Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy are under pressure to come up with a structural answer to the euro’s problems rather than a stopgap solution First Britain, then the United States and now the eurozone. The message from the recent data is unambiguous: the big economies of the west slowed down to little more than stall speed in the spring of 2011. Tuesday’s data for the bloc of 17 countries that are part of monetary union was worrying for a number of reasons. Some slowdown in activity had been on the cards given the strength of output growth in the first quarter of the year, but the nugatory 0.2% increase in gross domestic product was far weaker than expected . More troubling perhaps was the evidence that the slowdown on the fringes of the single currency has now burrowed its way to the core of the eurozone. France had already announced that its economy was flat in the second quarter ; on Tuesday, Germany and the Netherlands said they had each registered expansion of just 0.1%. This matters for Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy because the only way they can hope to make up the growth shortfall from domestic austerity is by exporting to the rich countries at the heart of monetary union. If that proves impossible, as Tuesday’s figures suggest it might, that will put additional strain on the countries on the periphery, making further expensive bailouts more likely and increasing the chances of a break-up of the single currency. It is not hard to find explanations for the slowdown in the eurozone. As in Britain and America, consumers are being squeezed hard by rising energy and food prices; there have been supply problems for industry caused by the Japanese tsunami; and there has clearly been a loss of both consumer and business confidence caused by the inability of Europe’s leaders to get on top of the sovereign debt crisis. In the light of this, the European Central Bank’s decision to raise interest rates twice during the second quarter looks premature, if not downright stupid. With the eurozone’s economy barely growing and the single currency fighting for its very existence, any further increases in borrowing costs now look extremely remote. Politically, Tuesday’s data will no doubt add a bit of spice to the summit meeting between Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy. The German and French leaders are now under increasing pressure to come up with a structural answer to the euro’s problems rather than – as has been the case all too often in the past – a stopgap solution. George Osborne repeated his call for greater fiscal integration in the eurozone in his exchange of letters with Sir Mervyn King about UK inflation , but the chancellor’s advice is unlikely to be heeded unless the debt crisis gets a lot worse. On the basis of this data, there is a good chance that it will. European debt crisis Europe Germany Europe Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …NYT’s Calmes Weaves Pro-Dem Cocoon in Story on G.O.P. ‘Defensive’ Over ‘Austerity and Antitax Orthodoxy’
August 16, 2011 No CommentNew York Times White House correspondent Jackie Calmes’s 1,300-word story for the Saturday Business section, with the online headline “ G.O.P. on Defensive as Analysts Question Party’s Fiscal Policy ,” was so blatantly biased it caught the attention of neo-liberal Mickey Kaus, who posted a withering, entertaining analysis at The Daily Caller , revisiting his old theme of liberal cocooning among the Times and its readership.
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Assad regime continues attack on city amid calls from Turkey and regional states for halt to shelling and withdrawal of forces The Syrian government siege of the port city of Latakia has continued for a fourth day, despite demands from regional states that Damascus stop shelling civilian areas and withdraw its forces from the country’s towns and cities. The violence has drawn condemnation from neighbouring Turkey, which on Monday gave the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, what amounted to an ultimatum to stand down his military from Latakia, or face an unspecified reaction. The Turkish government on Tuesday denied that it was imposing a buffer zone on its border with northern Syria. However, officials and military leaders have been drafting plans to deal with Syria’s crisis, which shows no signs of abating after more than five months. Ankara, which had been an ally of Assad’s regime until a fissure between the two states became clear in recent weeks, claimed it had said its “last words” on the Syrian response to the uprising. The hardening of Turkey’s position was followed on Tuesday by an intervention from the US secretary of state, Hilary Clinton, who said the White House was pushing for another round of sanctions against Assad and key regime figures. Clinton urged other regional critics of the Syrian regime to step up their rhetoric, claiming that the US did not have a lot at stake in Syria. Her comments were interpreted as an attempt to distance the US from its perceived leading role as an international critic, which Damascus has used to support its claim that the instability is the result of a western-led conspiracy. The Syrian government has again claimed that its military