Treasury confirms potential UK contribution to rescue package for Portugal as George Osborne seizes on debt crisis as vindication of his deficit reduction policies Britain could be required to find more than £4bn to help a European bailout of the stricken Portuguese economy, the Treasury has confirmed. The chancellor, George Osborne, seized on Lisbon’s debt crisis to warn that those opposed to the British government’s deficit reduction plans were playing “Russian roulette” with UK sovereignty. The “difficult decisions” taken had brought “credibility and stability” to Britain’s finances, Osborne said. But the prospect of Britain helping to rescue another member of the eurozone on the back of the emergency funding provided to Ireland provoked anger in Conservative ranks. The Portuguese prime minister, José Sócrates, announced on Wednesday that he was following Ireland and Greece in seeking an EU bailout – which analysts say could be up to €80bn (£70bn) – as “the last resort”. The British government argues that it is bound to help under an agreement signed by the former chancellor Alistair Darling in the last days of the Labour government, committing all EU member states to act as guarantors of any emergency funding. However, the leader of the Conservative MEPs in Brussels, Martin Callanan, said the legality of the bailout under the terms of the agreement was “highly dubious”. “Europe is sinking fast under the weight of its own uncompetitiveness and debt,” Callanan said. “It must not be allowed to take the UK with it.” The Eurosceptic Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell questioned claims by current ministers that they had opposed the deal, pointing to a Treasury memorandum suggesting there had been cross-party agreement. The Treasury said the UK was not planning to offer bilateral assistance to Portugal in the way that it did to Ireland. But it confirmed that Britain could be required to provide a loan of up to about £4.4bn – 13.6% of the €37.5bn remaining in the EU “disasters fund” after it was drawn upon by Ireland – as well as 4.5% of any IMF loan. The exact sums will depend on what application is made by Lisbon and how much of the bailout can be absorbed within the eurozone-only fund. In a speech to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) conference in London, Osborne contrasted events in Greece, Ireland and Portugal with the UK government’s decision to put in place “a credible deficit reduction plan” which had provided a “crucial bedrock of stability”. “If you hear the stories about the cuts and still wonder why our country needs to take these difficult decisions, then look at what is happening around us,” he said. “Today, of all days, we can see the risks that would face Britain if we were not dealing with our debts and paying off our national credit card. “These risks are not imaginary – they are very, very real. Those in our country who deny the urgent need to deal with our deficit are playing Russian roulette with Britain’s national sovereignty. I will not do that.” The shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, accused Osborne of a “desperate piece of scaremongering” and called him a “desperate chancellor who looks out of his depth”. Balls told Sky News: “If anybody is playing Russian roulette with the British economy, it’s George Osborne, taking a huge gamble now without any idea how it’s going to turn out. “That may be good political lines. But it’s very bad economics, and it’s taking huge risks with jobs and businesses and family finances up and down the country. I think he’s got this very, very badly wrong. And he will rue this day, with this blatant politicking.” Osborne told the BCC that while the UK recovery was “choppy”, Britain was “putting its house in order”. “We now have almost the same market interest rates as Germany, despite having a bigger budget deficit than Portugal, Greece and Spain,” he said. He added that the government was “unashamedly pro-enterprise, pro-business and pro-aspiration”, with a central objective of restoring UK competitiveness “after years of decline”. “We need to step up a gear,” he said. “Britain needs to out-compete, outsmart and outpace the rest of the world.” But he warned that “enterprising Britain” could not be build by government alone, urging businesses to help ministers combat the “forces of stagnation who will try to stop the forces of enterprise”. He said these included unions opposed to reforms of the industrial tribunal system, which they claim will weaken workers’ rights to fair treatment. Osborne said the workplace rights of an employee had to be balanced with the rights “not be priced out of the market” in the first place because of the cost burden on business. His speech comes as the government invites businesses and community groups to help “rip up” some of the UK’s 21,000 rules and regulations in a drive to tackle red tape and remove “ridiculous” burdens. T Portugal Europe European Union Economic policy Economics Global economy Tax and spending George Osborne Ed Balls Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Pregnant actress Natalie Portman used to be “cool” and suck on marijuana spliffs, she reveals in an interview. “I smoked weed in college, but I haven’t smoked in years,” Portman tells Entertainment Weekly . “I’m too old. I wish I was that cool, but I’m like an old lady now. I’m…
Continue reading …Pity poor Twitter. After recently raising $200 million on a $3.7 billion valuation , it doesn’t want to cough up a city payroll tax. So the company is on its way to winning a $22 million tax break from struggling San Francisco after threatening to leave its city digs for…
