Click here to view this media Ron Paul’s use of Rick Perry’s endorsement of Al Gore back in 1988 ( Perry was the Gore’s Texas campaign chairman when he ran for President ) is contrasted with Paul’s own endorsement of Ronald Reagan in 1976 and 1980. Perry had been a Democrat, but switched to the Republican party in 1989. It’s a curious choice but probably has some resonance with Republican voters where brand loyalty is a must, and the canonization of Saint Ronnie was declared years ago. However, Ron Paul’s own invocation of the Reagan legacy –whenever it suits him, it seems– is the more curious aspect of the ad. From a factcheck by Newsweek in 2008: From Ron Paul Web site: “Ron Paul is one of the outstanding leaders fighting for a stronger national defense. As a former Air Force officer, he knows well the needs of our armed forces, and he always puts them first.” – Ronald Reagan Paul’s embrace of Reagan’s legacy represents a significant change of heart. Actually, it’s the second time that Paul has changed his mind about Reagan. After endorsing Reagan for president in 1976 and again in 1980, Paul became disenchanted, leaving the Republican party in 1987. The following year, he told the Los Angeles Times: Paul (May 10, 1988): The American people have never reached this point of disgust with politicians before. I want to totally disassociate myself from the Reagan Administration. Paul’s disaffection started early in Reagan’s presidency. “Ronald Reagan has given us a deficit 10 times greater than what we had with the Democrats,” Paul told the Christian Science Monitor in 1987. “It didn’t take more than a month after 1981, to realize there would be no changes.” Sometime between 1988 (during Paul’s run for the presidency on the Libertarian Party ticket) and 1996 (when Paul, running as a Republican once more, successfully ousted an incumbent House member in a GOP primary), Paul once again embraced Reagan’s legacy. The New York Times reported then that Paul had used the longer version of the Reagan quote in a videotape sent to 30,000 households. According to the Times, Reagan’s former attorney general, Edwin Meese III, flew to Texas “to insist that Mr. Reagan had offered no recent endorsements.” We were unable to document Reagan’s endorsement of Paul. When we asked the Paul campaign for documentation, a spokesperson told us that the campaign was “a little more focused on positive things.” The Paul campaign did not provide the Times with a date for the quotation in 1996, either. So Ron Paul continues to use Reagan as necessary, with a quote which may or may not have occurred, or simply been a rubber-stamp endorsement presidents often make on behalf of congressmen, to keep trying to get elected by republican voters. Curious indeed. Below is a Ron Paul tv ad from 2008.
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Bavarian beekeepers forced to declare their honey as genetically modified because of contamination from nearby Monsanto crops The European Union’s highest court on Tuesday ruled that honey which contains trace amounts of pollen from genetically modified (GM) corn must be labelled as GM produce and undergo full safety authorisation before it can be sold as food. In what green groups are calling a “groundbreaking” ruling, the decision could force the EU to strengthen its already near-zero tolerance policy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Bavarian beekeepers, some 500m from a test field for a modified maize crop developed by Monsanto – one of only two GM crops authorised as safe to be cultivated in Europe – claimed their honey had been “contaminated” by pollen from the plant. The European court of justice found in their favour, a ruling that should offer grounds for the beekeepers to claim compensation in a German court. But the court’s finding also potentially threatens recent EU legislation, introduced in July this year, that permits traces of GMOs in animal feed without a safety review . Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe, said that the ruling “would confirm that existing laws allowing traces of unauthorised GM contamination are insufficient and would need revising.” French Green MEP José Bové, an ex-farmer well-known for his destruction of a McDonald’s franchise in the south of France and the uprooting of GM crops in Brazil, said that the only protection farmers can have is for a complete ban on GMOs in Europe. “Beekeepers are powerless to prevent the contamination of their honey by GM pollen, as farmers are for their crops, and thus powerless to prevent the tainting of the foodstuffs they produce and the integrity of their product. “The only sure way to prevent this is by precluding the cultivation of GMOs.” Greenpeace, describing the traces of pollen in the honey as “genetic pollution” said that Monsanto and the Bavarian state should be held liable for the beekeepers’ losses as a result of their product having to be labelled as containing GMOs. However, agricultural specialists criticised