Why isn’t your life an idyll of serenity, pleasure and ease? Possibly the least controversial observation it’s possible to make about the world is that we live in an era of Too Much Information: too many emails, too many memos to read, too many books and podcasts and films and TV shows we’d like to check out. People – journalists, especially – have fretted for years about “information overload”, but the techno-optimists’ antidote has always been simple: better filters. As the data deluge increases, they argue, so, too, does the efficacy of the tools for sifting wheat from chaff. Spam filters are one example, but so are improved search engines: Amazon’s “recommended for you” feature, Gmail’s Priority Inbox, and the way social-networking sites tend to lead you to the stuff your friends enjoy. These days, our filters are better than ever. This is why you no longer feel overloaded, and your life is an idyll of serenity, pleasure and ease. Oh, hang on. It isn’t, is it? You feel as deluged as ever. But the techno-pessimist Nicholas Carr recently made a striking suggestion as to why this might be: not because the filters are no good, but because they’re too good . The received wisdom on modern-day distractedness is that we’re constantly lured away from important matters by ephemera: silly cat videos, George Michael’s Twitter stream, this week’s celebrity meltdown. True, that plays a part (I
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Neil Murray, husband of Sheryll Murray MP who was campaigning for coastguard staff, died in an accident at sea There was praise from all sides when the Tory MP Sheryll Murray spoke eloquently in the Commons about the UK’s threatened coastguard service, telling the House: “It is because of those people that fishermen’s wives such as myself sleep a little better at night.” Just three hours later, she received a text from coastguards in her South East Cornwall constituency to say that her husband Neil’s trawler, Our Boy Andrew, was overdue and a search had begun. The jovial stalwart of Looe’s fishing community, a lifelong fisherman who appeared in a coastguard safety film and strongly backed his wife’s campaigning against planned cuts, was found dead near the Eddystone lighthouse after an accident with the 10-metre vessel’s winched nets. His funeral on Friday at Maker church on Torpoint, overlooking Cornwall’s inshore fishing grounds, united a typical British coastal community. The lifeboat crew carried Neil’s coffin. His son Andrew, the boat’s namesake and a marine engineer, and daughter Sally, a Royal Navy officer, helped their mother through the ordeal. But unity has strengthened more widely in the national coastguards campaign. The terrible coincidence is the latest blow to the government’s struggles over public service cuts and changes, with a coalition of opponents sensing a “forestry moment” in attacks over concentrating coastguard control in just two places, Southampton and Aberdeen. The minister due to decide the issue, former firefighter Mike Penning, has looked increasingly uneasy at repeated challenges that foreshadow coming battles over other emergency services, notably fire and police. A string of public meetings have been dire for Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) managers, whose consultation has been extended by Penning and is now the subject of an inquiry by the Commons select committee on transport. The regional director in the north-west, Tom Borland, got things off to a symbolic start at Southport by paying tribute to the hard work of coastguards at Holyhead, rather than the local Liverpool station, which is particularly nervous about its future. By the end of the evening, the chair was appealing for questions about subjects other than detailed local knowledge of the coast and its hazards. But that is what the tide of objections is all about. “I had a medivac three weeks ago – a client on the older side. The guys at Humber coastguard were absolutely spot-on,” says charter skipper Paul Kilpatrick, as he kits out his boat Sea Otter Two for a sea-angling party in Whitby. “Fast, reliable, knowing the area and exactly where we were in it. You can get that information later through the lifeboat crews or Coastwatch volunteers, during a rescue, yes. But it’s when the call is made that local knowledge really counts.” The MCA’s plan to cut the current 18 stations to the two main centres and probably eight daytime sub-stations rests on the opposite view. In the words of the agency’s chief executive, Vice-Admiral Sir Alan Massey: “Using the latest technology means it is largely immaterial where co-ordination centres are geographically located.” Modernisation, which most staff accept is necessary, is the driver rather than cuts, he says, expecting a future of “tackling more challenging jobs with new skills and getting better pay in return”. But the framework published in December, Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century, proposes an overall staff reduction from 596 to 370 over four years, with only a slight increase from 80 to 105 in full-timers supporting volunteers in the Coastguard Rescue Service, while station-based colleagues drop