Cryptic message triggers fears over fate of Chinese reporter’s investigative team
July 18, 2011 No Comment
Journalist Wang Keqin causes alarm with blogpost amid claims officials are targeting his China Economic Times newspaper Concerns are growing over the fate of one of China’s most influential investigative journalists amid reports that he and his colleagues are the victims of a backlash by senior Communist party officials. Wang Keqin, a pioneer of in-depth and undercover reporting over the past decade, caused alarm with a cryptic message on his Sina Weibo microblog about taboos and silencing speech. “Where political power burns books, it will also ultimately burn people also,” he wrote. Associates said senior officials were targeting his newspaper – China Economic Times – and its investigative news department was being broken up. “I just received word from a friend at China Economic Times: ‘A ridiculous leader just visited us here, and aside from carrying out political struggle and grinding over people, he understands nothing.’” said a post by Qian Gang, director of the China Media Project at Hong Kong University. Contacted by phone, Wang said he was unable to comment. “Sorry, I have to hang up,” he said. Wang – who grew up in a poor farming family in Gansu province – is among a handful of senior reporters who have pushed back the boundaries of journalism in China, where the media was previously used almost exclusively as a propaganda tool. His reports on child deaths linked to mishandled vaccines, the dire conditions of taxi drivers, and mafia-like “black society” scams have exposed gangsters, extortionists and corrupt officials. This has reportedly led to a price being put on his head. “I had problems with black society [gangs], and problems with red society [officials],” Wang said in a Guardian interview last year. “I heard there was a special investigation team, [with the target of] sending me to prison.” He said his life had been threatened and he had been beaten up on several occasions. Until now, however, it was assumed that his position was safe because he was protected by China’s former premier Zhu Rongji. There is little indication of what may have sparked a bout of pressure from the authorities. At midnight and from 5am to 9am, Wang posted a series of online comments calling for freedom and condemning the corruption of officials. “Thanks for your support … Even if we can only change society a little, that is still progress,” he wrote in one. “Respect everyone’s freedom in order to achieve true freedom,” he noted in another. “Who but a corrupt man would want to become a governor?” read another. Commenting below his post, supporters described Wang as the “backbone of China” and expressed sympathy for his predicament. Ahead of this apparent setback, Wang appeared confident that investigative journalism was growing stronger despite waves of restrictions. “Over a mere 10 years,” he wrote in a recent blogpost , “there were more reporters in the field writing higher quality articles for a growing range of publications.” “Investigative reporters are receiving increasing attention and social respect,” he said. • Additional reporting by Cecily Huang China Press freedom Journalist safety Censorship Newspapers & magazines Newspapers Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Clerk of parliaments publishes letter on Lords’ site saying peer is not and has ‘never been a member of the House of Lords’ The House of Lords has taken the unprecedented step of publishing a “cease and desist” letter on its website demanding that Lord Christopher Monckton, a prominent climate sceptic and the UK Independence party’s head of research, should stop claiming to be a member of the upper house. The move follows a testy interview given by Monckton to an Australian radio station earlier this month in which he repeated his long-stated belief that he is a member of the House of Lords. When asked by ABC Sydney’s Adam Spencer if he was a member, he said: “Yes, but without the right to sit or vote … [The Lords] have not yet repealed by act of parliament the letters patent creating the peerage and until they do I am a member of the house, as my passport records. It says I am the Right Honourable Viscount Monckton of Brenchley. So get used to it.” The letter, sent by David Beamish, clerk of the parliaments, to Monckton last Friday and now published on the Lords’ website, states: “You are not and have never been a member of the House of Lords. Your assertion that you are a member, but without the right to sit or vote, is a contradiction in terms. No one denies that you are, by virtue of your letters patent, a peer. That is an entirely separate issue to membership of the House. This is borne out by the recent judgement in Baron Mereworth v Ministry of Justice (Crown Office).” In May, Mr Justice Lewison threw out an action at the Royal Courts of Justice brought by Baron Mereworth, who maintains that it his hereditary entitlement to attend the Lords, despite the House of Lords Act 1999 debarring all but 92 of the 650 hereditary peers, including his late father Lord Oranmore and