The Labour house journal The Guardian cannot avoid the bitter truth that Gordon Brown is deeply unpopular.
Their latest poll shows Conservatives up to 40%, 9 points clear of Labour.
The poll shows that even Labour voters dislike Brown and that Cameron is more trusted and liked than Brown.
Someone in the Labour Party should have some guts and send Brown on his way.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Brussels tells Gordon Brown to curb UK Spending
Gordon Brown was dealt an embarrassing blow last night when Brussels gave warning that Britain must do more to curb its spiralling debt.
The European Commission wants Labour to outline further spending cuts and spell out where the axe will fall.
The European Commission wants Labour to outline further spending cuts and spell out where the axe will fall.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Labour Police now knock in the night
This story should give you thoughts of there by the grace God go I and give you shivers up your spine.
In Labour Britain the police now think the nighttime call is a proper way of conducting their business. Have they lost complete touch with commonsense?
Will we ever recover from the damage Labour have done?
In Labour Britain the police now think the nighttime call is a proper way of conducting their business. Have they lost complete touch with commonsense?
Will we ever recover from the damage Labour have done?
Why Labour should never be let near the purse strings again
If anyone out there still believes that the Labour party should ever be elected again read this.
I grew up in the sixties and as a young lad I believed in the socialist dream going so far as to join the Labour Party. Unfortunately along came the Wilson/Callaghan government, IMF bailout, winter of discontent, sadly etc, etc, etc..
I saw the election of the first Thatcher government and stood in disbelief as the massed battalions of the unions let her savage the people while they looked after themselves.
We have had two Labour governments in my life so far and both have destroyed the finances of the people. They are clueless with money apart from being able to accumulate money for themselves.
Socialism is a nightmare.
I grew up in the sixties and as a young lad I believed in the socialist dream going so far as to join the Labour Party. Unfortunately along came the Wilson/Callaghan government, IMF bailout, winter of discontent, sadly etc, etc, etc..
I saw the election of the first Thatcher government and stood in disbelief as the massed battalions of the unions let her savage the people while they looked after themselves.
We have had two Labour governments in my life so far and both have destroyed the finances of the people. They are clueless with money apart from being able to accumulate money for themselves.
Socialism is a nightmare.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Labour's “open door” immigration policy put UK at risk
Labour's “open door” immigration policy knowingly risked allowing dangerous people to settle in Britain unchecked, according to documents seen by The Sunday Times
That's a surprise - I don't think.
The article goes on to show how the Labour Goverment have broken the law to cover the situation up.
That's a surprise - I don't think.
Another thing I am not surprised about is that the sinking ship is springing leaks all over the place
That's a surprise - I don't think.
The article goes on to show how the Labour Goverment have broken the law to cover the situation up.
That's a surprise - I don't think.
Another thing I am not surprised about is that the sinking ship is springing leaks all over the place
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Another joy of our beloved New Labour government is the Investigatory Powers Act.
Contrary to undertakings given at the time the law was introduced it has been used for countless, yes countless, trival uses by Local Aurthorities. Of course originally we were told it was to protect us from terrorism,
Some times the stupidity of this Labour government beggers belief.
Jenny Paton is taking her council to court as they used the above act to check her child's school appliction.
Contrary to undertakings given at the time the law was introduced it has been used for countless, yes countless, trival uses by Local Aurthorities. Of course originally we were told it was to protect us from terrorism,
Some times the stupidity of this Labour government beggers belief.
Jenny Paton is taking her council to court as they used the above act to check her child's school appliction.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Another New Labour scare bites the dust
How can any organisation be so wrong so many times and still find people to follow it.
Apparently the obesity in children scare is not as bad as we have been told. A new analysis of data shows the predicted huge increase in numbers of obese children has to be significantly downgraded.
We are being led by donkeys.
source article
Apparently the obesity in children scare is not as bad as we have been told. A new analysis of data shows the predicted huge increase in numbers of obese children has to be significantly downgraded.
We are being led by donkeys.
source article
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
PM Brown creating Police State
Sean O’Neill Crime Editor at The Times October 28, 2009
The Labour Government, hot foot from the Terrorism Act 2000 disgrace, are now creating a similar disgrace with the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Why are they so keen to use such heavy anti-democratic legislation against ordinary members of the public.
In a different part of the world it would be viewed as the creation of a police state prior to cancelling democratic elections.
*****************************************************************************
Draconian police powers designed to deprive crime barons of luxury lifestyles are being extended to councils, quangos and agencies to use against the public, The Times has learnt.
The right to search homes, seize cash, freeze bank accounts and confiscate property will be given to town hall officials and civilian investigators employed by organisations as diverse as Royal Mail, the Rural Payments Agency and Transport for London.
The measure, being pushed through by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, comes into force next week and will deploy some of the most powerful tools available to detectives against fare dodgers, families in arrears with council tax and other minor offenders.
The radical extension of the Proceeds of Crime Act, through a Statutory Instrument which is not debated by parliament, has been condemned by the chairman of the Police Federation.
