and Madrid have made further efforts to reduce their debts and institute reforms. At a press conference on Thursday ECB boss Jean-Claude Trichet appeared visibly rattled by questioning from German journalists who asked if the eurozone’s largest economy should quit rather than keep subsidising indebted countries. Trichet said, in a clear warning to colleagues, including Stark, that Germany had prospered from the euro and should maintain its commitment during the worst crisis since the second world war. However, the clear disagreements at the most senior levels of eurozone policymaking have fuelled concerns that the euro is now beyond rescue and will fall apart. Stark has been a consistent critic of the ECB’s programme of purchasing government bonds of debt-ridden European nations in the markets. He has said eurobonds, which many economists believe are the only way to save the euro, would create false incentives for indebted countries. The cost of borrowing for the German government has increased as investors price in the risk of it absorbing the debts of all eurozone members through the creation of eurobonds. Greek borrowing rates have hit stratospheric highs this week; 62% for two-year money, while a three-year bond maturing next year hit 129%. But officials in Athens hinted that the deadline for private-sector involvement in a second €109bn bailout programme had finally been met. The programme includes private financial groups agreeing to a €135bn debt-swap scheme. The debt-swap is an integral part of the deal agreed by EU leaders at an emergency summit in July. However, many economists say the swap is not big enough and last night it was understood that as few as 70% of bondholders would agree to take part. The socialist government had said previously it would not go ahead with the deal if participation fell below 90 percent. EU Commissioner Olli Rehn, who is responsible for economic and monetary affairs, has argued the opposite, claiming the introduction of euro securities would “strengthen fiscal discipline and increase stability in the euro area through markets”. Some analysts said Stark’s departure signals a victory for Angela Merkel and French prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who have lent on the ECB to relax its rules on lending to Greece, Italy and Spain. The arrival of Italian central bank boss Mario Draghi as head of the ECB is also expected to cement control over the ECB by a more doveish majority keen to preserve the current membership of the euro. European debt crisis European Central Bank Euro Phillip Inman Helena Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Resignation of senior German ECB official Jürgen Stark sends markets plunging
September 9, 2011 No CommentDecision to quit fuels speculation that central bank policymakers are split amid fears that Greece could default The dramatic resignation of a senior European central banker sent stock markets plunging, amid fears that Greece is on the brink of default and the fragile consensus in Berlin over support for the ailing Italian and Spanish economies was close to disintegration. Bank stocks, down more than 5% in some cases, were the worst affected as the Dow Jones dropped almost 3% to below 11,000. European exchanges joined the panic with the FTSE falling more than 100 points to 5230. Speculation that several French and German banks would soon embark on massive capital raising schemes to offset write-offs on holdings of Greek debt, added to the febrile atmosphere. Greece issued a statement to say it remained solvent and would not need to seek funds beyond the sums already agreed with the EU and International Monetary Fund. Deputy prime minister Evangelos Venizelos said: “It is not the first time we see an organised wave of “rumours” about an upcoming Greek default. This is a game of a very bad taste.” But the statement from Athens failed to rally markets, which have remained wary of assurances by EU leaders that they will do everything necessary to keep peripheral eurozone countries afloat. Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Bank, said investors globally were concerned at the potential collapse of a European sovereign. “The European troubles are permeating across global financial markets” The decision to quit by Jürgen Stark, a member of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) rate-setting governing council, was quickly seen as a signal that policymakers remained at loggerheads. Stark, a German hardliner and former member of the Bundesbank board, has lobbied for the ECB to impose stricter austerity measures on Greece and Portugal and to reject using its funds to purchase Italian and Spanish bonds until Rome and Madrid have made further efforts to reduce their debts and institute reforms. At a press conference on Thursday ECB boss Jean-Claude Trichet appeared visibly rattled by questioning from German journalists who asked if the eurozone’s largest economy should quit rather than keep subsidising indebted countries. Trichet said, in a clear warning to colleagues, including Stark, that Germany had prospered from the euro and should maintain its commitment during the worst crisis since the second world war. However, the clear disagreements at the most senior levels of eurozone policymaking have fuelled concerns that the euro is now beyond rescue and will fall apart. Stark has been a consistent critic of the ECB’s programme of purchasing government bonds of debt-ridden European nations in the markets. He has said eurobonds, which many economists believe are the only way to save the euro, would create false incentives for indebted countries. The cost of borrowing for the German government has increased as investors price in the risk of it absorbing the debts of all eurozone members through the creation of eurobonds. Greek borrowing rates have hit stratospheric highs this week; 62% for two-year money, while a three-year bond maturing next year hit 129%. But officials in Athens hinted that the deadline for private-sector involvement in a second €109bn bailout programme had finally been met. The programme includes private financial groups agreeing to a €135bn debt-swap scheme. The debt-swap is an integral part of the deal agreed by EU leaders at an emergency summit in July. However, many economists say the swap is not big enough and last night it was understood that as few as 70% of bondholders would agree to take part. The socialist government had said previously it would not go ahead with the deal if participation fell below 90 percent. EU Commissioner Olli Rehn, who is responsible for economic and monetary affairs, has argued the opposite, claiming the introduction of euro securities would “strengthen fiscal discipline and increase stability in the euro area through markets”. Some analysts said Stark’s departure signals a victory for Angela Merkel and French prime minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who have lent on the ECB to relax its rules on lending to Greece, Italy and Spain. The arrival of Italian central bank boss Mario Draghi as head of the ECB is also expected to cement control over the ECB by a more doveish majority keen to preserve the current membership of the euro. European debt crisis European Central Bank Euro Phillip Inman Helena Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
