A British man has been killed in Florida, the Foreign Office has said A British man has been killed in Florida, the Foreign Office said today. Reports suggest he may have been fatally injured during a shooting yesterday in Miami. The man’s family has been told of his death but his identity has not been released. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We can confirm the death of a British national in Florida on April 16. Next of kin have been informed.” More details soon United States guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Joshua Holland on Republicans Plans to Lower Wages and The Big Lie on Raising Taxes
April 17, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media From C-SPAN’s Book TV, Joshua Holland, editor and senior writer at AlterNet discussed his book, The Fifteen Biggest Lies about the Economy: And Everything Else the Right Doesn’t Want You to Know about Taxes, Jobs, and Corporate America . It’s nice to see another liberal manage to make their way into the bastion of right wingnuttery that generally fills the air time of that series at C-SPAN. You can watch the entire segment at C-SPAN’s web site here . In the clip above, Joshua discussed some topics he recently wrote about at AlterNet. The GOP’s Absurd Plan for the Economy: Lowering YOUR Wages : Earlier this month, House Republicans laid out a perverse plan to lower working Americans’ wages, supposedly in a bid to get employers to hire more of them ( PDF ). One would be hard-pressed to find a better example of the “race to the bottom.” Republican staffers on the Joint Economic Committee released the study in response to widespread criticism that the deep public sector cuts they’ve advocated threaten to derail an already anemic “recovery” — economist Mark Zandi estimated last month that if enacted, the spending cuts would cost the U.S. economy 700,000 jobs through 2012. So, as Tim Fernholz and Jim Tankersley wrote in the National Journal , the GOP report “makes the party’s … case that fiscal consolidation (read: spending cuts) can spur immediate economic growth and reduce unemployment.” The paper calls for cuts that are “large, credible, and politically difficult to reverse once made,” and offers a typical conservative fantasy about shuttering entire federal agencies. But topping the list of what should be on the Republicans’ chopping block is “decreasing the number and compensation of government workers,” which the staffers say will spur job creation because “a smaller government workforce increases the available supply of educated, skilled workers for private firms, thus lowering labor costs.” Read on… Tax Day Question: Who’s Paying What? : The right’s anti-tax crusade has been so successful that in 2010 the federal government collected a smaller share of our economic output in taxes than it had in 60 years. That’s created a large deficit, which is now being used to justify cuts to popular social programs. Taxes have decreased dramatically for most American households since Ronald Reagan came to offcie 30 years ago. But our overall level of taxation, on average, obscures who’s paying how much. So, on this tax day, let’s take a look at the way federal tax rates for different income levels have changed since 1981 (using this handy calculator and adjusted for inflation to 2010 dollars). Lots more facts and figures there, so go read the rest. And from the video above, here was Holland’s response to a question on lowering the corporate tax rate in America that the right is constantly screaming needs to be done. HOLLAND: It’s based on a very false premise. There is the nominal tax rate, and that is the tax rate that is written in the books. That’s the law that they passed. Okay, we have a 35% corporate tax rate in the United States and that is one of the highest in the world. That’s the kernel of truth around which an utter fabrication is built. The nominal tax rate, what you write in the books is inconsequential next to the effective tax rate. Which means what they write in checks. Now our effective tax rate is about half what our nominal tax rate is because corporate America’s lobbyists have effectively won so many loopholes, and manipulated the tax code in a way that they’re paying far, far less than the nominal, official corporate tax rate of 35%. Now, let me add something. 2/3 of all major US corporations pay no taxes at all. This week the big story was General Electric. General Electric is not only not paying taxes, they took a $3.2 billion tax benefit. What does that mean? That means that you and I are paying General Electric out of our taxes, we’re paying them effectively. So this idea is simply based on using a number that’s inconsequential, our nominal tax rate. And if anybody wanted to make a deal with “the left”, if they could find “the left” to drop the nominal rates and increase the effective rates by closing loopholes, we’d be all for that. I’d be all for it too if it wasn’t likely our bought and sold politicians wouldn’t just go put a bunch of new ones back in there for them.