is fighting armed gangs that have infiltrated Latakia and are terrorising locals. The regime has not been specific about the provenance of such groups, but a Ba’ath party official close to the information ministry said jihadists who had fled Libya by sea several months ago were attempting to ignite sectarian chaos. Local people contacted in Latakia painted a different portrait of a city under siege by regime officials who want to crush dissent. A man from the al-Ramel neighbourhood said: “Today the shabiha (plainclothed armed regime supporters) and security came into the neighbourhood and went around houses. “They have stolen items when they go in. There are some people who can’t get out because of the checkpoints where they are arresting people; they have lists and no one can tell if they are on it or not. We think there are 40 dead people from the last few days. “There is provocation by the security forces and shabiha saying ‘Bashar is our God’ and ‘We will teach you about freedom’. It is horrible.” An activist who called himself Ahmad said: “My family fled to the mountains from Latakia today. Everyone is scared. Most of the citizens in the areas which had protests are out of the city, many of them were gathered by force in the sports city in order to film them and say those are pro-regime people. Early morning gunfire and tanks continued. Many people died but we couldn’t get names. “There are many snipers on the rooftops around the areas that are besieged. We can see them. Armoured vehicles are still here but they stopped shooting and there is less gunfire. The shabiha and security forces this morning were cleaning the streets, taking any dead bodies and removing bullets and everything. We think they will destroy the neighbourhood. What happened was a massacre, a massacre.” Nour Ali is a pseudonym for a journalist based in Damascus Syria Middle East Bashar Al-Assad Arab and Middle East unrest Turkey Martin Chulov Nour Ali guardian.co.uk
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Sentences handed out in Chester as lawyers and civil rights groups express alarm about ‘disproportionate’ punishments Two men who posted messages on Facebook inciting other people to riot in their home towns have both been sentenced to four years in prison by a judge at Chester crown court. Jordan Blackshaw, 20, set up an “event” called Smash Down in Northwich Town for the night of 8 August on the social networking site but no one apart from the police, who were monitoring the page, turned up at the pre-arranged meeting point outside a McDonalds restaurant. Blackshaw was promptly arrested. Perry Sutcliffe, 22, of Latchford, Warrington, used his Facebook account in the early hours of 9 August to design a web page entitled The Warrington Riots. The court was told it caused a wave of panic in the town. When he woke up the following morning with a hangover, he removed the page and apologised, saying it had been a joke. His message was distributed to 400 Facebook contacts, but no rioting broke out as a result. Sentencing Blackshaw to four years in a young offenders institution, Judge Elgan Edwards QC said he had committed an “evil act”. He said: “This happened at a time when collective insanity gripped the nation. Your conduct was quite disgraceful and the title of the message you posted on Facebook chills the blood. “You sought to take advantage of crime elsewhere and transpose it to the peaceful streets of Northwich. The idea revolted many right thinking members of society. No one actually turned up due to the prompt and efficient actions of police in using modern policing.” Sutcliffe, the judge said, “caused a very real panic” and “put a very considerable strain on police resources in Warrington”. He praised Cheshire police for their “modern and clever policy” of infiltrating the website. The heavy sentences came as defence lawyers and civil rights groups have criticised the “disproportionate” sentences imposed on some convicted rioters as the latest official figures show nearly 1,300 suspects have been brought before the courts. The revelation that magistrates were advised by justices’ clerks to disregard normal sentencing guidelines when dealing with riot-related cases alarmed a number of lawyers who warn it will trigger a spate of appeals. Also on Tuesday, a looter was warned he could be jailed for helping himself to an ice-cream cone during disturbances. Anderson Fernandes, 22, appeared before magistrates in Manchester charged with burglary after he took two scoops of coffee ice-cream and a cone from Patisserie Valerie in the city centre. He gave the cone away because he didn’t like the flavour. Fernandes admitted burglary in relation to the ice-cream and an unconnected charge of handling stolen goods after a vacuum cleaner was recovered from his home. District judge Jonathan Taaffe said: “I have a public duty to deal swiftly and harshly with matters of this nature.” Fernandes will be sentenced next week. In sentencing four other convicted Manchester rioters, a crown court judge, Andrew Gilbert QC, made clear why he was disregarding sentencing guidelines when he said “the offences of the night of 9 August … takes them completely outside the usual context of criminality”. He added: “The principal purpose is that the courts