from 491 to 248 and those at MCA headquarters in Southampton from 25 to 17. “There’s beginning to be talk about individual stations continuing if they can make a convincing business plan,” says Humber coastguard watch officer Paul Chapman. “We’re getting more hopeful that the current approach will be scrapped and we’ll all sit down to discuss one which will work.” Staff want to get on with that, he says, because uncertainty is leeching experienced coastguards from the service, with stations such as Yarmouth, Thames, Forth and Holyhead suffering losses. Meanwhile the busiest season for the UK’s 11,000-mile coastline has started, with 17 people involved in emergency calls to the coastguard since the start of this month. David Cameron has warned that changes will be made only if they improve services. And at Maker church and beyond, mourners for Neil Murray contemplated his wife’s warning to her fellow MPs not to lose respect for “one of the most beautiful but dangerous elements in the world. If we lose that respect and believe that we can beat the sea, we are finished”. Emergency services Public sector cuts Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk
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Entrepreneurs and executives who supported chancellor’s aggressive measures now concerned about weak growth Some of the UK’s most prominent business leaders, including individuals who gave their personal stamp of approval to the chancellor’s aggressive spending cuts, have said they have growing concerns about the state of the economy, warning of weak growth and rising inflation ahead. Archie Norman, the former Tory MP who now chairs ITV, said the government’s growth targets were too optimistic. The former Asda boss Andy Bond, Carphone Warehouse founder Charles Dunstone, Tory peer Lord Wolfson, who runs Next, and Yell chairman Bob Wigley predicted tough times ahead as soaring inflation dents consumer spending power, although they continue to support George Osborne’s austerity strategy. Bond expressed doubt about the ability of the private sector to create as many jobs as hoped. “I don’t think the private sector is going to be able to pick up the slack in this climate,” he said. Bond, who ran the UK’s second largest supermarket chain for five years, forecast a two-year “retail recession” earlier this week. He was one of 35 bosses who signed a letter to the Daily Telegraph six months ago supporting George Osborne’s plan to slash the deficit and arguing that businesses “should be more than capable of generating additional jobs to replace those lost in the public sector”. Luke Johnson, the entrepreneur and former owner of Pizza Express, said the government should “stick to its guns” but added: “I admit the recovery is weak, but we have to stay the course. If we waver, living standards would deteriorate even further.” Their comments come at the end of a week in which major high street names including Halfords, Mothercare and HMV said sales had slumped and the off-licence chain Oddbins toppled into administration. The fragility of the recovery is spelled out by the number of public companies warning of falling profits, which hit a two-year high in the first three months of the year. The new tax year on Wednesday triggered sweeping changes to the tax and benefits system that leave the average household about £200 worse off. The measures kicked in as figures confirmed that take-home pay fell for the first time in three decades in 2010 because prices climbed faster than incomes. The Office for National Statistics measured a 0.8% decline and predicted that would worsen to 2.0% this year. With retailers’ costs rising sharply, at a time when anxious shoppers are tightening their belts, they are on the front line of the battle over whether the government’s policies have pulled the economy back from the brink, or driven it towards a fresh disaster. Rocketing global oil prices caused by the unrest in the Middle East, and record cotton prices, are adding to price pressures that have sent inflation to 4.4%, more than double the Bank of England’s target. Wolfson, a government adviser who also signed the Telegraph letter, said it was “not a question of being pro-cuts” but “recognising the alternative is even worse for business”. He said inflation was the biggest problem: “We believe inflation is exerting a greater burden on our customers’ finances than government cuts or lack of credit.” The toxic cocktail means prices – also fuelled by higher VAT – are rising across the high street. Next has pushed its prices up by 8% while at Marks & Spencer the average is 6%. To keep a lid on inflation, M&S is looking to shift some of its manufacturing out of China to central Asia where manufacturing costs are lower. Norman said he had little sympathy for what he called “special pleading” by some retailers as he agreed with Wolfson that the main worry was inflation, rather than cuts. He added: “A lot of people like me are worried that government projections for growth are too optimistic.” Dunstone said: “It’s going to be tough for the retail sector but burying your head in the sand and hoping things get better never works. We have to take responsibility for our destiny.” Wigley said the chancellor had introduced business-friendly measures but life for small firms was “difficult”. George Osborne Tax and spending Spending review 2010 Archie Norman Luke Johnson Retail industry Office for National Statistics Zoe Wood Richard Wachman guardian.co.uk
