US police chief ‘seriously interested’ in Scotland Yard position though home secretary has banned foreigners from applying The former US police chief Bill Bratton has said he is a “progressive” who can lead British policing out of “crisis”, reduce crime despite budget cuts, and bring about “transformational” change in the aftermath of last week’s UK riots. In an interview with the Guardian, Bratton said he was “seriously” interested in the vacant post of commissioner of the Metropolitan police but that the home secretary, Theresa May, had been “adamant” in banning foreign nationals from applying. Bratton – credited with turning around troubled police departments in New York and Los Angeles – is understood to have been David Cameron’s choice to run Scotland Yard. Instead he will advise the prime minister on gangs and crime after the Home Office insisted candidates must be British. According to Whitehall sources, Bratton has also told friends that he was so keen to take the job he would be prepared to take British citizenship if it made the difference. Cameron’s courting of Bratton continued to provoke criticism by senior British officers on Sunday. The series of rows between the Tories and senior police officers intensified yesterday. They are disputing where the blame lies for losing control of the streets to looters, who deserves the credit for quelling the riots, and whether budget cuts will endanger public safety. The day’s developments include: • Chris Sims, the chief constable of West Midlands police, criticised “empty slogans” after Cameron’s remarks about a “zero tolerance” of crime – a theory Bratton used in New York. In a statement Sims said: “I continue to work with the Police Authority to develop a policing response that is consistent with available good practice but is not slavishly adopting empty slogans.” • Theresa May, the home secretary, meanwhile, insisted it was her job to tell police chiefs “what the public want them to do”. In his Guardian interview Bratton hits out at those opposing foreign expertise to help UK policing and warns against being “parochial”. • The London mayor, Boris Johnson, said he would continue to fight for more police officers. The appointment of Bratton as a consultant on gangs by the prime minister was attacked over the weekend by Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers. In a swipe at Orde, who has dismissed the call for foreign police chiefs as “simply stupid”, Bratton says Orde himself was successful as an Englishman coming in as an outsider to run the police in Northern Ireland: “I find it ironical the hue and cry about outsiders,” Bratton said. He adds that if US police chiefs spoke out against politicians in the same way as Britain’s, they would be fired. Bratton’s remarks are his most extensive yet on how the US and his experience can, he claims, make British streets safer, and will be seen by some as a job application. He told the Guardian he had been “an outsider” when he took over police departments in the US and the situation with the Met “mirrors” those he inherited in New York and LA police departments. The similarities were a leadership stepping down amid a corruption scandal, disorder on the streets, rows with politicians, and community concerns about policing. Bratton said: “The Met is having its share of issues and leadership crises, certainly. It is a mirror image of when I went into the NYPD and LAPD, and both those cities turned out quite well. I’ve been an outsider in every department I’ve worked in. Bureaucrats change processes, leaders change culture. I think of myself as a transformational leader who changes cultures.” Bratton said US police chiefs had shown their British counterparts the way, securing large falls in crime despite facing falling budgets. In LA, were he stepped down as police chief in 2009, despite high unemployment and a 15% budget cut, crime is down by 10%. Bratton said: “You can run around saying the sky is falling in, the sky is falling in, or you actually do something about it. You have to play the hand you’re dealt. I’ve always dealt initially with budget cuts.” “Out of crisis comes opportunities. If you want to speed up the process of change, nothing does it better than a good old crisis.” Bratton said the chance to become Met commissioner was attractive: “If it was open to people other than British citizens it would be something I would seriously consider. I understand the home secretary is adamant in opposing that.” Bratton declares he is steeped in the traditions of British policing, and insists he can change its culture and that human rights is at the heart of his thinking: “Britain is the birthplace of democratic policing. Robert Peel’s nine principles [of policing] shaped my thinking.” But it had to learn from elsewhere: “Anyone who looks only inwards is not going to be as successful as someone who looks outside, the world over. It’s a big world out there.” He says his track record demonstrates his toughness on crime, but paints a much more rounded picture of himself. He told the Guardian he is a “progressive” who points out he hired more people from the ethnic minorities, women, gay people and transvestite people to make the police forces he ran reflect the communities they serve. The rebellion by British police chiefs spread , with fresh annoyance being triggered by Cameron telling a Sunday newspaper he wanted “zero tolerance” policing adopted on Britain’s streets. The courts opened their doors on a Sunday for the first time as the justice system continued to struggle to process suspected looters and rioters. The police surge in numbers following the rioting was maintained , but unless there is further trouble or intelligence of fresh disorder, some areas will start reducing the officers out on the street on Monday . British