Continue reading …A mentally ill man with an uncanny resemblance to actor Christopher Walken has been hospitalized after stalking students at several colleges. Tony Kadyhrob, 68, was arrested and released on bail after trying to pull a Rider College student into his car last week, reports the New York Daily News . A…
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With its violent beatings, twisted family dynamics and bent coppers, Martina Cole’s The Runaway has all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect of the gangster genre Most of the indispensable cliches of gangster drama exist for a reason – shows that ignore them do so at their peril. The Runaway, Sky’s gritty new show certainly embraces every diamond-geezer gangster trope imaginable – it’s a one-stop shopping centre. But would you want it any other way? There are certain things we have come to expect of our TV gangsters. Family, obviously, is very, very important, but we want our mob relations to be screwed up – although even The Take ‘s family dynamics aren’t as twisted as those of The Runaway. So what else do we demand of our TV gangsters? To start with they’ve got to have a look. The Wire’s gangbangers embraced street fashion, based on prison clothes: anti-fit raw denim, white trainers (Nike or Adidas) and white vests which Bubs sold from his shopping trolley. Other characters such as Brother Mouzone wore a suit and bow tie so the cops would leave him alone, prompting Cheese to enquire “You with the Nation, homey? ‘Cause either you a Muslim, or your mama need to stop laying your clothes out in the morning.” The plastic gangsters of EastEnders also wear suits to their offices – which isn’t strictly necessary as they tend to be rooms behind the club (Jack Dalton) or the bookies (Andy Hunter). The Sopranos favour Fila tracksuits – as Uncle Junior noted, “I swear these bums would get buried in sweat-suits if they could.” Boardwalk Empire’s Arnold Rothstein and Nucky Thompson make excellent wardrobe choices and Al Capone has just bought the wide brimmed hat that would become his trademark. If a gangster wears a wig, it must be a bad one. Christopher is more scared of Ralph Cifaretto’s wig in The Sopranos than he is of cutting his head off. Then there’s Freeman’s Colonel Sanders hairpiece in Underbelly and Keith Allen’s spectacularly awful syrup in The Runaway. If a gangster goes for a gentleman look and carries a suitcase, it must contain either bank notes or weapons. Any self-respecting firm needs to have bent coppers on the payroll. In fact the police are routinely almost as bad as the villains. Our Friends In the North is partially set in the same era as The Runaway and features similarly crooked cops while in The Sopranos a smitten Tony paid a corrupt detective to follow Doctor Melfi and beat up her boyfriend after pulling him over for a breathalyser test. “You got prime rib at home, and you’re going out for hamburger?” he asks a mystified Melfi. It goes without saying that all mobsters all love their mums. Or more accurately, they have an uncomfortably close relationship with an overbearing parent, most often the mother. Tony Soprano actually hated his mother – to be fair she did put a hit on him – and even in death she cast a shadow over his life. Similarly in The Wire, mothers are tyrannical and overbearing. Avon’s sister Brianna Barksdale is the matriarch of the family, and sacrifices her son D’Angelo for the good of the family, while Namond’s mother, De’londa Brice is unlikely to win mother of the year any time soon . The rules are the rules, until they aren’t. As Bunk noted in The Wire, “a man must have a code”, and the code, although nebulous, must not be violated. Unless the boss is really, really cross. Tony Soprano is well-known for enforcing strict discipline among his crew, until his rules inconvenience him. At which point he will casually off a made man and stuff his head in a bowling bag. Viewers were also shocked when Tony Soprano suffocated his nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, and ordered the murders of his nephew Jackie Aprile and Christopher’s fiancee Adriana. In fact fratricidal killings are an occupational hazard for our TV gangsters, in honour of Michael Corleone taking out Fredo in Godfather 2. Jimmy and Freddie had a homicidally inclined relationship in The Take (their kids, “little Jimmy” did in fact murder “little Freddie”), while Stringer Bell and Avon Barksdale, who grew up together, race to have each other removed from the picture, before Avon gives him up to Omar and Brother Mouzone. It’s fair to say that gangs don’t always take care of their own. The violence, when it comes is operatic and rarely telegraphed. In The Take, one minute Tom Hardy would be smiling benignly, and the next, someone would be coughing up blood. “Fucking shut it! This muppet’s had his day, right? So let him bleed.” Usually, brutal beatings are accompanied by incongruously jaunty music over the blood-spattered mayhem, a device we’ve seen countless times in films and now a staple of TV gangster drama. This bloodshed is often shot in slow motion, a favourite of Australian crime drama Underbelly. Shows such as EastEnders however, are somewhat hamstrung by being broadcast early evening – there was little Jack Dalton could do to when he wanted to menace someone except sneer and make not especially scary threats. So, are there any I’ve missed? We’re talking TV gangsters here, but obviously there’s a debt to the many beloved gangster movies. Which gun-fixated gangster dramas are awash with cliches? Drama Television US television Kathy Sweeney guardian.co.uk