The Labour Government, hot foot from the Terrorism Act 2000 disgrace, are now creating a similar disgrace with the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Why are they so keen to use such heavy anti-democratic legislation against ordinary members of the public.
In a different part of the world it would be viewed as the creation of a police state prior to cancelling democratic elections.
*****************************************************************************
Draconian police powers designed to deprive crime barons of luxury lifestyles are being extended to councils, quangos and agencies to use against the public, The Times has learnt.
The right to search homes, seize cash, freeze bank accounts and confiscate property will be given to town hall officials and civilian investigators employed by organisations as diverse as Royal Mail, the Rural Payments Agency and Transport for London.
The measure, being pushed through by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, comes into force next week and will deploy some of the most powerful tools available to detectives against fare dodgers, families in arrears with council tax and other minor offenders.
The radical extension of the Proceeds of Crime Act, through a Statutory Instrument which is not debated by parliament, has been condemned by the chairman of the Police Federation.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Mass immigration was political not economic
Another key element of the "New Labour" shown to be based on falsehood and lies.
Keir must be spinning in his grave.
*************************
Mass immigration “for political gain”, says adviser
heraldscotland staff Published on 23 Oct 2009
Huge increases in immigration over the past decade were partly driven by Labour ministers’ desire for a more multicultural Britain, a former Government adviser has claimed.
Andrew Neather, a speechwriter who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair and in the Home Office for Jack Straw and David Blunkett, said Labour's relaxation of controls was a deliberate plan to "open up the UK to mass migration".
As well as bringing in hundreds of thousands more migrants to plug labour market gaps, there was also a "driving political purpose" behind immigration policy, he said.
Ministers hoped to radically change the country and by doing so "rub the Right's nose in diversity", added Mr Neather, but senior Labour figures remained reluctant to discuss the policy in case it alienated the party’s "core working class vote".
Keir must be spinning in his grave.
*************************
Mass immigration “for political gain”, says adviser
heraldscotland staff Published on 23 Oct 2009
Huge increases in immigration over the past decade were partly driven by Labour ministers’ desire for a more multicultural Britain, a former Government adviser has claimed.
Andrew Neather, a speechwriter who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair and in the Home Office for Jack Straw and David Blunkett, said Labour's relaxation of controls was a deliberate plan to "open up the UK to mass migration".
As well as bringing in hundreds of thousands more migrants to plug labour market gaps, there was also a "driving political purpose" behind immigration policy, he said.
Ministers hoped to radically change the country and by doing so "rub the Right's nose in diversity", added Mr Neather, but senior Labour figures remained reluctant to discuss the policy in case it alienated the party’s "core working class vote".
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Terrorism Act 2000 - A Labour disgrace
Climate change activist held under anti-terrorist legislation
Paul Lewis at The Guardian on Wednesday 14 October 2009 reports another example of how the serious anti-terrorist legislation is being used in direct contravention of promises made by the Labour govenment when they passed the law.
As we have seen local councils have even used the legislation to spy on how people are disposing their rubbish and the Labour Government does nothing to curtail the trivial use of the law.
We the people will suffer from this misuse now and in the future but the so-called peoples party don't give a toss. Thank you BlairBrown.
UK border police used anti-terrorist legislation to prevent a British climate change activist from crossing over into mainland Europe where he planned to take part in events surrounding the forthcoming United Nations summit in Denmark.
Chris Kitchen, a 31-year-old office worker, said he feared his treatment by police could mark the start of a clampdown on protesters, hundreds of whom are planning to travel to Copenhagen for the climate change talks in December.
He said he was prevented from crossing the border yesterday at about 5pm, when the coach he was travelling on stopped at the Folkestone terminal of the Channel tunnel.
Kitchen said police officers boarded the coach and, after checking all passengers' passports, took him and another climate activist to be interviewed under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, a clause which enables border officials to stop and search individuals to determine if they are connected to terrorism.
The passports were not initially scanned, Kitchen said, suggesting the officials knew his name and had planned to remove him from the coach before they boarded. During his interview, he was asked questions about his family, work and past political activity. The police also asked him what he intended to do in Copenhagen.
When Kitchen said that anti-terrorist legislation does not apply to environmental activists, he said the officer replied that terrorism "could mean a lot of things". By the time his 30-minute interview had concluded, Kitchen's coach had gone.
Police are understood to be monitoring protesters on a number of databases, some of which highlight individuals when they pass through secure areas, such as ports.
Kitchen is a prominent activist who has taken place in a number of peaceful acts of civil disobedience, such as glueing himself to a statue in parliament, to call for more action to cut carbon emissions.
"The use of anti-terrorist legislation like this is another example of political policing, of the government harassing and intimidating people practising their hard earned democratic rights," he said. "We are going to Copenhagen to take part in Climate Justice Action because we want to protest against false solutions like carbon trading and to build a global movement for effective, socially just solutions.
"People who are practising civil disobedience on climate change in the face of ineffectual government action are certainly not terrorists, and I am sure that their actions will be vindicated by history."