Continue reading …Tea Party Congressman Scolds Christiane Amanpour and Media for Not Criticizing Obama More
April 17, 2011 No Comment
Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) had quite an illuminating discussion with Christiane Amanpour Sunday. As the host of ABC's “This Week” pushed for higher taxes, Walsh correctly pointed out that Barack Obama's first 2012 budget proposed earlier in the year didn't address entitlement programs saying, “The President of the United States ought to be ashamed of himself, and I don't know why your profession hasn't gotten on him more” (video follows with transcript and commentary): CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: Alight, well you raised revenue problem. Let me ask you too, Congressman Walsh and Southerland. The Ryan budget does not talk about raising revenues. President Obama’s proposal does. Eliminating tax cuts on the wealthy. Can you really sustain what everybody is calling for just by cuts in public services? Doesn't there need to be revenue raising mechanism? CONGRESSMAN STEVE SOUTHERLAND (R-FLORIDA): Go ahead, Joe. CONGRESSMAN JOE WALSH (R-ILLINOIS): Christiane, you raise revenue by growing the economy, and everything this president has done the last two years has gone against that. You get taxes and regulations off the backs of businesses so that revenues can increase. AMANPOUR: I know, I know that that is your position, but there's so much evidence, even going back to Ronald Reagan, where he did tax cuts and in fact the debt increase then he had to make tax increases. I mean, can you really cut public spending by that amount and just expect to balance the budget? WALSH: But, and Steve will say this, in the '80s government revenues went up. We didn't cut spending. Revenues went up in the ’80s. Every time we’ve cut taxes revenues have gone up, the economy has grown. Look, Christiane, I've said this before. The President of the United States ought to be ashamed of himself, and I don't know why your profession hasn't gotten on him more. Two months ago he presents a budget and doesn't even talk about entitlement reform. And then all of a sudden last week he gets a redo? The Republicans are leading on this, perfectly prepared to take whatever political hits we have to take, because the crisis is so severe. I wish he’d be a part of this. AMANPOUR: That is an interesting point you made, about taking the hits that you have to take, because, for instance, there are all sorts of ads now, going out, about Medicare, and being careful about it. You know, the Republicans actually tried to put those ads out in 2010 and did get seniors on their side. So are you not concerned that these cuts and this restructuring of Medicare is actually not going to be good for you at the voting? SOUTHERLAND: Well, listen, great leadership understands that sometimes you’re going to take hits and you don't make this decision, you don't make decisions in the best interests of the American people and expect to be applauded for everything you do. Look, we have dug ourselves a hole, and the only way that we can dig ourselves out or climb out of this hole is to make some very difficult decisions. I've said numerous times here on the Hill, I may lose 2012, but I'm not going to lose me in this process. And so we've got to, if we care about these programs, we have to make decisions now in order to save them. AMANPOUR: Alright, well, thank you very much indeed, all of you for joining us. First, notice how emphatically Amanpour was pushing for tax hikes. Since Obama called for them in his new plan this week, media member after media member has been strongly advocating this. Such was quite evident on all of the political talk shows Sunday. That said, Walsh made a fabulous point about how the press gave Obama a pass this week with his budget redo as they were mercilessly attacking Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.). What has been totally forgotten by his devoted press is how back in February when the President offered his first 2012 budget proposal, there were many in the media that recognized how it largely ignored the recommendations of his debt commission as well as any cuts to entitlement programs. This led Ryan to offer a proposal which did address Medicare and Medicaid, and he got lambasted by the same press that complained in February that Obama ignored such issues. Last week, the President in his budget redo vaguely talked about Medicare fixes without naming any specifics whatsoever, and the media not only forgot about their concerns about this two months ago, but they're also now actually praising him as being bold despite his obvious cowardice. The conclusion to be drawn is that these folks were never actually serious about wanting cuts in entitlement programs. What they desire is tax hikes on the so-called rich which they always view as the panacea for all that ails us. Now that Obama has proposed this, their previous concerns have been withdrawn, and he's once again their hero. Any questions?
Continue reading …Descending Into Madness: Glenn Beck Says The Republican Party Is Trying To Politically Assassinate Him, Bachmann and Palin
April 17, 2011 No Comment(h/t Media Matters) He’s losing it. It’s only a matter of time before the men with the strait jacket show up. In Beckistan, not only is world controlled by Soros-funded liberals, but the GOP now wants to “politically assassinate” him and his fellow truth tellers, Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin . On his radio show today, Glenn Beck claimed that the Republican Party is out to politically assassinate him, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann. [..] Beck said, “May I just, I mean they’re going to call me a conspiracy theorist, but let’s go on a little conspiracy here, and I don’t claim to know what it is, and maybe it’s all coincidental, but I don’t believe in coincidence. I think there’s something happening with the Republicans and the right that is disturbing. There was a time when Republicans and the right if you will didn’t mind the Tea Party. They used them as fuel, but if you’ll notice Michele Bachmann is now enemy number one. Michelle Bachmann is being discredited like I haven’t seen before, and they’ve tried for a while, but like I haven’t seen before. Even those in Congress are distancing themselves from the Tea Party and the caucus, and you can make excuses and maybe some of them are valid, maybe. “ He floated his conspiracy theory that the GOP was out to politically assassinate himself, Bachmann and Palin, “Sarah Palin has always been pilloried by the left, but have you noticed the right and how she’s being pilloried? The same with me. The same with CPAC. Are decks being cleared? Is it just a coincidence, or is the 2012 presidential election raising its head now, and anyone who talks about freedom, or is a real wild card that could hurt the party, are they being politically assassinated at this point?” I’m going to give him the contextual benefit of the doubt that he means “discredit” when he talks about “political assassination”, but it’s a little hard to be absolutely sure with Beck, isn’t it? Should members of the GOP fear the Beck ultra-loyalists, like Byron Williams ? Although he does not mention him by name, Beck is apparently nursing his wounded ego over being summarily dismissed as an unserious conspiracist by William Kristol and lashing out. For someone so eager to paint others in a conspiratorial light, he certainly is thin-skinned, as evidenced by his recent similar attacks on Lawrence O’Donnell .
