4th March 2013
Apparently seven people have been admitted to hospital in Scotland over the weekend after taking a recreational drug called rockstar. All have subsequently been released. It seems they thought they were using a form of ecstasy but Strathclyde Police have pointed out, as potentially with any consumables where quality control is lacking, they are unreliable, unpredictable and possibly very dangerous. Their spokesman said users need to be aware of the dangers posed to their health through taking the tablets.
Yesterday evening I watched a Horizon programme on BBC 2 about the Russian meteor. With the background of my diary note of 15th February 2013 and the fact that, as far as I know no internationally verified fragments of the meteor have been found, I believe it was a put up job. However some of the best scientists in the world would not agree with me and I can see that is because the filmings of the vapour trail, from various different locations in the locality of descent, are so authentic. The point I would make however is that a similar occurrence has never been recorded before so there is no past information to assist in deciding whether the trail was authoritative or not. Then we have the coincidence that it was filmed at all. The reason for that apparently is because lots of Russians drive around with their camera phones on, live on their dashboards, in case they should have an accident and they need evidence for some form of crash for cash incident. All the details of the meteor’s size and trajectory, as I noted in my diary note of 26th February 2013, have been derived from analysis of the camera phone footage. I still do not know definitively if my gut feeling is right but to me it does look decidedly fishy.
If I am correct one deduction you can make is that the planning, research and preparation must have taken months. And cost a lot of money. I even saw on Horizon a camera phone sequence of a shadow being cast on a Russian street as the meteor passed over. All the Gang wanted was a suitable reason for pressing the start button. I think I provided that as described in my diary note of 15th February 2013.
The Gang in my view are essentially confidence tricksters. They want you to believe they are far more powerful, and omnipotent, than they really are. Fortunately no one was killed in Russia as I understand it. It was nothing more than a very high profile silly game. And for very little purpose. Unless of course you could use it to persuade President Putin, as I mention in yesterday’s diary note, that he must spend money the country doesn’t have to fight back militarily against those dastardly Americans.
The Gang will never give up. An example of that in my view was the discovery of four primed mortars yesterday evening in a van with it’s roof removed, parked in a street for immediate likely firing at Londonderry police station nearby. Three men have been arrested. The magic two words I heard were intelligence led which I believe means the police received their information from an outside source. It seems the van came from the Irish Republic so the body no doubt would have been the Garda or the British or Irish intelligence services. At least we are now in good shape to deal with the Gang. Not like the terrible incompetence that occured just before the 1998 Armagh bombing as I relate in chapter 7 of my book.
Writing that has reminded me about hearing Nick Robinson on the radio last week in his Battle for the Airwaves series. He referred to the Brighton Bomb of 1984 when the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, unlike other colleagues was neither killed nor maimed. She walked out of the hotel unhurt. However shortly after, the IRA issued a statement recognising on that occassion they had been unlucky. However, it went on, we only have to be lucky once, you have to be lucky all the time. And that is exactly how they wish see things now.
I always remember how the Americans were humiliated at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 when I was 24. The most powerful country in the world were defeated by the Viet Cong who lived in tunnels under the ground. The Gang are not interested in the odds. They have a fanatical belief they can overcome the best of opponents. That is why, in my view, it is only collectively we will be able to put them sufficiently in their box. You should not want to lead your life pretending they are not there. You should have a desire to help. Otherwise you, as much as anyone else, could one day become traumatised by one of their ridiculous acts.
Talks in Rome last week were with the Syrian Opposition Council whom I took to respresent all rebel groups. However after reading last Friday’s FT I see not all government opponents went. The name the FT refers to is the Free Syrian Army and some in it are dismissive of any form of a peace process, even though I think America are prepared to channel any future physical assistance through their Supreme Military Command.
Bradley Manning, like me, is a man who perceives he wishes to do the right thing. For that reason alone the Gang will not like him. Thankfully for them there are not many like him as his attitudes challenge their authority. He would be a individual, in my view, of whom they would want to make an example. However with their rigid ways of working, only allowing themselves to ostensiblly concentrate on their own business activities earning lots on money, that can really only come through from indirect cultural ways.
I think Mr Manning must have been unhappy with the ethical standard of America’s foreign and military policy. He will have had access to lots of classified information whilst a military analyst in Irag from 2007. He thought the American public should know about what was secretly going on behind the scenes and tried to whistleblow to the Washington Post and New York Times. Wen the papers were not interested he went to Wikileaks in 2009. I suspect that introduction was arranged by the Gang as they knew it would be their opportunity to destabilise him to the maximum extent, and also to play their normal silly games against Western society as a whole. A computer attacker cooperated with the Ministry of Defense to expose him and he was arrested. The really terrible thing in my view, bearing in mind that he was acting in what he saw as a noble cause, was that he was placed in military solitary confinement on his arrest in July 2010. He was only let out of his cell I believe for one hour per day. He must be a very strong individual to have coped with it. Fortunately some 295 academics, according to Wikipedia, thought it was inhumane treatment and in April 2011 wrote a letter to the American authorities arguing they were breaching the American Constitution. Mr Manning was then moved to another institution where he was allowed to mix with other detainees. Mr Manning, as reported in last Friday’s FT, has just come before his court martial. He has pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 charges. He was allowed to read out a 35 page document, taking an hour, explaining why he took the actions he did. At least, at this late stage, he was afforded sufficient consideration to do that.
Roger Blizt writes in today’s FT that Vladimir Putin, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad and some of Wall Street’s top financiers have joined forces to try to reinstate wrestling as an Olmpic sport at the 2016 games.
Edward Luce’s analysis in that edition on the now started American sequestration is that both political parties are now looking ahead to the 2014 Senate elections and hoping beyond hope for some political advantage. Each look at the situation in diametrically opposite ways. The Democrats want voters to see that their opponents are more interested in ideology than public welfare. The Republicans think people will see through the Democratic ruse as they believe it to be. They are just playing silly games to make the Grand Old Party look bad.
5th March 2013
As the Cold War ended with the falling of the Berlin War in 1990 the government did take their time, in 2010 as part of their strategic defence review, that a substantial part of our military capability no longer needed to be based in Germany. All 16,000 troops and their families will be withdrawn to newly built accommodation in the UK. Existing bases will be used and by 2020 overall army numbers will have been reduced from 102,000 today to 82,000. The cost of the move will be £2 billion to save £240 million a year.
There has been the most riciulous story in the news for the last couple of days about a caped crusader turning a felon in at a police station in Bradford last week. Police, I feel, decided to expose the escapade for what it was, the silliest of games. Batman has now come forward, appearing on ITV’s Daybreak this morning. He went to the police station with his friend who wanted to give himself up. What I found interesting was that he was at great pains to tell viewers it was just a joke solely between him and his friend. From the intricacy of his story I have little doubt he was told exactly what to say. And don’t forget, if I am right, that his charged friend looks upon it as a great joke too.
In my diary note of 3rd December 2012 I mentioned about the leader of a Borough Council in North Kent dying unexpectedly in his local hospital. The same day I record the leader of North Norfolk District Council and his wife being found dead in the vicinity of their home with gunshot wounds after an assumed domestic incident. From the BBC Kent website yesterday I know the leader of Ashford Borough Council in Kent recently came out of hospital after a serious operation. He died I think about a week afterwards.
Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, was interviewed by Gus O’Donnell, former Cabinet Secretary, on his Radio 4 series In Defence of Bureaucracy this morning. Mr Evans said that as far as his organisation is concerned bureaucracy helps. It provides a framework in which his staff can find confidence. They know the parameters of their own jobs and the support systems to assist them when needed.
I briefly mentioned about the political element of Cardinal O’Brien resigning in my diary note of 25th February 2013. The story was broken by the Observer, part of the Guardian Group, and the lady journalist concerned was on Today yesterday. She said that all four men look upon themselves as acting positively in pointing out that the Cardinal had broken his vow of celebacy. They believe in the power of truth. The paper ensured they had signed, sworn statements from the men before they ran the story. The timing of the piece was not really in the paper’s control. When everything was in place they published. Good newspapers will only want to report on politics. If they become part of the political story that may not necessarily be their fault.
There was a discussion just after the 6.30 news on that progamme following an analysis by the Environmental Agency on last year’s weather. Expressions used were weird, bizarre and beggars belief. In a quarter of the days we were in drought and experiencing floods in a fifth. It was the wettest year on record even though water restrictions were in force in many parts until well after the end of March. Three rivers, from Tyne and Wear in the north to Somerset in the south, had record lows and highs within a period of four months. The conclusion we are told is that we must all be more resilient. That is just how it is I am afraid. Please don’t shoot the messengers.
The legal aid bill in this country apparently is £2 billion and next month government cuts come in to reduce that by £350 million for civil cases. The rules under which you can qualify for financial assistance will be stricter. The president of the UK Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, was on the programme saying he worried the changes could undermine the rule of law through people perceiving they no longer had fair access to the legal system. Those who chose to represent themselves would clog up the system.
Then Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, has today announced that further cuts are to be made, this time in the criminal legal aid budget which currently costs us £1 billion a year. Specific proposals are yet to be put forward and Mr Grayling says full consultation will take place when they are. If I had to guess I would say that is a signal from the government that they feel it it is elected politicians who must be in charge of our society at the end of the day.
It seems that sellers of food are checking all items they retail to the public, not only meat products. Ikea has announced today it has found traces of coliform bacteria in almond cakes sold in it’s in-store restaurants. The supplier is Swedish and the product has been withdrawn from 23 countries although not Britain and Ireland.
Today’s FT editorial suggest Mexico is a country of powerful vested interests. It welcomes therefore the arrest of the lady leader for 20 years of the 1.5 million strong teachers union on suspicion of diverting union funds for her private use. It feels other union and industrial bosses should get the message so the state, and not invividuals, can steam ahead economically.
I have been quite surprised how pragmatic some commentators have been about the sucess of the Five Star Party in Italy. Gideon Rachman is one in that paper. He is not jumping to any rash conclusions about Mr Grillo. He makes the point that where his party have obtained political power, such as in Sicily, they have refinaced debt and cut spending. Similarly in Iceland’s capital a comedian has become mayor. He has reduced jobs and raised taxes.
The Person in the News in last Saturday’s FT was Beppe Grillo. He graduated as an accountant before becoming a professional comedian by chance. In 1981, when 33, his car slipped into a ravine on an icy mountain road. Two close friends and their son with him were killed. He was convicted of negligent manslaughter and therefore cannot sit in parliament. Guy Dinmore says he has been campaigning against the establishment for decades and relates a tale from 2007 when he helped some farmers, being ignored by journalists and politicians, in danger of losing their land. Guy says he is a complex man, perhaps with authoritarian traits, but who can come over as shy. He guards his private life and has two children with his Iranian-Italian wife. They have four more children from previous marriages.
6th March 2013
I have never been to Russia. I would like to go one day. From over here it does seem to be a bit of a lawless society. However having read a BBC webpage this morning on the Bolshoi Ballet story, about which I wrote on 8th February 2013, I see it has diligent enquirers of the truth as well. The baddie in the tale is the dancer who has signed a written statement admitting he arranged the attack. His two accomplices, the man who threw the acid and the getaway car driver, have also been arrested. That outcome, provided there is still no funny business going on, will I think increase the confidence of perhaps millions of Russian citizens that justice can apply in their society.
A big snowstorm is currently taking place in the American Midwest which has dropped a foot of snow in parts. 1100 flights have been cancelled.
I trust this is a sign of positive pressure and not despair but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says the number of refugees from the Syrian conflict has now reached one million souls, with a marked increase since the beginning of the year. You would hope decent people can see that must be stopped, whatever it takes.
There is a quirky BBC webpage up at the moment about a lady in her twenties wanting to find an exact look-a-like of herself, just to see if she can. She says she is a woman on a mission. She has an online blog and is using facebook and twitter. I wish her the best of luck.
The Director of Public Prosecutions was on today this morning saying his team and the police will be changing the way they handle allegations of child sex abuse cases in the future. He feels the two organisations have been too cautious in the past in believing allegations to be true. That, of course, is fine as long as the pendulum does not swing too far the other way. People, even children, can have a myriad of reasons for making false accusations. After a process lasting several months, he says there will be a single policy covering the whole country as to how such cases are dealt with, from the first allegation onwards.
I wrote earlier today about the Bolshoi Ballet. I have just heard a report on the World at One and it seems there may have been a bit of wishful thinking on my behalf. Quite why remains unexplained but apparently the police have released a sound video of the three men even before they have been charged. They were evasive and uncertain to the questions that were put to them. It seems more likely now they have found themselves in difficult positions and were made offers they thought they should not refuse. The attacked man is now in Germany receiving treatment for his burns. Back to the drawing board.
In the same vein, on Sunday I wrote about the killings in Mali of the al-Qaeda man and the cigarette smuggler turned jihadist. There was a BBC journalist on Today just before 7am saying it seems possible the second fugitive is not dead although the first almost certainly is. If that is so I am sure it would be the Gang turning the loss of a valued Gang helper into a silly game by spreading false stories about Mr Belmokhtar’s death. When Osama bin Laden was killed the Americans made sure they did two things. They quickly disposed of the body so that no form of shrine could be created. And they took DNA samples to prove it was him. Otherwise they knew the Gang would spread persuasive rumours that they had got the wrong man.
Those last two paragraphs are an illustration why I restrict my sources of information as much as I can to the BBC and the FT, bodies I trust. If I looked elsewhere I would soon get confused. Good journalists just want to tell the truth of a story not be part of the story themselves.
The Foreign secretary has told the Commons today that we are sending armoured vehicles and body armour, amongst other things, to the Syrian Opposition at a cost of £13 million.
Payday lenders have been told today by the Office of Fair Trading to stop their irresponsible practices. The biggest 50 firms are being given 12 weeks to clean up their acts or risk losing their licences.
From the radio news this morning I learnt that in early trials Chinese and Israeli scientists beieve they may have found an easy breath test for diagnosing stomach cancer. Out of 130 patients assessed in a trial 90% of the results were accurate.
Looking further on the web I see that the Israeli Industry Center for Research and Development has 17 bilateral projects with organisations in South America, North America, Europe, Russia, China and Australasia.
In chapter 5 of my book I describe how I believe I was protected by the Metropolitan Police one day in March 2009 as I drove through north London. I was going to a charity for my weekly volunteering stint at the time, mentoring refugees and the like. Most appeared to come from the Middle East with a disproportionate number from Eritrea. There seemed to be loose connections in the office with the Eritrean embassy in London. I was interested therefore to hear Mike Thomson’s report on today this morning from Egypt’s Sinai peninsular which is a through route for Eritrean refugees looking for a better life in Europe. Eritrea is at the southern end of the Red Sea, Egypt and Israel are at the north. In that area the travellers are preyed on by ruthless bandits who torture them whilst they make them plead with their families at home on their mobile phones for ransom money to be sent to secure their freedom. A practice like that, I do have to say, has got American Gang written all over it. It was dropped into the report that that desert is so lawless because police patrols do not go there under a peace accord between Egypt and Israel.
Overnight the Venezuelian President, Hugo Chavez, died from stomach cancer, aged 58. He has previously accused the Americans and it’s allies of having arranged his illness. Ken Livingston, former Mayor of London, was on Today this morning speaking about him. He said he was an extremely easy person to deal with, completely unaffected by his position of power. A man of the people for the people. He seemed to genuinely want to do the best for poor folk not only in Venezuela but throughout the world. An unusual charachter voted in by the masses. You wonder where Beppe Grillo might end up.
Politics is about power. And as far as the bankers’ bonus story is concerned, which appears to have upset a lot of business people, it seems members of the European Parliament have more of it than some supposed. The man that brought it all about, I see from last Saturday’s FT, is a leading light in the European Green Party, Belgian Philippe Lamberts MEP. Almost a year ago he started campaigning for a cap on the remuneration of bank employees and it seems the snowball just got bigger and bigger. I would guess the factor helping Mr Lamberts most was that his colleagues realised the provision would be extremely popular with the public throughout the Union. Once major Parties were on board banks did sit up and take notice but I think by them it was too late to stop the steamroller. Last week MEPs, officials and country representatives agreed to legislate for a banker’s bonus to be restricted to one year’s salary or two if there is two thirds shareholder approval. Yesterday there was a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels and all thought it a jolly good idea except Mr Osborne. Mr Cameron has also expressed his disagreement. There will now be final tweeking and the measure brought back to the Parliament with other financial changes for a formal vote sometime next month. Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne are politicians. They do not look to upset those who have their ears. However I suspect they might not necessarily be so unhappy themselves. The changes could serve to put some bankers in their place. To show they are not quite so powerful and influential as they surmised.
Today’s FT reports that President Obama is changing tack a bit in trying to arrange an American budget deal. He has approached four senior Republicans apparantly in the hope of securing some element of movement from the other side.
Since early last year at least the Prime Minister has been saying he wants to bring down net immigration to this country to 100,000 by 2015. There has been a bit of a fuss over the last few days about whether we should introduce visa restrictions on visitors from Brazil, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Today’s FT editorial thinks that artificial restriction is leading to pressure on some to get our incoming numbers down by hook or by crook. And that is pressure we can do without. It suggests the limit should be scrapped.
Immediately below that the paper writes about the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, who seems hell bent on intoducing a new constitution threatening judicial, religious and press freedoms. It points out that those are not European values and if Mr Orban persists some of the benefits of the club that Hungary belongs to, should be withdrawn.
The man who had Lunch with the FT in a London restaurant in last weekend’s paper was a Russian dissident detective novelist. Unexpectedly to him and everyone else he has emerged as a powerful voice in his country’s opposition movement. Nevertheleess he says, although he wants to help put out the fire, he has no wish to be a professional fireman. I know exactly how he feels.
7th March 2013
I went out yesterday evening just before 8pm. You often see cars travelling in pairs round here and by chance as I pulled out of the gate two went past which I followed up the road. I could tell from the ridiculous speed they were going, knowing I was behind, that they were Gang. The member should be in front with the helper behind but this time it was the reverse which I expect spooked them. I took a note of the Saab saloon registration number and have put it in my records. Not that anyone in MI5 or Kent Police will be interested though.
I have recently had a birthday when I was given a new mobile phone, something I use very little as I do not have reception here. I decided to keep my present number so rang Virgin for a Porting Autorisation Code on 19th February which expires a month later. However before I switched to my new supplier I wanted to use up my existing credit as my old Sim card will become void. Then I noticed from the Virgin website that I was making calls which were not being charged. I sent Virgin an email about it yesterday afternoon. They rang me yesterday evening. A very nice foreign lady, in some far off land, told me that I was given 25 free promotional minutes on 13th February as I am such a good customer. I spend about £5 on my mobile about every three months. What a load of baloney.
For a few hours overnight computers of the Royal Bank of Scotland, owned by the British taxpayer, broke down and customers were not able to use their bank cards, carry out online transactions or draw money from cash machines. RBS have apologised and confirm they will pay compensation as appropriate. Fortunately it was not as bad as the outage last June when the company had to pay out £125 million in recompense.
I am a silly old fool. I have just listened to our entry this year for the Eurovision Song Contest. It made me cry. Music with words has always touched me.
Following my note on Monday about the contaminated party pill rockstar, like Strathclyde Police Kent Police have issued a similar warning today. Three people had to go to hospital after taking it in Maidstone on Saturday. It is thought it was also available in the Medway towns that evening.
A report by the French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres was quoted on the radio news this morning which says that the Syrian health system has collapsed. For some reason the government see doctors as enemies of the state forcing some teams to literally go underground, into caves for example. One third of public hospitals are no longer functioning.
The first item on Today this morning was about a just happened incident in the Golan Heights a sensitive area of disputed elevated ground on the junction of Israel, Syria and Lebanon. It has been patrolled by the UN since 1974 and currently has about 300 unarmed peacekeepers in place, many from the Philippines. 30 armed Syrian fighters have seized 20 UN personnel . The London based Observatory for Human Rights has circulated a video showing the capture to have been made by a band calling themselves the Martyrs of Yarmouk who it seems are upset about what the Syrian army may have been doing to some villages in the area. The Free Syrian Army says the action has got nothing to do with them.
From listening to the newspaper review on Today this morning I understand The Times has reported there has been a recent dinner party attended by about a dozen Conservative politicians including David Davis, Liam Fox, John Redwood and Bernard Jenkin. There were discussions it seems about how the coalition with the Liberal Democrats might come apart prior to the next election. I understand Cabinet member Chris Grayling was also in attendance and he said it would be madness to challenge Mr Cameron’s leadership before then.
After listening to the review I have also read a report in the Daily Mail which informs me that investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission have arrested a man, until recently the deputy chief constable of the City of London Police, on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. It seems he is alleged to have passed unauthorised information to a journalist without any money being involved. I understand both The Times and The Sun are upset by the move. Hopefully we will find out more information in due course.
In an academic style thesis I think, in today’s New Statesman and no doubt written a little time ago, Vince Cable, Business Secretary, briefly said there might be scope for a bit of spending on public infrastucture projects so as to put some momentum into the economy. That has been given various publicity as it coincides with a speech the Prime Minster has given today keeping the governmenmt on it’s present economic path. Mr Cameron said to falter now would plunge us back into the abyss.
The World at One today gave airtime to an open letter written by authors and playwrights asking the Prime Minister not to let the Defamation Bill, which has been going through a long and tortuous legislative process since the election, fall. It seems it will modernise our outdated libel laws to allow proper freedom of expression against powerful vested interests. Those artists feel all their good work is now being hijacked by squabbling politicians who cannot agree on a framework for press regulation. Apparently there are only about ten days left to get the Bill back on track.
I wrote about the probability of the Daw Mill coal mine having to shut on 27th February 2013. This morning it has been confirmed. The head of UK Coal was reported on the radio news as saying that is bad not only for his company and it’s employees but also for the energy security of the country.
Deer have been in the news on Today this morning in an item which also highlights, in my view, the value of independent academic research. The area under study was Thetford Forest in Norfolk which has an active culling programme by full time staff. Everyone thought they were doing a splendid job until the University of East Anglia pointed out that 2000 deer were still leaving the forest every year into outlying areas. According to The Guardian too many deer in our landscape badly damage woodland and farmers’ crops, cause road accidents and become a danger to public safety in urban areas.
On the back of the death of Hugo Chavez, Today were asking this morning how cancer can be artificially induced. Internal cancers it seems, such as of the stomach, will only occur after a long time and with uncertainty, from earlier exposure to toxic substances. However a man was saying that in the case of Alexander Litvinenko, killed by drinking plutonium, they only way that was discovered was by specifically looking for a radioactive source. A second contributor was saying the Venezuelan regime did positively use conspiracy theories to supress dissent and consolidate their power.
It seems China is losing patience with North Korea. At the United Nations Security Council today, chaired by Russia I think, their vote has helped pass a unanimous motion to increase sanctions against the regime. Targeted areas are the movements of North Korean diplomats and certain individuals, cash transfers and access to luxury goods.
8th March 2013
I needed some petrol when I was in my local town this morning and stopped at the Asda self service filling station there, not my normal stop. It was quiet, and stupid of my local on duty Gang Director in my view to get the lady to stop at the pump opposite me without actually buying any petrol. It put me on my guard immediately. When the 40ish year old half Asian motorist behind me shouted if I could help him use the strange looking equipment he did not understand, just as I was about to drive off, I politely declined. How that encounter would have developed I do not know but as he had a minder I think I made the right decision. Their arrival was very shortly after mine and my other conclusion is that they were already on site, or close by, ready to spring into action when a target had been identified for them.
North Korea has reacted angrily, delusionally you might say, to yesterday’s UN motion which of course means it has had the desired effect. The top part of Korea says it is scrapping all relations with the south and reserves the right to fire a nuclear armed rocket wherever in the world it likes.
9th March 2013
I heard a report on the radio news at lunchtime about possible announcements in the budget to reduce our fiancial defict. The piece also reported the Business Secretary at the Lib Dems spring conference in Brighton speaking to the media. He has said, as far as his Department is concerned, he feels there are no more cuts he can productively make. The Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, said the same about his portfolio recently. However I understand Mr Cable has gone futher by putting forward his own views on where spending cuts should be targeted and extra taxes raised in the economy generally. I say jolly good to put those suggestions in private to the Chancellor. A politican from another Party would not normally be in the fortunate position of being able to do that. However, I feel if the Business Secretary cannot persuade his colleagues of the strength of his argument at the properly convened meetings, it is inappropriate for him to lobby in public. That is not the way government should work.
The same bulletin mentioned that a meeting of activists organised by Conservative Home is taking place in London today. Lord Ashcroft, former Tory party treasurer, made a speech to the gathering. The BBC reporter said that Mr Ashcroft has recently reinvented himself as a pollster. His latest predicts that Labour will win the next election with a majority of 84 seats. The Party Chairman, also present, said the attendees should think less about factional inward looking strategies and more about the basics of politics. Listen to your voters and then try to form policies that match their aspirations.
As I had PM on this afternoon Theresa May was just giving her talk at the venue, I understand. The BBC reporter said it was a very wide ranging address a long way outside her departmental responsibilities. It was a bit like a speech you would expect a Prime Minister to make.
After reading a BBC webpage today I see the Daily Telegraph has reported that, within the last few days I think, Lord Ashcroft has held a meeting at his request with one of Labour’s 2015 election strategists, Douglas Alexander. Labour said they were surprised by the approach but are an open party and in the event a constructive conversation was had between the two men. My diary note of 23rd February 2013 records Lord Ashcroft apparently telling friends he would not be financially supporting the Conservative Party in the future. I understand he has since denied that.
An illustrative point I make in the second chapter of my book is that once you realise what someone is up to you are prepared for them the second time. In that vein, and because our agencies are now acting more as they should, I believe the trial of Mr Huhne’s former wife was concluded relatively quickly during the week in spite of a retrail being necessary. My diary note on the subject is dated 25th February 2013. Similarly in my view, work by our security services have clearly shown that Abu Qatarda has been in breach of his bail conditions imposed last November sufficient to satisfy a judge this afternoon, sitting as a Special Immigration Commissioner, that he should not be released on appeal. A fuller hearing will take place next week.
I think it likely that American, as well as British, intelligence services are now working better than they were. Kuwaiti born Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is alleged to have been a high lieutenant in Al-Qaeda since before 9/11. According to Wikipedia he was flying through Jordan within the last week when he was arrested. He has now been extradited to the USA for a mainland trial. Yesterday’s radio news said his apprehension was intelligence led by the FBI and CIA. Some Republican Senators have apparently said that the man should have been sent to Guantanamo Bay. I can only assume they do not believe in the rule of law.
It has happened again. A remarkably close election result. This time Uhuru Kenyatta has won the Kenyan presidential election with 50.07% of the vote on an 86% turnout . If it has been less than half, a run off with his main challenger, current prime ministe Raila Odinga, would have been necessary. The opponent says he wishes to object to the outcome in the Supreme Court but he has also made it plain there should be no violence. After the last presidential poll in 2007, won by Mwai Kibaki, 1000 people were killed in communual violence and 600,000 were forced from their homes. The difficulty for the West is that Mr Kenyatta, reputed to be one of the richest men in Kenya, will be appearing in July at the International Criminal Court in The Hague with his running mate, William Ruto, charged with organising the 2007 violence. Kenyan voters have spoken but the international community wishes the rule of law to be obeyed as well.
I see from a BBC webpage yesterday that the Daily Telegaph has reported Nigel Farage and Ruprt Murdoch had a dinner together on Tuesday, at Mr Murdoch’s request, at his London flat. Mr Farage has said Mr Murdoch was interested to learn about his Party’s plans. Mr Murdoch has made no comment.
I always go out every Friday at 7.30pm to a neighbour’s house. Yesterday evening it was raining. As I walked up the road I could see some car lights in the distance. The road is narrow there so I let cars go. I waited. Then I saw a torch light coming towards me. I stepped into the driveway I was standing besides so the person would not see me as they walked past. However as the young lady of about 14 came up she turned her torch at me. She was looking for a person. I spoke to her amicably. With the trust of the young she told me without hesitation she thought it would be a nice time to take her dog, with her, for a walk. She was happy to tell me where she lived. I think she will have known who was in the car, by then just passing by. The most horrible thing about it from my point of view was her confidence and exhilaration. I expect she thought I too was a willing participant in the really exciting game she was playing.
30 out of the 43 police forces in England and Wales were able to give full replies to a BBC FoI request about the 101 non emergency police number introduced at the end of 2011. 4% of calls, 496,000 in the ten months to last October, were not answered. South Wales and Northamptonshire had the highest percentage of dropped lines, these where callers hung up or were disconnected.
I have diarised Hilary Mantel’s recent British Museum lecture three times now, for instance on 27th February 2013. Ms Mantel spoke on Radio 3’s Night Waves programme on Thursday. She said her message was to ask the press and media in general not to be brutes towards the Duchess of Cambridge. Her words were a plea for the condideration of human feeling.
In chapter 5 of my book I write about my experiences with the Crimestoppers charity and my feelings about them. Although I did not record it I also wrote to the Charity Commission to ask them to investigate the charity’s conduct. I got nowhere. I don’t think Crimestoppers were even asked for a response to my detailed complaint.
From Yesterday in Parliament on Today yesterday morning I know the chairman of the Charity Commission, in post since last October, appeared before the Commons Public Accounts Committee on Thursday answering questions on the Cup Trust. That charity collected £176 million of donations in two years but only paid out £55,000 to charitable causes. HMRC have called it’s activities tax avoidance. It created artificial transactions for channelling gift aid rebates back to its subscribers amounting to about £46 million. It is registered in the British Virgin Islands and it’s founder was a firm called No Tax Advisers. The Charity Commission accepted it’s registration without significant question. It seems some 50 other charities might work in the same way.
Immediately after that was a BBC interview with 82 year old Mikhail Gorbachev. He comes over as a lovely, completely natural man. He says his opinions on Vladimir Putin have changed since his first term. He notes Russian people are having their rights taken away from them at the moment. He doesn’t understand why Mr Putin is afraid of them.
Later in the programme it was reported that the DNA of the ash dieback fungus has been identified and publicly made avialable on the internet by British scientists. The idea is that anyone with an interest can look at the genetic structure and make suggestions about how to select trees which are resistant to it’s attack. Apparently the process of getting as many people involved as possible in a project is called crowd sourcing.
The funeral for Hugo Chavis took place in Caracas on Thursday. Attendees were Cuba’s Raul Castro, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bolivia’s Evo Morales and about 30 other heads of state. We were represented by our ambassador and the Americans sent a small delegation.
Last week I saw a seemingly tetchy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police give an interview to Channel 4 news whilst standing on Lambeth Bridge in London. Then yesterday morning Today picked up on the policemen talking to journalists story which I refer to in my note from Thursday. The ACPO lead for media issues was on the programme. He said open contacts between police and media should be encouraged. I would add it is just a matter of remembering your boundaries; applying your common sense. A journalist should not ask inappropriate questions and a policeman or woman should not disclose information which is best left unsaid.
There was a piece with the Russian Foreign Secretary scheduled to be broadcast on that programme which obviously had to be dropped due to pressure from other items. However I have looked at the BBC webpage and in his first interview with them for two years Mr Lavrov says very wisely that only the Syrians can decide what is best for them going forward. However as you hear him speak it does seem Mr Lavrou sees himself as in a bit of a box. He is absolutely certain that Mr Assad will not voluntarily agree to step down from power so there is no purpose in talking about that aspect of the problem. The point I would make however is that Mr Assad is plainly a genuine man. I am sure his wife and three children, all aged under 12, are just as important to him as his people are. He has a lot of things to consider. He will be very mindful of his family’s safety at the moment, as much as for Syrian citizens for whom he has a responsibiliy to provide peace. In such difficult circumstances perhaps a friend does have a duty to give the best advice he can.
10th March 2013
The 21 Filipino UN peacekeepers stopped by gunmen of a faction of the Syrian opposition on Wednesday, have been released unharmed. They were carrying supplies to observers on the Golan Heights and taken by the men to to a nearby village where they were well treated. The men took the hostages themselves to the Jordanian border where government officials took over. The BBC webpage I read gave no reason for the original abduction.
I picked up from the radio news yesterday morning that tensions are rising in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland which David Cameron announced last November would be the site of this June’s G8 summit of world leaders. When the town was chosen no doubt it was taken into account that a new road to it was in the process of being built, to be completed well before June. However it transpires the route goes through an already known archaeological site and it’s excavation, to be completed before the road destroys it, is taking much longer than anyone imagined. An online petition has just been signed by 1000 people saying the dig, not the summit, must come first. Not much Mr Cameron can do about that. The responsibility is that of the SDLP’s Environment Minister who has called a review into the whole saga.
The president of the Prison Governor’s Association was on Today yesterday and he estimates that several thousand prisoners have personality disorders. In his view their journeys through the custodial system would be more beneficial for them if they were in therapeutic psychiatric centres. That though of course would cost us all more money.
I should think being a Prime Minister is a bit like keeping several juggling balls in the air, all at the same time. Mr Cameron dropped one on Friday. During a speech in West Yorkshire he said the Office for Budget Responsibility agreed with him that spending cuts and tax rises did not cause the weak economy. However the OBR chairman was sufficiently upset for him to write to Mr Cameron in open disagreement. In fact the OBR has estimated that the Chancellor’s post election budget in 2010 reduced our economic growth by 1.5%. After that I heard Ed Davy, Lib Dem Secretary of Sate for Energy and Climate Change, say on Any Qyestions that if Mr Cameron had inserted the words long term into his speech, so he could not have been interpreted as meaning short term, he thinks the OBR would have agreed with the government.
Fortunately a nasty Gang scheme, in my view, didn’t come off on Friday morning. A driver on the under surface First Connect Northern City railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park noticed that muddy water had poured onto his roof near Old Street station. He reported it to his manager. That manager did the right thing and went to investigate with a driver in a test train. At 11am they found two piling drills lying on the track, dropped through from the roof. It seems they belong to an office construction site located above the tunnel. First Connect said a serious incident had been averted. It’s managing director commented that whoever was responsible for the incident must be held to account. I was in London in that area on Friday.
Another train theme note, this time without any threat to life. On Thursday evening a pregnant 22 year old lady, one week from her term date, boarded a rush hour train out of Victoria at Borough Green station in Kent. She was with her boy friend and his mother. Five minutes later she had contractions and her healthy baby daughter was born on the train just down the line at West Malling. I shall say no more. It is non of my business.
To his great credit I feel, Paul Casgoine has foregone his privacy to tell us all, via The Sun, that he believes his recent alcoholic relapse nearly cost him his life. He has just got back, I think, from a rehabilitation clinic in Pheonix, Arizona. He promises this time he is finally going to sort himself out. The key he knows is to talk about his problems. He will never stop going to Alcholics Anonymous again.
I suspect that Ansaru are a particularly unstable and militant group of islamists in Northern Nigeria. I wrote about them capuring seven hostages on 19th February 2013. Yesterday they posted an online declaration that they had killed them. I imagine it is American agents who have informed western governments this afternoon that the individuals from Italy, Britain, Greece and Lebanon have almost certainly been lost. Mr Hague has made a televised statement that those murders are the repsonsibility of the killers alone. The terrorists did the deed, no one else.