Kitchen said police paid for a ticket for him to return to London after questioning and arranged for the coach company to give him a seat on another coach.
A Home Office spokesman said: "There has been no change in policy. Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 enables an examining officer to stop, search and examine a person at a port or in a border area to determine whether they are someone who is or has been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
"The exercise of the powers by the police is an operational matter for each force."
Paul Lewis at The Guardian on Wednesday 14 October 2009 reports another example of how the serious anti-terrorist legislation is being used in direct contravention of promises made by the Labour govenment when they passed the law.
As we have seen local councils have even used the legislation to spy on how people are disposing their rubbish and the Labour Government does nothing to curtail the trivial use of the law.
We the people will suffer from this misuse now and in the future but the so-called peoples party don't give a toss. Thank you BlairBrown.
UK border police used anti-terrorist legislation to prevent a British climate change activist from crossing over into mainland Europe where he planned to take part in events surrounding the forthcoming United Nations summit in Denmark.
Chris Kitchen, a 31-year-old office worker, said he feared his treatment by police could mark the start of a clampdown on protesters, hundreds of whom are planning to travel to Copenhagen for the climate change talks in December.
He said he was prevented from crossing the border yesterday at about 5pm, when the coach he was travelling on stopped at the Folkestone terminal of the Channel tunnel.
Kitchen said police officers boarded the coach and, after checking all passengers' passports, took him and another climate activist to be interviewed under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000, a clause which enables border officials to stop and search individuals to determine if they are connected to terrorism.
The passports were not initially scanned, Kitchen said, suggesting the officials knew his name and had planned to remove him from the coach before they boarded. During his interview, he was asked questions about his family, work and past political activity. The police also asked him what he intended to do in Copenhagen.
When Kitchen said that anti-terrorist legislation does not apply to environmental activists, he said the officer replied that terrorism "could mean a lot of things". By the time his 30-minute interview had concluded, Kitchen's coach had gone.
Police are understood to be monitoring protesters on a number of databases, some of which highlight individuals when they pass through secure areas, such as ports.
Kitchen is a prominent activist who has taken place in a number of peaceful acts of civil disobedience, such as glueing himself to a statue in parliament, to call for more action to cut carbon emissions.
"The use of anti-terrorist legislation like this is another example of political policing, of the government harassing and intimidating people practising their hard earned democratic rights," he said. "We are going to Copenhagen to take part in Climate Justice Action because we want to protest against false solutions like carbon trading and to build a global movement for effective, socially just solutions.
"People who are practising civil disobedience on climate change in the face of ineffectual government action are certainly not terrorists, and I am sure that their actions will be vindicated by history."
Kitchen said police paid for a ticket for him to return to London after questioning and arranged for the coach company to give him a seat on another coach.
A Home Office spokesman said: "There has been no change in policy. Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 enables an examining officer to stop, search and examine a person at a port or in a border area to determine whether they are someone who is or has been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
"The exercise of the powers by the police is an operational matter for each force."
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Attorney General fined £5000 for breaking the her own law
You can't make this stuff up.
Baroness Scotland, the government's chief legal adviser who oversees criminal prosecutions in England and Wales and helped take legislation on employing illegal workers through Parliament when she was a Home Office minister has broken the same law.
She has now been fined £5000 for employing an illegal immigrant as her housekeeper.
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that as it was only a technical breach she does not have to resign or get the sack.
How far will Gordon and his gang sink before finding some principles.
Baroness Scotland, the government's chief legal adviser who oversees criminal prosecutions in England and Wales and helped take legislation on employing illegal workers through Parliament when she was a Home Office minister has broken the same law.
She has now been fined £5000 for employing an illegal immigrant as her housekeeper.
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that as it was only a technical breach she does not have to resign or get the sack.
How far will Gordon and his gang sink before finding some principles.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Harriet Harman fouls up
That well known product of private education, wealth and privilege with at least one Sir, Ladies and Lord in the family tree, yes champion of the poor inadequate lower classes and now women and minorities and husband of the Labour party treasurer who was unaware of the Labour party loans scandal Harriet Harman.
Well in her official position as Government Equalities Office boss she had a taxpayer-funded fact sheet produced for schools about Women in Power, marking the milestones of female politicians.
Some how Margaret Thatcher was left out of the document. Like marmite you might love or hate her but she was the first, and so far the only, female Prime Minister in British history.
How can you make a mistake like that?
Would you give Ms H responsibility to spend your money?
Well in her official position as Government Equalities Office boss she had a taxpayer-funded fact sheet produced for schools about Women in Power, marking the milestones of female politicians.
Some how Margaret Thatcher was left out of the document. Like marmite you might love or hate her but she was the first, and so far the only, female Prime Minister in British history.
How can you make a mistake like that?
Would you give Ms H responsibility to spend your money?
Monday, October 22, 2007
Election that never was cost Labour £1m
Gordon Brown's decision this month not to call a general election has left the cash-strapped Labour party with a bill approaching £1m, according to the Guardian.