the ruling, saying that the decision has no grounding in science. Guy Poppy, the director of the centre for biological sciences at the University of Southampton, told the Guardian: “There is no safety issue. This honey is as safe as any other.” The corn in question is genetically engineered to produce an insecticide that naturally occurs in the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). The production of this toxin protects the maize plants from European corn borer larvae. “The Monsanto maize is genetically modified to produce the BT protein. But this same protein actually has been regularly used for years as a spray even by organic farmers,” he added. “The consequences of these sorts of ruling is that new methods of plant breeding, whether GM or other forms that are developed, could be thrown out of potential use, making it impossible to innovate.” Vivian Moses, professor of biotechnology at the University of London and the chairwoman of Cropgen, an advisory group on GM foods, said: “These beekeepers believe that there is a sensitivity among consumers of the presence of GM material, that the honey containing GM loses quality. They are just protecting their economic interest. “But scientifically this doesn’t add up to anything, as the crop has been judged as safe for human consumption.” In response to the ruling, the European commission will in two weeks discuss the issue of GMOs and honey with EU member states. According to Brussels, it is likely that the decision will have an impact on the honey into the EU as Europe does not itself produce sufficient quantities for the size of the market. The bloc produces 200,000 tonnes per year and must import an additional 140,000 tonnes. Argentina and China, both GM-friendly countries and the two biggest importers of honey into the EU, are likely to be affected in particular, the commission warned. “The honey is not dangerous. There is no health risk from honey in the EU,” insisted EU consumer protection spokesman, Frédéric Vincent, worried that shoppers might stop buying honey as a result of the news. “It’s an important ruling from the court. I can’t say at this point whether we need to change any laws,” he added. “The contamination is done by the bees themselves. We can’t put GPS tracking on the bees.” GM Farming Food Bees Insects Agriculture Genetics Controversies in science Food & drink Food & drink industry Europe Germany Leigh Phillips guardian.co.uk
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Is there no double-standard depths to which the liberal media won't sink when it comes to provocative political speech? No—judging by the pitiful performance of two MSMers on today's Morning Joe in defending James “Take 'Em Out” Hoffa.
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Former financial adviser who drove 23 miles down fast lane of the M5 while twice the drink-drive limit jailed for nine months A woman who drove 23 miles the wrong way along a motorway while twice the drink-drive limit has been jailed for nine months. Deborah Hunt, 43, drove down the fast lane of the M5, dodging oncoming vehicles before coming to a halt on the hard shoulder. Hunt, a mother of three from Langport, Somerset, was sentenced at Bristol crown court after admitting dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol and driving without insurance. She wept in the dock as Judge Mark Horton said he would be failing in his public duty if he did not jail her immediately for so serious an offence. The court heard that Hunt, an unemployed former financial adviser, was suffering from alcoholism and stress caused by her unemployment and an ongoing battle with her ex-husband over custody of their children. But Horton said it was “unbelievably fortunate” no one had been killed or injured by her as she drove at 60mph after 11pm on 14 July in northern Somerset. The court heard she got on at junction 24 and briefly headed south before stunning other drivers by doing a U-turn and driving north. She was found by police on the hard shoulder near junction 21, struggling to restart the engine of her partner’s Peugeot 806. “You drove for something in excess of 20 miles on the wrong side of the road, causing terror in members of the public lawfully using the motorway to travel in the right direction,” Horton said. “You risked causing massive loss of life and huge destruction of property. “You suffer from a severe illness, alcoholism is a severe illness. It is tragic in one sense that society has forgotten, in its obsession with the damage caused by drugs, how much more damage is caused by alcohol. “It is clear that the combination of the stress and alcoholism you have suffered created an extremely dangerous position, culminating in this offence. “I would be failing in my duty if I did not reflect the seriousness of what you did by imposing an immediate custodial sentence.” Crime Motoring guardian.co.uk