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• Send your thoughts to gregg.roughley@guardian.co.uk • Look in on the FA Cup semi-final between Bolton and Stoke • And check all of today’s results and live scores here 21 min: Not very surprising news dept: Aurelio’s hamstring goes for the 457th time in his career and the 17-year-old left-back Jack Robinson replaces him. Jens Lehmann is five years older than Flanagan and Robinson combined! 19 min: “The boy Spearing, he looks a bit like he’s had Jim Fix It for him to play for Liverpool for the day. Odd lookin’ fella,” offers Steve Waterhouse. Walcott drifts over to the left and bursts past Carragher and plays a very dangerous ball in towards Van Persie, but Reina is electric off his line and gathers comfortably. 18 min: Arsenal are turning the screw. Van Persie whips in another fantastic free-kick towards Koscielny again after Aurelio gave away a free-kick on the right, but this time Skrtel leaps highest and clears the danger. 16 min: Arsenal hit the bar! Reina looks shaky again as he comes to punch clear a Van Persie corner, but the pace of the delivery catches him out and Koscielny gets to the ball before him and sends a powerful header thumping against the woodwork. 14 min: How good is Andy Carroll then. To answer Summer, in my opinion, Carroll is like a really powerful engine that’s full of dirt. Polished up a bit he could be very, very good. But, it’s still very early days in his career. 13 min: Arsenal are pressing Liverpool much more aggressively now. Reina is forced to clear long, with no options in midfield. 10 min: Reina spills a Walcott drive from 25 yards. At first look it looks like Reina has made a pig’s ear of it. At second look the ball swerves dramatically in mid-air and means Reina can only palm it away. Flanagan clears the danger. 9 min: Carroll gets his head to the corner but sends it high over the bar. On a second look at the Spearing penalty claim it looks like he had a good shout. Djourou’s tackle was clumsy, his knee knocking Spearing into, and then over, Carroll. “How good is Andy Carroll,” asks Summer Hayles. That’s a big one for an MBM Summer. 8 min: Corner for Liverpool. 7 min: It’s been a racey start this. Both teams moving the ball quickly on the floor. 5 min: Jay Spearing (he’s an odd looking lad isn’t he? Like David Thompson and an egg had relations) appeals for a penalty after Suarez crosses towards Andy Carroll and the midfielder latches on to the knockdown, but it looks like he trips over Carroll if anything. Suarez then wins a free-kick and sends it tamely into the arms of Szczesny from 25 yards. 3 min: Arsenal win a free-kick on the left. Nasri whips a brilliant ball in towards the penalty spot, where Diaby leaps highest and sends the ball scooting a foot past Reina’s right-hand post. It was a perfectly-weighted ball from Nasri. 2 min: “Stan Kroenke. All that money and he can’t afford a decent wig. How unfortunate.” Oh you cruel man Luke Stevenson. Arsenal set the early tempo, with Fabregas and Wilshere combining in midfield to set Walcott off down the right, but Aurelio makes a decent tackle. He’s fit today, so goes the rumour. He’s never really fit though. Aurelio that is. 1 min: We’re off. Liverpool win an early free-kick after a late tackle by Samir Nasri. 4.02pm: Impeccably observed. It’s time for kick-off. 4.01pm: There’ll be a minute’s silence for Danny Fitszman, the former Arsenal board member and visionary, who died this week, and for the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in the FA Cup semi-final in 1989. 3.59pm: “This title race needs a back pass from Carragher I think,” offers Jake Watson building up to something. “It’s a shame Gerrard isn’t playing today as he did a wonderful job of stopping Man United winning the title last season .” 3.56pm: Hmmm. For those who are wondering, I’m afraid the auto-update button isn’t working so you’ll have to hit F5 or really stretch yourself and use your mouse to hover over refresh and click it. I can assure you I have it switched on but technical gremlins have effed it up. 3.52pm: Djourou has recovered very quickly from his dislocated shoulder. I imagine Carroll will test his fitness out to the fullest today. An unfit Djourou is still less dodgy than Squillaci, I suppose. Although that’s not saying much … 3.50pm: Here’s Gary Naylor … “Liverpool don’t miss Steven Gerrard do they? When King Kenny played, he was a huge individual talent who, through his positioning, movement and vision, made everyone around him play better. When his successor as captain plays, he is a huge individual talent who, through his positioning, movement and vision, makes everyone around him play worse.” Against Manchester United Gerrard brought the best out of the players around him Gary, largely because he was carrying an injury and held his position in a holding role. So, I kind of agree with you. Perhaps next season he may be more disciplined as age and injury start to rob him of his mobility. 