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‘My most unappealing habit? My innate wish to find the best in everyone, even my enemies. And lying’ Mark Thomas was born in 1963 and raised in London. He was educated at boarding school and went on to be a standup. In 1996, Channel 4 gave him his own series, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product , and he began to combine comedy with political activism. In 2004, he won the Global Defence of Human Rights award. His current tour , and new book , Extreme Rambling, is about his walk along the entire Israeli separation barrier. When were you happiest? A minute after getting married. The registrar asked my wife how she felt. She replied, “Trapped!” Perfect. What is your greatest fear? Getting asked to go on a reality TV programme and agreeing. What is your earliest memory? My mum cooking on a Baby Belling Which living person do you most admire, and why? Nick Clegg: his ability to wake up each day, look in the mirror and not put a gun in his mouth is astounding. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Modesty. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Indifference to me. What would your super power be? I just want to get through each day without the need to shut my eyes for 10 minutes. If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose? Nationalised industries. Who would play you in the film of your life? That bloke from the Go Compare ad . What is your most unappealing habit? My innate wish to find the best in everyone, even my enemies. The ease with which I forgive. And lying. What is your favourite book? Nigel Slater’s Appetite , easily the book I refer to most. What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you? “I am afraid he died.” What do you owe your parents? An upbringing imbued with the Protestant work ethic, and a working knowledge of every swearword and its combinations by the age of eight. What or who is the love of your life? Me. Which living person do you most despise, and why? Rupert Murdoch – if you are going to
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enlarge Newt n’ Bob And the Capitol Hill Follies Of 1995. Click here to view this media With yet another Government shutdown looming, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the last one – the one that lasted a while in 1995 . The last time the Republicans had a majority and got everyone in an uproar. Finger pointing everywhere. Accusations flew like confetti and the Government shutdown and sent some 800,000 workers home. It ended badly and it will most likely end badly again, but there are those who just loves them some chaos. So, as a reminder . . .here is the news via NPR’s Morning Edition for November 14, 1995.
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Like Liverpool 45 years ago, Tottenham Hotspur found that pace means nothing without the ball The Champions League broadens horizons but it also sharpens perspectives. What may be laudable in domestic competitions can be a handicap on the bigger stage. Aspiring teams, confident of their abilities, are apt to find the Champions League a humbling experience. Wednesday’s opening leg of the quarter-final between Chelsea and Manchester United would have passed muster as a Premier League fixture. It was more entertaining than the series of clinches that are usually the case when these teams meet. The football was fast and eventful and there was plenty of goalmouth action. In Champions League terms, however, the standard of much of the play was indifferent. There were too many unforced errors and the ball was given away with depressing regularity. The one moment of genuine class was the superb touch with which Ryan Giggs met Michael Carrick’s crossfield pass before setting up Wayne Rooney for the winning goal. Perhaps we have all been spoiled by Barcelona. Teams of this quality come along once in a generation, if football is lucky, so everybody else is bound to suffer by comparison. Nevertheless, Barça are the ones to beat and, as Arsenal showed at the Emirates, they can be defeated. Last season, moreover, José Mourinho’s Internazionale found the organisation and the firepower to overcome Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals and Chelsea and Manchester United have each beaten them in recent tournaments. But that was then. The likelihood of a team emerging from a generally fallow season in the Premier League to take on Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and the rest and emerge triumphant was always doubtful. Manchester United are now the only serious candidates. Chelsea are hard to take seriously with their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who was compelled to play Fernando Torres ahead of Nicolas Anelka as Didier Drogba’s partner in a Champions League quarter-final. Watching Torres fumble his way