Political figures’ favourite works from the Government Art Collection – in pictures
June 3, 2011 No Comment
From Nick Clegg to Samantha Cameron, political figures have picked their favourite works from the Government Art Collection for a new exhibition. But what do their choices reveal about them? Jonathan Jones
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Gareth Evans pleads not guilty to obstructing police on duty during Queen’s private visit to Portsmouth last week A man has pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the clamping of two unmarked police cars as officers allegedly sat inside carrying out security duties during a visit by the Queen. The incident happened as the monarch made an unannounced visit to Portsmouth to have lunch on a luxury yacht on 25 May. The officers were allegedly sitting in unmarked cars at the Gunwharf Quays marina retail complex when the vehicles were targeted. Gareth Andrews, 37, of Privett Road, Fareham, was arrested and charged with wilfully obstructing a police constable in the execution of his duty. He was also charged with contravening the Private Security Industry Act by not displaying the appropriate licensing badge. Andrews, wearing his Shoal Enforcement uniform, pleaded not guilty to both charges at Portsmouth magistrates court, and the case was adjourned for trial. Bill Charlton, defending, told the court: “There was an initial exchange between my client and the officer – he said the officer declined to show him any kind of identity. “As he was on the phone to his superior, the officer grabbed his earpiece, produced his warrant card and arrested him.” District judge Anthony Calloway set a trial date of 19 August and released Andrews on unconditional bail. Speaking outside the court, Charlton said: “As far as Mr Andrews is concerned, the vehicles were illegally parked. “He had clamped one and was in the process of clamping the second when an officer in plain clothes turned up and challenged him. Mr Andrews says they were not in the cars at the time. “Mr Andrews asked for his ID, which the officer allegedly declined to provide. He phoned his superior and, while that telephone conversation was taking place, the officer produced his warrant card and Mr Andrews was arrested.” Shoppers at Gunwharf Quays were taken by surprise when word spread that the Queen had arrived, and a small crowd gathered to greet her. It is understood the monarch had arranged to have lunch with NCP car parks boss, Sir Donald Gosling, on board his yacht, Leander. She arrived in Southsea by helicopter and was taken to Gunwharf Quays in a Range Rover. Wearing a pink coat and headscarf, the Queen waved to the crowds before going aboard the 75-metre (245ft) yacht. A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said she could not confirm details because the visit was a “private engagement”. The Queen visited Gunwharf Quays as part of her golden jubilee tour in 2002. Police The Queen Monarchy guardian.co.uk
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Bellwether group sees total sales slip in last week of May, although Waitrose bucks trend with 7.3% increase John Lewis has added to concerns that the UK economic recovery is weakening by reporting that turnover across its department stores fell during the last week of May. Total sales at John Lewis dropped by 0.8% in the week to Saturday 28 May compared with a year ago – or a 3% fall in sales excluding VAT (discounting the distortion produced by January’s rise in VAT to 20%). The figure also included contributions from three new stores which were not trading a year ago, suggesting a larger like-for-like decline at its established outlets. Sales fell by 10% at some stores, including the out-of-town sites at High Wycombe and Bluewater. John Lewis cited poor weather during the week, and also pointed out that a year ago it had seen strong demand for new televisions before the football World Cup. Economists, though, said the figures underlined the fragile state of consumer confidence. “Given that John Lewis is seen as a bellwether for the state of the retail sector – in fact, it has been a consistent outperformer in recent times – this suggests that consumers have generally become more circumspect in their spending again after splashing out a bit in April due to the later Easter, royal wedding and good weather,” said Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight. Waitrose, the partnership’s grocery chain, performed well with weekly sales up by 7.3%. Lesley Ballantyne, director of operational development at John Lewis, said the sales performance was “credible”. “We had a very good week of weather against us last year and this year there was rain and even hail in parts of the UK,” Ballantyne said. Separately, the latest data from the services sector released on Friday showed that household consumption was still weak. John Lewis Retail industry Consumer spending Economics Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