Browne. Mr Justice Lewison ruled : “In my judgement, the reference [in the House of Lords Act 1999] to a ‘member of the House of Lords’ is simply a reference to the right to sit and vote in that house … In a nutshell, membership of the House of Lords means the right to sit and vote in that house.” The letter from Beamish to Monckton continues: “I must therefore again ask that you desist from claiming to be a member of the House of Lords, either directly or by implication, and also that you desist from claiming to be a member ‘without the right to sit or vote’. I am publishing this letter on the parliamentary website so that anybody who wishes to check whether you are a member of the House of Lords can view this official confirmation that you are not.” The Guardian understands that the House of Lords has been consulting with its lawyers on this issue since the ABC radio interview aired. It is not yet clear what form of sanction the Lords has available to it should Monckton persist with his claim. Last year, the then clerk of the parliaments, Michael Pownall, wrote to Monckton stressing that he was not entitled to call himself a member , nor should he use parliament’s famous portcullis symbol on his letterheads or lecture slides, as he has done for a number of years. Monckton wrote back stating that “the House of Lords Act 1999, which purported to exclude hereditary peers from membership of the House of Lords, is defective”. He argued that the act removed the right to sit or vote in the upper house, but did not remove membership because peerages are granted by letters patent, which are a personal gift of the monarch. Monckton claimed in the letter that “only a specific law can annul a grant. The 1999 act was a general law.” Buckingham Palace was drawn into the dispute when it was revealed that Pownall had sought advice from the Lord Chamberlain, a key officer in the royal household, on the potential misuse of the portcullis emblem due to it being the property of the Queen. The Buckingham Palace website states that any misuse of the emblem is prohibited by the Trade Marks Act 1994, meaning Monckton could potentially be liable for fines and a six-month prison term if the palace pursues the matter and successfully prosecutes him. Monckton has since been using a slightly altered portcullis emblem on his lecture slides. The two chains hanging either side of portcullis are now kinked instead of straight. It is not known whether the Lord Chamberlain is content with the change. A spokesperson told the Guardian that the palace was “aware of the issue”, but it had a policy of not commenting on private correspondence between it and an individual. Monckton is currently on a lecture tour of Australia discussing climate change . The tour has been dogged by venue cancellations after he referred to the Australian government’s former climate advisor Prof Ross Garnaut as a fascist during a recent lecture in Los Angeles. Footage of the lecture also showed Monckton displaying a swastika next to one of Garnaut’s quotes. Monckton later apologised for “having made the point I was trying to make in such a catastrophically stupid and offensive way”. Climate change Climate change scepticism House of Lords UK Independence party (Ukip) Leo Hickman guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Friends of the Earth is calling on MPs to block the government’s energy policy statement in parliament on Monday Dozens of new fossil-fuelled power stations are being planned by energy companies, triggering concerns among green campaigners of a new “dash for gas” that could crowd out wind and other cleaner energy projects, the Guardian can reveal. Friends of the Earth is calling on MPs to block the government’s prime energy policy statement, which comes before parliament on Monday amid a deluge of new planning applications or consents. Some plans are already queuing up in the public planning system. Scottish Power wants to construct a 1.2GW station at Avonmouth, near Bristol, while RWE npower is building a 2GW gas plant at Pembroke, south Wales, and a 2.4GW station at Willington in Derbyshire. It is also looking at a smaller facility at Fawley, near Southampton. Smaller schemes include ones by Welsh Power, which wants to construct an 850MW plant at Fleetwood in Lancashire, and Trafford Peaking Power is developing one in Manchester. The Guardian has unearthed as many as 30 potential gas schemes , which are either in late development stage or very early proposals, and which – if built could lock Britain into a higher carbon future at a time when it is trying to promote renewable power to cut emissions. Simon Bullock, a campaigner with FoE, says the national policy statement which will be debated in the Commons today would allow gas projects to be fast-forwarded on the basis that the UK has an “urgent” need for all new capacity to replace old nuclear and coal plants. “Instead of there being an ‘urgent’ need for new gas, there is in fact no need for new gas – beyond the capacity already being built or with planning permission. The new capacity the government says is needed by 2025 is already either