should show that outbursts of criminal behaviour like this will be and must be met with sentences longer than they would be if the offences had been committed in isolation. For those reasons, I consider that the sentencing guidelines for specific offences are of much less weight in the context of the current case, and can properly be departed from.” The Ministry of Justice’s latest estimate, at midday on Tuesday, shows the courts have dealt with 1,277 alleged offenders of whom more than 700 have been remanded in custody. Two-thirds of the cases were in London. By midday on Monday, 115 people had been convicted; more than three-quarters of those were adults. About 21% of those appearing before the courts have been juveniles. The proportion of alleged youth offenders was higher in Nottingham, Birmingham and Manchester. “Everyone involved with the courts and prison service has put in a huge effort to make that possible and that work will continue.” But doubts are now being expressed about the fairness of some sentences. For example, one student has been jailed for six months for stealing a bottle of water from a supermarket. Sally Ireland, policy director of the law reform organisation Justice, said: “The circumstances of public disorder should be treated as an aggravating factor and one would expect that to push up sentences by a degree, but not by as far as some of the cases we have seen. “Some instances are completely out of all proportion. There will be a flurry of appeals although, by the time they have been heard, those sentences may already have been served. ” There’s a question about this advice [from justices' clerks] and whether it should have been issued at all. We would expect them to be giving advice [to magistrates] in individual cases rather than following a general directive.” Rakesh Bhasin, a solicitor partner at the law firm Steel & Shamash, which represents some of those charged following the riots, said some reported sentences seemed to be “disproportionate”. Paul Mendelle QC, a former chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said: “The idea that the rulebook goes out the window strikes me as inherently unjust. It sets all manner of alarm bells ringing. Guidelines are not tramlines. There are guidelines and they take account of aggravating and mitigating circumstances. “There have been rulings following the Bradford riots and Israeli embassy demonstrations that said which sort of guidelines should be followed. I don’t see why [magistrates] should be told to disregard these.” The judiciary and the MoJ have denied that they were involved in circulating the advice to justices’ clerk last week. UK riots UK criminal justice Crime Prisons and probation Youth justice Young people Owen Bowcott Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …CBS Story Pushes Unpaid Internships Without Noting How They’re Illegally Used As Free Labor Pool
August 16, 2011 No CommentCBS’ Sunday Morning , a show that used to have at least a veneer of social conscience, ran a “free market” biased piece on unpaid internships this week. Among the things they didn’t mention: That unpaid internships are frequently illegal (and why), that schools actually charge the students for the academic credit (so you’re not only working for free, you’re paying for the privilege), and that we’re seeing even more of a class stratification in influential fields like the media and public policy, because poor and working class kids can’t really afford to take those high-status internships . Maybe that’s why one of the CBS interns who worked on the piece (for a $50 a week stipend – barely enough to cover subway fare) had this to say: “I was really surprised by the fact that so many people are against internships being unpaid. There were a lot of people that I found who were like, ‘It’s illegal. It’s unfair.’ I was so surprised that so many people were saying that,” Berg said. But instead, the piece turns into a bootstrap lecture where if you “think big” and “have the guts to start from the bottom,” you can work for free, become a consultant and live happily ever after! Ladies and gentlemen, your librul media! Asked if interns are getting a raw deal, he told Smith, “Absolutely they’re getting a raw deal, and they don’t even know it.” Eisenbrey is vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, a non-profit Washington think tank. Unpaid internships, he says, are taking paid jobs away from people who need them. “This is a concern that economists have: ‘Why isn’t business hiring people?’” he asked. “Well, if they can have people work for free why should they hire anyone? And in fact, I’d say, you know, if they could get them to work 60 or 70 hours a week without paying them, so much the better. They don’t have to pay them overtime, I mean, where does this stop?” And there’s another problem, Eisenbrey says increasingly the top internships are going to kids from the top of the income ladder. “Who can afford to come to Washington and spend $4,000 on housing and food and then work without being paid? It is not the children of farm workers or factory workers or, you know, the children of people who are unemployed right now. It’s going to be upper middle class kids,” he explained. “Sunday Morning” intern Erika Mahoney agrees. Like