• Fukushima workers surviving on two small meals a day • Technicians sleep in corridors during three-day shifts • Radiation monitors shared between employees Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant face new threats to their health after radiation exceeding safety levels was found to have seeped into groundwater near the facility. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), was the target of further criticism amid reports that some workers at the site had not been provided with personal radiation monitors. Tepco’s handling of the crisis has come under closer scrutiny since three workers were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation last week. They have all been discharged from hospital after suffering no ill effects. Japan’s nuclear and industrial safety agency, Nisa, ordered the firm to review its latest radiation measurements taken from the air, seawater and groundwater, saying they seemed suspiciously high. Earlier on Friday Tepco reported that groundwater beneath one of the plant’s six reactors contained levels of radioactive iodine 10,000 times higher than government standards. “We have our suspicions about their isotope analysis,” said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a Nisa spokesman. Tepco said that a computer software fault could be responsible for the high readings, but added that the data could turn out to be accurate. Experts said it was unlikely that the radioactive iodine-131 found nearly 15 metres (50ft) below one of the reactors would find its way into drinking water. For several days authorities have issued assurances that none of the radiation readings are high enough to present a threat to people living beyond the 12-mile (20km) evacuation zone. But the risks being taken by about 600 technicians, engineers, firefighters and troops as they struggle to contain radiation leaks have only increased. Tepco admitted it had not been able to provide enough dosimeters to teams of workers who are completing gruelling three-day shifts in an attempt to remove and dispose of radioactive pools of water and prevent damaged fuel rods from going into full meltdown. Tepco said it had secured additional gauges to replace hundreds that were damaged in the 11 March tsunami. “We must ensure the workers’ health and safety, but we also face a pressing need to get the work done as quickly as hospital,” Nishiyama said, adding that sharing meters up until now had been “unavoidable”. Soon after the disaster the health ministry raised the maximum radiation level to which each worker can safely be exposed from 100 millisieverts a year to 250 millisieverts a year to enable them to spend more time in contaminated areas. Nisa said that 21 workers had so far been exposed to radiation exceeding 100 millisieverts, although tests have shown that no one has been exposed to radiation high enough to damage their health. Sumio Imoto, a spokesman for one of Tepco’s main subcontractors, said its labourers were being looked after and were not taking unnecessary risks. “The safety of our employees is our primary concern,” he said, “but keeping up morale is a big challenge.” Robert Peter Gale, a US medical researcher who has been advising the Japanese government, said: “There’s a huge difference between whole-body and partial-body radiation. “One of my primary considerations is the geometry of the reactor and the likelihood that people are in a configuration that would give them full-body radiation. It’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely. They have to be exposed in their entirety from three to four metres to get a whole-body dose. This is not a kamikaze situation.” According to the few reliable descriptions of conditions at the plant, the workers are given just two meals a day – crackers and a small carton of vegetable juice for breakfast; dried rice and canned fish or chicken for dinner – and take short naps in cramped corridors on lead-lined sheets to limit their exposure to radiation. “That’s where they sleep, with only one blanket each to wrap themselves around,” said Kazuma Yokota, a Nisa official who spent five days at the plant. Yokota said the rush to save the plant meant some workers had been unable to change their underwear, while high radiation levels were hampering the arrival of fresh supplies. Conditions have marginally improved amid widespread admiration for the workers, initially nicknamed the Fukushima 50 because they worked in groups of that number. Their daily bottled water allowance has increased and the government has vowed to improve food supplies. The workers’ nightly meeting ends with shouts of “ganbaro!” (“let’s keep going”). The anonymous workers have little or no contact with the outside world while they are on site, and media interviews are discouraged. “They are doing their best while they aren’t even able to contact members of their family,” Yokota said. After three