under construction or has planning permission,” he argues. London-based consultancy, New Power, argued regulatory and financial uncertainty had slowed a dash for gas but it still believed “interest in new gas-fired plants remains high”. Gas is seen as attractive by developers because plants are relatively cheap and quick to construct but consumer groups are worried about soaring gas prices. A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman voting through the national policy statements were a vital part of the move to set Britain on a new course and rebuild out-of-date infrastructure. “The transition to low carbon energy can’t just happen overnight. Gas in particular will be needed to provide vital flexibility to support an increasing amount of low-carbon generation and to maintain security of supply,” he explained. “In the long term there is likely to be a role for gas plant equipped with carbon capture and storage, which is why new gas plants are required to be built carbon capture ready and the carbon capture and storage demonstration competition is open to gas plant as well as coal plant.” RWE npower, which The Guardian calculates could have nearly 9GW of gas-fired plants in action by 2020 and which revealed last week it was in wide-ranging talks with Gazprom of Russia, insists it has made no decisions on facilities such as Willington or Fawley. A spokesman said: “I would not say this a dash for gas as we are progressing renewable and other projects but we do believe in diversity because the future of energy is uncertain.” RWE said talks with Gazprom were at a very early stage but it admitted it could include an equity stake being released to the Russians and combined gas projects in the UK. Gazprom was at one stage linkled with the potential purchase of British Gas, something that caused political concern among some MPs. RWE is also among the companies looking at building nuclear power plants but said there was no question of Gazprom being involved in those schemes. Gas Energy industry Gas Renewable energy Carbon emissions Friends of the Earth Pollution Fossil fuels Energy Terry Macalister guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Government expected to suspend movement of cattle as fears mount over contaminated straw in region hit by nuclear crisis Japan is poised to impose a ban on shipments of cattle from Fukushima prefecture – the scene of its worst ever nuclear crisis – after discovering that meat containing abnormally high levels of radioactive caesium had been processed and consumed. The cows had been fed on rice straw containing high levels of the radioactive isotope that was harvested after the 11 March tsunami triggered a core meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. While officials said consuming the meat did not present an immediate threat to health, the incident has highlighted concerns over food safety in the wake of the crisis, which has caused contamination in milk, tea, leaf vegetables, fish and water. The government is expected to announce the suspension of cattle shipments from Fukushima, and possibly other areas nearby, on Tuesday. “The most likely outcome is that we will ban beef shipments,” Goshi Hosono, a special adviser to the prime minister on the nuclear clean-up, said on a TV programme. “We are discussing the matter along these lines. We have to ensure food safety.” Authorities in the prefecture confirmed that 84 head of cattle from five affected farms had been shipped to eight locations, including Tokyo and Osaka, between late March and mid-July. Local media reported that the contamination risk could be more widespread, affecting farms 60 miles from the power plant. Kyodo news agency said it had calculated that as many as 143 cows sent to all but 10 of Japan’s 47 prefectures may have been exposed to radiation via feed. “We may need to increase our response by checking the distribution of contaminated straw,” said Kohei Otsuka, the senior vice-minister for health. “We are currently considering Fukushima prefecture, but we may have to consider the need for a further response by checking the distribution of contaminated straw.” Retailers said it was highly likely that some of the contaminated beef had already been eaten. On Sunday, the Aeon chain of supermarkets said 319kg (703lb) of beef from a farm in Asakawa in Fukushima, had been sold at 14 of its stores in Tokyo and the surrounding area between late April and the middle of last month. Tests on straw at a farm in Koriyama city in Fukushima prefecture showed caesium levels as high as 500,000 becquerels per kg. Those readings are about 378 times the legal limit set by the government. Farmers in the area said they had not been told about a government warning, issued days after the nuclear accident, not to give their animals feed that had been stored outside. The Tokyo metropolitan government said on Sunday that high levels of radioactive caesium were detected in meat from a cow shipped to a packing plant in Tokyo from a farm in Koriyama. The meat contained radioactive cesium at measurements as high as 2,400 becquerels per kg, nearly five