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With 1,350 shops, Betfred be a nationwide competitor to Coral, Ladbrokes and market leader William Hill Betfred, the betting shop chain owned by industry veteran Fred Done, has won the race to buy state-owned bookmaker the Tote after raising its offer to £265m. Racing minister John Penrose said the deal would provide a £90m windfall for the taxpayer while a similar sum will be channelled to support parts of the racing industry. The racing lobby have expressed concern that promised funds may be tied up in Treasury coffers for some time because of limits on how the money can be dispersed under European state aid rules. Done has promised to limit Tote redundancies to 150 posts as he merges many Wigan head office functions with Betfred’s existing base in Warrington. His 800-shop Betfred business beat off stiff competition from an innovative bid put together by Sir Martin Broughton, the former chairman of the British Horseracing Board, who had planned to float the business on the Aim Bejunior stock market. The final decision on Tote privatisation comes after weeks of bitter sniping between the rival bidders during which the British Horseracing Authority gave its backing to Broughton’s bid vehicle Sports Investment Partners. SIP, which would have handed racing an equity interest in the Tote rather than a cash windfall, had argued that its proposal offered a better deal for taxpayers and protected more jobs at the Tote’s Wigan headquarters. However, the complexity and uncertainty of SIP’s plans for an independent Tote appear ultimately to have proven to much for ministers. “It was a closely fought contest which has ended up giving the Tote business and the racing industry the certainty they have been looking for,” said culture secretary Jeremy Hunt. Much of the rowing centred on the future relationship between the Tote’s pool betting monopoly business and the racing lobby. The BHA had wanted ongoing commercial ties to this part of the Tote business rather than a 50% share cash proceeds from the Tote sale. Keen to win over sceptics in the racing industry Betfred has promised to make this business a growth priority. However, the commercial prize for Done is the Tote’s 550 high street betting shops which are to be rebranded as Betfred shops. Finance director Barry Nightingale said the deal made Betfred a “fourth force” in high street bookmaking. With 1,350 shops, it will be a nationwide competitor to Coral, Ladbrokes and market leader William Hill. Broughton is understood to be disappointed by the government’s decision and has not ruled out seeking a judicial review. Sources close the the SIP camp said they had been told that their bid had been unsuccessful because it had breached state aid rules rather than because it had offered less value to taxpayers or other stakeholders. If this is the case, Broughton will be asking ministers to explain how his bid was allowed to progress so far through the auction process despite always being doomed. The Tote Sport betting Gambling Horse racing Ladbrokes William Hill Travel & leisure Simon Bowers guardian.co.uk
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MSNBC's Thomas Roberts spun furiously for Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) today, dismissing the Twitter controversy as a sideshow undeserving of the media's attention. “He's being pretty transparent,” opined the daytime anchor, turning to Republican strategist Joe Watkins. “Joe, wouldn't you agree?” After Watkins agreed but suggested Weiner's refusal to clarify whether he is the man in the photo does not help his case, Roberts followed up by parroting the Democratic congressman's dodge: “Well why waste taxpayer dollars on something kind of so stupid?” For a compilation video showing Weiner's lack of transparency and inability to cooperate with the media, see below the fold: In the face of overwhelming video evidence, Roberts's dismissive tone and leading questions belie his status as a neutral anchor. A transcript of the segment can be found below: MSNBC News Live June 2, 2011 11:05 a.m. EDT THOMAS ROBERTS: Alright, so this is the Twitter pic heard around the world. Richard, I'm going to start with you because, you know, the nickname for Richard is, you know, whatever. Anyway, what do you think about how he can button this up? RICHARD GOODSTEIN, Democratic strategist: Listen, look. First of all, he's not really denying it. And the woman on the receiving end is not saying she was offended at all. This kind of speaks to how the prurient interest has taken over and eclipsing discussion of really serious issues. There are two models for handling this. One is to kind of slow walk things or semi-deny. And the other is to do what Senator Vitter did when he was caught with prostitutes, which is just stonewall. And he just got re-elected by a sizeable margin. Look this is the South Park kind of version of politics. I just think we're past it. It's kind of a shame. One of these days, Congressman Weiner will look back and wish he had done it differently, but he'll get through it. ROBERTS: He's being pretty transparent. Joe, wouldn't you agree? JOE WATKINS, Republican strategist: He's being very transparent about it. Of course, you know, it does hurt when you say I can't say with certitude that it's not me. And certainly the late-night TV shows have had great fun with it. Jon Stewart is absolutely hilarious. He's brilliant and funny and made some very very good points. If you look at it, he didn't go to law enforcement to see if he was hacked, he hired a private agency. ROBERTS: Well why waste taxpayer dollars on something kind of so stupid? WATKINS: Well I understand. It's a silly, silly thing. The upside for the congressman is that certainly he has 100 percent, or close to, 100 percent name ID out there now nationally, though it's not the kind of name ID that you want. ROBERTS: That's right. Gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us this morning. Richard and Joe, we do appreciate your time. –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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• Press F5 or hit auto-update for the latest • Email rob.smyth@guardian.co.uk with your thoughts • Get involved in our new Twenty20 weekly blog • Buy our Ashes book, if you like • Read The Joy of Six: great deliveries 3rd over: England 5-1 (Cook 0, Trott 0) And now the Trott-ture begins for Sri Lanka. He averages 223 in Tests at Lord’s, and 203 against Sri Lanka. ” My favourite delivery is here ,” says Gary Naylor. “Not only is a fired-up Michael Holding at his beautiful, brilliant, brutal best, but the reaction of Brian Close, jerking the head out of the way at the very last moment, and of Deryck Murray catching the ball over his left shoulder 30 yards back while first slip dives for cover, is so perfect. If ever there was asilky wrecking ball, it was Mikey in 1976.” WICKET! England 5-1 (Strauss LBW b Welegedera 4) That’s why Sri Lanka have bowled first. Strauss walks across his stumps and is pinned plumb in front when he gets his bat jammed behind his front pad. It was a decent delivery from Welegedera, angling in, and once Strauss planted his front foot he was in all sorts of trouble. He had a quick look at Alastair Cook, who confirmed it was plumb, and walked off without considering a review. 2nd over: England 1-0 (Strauss 0, Cook 0) Suranga Lakmal will take the new ball at the other end, and his first ball is a dismal off-side wide. His line is a bit better after that, and Cook is beaten by the third legitimate delivery of the over. England will surely just bat time while the pitch flattens out, so this session should be a game of cat and mouse – England trying to leave the ball whenever possible, Sri Lanka trying to make them play. “My housemate Jen and I are off to see England play tomorrow at Lords and it’s the first time for both of us,” says Jen Steel. “Should we learn any songs? And, more importantly, is there anything special we should take in our picnic?” Take a 1908 Wisden just in case you meet any cute boys/girls who want to discuss George Lohmann. I don’t think the range of cricket songs require much learning, so I wouldn’t worry about that. 1st over: England 0-0 (Strauss 0, Cook 0) One of the new boys, the left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara, will open the bowling. He’s better than a Test average of 58.91 suggests, although you wouldn’t know it as his first two deliveries slide miserably down the leg side. The third is much better, jagging back to hit Strauss in the foetus facilitators. He ends the over well, making Strauss play at each of the last four deliveries. A maiden. “Sri Lanka have pulled off a tactical masterstroke by beefing up their attack with some extravagantly named cricketers, highlighted by the glorious Uda Walawwe Mahim Bandaralage Chanaka Asanga Welegedara,” says Ant Pease. “What do England have in response? A handful of Johns and a bloody Ronald. I can’t help but think that England have really brought a fart to a sh*tfight on this occasion. Sri Lanka for a heavy win.” Here comes the openers Many partnerships have a good hybrid name. Xaviesta, Sangawardene, Hoates. The same isn’t really true of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook. Sook? Crauss? Couss? Cousscouss? Would you buy a string vest modelled by this man ? Of course you would. Do your duty. Vote Roland . Friday is , of course, a popular day for weddings. And, in London at least, it’s a beautiful day to walk down the aisle. Those of you getting married in the next few