French president says post-Fukushima abandonment of nuclear ‘makes no sense’ as he announces push for new technology The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has bucked the anti-nuclear trend following Japan’s Fukushima disaster by pledging €1bn of investment in atomic power. Despite growing worldwide concern about the safety of nuclear plants, Sarkozy said the moratorium on new nuclear reactors adopted by certain countries since the Japanese nuclear crisis in March “makes no sense”. “There is no alternative to nuclear energy today,” he told journalists on Monday. “We are going to devote €1bn to the nuclear programme of the future, particularly fourth-generation technology,” Sarkozy said. Sarkozy also promised “substantial resources” to strengthen research into nuclear safety and a further €1.3bn (£1.2bn) investment in renewable energy. The announcement confirming France’s commitment to atomic power came as neighbouring Germany drew up plans to shut all its nuclear stations by 2022. It also came 24 hours after thousands of anti-nuclear protesters formed a human chain outside France’s oldest nuclear power station to demand its closure. The plant at Fessenheim in Alsace, on France’s border with Germany, has become the focus of a fierce debate over nuclear safety. At the weekend, demonstrators from France, Germany and Switzerland surrounded the plant calling for its number one reactor, in operation since 1977, to be taken out of service, claiming it was vulnerable to flooding and earthquakes. The plant is operated by French power group EDF. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced in May that Germany would phase out its 17 nuclear reactors, which provide up to 40% of the country’s energy, by 2022 at a cost of €40bn. She said Germany would concentrate on renewable energy sources. “We want to end the use of nuclear energy and reach the age of renewable energy as fast as possible,” Merkel said. Switzerland has also decided not to replace its five existing nuclear reactors, which supply around 40% of its energy, when they reach the end of their working life. The last of the nuclear stations is expected to end production by 2034, leaving time for Switzerland to develop alternative power sources. Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, sought to restart his country’s nuclear programme, abandoned in the 1980s. But 94% of Italian voters rejected the idea in a referendum earlier this month. France has 58 nuclear reactors, which supply 74% of its electricity, and is the world’s largest net exporter of electricity from nuclear sources. Sarkozy said France was known to be “considerably ahead” of other countries in terms of atomic power technology and safety. “Our power stations are more expensive because they are safer,” he said. Following the Fukushima nuclear accidents, caused by a combination of earthquake and tsunami, the French prime minister, François Fillon, asked the nuclear safety authority to carry out an “open and transparent” audit of the country’s nuclear installations, examining the risks of flood and earthquake damage, loss of power and cooling, and emergency accident procedure, to examine if any improvements could be made. Its conclusions are expected in September. All 143 working nuclear power plants in the EU’s 27 member states are facing new safety tests in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. French ecology minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said no decision on the future of Fessenheim would be made before the nuclear safety watchdog submitted its report. France Nuclear power Nicolas Sarkozy European Union Europe Energy Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Administration To Use Mystery Shoppers To See How Hard It Is To Get A Doctor’s Appointment
June 27, 2011 No CommentLet doctors whine all they want — we all know many doctors are turning away Medicaid patients, especially if they’re specialists. We’re not going to figure out how to solve this problem by simply guessing at how widespread the practice is: WASHINGTON — Alarmed by a shortage of primary care doctors, Obama administration officials are recruiting a team of “mystery shoppers” to pose as patients, call doctors’ offices and request appointments to see how difficult it is for people to get care when they need it. The administration says the survey will address a “critical public policy problem”: the increasing shortage of primary care doctors, including specialists in internal medicine and family practice. It will also try to discover whether doctors are accepting patients with private insurance while turning away those in government health programs that pay lower reimbursement rates. Federal officials predict that more than 30 million Americans will gain coverage under the health care law passed last year. “These newly insured Americans will need to seek out new primary care physicians, further exacerbating the already growing problem” of a shortage of physicians in the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a description of the project prepared for the White House. Plans for the survey have riled many doctors because the secret shoppers will not identify themselves as working for the government. “I don’t like the idea of the government snooping,” said Dr. Raymond Scalettar, an internist in Washington. “It’s a pernicious practice — Big Brother tactics, which should be opposed.” In other words, he wants to take public money when it suits him, but he doesn’t want any serious oversight? According to government documents obtained from Obama administration officials, the mystery shoppers will call medical practices and ask if doctors are accepting new patients and, if so, how long the wait would be. The government is eager to know whether doctors give different answers to callers depending on whether they have public insurance, like Medicaid, or private insurance, like Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