times the government-set safety limit of 500 becquerels per kg. Efforts to track down exposed cattle began earlier this month after meat from cows at a farm in Minamisoma, about 15 miles from Fukushima Daiichi, were found to have been fed with contaminated straw. Authorities in Tokyo said they had detected radiation levels in beef originating from the farm of up to 2,300 becquerels per kg. Government officials and some experts played down the risk to health. “This is not a number that would clearly cause abnormal effects on health even if the beef was eaten,” Ikuro Anzai, honorary professor of radiation protection at Ritsumeikan University, told Kyodo. But he added: “It would be better to refrain from eating it until the situation becomes clear.” Japan disaster Japan Farming Food Agriculture Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
• Expobank to be sold in decision to exit retail banking in Russia • Move part of Diamond’s strategy to sell underperforming units • Sale expected to make a tenth of 2008 £373m purchase price Barclays is expected to record a multimillion-pound loss as it prepares to draw up a shortlist of potential bidders for the Expobank business it bought in Russia just before the 2008 banking crisis. Bob Diamond, the Barclays boss, was quick to identify Expobank as a business that needed to be disposed of after he took the helm late last year and announced the decision to pull out of retail and commercial banking in Russia in February. A sales process is now under way and sources believe that Barclays will have to sell the operation for as little as a tenth of the £373m that it paid for the 32-branch operation in March 2008 . Among those thought to be potential bidders are the local banks Vostochny Express and the largest Kazakh bank, Kazkommertsbank. High-street banking in Russia – rather than investment banking – has proved difficult for UK banks to crack. HSBC sold its retail business to Citi of the US in June barely two years after trying to break into the market. Foreign entrants face many state-owned competitors – particularly Sberbank and VTB – which exacerbates the problems they face in winning business. Citi is one of the foreign banks to have managed to break into the market. When Barclays, which refused to comment, announced the Expo deal, it had not expected the acquisition to start boosting its overall earnings until 2011. Focused on Moscow, St Petersburg and other parts of western Russia, Expobank was owned by Petropavlovsk Finance until Barclays stepped in. The acquisition was led by Frits Seegers, who was head of global and retail banking for Barclays but has since left the bank. At the time, Seegers had described the bank as “well run” and a local expert, Nikolai Tsekhomsky, former VTB Group finance director, was brought in to speed up growth in the business, which employs about 1,500 people. While Diamond will be keen to demonstrate that he is executing his strategy to pull out of underperforming businesses when he presents the bank’s interim results on 2 August, it is unlikely that he will be able to name a buyer for the operation by then. He told the City that he had embarked on a “rigorous and continuous review” of the group’s business as he attempts to improve the return to shareholders despite being required to hold more capital to support its existing operations. The bank’s return on equity was 7.3% in 2010, while Diamond wants it to hit 13% to 15%. The Barclays investment banking arm, Barclays Capital, will continue to look for business in Russia from big companies and multinationals as well as governments. HSBC is also planning to retain an investment banking presence in the country. Barclays Banking Russia Europe Jill Treanor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Japan 2-2 USA (Japan win 3-1 on penalties) | Women’s World Cup final match report
July 17, 2011 No Comment
Japan 2-2 USA aet; Japan win 3-1 on penalties Japan became the first Asian nation to win the Women’s World Cup, beating USA in a penalty shoot-out. The USA missed their first three penalties, and Japan were crowned world champions when Saki Kumagai slotted her spot-kick high past the USA goalkeeper, Hope Solo. It was a sad end for the USA, who were just three minutes away from becoming the first country to lift the cup three times, only for Japan to equalise for the second time in a thrilling final. The 32-year-old Japan captain, Homare Sawa, flicked a corner through a jumble of players and past Solo in the 117th minute to take the contest to penalties. Japan had scored late in normal time to force extra time. “We ran and ran – we were exhausted but we kept running,” said Sawa, the top scorer in the tournament with five goals. “Not one of the players gave up,” the coach, Norio Sasaki, said. “The penalty kicks are always a 50-50% chance.” Japan’s goalkeeper, Ayumi Kaihori, did more than her part, saving the first penalty from Shannon Boxx with a foot and swatting away the third kick from the substitute Tobin Heath. In between, Carli Lloyd skied her shot over the bar. The USA coach, Pia Sundhage, was perplexed and could not find an