Party officials had sanctioned hundreds of thousands of pounds of expenditure on booking hoarding sites, literature and recruitment of staff, and were at an advanced stage in setting up a media centre to handle daily press conferences.
The cost of detailed polling in marginal seats by Opinion Leader Research - the company run by one of the prime minister's most trusted pollsters, Debbie Mattinson - is also understood to have run to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The Conservatives are thought to have spent substantially less in the week before the election was called off. It is understood their bill came to less than £200,000.
Meanwhile, Labour candidates in some marginal seats had already printed letters to go out to supporters. One, Martin Linton, who has a majority of 163 over the Conservatives in Battersea, south London, sent out letters to thousands of Labour members and supporters asking for their help.
The Guardian has been told by Labour and union sources that:
· Some three million letters - the first tranche of a series to key voters and supporters - were printed and had to be binned
· Technicians working on communication links at the Conservative party conference in Blackpool were called away by Labour on a contract to work on the election media centre in Victoria Street, London
· Furniture and equipment for the media centre was ordered, and a lorry delivering the equipment had to be turned away on the following Monday
· Hundreds of poster sites booked by Labour had to be pre-paid - the Tories also booked sites and mobile posters which are now being used to campaign for a European referendum
· Staff were recruited to work at union headquarters - notably the GMB and Unite - on campaigns in marginal seats
The cost of the election is certain to be raised when Labour's national executive meets next month. Some members thought Mr Brown should not have considered calling the election.
The party declined to respond to question from the Guardian.
Source: David Hencke, Westminster correspondent The Guardian (Monday October 22, 2007)
Party officials had sanctioned hundreds of thousands of pounds of expenditure on booking hoarding sites, literature and recruitment of staff, and were at an advanced stage in setting up a media centre to handle daily press conferences.
The cost of detailed polling in marginal seats by Opinion Leader Research - the company run by one of the prime minister's most trusted pollsters, Debbie Mattinson - is also understood to have run to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The Conservatives are thought to have spent substantially less in the week before the election was called off. It is understood their bill came to less than £200,000.
Meanwhile, Labour candidates in some marginal seats had already printed letters to go out to supporters. One, Martin Linton, who has a majority of 163 over the Conservatives in Battersea, south London, sent out letters to thousands of Labour members and supporters asking for their help.
The Guardian has been told by Labour and union sources that:
· Some three million letters - the first tranche of a series to key voters and supporters - were printed and had to be binned
· Technicians working on communication links at the Conservative party conference in Blackpool were called away by Labour on a contract to work on the election media centre in Victoria Street, London
· Furniture and equipment for the media centre was ordered, and a lorry delivering the equipment had to be turned away on the following Monday
· Hundreds of poster sites booked by Labour had to be pre-paid - the Tories also booked sites and mobile posters which are now being used to campaign for a European referendum
· Staff were recruited to work at union headquarters - notably the GMB and Unite - on campaigns in marginal seats
The cost of the election is certain to be raised when Labour's national executive meets next month. Some members thought Mr Brown should not have considered calling the election.
The party declined to respond to question from the Guardian.
Source: David Hencke, Westminster correspondent The Guardian (Monday October 22, 2007)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Labour government sucking the South dry
GORDON BROWN is facing a growing backlash over the way hard-working southerners fund northerners and Scots.
Workers in the South East believe the Scottish PM and his team don’t understand the pressures of life in and around Greater London.
Figures show well over half the economy of Scotland, the North West, North East, Wales and Northern Ireland is funded by the taxpayer.
Yet the economy in highly populated London and the South East – Britain’s engine room – gets just a third.
Critics in the South East believe they are becoming the cash cow for the rest of the country.
Currently 19 per cent of all UK tax receipts come from London and 37 per cent from London and the South East.
Only seven per cent of tax comes from Scotland.
And just TWO Cabinet ministers represent a southern seat.
The PM represents a Fife seat and his Chancellor Alistair Darling is MP for Edinburgh South West.
Defence supremo Des Browne represents Kilmarnock and International Aid secretary Douglas Alexander is the MP for Paisley, near Glasgow.
It reveals Northern Ireland’s budget per head of population is 70.5 per cent of the nation’s wealth. Wales gets 64.3 per cent, the North East 63, Wales 55.6 and Scotland 54 per cent.
And their figures show the gap is widening, not closing.
Ministers keep pumping cash into northern regions because they need the votes to win an election.
source: GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON Political Editor at The Sun
Workers in the South East believe the Scottish PM and his team don’t understand the pressures of life in and around Greater London.
Figures show well over half the economy of Scotland, the North West, North East, Wales and Northern Ireland is funded by the taxpayer.
Yet the economy in highly populated London and the South East – Britain’s engine room – gets just a third.
Critics in the South East believe they are becoming the cash cow for the rest of the country.
Currently 19 per cent of all UK tax receipts come from London and 37 per cent from London and the South East.
Only seven per cent of tax comes from Scotland.
And just TWO Cabinet ministers represent a southern seat.