all 75 summer interns at CBS, she receives a $50 per week stipend. “My parents are helping me out a lot. And, you know, it’s hard to think about that because I have friends who wouldn’t be able to do something like this. And so, you know, every day I call my parents and I tell them everything about my day because I know that, like, that’s how I can show my appreciation,” she told Smith. “You seem to feel a little guilty about this,” Smith asked. “I do,” Mahoney admitted. “What’s wrong with workin’ for free? If a kid says, ‘I want to do it, I want the experience,’ what’s wrong with that?” Smith asked. “Well, you could say that. And if they could persuade people to work for half of the minimum wage, if they could get adults to work for free for six months, not just young people, then why not, what’s wrong with that?” Eisenbrey replied. “Well, it degrades the entire value of work. And that’s actually going on in our society.” But in this economy, some people would rather work for nothing than not work at all, and it’s not only kids. After 10 years fundraising for various non-profit groups in Knoxville, Tenn., Kristina Shands found herself suddenly unemployed. “It literally was within 15 minutes: I had no job, I had no health insurance, I had nothing,” she remembered. A life-long hockey fan, she took a bold step and at age 38 talked her way into an un-paid internship with a minor league hockey team, The Knoxville Ice Bears. “I just started working the games, press releases, post-game summaries, helping with promotions and marketing and did that for the entire 2009-2010 season,” Shands explained. “It was strange at times. I mean I’m working with 20 year olds, and I’m almost twice their age.” But it worked: That unpaid intern, is now a paid media consultant. “You gotta be able to think big and then have the guts to kind of start from the bottom and figure it all out. And maybe you’ll hit the jackpot like I did,” Shands said. And if you don’t? If your unemployment runs out, you have no health insurance and you can’t pay your rent, I guess you just don’t know how to “think big.”
Continue reading …NYT’s Appelbaum: ‘Everything We Know About Economics’ Says Govt. ‘Should Be Getting Bigger Right Now’
August 16, 2011 No Comment
The New York Times’s “Caucus” podcast last Friday was focused on the financial crisis. Washington correspondent Binyamin Appelbaum, who focuses on financial issues, joined hosts Sam Roberts and Michael Shear to call for yet more federal spending on infrastructure “investment” in the face of a national debt of $14 trillion.
Continue reading …Starbucks CEO Calls For Campaign Contribution Boycott Until ‘Washington Gets Back To Work’
August 16, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Forgive me if I’m just the tiniest bit skeptical and annoyed by Howard Schultz’ righteous cry for “Washington” to get together and get to a deal on the deficit and national debt. In this interview with Scott Pelley, he repeatedly refers to “Washington”, as if “Washington the Monolith” somehow caused the gridlock that exists now. I understand why President Obama uses the more generic “Congress” to point his finger. But if you’re someone like the CEO of Starbucks and you know exactly who is responsible for the incivility in Washington and the gridlock in Congress, standing up brave and tall and waggling your finger at everyone doesn’t make any sense. Now, as to the campaign contributions. Schultz is calling for a moratorium on all campaign contributions. From the interview : Pelley: You know, since this idea of yours first came out over the weekend, there’s been some criticism of it. And part of that criticism essentially says, “This is a little like nuclear weapons. Just because you disarm, that doesn’t mean your opponents will.” Doesn’t it leave an opening for others to wield their influence while you’re taking your money to the sidelines? Schultz: Well, first off, I understand that, Scott. We want to suspend the donations to encourage the incumbents, including the president, to go back to work and to reach a deal. We have sent these people to Washington to represent America, not represent singular ideology. Dare I ask who was representing singular ideology in that last debate? Indeed, the President has taken a hard hit from his own side of the aisle for reaching too far over to the other side. That gesture has brought him bushels of criticism from Democrats and other liberal observers. If one were being genuine about this call, they would call the debt ceiling debacle as it was and name names instead of saying “incumbents.” In fact, I would argue that the reference to incumbents is intended to fuel anti-incumbent sentiments among the electorate, which almost always works to conservatives’ benefit. Schultz is almost not even subtle in his sneering false equivalence. Here’s a clip from his letter: Over the last few weeks and months, our national elected officials from both parties have failed to lead. They have chosen to put partisan and ideological purity over the well-being of the people. They have undermined the full faith and credit of the United States. They have stirred up fears about our economic prospects without doing anything to truly address those fears. They have spent a resource even more precious than