Police chiefs who thought government criticism was limited to the Met’s handling of the outbreak of disorder in London, now feel the attack has spread to the reaction to force in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. On Sunday Chief Constable Sims said: “I look forward to being held to account for the decisions I have made over the past week which I believe were consistent with the available information and resources. I am proud of how quickly the force adopted new tactics to this unprecedented challenge.” Amid stiff sentences being handed out to rioters and looters, Sims called for compassion not to be lost: “Sentencing is justifiably harsh but we must not at this time abandon all compassion for some of our very damaged young people who have been caught up in these incidents.” Tim Godwin, acting commissioner of the Met, said the criticism had led to “upset” among his command team and officers on the ground. Andy Trotter, chief constable of British Transport police and a public order expert who is seriously considering applying for the Met commissionership, said he did not believe government claims that budget cuts would not damage the police: “We cannot pretend that the scale of cuts we face will not impact on the frontline of policing. “It is simply not possible.” Metropolitan police Police Theresa May David Cameron Public services policy Public sector cuts Public finance Vikram Dodd Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …US police chief ‘seriously interested’ in Scotland Yard position though home secretary has banned foreigners from applying The former US police chief Bill Bratton has said he is a “progressive” who can lead British policing out of “crisis”, reduce crime despite budget cuts, and bring about “transformational” change in the aftermath of last week’s UK riots. In an interview with the Guardian, Bratton said he was “seriously” interested in the vacant post of commissioner of the Metropolitan police but that the home secretary, Theresa May, had been “adamant” in banning foreign nationals from applying. Bratton – credited with turning around troubled police departments in New York and Los Angeles – is understood to have been David Cameron’s choice to run Scotland Yard. Instead he will advise the prime minister on gangs and crime after the Home Office insisted candidates must be British. According to Whitehall sources, Bratton has also told friends that he was so keen to take the job he would be prepared to take British citizenship if it made the difference. Cameron’s courting of Bratton continued to provoke criticism by senior British officers on Sunday. The series of rows between the Tories and senior police officers intensified yesterday. They are disputing where the blame lies for losing control of the streets to looters, who deserves the credit for quelling the riots, and whether budget cuts will endanger public safety. The day’s developments include: • Chris Sims, the chief constable of West Midlands police, criticised “empty slogans” after Cameron’s remarks about a “zero tolerance” of crime – a theory Bratton used in New York. In a statement Sims said: “I continue to work with the Police Authority to develop a policing response that is consistent with available good practice but is not slavishly adopting empty slogans.” • Theresa May, the home secretary, meanwhile, insisted it was her job to tell police chiefs “what the public want them to do”. In his Guardian interview Bratton hits out at those opposing foreign expertise to help UK policing and warns against being “parochial”. • The London mayor, Boris Johnson, said he would continue to fight for more police officers. The appointment of Bratton as a consultant on gangs by the prime minister was attacked over the weekend by Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers. In a swipe at Orde, who has dismissed the call for foreign police chiefs as “simply stupid”, Bratton says Orde himself was successful as an Englishman coming in as an outsider to run the police in Northern Ireland: “I find it ironical the hue and cry about outsiders,” Bratton said. He adds that if US police chiefs spoke out against politicians in the same way as Britain’s, they would be fired. Bratton’s remarks are his most extensive yet on how the US and his experience can, he claims, make British streets safer, and will be seen by some as a job application. He told the Guardian he had been “an outsider” when he took over police departments in the US and the situation with the Met “mirrors” those he inherited in New York and LA police departments. The similarities were a leadership stepping down amid a corruption scandal, disorder on the streets, rows with politicians, and community concerns about policing. Bratton said: “The Met is having its share of issues and leadership crises, certainly. It is a mirror image of when I went into the NYPD and LAPD, and both those cities turned out quite well. I’ve been an outsider in every department I’ve worked in. Bureaucrats change processes, leaders change culture. I think of myself as a transformational leader who changes cultures.” Bratton said US police chiefs had shown their British counterparts the way, securing large falls in crime despite facing falling budgets. In LA, were he stepped down as police chief in 2009, despite high unemployment and a 15% budget cut, crime is down by 10%. Bratton said: “You can run around saying the sky is falling in, the sky is falling in, or you actually do something about it. You have to play the hand you’re dealt. I’ve always dealt initially with budget cuts.” “Out of crisis comes opportunities. If you want to speed up the process of change, nothing does it better than a good old crisis.” Bratton said the chance to become Met commissioner was attractive: “If it was open to people other