3.43pm: “Great to see you MBMing a Liverpool game Gregg! Thought that MBMs might have to declare their allegiance and be allowed to officiate neutral games only, as happens with refs (in England, up here in Scotland refs are free to be secret Masons, Knights of St.Columba etc and so on),” writes Ryan Dunne. “As for Liam Gallagher: surely being like Austin Powers is a step up from being in a band that aimed to be The Beatles and ended up as Status Quo?” Erm. Surely you’re not suggesting I might have some kind of preference for one team over another today Ryan. What an earth could make you think that? 3.38pm: John Bishop’s got ridiculously LA teeth. He’s from Runcorn. Nobody in Runcorn has teeth that white. 3.33pm: Musical hilarity section: When did Liam Gallagher become the new Austin Powers? 3.29pm: An early email: “As much I would enjoy seeing Arsenal really pushing United to the very end, I just don’t think they’ve got the bottle,” writes Rob Cobourne. “Liverpool are in fairly good form and I think Arsenal will crack under the pressure today before winning a couple at the end of the season when it’s too late. Suarez to star in a 2-1 Liverpool victory… bye bye record league titles!” 3.28pm: If Liverpool do win it will be bittersweet for many fans, as they’ll effectively be doing that funny brushing thing they do in curling to allow Manchester United a smooth run through to a record 19th title. This could be a very narrow match. Arsenal will likely line-up in a 4-3-2-1 formation with Walcott and Nasri as the wide men drifting inside to support Van Persie. Meireles and Kuyt won’t give Liverpool much width either hence my prediction of a tight 1-1 draw. Liverpool are unchanged from the match against Manchester City in a likely 4-4-2 formation with Suarez just behind Carroll. They have the 18-year-old John Flanagan at right-back again. He did very well on his debut last Monday but he’ll need every high-pitched squeel of advice from Jamie Carragher as he comes up against Arsenal’s best player this season, Samir Nasri. Teams Arsenal: Szczesny, Eboue, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Diaby, Wilshere, Walcott, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie. Subs: Lehmann, Song, Squillaci, Arshavin, Gibbs, Chamakh, Bendtner. Liverpool: Reina, Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Kuyt, Spearing, Lucas, Meireles, Suarez, Carroll. Subs: Gulacsi, Cole, Kyrgiakos, Maxi, Ngog, Shelvey, Robinson. Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands) Preamble If Arsenal win today they close the gap to Manchester United to four points. Beat Spurs at White Hart Lane on Wednesday and they’re only a point off the top with Bolton at the Reebok sandwiched between United’s visit to the Emirates on 1 May, a match in which they can show the world that they do have the balls to win the title but probably won’t because they’ll probably draw with Liverpool, beat Spurs and lose away at Bolton beforehand . Anyway, much has gone on since Arsenal drew with Liverpool 1-1 on a balmy sunny day at Anfield last August: Javier Mascherano has taken his hairy legs to Barcelona, Crazy Jens is back at the Emirates, Roy Hodgson was a Liverpool manager for 48 seconds, someone was shot dead for eating popcorn too loudly , Jack Wilshere proved that Englishmen can pass, Kenny Dalglish set a new Dubai to Liverpool world record, Colonel Gaddafi proved once and for all that he is definitely more cranky than Sir Alex Ferguson, Fernando Torres made himself about as popular on Merseyside as the Tories, and as for them … let’s not go there. But for all that, I reckon the score will be exactly as it was on the opening day: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool The greatest ever Arsenal v Liverpool match: Final score 11-10 Premier League Arsenal Liverpool Gregg Roughley guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Send your thoughts to gregg.roughley@guardian.co.uk • Look in on the FA Cup semi-final between Bolton and Stoke • And check all of today’s results and live scores here 21 min: Not very surprising news dept: Aurelio’s hamstring goes for the 457th time in his career and the 17-year-old left-back Jack Robinson replaces him. Jens Lehmann is five years older than Flanagan and Robinson combined! 19 min: “The boy Spearing, he looks a bit like he’s had Jim Fix It for him to play for Liverpool for the day. Odd lookin’ fella,” offers Steve Waterhouse. Walcott drifts over to the left and bursts past Carragher and plays a very dangerous ball in towards Van Persie, but Reina is electric off his line and gathers comfortably. 18 min: Arsenal are turning the screw. Van Persie whips in another fantastic free-kick towards Koscielny again after Aurelio gave away a free-kick on the right, but this time Skrtel leaps highest and clears the danger. 16 min: Arsenal hit the bar! Reina looks shaky again as he comes to punch clear a Van Persie corner, but the pace of the delivery catches him out and Koscielny gets to the ball before him and sends a powerful header thumping against the woodwork. 14 min: How good is Andy Carroll then. To answer Summer, in my opinion, Carroll is like a really powerful engine that’s full of dirt. Polished up a bit he could be very, very good. But, it’s still very early days in his career. 13 min: Arsenal are pressing Liverpool much more aggressively now. Reina is forced to clear long, with no options in midfield. 10 min: Reina spills a Walcott drive from 25 yards. At first look it looks like Reina has made a pig’s ear of it. At second look the ball swerves dramatically in mid-air and means Reina can only palm it away. Flanagan clears the danger. 