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Terra Firma chairman files another lawsuit against Citigroup – this time over way it took control of UK music company Guy Hands has launched legal action against Citigroup over the way it wrested control of his former music company EMI seven months ago. Terra Firma, the venture capital firm run by Hands, has filed legal action in the high court seeking to force Citigroup to provide full evidence as to why it took control of EMI in February . The US bank, which supplied Hands with the debt to fund his £4.2bn acquisition of EMI in 2007, took control of the British music company when Terra Firma could no longer support the £3bn Citigroup was still owed. EMI’s board of directors appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers as the independent administrator, which determined Citigroup should take control. A source close to Hands says that the financier has been seeking information from Citi about the grounds under which it was able to exercise taking control as well as the valuation attached to EMI. Hands believes that all payments on debt had been maintained up until Citi took control in February, although EMI was expected to break a test of its banking covenants at the end of the first quarter. A procedural hearing is understood to have taken place on Tuesday, when an application for information was made by lawyers representing Terra Firma. Earlier in the summer Citigroup put EMI up for sale , a process expected to be completed in October, although it is now unclear if the legal action may disrupt this timeline. Hands had been fighting a rearguard action to attempt to hold on to EMI. In January he lodged an application to challenge a verdict delivered last November after a New York jury cleared Citigroup of tricking the private equity firm into overpaying for EMI. Bidders for EMI are thought to include Len Blavatnik, who is in the final stages of completing a $3.3bn takeover of Warner Music; the billionaire Gores brothers; and German giant Bertelsmann, which is attempting to build its music publishing business BMG Rights Management, a joint venture with private equity company KKR. Sony Music, which is thought to have worked with Bertelsmann on an unsuccessful bid for Warner Music, and Universal Music have also assessed EMI’s recorded music and publishing assets. Artists signed to EMI labels include Coldplay, Katy Perry and Tinie Tempah. Citigroup has previously said that it will consider “all offers” for the business and is not wedded to the idea of selling EMI as a whole, which is chief executive Roger Faxon’s preferred option. Terra Firma, Citigroup and EMI declined to comment. •
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A third of parents turn down jobs because they cannot afford childcare, according to a study Britain’s poorest families are getting into debt because of the high cost of childcare, while a third are turning down jobs and 40% are considering leaving work because they cannot afford to pay for someone to look after their children, according to research. Parents spend almost a third of their incomes on childcare – more than anywhere else in the world, according to a study by Save the Children and the Daycare Trust . For four out of 10 families the cost of childcare is on a par with mortgage or rent payments, the study showed. Of those families in severe poverty, nearly half have cut back on food to afford childcare and 58% said they were, or would be, no better off working once childcare was paid for. The research found that parents, regardless of income, cannot afford not to work but struggle to pay for childcare, and despite many parents cutting back their spending almost a quarter are in debt because of childcare costs. Cuts to the working tax credit have hit families struggling in severe poverty, the charities said. Four in 10 of those affected have considered giving up work because they will no longer earn enough to cover the childcare bill. The cut has added an average of £500 a year on to the childcare bill of low income families, the research found. A quarter of parents in severe poverty have given up work and a third have turned down a job mainly because of high childcare costs. Of those parents in severe poverty and in paid employment 80% agreed with the statement: “Once I have paid for childcare, I am in a similar position to as if I was not working.” A quarter of parents in severe poverty have been unable to take up education or training because of high childcare costs and six out of 10 parents, regardless of income, said they can’t afford not to work but struggle to pay for childcare. The research supports recent analysis of ONS labour force figures by Aviva, which showed that the number of women opting to look after their children instead of taking up paid employment had risen by 32,000 since summer 2010, with rising childcare costs being a key factor in their decision. Sally Copley, head of poverty at Save the Children, said: “The government is undermining its own ‘make work pay’ policy by not funding the costs of childcare for the