days’ work they spend three days at J-Village, a nearby sports complex, for a shower, proper food and sleep. “It isn’t perfect, but it does provide a place for the workers to pull back and get some rest before they have to go back in,” said a Tepco spokesman, Hirota Oyama. “They can eat fresh vegetables, something they can’t do on the site.” The prime minister, Naoto Kan, will visit the sports complex on Saturday to show his support. His spokesman, Yukio Edano, said: “I humbly bow to the workers and officials who are doing difficult jobs at the plant’s frontline.” Japanese media reported that nuclear workers had been offered up to 400,000 yen (£3,000) a day to work inside the crippled reactors. Before the crisis some contract workers were reportedly being paid as little as 10,000 to 20,000 yen (£75 to £150) a day. Tepco said it was considering using “jumpers”, or workers who enter highly radioactive reactors to perform short but essential tasks, then evacuate quickly to avoid prolonged exposure to radiation. An early return home is unlikely given the perilous condition of the plant three weeks after the tsunami. As Kan warned on Friday: “I am prepared for a long-term battle over the Fukushima nuclear plant and to win this battle. “At the current stage we cannot say that the plant has been sufficiently stabilised. But we are preparing for all kinds of situations and I am convinced that the plant can be stabilised. We cannot say at this stage when this will happen, but we are doing our best.” Japan disaster Nuclear power Japan Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Fukushima workers surviving on two small meals a day • Technicians sleep in corridors during three-day shifts • Radiation monitors shared between employees Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant face new threats to their health after radiation exceeding safety levels was found to have seeped into groundwater near the facility. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), was the target of further criticism amid reports that some workers at the site had not been provided with personal radiation monitors. Tepco’s handling of the crisis has come under closer scrutiny since three workers were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation last week. They have all been discharged from hospital after suffering no ill effects. Japan’s nuclear and industrial safety agency, Nisa, ordered the firm to review its latest radiation measurements taken from the air, seawater and groundwater, saying they seemed suspiciously high. Earlier on Friday Tepco reported that groundwater beneath one of the plant’s six reactors contained levels of radioactive iodine 10,000 times higher than government standards. “We have our suspicions about their isotope analysis,” said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a Nisa spokesman. Tepco said that a computer software fault could be responsible for the high readings, but added that the data could turn out to be accurate. Experts said it was unlikely that the radioactive iodine-131 found nearly 15 metres (50ft) below one of the reactors would find its way into drinking water. For several days authorities have issued assurances that none of the radiation readings are high enough to present a threat to people living beyond the 12-mile (20km) evacuation zone. But the risks being taken by about 600 technicians, engineers, firefighters and troops as they struggle to contain radiation leaks have only increased. Tepco admitted it had not been able to provide enough dosimeters to teams of workers who are completing gruelling three-day shifts in an attempt to remove and dispose of radioactive pools of water and prevent damaged fuel rods from going into full meltdown. Tepco said it had secured additional gauges to replace hundreds that were damaged in the 11 March tsunami. “We must ensure the workers’ health and safety, but we also face a pressing need to get the work done as quickly as hospital,” Nishiyama said, adding that sharing meters up until now had been “unavoidable”. Soon after the disaster the health ministry raised the maximum radiation level to which each worker can safely be exposed from 100 millisieverts a year to 250 millisieverts a year to enable them to spend more time in contaminated areas. Nisa said that 21 workers had so far been exposed to radiation exceeding 100 millisieverts, although tests have shown that no one has been exposed to radiation high enough to damage their health. Sumio Imoto, a spokesman for one of Tepco’s main subcontractors, said its labourers were being looked after and were not taking unnecessary risks. “The safety of our employees is our primary concern,” he said, “but keeping up morale is a big challenge.” Robert Peter Gale, a US medical researcher who has been advising the Japanese government, said: “There’s a huge difference between whole-body and partial-body radiation. “One