Government attacked on NHS database u-turn
The right-wing civil liberties group Big Brother Watch has attacked the government for doing a “u-turn” on medical data storage.
The coalition announced this week it would continue building the ‘Summary Care Record’ database.
The Conservative policy was: ‘A Conservative government would “dismantle” central NHS IT infrastructure, halt and renegotiate NPfIT local service provider contracts and introduce interoperable local systems.’
Alex Deane of Big Brother Watch said:
This is a disgraceful u-turn. The Coalition wants us to believe that they are serious about privacy and civil liberties – this is their first real test, and they have failed it.
The SCR is an unnecessary and intrusive piece of bureaucracy, as well as being wildly expensive. Doctors have managed without it until now. Our research has shown how vulnerable the NHS is to breaches of privacy – this will make things much worse.
Finally, I note that it was “announced” by brief Written Answer, without debate, on the day of the statement made to the House on the Cumbrian shooting, so it didn’t get picked up anywhere. A Jo Moore 9/11 situation writ large, but after weeks in power rather than New Labour’s years in office by the time of Moore’s disgrace. New government, old tricks. No change, and no shame.
Last year the Libdem health spokesperson Norman Lamb had said: “The Government needs to end its obsession with massive central databases. The NHS IT scheme has been a disastrous waste of money and the national programme should be abandoned.”
Now both parties have quietly dropped those commitments.
Is Phil Woolas about to lose his seat?
At BBC North West Arif Ansari asks an interesting question: Oldham East and Saddleworth – back to the ballot box?
It turns out there is a slim chance that Labour MP Phil Woolas’ recent victory could be overturned if the Libdem candidate’s appeal for a second ballot is successful.
The appeal is based on claims in Labour leaflets asking: “Why are the extremists urging a vote for Watkins?“.
[His Libdem opponent] Mr [Elwyn] Watkins believes the leaflet falsely portrayed him as a politician courting votes from militant Muslims; not a group known to be particularly supportive of British democracy.
The Labour leaflet said Mr Watkins was a personal assistant to Saudi Arabian billionaire, Sheikh Abdullah Ali Alhamrani. The leaflet went on to say: “Political donations from overseas are illegal. Even the Ashcroft money can’t match a Sheikh.”
Arif Ansari adds:
It was not entirely clear what Sheikh Abdulah’s interest would have been in Oldham East and Saddleworth. But putting that to one side, the clear impression was that Middle East money was oiling the Lib Dem campaign.
Such an arrangement would have been illegal. Presumably Labour has some evidence for these serious allegations. But I haven’t seen it and Mr Watkins denies being anything other than a full UK taxpayer.
In the end Woolas won only by 103 votes. Did this campaign tactic win at the margins?
Mr Watkins has now petitioned the Royal Courts of Justice, asking for an Election Court to judge if there should be a second ballot.
He argues not only that the allegations were serious and false but that Mr Woolas knew that to be the case.
In legal language, the Liberal Democrats are claiming that Labour breached Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act, 1983. In ordinary language, the Liberal Democrats are claiming that Labour lied to the electorate.
Elections results for that seat
More here.
Frank Field’s false crusade against ‘welfare dependency’
You have to hand it to the Tories. Hiring Frank Field as ‘poverty tsar’ to do a seven month study with no implications for the ‘financial’ side of things (e.g. benefits) is a brilliant stroke.
Not only will they be able to parade in their non-partisan laurels when the report is delivered, but it’ll be tweedle-dum to Iain Duncan-Smith’s tweedle-dee.
Banging the education drum will be met with Tory plans to ‘individualise’ education provision by reintroducing credits for kids to go to private schools.
continue reading… »
London pub reported to police for homophobia
Members of LGBT Labour have reported a London pub manager’s refusal to serve their members as a hate-crime to the police.
LGBT Labour reported on Twitter earlier today:
Manager at The Greencoat Boy near Westminster told members he would have refused the #LGBTLabour booking if he’d known it was an LGBT group!
They later said they reported it as a hate-crime and the police were taking statements.
The Greencoat Boy pub is situated on 2 Greencoat place in London.
Various Labour tweeters are now calling for a boycott of the pub.
‘Greencoat Boy’ has become the top trending topic in London already.