than British citizens it would be something I would seriously consider. I understand the home secretary is adamant in opposing that.” Bratton declares he is steeped in the traditions of British policing, and insists he can change its culture and that human rights is at the heart of his thinking: “Britain is the birthplace of democratic policing. Robert Peel’s nine principles [of policing] shaped my thinking.” But it had to learn from elsewhere: “Anyone who looks only inwards is not going to be as successful as someone who looks outside, the world over. It’s a big world out there.” He says his track record demonstrates his toughness on crime, but paints a much more rounded picture of himself. He told the Guardian he is a “progressive” who points out he hired more people from the ethnic minorities, women, gay people and transvestite people to make the police forces he ran reflect the communities they serve. The rebellion by British police chiefs spread , with fresh annoyance being triggered by Cameron telling a Sunday newspaper he wanted “zero tolerance” policing adopted on Britain’s streets. The courts opened their doors on a Sunday for the first time as the justice system continued to struggle to process suspected looters and rioters. The police surge in numbers following the rioting was maintained , but unless there is further trouble or intelligence of fresh disorder, some areas will start reducing the officers out on the street on Monday . British Police chiefs who thought government criticism was limited to the Met’s handling of the outbreak of disorder in London, now feel the attack has spread to the reaction to force in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. On Sunday Chief Constable Sims said: “I look forward to being held to account for the decisions I have made over the past week which I believe were consistent with the available information and resources. I am proud of how quickly the force adopted new tactics to this unprecedented challenge.” Amid stiff sentences being handed out to rioters and looters, Sims called for compassion not to be lost: “Sentencing is justifiably harsh but we must not at this time abandon all compassion for some of our very damaged young people who have been caught up in these incidents.” Tim Godwin, acting commissioner of the Met, said the criticism had led to “upset” among his command team and officers on the ground. Andy Trotter, chief constable of British Transport police and a public order expert who is seriously considering applying for the Met commissionership, said he did not believe government claims that budget cuts would not damage the police: “We cannot pretend that the scale of cuts we face will not impact on the frontline of policing. “It is simply not possible.” Metropolitan police Police Theresa May David Cameron Public services policy Public sector cuts Public finance Vikram Dodd Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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US police chief ‘seriously interested’ in Scotland Yard position though home secretary has banned foreigners from applying The former US police chief Bill Bratton has said he is a “progressive” who can lead British policing out of “crisis”, reduce crime despite budget cuts, and bring about “transformational” change in the aftermath of last week’s UK riots. In an interview with the Guardian, Bratton said he was “seriously” interested in the vacant post of commissioner of the Metropolitan police but that the home secretary, Theresa May, had been “adamant” in banning foreign nationals from applying. Bratton – credited with turning around troubled police departments in New York and Los Angeles – is understood to have been David Cameron’s choice to run Scotland Yard. Instead he will advise the prime minister on gangs and crime after the Home Office insisted candidates must be British. According to Whitehall sources, Bratton has also told friends that he was so keen to take the job he would be prepared to take British citizenship if it made the difference. Cameron’s courting of Bratton continued to provoke criticism by senior British officers on Sunday. The series of rows between the Tories and senior police officers intensified yesterday. They are disputing where the blame lies for losing control of the streets to looters, who deserves the credit for quelling the riots, and whether budget cuts will endanger public safety. The day’s developments include: • Chris Sims, the chief constable of West Midlands police, criticised “empty slogans” after Cameron’s remarks about a “zero tolerance” of crime – a theory Bratton used in New York. In a statement Sims said: “I continue to work with the Police Authority to develop a policing response that is consistent with available good practice but is not slavishly adopting empty slogans.” • Theresa May, the home secretary, meanwhile, insisted it was her job to tell police chiefs “what the public want them to do”. In his Guardian interview Bratton hits out at those opposing foreign expertise to help UK policing and warns against being “parochial”. • The London mayor, Boris Johnson, said he would continue to fight for more police officers. The appointment of Bratton as a consultant on gangs by the prime minister was attacked over the weekend by Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers. In a swipe at Orde, who has dismissed the call for foreign police chiefs as “simply stupid”, Bratton says Orde himself was successful as an Englishman coming in as an outsider to run the police in Northern Ireland: “I find it ironical the hue and cry about outsiders,” Bratton said. He adds that if US police chiefs spoke out against politicians in the same way as Britain’s, they would be fired. Bratton’s remarks are his most extensive yet on how the US and his