poorest families. “Childcare in the UK is among the most expensive in the world, and families on low incomes simply don’t earn enough to cover the costs and are being priced out of work as a result.” Copley added: “The government must give the poorest parents a chance to work their way above the poverty line. We know that the best way out of child poverty is to help parents into work.” The charities have called on the government to increase the amount they plan to spend on childcare support under the new universal credit in a bid to prevent low income families from being priced out of work and into poverty. Malcolm Tyndall, director at Elizabeth Finn Care, said: “Household finances in Britain are today being squeezed harder than at the height of the recession in 2009, and it seems perverse that parents are forced to turn down offers of work, or consider leaving employment, because they cannot afford the costs of childcare. “Women in particular are being disproportionately affected by ever-increasing childcare costs which, when combined with rising petrol prices, soaring rail fares and the reduction in the childcare element of the working tax credit mean that for many people work simply does not pay. We also know that when public sector job cuts begin to bite, even more women will be forced out of the workplace and their position within the economy is becoming increasingly threatened. “While everyone accepts that tough choices need to be made in order to tackle the deficit, it is worrying that the austerity measures seem to be disproportionately affecting woman and threaten to undo decades of social progress. Woman should not be used as shock absorbers for the cuts, and changes to the benefits system should not force people who want to work to choose between their careers and staying at home.” The charity offers a free and confidential service providing advice on benefits and financial grants. A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “The cost of childcare is one of the most important factors for parents when considering work, and ministers have always said that under universal credit they will invest at least the same amount of money into childcare as in the current system. “We are working closely with the Treasury and other interested groups to ensure we get this right.” Childcare Family finances Household bills Work & careers Borrowing & debt Consumer affairs Family Children Poverty Social exclusion guardian.co.uk
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Mother and father of Shafilea Ahmed, whose body was found in 2004, to appear in court on murder charges The parents of Shafilea Ahmed, a suspected victim of a so-called honour killing eight years ago, have been charged with murder and are due to appear in court. Cheshire police said a man and a woman had been charged with murder in connection with the death of Shafilea, 17, who was last seen in her home town of Warrington, Cheshire, in 2003. Her remains were found in February 2004 on the banks of the River Kent in Cumbria. Police said Iftikhar Ahmed, 51, a taxi driver, and Farzana Ahmed, 48, of Liverpool Road, Warrington, were arrested on suspicion of murder in September 2010. Cheshire police have now charged both with murder following authorisation by the Crown Prosecution Service. They are due to appear at Halton magistrates court in Runcorn on Wednesday. The coroner at an inquest in Cumbria concluded that Shafilea had been unlawfully killed. Her parents have denied any wrongdoing in relation to her death. Crime Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
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Case raises concerns about attempts to criminalise contact between journalists and off-the-record sources A Guardian journalist has been questioned by police officers investigating alleged leaks of information from Operation Weeting, the police team pursuing phone hacking at the News of the World. Amelia Hill, a reporter behind several of the Guardian’s key phone-hacking revelations , was questioned under caution several days ago in a case that has raised concerns about attempts to criminalise contact between journalists and off-the-record sources. A spokesperson for the Guardian said in a statement: “We can confirm Amelia Hill has been questioned in connection with an investigation into alleged leaks.” Hill is one of several journalists at the Guardian who have been writing about developments in the phone-hacking scandal. The newspaper argued that the case could have lasting repercussions for the way journalists deal with police officers. The statement added: “On a broader point, journalists would no doubt be concerned if the police sought to criminalise conversations between off-record sources and reporters.” Two separate internal inquiries began this month examining whether police officers should be prevented freely from speaking to the media, as the Met tries to contend with allegations that officers were embroiled in close or even corrupt