of my primary considerations is the geometry of the reactor and the likelihood that people are in a configuration that would give them full-body radiation. It’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely. They have to be exposed in their entirety from three to four metres to get a whole-body dose. This is not a kamikaze situation.” According to the few reliable descriptions of conditions at the plant, the workers are given just two meals a day – crackers and a small carton of vegetable juice for breakfast; dried rice and canned fish or chicken for dinner – and take short naps in cramped corridors on lead-lined sheets to limit their exposure to radiation. “That’s where they sleep, with only one blanket each to wrap themselves around,” said Kazuma Yokota, a Nisa official who spent five days at the plant. Yokota said the rush to save the plant meant some workers had been unable to change their underwear, while high radiation levels were hampering the arrival of fresh supplies. Conditions have marginally improved amid widespread admiration for the workers, initially nicknamed the Fukushima 50 because they worked in groups of that number. Their daily bottled water allowance has increased and the government has vowed to improve food supplies. The workers’ nightly meeting ends with shouts of “ganbaro!” (“let’s keep going”). The anonymous workers have little or no contact with the outside world while they are on site, and media interviews are discouraged. “They are doing their best while they aren’t even able to contact members of their family,” Yokota said. After three days’ work they spend three days at J-Village, a nearby sports complex, for a shower, proper food and sleep. “It isn’t perfect, but it does provide a place for the workers to pull back and get some rest before they have to go back in,” said a Tepco spokesman, Hirota Oyama. “They can eat fresh vegetables, something they can’t do on the site.” The prime minister, Naoto Kan, will visit the sports complex on Saturday to show his support. His spokesman, Yukio Edano, said: “I humbly bow to the workers and officials who are doing difficult jobs at the plant’s frontline.” Japanese media reported that nuclear workers had been offered up to 400,000 yen (£3,000) a day to work inside the crippled reactors. Before the crisis some contract workers were reportedly being paid as little as 10,000 to 20,000 yen (£75 to £150) a day. Tepco said it was considering using “jumpers”, or workers who enter highly radioactive reactors to perform short but essential tasks, then evacuate quickly to avoid prolonged exposure to radiation. An early return home is unlikely given the perilous condition of the plant three weeks after the tsunami. As Kan warned on Friday: “I am prepared for a long-term battle over the Fukushima nuclear plant and to win this battle. “At the current stage we cannot say that the plant has been sufficiently stabilised. But we are preparing for all kinds of situations and I am convinced that the plant can be stabilised. We cannot say at this stage when this will happen, but we are doing our best.” Japan disaster Nuclear power Japan Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …• Fukushima workers surviving on two small meals a day • Technicians sleep in corridors during three-day shifts • Radiation monitors shared between employees Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant face new threats to their health after radiation exceeding safety levels was found to have seeped into groundwater near the facility. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), was the target of further criticism amid reports that some workers at the site had not been provided with personal radiation monitors. Tepco’s handling of the crisis has come under closer scrutiny since three workers were exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation last week. They have all been discharged from hospital after suffering no ill effects. Japan’s nuclear and industrial safety agency, Nisa, ordered the firm to review its latest radiation measurements taken from the air, seawater and groundwater, saying they seemed suspiciously high. Earlier on Friday Tepco reported that groundwater beneath one of the plant’s six reactors contained levels of radioactive iodine 10,000 times higher than government standards. “We have our suspicions about their isotope analysis,” said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a Nisa spokesman. Tepco said that a computer software fault could be responsible for the high readings, but added that the data could turn out to be accurate. Experts said it was unlikely that the radioactive iodine-131 found nearly 15 metres (50ft) below one of the reactors would find its way into drinking water. For several days authorities have issued assurances that none of the radiation readings are high enough to present a threat to people living beyond the 12-mile (20km) evacuation zone. But the risks being taken by about 600 technicians, engineers, firefighters and troops as they struggle to contain radiation leaks have only increased. Tepco admitted it had not been able to provide enough dosimeters to teams of workers who are completing gruelling three-day shifts in an attempt to remove and dispose of radioactive pools of water and prevent damaged fuel rods from going into full meltdown. Tepco said it had secured additional gauges to replace hundreds that were damaged in the 11 March tsunami. “We must ensure the workers’ health and safety, but we also face a pressing need to get the work done as quickly as hospital,” Nishiyama said, adding that sharing meters up until now had been “unavoidable”. Soon after the disaster the health ministry raised the maximum radiation level to which each worker can safely be exposed from 100 millisieverts a year to 250 millisieverts a year to enable them to spend more time in contaminated areas. Nisa said that 21 workers had so far been exposed to radiation exceeding 100 millisieverts, although tests have shown that no one has been exposed to radiation high enough to damage their health. Sumio Imoto, a spokesman for one of Tepco’s main subcontractors, said its labourers were being looked after and were not taking unnecessary risks. “The safety of our employees is our primary concern,” he said, “but keeping up morale is a big challenge.” Robert Peter Gale, a US medical researcher who has been advising the Japanese government, said: “There’s a huge difference between whole-body and partial-body radiation. “One of my primary considerations is the geometry of the reactor and the likelihood that people are in a configuration that would give them full-body radiation. It’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely. They have to be exposed in their entirety from three to four metres to get a whole-body dose. This is not a kamikaze situation.” According to the few reliable descriptions of conditions at the plant, the workers are given just two meals a day – crackers and a small carton of vegetable juice for breakfast; dried rice and canned fish or chicken for dinner – and take short naps in cramped corridors on lead-lined sheets to limit their exposure to radiation. “That’s where they sleep, with only one blanket each to wrap themselves around,” said Kazuma Yokota, a Nisa official who spent five days at the plant. Yokota said the rush to save the plant meant some workers had been unable to change their underwear, while high radiation levels were hampering the arrival of fresh supplies. Conditions have marginally improved amid widespread admiration for the workers, initially nicknamed the Fukushima 50 because they worked in groups of that number. Their daily bottled water allowance has increased and the government has vowed to improve food supplies. The workers’ nightly meeting ends with shouts of “ganbaro!” (“let’s keep going”). The anonymous workers have little or no contact with the outside world while they are on site, and media interviews are discouraged. “They are doing their best while they aren’t even able to contact members of their family,” Yokota said. After three days’ work they spend three days at J-Village, a nearby sports complex, for a shower, proper food and sleep. “It isn’t perfect, but it does provide a place for the workers to pull back and get some rest before they have to go back in,” said a Tepco spokesman, Hirota Oyama. “They can eat fresh vegetables, something they can’t do on the site.” The prime minister, Naoto Kan, will visit the sports complex on Saturday to show his support. His spokesman, Yukio Edano, said: “I humbly bow to the workers and officials who are doing difficult jobs at the plant’s frontline.” Japanese media reported that nuclear workers had been offered up to 400,000 yen (£3,000) a day to work inside the crippled reactors. Before the crisis some contract workers were reportedly being paid as little as 10,000 to 20,000 yen (£75 to £150) a day. Tepco said it was considering using “jumpers”, or workers who enter highly radioactive reactors to perform short but essential tasks, then evacuate quickly to avoid prolonged exposure to radiation. An early return home is unlikely given the perilous condition of the plant three weeks after the tsunami. As Kan warned on Friday: “I am prepared for a long-term battle over the Fukushima nuclear plant and to win this battle. “At the current stage we cannot say that the plant has been sufficiently stabilised. But we are preparing for all kinds of situations and I am convinced that the plant can be stabilised. We cannot say at this stage when this will happen, but we are doing our best.” Japan disaster Nuclear power Japan Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …‘Terror Babies’ Gohmert: Libya Goal Is To "Deplete The Military" So Obama Can Call Up Private Army
