September 2005 Archives

The BBC report on the "sex slave" trade brothel raid in Birmingham today, but it fails to mention the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking of Human Beings.

N.B. the latest versions of the BBC website reports now do seem to include a mention of the CoE convention, but only, presumably, after our complaint (unlikely) or the BBC's monitoring of their rival TV network coverage (much more likley).

Sarah Green from Amnesty International has been interviewd by Sky News and ITV News, and has mentioned the Council for Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking of Human Beings.

Why has the NuLabour Government still failed to sign or ratify this Convention ?

Why was the police raid in Birmingham delayed until after the Labour Party Conference, in which neither Home Secretary Charles Clarke nor Foreign Secretary Jack Straw bothered to mention this Convention ?

The TV pictures clearly show the presnce of TV crews and other photographers waiting for the bus full of "up to 50" police women to turn up and raid the premise, so it was a staged media event by the West Midlands police.

Several UK political blogs have noted the story about the disgraceful arrest of a law abiding woman simply for wearing a "Bollocks to Blair" tshirt.

However, Tony Blair is a political lame duck, and Gordon Brown is oozing and sliming his way into Number 10 Downing street, presumably without bothering to put himself forward before the Electorate by calling a General Election, if and when, Tony Blair retires.

Bollocks to Brown !

Gordon Brown is at least as much to blame for NuLabour's policies as Tony Blair is, and he appears to be at least as much of a control freak and just as reliant on media spin and disinformation.

Brown's speech to the Labour party conference in Brighton appeared to claim that NuLabour had been responsible for the fight against slavery during the 19th Century.

Such re-writing of history is redolant of George Orwell's book "Animal Farm".

Why do public services need to be made more responsive to the public in the first place ? Who was it who created the extra bureaucracy and red tape ? That would be NuLabour.

Why should anyone believe that "New Labour Renewed" under Gordon Brown would be any different from the untrustworthy Tony Blair ?

If Gordon Brown does become Prime Minister, even if nobody has actually voted for him to be so in a General Election, then who will become Chancellor of the Exchequer ?

None of the present Cabinet Ministers look to be up to the job.

It is a such a pity that neither the Conservatives nor the Liberal Democrats seem to be able to mount an effective Opposition to NuLabour.

The Independent has a report about the shameful incompetence displayed by the NuLabour Government during the UK hosted EU Summit venues in Newport South Wales (Foreign Office) and near Newcastle in the North East (Home Office).

Not content with isolating themselves away from the general public, and by arresting peaceful NO2ID demonstrators before they even got near the Gosforth Park summit venue near Newcastle, to demonnstrate about Charles Clarke's incompetent Biometric Passport and ID Card plans, the NuLabour spin doctors have managed to damage the international repution of the United Kingdom by seriously pissing off the accredited journalists from the foreign press corps, and embarassing the United Kingdom which they are meant to represent in front of other European Union Ministers and diplomats.

"Sir John Grant, the UK's ambassador to the EU, expressed his "wholehearted regret" after poor logistics, heavy-handed security and disastrous IT marred high-profile events.

After two meetings in Britain, the continental media mocked Tony Blair's plea for Europe to compete in the information age, noting the lack of reliable internet access at the UK's gathering.

The failings of the British rail network have also been highlighted and the off-hand treatment of journalists has been portrayed as symbolic of the UK's coolness towards the EU.

Meanwhile, an official complaint has been made to the British embassy in Berlin after a German journalist was barred from a meeting because he asked for an idle X-ray machine to be used to cut waiting time at a security check."

This jobsworth bureacratic security theatre is typical of the attitude promoted by NuLabour - fail to catch or deter any real terrorists, but persecute and harass former friends and neutrals.

ITV News has now picked up on the latest revelation of David Blunkett's behavior, this time from when he was Education Secretary, involving A level examination boards, civil servants and his son.

Who is he bullying and dropping indirect hints and requests to, at the Department for Work and Pensions ? He has a conflict of interest with respect to his scandalous private life and the Child Support Agency, which he is in charge of.

The New Statesman story

"The politics column - Martin Bright fingers a bully
Martin Bright
Monday 19th September 2005

David Blunkett has not replied to recent charges that he is intimidating and duplicitous. Could it be because even his biographer has stated that "whatever else he may be, he is indeed a liar"? By Martin Bright

Barely a week goes by without a senior Labour politician being accused of lying or bullying someone. One recent example of the former was Stephen Byers admitting in open court that he misled parliament during his time as transport secretary. As for the latter, ministers boast about their prowess. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that David Blunkett has not challenged attacks on his integrity from the former Met police commissioner Lord Stevens and his own biographer Stephen Pollard.

Another Sunday, with several Sunday Newspapers shamelessly copying the News of the World's "story" contained in their serialisation of the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Lord Stevens' autobiography.

Liar Blunkett tried to stab me in the back

The Sunday Times, the Observer and the Independent on Sunday just clone the same "juicy" quotes where Lord Stevens criticises the disgraced ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett for having an "anti-police attitude", in contrast with his predecessors the NuLabour Jack Straw and the Tory Michael Howard, both of who also managed to cock up relations with the Police, the Judiciary, the Prison staff etc., but not, presumably as much as David Blunkett did.

Lord Stevens , who is by no means above criticism himself, does appear to be justifiably peeved by the media briefings after the September 11th 2001 attacks:

"There were only three people in that office - myself, the Home Secretary and his dog. And it didn't come from the dog."

The Sunday Telegraph, which originally broke the immigration visa scandal story (as opposed to the News of the World's claim that it broke the scandal about Blunkett's adulterous affair) which led to the resignation of David Blunkett, where he appeared to have nearly got away with an almost criminal misuse of his official position, for the benefit people embroiled in his scandalous private life, has an even more worrying twist to their report, repeating the claims that Tony Blair is set to bring back David Blunkett as Home Secretary in a Cabinet re-shuffle before Christmas.

One would have thought that the NuLabour Politburo would be reacting to this sort of media spin in the same wway that the Soviet one did after the death of Stalin, when his secret police chief Beria appeared to be holding the reigns of power, and that they would summon up enough collective courage to ensure that, above all, Blunkett could never be allowed to return as Home Secretary.

Are Sir John Stevens' comments meant to help to drive stake through the undead flesh of Blunkett's political anbitions for power ?

Or is this all just Blunkett inspired media spin, to keep his wreteched name in the media every week, come what may ?

The Sunday Times has another story based on the supposed inside knowledge of a political biographer, this time regarding the disgraced ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett, who was controversially re-appointed to the Cabinet.

Blunkett set for comeback under Brown

The Sunday Times
September 04, 2005

David Cracknell, Political Editor

DAVID BLUNKETT has put aside his differences with Gordon Brown and can expect a senior cabinet post if the chancellor becomes the next prime minister, according to his biographer.

Blunkett’s preferred job would be as chancellor, a post to which he has aspired under Tony Blair. He has no appetite for the position of foreign secretary because of the pressure of travelling."