The PM represents a Fife seat and his Chancellor Alistair Darling is MP for Edinburgh South West.
Defence supremo Des Browne represents Kilmarnock and International Aid secretary Douglas Alexander is the MP for Paisley, near Glasgow.
It reveals Northern Ireland’s budget per head of population is 70.5 per cent of the nation’s wealth. Wales gets 64.3 per cent, the North East 63, Wales 55.6 and Scotland 54 per cent.
And their figures show the gap is widening, not closing.
Ministers keep pumping cash into northern regions because they need the votes to win an election.
source: GEORGE PASCOE-WATSON Political Editor at The Sun
Another Labour M.P. forgets his roots
How sad it is when someone forgets their roots and principles. Dear old Michael Martin, former sheet metal worker, went into politics with the Peoples Party to right some wrongs.
Some years later he was promoted above his capability to the prestigious position of Commons Speaker where he has to maintain order in the Commons without favour to his old People Party mates.
Unfortunately, like many of his mates, he now appears to think that the taxes gleaned from the sweat of working people can be splashed around for personal reasons.
Working class Michael got upset when people started having a go at how he was doing his job so he spent £20,000 of taxpayers having some P.R. people issue statements saying that he was actually doing a good job..
It is not known what Michael ( Red Mick?) would have done if his sheet metal work had been critised back in his youth. Maybe it was a P.R. statement to the effect of Go away you beggers.
Some years later he was promoted above his capability to the prestigious position of Commons Speaker where he has to maintain order in the Commons without favour to his old People Party mates.
Unfortunately, like many of his mates, he now appears to think that the taxes gleaned from the sweat of working people can be splashed around for personal reasons.
Working class Michael got upset when people started having a go at how he was doing his job so he spent £20,000 of taxpayers having some P.R. people issue statements saying that he was actually doing a good job..
It is not known what Michael ( Red Mick?) would have done if his sheet metal work had been critised back in his youth. Maybe it was a P.R. statement to the effect of Go away you beggers.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Climate change model wrong - again
Apparently the brilliant brain boxes behind climate change claims have had to face up to another error in their calculations.
Surprise surprise nature is not as fragile as they thought.
The naughty trees of the Amazon jungle went and found underground water that the Brains did not know about and did not die as predicted. But don't worry because in common with most discredited experts the climate change Brains have shifted the goal posts.
They claim that the Amazon will die but later than expected unsurprisingly some time after all alive at the moment are dead and unable to argue the toss.
Researchers found that during the 2005 drought, many parts of the rainforest "greened", apparently growing faster.
This finding contrasts with some computer models of climate change, which forecast that the Amazon would dry out and become savannah.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say it is unclear how the forest would respond to a long drought.
"We measured the changes between the drought (of July to September 2005) and an average year," explained study leader Scott Saleska from the University of Arizona, Tucson, US.
Some of the models, in particular the Hadley Centre group, became famous for predicting collapse of the Amazon and a change into savannah
Scott Saleska"And what we saw was that there was more photosynthesis going on, more capacity to take up carbon dioxide than in an average year," he told the BBC News website.
He said, however, that a climatic shift to longer and more frequent drought conditions would eventually diminish the deep-water stores, and make the trees suffer.
(souce: bbc)
Surprise surprise nature is not as fragile as they thought.
The naughty trees of the Amazon jungle went and found underground water that the Brains did not know about and did not die as predicted. But don't worry because in common with most discredited experts the climate change Brains have shifted the goal posts.
They claim that the Amazon will die but later than expected unsurprisingly some time after all alive at the moment are dead and unable to argue the toss.
Researchers found that during the 2005 drought, many parts of the rainforest "greened", apparently growing faster.
This finding contrasts with some computer models of climate change, which forecast that the Amazon would dry out and become savannah.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say it is unclear how the forest would respond to a long drought.
"We measured the changes between the drought (of July to September 2005) and an average year," explained study leader Scott Saleska from the University of Arizona, Tucson, US.
Some of the models, in particular the Hadley Centre group, became famous for predicting collapse of the Amazon and a change into savannah
Scott Saleska"And what we saw was that there was more photosynthesis going on, more capacity to take up carbon dioxide than in an average year," he told the BBC News website.
He said, however, that a climatic shift to longer and more frequent drought conditions would eventually diminish the deep-water stores, and make the trees suffer.
(souce: bbc)
Friday, September 28, 2007
Speed Camera Con
A Department for Transport report has found that, in 2007, exceeding the speed limit was a factor in 14 per cent of deaths, up from 12 per cent in 2005.
You may be forgiven for having overlooked this piece of information as it appears to be buried by the Labour government and it's fellow trough users.
The stat means that whatever impact the much admired speed camera may have had it's effect is now declining. This is despite Labour quietly changing the law so that camera's do not have to be placed near accident black spots.
It also means that 86% of accidents are NOT caused by breaking the speed limit.
It also means that all the effort put into creating the vast network of speed camera's was either based on a misunderstanding or it is just another way of raising tax.
You may be forgiven for having overlooked this piece of information as it appears to be buried by the Labour government and it's fellow trough users.
The stat means that whatever impact the much admired speed camera may have had it's effect is now declining. This is despite Labour quietly changing the law so that camera's do not have to be placed near accident black spots.
It also means that 86% of accidents are NOT caused by breaking the speed limit.
It also means that all the effort put into creating the vast network of speed camera's was either based on a misunderstanding or it is just another way of raising tax.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
85pc of health cash goes to Labour areas
(ED: Tony does as Tony does, crooks the figures, crooks the weapons of mass destruction, sells honours for New Labour funds, gerrymandering tax spend to suit New Labour Party interests, is there enough space in cyberspace to list the acts of deceit Tony has been involved in. Was he always like this or has he been replaced by an evil spirit?)
Celia Hall, Medical Editor at Daily Telegraph
As much as 85p in every £1 the Government has spent on health has gone into Labour constituencies.
Details from a Parliamentary question show that of the 46 multi-million-pound hospitals built in England since Tony Blair came to power, 33 are in Labour areas. That amounts to £3.5 billion out of a total spend of £4.1 billion.
Government health policy has aimed at removing "health inequalities" and lifting health services in deprived areas many of which are Labour strongholds.
But the Tories say they are still waiting for the Government to tell them why one area is favoured over another and to explain the rationale of agreeing to new hospital developments in particular areas.
Andrew Lansley the shadow health spokesman, said yesterday: "Four in every five of Labour's new hospitals have been built in the constituencies of their own MPs.
The Conservatives say "Ministers are holding secret meetings with Labour Party officials to target up to 60 hospital cutbacks on the constituencies of Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs. These figures confirm what we suspected when Patricia Hewitt went against the advice of experts and ordered a new hospital to be built in a Labour constituency in south London.
A Conservative Party spokesman said that in 2005 Ms Hewitt overturned a decision to build a new critical care hospital on the site of Sutton Hospital, in the Sutton and Cheam constituency of Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow.
"Instead, even after seeking the advice of her independent advisers, who similarly recommended the Sutton site, Patricia Hewitt recommended that the new hospital should be built at St Helier, in the Mitcham and Morden constituency of a Labour MP, Siobhan McDonagh," the spokesman said.
Celia Hall, Medical Editor at Daily Telegraph
As much as 85p in every £1 the Government has spent on health has gone into Labour constituencies.
Details from a Parliamentary question show that of the 46 multi-million-pound hospitals built in England since Tony Blair came to power, 33 are in Labour areas. That amounts to £3.5 billion out of a total spend of £4.1 billion.
Government health policy has aimed at removing "health inequalities" and lifting health services in deprived areas many of which are Labour strongholds.
But the Tories say they are still waiting for the Government to tell them why one area is favoured over another and to explain the rationale of agreeing to new hospital developments in particular areas.
Andrew Lansley the shadow health spokesman, said yesterday: "Four in every five of Labour's new hospitals have been built in the constituencies of their own MPs.
The Conservatives say "Ministers are holding secret meetings with Labour Party officials to target up to 60 hospital cutbacks on the constituencies of Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs. These figures confirm what we suspected when Patricia Hewitt went against the advice of experts and ordered a new hospital to be built in a Labour constituency in south London.
A Conservative Party spokesman said that in 2005 Ms Hewitt overturned a decision to build a new critical care hospital on the site of Sutton Hospital, in the Sutton and Cheam constituency of Liberal Democrat MP Paul Burstow.
"Instead, even after seeking the advice of her independent advisers, who similarly recommended the Sutton site, Patricia Hewitt recommended that the new hospital should be built at St Helier, in the Mitcham and Morden constituency of a Labour MP, Siobhan McDonagh," the spokesman said.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Plan to fine rowdy pubs watered down on the quiet
James Slack at Daily Mail - 02.04.2007
(ED: Tony at it again - Big headline then a row back after the media focus is elsewhere. Any trouble with 24-hour drinking in city centres were to have been dealt with Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZ). Unfortunately none of the smarties in the government thought about the Human Rights law, introduced by themselves of course. If you were of a more machavelian frame of mind you might think that ADZ's were always just window dressing to insure that increased working class drinking would keep the prole's focus on the beer and off government incompetence while providing more tax for the machine. Surely not?)
The Government has quietly given up its hardline stance on rowdy pubs thanks to human rights regulations
Labour's promise to make rowdy pubs and clubs pay for the disturbance they cause has been quietly shelved.
So-called Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZ) will be used only as a "last resort" as they risk breaching human rights laws.
Ministers previously said that forcing licensed premises to pay up to £100 a week for extra policing was vital to curb the negative effects of 24-hour drinking.
But papers slipped out Monday during the Parliamentary recess place almost insurmountable bureaucratic obstacles in the way of any police force or council wishing to pursue a "polluter pays" policy.
Police would actually lose out financially from an idea that was supposed to spare them - and therefore the taxpayer - from picking up the bill for binge-drinking and drunken violence.
