2010 could be warmest year ever, worldwide
New data from some of the world’s leading climate researchers and institutions suggest that 2010 is shaping up to be one of the warmest years ever recorded.
Scientists at the US National Snow and Ice Centre Data Centre (NSIDC) report today that Arctic sea ice – frozen seawater that floats on the ocean surface – is now at its lowest physical extent ever recorded for the time of year, suggesting that it is on course to break the previous record low set in 2007.
Satellite monitoring by the NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado, shows that the melting of sea ice has been unusually fast this year, with as much as 40,000 sq km now disappearing daily.
The melt season started almost a month later than normal at the end of March and is not expected to end until September.
…more at the Guardian
Should the media temper its Cumbria murders coverage?
This was the video I was looking for earlier, made by Charlie Brooker for BBC4 Newswipe, not long after I heard about the shootings.
Isn’t there a danger similar here that excessive coverage might prompt copycat killers? I asked this earlier on Twitter and Mr_Onions replied:
I don’t think so. Our attitude to guns and our tight gun laws says different. Worst since Dunblane, though that was 14 yrs ago
I’m still not convinced. There are far too many studies that confirm this. The Guardian has a timeline of shootings (via SimonNRicketts).
Is Cameron backtracking on rape trials anonymity?
I’ve just watched Cameron’s first Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, where he said, when challenged by Harriet Harman over the proposals to grant anonymity to those accused of rape, that he “believed there was a case for it between arrest and charge.”
While I still don’t agree with the ConDem’s proposal, Cameron’s response appears to be a step back from the original “We will extend anonymity in rape cases to defendants” statement that was made a couple of weeks ago.
continue reading… »
Mail wrongly claims whites barred from job
A Daily Mail reporter writes:
A council has been accused of discrimination after white people were barred from applying for two £18,000-a-year jobs. Bristol City has created the management training posts for graduates in an effort to recruit more minority employees.
As a result the council will only accept applications from ethnic minorities for the two-year placements.
Except that barring people from applying for jobs on the basis of their race is illegal, and has been at least since the Race Relations Act 1976.
So what’s going on?
Blogger Five Chinese Crackers explains:
See where it says ‘management training posts’? A training post is not a job. It’s training. Once these people finish their training, they have to apply for the job on the open market.
In the 1976 Act, exceptions are made for training. If a particular group is under-represented in a particular area – and this includes white people – an employer can offer training to people from those groups to try to redress the balance.
The Mail does know this, because it explains in the very final sentence that “The Race Relations Act 1976 states that if a racial group is under-represented councils can offer training to individuals from that group.” And yet despite knowing that it is talking about avdertising a training programme and not a job, which would be illegal, the paper still tells its readers that white people cannot apply for jobs.
Isn’t that lying?
You could say that.
Update: The Telegraph have also run the same fatuous story. (via @Getlabourout)
Labour leaders should pledge to avoid raising student fees
Some time later this year, the Browne Review about higher education funding will report, and is expected to recommend that universities be allowed to increase the fees that they charge students.
I would be interested to know what the candidates for the Labour leadership think about this, as it presents a problem and an opportunity.
Until April 2010, it was reasonably clear what most politicians thought about this issue.
continue reading… »
Is Labour stitching it up for Ken Livingstone this time?
David Lammy, who was considering running for the Labour nomination for London Mayor in 2012, is instead to chair Ken Livingstone’s Mayoral campaign.
He makes the case for Ken in today’s Guardian, acknowledging that he considered whether to enter the race himself.
continue reading… »
LC attracted 130,000 unique visitors in May as left-wing blogs grow more broadly
I don’t make a habit of publishing our reader figures every month but I have to make an exception this time. I’m pleased to say May was the first time Liberal Conspiracy broke the 100,000 unique visitors a month mark.
The actual figure was 129,927 Absolute Unique Visitors for entire month, recording just over half a million page views (502,957). Both figures are measured by Google Analytics.
continue reading… »
Poll: voters not sure what Libdems stand for
Voters have delivered an ominous warning to the Liberal Democrats, with nearly two-thirds saying they are not clear what the party stands for since it went into coalition with the Conservatives.