explanation for the penalty misses. “Sometimes in, sometimes out,” she said. Sawa received the trophy and immediately went into a huddle with her players, a multitude of hands cradling the trophy, a symbol of the nation’s teamwork. Japan were always driven by a greater purpose, hoping their success at the World Cup could provide some emotional relief for a nation still reeling from the effect of 11 March earthquake and tsunami. The team displayed a banner reading “To our Friends Around the World – Thank You for Your Support” before the final, and Sasaki inspired his players before the quarter-final by showing them pictures of the devastation. After dominating play from the start, the USA went ahead in the 69th minute when Megan Rapinoe’s long ball over the top sent Alex Morgan clear, and the substitute hustled past Saki Kumagai to slot home with angled shot from 15 yards. Against the run of play, Japan scored a goal out of nothing in the 81st minute when the American defenders Rachel Buehler and Alex Krieger failed to clear, allowing Japan’s Aya Miyama to sneak in and slot home from close range. The USA regained the lead in the 104th minute when Morgan sent a pinpoint cross to the towering Wambach. The forward did not even have to get off the ground to head past the goalkeeper, Ayumi Kaihori, from six yards. The goal gave Wambach four for the tournament, and it looked good enough for the title, until Japan and their brilliant captain provided a late twist that was hard for the USA players to take and they then faltered in the penalty shoot-out. “It’s obviously heartbreaking,” Wambach said. “Japan played well, they never gave up.” Women’s World Cup 2011 Japan USA Women’s football guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Japan 2-2 USA (Japan win 3-1 on penalties) | Women’s World Cup final match report
July 17, 2011 No CommentJapan 2-2 USA aet; Japan win 3-1 on penalties Japan became the first Asian nation to win the Women’s World Cup, beating USA in a penalty shoot-out. The USA missed their first three penalties, and Japan were crowned world champions when Saki Kumagai slotted her spot-kick high past the USA goalkeeper, Hope Solo. It was a sad end for the USA, who were just three minutes away from becoming the first country to lift the cup three times, only for Japan to equalise for the second time in a thrilling final. The 32-year-old Japan captain, Homare Sawa, flicked a corner through a jumble of players and past Solo in the 117th minute to take the contest to penalties. Japan had scored late in normal time to force extra time. “We ran and ran – we were exhausted but we kept running,” said Sawa, the top scorer in the tournament with five goals. “Not one of the players gave up,” the coach, Norio Sasaki, said. “The penalty kicks are always a 50-50% chance.” Japan’s goalkeeper, Ayumi Kaihori, did more than her part, saving the first penalty from Shannon Boxx with a foot and swatting away the third kick from the substitute Tobin Heath. In between, Carli Lloyd skied her shot over the bar. The USA coach, Pia Sundhage, was perplexed and could not find an explanation for the penalty misses. “Sometimes in, sometimes out,” she said. Sawa received the trophy and immediately went into a huddle with her players, a multitude of hands cradling the trophy, a symbol of the nation’s teamwork. Japan were always driven by a greater purpose, hoping their success at the World Cup could provide some emotional relief for a nation still reeling from the effect of 11 March earthquake and tsunami. The team displayed a banner reading “To our Friends Around the World – Thank You for Your Support” before the final, and Sasaki inspired his players before the quarter-final by showing them pictures of the devastation. After dominating play from the start, the USA went ahead in the 69th minute when Megan Rapinoe’s long ball over the top sent Alex Morgan clear, and the substitute hustled past Saki Kumagai to slot home with angled shot from 15 yards. Against the run of play, Japan scored a goal out of nothing in the 81st minute when the American defenders Rachel Buehler and Alex Krieger failed to clear, allowing Japan’s Aya Miyama to sneak in and slot home from close range. The USA regained the lead in the 104th minute when Morgan sent a pinpoint cross to the towering Wambach. The forward did not even have to get off the ground to head past the goalkeeper, Ayumi Kaihori, from six yards. The goal gave Wambach four for the tournament, and it looked good enough for the title, until Japan and their brilliant captain provided a late twist that was hard for the USA players to take and they then faltered in the penalty shoot-out. “It’s obviously heartbreaking,” Wambach said. “Japan played well, they never gave up.” Women’s World Cup 2011 Japan USA Women’s football guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Army to shrink to smallest size since Boer war while reservists’ role bolstered
July 17, 2011 No Comment