experience can, he claims, make British streets safer, and will be seen by some as a job application. He told the Guardian he had been “an outsider” when he took over police departments in the US and the situation with the Met “mirrors” those he inherited in New York and LA police departments. The similarities were a leadership stepping down amid a corruption scandal, disorder on the streets, rows with politicians, and community concerns about policing. Bratton said: “The Met is having its share of issues and leadership crises, certainly. It is a mirror image of when I went into the NYPD and LAPD, and both those cities turned out quite well. I’ve been an outsider in every department I’ve worked in. Bureaucrats change processes, leaders change culture. I think of myself as a transformational leader who changes cultures.” Bratton said US police chiefs had shown their British counterparts the way, securing large falls in crime despite facing falling budgets. In LA, were he stepped down as police chief in 2009, despite high unemployment and a 15% budget cut, crime is down by 10%. Bratton said: “You can run around saying the sky is falling in, the sky is falling in, or you actually do something about it. You have to play the hand you’re dealt. I’ve always dealt initially with budget cuts.” “Out of crisis comes opportunities. If you want to speed up the process of change, nothing does it better than a good old crisis.” Bratton said the chance to become Met commissioner was attractive: “If it was open to people other than British citizens it would be something I would seriously consider. I understand the home secretary is adamant in opposing that.” Bratton declares he is steeped in the traditions of British policing, and insists he can change its culture and that human rights is at the heart of his thinking: “Britain is the birthplace of democratic policing. Robert Peel’s nine principles [of policing] shaped my thinking.” But it had to learn from elsewhere: “Anyone who looks only inwards is not going to be as successful as someone who looks outside, the world over. It’s a big world out there.” He says his track record demonstrates his toughness on crime, but paints a much more rounded picture of himself. He told the Guardian he is a “progressive” who points out he hired more people from the ethnic minorities, women, gay people and transvestite people to make the police forces he ran reflect the communities they serve. The rebellion by British police chiefs spread , with fresh annoyance being triggered by Cameron telling a Sunday newspaper he wanted “zero tolerance” policing adopted on Britain’s streets. The courts opened their doors on a Sunday for the first time as the justice system continued to struggle to process suspected looters and rioters. The police surge in numbers following the rioting was maintained , but unless there is further trouble or intelligence of fresh disorder, some areas will start reducing the officers out on the street on Monday . British Police chiefs who thought government criticism was limited to the Met’s handling of the outbreak of disorder in London, now feel the attack has spread to the reaction to force in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. On Sunday Chief Constable Sims said: “I look forward to being held to account for the decisions I have made over the past week which I believe were consistent with the available information and resources. I am proud of how quickly the force adopted new tactics to this unprecedented challenge.” Amid stiff sentences being handed out to rioters and looters, Sims called for compassion not to be lost: “Sentencing is justifiably harsh but we must not at this time abandon all compassion for some of our very damaged young people who have been caught up in these incidents.” Tim Godwin, acting commissioner of the Met, said the criticism had led to “upset” among his command team and officers on the ground. Andy Trotter, chief constable of British Transport police and a public order expert who is seriously considering applying for the Met commissionership, said he did not believe government claims that budget cuts would not damage the police: “We cannot pretend that the scale of cuts we face will not impact on the frontline of policing. “It is simply not possible.” Metropolitan police Police Theresa May David Cameron Public services policy Public sector cuts Public finance Vikram Dodd Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Rep. Steve King Claims the Stock Market Would go Up if Obama Embraced the Policies of Milton Friedman
August 14, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media After just espousing the Congress of the United States passing a balanced budget amendment as the cure to our economic problems which has no chance in hell of passing and would just make our economic problems worse if we limited or federal government’s ability to borrow money in times of crisis, Rep. Steve King in his profound wisdom let all of America know just what he thinks would make the stock markets jump up 1000 points this coming Monday. President Obama needs to denounce Keynesian and adopt those of Milton Friedman instead. President Obama needs to let everyone know he’s a one term president. President Obama needs to “embrace and endorse the Republican nominee because that’s the free market, freedom, and liberty party.” And then King had the nerve to invoke their saint, Ronnie Ray Gun and him asking if you are better off now than you were four years ago, when Reagan would not be welcomed in today’s Republican Party that has been taken over by TeaBirchers and right wing extremists like Congressman Steve King of Iowa. King also had the nerve to call President Obama a Keynesian economist on steroids, when he’s compromised with these hostage takers on the right in our