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• Follow every moment of Andy Murray’s match • Or keep tabs through Xan Brooks’ live blog • Send your thoughts to simon.burnton@guardian.co.uk First set: Murray 6-6 Gasquet A sense of impending doom grips the audience as Murray twice pulls out of his service action before the game gets under way, and though the Scot does win the game he doesn’t look particularly good in doing so, and he lands few first serves. Gasquet has a strange habit of standing four yards (or more) behind the baseline for many of Murray’s second serves, which is widely regarded as being the biggest chink in his armour. Then every now and then he’ll hit one from a yard inside the baseline. Puzzling. What he’ll do every time he can, though, is rip beautiful backhands down the line. Anyway, tiebreakarama. First set: Murray* 5-6 Gasquet Another easy hold for Gasquet, who – though Murray helps by providing him with the ammunition – produces a few great shots, the highlight being another stunning down-the-line backhand winner. “I like the cut of Gasquet’s jib,” notes David Savage. “Not only does he wear a proper (collared) tennis shirt, he hits proper (one-handed) backhands too. If only he had a double-barrelled surname, he’d be a certainty for the title.” First set: Murray 5-5 Gasquet* Now Gasquet wastes a challenge – the players have lost all of their three appeals so far. Other than man v hawk-eye, which isn’t going so well, this is on a knife-edge. First set: Murray* 4-5 Gasquet A weirdly easy service game, held to love – with Murray barely offering a shot to give away the final point. First set: Murray 4-4 Gasquet* Murray’s first-serve percentage in his first three service games was a very underwhelming 60% – Gasquet’s average over his first four service games was 77%. But that was better from Murray – slower serves, but greater accuracy. First set: Murray* 3-4 Gasquet Having twice decided not to challenge (wrongly), Murray finally has a go (also wrongly). It looks set to be another very standard service game as Gasquet goes 40-0 up, but one brilliant return and a fluffed volley later (er, and another point), it’s deuce. This allows Gasquet to produce a brilliant drop-half-volley on his way to winning the game anyway. First set: Murray 3-3 Gasquet* Three big serves win the game; Gasquet lands three returns and wins two of those points. There have been a lot of attempted lobs already today, I’m noticing. Something to do with attempting to bewilder your opponent by forcing them to confront the presence of a sun, I’m guessing. Not something they had to deal with very often in week one. First set: Murray* 2-3 Gasquet Gasquet has a go at attacking the net – several goes, to be fair. This allows Murray to unleash one great passing shot, but then the Frenchman stays back and creams a brilliant backhand down the line. And Gary Naylor, with some inevitability, wins the competition to produce a “blowing Gasquet” pun that doesn’t seem smutty and crude. “So McEnroe, who often blew a gasket at Wimbledon, is advising Murray on how to blow away a Gasquet at Wimbledon,” he writes. “Quite an important preposition in that sentence, I feel.” First set: Murray 2-2 Gasquet* Gasquet wins the first point after Murray’s first serve was called long – incorrectly, and again unappealed. A sense of gentle sparring pervades, at least until game point when Gasquet attacks a forehand for the first time. A fine shot, but then Murray serves an ace and wins the game anyway. First set: Murray* 1-2 Gasquet Murray’s having some calibration issues with his radar, the upshot being that Gasquet holds to love in a game that revealed little about anything, but did give the line judges a fairly remorseless work-out. First set: Murray 1-1 Gasquet* McEnroe is making a big deal about the importance of not counterpunching, despite that being both players’ natural game. Though you’d have thought that if a tactic is good enough to take a player to No4 in the world it would probably be good enough to take him past the No13. Anyway, Murray’s problem here isn’t so much counterpunching it’s where he’s counterpunching the ball – into the net, quite often, and straight at a French bloke the rest of the time. He’s not helped by an incorrect and unappealed call at 15-15, and before long he’s facing his first break point. It’s saved, though, and the game duly won with a lovely trademark drop shot. First set: Murray* 0-1 Gasquet Murray wins the first point but that’s where the good times end, and three unforced errors hand Gasquet the game. 1.12pm: The players are warmed up. Gasquet to serve. 1.09pm: There are genuine royals in the royal box! I’m talking about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or Prince William and Mrs William as they’re otherwise known. Preamble Welcome, then, to Andy Murray’s latest step on his route to world domination. Today’s straightforward conquest is Richard Gasquet, the French No17 seed, whom Murray has soundly thrashed every time they’v … hang on … he’s only gone and lost the last two. So who is Richard Gasquet, then? He’s 25, his hero is Zinedine Zidane. He tested positive for Cocaine in 2009 but successfully blamed it on a waitress he kissed in Miami. He doesn’t have dandruff . And he’s a decent outside bet to win Wimbledon if our Andy doesn’t (though it might be worth holding off your trip to the bookies for a couple of hours). They’ve met at Wimbledon once before, in 2008, when Murray fought back from two sets and a break down to win, improbably, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4, in what Murray calls “the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court”. More drama like that, please. Only slightly less dramatic. Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Andy Murray Tennis Simon Burnton guardian.co.uk