9 min: Carroll gets his head to the corner but sends it high over the bar. On a second look at the Spearing penalty claim it looks like he had a good shout. Djourou’s tackle was clumsy, his knee knocking Spearing into, and then over, Carroll. “How good is Andy Carroll,” asks Summer Hayles. That’s a big one for an MBM Summer. 8 min: Corner for Liverpool. 7 min: It’s been a racey start this. Both teams moving the ball quickly on the floor. 5 min: Jay Spearing (he’s an odd looking lad isn’t he? Like David Thompson and an egg had relations) appeals for a penalty after Suarez crosses towards Andy Carroll and the midfielder latches on to the knockdown, but it looks like he trips over Carroll if anything. Suarez then wins a free-kick and sends it tamely into the arms of Szczesny from 25 yards. 3 min: Arsenal win a free-kick on the left. Nasri whips a brilliant ball in towards the penalty spot, where Diaby leaps highest and sends the ball scooting a foot past Reina’s right-hand post. It was a perfectly-weighted ball from Nasri. 2 min: “Stan Kroenke. All that money and he can’t afford a decent wig. How unfortunate.” Oh you cruel man Luke Stevenson. Arsenal set the early tempo, with Fabregas and Wilshere combining in midfield to set Walcott off down the right, but Aurelio makes a decent tackle. He’s fit today, so goes the rumour. He’s never really fit though. Aurelio that is. 1 min: We’re off. Liverpool win an early free-kick after a late tackle by Samir Nasri. 4.02pm: Impeccably observed. It’s time for kick-off. 4.01pm: There’ll be a minute’s silence for Danny Fitszman, the former Arsenal board member and visionary, who died this week, and for the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives against Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough in the FA Cup semi-final in 1989. 3.59pm: “This title race needs a back pass from Carragher I think,” offers Jake Watson building up to something. “It’s a shame Gerrard isn’t playing today as he did a wonderful job of stopping Man United winning the title last season .” 3.56pm: Hmmm. For those who are wondering, I’m afraid the auto-update button isn’t working so you’ll have to hit F5 or really stretch yourself and use your mouse to hover over refresh and click it. I can assure you I have it switched on but technical gremlins have effed it up. 3.52pm: Djourou has recovered very quickly from his dislocated shoulder. I imagine Carroll will test his fitness out to the fullest today. An unfit Djourou is still less dodgy than Squillaci, I suppose. Although that’s not saying much … 3.50pm: Here’s Gary Naylor … “Liverpool don’t miss Steven Gerrard do they? When King Kenny played, he was a huge individual talent who, through his positioning, movement and vision, made everyone around him play better. When his successor as captain plays, he is a huge individual talent who, through his positioning, movement and vision, makes everyone around him play worse.” Against Manchester United Gerrard brought the best out of the players around him Gary, largely because he was carrying an injury and held his position in a holding role. So, I kind of agree with you. Perhaps next season he may be more disciplined as age and injury start to rob him of his mobility. 3.43pm: “Great to see you MBMing a Liverpool game Gregg! Thought that MBMs might have to declare their allegiance and be allowed to officiate neutral games only, as happens with refs (in England, up here in Scotland refs are free to be secret Masons, Knights of St.Columba etc and so on),” writes Ryan Dunne. “As for Liam Gallagher: surely being like Austin Powers is a step up from being in a band that aimed to be The Beatles and ended up as Status Quo?” Erm. Surely you’re not suggesting I might have some kind of preference for one team over another today Ryan. What an earth could make you think that? 3.38pm: John Bishop’s got ridiculously LA teeth. He’s from Runcorn. Nobody in Runcorn has teeth that white. 3.33pm: Musical hilarity section: When did Liam Gallagher become the new Austin Powers? 3.29pm: An early email: “As much I would enjoy seeing Arsenal really pushing United to the very end, I just don’t think they’ve got the bottle,” writes Rob Cobourne. “Liverpool are in fairly good form and I think Arsenal will crack under the pressure today before winning a couple at the end of the season when it’s too late. Suarez to star in a 2-1 Liverpool victory… bye bye record league titles!” 