through the match while TV cut away to Roman Abramovich viewing his £50m signing impassively from the back of the stand, was to be reminded of the moment in Citizen Kane when the great man’s protege is singing her little heart out and the camera pans up to two stage hands on a platform high above. One looks at the other and their eyes meet in silent disapproval. On Tuesday night, Tottenham Hotspur could be said to have joined Arsenal in suffering the Camp Nou experience, except that their conquerors were not Barcelona but Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Spurs, like Arsenal, had a player, Peter Crouch, sent off. Yet, even if they had remained at full strength, it was difficult to see how they would have been able to retain possession long enough to get the ball up to the tall
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Starting today and continuing through the weekend, two George Soros sponsored conferences will be taking place in New England. In Boston, a conference discusses means to “Change the World,” by changing the media. And, while we certainly agree that the media need changing, we’d prefer change that reflected the values of hard-working Americans as opposed to those of a billionaire socialist intent on taking the U.S. down a notch. A second conference 150 miles north in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire will feature lefty academics and activists planning the best way to remake the global economy with a one world government, global currency, and even more power for anti-American forces in the United Nations. But don't worry, there will be reporters there from The Washington Post, NBC, PBS (thanks taxpayers!) and many other liberal media fixtures. Unsurprisingly they won't be reporting on what the lefties are planning for the rest of us, but rather participating in the conferences themselves. We'll be delivering petitions to the news outlets that have reporters participating in these events, demanding that they at least let the American people know what these socialists have planned for us. Click here to add your name and join the fight .
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As top Tories draw up list of undermined ministers, allies say health secretary has been ‘abandoned’ over reforms Kenneth Clarke has complained in private about the treatment of the health secretary, Andrew Lansley, amid mounting concerns across Whitehall that Downing Street abandons ministers when opposition grows to agreed policies. The justice secretary, who made his name as a radical health secretary under Margaret Thatcher, has told colleagues that the treatment of Lansley is unfair. Allies argue that Lansley has been humiliated in the past 10 days in an operation orchestrated by No 10 and George Osborne, amid alarm among Tory leaders at the backlash against the health reforms. Downing Street also felt it had to act after the Liberal Democrats voted against the reforms at their spring conference. The chancellor’s circle were first to let it be known that the health secretary’s controversial proposals to hand 60% of the NHS budget to new GP-led consortiums would be delayed. On Wednesday Lansley had to appear alongside Cameron and Nick Clegg to announce that the passage of the health and social care bill would be paused for two months while a “listening exercise” is held to take on board the concerns of health professionals. One figure familiar with the thinking in Downing Street explained the approach, saying: “We have to get the bill through the House of Lords which means we have to make changes. It is as simple as that. It was a case of summoning a cabinet minister to No 10, giving him a pen and notepad and telling him what will happen. That is what you have to do. David Cameron does not want to go into the election 20 points behind Labour on health.” Senior Tories believe a pattern of behaviour is emerging in which Downing Street agrees a policy then abandons the minister when opposition grows. Lansley’s central reform – to hand commissioning powers to GPs – was at the heart of the Tory plans for the NHS in the party’s general election manifesto. The coalition agreement was less clear cut, though Lansley was not directly involved in the negotiations with the Lib Dems. One Whitehall source said: “One whiff of gunpowder and Downing Street runs away. People also think there is the whiff of cowardice in No 10 when it comes to arguing the merits of policies that have been agreed. Andrew Lansley was appointed by Cameron who knew two key things about him. He has a deep knowledge of the NHS and is not a good communicator. Now he is being hung out to dry.” Senior Tories are drawing up lists of ministers who have been undermined by No 10 despite agreement on policies: • Kenneth Clarke and knife crime. A consultation paper, Breaking the Cycle, which was agreed with No 10, ditched Cameron’s election campaign pledge to jail anyone convicted of carrying a knife. Downing Street sources briefed against Clarke after tabloids reacted against his plans. • Caroline Spelman and forests. The environment secretary agreed her proposals to change the ownership of 