Update: Grace Fletcher-Hackwood has pictures from the event, including this one with LGBT members with the police.
She also suggests ways to take action.
Update 2: Michael Cashman MEP has called for a boycott of the pub.
Labour leadership candidate Ed Balls has now called it “really shocking”.
Update 3: The pub has now denied the group were refused drinks because of their sexuality.
A spokesperson for the chain said:
Punch Taverns seeks to provide welcoming venues to everyone. We are shocked and saddened that a group of our guests did not experience this and would like to apologise.
We would however like to stress that this is an isolated incident and is not representative of our commitment to diversity.
We are currently conducting a full investigation of the incident and will report back to the Labour LGBT group with our findings.
Political Scrapbook has the full statement and accuses the pub of hypocrisy.
This government has broken all its promises on spending cuts
contribution by Nigel Stanley
The pre-election promises that £6 billion worth of cuts could be easily conjured up from efficiency savings that no-one would notice, that front-line services (whatever they are) would not be hit and that the poor and vulnerable could be protected have all been broken already.
Few will mourn the General Teaching Council or ID cards but cuts to even quite modest programmes such as Every Child a Reader revealed by Nicola break all these promises.
continue reading… »
Tom Watson: leaders should meet real people
Tom Watson MP made an excellent call yesterday.
Writing for Guardian CIF, he says:
I’d love to see Ed Miliband contend with his own Walter Wolfgang moment, as Harold Wilson is seen to do. ”
…
We don’t see that kind of behaviour today because modern politicians do all that they can to avoid their own Mrs Duffy moment. They’re terrified of unscripted interventions. And the nation is losing out as a result.
…
This is why I want to see my next leader tested by real people. Labour HQ is organising official members-only hustings. I’ve no doubt that young activists from Compass and Progress will challenge candidates on their vision for a progressive century, but I would like real workers and families express their concerns too. It’s particularly important in this selection because, after all, most contenders are keen to allude to Gordon Brown’s difficulty in this kind of arena.
…
I’ve set up a Meetup group [link fixed] for real people to self-organise Labour leadership hustings. You can sign up and find like-minded people who want to organise a hustings meeting in your area.
Spot on. I hope people get involved and do this. This is the kind of debates the Labour party needs.
Peter Tatchell to present film on Pope
Channel Four Television announced yesterday that human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell will present an hour-long documentary on the Pope.
Peter released a statement saying:
My aim is to make a robustly factual programme that explores the Pope’s personal, religious and political journey since the 1930s, as well as the motives and effects of his controversial policies.
I intend to ensure that we hear the voices of the Pope’s defenders, as well as his critics. I would be like to interview the Pope himself. It would be ideal for Pope Benedict to be able to explain himself in his own words. But I doubt that I will be granted an audience.
“This will not be an anti-Catholic programme. I have great sympathy with grassroots Catholics who want a more open, democratic, liberal and inclusive church. The ‘We Are Church’ movement is admirable. I salute it.
The programme will be broadcast shortly before the pontiff’s state visit to Britain in September this year.
We wasted far too much money on feel-good schemes
contribution by Julian Harris
Almost a quarter of a million pounds of “foreign aid” was pledged to a Brazilian-style dance troupe – in Hackney, east London – in 2009.
Given the farcical sound of this scheme, it is little surprise that incoming Conservative Secretary of State Andrew Mitchell had been in power for less than a week before he slashed its funding, declaring a freeze on all similar projects.
Progressives are right to promote awareness of international issues, universal freedoms, and the benefits of development in poor countries. But this is different from a government funding domestic feel-good schemes, and paying NGOs to champion its own policies – a self-serving system which threatens to provoke a reaction against the very causes that progressives support.
continue reading… »
Why is everyone who drinks booze treated the same?
contribution by Planeshift
The recent discussion on the minimum price for alcohol has proven to be hilarious for a further demonstration of the sociological ignorance of Tim Worstall et al, whose approach to the issue is at best naive and at worst dangerous and actually illiberal.
This to social and health policy issues is generally to examine matters from the perspective of examining what the externalities of certain market transactions are, and then ensure the externalities are priced and paid for via a pigou tax.