It's not often that you see a member of the liberal media elite concede an important point to conservatives. It's even rarer when the person doing it is Obama cheerleader Chris Matthews. But that's just what happened
Continue reading …Ministers accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over relaxation of planning regulations
September 9, 2011 No Comment
George Osborne and Eric Pickles are pushing for planning changes but oppose developments in their own constituencies All the government ministers pushing through a controversial relaxation of planning regulations have opposed developments in their own constituencies, including new housing and businesses, a care home for elderly people and a memorial to Princess Diana. The Guardian revelations leave the chancellor, George Osborne, and Eric Pickles and his ministers in the Department for Communities and Local Government accused of “breathtaking hypocrisy” for saying major changes to planning laws are vital to boost economic growth and ease the shortage of homes, while fighting such developments in their own backyards. In August 2010, Osborne was the first of 25,000 people to sign a petition against an energy-from-waste plant in his Cheshire constituency, despite having described the company Brunner Mond as an ” important local employer “. He is also honorary president of a campaign against a second local incinerator . Pickles, the secretary of state for communities and local government, also campaigned against a waste facility , a composting site at Stondon Massey in his Essex constituency, saying approval would “open the doors for our county to become the waste dump for the south-east”. In addition, he successfully opposed a residential care home for 114 elderly people in Pilgrims Hatch in 2003, saying it would be a “heavy burden” on local services. “This is hypocrisy of the highest order,” said Craig Bennett, policy director of Friends of the Earth. “These ministers have used the planning system to stop developments like composting sites which are part of a sustainable economy. Now they are taking away the ability for people to oppose developments that are unsustainable. It is an outdated ideological mantra that a development free-for-all is needed for economic growth.” The government’s proposals to introduce a presumption in favour of development in planning applications have provoked a huge outcry from countryside and green groups including the National Trust, Friends of the Earth and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), which described the plan as a “free for all” for developers. Politicians, including Conservatives, have decried the proposals as undermining local democracy. Ministers have responded aggressively, with planning minister Greg Clark accusing critics of “nihilistic selfishness” for preventing young people from getting on the housing ladder and Osborne lending his political weight by stating: “When planning acts as a brake on growth, and on the much needed new jobs and new businesses, reform is imperative.” In 2004, Pickles spoke out against previous efforts to liberalise the planning system, saying Gordon Brown’s Treasury “seems … determined to loosen control to make development easier ” and he feared “sprawling housing estates dumped by Whitehall on green land “. He argued that “adding to suburban sprawl will detract from rather than help urban regeneration” and that “there has to be a greater emphasis on … using previously developed brownfield land”. Pickles’s new national planning policy framework (NPPF) would end the “brownfield first” policy. Clark, who has been at the forefront of the government’s defence of the NPPF, fiercely opposed the previous government’s attempts to increase the number of homes built in and around his Tunbridge Wells constituency. He called the plan for 6,000 new homes a “nationally imposed hike in housing numbers [that] will place yet more pressure on our precious green spaces” and said brownfield sites must be the priority for building. Clark also waged a long campaign against the redevelopment of gardens in towns and cities, which increases the number of homes available. The practice, dubbed “garden grabbing” by critics, left whole streets “changed out of all recognition”, Clark said in 2006. The other four ministers in the department have also supported anti-development campaigns. Grant Shapps opposed plans for thousands of new houses in his Welwyn Hatfield constituency. Shapps, who holds a pilot’s licence, also defended a threatened small airfield as “good for biodiversity” and useful to “train pilots who eventually fly for airlines”. He also opposes an energy-from-waste incinerator plant in New Barnfield . Andrew Stunell, the only Liberal Democrat minister in the department, has mounted a long campaign against the building of mobile phone masts , putting a motion before parliament in 2007 saying that “the current planning system is not sufficiently robust”. He has also opposed new homes being built on gardens and the possibility of a new supermarket in his Hazel Grove constituency in Greater Manchester. Another minister, Bob Neill, promised in opposition to ” make it harder for developers to appeal against properly made local decisions” and opposed the conversion of a historic pub in his Chislehurst constituency into flats . The department’s minister in the House of Lords, Lady Hanham, led Kensington and Chelsea borough council from 1989 until 2000. In 1998, eight months after the death of Princess Diana, she objected to proposals for a memorial garden at Kensington Palace , saying its visitors would cause disruption. Under her leadership, the council also blocked proposals from Persimmon Homes for a residential tower in west London. Neil Sinden, CPRE policy director, said: “Wanting to protect a place or landscape you love is no bad thing, and it’s good to see these ministers standing up for the concerns of their constituents. However, it seems hypocritical for the same ministers to label those opposed to their planning reforms as nimbys and nihilists. Good planning can enable communities to grow without trashing the environment. But to give one aspect – economic growth – excessive weight will not result in sustainable development but a much diminished countryside.” Caroline Flint, the shadow communities and local government secretary, said: “Tory ministers are showing breathtaking hypocrisy. Time and again, they have decried the lack of housing, while cynically campaigning against new homes for families in their own constituencies. Labour supports the streamlining of the planning system but by ripping up 60 years of planning policy, the government has created chaos and confusion in the planning system, threatening the very areas they promised to protect.” A spokesperson for Pickles said: “All MPs are well within their rights to campaign against bad planning,” adding that the minister utterly rejected the accusation of hypocrisy. Osborne and the communities and local government department declined to comment. Planning policy George Osborne Eric Pickles Local government Communities Green politics Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …