January 2006 Archives

Blunkett still squatting in Belgravia

The Mail on Sunday has an article on David Blunkett's

Blunkett to quit grace-and-favour home, at last!
11:51am 29th January 2006

David Blunkett has revealed he is finally going to move out of his luxury grace-and-favour home -three months after resigning from the Cabinet for the second time.

Mr Blunkett was allowed to hold onto the £3million London house for security reasons after quitting as Home Secretary in December 2004.

He did not move out straight away following his departure as Work and Pensions Secretary last November for the same reason. But he now says he will leave within weeks

"I gave myself three months to find somewhere and the Prime Minister was good enough to say 'take your time, but obviously we all know you have got to get out because you no longer have the position to be able to occupy it'," he said.

"I have found somewhere and I shall be moving within a matter of weeks. But as anyone involved with surveyors and lawyers knows you can't actually predict these things."

He told the BBC's Sunday AM programme the furnished Belgravia residency has been his home for eight years.

Why was David Blunkett given the grace and favour house "normally assigned to the Home Secretary" back in late 1997 when he became Education Secretary, well before he became Home Secretary in mid 2001 ?

Rent free

He said he had paid the bills but not the rent because that would have made it harder for the Government to turf him out.

If Blunkett was an honourable man, that would have presented no difficulty whatsoever.

The allocation of grace-and-favour residences is in the gift of the Prime Minister. Mr Blunkett's home is traditionally occupied by the Home Secretary.

When exactly was this property purchased by the Government ? How long has it been used by "the Home Secretary" ? Michael Howard in the last Conservative Government lived there, but does that make it a "tradition" ?

Do the figures for the number of people who were children when their DNA profiles were taken, and which are still being stored on the National DNA Database include:

  • Euan Blair son of Prime Minister Tony Blair, aged 16, drunk and disorderly .

  • William Straw - son of the then Home Secretary Jack Straw, aged 17, suspicion of supplying cannabis in a sting by The Mirror newspaper.

Parliamentary Answer 1 December 2005

Hazel Blears (Minister of State (Policing, Security and Community Safety), Home Office):

At the 31 October 2005 there were 3,466,792 subject sample profiles loaded to the National DNA Database. Of these 741,605 related to people who were under 18 at the time the sample was taken.


Parliamentary Answer 16 January 2006

Andy Burnham (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office):

On 1 December the original question asked:


"How many people under 18 years have DNA profiles stored in the police national database without having been charged or cautioned for any offence?"

It was not then possible to provide the answer. A transitional solution provided by the police now enables this information to be compiled, though not as easily as the proposed PNC-national DNA database linkage would permit. On 1 December 2005 there were around 24,000 DNA person profiles on the DNA database which related to persons under 18 who had not been charged or cautioned for any offence.

The Observer has yet another David Blunkett lobbying sleaze story, which seems to confirm our view that since Blunkett was obviously not bringing any DNA technical expertise to DNA Bioscience, it was his contacts within Government which he was really selling, less than 6 months since having been a Cabinet Minister.

Are there any business or financial dealings that he has been involved with that are not somehow tainted ?

Blunkett helped tycoon's bid to lobby ministers over policy

Antony Barnett, investigations editor
Sunday January 15, 2006
The Observer

Fresh questions have been raised over the relationship between the government and wealthy businessmen after The Observer discovered a remarkable secret tape from a property developer asking for special access to ministers.

The audio cassette obtained by The Observer was discovered in the offices of the DNA firm at the centre of the scandal that cost David Blunkett his ministerial career. It contains a spoken letter dictated to Blunkett by the chairman of a real estate firm owned by Pervaiz Naviede - the multi-millionaire financier behind DNA Bioscience, where Blunkett worked as a director and held £15,000 in shares.

The tape reveals how Naviede's company asked Blunkett for help in lobbying the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, and the Chancellor, Gordon Brown. The company was hoping to profit from a change in complex VAT rules that govern the renovation of residential property and wanted local authorities to be 'encouraged' to sell them more council flats.

[..]

David Blunkett's Council Tax.

The Daily Mail has a story about David Blunkett 's Council Tax being paid by his former Ministerial Departments on the fortified "£3 million" Grace and Favour house at 62 South Eaton Place, next to the Belgravia Pub, in Belgravia, London.

Why is he still occupying these Government owned premises, so many weeks after his latest resignation in disgrace oat the beginning of November 2005 ?

There are still unanswered questions about how much of a tax benefit in kind this Grace and Favour house has been worth to Blunkett.

The Health Bill-, which is set to ban smoking any "enclosed or subtantially enclosed" public place, workplace,, as well as alcohol licensed pubs, clubs and restaurants etc. in England and Wales (but not Scotland or Northern Ireland) is possibly admirable in its intent.

However, in typical NuLabour "nanny state" fashion, Members of Parliament will have no idea of the detail of what they are voting for or against, as it is another "enabling bill" which gives the Government the power to create Regulations, but does not even specify which public authorities will be responsible for enforcement.

The Explanatory Notes , which are not legally binding, mention Local Authorities, Environmental Health, and Health and Safety bodies, but not the Police.

It could be that none of these end up becoming the "no smoking" enforcers, or they all could, together with designated private security companies.

Where is the Regulatory Impact Assessment, and how much will it cost to enforce, and who will pay for this ?

Whoever ends up enforcing this smoking ban will be granted disproportionate "nanny state" powers against anybody who is deemed, in their opinion, to be "obstructing" them.

Presumably these people will be able to demand Identification and any other information which they feel that they can get away with e.g. the proposed Identity Card from people caught smoking in a "smoke free area":

11 Obstruction etc. of officers

(1) Any person who intentionally obstructs an authorised officer of an
enforcement authority, acting in the exercise of his functions under or by virtue of this Part, commits an offence.

(2) Any person who without reasonable cause fails to give to an authorised officer of an enforcement authority, acting in the exercise of his functions under or by virtue of this Part, any facilities, assistance or information which the authorised officer reasonably requires of him for the performance of those functions commits an offence.

(3) A person commits an offence if, in purported compliance with any
requirement of an authorised officer mentioned in subsection (2)

(a) he makes a statement which is false or misleading, and

(b) he either knows that it is false or misleading or is reckless as to whether it is false or misleading.

“False or misleading” means false or misleading in a material particular.

(4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(5) If a direction of the appropriate national authority has effect under section 10(4), this section has effect, in relation to any case or case of a description specified in the direction, as if references to an authorised officer of an enforcement authority were to a person acting on behalf of the appropriate national authority.


A Level 3 fine on the Standard Scale is currently up to £1000

The NuLabour Home Office , has still failed to sign or ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Action against trafficking in Human Beings last May in Warsaw, despite claiming that the issue was one of their top priototies during the now elapsed UK Presidency of both the European Union and the G8.

They have now published a consultation document which calls for more research into the problem, more training, and "rasing of awareness" etc.

Tackling Human Trafficking – Consultation on Proposals for a UK Action Plan (176Kb .pdf)

The excuse which Charles Clarke has given for not already having led the ratification of the COE convention is, according to the BBC:

There has been pressure on the government to sign the European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings.

The convention says temporary residence permits must be given to victims endangered by return to their home countries and to those who assist with prosecutions.

Currently, when trafficking victims are discovered, their fates are decided on an individual basis, and they do not have a right to remain in Britain.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government had not signed the treaty yet because it was not sufficiently comprehensive.

But he continued: "We do anticipate that in the coming months we will be in a position to sign and then ratify the convention."

So trhat will have been another year of dithering and procrastination.

The Sun has an exclusive story:

Lie back and think of England

By ANTHONY FRANCE
and PAUL THOMPSON

A SEX for passports racket at Britain’s busiest immigration centre is exposed today by The Sun.

Corrupt officials bed attractive girls desperate to avoid being kicked out of the country in return for granting them visas.

Meanwhile “ugly” migrants risk having their applications rejected — and their pictures pinned on a wall for staff to laugh at.

The scandal at Lunar House in Croydon, South London — which also processes applications by asylum seekers — was last night exposed by a whistleblower who quit in disgust.

Former administration officer Anthony Pamnani told how one colleague joked after bedding a Turkish girl: “I gave her more than a visa extension, if you know what I mean.”

Anthony, 23, who worked at Lunar House for four years, regularly saw colleagues dish out their phone numbers to sexy immigrants.

He said: “One girl came in and told us an admin officer had visited her flat and they slept together. She got indefinite leave to stay.

[---]

Anthony said he finally quit after bosses told staff to restrict migrants from India and let in more from Eastern Europe.

He said: “I lost what remaining respect I had for the job.”

Last night Home Office Minister Tony McNulty launched an urgent probe. He said: “These are serious allegations. Clearly I will not condone this type of behaviour.”

Will Tony McNulty, the Minister of State for immigration and citizenship at the Home Office, be honourable enough to resign if the allegations in The Sun are proven ?

Given the previous incompetence in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, and the warnings by whistleblower staff which were ignored or supressed, which lead to the resignation of Beverly Hughes, one would have expected her sucessors Des Browne and now Tony McNulty to have got a grip on the bureaucracy.

The BBC TV "fly on the all" documentary last year showing abuses in the privatised immigration detention centres and transportation companies, also involved accusations of sexual favours being demanded by thjose in positions of power.

About this blog

This weblog comments on NuLabour's anti-democratic and authoritarian policies and political manipulation. We will try to deconstruct some of the NuLabour propaganda, disinformation, media spin and leaks.

Nothing has changed with the unelected Gordon Brown, who took over as Labour Party leader from Tony Blair, and became Prime Minister, without being elected, not even by the Labour Party, let alone with a political mandate from a General Election.

Now that there is a Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition government, this blog will continue to watch out for any NuLabour creepiness and control freakery, attempting to ooze back into political power and influence, under the unpopular Ed Miliband, who personally shares the blame for all of NuLabour / Labour's policies. .

Email

Please feel free to email us your views about this website or news about the issues it tries to comment on:

blog @ NuLabour.org.uk

If you have confidential information about NuLabour that you want to share with us, feel free to make use of our PGP public encryption key or an email account based overseas e.g. Hushmail

Hints and Tips for Whistleblowers and Political Dissidents

Please take the appropriate precautions if you are planning to blow the whistle on, or even peacefully campaign against, the shadowy and powerful people in Government or commerce, and their dubious policies. The mainstream media and bloggers also need to take simple precautions to help preserve the anonymity of their sources e.g.

Stop Tony Blair !

Stop_Tony_Blair_150.jpg - Stop Tony Blair from being appointed as the unelected President of Europe

Stop Tony Blair from being appointed as the unelected "President of Europe".

Campaign Button Links

Watching Them, Watching Us, UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign
UK Public CCTV Surveillance Regulation Campaign

NO2ID - opposition to the NuLabour Compulsory Biometric ID Card
NO2ID - opposition to NuLabour's plans for Compulsory Biometric ID Card and National Identity Register centralised database.

asboconcern logo
ASBO Concern - alliance of organisations and individuals who are concerned about the abuse of NuLabour's Anti Social Behaviour Orders.

0800 789 321 free, confidential, Anti-Terrorist Hotline (use 999 or 112 to report immediate threats)
0800 789 321 free, confidential, Anti-Terrorist Hotline (use 999 or 112 to report immediate threats)

MI5 encrypted contact web form use 999 or 112 to report immediate threats
Encrypted MI5 web response form NuLabour's "Climate of Fear" is not the same as the real fight against terror.

gamesmonitor_logo_150.gif Games Monitor - "Games Monitor is a network of people raising awareness about issues within the London Olympic development processes. We want to highlight the local, London and international implications of the Olympic industry. We seek to deconstruct the 'fantastic' hype of Olympic boosterism and the eager complicity of the 'urban elites' in politics, business, the media, sport, academia and local institutional 'community stakeholders'. "

Peaceful resistance to the curtailment of our rights to Free Assembly and Free Speech in the SOCPA Designated Area around Parliament Square and beyond
Parliament Protest blog - resistance to the Designated Area resticting peaceful demonstrations or lobbying in the vicinity of Parliament.

Save Parliament: Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill (and other issues)
Save Parliament - Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill Act

Syndicate this site (XML):

November 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
        1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30  

Recent Comments

  • NuLabour: Sunday Telegraph: Tony Blair widens his web via the stock read more
  • NuLabour: Charles Clarke has also been voted out. read more
  • NuLabour: Ed Balls and Hazel Blears have been re-elected - why read more
  • Steve T: I am so satisfied to have found a blog that read more
  • Dan Plunkett: Hi, can you please supply the Email address for David read more
  • mark guard: MY name is mark guard, i am the spokes person read more
  • NuLabour: Squatters in 62 South Eaton Place ? http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2010-01-28a.312445.h Official Residences read more
  • J Ellis: Blair/Brown have reached new depths. UK politics are just rotten read more
  • John Pedler: No one who voted for the Iraq war should be read more
  • james tasker: how this lying feather nesting man and his odious wife read more