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• Follow every moment of Andy Murray’s match • Or keep tabs through Xan Brooks’ live blog • Send your thoughts to simon.burnton@guardian.co.uk First set: Murray 6-6 Gasquet A sense of impending doom grips the audience as Murray twice pulls out of his service action before the game gets under way, and though the Scot does win the game he doesn’t look particularly good in doing so, and he lands few first serves. Gasquet has a strange habit of standing four yards (or more) behind the baseline for many of Murray’s second serves, which is widely regarded as being the biggest chink in his armour. Then every now and then he’ll hit one from a yard inside the baseline. Puzzling. What he’ll do every time he can, though, is rip beautiful backhands down the line. Anyway, tiebreakarama. First set: Murray* 5-6 Gasquet Another easy hold for Gasquet, who – though Murray helps by providing him with the ammunition – produces a few great shots, the highlight being another stunning down-the-line backhand winner. “I like the cut of Gasquet’s jib,” notes David Savage. “Not only does he wear a proper (collared) tennis shirt, he hits proper (one-handed) backhands too. If only he had a double-barrelled surname, he’d be a certainty for the title.” First set: Murray 5-5 Gasquet* Now Gasquet wastes a challenge – the players have lost all of their three appeals so far. Other than man v hawk-eye, which isn’t going so well, this is on a knife-edge. First set: Murray* 4-5 Gasquet A weirdly easy service game, held to love – with Murray barely offering a shot to give away the final point. First set: Murray 4-4 Gasquet* Murray’s first-serve percentage in his first three service games was a very underwhelming 60% – Gasquet’s average over his first four service games was 77%. But that was better from Murray – slower serves, but greater accuracy. First set: Murray* 3-4 Gasquet Having twice decided not to challenge (wrongly), Murray finally has a go (also wrongly). It looks set to be another very standard service game as Gasquet goes 40-0 up, but one brilliant return and a fluffed volley later (er, and another point), it’s deuce. This allows Gasquet to produce a brilliant drop-half-volley on his way to winning the game anyway. First set: Murray 3-3 Gasquet* Three big serves win the game; Gasquet lands three returns and wins two of those points. There have been a lot of attempted lobs already today, I’m noticing. Something to do with attempting to bewilder your opponent by forcing them to confront the presence of a sun, I’m guessing. Not something they had to deal with very often in week one. First set: Murray* 2-3 Gasquet Gasquet has a go at attacking the net – several goes, to be fair. This allows Murray to unleash one great passing shot, but then the Frenchman stays back and creams a brilliant backhand down the line. And Gary Naylor, with some inevitability, wins the competition to produce a “blowing Gasquet” pun that doesn’t seem smutty and crude. “So McEnroe, who often blew a gasket at Wimbledon, is advising Murray on how to blow away a Gasquet at Wimbledon,” he writes. “Quite an important preposition in that sentence, I feel.” First set: Murray 2-2 Gasquet* Gasquet wins the first point after Murray’s first serve was called long – incorrectly, and again unappealed. A sense of gentle sparring pervades, at least until game point when Gasquet attacks a forehand for the first time. A fine shot, but then Murray serves an ace and wins the game anyway. First set: Murray* 1-2 Gasquet Murray’s having some calibration issues with his radar, the upshot being that Gasquet holds to love in a game that revealed little about anything, but did give the line judges a fairly remorseless work-out. First set: Murray 1-1 Gasquet* McEnroe is making a big deal about the importance of not counterpunching, despite that being both players’ natural game. Though you’d have thought that if a tactic is good enough to take a player to No4 in the world it would probably be good enough to take him past the No13. Anyway, Murray’s problem here isn’t so much counterpunching it’s where he’s counterpunching the ball – into the net, quite often, and straight at a French bloke the rest of the time. He’s not helped by an incorrect and unappealed call at 15-15, and before long he’s facing his first break point. It’s saved, though, and the game duly won with a lovely trademark drop shot. First set: Murray* 0-1 Gasquet Murray wins the first point but that’s where the good times end, and three unforced errors hand Gasquet the game. 1.12pm: The players are warmed up. Gasquet to serve. 1.09pm: There are genuine royals in the royal box! I’m talking about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or Prince William and Mrs William as they’re otherwise known. Preamble Welcome, then, to Andy Murray’s latest step on his route to world domination. Today’s straightforward conquest is Richard Gasquet, the French No17 seed, whom Murray has soundly thrashed every time they’v … hang on … he’s only gone and lost the last two. So who is Richard Gasquet, then? He’s 25, his hero is Zinedine Zidane. He tested positive for Cocaine in 2009 but successfully blamed it on a waitress he kissed in Miami. He doesn’t have dandruff . And he’s a decent outside bet to win Wimbledon if our Andy doesn’t (though it might be worth holding off your trip to the bookies for a couple of hours). They’ve met at Wimbledon once before, in 2008, when Murray fought back from two sets and a break down to win, improbably, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4, in what Murray calls “the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court”. More drama like that, please. Only slightly less dramatic. Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Andy Murray Tennis Simon Burnton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
• Follow every moment of Andy Murray’s match • Or keep tabs through Xan Brooks’ live blog • Send your thoughts to simon.burnton@guardian.co.uk First set: Murray 6-6 Gasquet A sense of impending doom grips the audience as Murray twice pulls out of his service action before the game gets under way, and though the Scot does win the game he doesn’t look particularly good in doing so, and he lands few first serves. Gasquet has a strange habit of standing four yards (or more) behind the baseline for many of Murray’s second serves, which is widely regarded as being the biggest chink in his armour. Then every now and then he’ll hit one from a yard inside the baseline. Puzzling. What he’ll do every time he can, though, is rip beautiful backhands down the line. Anyway, tiebreakarama. First set: Murray* 5-6 Gasquet Another easy hold for Gasquet, who – though Murray helps by providing him with the ammunition – produces a few great shots, the highlight being another stunning down-the-line backhand winner. “I like the cut of Gasquet’s jib,” notes David Savage. “Not only does he wear a proper (collared) tennis shirt, he hits proper (one-handed) backhands too. If only he had a double-barrelled surname, he’d be a certainty for the title.” First set: Murray 5-5 Gasquet* Now Gasquet wastes a challenge – the players have lost all of their three appeals so far. Other than man v hawk-eye, which isn’t going so well, this is on a