3.28pm: If Liverpool do win it will be bittersweet for many fans, as they’ll effectively be doing that funny brushing thing they do in curling to allow Manchester United a smooth run through to a record 19th title. This could be a very narrow match. Arsenal will likely line-up in a 4-3-2-1 formation with Walcott and Nasri as the wide men drifting inside to support Van Persie. Meireles and Kuyt won’t give Liverpool much width either hence my prediction of a tight 1-1 draw. Liverpool are unchanged from the match against Manchester City in a likely 4-4-2 formation with Suarez just behind Carroll. They have the 18-year-old John Flanagan at right-back again. He did very well on his debut last Monday but he’ll need every high-pitched squeel of advice from Jamie Carragher as he comes up against Arsenal’s best player this season, Samir Nasri. Teams Arsenal: Szczesny, Eboue, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Diaby, Wilshere, Walcott, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie. Subs: Lehmann, Song, Squillaci, Arshavin, Gibbs, Chamakh, Bendtner. Liverpool: Reina, Flanagan, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Kuyt, Spearing, Lucas, Meireles, Suarez, Carroll. Subs: Gulacsi, Cole, Kyrgiakos, Maxi, Ngog, Shelvey, Robinson. Referee: Andre Marriner (W Midlands) Preamble If Arsenal win today they close the gap to Manchester United to four points. Beat Spurs at White Hart Lane on Wednesday and they’re only a point off the top with Bolton at the Reebok sandwiched between United’s visit to the Emirates on 1 May, a match in which they can show the world that they do have the balls to win the title but probably won’t because they’ll probably draw with Liverpool, beat Spurs and lose away at Bolton beforehand . Anyway, much has gone on since Arsenal drew with Liverpool 1-1 on a balmy sunny day at Anfield last August: Javier Mascherano has taken his hairy legs to Barcelona, Crazy Jens is back at the Emirates, Roy Hodgson was a Liverpool manager for 48 seconds, someone was shot dead for eating popcorn too loudly , Jack Wilshere proved that Englishmen can pass, Kenny Dalglish set a new Dubai to Liverpool world record, Colonel Gaddafi proved once and for all that he is definitely more cranky than Sir Alex Ferguson, Fernando Torres made himself about as popular on Merseyside as the Tories, and as for them … let’s not go there. But for all that, I reckon the score will be exactly as it was on the opening day: Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool The greatest ever Arsenal v Liverpool match: Final score 11-10 Premier League Arsenal Liverpool Gregg Roughley guardian.co.uk
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Lib Dem MP John Hemmings fears reporters could face imprisonment simply for asking questions, creating a ‘recipe for hiding miscarriages of justice’ An MP who is launching an inquiry into excessive and possibly unlawful court secrecy says a new type of gagging order is hampering the work of investigative journalists. John Hemming said the new breed of injunction, which was used in relation to a case in the high court in London last week, meant journalists could face jail simply for asking questions. “This goes a step further than preventing people speaking out against injustice,” said Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley and a longtime campaigner against secrecy . “It has the effect of preventing journalists from speaking to people subject to this injunction without a risk of the journalist going to jail. That is a recipe for hiding miscarriages of justice.” Hemming has labelled the new gagging order the “quaero injunction” after the Latin word “to seek”. “It puts any investigative journalist at risk if they ask any questions of a victim of a potential miscarriage of justice … I don’t think this should be allowed in English courts.” There has been growing concern over the use of gagging orders in UK courts. It is not known precisely how many superinjunctions have been issued, but an informed legal estimate is that as many as 20 have been granted in the UK over the last 18 months. In the most notorious case, the oil trader Trafigura last year briefly obtained a superinjunction against the Guardian to suppress a leaked report on its toxic waste dumping, which even prevented reporting proceedings in parliament. Earlier this month, Hemming highlighted a new type of hyperinjunction which forbids the recipient talking to their MP. He says he is now launching an inquiry in parliament into excess court secrecy and is planning to collect a range of gagging orders that he will then analyse and present to the justice select committee in a number of “parliamentary petitions” later this year. “What is clear is that almost all of the superinjunctions and hyperinjunctions have no public judgment,” Hemming said. “That means that they are not compliant with the rules for a fair trial. There is also the question as to whether there should be an automatic time limit on an interim order. Many cases have an interim order and no final hearing. This is clearly wrong. “We also need to know what the costs are both for the applicant and for the media in defending these orders. It is wrong to have a system whereby people can buy the sort of justice they want. That is a contravention of clause 29 of Magna Carta 1297, which is still in force.” Hemming is asking anyone who is subject to a gagging injunction that they would like to be included in the review to forward the information to him at the House of Commons. Media law House of Commons Liberal Democrats Freedom of speech Freedom of information Press freedom Newspapers & magazines Newspapers Matthew Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Lib Dem MP John Hemmings fears reporters could face imprisonment simply for asking questions, creating a ‘recipe for hiding miscarriages of justice’ An MP who is launching an inquiry into excessive and possibly unlawful court secrecy says a new type of gagging order is hampering the work of investigative