In fact whenever an externality arises, the preferred solution is a tax.
continue reading… »
Govt cuts funding for children’s playgrounds
contribution by Nicola Smith
£5 million is being cut from England’s Play Strategy – which aims to improve children’s play facilities and build new adventure playgrounds. Children and Young People Now report that while the capital budget is not facing direct cuts savings will have to be made from the rest of the funding pot, which includes money for staffing refurbished play facilities.
In addition, Play England (which is also facing further as yet unspecified cuts) has highlighted that as grants to local authorites are no longer ringfenced, it is likely that some will now chose not to use the money provided by the strategy for building new play areas.
In response to suggestions last week that play funding could be cut, Play England’s Director, Adrian Voce, stated that:
The play strategy has so far produced 2,000 new or improved play areas and 30 fantastic staffed adventure playgrounds…This translates as hundreds of thousands of children having the healthy, outdoor activities that they long for and that every parent knows is good for them. Research tells us that in terms of impact on children’s health, learning and wider benefits to the whole community such as the reduction in crime, the play strategy has demonstrated excellent value for money and real benefit to the economy.
This is part of Touchstone Blog’s CUTS WATCH
David Lammy’s backing for Ken is a double-edged sword
On Tuesday former cabinet minister David Lammy announced he was going to chair Ken Livingstone’s Mayoral campaign.
This signals two things: that Ken wants to shake up his campaign and bring in someone new who would have fresh ideas. It also means that David Lammy is positioning himself as the main Labour mayoral candidate in four years time.
I wish him well in that, but it is a double-edged sword and he should be careful of that.
continue reading… »
Boris filmed threatening Bike protesters
Members of the group No to the Bike Parking Tax were protesting in Trafalgar Square on Wednesday evening.
London’s occasional Mayor Boris Johnson was caught on film asking a protester: “Do you want to stay in the bus lanes or what? Then stop this protest.”
The group said his behaviour was “disgraceful, bordering on blackmail”.
Boris is all in favour of free speech and expression until, it seems, it applies to people protesting against his own administration.
Watch the video
Who would you blame for Cumbria shootings?
With Britain waking up to the worst firearms tragedy since Dunblane, the predictable finger-pointing begins.
And yet the police are still trying to piece the story together. It was unclear what exactly tipped 52-year-old Derrick Bird, the killer, over the edge. Was he having financial problems? Did he have a row with his fellow taxi drivers over queue-jumping and touting?
Did he fall out with his relatives over a will?
continue reading… »
How Pakistan has terrorised its Ahmadi minority for decades
contribution by Sadaf Meehan
My family are Ahmadi Muslims, a small Islamic sect that was declared non-Muslim by Pakistani authorities in 1974.
This pacifist sect – one of the central tenets is never to meet violence with violence – make-up less than three per cent of the Pakistani population, yet have been described by the BBC as one of the ‘most relentlessly persecuted communities in the history of Pakistan’.
A few years ago, it was to be my first Eid in Pakistan since childhood, and I was excited. My parents, both Karachi-ites, left in 1972 and settled first in Yorkshire, where I was born, and then in Macclesfield, Cheshire, home to New Order, the Macc Lads and me, until I went off to Uni at 18.
continue reading… »
Harriet Harman is right to demand half the cabinet is female
Harriet Harman has called for half of Labour’s Shadow Cabinet to be women.
She’s right.
There’s no good reason why Labour’s shadow cabinet should be male dominated.
If the issue is that there aren’t enough “Brilliant/ Talented/Experienced/whatever women” that’s a fault of the system we’ve employed, not a reflection on the abilities of Labour women.
continue reading… »
Fake police asks people to take off England shirts
Remember the slew of stories claiming that the police were banning people from wearing England tops? I debunked that here, as others have repeatedly.
Now, the Worksop Guardian reports (via @JonnElledge):
A BOGUS police officer is operating in and around Worksop telling people to remove their England shirts and take down their flags.
A probe was launched after the Guardian revealed that a woman in the town had been asked to take down her England flags by what she thought was a genuine police officer.It has now emerged that someone is posing as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) and was in Clumber Park last weekend asking people to remove their England shirts.
Chief Superintendent Dave Wakelin said: “I am aware of last week’s publicity regarding the story that one of my staff members advised a local Worksop resident to remove her flag from her balcony as it was upsetting foreign residents.”