April 1, 2011 No CommentGood grief. Looks like wingnut Louie “Terror Babies” Gohmert is at it again with the conspiracy theories. Rep. Gohmert: Libya Goal Is To “Deplete The Military” So Obama Can Call Up Private Army : Last night on the House floor, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) offered a bizarre new theory about President Obama’s decision to intervene in the Libyan crisis. In the midst of a rant about health care reform, Gohmert nonsensically suggested that Obama might be trying to “deplete the military” in Libya, so he can call up the Commission Corps established in the Affordable Care Act: GOHMERT: It’s a bad bill. And then when you find out that the prior Congress not only passed that 2,800 page bill with all kinds of things in it, including a new president’s commissioned officer corps and non-commissioned officer corps. Do we really need that? I wondered when I read that in the bill. But then when you find out we’re being sent to Libya to use our treasure and American lives there, maybe there’s intention to so deplete the military that we’re going to need that presidential reserve officer commissioned corps and non-commissioned corps that the president can call up on a moment’s notice involuntarily, according to the Obamacare bill. Despite the claims in right-wing chain emails , the health care law did not give Obama some sort of “private army.” The legislation did create the Ready Reserve Corps , a new component of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, but there was nothing nefarious about it. The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is simply to make the Public Health Service — which previously “did not have a reserve component to call upon” in times of crisis — better prepared to respond to emergencies.
Continue reading …
Despite condemnation of its closure UKFC faded smoothly to black, with functions transferred to the BFI and regional agency Film London Its abolition in the coalition government’s first round of cuts in July was widely condemned and drew letters of support from such Hollywood luminaries as Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson. But in the end, the UK Film Council went quietly. 31 March was the final official day of business at the UKFC’s offices in Little Portland Street, London, and 38 former Film Council staff today find themselves working for the British Film Institute , which will take over many of the abolished body’s functions. Others, including the office of the British Film Commissioner, have been transferred to regional agency Film London , which will oversee the task of promoting the UK as a film-making destination. The decision to hand the BFI responsibility for distributing lottery funding to film-makers came in November, partly assuaging widespread concern that the government had not considered the future of public investment in British movies when making its decision to axe the council. At the same time Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, further sugared the pill by announcing that the £28m lottery grant the industry receives would be increased to around £43m by 2014 . If ministers were rattled by the vocal support for the council, they might have been cursing their luck in February when The King’s Speech , a film part-funded by the UK Film Council, took four Oscars at the annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles . Other productions in the last five years alone that might never have made it to the big screen without the council’s support include Nowhere Boy , Fish Tank , In the Loop , Man on Wire , Hunger , Happy-Go-Lucky , This is England , Vera Drake and The Last King of Scotland . Of movies currently in cinemas or due to arrive on the big screen, Richard Ayoade’s critically acclaimed first film Submarine , Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights and the forthcoming Joe Cornish-penned comedy Attack the Block all received UKFC funding. Three weeks ago, a National Audit Office report roundly criticised the UKFC’s axing, suggesting it was “not informed by a financial analysis of the costs and benefits of the decision” . The UKFC’s entire annual budget was a reported £3m, while the cost of closing it down and restructuring is estimated to have been almost four times that amount. At Sunday night’s Empire awards, British film-makers said they were disappointed that the council was no longer extant but expected it to be business as usual with the BFI. “The Film Council has done great things and ended on a high note with The King’s Speech,” actor and director Noel Clarke told the BBC . “They helped me on two of my films – Adulthood and 4.3.2.1 . I’m very sad that they’re breaking down but the BFI is going to continue what they do.” Jane Goldman, writer of Kick-Ass and the forthcoming superhero tale X Men: First Class , said she was a “huge supporter”. She added: “It’s a difficult time; hopefully things will become