• Regulars to fall from 100,000 to 84,000 after 2014 • £1.5bn earmarked to beef up reserves and fund equipment • Money to cover 14 delayed Chinooks and three spy planes The army will be reduced to its smallest size since the Boer war under plans to be announced by Liam Fox, the defence secretary, on Monday. It will shrink from more than 100,000 regulars to about 84,000, as reforms will make reserves better trained and better paid, officials said. The shake-up will take place after British troops give up their combat role in Afghanistan in 2014. The Treasury has agreed to bolster the defence budget, with £1.5bn earmarked to help pay for beefed-up reserves and more funding for military equipment. The money will pay for 14 delayed Chinook helicopters due to come into service after 2014, three new US Rivet spy planes, and upgrades to the army’s Warrior armoured vehicles. A review has proposed that the Territorial Army should retain its current strength of 36,000, but about 5,000 reservists should be trained for frontline operations. Reservists would also contribute more to “homeland security” work, dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks and civil emergencies. The review was conducted by General Sir Nicholas Houghton, vice-chief of the defence staff, Julian Brazier, Conservative MP and former TA officer, and Lt Gen Graeme Lamb, former head of the UK’s special forces. It is understood their proposals have been accepted by Fox. The defence secretary will also announce specialist roles for the reserves, including cyber security, intelligence, foreign language skills and medical services. According to officials, the foreword to the reserves review says: “Our commission has concluded that the UK’s reserve forces are in need of significant revitalisation and reorientation. Although continuing to do a remarkable job in many areas … the wider picture is one of relative neglect and decline”. Britain deploys proportionately fewer reservists than other Nato countries – below 20%, compared with more than 50% for the US, 44% in Canada, and 37% in Australia. Fox is expected to announce that RAF Leuchars is to close, to house soldiers leaving Germany between now and 2020. The RAF will left with one base in Scotland — RAF Lossiemouth. The decision to transfer the two RAF Typhoon squadrons from Leuchars to Lossiemouth is understood to have been made only last Friday, though there has been speculation for months. The military already faces other major plans to change its structure. Under reforms to the Ministry of Defence published last month, senior members of the military will lose their jobs if they let costs get out of control and fail to manage budgets. The heads of the army, Royal Navy and RAF will be held accountable as never before, and responsible for cutting the number of officers. All three services have become overloaded with top brass, according to the report by Lord Levene, chairman of Lloyd’s of London. His proposals have been accepted by the coalition government. Levene noted that inter-service rivalry had added to the problems and he recommended the creation of a new joint forces command, headed by a high-ranked commander, as one way of breaking down the barriers between them. Fox last month sought to calm fears within the army over possible further cuts. Though it is committed to making tthousands of redundancies, there has been speculation that the army would be in line for more in order to prick a ballooning defence budget. “We have no plans to reduce the size of the army in this parliament,” Fox told MPs. Military Liam Fox Defence policy Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Army to shrink to smallest size since Boer war while reservists’ role bolstered
July 17, 2011 No Comment
• Regulars to fall from 100,000 to 84,000 after 2014 • £1.5bn earmarked to beef up reserves and fund equipment • Money to cover 14 delayed Chinooks and three spy planes The army will be reduced to its smallest size since the Boer war under plans to be announced by Liam Fox, the defence secretary, on Monday. It will shrink from more than 100,000 regulars to about 84,000, as reforms will make reserves better trained and better paid, officials said. The shake-up will take place after British troops give up their combat role in Afghanistan in 2014. The Treasury has agreed to bolster the defence budget, with £1.5bn earmarked to help pay for beefed-up reserves and more funding for military equipment. The money will pay for 14 delayed Chinook helicopters due to come into service after 2014, three new US Rivet spy planes, and upgrades to the army’s Warrior armoured vehicles. A review has proposed that the Territorial Army should retain its current strength of 36,000, but about 5,000 reservists should be trained for frontline operations. Reservists would also contribute more to “homeland security” work, dealing with the aftermath of terrorist attacks and civil emergencies. The review was conducted by General Sir Nicholas Houghton, vice-chief of the defence staff, Julian Brazier, Conservative MP and former TA officer, and Lt Gen Graeme Lamb, former head of the UK’s special forces. It is understood their proposals have been accepted by Fox. The defence secretary will also announce specialist roles for the reserves, including cyber