relationships with the News of the World. Emails from News International allegedly imply that journalists on the paper bought copies of Buckingham Palace’s private phone directory from a royal protection officer. An inquiry by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary is examining “alleged corruption and abuse of power” in police relationships with the media, while Elizabeth Filkin, the former parliamentary commissioner for standards, intends to draw up a framework for how police officers handle their relationships with reporters. The inquiries are both considering whether communication between police officers should be officially monitored and recorded by a press officer. Three years ago, a case against Sally Murrer, a reporter on the Milton Keynes Citizen, and a former Thames Valley police detective Mark Kearney was thrown out. Kearney had been accused of leaking information to her. Phone hacking News of the World Newspapers & magazines National newspapers Newspapers The Guardian Dan Sabbagh guardian.co.uk
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Group of high-profile business experts says top rate of tax is doing ‘lasting damage to UK economy’ but Osborne says he has no intention of rethinking tax and spending plans The chancellor, George Osborne, is under pressure after a group of economists called for Britain’s 50p top rate of income tax to be scrapped “at the earliest opportunity” to boost growth, amid fresh concerns that the UK is slipping towards a double-dip recession. Osborne made clear on Tuesday night that the coalition had no intention of rethinking its tax and spending plans, but admitted the long-term damage to the economy caused by the credit crunch was forcing him to revise downwards estimates for growth that were already weak. In a speech to the City, the chancellor insisted the government would not waver from its tough fiscal approach and said early action to tackle the deficit had put Britain “ahead of the curve” and in control of its economic future. But a 20-strong group of high-profile business experts signed a letter in Wednesday’s Financial Times expressing concern that Britain’s top rate of tax is doing “lasting damage to the UK economy”. The call was rejected by Alistair Darling, the former chancellor who unveiled the 50p rate in his 2009 budget, who said that removing it before the end of the banking crisis would be “grossly unfair”. The letter by economists, who include Cambridge University academic Bob Rowthorn and former members of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee DeAnne Julius and Sushil Wadhwani, claims the top rate introduced by the last Labour government, which applies to high earners on an income over £150,000, “punishes” entrepreneurship. They called for a return to an “internationally competitive tax regime” to stimulate the faltering economy. “We are concerned that Britain’s 50p income tax rate is doing lasting damage to the UK economy,” they wrote. “It gives the UK one of the highest personal tax regimes in the industrialised world, making it less competitive internationally and making us less attractive as a destination for both foreign investment and talented workers. “It punishes wealth creation by imposing on entrepreneurs and business people a marginal tax rate in excess of 50% once national insurance contributions are added in. This is particularly damaging when the UK needs to create new businesses in new industries. The economists, who said the rate applies to just 1% of people who pay 24% of all income taxes, added in the letter: “We call on the government to drop the 50p tax at the earliest opportunity as part of a package of measures to stimulate growth. “Only by returning to an internationally competitive tax regime will Britain enjoy long-term sustainable economic growth.” In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live to promote his new book, Darling hit back by saying that the top rate of tax should stay in place until the country “gets out of the crisis”. Now a backbench MP, Darling said he did not rule out removing the tax in the long run but recommended raising personal allowances for basic rate tax payers, who are the ones “really squeezed at the moment”, instead of cutting the 50p rate. “This has got to stay in place until we get out of the crisis. It would be grossly unfair to remove it,” said the former chancellor. “In the long run you have got to keep your tax rates internationally competitive, which means something like the tour rates we used to have. To remove it today would be grossly unfair. If they do not pay their taxes then it is poorer people who are going to pay.” But one of the authors of the FT letter said many hedge funds have already moved to Switzerland and urged the government to act “as soon as possible”. Julius told the BBC Radio 4′s Today programme: “By raising marginal rates on a small number of highly mobile people you end up not collecting the tax that you’d hoped to. “Politically speaking it