streamlined. I’ve got a couple of other projects which I guess will filter into the BFI.” UK Film Council BFI Arts funding Arts policy Public sector cuts Public services policy Public finance Ed Vaizey Conservatives Ben Child guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Policewoman said Ian Tomlinson, who died during G20 protests, appeared to fall on his face after being shoved by officer A police officer was “shocked by the forcefulness of the push” on Ian Tomlinson shortly before the newspaper seller died during the City of London G20 protests in April 2009, an inquest has heard. PC Kerry Smith had spoken with Tomlinson shortly before the incident involving another officer, she told the hearing on the second anniversary of his death . She said she did not feel Tomlinson posed a threat to officers. Smith said she was helping a police cordon push protesters out of a passage called Royal Exchange Buildings towards Cornhill when Tomlinson approached their line. “He said he wanted to get through and pointed to the line behind us. I told him no, I did point towards the south-east corner, so going towards Bishopsgate, as an alternative direction. “He said ‘I want to get through’” but didn’t say why, Smith told the inquest. “To me he wasn’t aggressive or swearing, he didn’t seem rude as such. I had told him to get back because he didn’t move. I am sure he had heard me. Because he didn’t move he was told to get back from the line. I had heard it from other officers. After a bit of a pause he then did turn around. “He was pushed then by a police officer on his left shoulder, or left upper arm, I think it was his left shoulder. “I saw the push, I saw a police officer’s arm push on to his shoulder. I didn’t know which officer, just someone from my left. “Mr Tomlinson then fell to the floor. He went forward quite hard, he didn’t use his hands to break his fall, so he appeared to possibly fall on his face. “He turned around and sat up. I think two people came to his aid. Members of the public or demonstrators. They weren’t police officers. He sat up and looked towards us and he said ‘I just wanted to go home’ or ‘I wanted to go home.’ “I said: ‘It’s obvious mate, you can’t come through.’” Smith said she “was shocked by the forcefulness of the push on Mr Tomlinson”. Questioned by Matthew Ryder QC, counsel for the Tomlinson family, she agreed with him that “from the dealings I had” she did not think it was necessary to use any force on Tomlinson. Asked by Samantha Leek, counsel for the Metropolitan Police, if Tomlinson posed any threat to any officer at all, PC Smith replied: “I didn’t feel so at the time.” In her notes from the day Smith wrote of the incident: “Thought he hit head. Expected to see blood. Dazed and shocked.” Moments earlier Tomlinson had made no response to being struck on the leg by a police baton or to a police dog being close enough to bite him moments before being pushed violently to the ground, an inquest heard. Robert Fitch, a City trader with a hedge fund, said most people were walking away very quickly from the vicinity of Royal Exchange when officers with dogs began clearing the area. Fitch had a clear, uninterrupted view from his office window and was about 50 metres from Tomlinson. He said in a statement read to the inquest: “It was at that point I commented on there being people around who clearly weren’t protesters. I said to somebody that this guy (Mr Tomlinson) was wearing a Millwall shirt. “He looked as if he had a bit to drink because he was walking slowly with his hands in his pockets.” As the police approached him a dog came close enough to him “to move the trousers he was wearing”. “I can’t say if it bit him but it was close enough to do so. The dog was barking, the lead was definitely tight. “Ian did not respond to the dog as everyone else did, he just didn’t move very quickly, he was just shuffling forward, still with his hands in his pockets, towards Cornhill. He turned around briefly but not fully, to face the officers. I can’t tell if he said anything to the officers. “I saw a police officer … he stepped forward and struck Ian on the right knee area two to three times. It was pretty clear that Ian was being asked to move along because of the dog. “Ian was struck on the leg but he did not seem to respond in any way, which was consistent again with my view that he was drunk. He still had his hands in his pockets at this time. I do not know if any warning was given verbally and there was nothing in the movements of the officer or Ian to suggest a warning was given. “Almost in the same movement the officer shoved Ian in the back towards the shoulder blade area on the left side. Ian staggered forward and he went straight down. The officer was pulled back, I think by another officer. Ian … had fallen really hard, but I think another officer pulled this officer back into the police. “This happened because Ian had not moved on when he was approached by the dog and when he was struck with the baton. It was a violent shove but I did not think it was over the top and it was proportionate to the other incidents I had seen before.” Fitch said he saw another officer striking a woman with a baton and pushing her. “This incident struck me because it was very similar to what I had witnessed a short time previously when I had seen Ian struck with the baton and shoved by the police officer.” G20 Ian Tomlinson Police David Sharrock guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