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Four Kenyans say they suffered abuse under British colonial rule during the 1950s Mau Mau rebellion Four elderly Kenyans who claim they were variously whipped, beaten, sexually abused and castrated while detained under British colonial rule in the 1950s have brought their claims for compensation to the high court. The survivors of the emergency regime imposed during the Mau Mau rebellion were tortured, forced to confess and, in once case, witnessed the clubbing to death of 11 prison inmates, the court was told. The landmark hearing, expected to last several weeks, will highlight a catalogue of atrocities that will rewrite the history of British colonial rule in Africa. Boxes of documents, stored by the Foreign Office, have been unearthed during research into the claims. They will shed fresh light on the repressive means employed by the authorities to defeat the fight for independence. While not denying that abuses took place, the Foreign Office insists that the UK government retains no residual liability for the claims, deploying a range of constitutional precedents – including reference to the declaration of martial law in Jamaica in 1860 – to block the survivors’ quest for compensation. Robert Jay QC, for the Foreign Office, opened the case with an application that the claims should formally be struck out by the court. Jay told a packed courtroom in London that it did not seek to diminish the appalling acts committed in detention camps between 1952 and 1961 but said the case was “built on inference” and ended in a “cul-de-sac”. The test case claimants, Ndiku Mutua, Paulo Nzili, Wambugu Wa Nyingi and Jane Muthoni Mara, who are in their 70s and 80s, have flown 4,000 miles from their rural homes for the trial, which will also consider whether the claim was brought outside the legal time limit. The judge heard Mutua and Nzili had been castrated, Nyingi was beaten unconscious in an incident in which 11 men were clubbed to death and Mara had been subjected to appalling sexual abuse. Acknowledging their attendance, the judge asked counsel to convey the court’s appreciation of their presence “whatever the results of this case”. The FCO argues that legal responsibility was transferred to the Kenyan republic upon independence in 1963 or else simply ceased to exist. Earlier, the claimants’ solicitor Martyn Day said the case was “not about reopening old wounds”. “It is about individuals who are alive and who have endured terrible suffering because of the policies of a previous British government. “They are now seeking recognition and redress in the form of a carefully conceived welfare fund. It is incumbent on the government to treat such people with the respect and dignity they deserve.” A witness statement by Professor David Anderson, of the African Studies Centre at Oxford University, who has examined some of the withheld documents, refers to forced labour used in many of the camps. It notes a comment by the then attorney general in 1956 that “if we are going to sin, we must sin quietly”. The hearing continues. Kenya Human rights Owen Bowcott guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Whoah. California Gov. Jerry Brown might have a reputation as a slightly whacked-out lefty, but he apparently packs heat occasionally—just like his more conservative countrymen. Brown revealed before a slightly stunned press corps that he owns not one, but three , guns. He divulged no other details, and his spokeswoman…
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Consumer Focus warns that thousands of cash Isa holders are losing money by sticking with poor savings products after introductory interest rates have expired As the new tax year gets underway savers with existing cash Isas are being warned to check their investments closely – while providers offer “early bird” deals to attract new customers, they are slashing the rates paid on older accounts. HMRC figures show there is £172bn held in cash Isas, but data from Consumer Focus indicates more than a third of cash Isa holders have had them for more than five years, suggesting they are losing out on interest that could be gained by switching. Two-thirds of people who opened a cash Isa with an introductory interest rate are likely to be losing out by failing to switch once it runs out, while a quarter of cash Isa savers did not know whether their account even had a bonus rate. A further third of account holders with an introductory rate weren’t sure if their rate had expired or not. Oliver Morgans, financial services expert at Consumer Focus, said: “Unfortunately it seems that banks use higher interest rates to lure customers in and then aim to cash in on their inertia. Sadly, Isa customers have to watch banks like a hawk if they are to get the best deals, and our advice is to check your rate. If you are not happy vote with your feet and switch to an Isa that pays more.” Current best-buys Savers investing the maximum £5,340 in Santander’s best-buy Flexible Isa , paying 3.3%, would earn £176.22 in interest this year – but it is only open to new investors. The headline easy access rate for those wishing to switch funds is Halifax’s Cash Isa , paying 3.2%, followed by Nationwide building society’s e-Isa , paying 3.1%, although this is only available if customers also have a card-based savings account with Nationwide. Fixed-rate cash Isas pay higher rates than variable or easy access cash accounts, with the average for all fixed-rate cash Isas currently at 3.44%, dropping to 1.88% on variable rate Isas and 1.75% on easy access products. Over one year, the Bank of Cyprus fixed-rate Isa pays 3.3% and accepts transfers, while Santander’s two-year fixed-rate postal account pays 3.7% and is also open to transfers. Leeds building society is paying 4.2% on its three-year fixed-rate Isa, which accepts transfers and allows investors to access 25% of their cash without penalty, while the best four-year fix is at Saffron building society paying 4.5%. BM Savings is the best-buy cash Isa over five years, paying 5%. Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com , said: “With little movement expected in the market, by shopping around and comparing the range of products that best suits their circumstances savers could be better off taking advantage of the good rates now, as they will benefit from accruing interest immediately rather than waiting for a better deal at a higher rate.” He added: “This year we have seen several providers keeping their good deals available beyond the Isa deadline, and have even seen some new market leading deals being introduced. But savers might need to act quickly as the headline rates could disappear.” Last year, Consumer Focus filed a super complaint with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over the cash Isa market , detailing a number of concerns including: low switching levels; confusing pricing structures; and unnecessarily complicated and slow switching processes. It also accused banks of giving poor information to their customers regarding the comparison of accounts. The OFT has since held banks to an agreement that interest rates be printed on customer statements by May 2012 and transfers be completed within 15 working days. Consumer Focus estimates this could save consumers more than £14m. Isas Savings rates Savings Banks and building societies Mark King guardian.co.uk
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Tales from the 50s discovered by avid fan in old magazines due out in new book Seven rarely-seen Dr Seuss stories from the 50s, which were tracked down by a Massachusetts dentist, will finally be published in book form this autumn. Dr Seuss’s art director Cathy Goldsmith was on eBay when she stumbled across a sale for tearsheets from 1950s magazines, purporting to be stories by the author, who was born Theodor Seuss Geisel in 1904. She bought the stories, and discovered that the seller, dentist Charles Cohen, was a huge collector of “Seussiana” and an avid Seuss scholar. She travelled to Springfield, Massachussetts, to meet him along with Random House vice-president and publisher Kate Klimo. “His house was literally bursting at the seams with Seussiana: plush, toys, beer trays, puzzles, and a wide range of ephemera. Not only that, Dr Cohen was a fount of Seuss information, history, and theories about Ted’s artistic process,” said Klimo. “In short order, we had contracted Cohen to write what would become The Seuss, The Whole Seuss, and Nothing But the Seuss . Published in 2003, it was a nearly encyclopaedic look at Ted’s career. But through it all, Charles always wanted to compile the stories he had found in various magazines.” Ten years later, The Bippolo Seed – described by the publisher as “the literary equivalent of buried treasure” – is lined up for publication in September. “These stories were published during what could arguably be called Dr Seuss’s most fertile creative period, a time that would yield both Cat in the Hat and Grinch, a time when his theories about how to reach children through rhyme, rhythm, and a resonant combination of nonsense and sagacity, were coming into full bloom,” said Klimo. “The stories are as good as anything in the already-published canon and readers of all ages are in for a treat.” The stories include The Strange Shirt Spot, the inspiration for the bathtub ring scene in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back (“‘Have no fear of that ring,’ / Laughed the Cat in the Hat. / ‘Why, I can take cat rings / Off tubs. Just like that!’ / Do you know how he did it? / WITH MOTHER’S WHITE DRESS! / Now the tub was all clean, / But her dress was a mess!”) Gustav the Goldfish is an early, rhymed version of the Dr Seuss book A Fish Out of Water, about a fish that grows and grows, while The Bippolo Seed tells of a conniving feline (reminiscent of the Cat in the Hat, perhaps) who encourages an innocent duck to make a bad decision. The book is completed with The Great Henry McBride, about a boy whose “far-flung career fantasies are only bested by those of the real Dr Seuss”; The Bear, the Rabbit, and the Zinniga-Zanniga, about a rabbit saved from a bear with a single eyelash; Steak for Supper, about fantastic creatures who follow a boy home for dinner; and Tadd and Todd, a story about twins. Due out in late September from Random House in the US and HarperCollins in the UK, The Bippolo Seed and other lost stories will include an introduction from Cohen, explaining the significance of the stories in Dr Seuss’s career. The author, who died in 1991 aged 87, won a Pulitzer for his contribution to American education. He wrote and illustrated 44 books, making his name in 1957 with The Cat in the Hat. Containing just 225 words, it was written following a challenge from his publisher: to write a fun story using the list of words first-grade schoolchildren needed to learn. Dr Seuss Children’s books: 7 and under Children and teenagers Publishing Alison Flood guardian.co.uk
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