the dollar: our collective confidence in each other, in the future, and in our ability to solve problems together. This is what so many common-sense Americans want. T hat is why we today pledge to withhold any further campaign contributions to the President and all members of Congress until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing. And we invite leaders of businesses – indeed, all concerned Americans – to join us in this pledge. Now I know Schultz is supposed to be a liberal. Supposedly. But I will also note that he was scheduled to appear at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, and withdrew at about the same time that gay rights activist Asher Huey brought some pressure to bear (and publicity) for supporting Willow Creek’s mushy theology on gays and membership in the church. And honestly, I don’t know many CEOs earning nearly $30 million in compensation for 2011 who call themselves liberals. Schultz is on record as being in opposition to the Affordable Care Act mandate, but even that is the one area of common ground liberals and conservatives share. He’s a venture capitalist and a CEO, named by Steve Forbes as one of Forbes’ “heroes” (PDF) in a US Chamber of Commerce publication, and he sent his letter to Wall Street buddies. So tell me. What do you think his intentions are? Huffington Post ‘s Dan Froomkin notes the following : Schultz has not been a particularly generous political donor himself. And if he ends up being the only donor who actually goes through with the boycott, the losers will be Democratic candidates. The opensecrets.org website shows Schultz gave $70,000 to the Democratic National Committee between 1996 and 2000, but in the last four years has contributed less than $10,000 total, shared among Washington State’s two Democratic senators and President Barack Obama. In his email, Schultz made what he called a “second pledge” as well, after noting that “while the long-term fiscal challenge is serious, even more painful to millions of Americans today is the immediate crisis of jobs.” How noble of him to withhold contributions from representatives who actually do seek to serve the people. Some of the recipients of his letter are an odd choice. One is NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer, who agreed to the pledge and to forward the letter to companies listed on the Euronext exchange. Here’s a description of that exchange : NYSE Euronext, a holding company created by the combination of NYSE Group, Inc. and Euronext N.V., commenced trading on April 4, 2007 . NYSE Euronext (NYSE Euronext: NYX) operates the world’s largest and most liquid exchange group and offers the most diverse array of financial products and services. NYSE Euronext, which brings together six cash equities exchanges in five countries and six derivatives exchanges in six countries, is a world leader for listings, trading in cash equities, equity and interest rate derivatives, bonds and the distribution of market data. Representing a combined $30.3 trillion/€21.3 trillion total market capitalization of listed companies and average daily trading value of approximately $139 billion/€103 billion (as of September 30, 2007), NYSE Euronext seeks to provide the highest standards of market quality and integrity, innovative products and services to investors, issuers, and all users of its markets. How many U.S. companies are listed on the NYSE Euronext? None. It’s a foreign stock exchange. What exactly would be the point of sending that boycott letter on to foreign corporations? Then there’s Robert Greifeld , another named recipient. Greifeld has been a strong advocate of modernizing exchanges and financial regulation to keep America’s capital markets competitive. He has been outspoken on issues including Sarbanes Oxley, encouraging CEOs to embrace sound, modern regulation as consistent with good business practices. Greifeld has been critical of outmoded U.S. immigration policies, citing these as harmful to U.S. innovation and business growth. Prior to joining NASDAQ OMX, Greifeld led the buy-side businesses for SunGard Data Systems. He was an entrepreneur for 10 years and with a small team, created what became the industry standard trade order management system for NASDAQ stocks. The company he led, Automated Securities Clearance and its technology platform, BRASS, was purchased by SunGard in 1999. Greifeld holds a Masters in Business from New York University, Stern School of Business, and a B.A. in English from Iona College. His graduate school thesis was on the operation of The NASDAQ Stock Market. Greifeld is a member of the Business Roundtable, the Financial Services Roundtable and the Partnership for New York City, an organization devoted to enhancing the local economy. He is Chairman of the USA Track & Field Foundation, which supports emerging athletes and inner city youth athletics. The Business Roundtable has lots of members . Will Griefeld call on his fellow business roundtable members to boycott contributions to Republicans? At best, this seems like a move on the part of mega-business to pressure Democrats to give in on Social Security and Medicare while giving Republicans a pass. It makes me glad I gave up Starbucks three years ago in favor of a local, and far better, alternative.