The Police Federation accused the Government of "deceit" as it had linked the relaxation of the licensing laws to new powers they are now unlikely to use.
Vice-chairman Alan Gordon said: "If it is this bureaucratic and burdensome, police will never use these zones or attempt to use them.
"The Government made great play of the additional powers they were going to give the police. To make them so bureaucratic they are nearly impossible to use is being deceitful in what was involved in 24/7 drinking in the first place."
Ministers promised the zones in January 2005.
But the Home Office now says it has to be careful that human rights laws are not breached. Zones must be declared only in extreme circumstances where all other options had failed, its says.
Monday's consultation documents said no less than 15 times that the zones should be a "last resort".
They warned that charging a pub, club or off-licence for disturbance amounts to an interference with property rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Critics say the process for setting up a zone is so complex it verges on the impossible.
Police must first give drinkers on-the-spot fines or ban louts from town centres. They must also make attempts to close down any problem pubs using the Licensing Act.
If this fails, they must amass evidence that a street or "zone" is blighted by binge-drinking.
Officers - who are already struggling with mountains of paperwork - would have to produce details of violent incidents, relevant A&E notes and a CCTV incident log.
Once this so-called "trigger stage" is complete, pubs and clubs must be given a 28-day consultation period when they can object to the plans.
While this is taking place, police and local councils must draw up an Action Plan of steps they want the premises to take to reduce the misery they are inflicting on local residents.
Pubs are then given eight weeks in which to introduce these changes.
It is only if police and councils can prove the Action Plan has been ignored that they can declare an Alcohol Disorder Zone and levy charges.
(ED: Tony at it again - Big headline then a row back after the media focus is elsewhere. Any trouble with 24-hour drinking in city centres were to have been dealt with Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZ). Unfortunately none of the smarties in the government thought about the Human Rights law, introduced by themselves of course. If you were of a more machavelian frame of mind you might think that ADZ's were always just window dressing to insure that increased working class drinking would keep the prole's focus on the beer and off government incompetence while providing more tax for the machine. Surely not?)
The Government has quietly given up its hardline stance on rowdy pubs thanks to human rights regulations
Labour's promise to make rowdy pubs and clubs pay for the disturbance they cause has been quietly shelved.
So-called Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZ) will be used only as a "last resort" as they risk breaching human rights laws.
Ministers previously said that forcing licensed premises to pay up to £100 a week for extra policing was vital to curb the negative effects of 24-hour drinking.
But papers slipped out Monday during the Parliamentary recess place almost insurmountable bureaucratic obstacles in the way of any police force or council wishing to pursue a "polluter pays" policy.
Police would actually lose out financially from an idea that was supposed to spare them - and therefore the taxpayer - from picking up the bill for binge-drinking and drunken violence.
The Police Federation accused the Government of "deceit" as it had linked the relaxation of the licensing laws to new powers they are now unlikely to use.
Vice-chairman Alan Gordon said: "If it is this bureaucratic and burdensome, police will never use these zones or attempt to use them.
"The Government made great play of the additional powers they were going to give the police. To make them so bureaucratic they are nearly impossible to use is being deceitful in what was involved in 24/7 drinking in the first place."
Ministers promised the zones in January 2005.
But the Home Office now says it has to be careful that human rights laws are not breached. Zones must be declared only in extreme circumstances where all other options had failed, its says.
Monday's consultation documents said no less than 15 times that the zones should be a "last resort".
They warned that charging a pub, club or off-licence for disturbance amounts to an interference with property rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Critics say the process for setting up a zone is so complex it verges on the impossible.
Police must first give drinkers on-the-spot fines or ban louts from town centres. They must also make attempts to close down any problem pubs using the Licensing Act.
If this fails, they must amass evidence that a street or "zone" is blighted by binge-drinking.
Officers - who are already struggling with mountains of paperwork - would have to produce details of violent incidents, relevant A&E notes and a CCTV incident log.
Once this so-called "trigger stage" is complete, pubs and clubs must be given a 28-day consultation period when they can object to the plans.
While this is taking place, police and local councils must draw up an Action Plan of steps they want the premises to take to reduce the misery they are inflicting on local residents.
Pubs are then given eight weeks in which to introduce these changes.
It is only if police and councils can prove the Action Plan has been ignored that they can declare an Alcohol Disorder Zone and levy charges.
Labels:
24 hour drinking,
hiding bad news,
New Labour,
spin,
Tony Blair
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Tony weakens NHS pledge to mothers
Jo Revill, health editor The Observer April 1, 2007
(ED: Usual lies from Tony and his mates. Get Big Big headlines then when attention has moved on water everything down. As for Health Minister Ivan Lewis I wonder what he would be saying if his wife was in labour again. Perhaps " oh a 12k a year unqualified support worker excellent eh darling? Or "don't be so stupid that's my wife you are putting at risk.")
A government pledge to give every mother the right of one-to-one care from a midwife during labour has been watered down to allow hospitals to use lower-paid attendants with fewer skills.