knife-edge. First set: Murray* 4-5 Gasquet A weirdly easy service game, held to love – with Murray barely offering a shot to give away the final point. First set: Murray 4-4 Gasquet* Murray’s first-serve percentage in his first three service games was a very underwhelming 60% – Gasquet’s average over his first four service games was 77%. But that was better from Murray – slower serves, but greater accuracy. First set: Murray* 3-4 Gasquet Having twice decided not to challenge (wrongly), Murray finally has a go (also wrongly). It looks set to be another very standard service game as Gasquet goes 40-0 up, but one brilliant return and a fluffed volley later (er, and another point), it’s deuce. This allows Gasquet to produce a brilliant drop-half-volley on his way to winning the game anyway. First set: Murray 3-3 Gasquet* Three big serves win the game; Gasquet lands three returns and wins two of those points. There have been a lot of attempted lobs already today, I’m noticing. Something to do with attempting to bewilder your opponent by forcing them to confront the presence of a sun, I’m guessing. Not something they had to deal with very often in week one. First set: Murray* 2-3 Gasquet Gasquet has a go at attacking the net – several goes, to be fair. This allows Murray to unleash one great passing shot, but then the Frenchman stays back and creams a brilliant backhand down the line. And Gary Naylor, with some inevitability, wins the competition to produce a “blowing Gasquet” pun that doesn’t seem smutty and crude. “So McEnroe, who often blew a gasket at Wimbledon, is advising Murray on how to blow away a Gasquet at Wimbledon,” he writes. “Quite an important preposition in that sentence, I feel.” First set: Murray 2-2 Gasquet* Gasquet wins the first point after Murray’s first serve was called long – incorrectly, and again unappealed. A sense of gentle sparring pervades, at least until game point when Gasquet attacks a forehand for the first time. A fine shot, but then Murray serves an ace and wins the game anyway. First set: Murray* 1-2 Gasquet Murray’s having some calibration issues with his radar, the upshot being that Gasquet holds to love in a game that revealed little about anything, but did give the line judges a fairly remorseless work-out. First set: Murray 1-1 Gasquet* McEnroe is making a big deal about the importance of not counterpunching, despite that being both players’ natural game. Though you’d have thought that if a tactic is good enough to take a player to No4 in the world it would probably be good enough to take him past the No13. Anyway, Murray’s problem here isn’t so much counterpunching it’s where he’s counterpunching the ball – into the net, quite often, and straight at a French bloke the rest of the time. He’s not helped by an incorrect and unappealed call at 15-15, and before long he’s facing his first break point. It’s saved, though, and the game duly won with a lovely trademark drop shot. First set: Murray* 0-1 Gasquet Murray wins the first point but that’s where the good times end, and three unforced errors hand Gasquet the game. 1.12pm: The players are warmed up. Gasquet to serve. 1.09pm: There are genuine royals in the royal box! I’m talking about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or Prince William and Mrs William as they’re otherwise known. Preamble Welcome, then, to Andy Murray’s latest step on his route to world domination. Today’s straightforward conquest is Richard Gasquet, the French No17 seed, whom Murray has soundly thrashed every time they’v … hang on … he’s only gone and lost the last two. So who is Richard Gasquet, then? He’s 25, his hero is Zinedine Zidane. He tested positive for Cocaine in 2009 but successfully blamed it on a waitress he kissed in Miami. He doesn’t have dandruff . And he’s a decent outside bet to win Wimbledon if our Andy doesn’t (though it might be worth holding off your trip to the bookies for a couple of hours). They’ve met at Wimbledon once before, in 2008, when Murray fought back from two sets and a break down to win, improbably, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4, in what Murray calls “the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court”. More drama like that, please. Only slightly less dramatic. Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Andy Murray Tennis Simon Burnton guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
• Follow every moment of Andy Murray’s match • Or keep tabs through Xan Brooks’ live blog • Send your thoughts to simon.burnton@guardian.co.uk First set: Murray 6-6 Gasquet A sense of impending doom grips the audience as Murray twice pulls out of his service action before the game gets under way, and though the Scot does win the game he doesn’t look particularly good in doing so, and he lands few first serves. Gasquet has a strange habit of standing four yards (or more) behind the baseline for many of Murray’s second serves, which is widely regarded as being the biggest chink in his armour. Then every now and then he’ll hit one from a yard inside the baseline. Puzzling. What he’ll do every time he can, though, is rip beautiful backhands down the line. Anyway, tiebreakarama. First set: Murray* 5-6 Gasquet Another easy hold for Gasquet, who – though Murray helps by providing him with the ammunition – produces a few great shots, the highlight being another stunning down-the-line backhand winner. “I like the cut of Gasquet’s jib,” notes David Savage. “Not only does he wear a proper (collared) tennis shirt, he hits proper (one-handed) backhands too. If only he had a double-barrelled surname, he’d be a certainty for the title.” First set: Murray 5-5 Gasquet* Now Gasquet wastes a challenge – the players have lost all of their three appeals so far. Other than man v hawk-eye, which isn’t going so well, this is on a knife-edge. First set: Murray* 4-5 Gasquet A weirdly easy service game, held to love – with Murray barely offering a shot to give away the final point. First set: Murray 4-4 Gasquet* Murray’s first-serve percentage in his first three service games was a very underwhelming 60% – Gasquet’s average over his first four service games was 77%. But that was better from Murray – slower serves, but greater accuracy. First set: Murray* 3-4 Gasquet Having twice decided not to challenge (wrongly), Murray finally has a go (also wrongly). It looks set to