security, intelligence, foreign language skills and medical services. According to officials, the foreword to the reserves review says: “Our commission has concluded that the UK’s reserve forces are in need of significant revitalisation and reorientation. Although continuing to do a remarkable job in many areas … the wider picture is one of relative neglect and decline”. Britain deploys proportionately fewer reservists than other Nato countries – below 20%, compared with more than 50% for the US, 44% in Canada, and 37% in Australia. Fox is expected to announce that RAF Leuchars is to close, to house soldiers leaving Germany between now and 2020. The RAF will left with one base in Scotland — RAF Lossiemouth. The decision to transfer the two RAF Typhoon squadrons from Leuchars to Lossiemouth is understood to have been made only last Friday, though there has been speculation for months. The military already faces other major plans to change its structure. Under reforms to the Ministry of Defence published last month, senior members of the military will lose their jobs if they let costs get out of control and fail to manage budgets. The heads of the army, Royal Navy and RAF will be held accountable as never before, and responsible for cutting the number of officers. All three services have become overloaded with top brass, according to the report by Lord Levene, chairman of Lloyd’s of London. His proposals have been accepted by the coalition government. Levene noted that inter-service rivalry had added to the problems and he recommended the creation of a new joint forces command, headed by a high-ranked commander, as one way of breaking down the barriers between them. Fox last month sought to calm fears within the army over possible further cuts. Though it is committed to making tthousands of redundancies, there has been speculation that the army would be in line for more in order to prick a ballooning defence budget. “We have no plans to reduce the size of the army in this parliament,” Fox told MPs. Military Liam Fox Defence policy Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Truthiness has never been more evident than watching what passes for journalism on the Sunday news shows. In this debt ceiling debate–which honestly, most Americans barely understand, much less care about when their own personal circumstances are so much worse than it has been–the media is so invested in not being honest as to where the blame lies that they dredge up the false equivalency of it being intransigence on both sides that is the problem. In a word: bullsh@# And David Gregory and all his colleagues know it. With a round table of Gov. John Kasich (in his 20th MTP appearance–WTF? Dear god, why?), Honeywell CEO David Cote, National Urban League President Marc Morial, Mesirow Financial Chief Economist Diane Swonk and CNBC host David Faber, David Gregory bemoans the lack of agreement between the two sides of the aisle, with everyone in agreement that defaulting on the debt ceiling would be a very bad thing for the country. But let’s be clear here: the ONLY reason that we have such sturm und drang over the debt ceiling debates is because THE REPUBLICANS WANT IT SO. They have voted (usually without incident and in the majority) to raise the debt ceiling 74 times since 1962, including 10 times in the past 10 years . Most of those ten votes have been basic, procedural votes that didn’t even register a blip amongst these alleged “fiscally responsible” (never have quotes connoted so much irony) partisan hacks . Since 1950, the federal government has taken action to increase the debt ceiling 86 times. 1 Now admittedly, some of these increases were much larger than others (and some were temporary), but that’s still 86 times Congress and the President worked together to increase the debt ceiling. Using my crude estimation of party control , the debt ceiling has been increased nearly as many times when Republicans had at least partial control over the federal government (21 times) as when Democrats were in control (25 times) (See the above table). Further, during this time period there were nearly twice as many increases under Republican presidents (57) as under Democratic Presidents (29). (Notably, the debt ceiling was increased 18 times while Ronald Reagan was president.) Additionally, while the Republican position on the debt ceiling is clearly being driven by its Tea Party wing — many of whom were only recently elected — there are a whole lot of Republicans currently serving in Congress who only a few years ago voted to increase the federal debt limit . The difference was they had a fellow Republican in the White House. This entire hostage situation with the full faith and credit of the country is ENTIRELY at the hands of the Republican Party. This is a vote they have made many, many times in the past. This is NOT and never has been an ideological divide. But damnit, the media isn’t going to let you blame the hostage takers for holding that gun to the country’s collective heads. That would only be giving in to reality and as we well know, reality has a liberal bias.
Continue reading …