A ComRes poll for The Independent found that public opinion is divided on the merits of the power-sharing deal between David Cameron and Nick Clegg, but that voters overwhelmingly back the replacement of the first-past-the-post electoral system.
By a margin of more than two to one – 65 per cent to 29 per cent – they agreed that it was “difficult to know what the Liberal Democrats stand for” following their entry into the coalition. The sentiment was shared by 56 per cent of the people who voted Liberal Democrat in last month’s general election.
There are signs that Mr Clegg’s party is suffering a backlash from its decision to go into office with the Tories. Only 78 per cent of people who voted Liberal Democrat last month said they would vote the same way if another election was held tomorrow; 17 per cent said they would support Labour instead.
…more at The Independent
Where will these think-tanks go from here?
ippr’s innovative co-director team Carey Oppenheim and Lisa Harker emailed the think-tanks’ friends and contacts on Thursday last week about their decision to step down in the near future:
Next week ippr begins the search for a new Director as we step down to pursue new challenges. With more than 10 years of service to ippr between us we retain great pride and affection for an organisation that continues to produce unrivalled policy research in pursuit of a more equal, democratic, sustainable world.
On the right, Centre for Social Justice executive director Phillippa Stroud has joined Iain Duncan Smith as special adviser at the Department of Work and Pensions.
I have yet to see any official announcement from Demos about Director Richard Reeves’ departing to advise Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg on political strategy.
continue reading… »
Gaza Flotilla activists say stun guns used on them
Pro-Palestinian activists returning to Europe said Israeli commandos used stun guns on passengers and beat them during the deadly raid on an aid flotilla that was trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. One woman said her aid ship “turned into a lake of blood.”
….
Israel sent commandos onto six ships carrying nearly 700 activists, and there have been conflicting accounts of what happened during the assault. Both sides claim to have been attacked by the other and so far it is not possible to reconcile those claims. Most of those killed were aboard the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara.
….
Norman Paech, a former member of Germany’s Left Party who was aboard the Marmara, said the ship was surrounded by small Israeli assault boats about 4:30 a.m. Monday morning. “Moments later, we heard detonations and then soldiers from helicopters above us dropped down on board,” Paech said. “The soldiers were all masked, carrying big guns and were extremely brutal.”
The Israeli government says its soldiers were defending themselves, and has released video showing soldiers in riot gear being struck by activists with sticks — and one soldier appears to have been shoved into the water. Israel says the activists were armed with metal rods, knives, slingshots and two pistols snatched from the troops.
….
“They came up and used plastic bullets, we had beatings, we had electric shocks, any method we can think of, they used,” said Greek activist Dimitris Gielalis, who had been aboard the ship Sfendoni. Gielalis, who also returned home Tuesday, said the boat’s captain was beaten for refusing to leave the wheel and a cameraman filming the raid was hit with a rifle butt in the eye by Israeli soldiers.
more at this AP report
In a separate report, a top Navy commander told The Jerusalem Post that Israel would use more aggressive force in the future to prevent ships from breaking the sea blockade on the Gaza Strip,
Ken launches Mayoral bid, attacking Boris on fares
Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone today formally launched his bid to be re-elected Mayor of London.
In an article for the Evening Standard he said:
I want to be Mayor for one overriding reason. If I am elected my focus will be to do everything I can to protect Londoners from the recession and the effects of the Government’s policies.
I will use every lever to make sure our quality of life is protected and improved. Not a Mayor who spends his time defending bankers and instead one who will use mayoral budgets and powers to protect ordinary Londoners.
He said one issues symbolised the issue perfectly: rising transport fares.
He also said as part of his programme:
- I will give a clear guarantee that all 640 neighbourhoods in London will keep their dedicated local team of beat police officers.
- I will redirect investment in skills and training to creating jobs and apprenticeships for school leavers and graduates.
- I will speak for the whole of London. Boris Johnson ripped up plans for better transport links such as the extension of the DLR to Dagenham Dock, a new river crossing for south and east London, and the extension of Croydon’s Tramlink.
- I will press the Government for powers to raise money on the bond markets to build affordable homes, including for rent, to break the back of the housing shortage and create work.
- I will cut energy bills by improving insulation in every building in London over 10 years, creating thousands of new jobs.