Midwives' leaders call the move 'scandalous', arguing that it will increase the risks for those women and babies not supported by a qualified midwife.
The policy shift will be in the government's maternity strategy, due to be announced by Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt this week.
The government has come under increasing pressure over the state of maternity wards due to a recent spate of reports showing that standards in Britain are falling, with thousands of women not receiving good antenatal care or enough support during the birth.
In its election manifesto in May 2005, Labour promised that by 2009 women would be cared for by a named midwife throughout pregnancy and would receive continuous care throughout the delivery. Instead they could now find themselves in the care of a maternity support worker, a new category of staff without a nursing or midwifery degree who may not be able to deliver a baby safely.
However, Health Minister Ivan Lewis is adamant they would not jeopardise safety. He told The Observer: 'By the end of 2009, we want to see trusts at least giving a commitment to the fact that a skilled professional is present throughout the birth. That could be a midwife or it could be a maternity support worker.'
He defended the use of lower-skilled staff: 'What matters is that the mother feels confident that she is well cared for. There are many maternity support workers who are providing an excellent service.'
Lewis also criticised the 'rhetoric and scare-mongering' of recent media reports that have highlighted problems on maternity wards. 'A lot of the media reporting has been very irresponsible because it scares women. There have been two million births over the past three years, and 50 women died in that time due to obstetric complications that could have been dealt with better. One death is too many - but that number doesn't suggest a crisis in terms of safety.'
The Royal College of Midwives is furious that hospital trusts will be able to claim they offer continuous care during labour when they have replaced trained midwives with maternity care assistants, who are paid around £12,000 a year and are not subject to the same regulation. They were originally introduced to help with lighter duties on maternity wards, such as feeding and washing, but many believe hospital trusts see them as a cheap workforce.
RCM adviser Sue Jacob said: 'This change has been quietly slipped in and is nothing short of scandalous. Do we really see childbirth as so unimportant that you de-skill the very people who will be delivering children? Women want nothing less than a midwife by their side when they are in labour. We know from all the research that's been done that continuous care from an experienced professional makes a huge difference to the safety of both the mother and the child.'
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, pointed out that in Scotland the target of offering continuous care from a midwife is already being met. 'It has to be asked why the rest of the country can't achieve this goal, given that it is so very important for women when they go into labour,' she said.
(ED: Usual lies from Tony and his mates. Get Big Big headlines then when attention has moved on water everything down. As for Health Minister Ivan Lewis I wonder what he would be saying if his wife was in labour again. Perhaps " oh a 12k a year unqualified support worker excellent eh darling? Or "don't be so stupid that's my wife you are putting at risk.")
A government pledge to give every mother the right of one-to-one care from a midwife during labour has been watered down to allow hospitals to use lower-paid attendants with fewer skills.
Midwives' leaders call the move 'scandalous', arguing that it will increase the risks for those women and babies not supported by a qualified midwife.
The policy shift will be in the government's maternity strategy, due to be announced by Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt this week.
The government has come under increasing pressure over the state of maternity wards due to a recent spate of reports showing that standards in Britain are falling, with thousands of women not receiving good antenatal care or enough support during the birth.
In its election manifesto in May 2005, Labour promised that by 2009 women would be cared for by a named midwife throughout pregnancy and would receive continuous care throughout the delivery. Instead they could now find themselves in the care of a maternity support worker, a new category of staff without a nursing or midwifery degree who may not be able to deliver a baby safely.
However, Health Minister Ivan Lewis is adamant they would not jeopardise safety. He told The Observer: 'By the end of 2009, we want to see trusts at least giving a commitment to the fact that a skilled professional is present throughout the birth. That could be a midwife or it could be a maternity support worker.'
He defended the use of lower-skilled staff: 'What matters is that the mother feels confident that she is well cared for. There are many maternity support workers who are providing an excellent service.'
Lewis also criticised the 'rhetoric and scare-mongering' of recent media reports that have highlighted problems on maternity wards. 'A lot of the media reporting has been very irresponsible because it scares women. There have been two million births over the past three years, and 50 women died in that time due to obstetric complications that could have been dealt with better. One death is too many - but that number doesn't suggest a crisis in terms of safety.'
The Royal College of Midwives is furious that hospital trusts will be able to claim they offer continuous care during labour when they have replaced trained midwives with maternity care assistants, who are paid around £12,000 a year and are not subject to the same regulation. They were originally introduced to help with lighter duties on maternity wards, such as feeding and washing, but many believe hospital trusts see them as a cheap workforce.
RCM adviser Sue Jacob said: 'This change has been quietly slipped in and is nothing short of scandalous. Do we really see childbirth as so unimportant that you de-skill the very people who will be delivering children? Women want nothing less than a midwife by their side when they are in labour. We know from all the research that's been done that continuous care from an experienced professional makes a huge difference to the safety of both the mother and the child.'
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, pointed out that in Scotland the target of offering continuous care from a midwife is already being met. 'It has to be asked why the rest of the country can't achieve this goal, given that it is so very important for women when they go into labour,' she said.
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