“We are now absolutely certain that these were not bona-fide members of Notts Police, and this, linked to reports that over the weekend similar incidents occurred with people in Clumber Park being told remove their England shirts, leads me to believe that there is someone in our local community intending to cause unease.”
You know, it might make sense to do that if you were a Daily Mail or Daily Express journalist… but I’m sure they’d never do that.
Israel’s PR offensive gets basic facts wrong
A short package by Al-Jazeera looks at Israel’s attempts at public relations regarding the Gaza blockade.
But as the video shows, Israeli officials try and dodge questions on how many people within the Gaza strip are below the poverty line or under-nourished.
They also produce ‘facts sheets’ on how much aid is delivered into Gaza. But basic calculations show that amounts to 4kgs of food per person per week.
Israel’s PR team also circulates a video of Mahmoud Abbas dining at a Gaza restaurant to illustrate that food is plentiful. Except that Abbas has not been in Gaza since the blockade began three years ago.
[via War in Context and @earwicga]
UKIP MEPs avoid Bilderberg book launch
On Tuesday we revealed that UKIP MEPs were listed as hosting a book launch at the European Parliament with a far-right politician from Italy.
The book was about how the Bilderberg Group was controlling the world.
Yesterday the Independent Diary column picked up the story:
Conspiracy theories abound in the corridors of the European Parliament, where yesterday Room 0A50 was booked for a press conference, apparently hosted by Nigel Farage and fellow Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom. The occasion was the launch of a new book about the Bilderberg Group, the elite annual conference whose attendees plan to take over the universe, or so conspiracy theorists claim.
The book’s author Daniel Estulin has blamed the global recession on the Bilderberg’s “shadow masters” and was invited to speak in Brussels by Mario Borghezio, of Italy’s Lega Nord Party; Borghezio began his career with the fascist group Ordine Nuovo.
The blog Liberal Conspiracy joined the dots: secretive international groups, fascists, UKIP… Can the famously reasonable Farage really be consorting with these cranks? Well, yeah but no but. A call to Ukip spokesman Gawain Towler confirms Farage is still in bed with broken ribs following that plane crash, while Bloom was at a meeting in London when the conference took place.
“The hosting was a question of good manners to a group member… to ensure good relations internally in the EFD [Europe of Freedom and Democracy] group.” So Lega Nord are in the same European grouping as UKIP? “There are interesting coves in every group,” Towler says, “as the Tories know.”
That’s a nice way to deflect a question isn’t it?
Does Nigel Farage know about Mario Borghezio’s background? Does he approve of his politics? Borghezio is Italy’s equivalent of a National Front thug. And this is the sort of people UKIP are allied with in Europe and planning book launches with.
Having a minimum price on alcohol is a crap idea
I’m glad to see the Conservative government is opposed to a minimum price law on alcohol. As I said last time this issue came up, I am opposed to such a law on the grounds that people should be allowed to drink to excess if they wish.
The issue has recently flared up because Tesco came out to support a minimum pricing system, and because NICE has subsequently also come out for a minimum price per unit of alcohol.
What few enough people noticed when Tesco came out for the law is that this view is self-interested; it will mean they no longer have to worry about cutting prices.
continue reading… »
Libertarians: this means we need more guns
The Libertarian Alliance have responded to the Cumbria massacre rather earnestly haven’t they?
Their press release still cites five deaths (at the time of writing), so it must have been drafted pretty quickly.
Head-honcho Sean Gabb says:
This outrage will certainly bring calls from the police and other victim disarmament advocacy groups for further gun control. However, bearing in mind that civilian ownership of handguns was outlawed in the two Firearms Acts of 1997, we fail to see, unless the murder weapon was a shotgun, what there is left to be outlawed.
And then it becomes even more of a parody.
The Libertarian Alliance notes that these shootings would have been extremely difficult in a country where the people were allowed to arm themselves.
It’s pretty easy for citizens in the United States to arm themselves. That hasn’t stopped shootings though has it?
In the United States, at least one campus shooting was brought to a premature end by armed civilians.
That’s what you call serious evidence based decision making.
[Hat-tip Sunder Katwala at Next Left]
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» So what if the Labour candidates went to Oxbridge?
» Last night’s Labour hustings: will it get interesting or turn to torture?
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