He also took a shot at Boris Johnson’s multiple jobs in saying:
My focus will be on the day job. I will only have one job, unlike Johnson, who works as a Daily Telegraph writer paid £250,000 a year, a salary he calls “chicken feed”.
He also added he would not take a payrise during the four-year term and would institute a four-year pay freeze for all senior mayoral appointments at City Hall.
Full article here
Ken Livingstone’s new website is here. Simon Fletcher last week resigned from the press dept of London Labour and joined Ken’s communication team.
Time for a Berlin style airlift to end Gaza blockade?
contribution by Owen Tudor
The appalling loss of life on the Gaza aid flotilla yesterday (TUC statement here) raises many questions. Like Amnesty International and Oxfam, the TUC, ETUC and ITUC have condemned the assault launched by the Israeli military, and called for an enquiry.
But the bigger question is: what can the international community do about the Gaza blockade? Is it time for a Berlin-style airlift?
continue reading… »
Republic conference to call for monarchy re-think
Republican campaigners from across Britain will gather in London next month for Republic’s annual conference.
The conference, subtitled ‘It’s the monarchy, stupid’, will call for the monarchy to be placed at the heart of the constitutional reform agenda.
Guest speakers at include:
-David Colquhoun (Professor of Pharmacology, UCL), Peter Jenkins (Inskip Jenkins architects) and Paul Richards (former special adviser to two cabinet ministers) on Prince Charles’s political meddling.
-Geoffrey Robertson QC (human rights lawyer and author of ‘The Tyrannicide Brief’) and Edward Vallance (historian and author of ‘A Radical History of Britain’) on Britain’s republican heritage.
-Alex Smith (editor, LabourList), Natalie Bennett (Green Party activist) and Linda Jack (former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate) on taking the republican campaign forward in the course of the new parliament.
The event will close with Republic Question Time, a chance for audience members to put questions to the following republican commentators:
-Jonathan Bartley (Co-Director, Ekklesia)
-Brendan O’Neill (editor, Spiked online)
-Naomi Phillips (Head of Public Affairs, British Humanist Association)
-Gary Younge (Guardian journalist and author).
Conference organiser James Gray says:
Republic’s Annual Conference comes at a crucial time for the republican movement. We are entering a period of unprecedented political reform and Republic will be working hard to ensure the monarchy is included in that debate.
The conference provides an important opportunity for republican activists to come together and plan for the coming months. We are thrilled to have the support of so many excellent speakers from across the political spectrum.
From a press release
De Menezes family: Ian Blair peerage ‘insult’
A spokesperson for the J4J (Justice For Jean) campaign last week condemned the decision to give former Met Police chief Ian Blair a peerage as an “insult”.
This seems like a final flourish of a discredited Parliamentary system handing out tawdry awards to political allies and cronies. Actions like this only reinforce the impression that politicians remain detached from the views of ordinary British people.
Jean Charles De Menezes was shot by Met Police officers in 2005. An investigation later showed the Met Police repeatedly tried to block the inquiry into his death.
Vivian Figuereda, cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, who lived with him at the time of his death said:
We are disgusted at this decision. As Commissioner, we believe Ian Blair was ultimately accountable for the death of Jean, for the lies told and the cover up. He even tried to stop the IPCC investigating our cousin’s death. This is a final slap in the face for our family.
Blogger Kevin Blowe added:
Quite how someone, who deliberately delayed an investigation into a hugely controversial death and whose force was found to have made nineteen catastrophic errors that endangered the lives of Londoners, could ever been viewed as fit to serve in the House of Lords, or provide the benefits of his ’specialist knowledge’, is quite beyond me. Once again, it rather makes the case for the abolition of the Lords so that such blatant acts of patronage are no longer possible.
Indeed.
UKIP MEPs host conference with far-right politician on Bilderberg world takeover
All of you will be aware of the UK Independence Party (UKIP). It campaigns mostly against immigration and Europe. But less attention is paid to their other views and activities.
Later today at 2:30pm a press conference / meeting is being held in Brussels to launch a book titled: ‘Bilderberg Group – Towards Creation Of One World Company Ltd‘.
The event is being hosted by two UKIP MEPs: Nigel Farage (former leader) and Godfrey Bloom. Also attending: Mario Borghezio (Italian MEP) and the book’s author Daniel Estulin.
continue reading… »
Cameron: Israel should lift blockade
Downing Street last night issued a statement saying David Cameron merely “deplored” the loss of life over the Flotilla incident.