is going to be difficult to abolish whenever it is done. What we are trying to do is say this is not just a matter of politics, the country really does need to increase its growth strategy and this is a place where we are just shooting ourselves in the foot.” Osborne, already under pressure from the right of his party and from business chiefs to abolish the top tax rate, has previously signalled that he believes the rate should be scrapped if it is not raising significant revenue, but it is not expected to be abolished before 2013 at the earliest, when the public pay freeze is due to be lifted. The chancellor used his speech at Lloyds of London to assert his intention to stand by his tough fiscal plan for the country. “It is the rock of stability upon which any sustainable recovery depends and we will hold to it,” he said. Osborne hinted that he expected the Bank of England to take action against growing recessionary pressures with a second round of the electronic money creation process, known as quantitative easing. The chancellor made his comments as finance ministers and central bank governors from the G7 group of countries are expected to call for fresh measures to stimulate growth when they meet in Marseilles this weekend following warnings from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank of the dangers of seeking deep cuts in the budget deficits. George Osborne Income tax Tax Tax and spending Economic policy Green shoots Economics Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk
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Hayward, who quit BP 14 months ago following the Deepwater Horizon disaster , will be chief executive of Genel Energy PLC, which has oil reserves in Kurdistan Tony Hayward has sealed a deal to exploit the oil fields of Iraq’s Kurdistan region , landing the former BP boss an expected windfall of around £14m. Hayward’s return to the top of the oil industry was finalised on Wednesday as his new investment vehicle, called Vallares , agreed a merger with Genel Energy International of Turkey. The deal will deliver an estimated £176m windfall for Hayward and his fellow backers of Vallares, including Nat Rothschild. Hayward said the deal would allow Vallares to exploit “one of the last great frontiers in the oil and gas industry”. “Arguably, it [Kurdistan] is the last big onshore ‘easy’ oil province available for exploration by private companies anywhere in the world,” he added. The combined company will be named Genel Energy PLC, and aims to join the FTSE 100 by early 2012. Hayward, who quit BP 14 months ago following the Deepwater Horizon disaster , will be chief executive of the combined company, sealing his return to the ranks of major oil firm bosses. On a conference call with reporters he refused to discuss how the transformation of his fortunes over the last year contrasted with the ongoing struggle faced by those affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Genel holds proved and probable reserves of 356m barrels of oil. It is well-placed to tap Kurdistan’s huge reserves of hydrocarbons, with an estimated 40bn barrels of oil still to be discovered. Hayward compared the region’s potential to that of the North Sea. Vallares will issue $2.1bn (£1.3bn) worth of new shares, and use the proceeds to buy Genel in a 50:50 merger that will see the Turkish firm merge with Vallares and take its share listing through a “reverse takeover”. Vallares was created by Hayward, Rothschild and two other businessmen earlier this year, raising £1.35bn through a stock market flotation. Under the terms in which Vallares was created, the four co-founders will share a windfall worth 6.67% of the group’s value once it has completed its first major deal, in return for injecting a total £100m at its creation. That means the quartet will share around £170m, depending on their original stakes. The split of the £100m was not made public, but Hayward reportedly contributed £8m. Mehmet Sepil, the current CEO of Genel, was hit with a record fine of almost £1m for insider trading in February 2010. The Financial Services Authority imposed the penalty after Sepil, and two colleagues, bought shares in Heritage Oil following confidential test results that revealed that Heritage and Genel had made a major oil discovery. Sepil insisted that he had not realised that this breached insider dealing rules. Sepil will become president of the new company, but will not serve on its board. Some analysts have questioned whether, given this fine, Genel would have been allowed to list in London with Sepil at the helm. City grandee Rodney Chase will chair the company. He insisted on Wednesday that Genel Energy will show “total adherence” to City rules. Chase added that the merger with Genel showed that companies from around the world could be attracted to list in London. Tony Hayward BP Oil and gas companies Iraq Middle East Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
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