be another very standard service game as Gasquet goes 40-0 up, but one brilliant return and a fluffed volley later (er, and another point), it’s deuce. This allows Gasquet to produce a brilliant drop-half-volley on his way to winning the game anyway. First set: Murray 3-3 Gasquet* Three big serves win the game; Gasquet lands three returns and wins two of those points. There have been a lot of attempted lobs already today, I’m noticing. Something to do with attempting to bewilder your opponent by forcing them to confront the presence of a sun, I’m guessing. Not something they had to deal with very often in week one. First set: Murray* 2-3 Gasquet Gasquet has a go at attacking the net – several goes, to be fair. This allows Murray to unleash one great passing shot, but then the Frenchman stays back and creams a brilliant backhand down the line. And Gary Naylor, with some inevitability, wins the competition to produce a “blowing Gasquet” pun that doesn’t seem smutty and crude. “So McEnroe, who often blew a gasket at Wimbledon, is advising Murray on how to blow away a Gasquet at Wimbledon,” he writes. “Quite an important preposition in that sentence, I feel.” First set: Murray 2-2 Gasquet* Gasquet wins the first point after Murray’s first serve was called long – incorrectly, and again unappealed. A sense of gentle sparring pervades, at least until game point when Gasquet attacks a forehand for the first time. A fine shot, but then Murray serves an ace and wins the game anyway. First set: Murray* 1-2 Gasquet Murray’s having some calibration issues with his radar, the upshot being that Gasquet holds to love in a game that revealed little about anything, but did give the line judges a fairly remorseless work-out. First set: Murray 1-1 Gasquet* McEnroe is making a big deal about the importance of not counterpunching, despite that being both players’ natural game. Though you’d have thought that if a tactic is good enough to take a player to No4 in the world it would probably be good enough to take him past the No13. Anyway, Murray’s problem here isn’t so much counterpunching it’s where he’s counterpunching the ball – into the net, quite often, and straight at a French bloke the rest of the time. He’s not helped by an incorrect and unappealed call at 15-15, and before long he’s facing his first break point. It’s saved, though, and the game duly won with a lovely trademark drop shot. First set: Murray* 0-1 Gasquet Murray wins the first point but that’s where the good times end, and three unforced errors hand Gasquet the game. 1.12pm: The players are warmed up. Gasquet to serve. 1.09pm: There are genuine royals in the royal box! I’m talking about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, or Prince William and Mrs William as they’re otherwise known. Preamble Welcome, then, to Andy Murray’s latest step on his route to world domination. Today’s straightforward conquest is Richard Gasquet, the French No17 seed, whom Murray has soundly thrashed every time they’v … hang on … he’s only gone and lost the last two. So who is Richard Gasquet, then? He’s 25, his hero is Zinedine Zidane. He tested positive for Cocaine in 2009 but successfully blamed it on a waitress he kissed in Miami. He doesn’t have dandruff . And he’s a decent outside bet to win Wimbledon if our Andy doesn’t (though it might be worth holding off your trip to the bookies for a couple of hours). They’ve met at Wimbledon once before, in 2008, when Murray fought back from two sets and a break down to win, improbably, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4, in what Murray calls “the best moment I’ve ever had on a tennis court”. More drama like that, please. Only slightly less dramatic. Wimbledon 2011 Wimbledon Andy Murray Tennis Simon Burnton guardian.co.uk
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More tests ordered as postmortem held after Glastonbury death of Tory constituency aide to David Cameron proves inconclusive Toxicology tests are being carried out on the body of Christopher Shale, the 56-year old constituency aide to David Cameron who was found dead at the Glastonbury festival on Sunday morning. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said the initial postmortem had proved inconclusive and a toxicology report had been ordered that would take at least 10 days to deliver its conclusions. An inquest into the death was due to be opened and adjourned by the East Somerset coroner at Wells town hall at 2.30pm on Monday. Police said the postmortem did not suggest the death was suspicious. Shale was the chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative association in the prime minister’s Witney constituency and had been at Glastonbury with his wife and children. He went to the portable toilet in the VIP area where he was staying behind the main stage around lunchtime on Saturday and was found dead at about 9am on Sunday. He had been contacted just after 12.30pm on Saturday by a Downing Street official to tell him not to talk to the press about a memo written by him which was highly critical of the Tory party and had been leaked to a Sunday newspaper. The memo was essentially a strategy document setting out how to recruit members. It said the local party appeared “graceless, voracious, crass, always on the take”, and needed to radically change. Shale spoke to his deputy chairman, Richard Langridge who said he was “cross” about the leak. Langridge was reported saying Shale was “disappointed but it was one of those things”. In a further call, Shale discussed the leak with Cameron’s Witney constituency agent, Barry Norton. Police and sources close to the family said they believed Shale died of a massive heart attack and claimed his family had a history of heart problems. At a press briefing on Monday morning, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It’s true that there was a phone call to [Shale] on Saturday to make him aware of the fact that a story would be running in a Sunday newspaper.” Asked if Cameron was satisfied there had been no inappropriate behaviour by his officials, the spokesman replied: “Absolutely”. Early reports of the death, including one from the Glastonbury festival organiser, Michael Eavis, suggested that Shale had killed himself. These were dismissed as inaccurate. “I am told it was a suicide situation this morning, in the early hours of this