journalists. John Hemming said the new breed of injunction, which was used in relation to a case in the high court in London last week, meant journalists could face jail simply for asking questions. “This goes a step further than preventing people speaking out against injustice,” said Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley and a longtime campaigner against secrecy . “It has the effect of preventing journalists from speaking to people subject to this injunction without a risk of the journalist going to jail. That is a recipe for hiding miscarriages of justice.” Hemming has labelled the new gagging order the “quaero injunction” after the Latin word “to seek”. “It puts any investigative journalist at risk if they ask any questions of a victim of a potential miscarriage of justice … I don’t think this should be allowed in English courts.” There has been growing concern over the use of gagging orders in UK courts. It is not known precisely how many superinjunctions have been issued, but an informed legal estimate is that as many as 20 have been granted in the UK over the last 18 months. In the most notorious case, the oil trader Trafigura last year briefly obtained a superinjunction against the Guardian to suppress a leaked report on its toxic waste dumping, which even prevented reporting proceedings in parliament. Earlier this month, Hemming highlighted a new type of hyperinjunction which forbids the recipient talking to their MP. He says he is now launching an inquiry in parliament into excess court secrecy and is planning to collect a range of gagging orders that he will then analyse and present to the justice select committee in a number of “parliamentary petitions” later this year. “What is clear is that almost all of the superinjunctions and hyperinjunctions have no public judgment,” Hemming said. “That means that they are not compliant with the rules for a fair trial. There is also the question as to whether there should be an automatic time limit on an interim order. Many cases have an interim order and no final hearing. This is clearly wrong. “We also need to know what the costs are both for the applicant and for the media in defending these orders. It is wrong to have a system whereby people can buy the sort of justice they want. That is a contravention of clause 29 of Magna Carta 1297, which is still in force.” Hemming is asking anyone who is subject to a gagging injunction that they would like to be included in the review to forward the information to him at the House of Commons. Media law House of Commons Liberal Democrats Freedom of speech Freedom of information Press freedom Newspapers & magazines Newspapers Matthew Taylor guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Peggy Noonan Pretends That Birthers Only Make Up a Small Part of the GOP Base
April 17, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media While discussing whether this birther nonsense is ultimately going to harm the Republican Party once their presidential candidates get through the primary race and have to start campaigning in the general election, Peggy Noonan did her best to downplay just how much of the Republican base believes that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. She also tried to blame the media for “whipping up” the story to make the conservative base look bad. NOONAN: I think it is an issue that speaks to a small but passionate part of the anti-Obama base. I’m a little surprised over the years at how it’s taken off. I think Donald Trump has taken to whipping it up and so people talk about it. But I don’t think that it is a serious issue that will make anybody feel pro or anti-Obama. It doesn’t change anything. It’s too bad that no one on the panel asked Peggy Noonan if she’d seen this recent report from Public Policy Polling : Birthers make a majority among those voters who say they’re likely to participate in a Republican primary next year. 51% say they don’t think Barack Obama was born in the United States to just 28% who firmly believe that he was and 21% who are unsure. The GOP birther majority is a new development. The last time PPP tested this question nationally, in August of 2009, only 44% of Republicans said they thought Obama was born outside the country while 36% said that he definitely was born in the United States. If anything birtherism is on the rise. And I’d love for her to explain why Donald Trump is seeing a huge rise in the polls since he started going out there spouting this birther nonsense — Obama Birth Certificate Issue Turns Trump into Big Problem for GOP : The Barack Obama birth certificate controversy may or may not impact the 2012 election. Since those outside of the tea party aren’t focused that much on the birth certificate — or alleged lack thereof — it probably won’t get anyone elected president. However, the Republican primary is only for GOP voters, so if the issue is going to resonate, it would do so there. As such, new numbers about Donald Trump’s rise in the polls, after outing himself as a “birther” send a troubling message to the mainstream GOP. Republicans as a whole are being blamed for the issue, as asking these questions about Obama strikes many as racist. But most Republican candidates who aren’t tea party icons aren’t