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland. But a backlash, led by the Sunday Telegraph, prompted a U-turn and an apology from Spelman ordered by No 10. • Lady Warsi and her speech in January in which she said that Islamophobia had “passed the dinner-table test”. Downing Street sources said that Warsi’s office did not clear the speech properly. But even her critics believe she was treated harshly. One source said: “Cabinet ministers are, one by one, drawing up the dots and realising there is no collegiality. They are being left on their own and isolated.” One veteran Tory, who has known Cameron for nearly 20 years, said: “David is very short termist. Everything he does is about getting good daily headlines. He also has a habit of leaving some colleagues high and dry. It is interesting that these never seem to include members of the prime minister’s Etonian circle.” Downing Street sources admit that they have struggled to take a grip over Whitehall. They blame a decision, which has recently been reversed, not to establish a traditional No 10 policy unit that shadows the work of individual departments. Lansley insists he is happy with the “listening exercise”, which is expected to lead to two major changes to the health and social care bill. The membership of the GP-led consortiums is likely to be widened to include clinicians and, in a nod to Liberal Democrats, they are likely to include more locally elected officials. Clarke has let it be known that he backs Lansley’s plans. “Ken is extremely supportive of the reforms but questions whether people have grasped the full magnitude,” one source said. Conservatives David Cameron Andrew Lansley Health policy George Osborne Kenneth Clarke Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
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Royal Navy serviceman held after an officer died of gunshot wounds on board the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Astute A Royal Navy serviceman is being held on suspicion of murder after an officer died of gunshot wounds and a second was seriously injured on board a nuclear-powered submarine. HMS Astute was docked in Southampton on a goodwill visit. Dignitaries including the city’s mayor were having lunch on board and a group of children was on the quayside at the time. There were calls for a full and open inquiry to establish if the public was in danger and campaigners said it should prompt a rethink about the wisdom of using nuclear submarines. The police and navy emphasised that submarine security was not breached and were convinced it was not a terrorist incident. A navy spokesman said: “There is no nuclear incident .” It is understood that the two victims were male officers and the weapon was an SA80 rifle. The alleged shooter is understood to have been on sentry duty and the shooting happened during a changeover between shifts. It is understood he was grabbed by other navy personnel who handed him over to Ministry of Defence police there as part of the civic visit. Sources said the motive was unclear. The ambulance service said the man who was killed was certified dead on board.Police said the second man suffered “significant injuries” but described his condition as stable. Among the visitors were the leader of Southampton city council, Royston Smith, the mayor, Carol Cunio, and the chief executive, Alistair Meill. They remained on board for several hours while police took statements. A council spokesman said: “As when any ship comes in, they went on board for a lunch and a look around.” Forensic experts were working on board and Hampshire police’s major crime department were interviewing everyone aboard, around 30 people. All crew will eventually be questioned. John Denham, the Labour MP for Southampton Itchen and a former cabinet member, expressed concern about security. He said: “I will be asking ministers to ensure this incident is fully explained with complete openness about any potential risk to the public.” Di McDonald, chair of the Nuclear Information Service, which promotes awareness of nuclear disarmament, said the incident ought to prompt a rethink on the value of confining men in such an unnatural and pressurised environment. Adele Stevens, 24, who was sunbathing in a park opposite the docks, said: “I’d be worried to hear about any shooting but to hear it has happened on a nuclear sub is even more worrying – the bullet could have bounced off anything.” The government said it was important not to pre-judge the police investigation. Liam Fox, the defence secretary, said: “It is right and proper that a full police investigation is carried out. My thoughts and sympathies are with those affected.” Astute, which has a crew of 98, was the first of a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarine. The five-day visit to Southampton was billed as the first time members of the public outside of Scotland and the north-west of England, where she was built, would get to see her. The submarine was due to leave Southampton tomorrow ) but her departure is likely to be delayed. She was launched in 2007 and commissioned last year only to hit the headlines when she grounded off Skye in