Congress on economic policies and for those like the Paul Krugman’s and the Dean Bakers’ of the world along with a lot of the rest of us, he’s not been way to far to the right with his economic policies, but heaven forbid Steve King won’t let a few facts get in the way of his hyperbole here. And if that flame throwing wasn’t enough, King compared Obama to Hugo Chavez with nationalizing American businesses, with a litany of lies about what a government takeover actually means. King went on to pretend like the business friendly, former health care plan that was endorsed by the likes of Mitt Romney among others was “nationalizing” our health care program. Those of us who were pushing for single payer could only wish that lie were true, but it didn’t stop King from spinning “Obama-Care”, or the Affordable Care Act as some evil Socialist government takeover of our health care system here. He also was callous enough to take up the ridiculous argument from John McCain and Snooki, bitching about taxes on tanning salons, because god knows we can’t have anyone who can afford that paying a few dollars more to pay for other health care expenditures. And the hyperbolic language didn’t end there. King followed up with saying that “Obama-Care” needs to be “ripped out by the roots” and compared the health care law to a malignant tumor in our society that “feeds on your freedom and your liberty.” I hate to break it to the Congressman, but that “tumor”, while it did not go far enough, was at least a step in the right direction with fixing what’s wrong with our health insurance industry in America that needs to be strengthened and now watered down or eliminated as King was proposing here. King wrapped it up by saying the next president should repeal “Obama-Care” on inauguration day. It’s so nice to know that King has his priorities in place, like looking out for the profits of the health insurance industries. In his world, freedom means the freedom to gouge your customers while making sure the CEO’s profits aren’t limited, Wall Street investors get their take, and in the mean time those who are paying their money to these companies get gouged. I hate to break it to Steve King, but that’s not my idea of “freedom.”
Continue reading …Rep. Steve King Claims the Stock Market Would go Up if Obama Embraced the Policies of Milton Friedman
August 14, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media After just espousing the Congress of the United States passing a balanced budget amendment as the cure to our economic problems which has no chance in hell of passing and would just make our economic problems worse if we limited or federal government’s ability to borrow money in times of crisis, Rep. Steve King in his profound wisdom let all of America know just what he thinks would make the stock markets jump up 1000 points this coming Monday. President Obama needs to denounce Keynesian and adopt those of Milton Friedman instead. President Obama needs to let everyone know he’s a one term president. President Obama needs to “embrace and endorse the Republican nominee because that’s the free market, freedom, and liberty party.” And then King had the nerve to invoke their saint, Ronnie Ray Gun and him asking if you are better off now than you were four years ago, when Reagan would not be welcomed in today’s Republican Party that has been taken over by TeaBirchers and right wing extremists like Congressman Steve King of Iowa. King also had the nerve to call President Obama a Keynesian economist on steroids, when he’s compromised with these hostage takers on the right in our Congress on economic policies and for those like the Paul Krugman’s and the Dean Bakers’ of the world along with a lot of the rest of us, he’s not been way to far to the right with his economic policies, but heaven forbid Steve King won’t let a few facts get in the way of his hyperbole here. And if that flame throwing wasn’t enough, King compared Obama to Hugo Chavez with nationalizing American businesses, with a litany of lies about what a government takeover actually means. King went on to pretend like the business friendly, former health care plan that was endorsed by the likes of Mitt Romney among others was “nationalizing” our health care program. Those of us who were pushing for single payer could only wish that lie were true, but it didn’t stop King from spinning “Obama-Care”, or the Affordable Care Act as some evil Socialist government takeover of our health care system here. He also was callous enough to take up the ridiculous argument from John McCain and Snooki, bitching about taxes on tanning salons, because god knows we can’t have anyone who can afford that paying a few dollars more to pay for other health care expenditures. And the hyperbolic language didn’t end there. King followed up with saying that “Obama-Care” needs to be “ripped out by the roots” and compared the health care law to a malignant tumor in our society that “feeds on your freedom and your liberty.” I hate to break it to the Congressman, but that “tumor”, while it did not go far enough, was at least a step in the right direction with fixing what’s wrong with our health insurance industry in America that needs to be strengthened and now watered down or eliminated as King was proposing here. King wrapped it up by saying the next president should repeal “Obama-Care” on inauguration day. It’s so nice to know that King has his priorities in place, like looking out for the profits of the health insurance industries. In his world, freedom means the freedom to gouge your customers while making sure the CEO’s profits aren’t limited, Wall Street investors get their take, and in the mean time those who are paying their money to these companies get gouged. I hate to break it to Steve King, but that’s not my idea of “freedom.”