Continue reading …England riots: pair jailed for four years for inciting disorder using Facebook
August 16, 2011 No Comment
Two men – whose posts did not result in riot-related event – sentenced at Chester crown court after arrests last week Two men have been jailed for four years for using Facebook to incite disorder. Jordan Blackshaw, 20, from Marston near Northwich, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, from Warrington, appeared at Chester crown court on Tuesday. They were arrested last week following incidents of violent disorder in London and other cities across the UK. Neither of their Facebook posts resulted in a riot-related event. During the sentencing, the recorder of Chester, Elgin Edwards, praised the swift actions of Cheshire police and said he hoped the sentences would act as a deterrent to others. Assistant Chief Constable Phil Thompson said: “If we cast our minds back just a few days to last week and recall the way in which technology was used to spread incitement and bring people together to commit acts of criminality, it is easy to understand the four year sentences that were handed down in court today. “In Cheshire, we quickly recognised the impact of the situation on our communities and the way in which social media was being used to promote and incite behaviour that would strike fear in to the hearts of our communities. “From the offset, Cheshire constabulary adopted a robust policing approach using the information coming into the organisation to move quickly and effectively against any person whose behaviour was likely to encourage criminality. Officers took swift action against those people who have been using Facebook and other social media sites to incite disorder. “The sentences passed down today recognise how technology can be abused to incite criminal activity, and send a strong message to potential troublemakers about the extent to which ordinary people value safety and order in their lives and their communities. Anyone who seeks to undermine that will face the full force of the law.” UK riots Facebook UK criminal justice Internet Social networking Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Vatican says World Youth Day is chance to confess abortion and rejoin church
August 16, 2011 No Comment
Pope dangles ‘fruits of divine grace’ to excommunicated Catholics who admit, during Madrid event, to terminations Hundreds of thousands of young people descending on Madrid this week for the Catholic church’s World Youth Day – which features processions, group prayers and a mass with Pope Benedict XVI – are to get a “special” concession. Church leaders have ordered that anyone confessing, during this event, to having had an abortion – a sin punishable by excommunication – will be welcomed back into the church. “Normally, only certain priests have the power to lift such an excommunication, but the local diocese has decided to give all the priests taking confession at the event this power,” said the pope’s spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi. Two hundred white wooden confession booths have been set up in Madrid’s Buen Retiro park for the event, which started on Tuesday and runs until Sunday. At a time when church attendances in Europe are dipping Lombardi denied the deal on abortion had been dreamed up to attract waverers back to the church. “With so many young people attending there may be those who have had problems of this kind and it makes sense to reach out to them.” The driving force behind the deal is the archbishop of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela, who persuaded the Vatican to offer women who had had abortions access to “the fruits of divine grace that will open the doors to a new life”. After his popemobile ride through Madrid on Thursday, the pontiff will sit in one of the booths Saturday morning to hear confessions from three visitors, before holding a mass for up to 6,000 seminarians. The pope’s visit throws into relief the divisions between old Catholic and new liberal Spain. About 140 organisations, including Indignados (a mainly youth protest movement against Spain’s government), dissident priests, secular groups and gay rights groups, are expected to demonstrate in their tens of thousands against the papal visit, on both political and economic grounds , as the country experiences an austerity drive. In offering to lift the threat of excommunication for women who have had abortions, the Vatican is treading sensitive ground. Abortion is a delicate issue in Spain, but with 112,000 legal abortions performed in 2009, it is clearly a choice many Spanish women are prepared to make. A new law came into force last year giving the right to abortion up to 14 weeks’ term. Another issue the pope is expected to speak out against is same-sex marriage, which became legal in Spain in 2005. However, on this issue as well, public opinion is more liberal than the rest of Europe, with 5.7 in 10 in favour, compared with an EU average of 4.2. On the other hand, about 1.5 million pilgrims will descend on the Madrid during the World Youth Day celebrations. Pope Benedict last took confession from the public at an event for young people held at St Peter’s in Rome in 2008. Young Catholics making the trip to the Spanish capital will also gain a plenary indulgence – effectively a reduction in the time believers spend in purgatory after confessing and being absolved of their sins. These concessions were once sold by priests, but now the indulgences are granted on special occasions. Lombardi said he was not concerned at reports of protests over the estimated €60m (£52m) cost of the papal visit. “It is normal that people with objections should demonstrate. As long as they don’t impede an event which will give great joy to a larger number of young people.” Pope Benedict XVI Abortion Spain Catholicism Vatican Religion Italy Tom Kington Stephen Burgen guardian.co.uk