hours, may the day be everything you dreamed of as a child . (Thanks to Daniel Harris for the link.) Precedent department Based on the last two England/Sri Lanka Tests at Lord’s, in 2002 and 2006 , the story of the match has already been written. Team A will score 550 before forcing Team B to follow on sometime on the third afternoon. Then Team B will bat two and a half days to save the match. You heard it here last. Play starts in 23 minutes’ time . Until then, why not have a look at this week’s cricket Joy of Six ? And feel free to email in your favourite deliveries as the day goes on. Team news England have, as expected, replaced James Anderson with Steven Finn, so they have the tallest pace attack in Test history: Chris Tremlett, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn and Robert Wadlow . Who’d be a Sri Lankan bat handle? Somebody take a picture . Sri Lanka make two changes, with Dilhara Fernando and Chanaka Welegedara replacing Thisara Perera and poor old Ajantha Mendis. That changes the balance of the attack, with four seamers and a spinner; that, says Dilshan, is the main reason for bowling. England Strauss (c), Cook, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Morgan, Prior (wk), Broad, Swann, Tremlett, Finn. Sri Lanka Dilshan (c), Paranavitana, Sangakkara, M Jayawardene, Samaraweera, P Jayawardene (wk), Maharoof, Herath, Fernando, Welegedara, Lakmal. Sri Lanka have won the toss and will bowl first . That’s an interesting move because it’s a gorgeous day at Lord’s. Has Tillakaratne Dilshan bottled it? Not necessarily. Andrew Strauss says he would also have bowled because there’s a bit of grass on the wicket, although the pitch should morph into a belter after lunch. Preamble Mmm, I love the smell of Test cricket in the morning. Four days after Cardiff, here we are again. That’s the thing with life: it never really allows time to celebrate the successes, as the next challenge is always round the corner. No sooner have you triumphantly tied one shoelace without inadvertently triggering an international incident than there’s another waiting for the same treatment. And no sooner have you pulled off one of Test cricket’s more famous heists than there’s another match to be won. After their brief flirtation on Monday with Twenty20 Test cricket (well, Twentyfourpointfour24.4 Test cricket to be precise), it’s back to business for England. They need to beat Sri Lanka at Lord’s for a number of reasons other than the simple preservation of Mo Mentum. It would be their first win over them at Lord’s since 1991 , when some of us inexplicably fell in love with Don Anurasiri, and would seal their first series victory against Sri Lanka since 2002. It would also give them a chance of a 3-0 whitewash, which would take them above South Africa and into second in the ICC Test Championship. It’s tempting to conclude that this is all part of England’s inexorable ascent to No1 in the world for the first time since the 1950s, that the narrative is already in place. Yet the lesson of the last time England were No2 in the world (2004-07) is that nothing lasts forever. For now, all is dream. Indeed, it’s hard to remember the last time the England Test team were so serene. They don’t even fear playing at Lord’s anymore . These really are salad days, and we should savour them. After all, it’s not every day you successfully tie both shoelaces and get to watch a bloody good England cricket team. Sri Lanka in England 2011 England cricket team Sri Lanka cricket team Cricket Over by over reports Rob Smyth guardian.co.uk
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Cowell’s lawyers report offence of ‘malicious communication’ after blogger alleges finalist Ronan Parke groomed for stardom Simon Cowell has called in police over claims that his ITV1 series Britain’s Got Talent is fixed. Cowell’s lawyers reported an offence of “malicious communication” after an anonymous internet blogger alleged that Ronan Parke, the favourite to win the current series of the hit show, had been groomed for stardom after being spotted by talent scouts two years ago. The blogger claimed the 12-year-old, who is in tomorrow’s final, had been known to Cowell’s company, Syco, already has a management deal and had been specifically moulded to appeal to the show’s audience. Syco and Sony Music said they would take legal action to “prevent further publication of these unfounded allegations”. Syco said in a statement: “There has been speculation on the internet that Britain’s Got Talent finalist Ronan Parke was known to and worked with Syco/Sony Music before entering the show. There is no truth in this story whatsoever. “Ronan first came to Syco/Sony’s attention when he entered this year’s competition. “Syco/Sony Music will not hesitate to take whatever legal action is appropriate to prevent further publication of these unfounded allegations.” Lawyers acting for Cowell made the complaint at a police station in west London on Thursday. It is not yet known if officers will take any action. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “An allegation of malicious communications was made to Kensington and Chelsea police on Thursday June 2. “The allegation is being considered.” The schoolboy won the viewers’ vote on Monday, putting him straight through to the Saturday show. Ronan’s mother Maggie also dismissed the claims that he was auditioned by talent scouts who had spotted him performing at a birthday party for family friend Bryan Gunn, the former Norwich City goalkeeper. “It’s laughable, to be perfectly honest with you, and it couldn’t be further from the truth,” she told BBC Radio Norfolk. “There’s no foundation in it whatsoever.” The allegations come at the end of a difficult few weeks for Cowell in which Cheryl Cole was axed from the US version of The X Factor and Dannii Minogue quit as a judge on the UK version of the show. It was later confirmed that Cole would not be returning to the UK show either. The resulting media coverage will have done nothing to dent ratings for the show, with the first live semi-final this week watched by an average of 10.9 million viewers, marginally up on last year’s equivalent show, peaking with 13 million. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook Simon Cowell Britain’s Got Talent Television Entertainment John Plunkett guardian.co.uk
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Video advert scorned because phone company shut down its network at Mubarak’s behest to hamper protests Vodafone is facing a backlash in Egypt over an advert suggesting it helped inspire this year’s revolution in the country. The three-minute commercial featured excerpts from a Vodafone ad campaign entitled Our Power , which was launched three weeks before an anti-government uprising swept the country. The video goes on to show images from protest rallies in Cairo’s Tahrir Square before claiming: “We didn’t send people to the streets, we didn’t start the revolution … We only reminded Egyptians how powerful they are.” The short film features screengrabs of Facebook and Twitter messages posted by Egyptians approving of the Vodafone ad campaign, then an audio recording of Hosni Mubarak’s resignation as president being announced on TV. In fact, many pro-change activists blame Vodafone and other mobile phone companies for following Egyptian government orders and implementing a communications blackout at the height of the revolution . They have condemned the advert as a “sickening” attempt to push up sales by “riding the revolutionary bandwagon”, and an insult to the hundreds who died in the struggle to bring down Mubarak. ” Apparently this tagline inspired people to take the streets ,” said prominent blogger Mohamed El-Dahshan in one of many angry and satirical responses that have quickly spread across the web. “I mean, never mind the years of activism, the protests, the decades of cumulated grievances, the terrible economic situation, the trampled political freedoms, the police brutality, the torture, etc. Nah – we just watched a Vodafone ad, and thought: ‘Hey! We’re powerful! Let’s topple the president!’” Vodafone has strongly disassociated itself from the commercial, which was produced by the international marketing firm JWT . “The company does not have any connection to this video and had no prior knowledge of its production or posting on the internet,” said Hatem Dowidar, the chief executive of Vodafone Egypt. JWT was hired by Vodafone Egypt to mastermind its recent communications strategy and placed the advert on Vodafone Egypt’s public website. The agency said the video was for “internal use” only and “not intended for public display”. It has since been removed from the website – as have copies posted on YouTube . Egyptians queued up to vent their disbelief online. One YouTube comment said: “Are you guys seriously planning on leeching something out of this after you cut the phones and internet, after protesters who were being shot at could not call others and warn them about being shot at by snipers because of you? SHAME!” Pro-change activist and former Google executive Wael Ghonim, who became an international media star of the revolution following his arrest and subsequent TV interview about the ordeal , also denounced the advert as unethical and accused JWT of using his name in the advert without permission. Meanwhile a new website named ihatevodafoneegypt.com has rapidly become an online sensation. To make matters worse for Vodafone and JWT, both the original ad campaign and the latest video feature Adel Emam, a veteran Egyptian actor who initially denounced the pro-change protests in January and has been widely derided in Egypt for his close links with the Mubarak family. Vodafone