Continue reading …Rep. Steve King Claims the Stock Market Would go Up if Obama Embraced the Policies of Milton Friedman
August 14, 2011 No CommentClick here to view this media After just espousing the Congress of the United States passing a balanced budget amendment as the cure to our economic problems which has no chance in hell of passing and would just make our economic problems worse if we limited or federal government’s ability to borrow money in times of crisis, Rep. Steve King in his profound wisdom let all of America know just what he thinks would make the stock markets jump up 1000 points this coming Monday. President Obama needs to denounce Keynesian and adopt those of Milton Friedman instead. President Obama needs to let everyone know he’s a one term president. President Obama needs to “embrace and endorse the Republican nominee because that’s the free market, freedom, and liberty party.” And then King had the nerve to invoke their saint, Ronnie Ray Gun and him asking if you are better off now than you were four years ago, when Reagan would not be welcomed in today’s Republican Party that has been taken over by TeaBirchers and right wing extremists like Congressman Steve King of Iowa. King also had the nerve to call President Obama a Keynesian economist on steroids, when he’s compromised with these hostage takers on the right in our Congress on economic policies and for those like the Paul Krugman’s and the Dean Bakers’ of the world along with a lot of the rest of us, he’s not been way to far to the right with his economic policies, but heaven forbid Steve King won’t let a few facts get in the way of his hyperbole here. And if that flame throwing wasn’t enough, King compared Obama to Hugo Chavez with nationalizing American businesses, with a litany of lies about what a government takeover actually means. King went on to pretend like the business friendly, former health care plan that was endorsed by the likes of Mitt Romney among others was “nationalizing” our health care program. Those of us who were pushing for single payer could only wish that lie were true, but it didn’t stop King from spinning “Obama-Care”, or the Affordable Care Act as some evil Socialist government takeover of our health care system here. He also was callous enough to take up the ridiculous argument from John McCain and Snooki, bitching about taxes on tanning salons, because god knows we can’t have anyone who can afford that paying a few dollars more to pay for other health care expenditures. And the hyperbolic language didn’t end there. King followed up with saying that “Obama-Care” needs to be “ripped out by the roots” and compared the health care law to a malignant tumor in our society that “feeds on your freedom and your liberty.” I hate to break it to the Congressman, but that “tumor”, while it did not go far enough, was at least a step in the right direction with fixing what’s wrong with our health insurance industry in America that needs to be strengthened and now watered down or eliminated as King was proposing here. King wrapped it up by saying the next president should repeal “Obama-Care” on inauguration day. It’s so nice to know that King has his priorities in place, like looking out for the profits of the health insurance industries. In his world, freedom means the freedom to gouge your customers while making sure the CEO’s profits aren’t limited, Wall Street investors get their take, and in the mean time those who are paying their money to these companies get gouged. I hate to break it to Steve King, but that’s not my idea of “freedom.”