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Amendment tabled for autumn conference urges party to oppose additional powers for police or government to restrict access to internet or social media The Liberal Democrats will oppose David Cameron’s proposal that people suspected of inciting violence during social unrest could be banned from social media networks. An amendment is being tabled for the party’s autumn conference that, if voted through, would put pressure on the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, to resist Cameron’s plan. Signs of increased tension between the coalition partners emerged as the acting Metropolitan police commissioner, Tim Godwin, told the home affairs select committee on Tuesday that he had considered asking the authorities to switch off social media networks. He said he had considered the step because, although they were often a source of information, the sites could also be misleading. Details of the conference amendment came as Clegg sought to propose his own policy response to the riots, with the different philosophies of the coalition partners beginning to come to the fore. On Tuesday morning, he announced a “riot payback” scheme to make looters and arsonists face their victims, along with support to help ex-offenders find jobs. The scheme would mean looters carrying out community service in riot-hit neighbourhoods. They are to wear orange suits to make them visible, and money is being provided to enable victims who want to do so to confront the people who torched their homes or looted their businesses last week. The announcement contrasted with some of the policies, including the clampdown on social media networks, floated by Cameron in the aftermath of the riots. Differences between the coalition partners surfaced at the weekend as senior Lib Dems urged an end to “kneejerk” reactions by politicians. The party’s deputy leader, Simon Hughes, insisted long-term solutions lay in supporting communities by offering opportunities and redistributing wealth, not slashing help from the state. In the past, Cameron has made the positive and liberating effect social liberating media can have central to his vision of the “post-bureaucratic age”. Texting and BlackBerry Messenger were critical in planning the riots and, in last week’s recall of parliament, the prime minister said users of social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger, could have their access to services blocked. He said he had instructed the intelligence services and police to explore whether it was “right and possible” to cut off those “plotting violence, disorder and criminality”. On Monday, the Chinese government official news agency, Xinhua, welcomed the suggestion, saying it marked an improvement from Cameron’s comments in February. Then, he had urged Egypt and other north African nations to allow freedom of expression after they tried to restrict the operation of social media. Xinhua said: “For the benefit of the general public, proper web monitoring is legitimate and necessary. “We may wonder why western leaders, on the one hand, tend to indiscriminately accuse other nations of monitoring, but on the other take for granted their steps to monitor and control the internet.” Evan Harris, the vice-chair of the Lib Dems’ ruling federal policy committee, will table an amendment at the party gathering. At this spring’s conference, a vote on a Lib Dem amendment presaged a U-turn on NHS policy as Clegg came under pressure to reflect the views of the Lib Dem grassroots. The amendment, entitled “Protecting the essential freedom of the internet”, calls for “additional safeguards for online freedom of speech to be in place”. It reads: “Oppose additional powers for the police or the government to restrict access to the internet or to social media or to order its suspension. “[We should be] making it clear that the government will not allow a two-tier internet, and will hold to the principle of net neutrality, if necessary through regulation.” The amendment is likely to get broad support. On Monday, the backbencher Julian Huppert also wrote against blocking any contemplation of shutting down social networks. He said: “Some people in parliament and elsewhere have chosen to focus on the use of social media in these riots. And David Cameron has responded by announcing a review designed to explore whether it would be ‘right and possible’ to turn off social networks or mobile phone services during times of civil unrest. “Even if we look at these riots in isolation – always a dangerous approach to policymaking – the idea that we should prevent communication via these networks is patently ludicrous. “The brilliant response to the riots on Facebook, Twitter and the wider internet, embodied most clearly by the website Riot Clean-Up, has arguably done more to bring communities together than anything else. “There is little evidence to suggest this is a problem that needs to be tackled, and yet the government seems to be seriously considering curbing freedom of communication in a manner which would make it far harder for the good things that have come from this unrest either to continue or to happen again. “This authoritarian knee-jerkery is a reminder of the bad old days. Those who cherish liberty, in all parties and none, must now defend these important new forms of communication.” UK riots Crime Police Liberal Democrats Liberal-Conservative coalition Social media Internet BlackBerry Twitter Mobile phones Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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