The latest edition of the biweekly Notable Quotables is up at MRC.org , the Web site for NewsBusters's parent organization the Media Research Center. Some of the topics this week: the same media who trashed George W. Bush for going after a bloodthirsty dictator now see greatness in Barack Obama doing the same; Brian Williams feels the commander-in-chief’s pain; and Chris Matthews has a death wish for Republicans who fail to practice civility in politics. After the jump, a sample of what’s in this issue; the entire April 1 edition is posted at www.MRC.org :
Continue reading …The latest edition of the biweekly Notable Quotables is up at MRC.org , the Web site for NewsBusters's parent organization the Media Research Center. Some of the topics this week: the same media who trashed George W. Bush for going after a bloodthirsty dictator now see greatness in Barack Obama doing the same; Brian Williams feels the commander-in-chief’s pain; and Chris Matthews has a death wish for Republicans who fail to practice civility in politics. After the jump, a sample of what’s in this issue; the entire April 1 edition is posted at www.MRC.org :
Continue reading …
We must bring equal protection and the potential for equal punishment to everyone on the road Last week I presented a 10 minute rule bill in the House of Commons called “dangerous and reckless cycling (offences)”. In 2007, Rhiannon Bennett was walking with friends on a pavement when a cyclist approached at speed yelling, “Move, because I’m not stopping.” He hit Rhiannon who fell and smashed her head on the kerb. She was taken to hospital but died six days later. The cyclist was found guilty of the crime of dangerous Cycling. This charge carries a maximum penalty of £2,500, but no prison sentence. There are other charges, including the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861, but this charge was designed to deal with horse-drawn carriages and carts and therefore, for obvious reasons, it is rarely used. The cyclist who killed Rhiannon was given a £2,200 fine but did not go to prison. On seeing the title of my bill, some people, including MPs, thought I was anti-cycling and seeking to make criminals out of cyclists. I am a keen cyclist myself, I take advantage of many excellent initiatives such as the cycle hire scheme in London and commend people for swapping their cars for their bike to get to school and work. Many have pointed out , quite rightly, that far more cyclists are killed and injured by motorists than the number of pedestrians who are killed or injured by cyclists and quite often motorists who kill or injure cyclists do not go to prison . I certainly do not trivialise the issue of cyclists being killed or injured by motorists and I share the concerns and outrage of many that have pointed out that so few motorists go to prison. The point I wish to make is that, in the case of a motorist killing a cyclist there is, at the very least, the possibility of a motorist being severely punished. Causing death by dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, causing death by careless driving has a maximum sentence of five years. This is not the case with cyclists. There is no charge of causing death by dangerous cycling. There is only the charge of dangerous cycling which carries a maximum penalty of a £2,500 fine and the out-of-date Offences Against The Person Act 1861 which does carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison but seems unlikely to be successfully upheld in cases such as the Rhiannon Bennett case. My aim from the beginning has been to update the law and bring equal protection and the potential for equal punishment to all road users. In this country we have an independent judiciary. As an MP I can enact, scrutinise and update the law but the courts enforce the penalties. I sincerely hope that all road users are held accountable to the full extent of the law. My heart goes out equally to all whose lives have been damaged or taken away by the careless, dangerous or reckless actions of others. • Andrea Leadsom is MP for South Northamptonshire Cycling guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Photographer Andy Hall searches for signs of spring – from fiery sunrises and blossoming flowers to lambs gambolling in a field, they are most definitely here Alicia Canter Andy Hall
Continue reading …