morning,” Eavis told a press conference on Sunday. Cameron said the death had left him and his wife, Samantha, devastated, and that “a big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away.” The prime minister had been aware of the memo’s existence and there is deep concern inside Downing Street that its contents, known only to a small number of people, had been disclosed. Party officials had said earlier that there was no suggestion from Shale’s behaviour that he was overly concerned about the leak. Shale’s contacts with No 10 officials were seen as routine and polite, and he is not believed to have taken up the advice to speak to the party headquarters. One senior source said the heart attack was “just a dreadful coincidence”, adding: “The story in the Mail on Sunday did not concern us that much.” After the texts, Shale did contact Norton, who said: “He was absolutely in good health. We understand that his death has been as the result of a heart attack, that is the information we have. “There’s a history of that in his family and anything to the contrary, at the moment, is totally scurrilous.” Asked if Shale had been aware of the Mail article, he said: “Yes he was. He was very aware of that article. He was very circumspect with it, and was quite confident that this was something that was not really an issue. “And he was looking forward to increasing our membership, and was working on a pilot to do that.” It was pointed out that Shale, who worked in PR, management consultancy and marketing, was a robust character not to be fazed by the interplay of media and politics. He had been staying in one of the luxury caravans behind Glastonbury’s pyramid stage. His wife raised the alarm early in the morning, but his body was not found until 9am. Rupert Soames, a businessman and friend of Shale who was at Glastonbury and helped co-ordinate arrangements following his death, said through a spokesman that medics had said they believed Shale had died of a massive heart attack at “around lunchtime” on Saturday. The prime minister said Shale had been “a huge support” over the 10 years he had been MP for Witney. Cameron said: “Christopher was one of the most truly generous people I’ve ever met – he was always giving to others, his time, his help, his enthusiasm, and above all his love of life. “It was in that spirit that he made a massive contribution to the Conservative party. “Our love and prayers are with Nikki and the family. They’ve lost an amazing dad, west Oxfordshire has lost a big and wonderful man and, like so many others, Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend.” In a statement, Eavis said: “I would like to express my deepest sympathy to [Shale's] family and friends.” Conservatives David Cameron Glastonbury festival Festivals Robert Booth Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …More tests ordered as postmortem held after Glastonbury death of Tory constituency aide to David Cameron proves inconclusive Toxicology tests are being carried out on the body of Christopher Shale, the 56-year old constituency aide to David Cameron who was found dead at the Glastonbury festival on Sunday morning. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said the initial postmortem had proved inconclusive and a toxicology report had been ordered that would take at least 10 days to deliver its conclusions. An inquest into the death was due to be opened and adjourned by the East Somerset coroner at Wells town hall at 2.30pm on Monday. Police said the postmortem did not suggest the death was suspicious. Shale was the chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative association in the prime minister’s Witney constituency and had been at Glastonbury with his wife and children. He went to the portable toilet in the VIP area where he was staying behind the main stage around lunchtime on Saturday and was found dead at about 9am on Sunday. He had been contacted just after 12.30pm on Saturday by a Downing Street official to tell him not to talk to the press about a memo written by him which was highly critical of the Tory party and had been leaked to a Sunday newspaper. The memo was essentially a strategy document setting out how to recruit members. It said the local party appeared “graceless, voracious, crass, always on the take”, and needed to radically change. Shale spoke to his deputy chairman, Richard Langridge who said he was “cross” about the leak. Langridge was reported saying Shale was “disappointed but it was one of those things”. In a further call, Shale discussed the leak with Cameron’s Witney constituency agent, Barry Norton. Police and sources close to the family said they believed Shale died of a massive heart attack and claimed his family had a history of heart problems. At a press briefing on Monday morning, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It’s true that there was a phone call to [Shale] on Saturday to make him aware of the fact that a story would be running in a Sunday newspaper.” Asked if Cameron was satisfied there had been no inappropriate behaviour by his officials, the spokesman replied: “Absolutely”. Early reports of the death, including one from the Glastonbury festival organiser, Michael Eavis, suggested that Shale had killed himself. These were dismissed as inaccurate. “I am told it was a suicide situation this morning, in the early hours of this morning,” Eavis told a press conference on Sunday. Cameron said the death had left him and his wife, Samantha, devastated, and that “a big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away.” The prime minister had been aware of the memo’s existence and there is deep concern inside Downing Street that its contents, known only to a small number of people, had been disclosed. Party officials had said earlier that there was no suggestion from Shale’s behaviour that he was overly concerned about the leak. Shale’s contacts with No 10 officials were seen as routine and polite, and he is not believed to have taken up the advice to speak to the party headquarters. One senior source said the heart attack was “just a dreadful coincidence”, adding: “The story in the Mail on Sunday did not concern us that much.” After the texts, Shale did contact Norton, who said: “He was absolutely in good health. We understand that his death has been as the result of a heart attack, that is the