is one of several firms in Egypt that agreed to shut off its mobile and internet networks in the early stages of the revolt as the government attempted to isolate anti-Mubarak protesters. It also allowed the Mubarak regime to send out anti-revolutionary text messages en masse to subscribers. It said it had no choice and has since apologised. The firm is facing a series of legal challenges over what some critics have called its “complicity in dictatorship”. It is accused of passing on information about opposition activists to the Mubarak regime’s security services – a claim seemingly confirmed by Vodafone’s global head of content standards Annie Mullins in February 2009 but later denied by Vodafone Egypt. “All companies in Egypt are trying to use revolutionary and nationalist imagery right now to drive sales and in most cases it doesn’t concern me,” said Ramy Raouf, an activist with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights who had his own Vodafone Egypt service cut off for several months under orders from Mubarak’s apparatus. “But when the communications companies try it – the ones who handed out our personal information to state security, the ones who shut down our lines and who helped the government cut us off – it’s too far. People are talking about compensation but we don’t want money. We want to see people on trial.” Vodafone is not the only mobile firm to come under fire for its alleged use of revolutionary material for marketing. Rival company Mobinil launched a major advertising campaign at Cairo airport with billboards featuring quotes from world leaders such as Barack Obama and Silvio Berlusconi praising the Egyptian revolution , stamped with the Mobinil logo. Egypt Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Africa Vodafone Telecommunications industry Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk
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America risks losing its triple-A credit rating unless swift and significant progress is made over its debt ceiling, Moody’s has warned, piling fresh pressure on the US a few hours before crucial employment data is released. The ratings agency is concerned by the lack of progress made between the US Treasury and Congress over whether to allow the US national debt to increase. It said that the risk of the US defaulting on its loans was “very small but rising”, suggesting that the country might not deserve its AAA rating. “Although Moody’s fully expected political wrangling prior to an increase in the statutory debt limit, the degree of entrenchment into conflicting positions has exceeded expectations,” the agency said. “The heightened polarization over the debt limit has increased the odds of a short-lived default. If this situation remains unchanged in coming weeks, Moody’s will place the rating under review.” Under US law, the country’s national debt may not exceed $14.3 trillion (£8.75tn). That figure was reached last month , forcing America to dip into two government pension schemes to service its debts. That, though, will only tide the US over until the start of August. President Obama has been locked in talks with members of Congress in recent days, in an attempt to reach agreement to raise the ceiling. The Republican party is demanding massive spending cuts in return, and the two sides have made little progress. Moody’s is the second ratings agency to warn recently that America’s credit rating may be on shaky ground. In April, Standard & Poor’s cut its outlook on the US to “negative” , warning that it needs a more credible long-term plan to lower its deficit. The US economy will be under close scrutiny on Friday afternoon when the monthly non-farm payroll is published. This will show how many new jobs were created in America during May, excluding its volatile agricultural sector. A seperate study, released on Wednesday, showed that there were fewer new hires than expected in the private sector last month, promting economists to slash their non-farm predictions. The consensus forecast is for an increase of 150,000 jobs, down from 180,000 earlier in the week, although Goldman Sachs expects the non-farm payroll to increase by just 100,000 jobs. A low number would add to fears that the US recovery is entering a soft patch, with its manufacturing sector suffering the weakest growth in nearly two years . US economy Ratings agencies Financial sector Economics United States Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
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As the former IMF chief faces charges of violent sexual assault, the rumours about his sex life are swirling around the media. But one woman refuses to believe a word of it – his wife As Dominique Strauss-Kahn sat in a New York court for a bail hearing, accused of attempting to
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