He spoke to Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. A PM spokesperson said:
The prime minister deplored the heavy loss of life off the coast of Gaza.
He reiterated the UK’s strong commitment to Israel’s security, but urged Israel to respond constructively to legitimate criticism of its actions, and to do everything possible to avoid a repeat of this unacceptable situation.
The BBC reports that he also called for it to lift the blockade of Gaza.
The spokesman said Mr Cameron also stressed the importance of urgently lifting the blockade of Gaza, and allowing full access for humanitarian aid.
These comments echoed sentiments expressed earlier by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who suggested the best response would be for the international community to achieve “a durable resolution to the Gaza crisis”.
Even former PM Tony Blair issued a stronger statement expressing his “deep regret and shock at the tragic loss of life”.
The Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor has also withdrawn from his scheduled appearance at the Hay Festival later today.
Mandela, Tutu & others criticise Flotilla deaths
The Elders group of past and present world leaders, including former South African president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu today condemned as “completely inexcusable” the deadly Israeli attack on a flotilla carrying aid for Gaza.
“The Elders have condemned the reported killing by Israeli forces of more than a dozen people who were attempting to deliver relief supplies to the Gaza Strip by sea,” the 12—member group said in a statement issued in Johannesburg, where it met over the weekend.
The group, which was launched by Mr. Mandela on his birthday in 2007 to try to solve some of the world’s most intractable conflicts, called for a “full investigation” of the incident and urged the UN Security Council “to debate the situation with a view to mandating action to end the closure of the Gaza Strip.”
“This tragic incident should draw the world’s attention to the terrible suffering of Gaza’s 1.5 million people, half of whom are children under the age of 18,” the group said.
Israel’s three—year blockade of Gaza was not only “one of the world’s greatest human rights violations” and “illegal” under international law, it was also “counterproductive” because it empowered extremists in the Palestinian territory, they said.
The Elders includes six Nobel peace prize winners — former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, former US president Jimmy Carter, detained Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Mr. Mandela and Tutu.
Norway’s first female Prime Minister Gro Brundtland; former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso; former Irish president and ex—UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson; Mozambican social activist Graca Machel; Indian women’s rights activist Ela Bhatt; and Algerian veteran UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi are the other members.
From a press release
Israel’s biggest enemy is itself
Jesus facepalming Christ. Let’s say you were a cartoonish, Ahmadinejadesque lunatic fixated on destroying Israel.
How would you go about achieving your goal?
Well, priority number one would be to isolate the Israelis from their allies, so they have no diplomatic or military cover.
A good start would be to take actions that infuriate military partners like the Turks by killing a load of Turkish civvies, then telling them to fuck off by pretending that the civvies you killed deserved it.
continue reading… »
Gaza convoy killings: roadblock to the roadmap
Israel seemingly revels in brutality to a degree without current parallel among democratic nations. Time after time, its actions underline a determination to ignore the standard strictures that constrain states to use only the minimum degree of force rightly or wrongly considered consistent with legitimate national interests.
Instead, it seems willfully to rejoice in exceeding those bounds, confusing deliberate resort to repression with display of strength as it props up its self image as the toughest kid on the Middle East block.
continue reading… »
Why is climate change going down the political agenda?
contribution by Climate Sock
After a pause in hostilities for the election, it looks like the favourite climate story of the year has resurfaced. A new poll is out and being covered with the headline that fewer people now believe in climate change or think that it’s an urgent issue demanding attention.
There’s some truth in the basic argument that people are now less convinced and worried about climate change than they have been in the past.
But when the Guardian runs a story like this, it gets widely noticed and repeated, and there are several reasons why we shouldn’t get too carried away by the news.
continue reading… »
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» Why don’t MPs pay back tuition fees instead of increasing ours?
» Obama is right to slam BP – and why capitalists should too
» Why does Phillip Blond see civic cohesion as a security issue?
» So what if the Labour candidates went to Oxbridge?
» Last night’s Labour hustings: will it get interesting or turn to torture?
» It’s now down to Ken to win London for Labour
» The Labour people need
» Blog Nation: what would you like to see discussed?
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