October. Military Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Confession that practice was rife is likely to cost News International millions of pounds in compensation Rupert Murdoch’s News International has issued a public apology to eight victims of phone hacking, including Sienna Miller and Tessa Jowell, and admitted for the first time that the practice was rife at the News of the World. In a move likely to cost the company many millions of pounds, it said it would offer compensation to some of the 24 high-profile figures who have started legal proceedings against the paper in the high court for breach of privacy. It also admitted its previous investigations into hacking had not been “sufficiently robust”. The unprecedented statement of contrition is a remarkable volte face for the country’s most powerful news organisation, which was claiming until the start of this year, in the face of growing evidence to the contrary, that hacking was the work of a single reporter. It comes as a Scotland Yard investigation into phone hacking gathers pace. The News of the World’s chief reporter, Neville Thurlbeck, was questioned by police on Tuesday along with Ian Edmondson, who was sacked as associate editor (news) in January. The company said it had decided to offer an “unreserved apology” in certain cases but it would continue to fight others, including claims brought by Steve Coogan and the jockey Kieren Fallon. “Past behaviour at the News of the World in relation to voicemail interception is a matter of genuine regret,” it said. “It is now apparent that our previous inquiries failed to uncover important evidence and we acknowledge our actions then were not sufficiently robust.” At least one of the victims indicated privately that she was unlikely to accept News International’s offer, although others – including Miller – are believed to be considering the proposal. Lord Prescott, who is suing the Metropolitan police over its handling of the original 2006 phone-hacking inquiry, said: “The NoW has now admitted mass criminality.” He repeated his call for Murdoch’s bid for BSkyB to be blocked until the hacking allegations have been investigated fully. The eight people to be offered compensation, likely to be an estimated £100,000 each, include Joan Hammell, one of Prescott’s former advisers, and Jowell’s ex-husband, David Mills. The others are football agent Sky Andrew, Andy Gray, who was sacked as a Sky Sports presenter this year, publicist Nicola Phillips and Kelly Hoppen, the interior designer who is Sienna Miller’s mother-in-law. News International insiders said more offers are certain to follow as further evidence emerges in court cases. The action is an attempt to prevent further damaging revelations about hacking at the paper emerging in the course of court hearings, the first of which will take place in the autumn. Over the next few weeks, NI will be forced to hand over hundreds of internal emails sent by reporters and executives relating to Miller and Andrew in order to comply with a high court order. They could reveal how much senior executives at the paper knew about the activities of Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who worked for the NoW. Asked at a New York media conference about the damage hacking has inflicted on the company, Rupert Murdoch’s son James, who was promoted last week to become the third most powerful executive in his father’s media empire, said it had isolated the issue. He said: “What we were able to do is really put this problem into a box. If you get everybody sucked into something like that, then the whole business will sputter which you don’t want.” But Rod Dadak, a partner at the law firm Lewis Slikin, said dozens of potential victims would now scramble to launch legal claims in the expectation of receiving generous payouts. That could leave NI facing a bill of up to £40m. “The admission of liability is just the beginning,” he said. “The list of people who will now claim their phone may have been hacked will grow immeasurably.” Evidence seized from Mulcaire by the Met suggests that he targeted more than 3,000 people on the instructions of executives at the paper. Andrew Neil, an ex-Murdoch executive who edited the Sunday Times for a decade, said: “This is one of the most embarrassing apologies I’ve ever seen from a major British corporation. I don’t think NI had anywhere else to go. The evidence was piling up against them. It may cost them a lot more than they think. There are plenty of other people involved. They are trying to close it down with their chequebook but I don’t think they’re going to succeed.” Charlotte Harris, a media lawyer at Mischon de Reya, who represents Andrew, said: “An admission from the News of the World is something we’ve been working towards for years now. They persisted with their ‘one rogue’ defence for far too long. It was clear for a very long time that the practice of phone hacking was rife and that the News of the World should take responsibility. I hope these apologies do not come at the cost of finding out precisely what happened and who was responsible for covering it up.” James Robinson guardian.co.uk
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