touching it since they know it is unlikely to come off well in a wider presidential election. Yet it now seems it can help someone in a Republican primary, however. Rather than acknowledge that the problem is the wingnut Republican base and their primary voters, Noonan blames the media. NOONAN:I think birthers stuff is confined mostly to people who really hate Obama and it’s their number four reason for hating him. Do you know what I mean? They’ve sort of got a list and it’s part of the list. But it’s not this positive for anybody. I often think that the mainstream media whips it up because it makes the conservative base look bad. Yeah, that’s the ticket. It’s a plot by that evil liberal media that wants to attack conservatives. Sorry Nooners, but they’re doing a good enough job of that own their without any help. Scarborough went on to complain about how unfairly all of those poor TeaBirchers out there protesting were being treated compared to the evil dirty hippie union thug protesters. Scarborough thinks his show is the only place that showed offensive signs from the union rallies and that the media only focused on showing signs from the “tea party” protests. Apparently he doesn’t watch Fox. And no one had to make an effort just to find at few offensive signs at those “tea party” rallies. They were all over the place.
Continue reading …Peggy Noonan Pretends That Birthers Only Make Up a Small Part of the GOP Base
April 17, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media While discussing whether this birther nonsense is ultimately going to harm the Republican Party once their presidential candidates get through the primary race and have to start campaigning in the general election, Peggy Noonan did her best to downplay just how much of the Republican base believes that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. She also tried to blame the media for “whipping up” the story to make the conservative base look bad. NOONAN: I think it is an issue that speaks to a small but passionate part of the anti-Obama base. I’m a little surprised over the years at how it’s taken off. I think Donald Trump has taken to whipping it up and so people talk about it. But I don’t think that it is a serious issue that will make anybody feel pro or anti-Obama. It doesn’t change anything. It’s too bad that no one on the panel asked Peggy Noonan if she’d seen this recent report from Public Policy Polling : Birthers make a majority among those voters who say they’re likely to participate in a Republican primary next year. 51% say they don’t think Barack Obama was born in the United States to just 28% who firmly believe that he was and 21% who are unsure. The GOP birther majority is a new development. The last time PPP tested this question nationally, in August of 2009, only 44% of Republicans said they thought Obama was born outside the country while 36% said that he definitely was born in the United States. If anything birtherism is on the rise. And I’d love for her to explain why Donald Trump is seeing a huge rise in the polls since he started going out there spouting this birther nonsense — Obama Birth Certificate Issue Turns Trump into Big Problem for GOP : The Barack Obama birth certificate controversy may or may not impact the 2012 election. Since those outside of the tea party aren’t focused that much on the birth certificate — or alleged lack thereof — it probably won’t get anyone elected president. However, the Republican primary is only for GOP voters, so if the issue is going to resonate, it would do so there. As such, new numbers about Donald Trump’s rise in the polls, after outing himself as a “birther” send a troubling message to the mainstream GOP. Republicans as a whole are being blamed for the issue, as asking these questions about Obama strikes many as racist. But most Republican candidates who aren’t tea party icons aren’t touching it since they know it is unlikely to come off well in a wider presidential election. Yet it now seems it can help someone in a Republican primary, however. Rather than acknowledge that the problem is the wingnut Republican base and their primary voters, Noonan blames the media. NOONAN:I think birthers stuff is confined mostly to people who really hate Obama and it’s their number four reason for hating him. Do you know what I mean? They’ve sort of got a list and it’s part of the list. But it’s not this positive for anybody. I often think that the mainstream media whips it up because it makes the conservative base look bad. Yeah, that’s the ticket. It’s a plot by that evil liberal media that wants to attack conservatives. Sorry Nooners, but they’re doing a good enough job of that own their without any help. Scarborough went on to complain about how unfairly all of those poor TeaBirchers out there protesting were being treated compared to the evil dirty hippie union thug protesters. Scarborough thinks his show is the only place that showed offensive signs from the union rallies and that the media only focused on showing signs from the “tea party” protests. Apparently he doesn’t watch Fox. And no one had to make an effort just to find at few offensive signs at those “tea party” rallies. They were all over the place.
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