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CNN political analyst John Avlon, the former Rudy Giuliani aide, was brought on to the network to cast stones as “wingnuts” on both sides, but he's always preferred to beat up on the “far right.” That's what happened on CNN.com after Thursday's presidential debate. His commentary was titled “Are Republicans At War With Reality?” Avlon did try to single out the more moderate Republicans. “Mitt Romney appeared positively presidential next to the seven dwarfs who stood beside him,” and for a dwarf, “Jon Huntsman had a respectable, if subdued debut. He did not pander to the lowest common denominator. He did not flip or flop.” But the rest were all wingnuts. He began: So here's what I learned watching Thursday night's Republican debate: States' rights should rule the day, unless you're gay. Small government is the rule unless a rapist impregnates his victim. Loyalty oaths should be the new normal. Ten-to-one spending cuts to tax increases is an ideologically unacceptable compromise. And refusing to raise the debt ceiling is a stand for fiscal responsibility even if it were to trigger an immediate default. The action onstage in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday night provided a portrait of a grand old party that seems increasingly at war with reality itself. Responsible governance and philosophic consistency were endangered species in this political arena. Avlon concluded that only his two favorites were “even vaguely presidential” in Ames: “At a time when America needs a strong and vibrant center-right, that once-core Republican constituency was almost entirely unrepresented on the stage Thursday night. And not coincidentally, the two candidates closest to that zip-code — Romney and Huntsman — were the only ones who appeared even vaguely presidential.”
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Refined mansion tax proposal being fed into debate on abolishing 50p tax rate for those earning more than £150,000 The Liberal Democrats are pushing for the eventual disbanding of the 50p rate of tax to see the implementation of a new land tax levied on properties above £1m. In a refinement of their controversial mansion tax policy launched at their party conference two years ago, the Lib Dems now believe there is an argument for levying capital gains tax on any money made from the sale of a property after the first £1m. The Lib Dem idea is being fed into the debate surrounding how to bring down the 50p rate for those earning more than £150,000. A review into the rate is expected to confirm suspicions it does not bring in much revenue but serves to deter international business from locating in the UK at a time when the chancellor is seeking to encourage inward investment and spur growth. Over the weekend, George Osborne gave his clearest sign that the top rate would come down. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Osborne said there was “not much point” in having a tax that raised scant funds but that served to drive businesses out of Britain. Osborne said: “I’ve said with the 50p rate I don’t see that as a lasting tax rate for Britain because it’s very uncompetitive internationally, and people frankly can move. What is it actually raising? It’s only been in operation for a year, this tax, put in place by the last government.” Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Treasury chief secretary, has said supporters of abolishing the 50p rate are living in “cloud cuckoo land”. Vince Cable, the Lib Dem business secretary, has said if it goes it must be replaced by another imposition on the wealthy – possibly a mansion tax which would hit owners of the highest-value properties. Liberal Democrats Tax and spending Tax Liberal-Conservative coalition Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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Refined mansion tax proposal being fed into debate on abolishing 50p tax rate for those earning more than £150,000 The Liberal Democrats are pushing for the eventual disbanding of the 50p rate of tax to see the implementation of a new land tax levied on properties above £1m. In a refinement of their controversial mansion tax policy launched at their party conference two years ago, the Lib Dems now believe there is an argument for levying capital gains tax on any money made from the sale of a property after the first £1m. The Lib Dem idea is being fed into the debate surrounding how to bring down the 50p rate for those earning more than £150,000. A review into the rate is expected to confirm suspicions it does not bring in much revenue but serves to deter international business from locating in the UK at a time when the chancellor is seeking to encourage inward investment and spur growth. Over the weekend, George Osborne gave his clearest sign that the top rate would come down. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, Osborne said there was “not much point” in having a tax that raised scant funds but that served to drive businesses out of Britain. Osborne said: “I’ve said with the 50p rate I don’t see that as a lasting tax rate for Britain because it’s very uncompetitive internationally, and people frankly can move. What is it actually raising? It’s only been in operation for a year, this tax, put in place by the last government.” Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Treasury chief secretary, has said supporters of abolishing the 50p rate are living in “cloud cuckoo land”. Vince Cable, the Lib Dem business secretary, has said if it goes it must be replaced by another imposition on the wealthy – possibly a mansion tax which would hit owners of the highest-value properties. Liberal Democrats Tax and spending Tax Liberal-Conservative coalition Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk
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Two-day UK Feminista event aims to mobilise activists and school them in art of campaigning and direct action After just one day of classes at her summer school of choice, Emily Birkenshaw had already learned a crucial lesson: how to “go floppy” when facing arrest. “You’re heavier then so you can’t be carried,” she said, with the genuine delight of a new recruit. The 24-year-old been practising by linking arms with her classmates and singing loudly at a pretend policeman. “It just felt really empowering,” she said. “If that happened [in real life] – and I hope it wouldn’t – I’d know how to do it without getting hurt.” Birkenshaw, a teaching assistant from York, was just one of about 500 people to descend on Birmingham at the weekend for the UK Feminista summer school , a two-day event aimed at mobilising feminist activists and training them in the art of campaigning and direct action. With new groups, new campaigns and a set of decades-old beliefs being repackaged for the 21st century, leading figures such as Kat Banyard are claiming a “massive resurgence” in feminism. If anyone felt intimidated by the “monumental shifts” needed, Banyard, author of The Equality Illusion, told the audience, they needed to look no further than at the mountains moved by their antecedents. “Feminism is nothing but audacious,” she said. “It can be done.” For many younger participants of the so-called suffragette school, this was their first real experience of feminism. Birkenshaw signed up because of “a collection of things that have made me go, ‘This isn’t right!’” One of those things, she said, was walking down the street in “funky dresses and funky tights” and fearing male comments, or worse. “I don’t like the fact that as a woman I have to feel scared,” she said. It was this kind of anger that gave rise, earlier this year, to the Slutwalk marches which took place all over the world and saw thousands of people turn out to defend a woman’s right to wear what she liked and not feel threatened. Feminists are determined that this will not be the only headline-grabbing event of 2011: having already carried out protests outside London’s new Playboy Club and direct action against lads’ magazines in a branch of Tesco, they are planning more. In London, a UK Feminista activist group is launching in a fortnight. In Bristol, feminists are mobilising against applications for lapdancing clubs, bombarding the city council with objections and highlighting their campaign at the summer school. Pink Stinks , the campaign team that took on the “pinkification” of the Early Learning Centre, is preparing to take aim at stores that sell makeup for young girls. And, across the country, feminists are dreaming up ways of combatting government cuts to services such as SureStart childcare centres. “This is a women’s struggle. We know that women are disproportionately affected by the cuts and it’s a way of highlighting that,” said Vita, 50, who has been an activist with the movement for more than 20 years. One idea for action, which came out of a session on International Women’s Day, suggested hanging SureStart books from the Bristol suspension bridge “in order to show what has been suspended by this government”. Vita’s plan, meanwhile, is for an “all-women” action against the cuts. Men were, however, welcome in other quarters. In a session on Sunday, Matt McCormack Evans of the Anti Porn Men Project rejected any suggestion that men could not be proud members of the movement. “Yes, men can be feminists because it’s a movement with an aim and goal,” he said. Jacob Mirzaian, a 22-year-old student at Leeds University, agreed. One of several men to attend the summer school, he said he had been interested in feminism since school. “I reckon that if there is this fissure between men and women, then that’s something that everyone suffers from,” he said. The issues being discussed, he said, had affected the women in his life, including his mother: “It’s a second-hand experience.” As wide-reaching and forward-looking as the contemporary movement is, however, many younger feminists are aware of the negative connotations from which it still suffers in mainstream society. “I think there’s a massive image problem which sometimes is not helped by women who do not represent feminism in the best way, using it as a catchword to seem ‘edgy’ and ‘rebellious’,” said Rachelle Hunt, 22, a student at Bradford University, singling out popstars and celebrities for criticism. Birkenshaw admitted she had feared people would take her for an “angry, man-hating mentalist” when she identified as a feminist. But, she said, a moment in a session on Saturday summed up her response to such reactions. “This woman said: ‘When people ask you why you’re a feminist, your response should be: ‘well why aren’t you?’,” said Birkenshaw. “Why wouldn’t I be here? I’m a woman, I care about women’s rights, about my own rights; I care about equality, I don’t think anyone unequal, so it just makes sense.” The contemporary feminist’s in-tray Commercial sex industry Pornography; sex trafficking; lap-dancing and strip clubs; magazines featuring semi-nude women: all these raise the ire of many feminists. However some say there should be more support for sex workers, some of whom identify as feminists. Government cuts The Fawcett Society has said women are “bearing the brunt” of cuts to benefits and public services. It estimates that by 2015 the average single mother will have lost the equivalent of over one month’s income per year. Abortion Amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill could see independent groups- including those with an anti-abortion stance- invited to offer counselling in place of providers such as Marie Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service. Representation in politics and in the boardroom Women are outnumbered four to one in parliament (144 MPs to 504), which Banyard says has led to a “democratic deficit”. Only one in eight directors of FTSE 100 companies are women. Feminism Protest Abortion Women Women in politics Public sector cuts Equality Lizzy Davies guardian.co.uk
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