information we have. “There’s a history of that in his family and anything to the contrary, at the moment, is totally scurrilous.” Asked if Shale had been aware of the Mail article, he said: “Yes he was. He was very aware of that article. He was very circumspect with it, and was quite confident that this was something that was not really an issue. “And he was looking forward to increasing our membership, and was working on a pilot to do that.” It was pointed out that Shale, who worked in PR, management consultancy and marketing, was a robust character not to be fazed by the interplay of media and politics. He had been staying in one of the luxury caravans behind Glastonbury’s pyramid stage. His wife raised the alarm early in the morning, but his body was not found until 9am. Rupert Soames, a businessman and friend of Shale who was at Glastonbury and helped co-ordinate arrangements following his death, said through a spokesman that medics had said they believed Shale had died of a massive heart attack at “around lunchtime” on Saturday. The prime minister said Shale had been “a huge support” over the 10 years he had been MP for Witney. Cameron said: “Christopher was one of the most truly generous people I’ve ever met – he was always giving to others, his time, his help, his enthusiasm, and above all his love of life. “It was in that spirit that he made a massive contribution to the Conservative party. “Our love and prayers are with Nikki and the family. They’ve lost an amazing dad, west Oxfordshire has lost a big and wonderful man and, like so many others, Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend.” In a statement, Eavis said: “I would like to express my deepest sympathy to [Shale's] family and friends.” Conservatives David Cameron Glastonbury festival Festivals Robert Booth Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
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More tests ordered as postmortem held after Glastonbury death of Tory constituency aide to David Cameron proves inconclusive Toxicology tests are being carried out on the body of Christopher Shale, the 56-year old constituency aide to David Cameron who was found dead at the Glastonbury festival on Sunday morning. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said the initial postmortem had proved inconclusive and a toxicology report had been ordered that would take at least 10 days to deliver its conclusions. An inquest into the death was due to be opened and adjourned by the East Somerset coroner at Wells town hall at 2.30pm on Monday. Police said the postmortem did not suggest the death was suspicious. Shale was the chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative association in the prime minister’s Witney constituency and had been at Glastonbury with his wife and children. He went to the portable toilet in the VIP area where he was staying behind the main stage around lunchtime on Saturday and was found dead at about 9am on Sunday. He had been contacted just after 12.30pm on Saturday by a Downing Street official to tell him not to talk to the press about a memo written by him which was highly critical of the Tory party and had been leaked to a Sunday newspaper. The memo was essentially a strategy document setting out how to recruit members. It said the local party appeared “graceless, voracious, crass, always on the take”, and needed to radically change. Shale spoke to his deputy chairman, Richard Langridge who said he was “cross” about the leak. Langridge was reported saying Shale was “disappointed but it was one of those things”. In a further call, Shale discussed the leak with Cameron’s Witney constituency agent, Barry Norton. Police and sources close to the family said they believed Shale died of a massive heart attack and claimed his family had a history of heart problems. At a press briefing on Monday morning, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It’s true that there was a phone call to [Shale] on Saturday to make him aware of the fact that a story would be running in a Sunday newspaper.” Asked if Cameron was satisfied there had been no inappropriate behaviour by his officials, the spokesman replied: “Absolutely”. Early reports of the death, including one from the Glastonbury festival organiser, Michael Eavis, suggested that Shale had killed himself. These were dismissed as inaccurate. “I am told it was a suicide situation this morning, in the early hours of this morning,” Eavis told a press conference on Sunday. Cameron said the death had left him and his wife, Samantha, devastated, and that “a big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away.” The prime minister had been aware of the memo’s existence and there is deep concern inside Downing Street that its contents, known only to a small number of people, had been disclosed. Party officials had said earlier that there was no suggestion from Shale’s behaviour that he was overly concerned about the leak. Shale’s contacts with No 10 officials were seen as routine and polite, and he is not believed to have taken up the advice to speak to the party headquarters. One senior source said the heart attack was “just a dreadful coincidence”, adding: “The story in the Mail on Sunday did not concern us that much.” After the texts, Shale did contact Norton, who said: “He was absolutely in good health. We understand that his death has been as the result of a heart attack, that is the information we have. “There’s a history of that in his family and anything to the contrary, at the moment, is totally scurrilous.” Asked if Shale had been aware of the Mail article, he said: “Yes he was. He was very aware of that article. He was very circumspect with it, and was quite confident that this was something that was not really an issue. “And he was looking forward to increasing our membership, and was working on a pilot to do that.” It was pointed out that Shale, who worked in PR, management consultancy and marketing, was a robust character not to be fazed by the interplay of media and politics. He had been staying in one of the luxury caravans behind Glastonbury’s pyramid stage. His wife raised the alarm early in the morning, but his body was not found until 9am. Rupert Soames, a businessman and friend of Shale who was at Glastonbury and helped co-ordinate arrangements following his death, said through a spokesman that medics had said they believed Shale had died of a massive heart attack at “around lunchtime” on Saturday. The prime minister said Shale had been “a huge support” over the 10 years he had been MP for Witney. Cameron said: “Christopher was one of the most truly generous people I’ve ever met – he was always giving to others, his time, his help, his enthusiasm, and above all his love of life. “It was in that spirit that he made a massive contribution to the Conservative party. “Our love and prayers are with Nikki and the family. They’ve lost an amazing dad, west Oxfordshire has lost a big and wonderful man and, like so many others, Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend.” In a statement, Eavis said: “I would like to express my deepest sympathy to [Shale's] family and friends.” Conservatives David Cameron Glastonbury festival Festivals Robert Booth Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …More tests ordered as postmortem held after Glastonbury death of Tory constituency aide to David Cameron proves inconclusive Toxicology tests are being carried out on the body of Christopher Shale, the 56-year old constituency aide to David Cameron who was found dead at the Glastonbury festival on Sunday morning. A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said the initial postmortem had proved inconclusive and a toxicology report had been ordered that would take at least 10 days to deliver its conclusions. An inquest into the death was due to be opened and adjourned by the East Somerset coroner at Wells town hall at 2.30pm on Monday. Police said the postmortem did not suggest the death was suspicious. Shale was the chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative association in the prime minister’s Witney constituency and had been at Glastonbury with his wife and children. He went to the portable toilet in the VIP area where he was staying behind the main stage around lunchtime on Saturday and was found dead at about 9am on Sunday. He had been contacted just after 12.30pm on Saturday by a Downing Street official to tell him not to talk to the press about a memo written by him which was highly critical of the Tory party and had been leaked to a Sunday newspaper. The memo was essentially a strategy document setting out how to recruit members. It said the local party appeared “graceless, voracious, crass, always on the take”, and needed to radically change. Shale spoke to his deputy chairman, Richard Langridge who said he was “cross” about the leak. Langridge was reported saying Shale was “disappointed but it was one of those things”. In a further call, Shale discussed the leak with Cameron’s Witney constituency agent, Barry Norton. Police and sources close to the family said they believed Shale died of a massive heart attack and claimed his family had a history of heart problems. At a press briefing on Monday morning, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It’s true that there was a phone call to [Shale] on Saturday to make him aware of the fact that a story would be running in a Sunday newspaper.” Asked if Cameron was satisfied there had been no inappropriate behaviour by his officials, the spokesman replied: “Absolutely”. Early reports of the death, including one from the Glastonbury festival organiser, Michael Eavis, suggested that Shale had killed himself. These were dismissed as inaccurate. “I am told it was a suicide situation this morning, in the early hours of this morning,” Eavis told a press conference on Sunday. Cameron said the death had left him and his wife, Samantha, devastated, and that “a big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away.” The prime minister had been aware of the memo’s existence and there is deep concern inside Downing Street that its contents, known only to a small number of people, had been disclosed. Party officials had said earlier that there was no suggestion from Shale’s behaviour that he was overly concerned about the leak. Shale’s contacts with No 10 officials were seen as routine and polite, and he is not believed to have taken up the advice to speak to the party headquarters. One senior source said the heart attack was “just a dreadful coincidence”, adding: “The story in the Mail on Sunday did not concern us that much.” After the texts, Shale did contact Norton, who said: “He was absolutely in good health. We understand that his death has been as the result of a heart attack, that is the information we have. “There’s a history of that in his family and anything to the contrary, at the moment, is totally scurrilous.” Asked if Shale had been aware of the Mail article, he said: “Yes he was. He was very aware of that article. He was very circumspect with it, and was quite confident that this was something that was not really an issue. “And he was looking forward to increasing our membership, and was working on a pilot to do that.” It was pointed out that Shale, who worked in PR, management consultancy and marketing, was a robust character not to be fazed by the interplay of media and politics. He had been staying in one of the luxury caravans behind Glastonbury’s pyramid stage. His wife raised the alarm early in the morning, but his body was not found until 9am. Rupert Soames, a businessman and friend of Shale who was at Glastonbury and helped co-ordinate arrangements following his death, said through a spokesman that medics had said they believed Shale had died of a massive heart attack at “around lunchtime” on Saturday. The prime minister said Shale had been “a huge support” over the 10 years he had been MP for Witney. Cameron said: “Christopher was one of the most truly generous people I’ve ever met – he was always giving to others, his time, his help, his enthusiasm, and above all his love of life. “It was in that spirit that he made a massive contribution to the Conservative party. “Our love and prayers are with Nikki and the family. They’ve lost an amazing dad, west Oxfordshire has lost a big and wonderful man and, like so many others, Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend.” In a statement, Eavis said: “I would like to express my deepest sympathy to [Shale's] family and friends.” Conservatives David Cameron Glastonbury festival Festivals Robert Booth Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
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