http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16411652
Former Conservative Party Chairman Lord Tebbit has criticised the last Labour Government's ending of the Double Jeopardy rule following the convictions of Gary Dobson and David Norris for the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.
Lord Tebbit is of course no stranger to controversy.
As Employment Secretary during the recession of the early 1980s, he famously told the the unemployed to 'get on their bikes' and look for work.
However, his criticism of Labour's ending of the centuries-old double jeopardy rule - which prevented someone from being tried twice for the same offence - is most definitely misplaced.
Labour's decision to change the law was made in the light of huge advances in forensic science. In the Stephen Lawrence case, new techniques - not available at the time of his murder in 1993 - allowed scientists to re-examine clothes worn by Dobson and Norris - two of those long suspected of being involved in the horrendous racist attack on the 18-year old - and find previously undetectable evidence of Stephen's DNA on them. Dobson had of course, been tried previously and acquitted.
In my view, Labour was most definitely right to change the law of double jeopardy. In the case of Stephen Lawrence, it was very clear from the start who the suspects were and without an amendment to the law, Gary Dobson would still be a free man, having got away with one of the most notorious crimes of the twentieth century.
Thanks to the scrapping of this very old legal principle these two racist thugs are now where they belong - behind bars.
It is a crying shame that both Dobson and Norris, now in their thirties, had to be tried as the juveniles they were in April 1993 and received much shorter sentences than they would have been given had the crime been committed today. Norris must serve a minimum of 14 years and Dobson 15.
It is the fervent hope of most law-abiding, tolerant people in this country that the Attorney General will overturn these extremely lenient sentences and ensure these despicable individuals are never allowed to inflict such harm ever again.
Labour made the right decision here. If someone is acquitted of a very serious crime, especially murder, there is no question in my mind that if new and compelling evidence comes to light even many years later, that that person should face a second trial and be brought to justice.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Friday, 30 December 2011
Labour Ends Year Slipping In Polls Despite UK's Economic Woes. Is Miliband The Right Man To Lead Labour?
David Cameron has undoubtedly ended 2011 on a high with his personal poll ratings a good deal higher than either Ed Miliband's, Nick Clegg's or indeed his own party's.
The same can most definitely not be said for the Labour leader.
So much so, that there are some in the Labour Party who are now voicing concerns that Miliband does not have what it takes to bring Labour back into power in 2015.
I had my hopes raised after Labour's Annual Conference in September. Most Labour activists were happy with Miliband's Conference speech, despite the press branding it anti-business and one or two lone delegates in the audience booing Ed's support for Tony Blair.
However, I am now much more uneasy about Labour's chances at the next election.
With unemployment at its highest level in almost two decades, public spending cuts starting to bite, economic growth at a standstill and a double-dip recession all but inevitable, Labour should be riding high in the polls and in the minds of the electorate, at least starting to look like an alternative government.
Ed Miliband has said all the right things on many occasions; he was extremely effective in his condemnation of the hacking scandal and had initially set out his party's stall very well in support of the 'squeezed middle'.
But his message has clearly not got through well enough.
It is true that the mostly-Tory supporting press and media still promote the message that the last Labour government are to blame for the UK's current economic situation. And it is a stark reality that apart from one or two exceptions, without the support of the media it is virtually impossible for a party to win an election. However, as the UK gets closer to the next election it should be harder for the incumbent party to blame the previous administration for problems with the economy.
For the majority of the British electorate, PMQs is the only time they get involved in the political scene. With things looking so bleak for the Government, Ed Miliband has missed so many opportunities to nail David Cameron and it is starting to worry many in the Labour Party.
He started off so well.
Thinking back to their first encounter in October last year, Ed's performance was very strong. 'I ask the questions!' he declared, when the PM challenged him across the despatch box.
But the contrast with that performance and Miliband's woeful showing in the last PMQs before Christmas is, frankly, alarming. The Labour leader allowed the PM to completely run roughshod over him with a damning assessment of his first year and a half as leader and Miliband simply did not an answer for Cameron's sharp and quick broadsides. Calling him 'irresponsible, left-wing and weak' was really pathetic from the Prime Minister but Miliband was not able to fight back with any effectiveness whatsoever.
Right now, Ed is simply no match for the PM's brilliant put-downs. He simply wipes the floor with Miliband with his loud declarations that Labour left the country in the depths of bankruptcy. And with Cameron always having the last word, I cannot see what chance Miliband has of proving to the electorate that he is PM-material before any election campaign in 2015.
Before I was temporarily encouraged by Ed Miliband's Annual Conference speech in September, I had said previously that should Labour's poll ratings not improve by the time the Party meet in Manchester in 2012, he should stand down.
I am very firmly of that view now.
I am really not sure that Ed Miliband will convince me to change my mind unless he really ups his game. With the coalition so divided on Europe, Labour at the moment do not have a coherent message to take to the electorate, should the the government fall apart in the near future.
Some Labour activists have said that if Miliband was to come out in favour of holding a Referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU, this would greatly increase his popularity. But I doubt that alone would save him now. He simply does not have the charisma or gravitas it takes to win.
More importantly, if he can't capitalise on the Coalition's really unpopular economic strategy now, then what hope does he have of winning at the ballot box? I will not be at all surprised if someone does not mount a challenge to Ed's leadership in the not-too-distant-future.
The question is, who in the current Labour ranks is capable of filling his shoes and bringing Labour back into government?
That is a question that is impossible to answer right now.
The same can most definitely not be said for the Labour leader.
So much so, that there are some in the Labour Party who are now voicing concerns that Miliband does not have what it takes to bring Labour back into power in 2015.
I had my hopes raised after Labour's Annual Conference in September. Most Labour activists were happy with Miliband's Conference speech, despite the press branding it anti-business and one or two lone delegates in the audience booing Ed's support for Tony Blair.
However, I am now much more uneasy about Labour's chances at the next election.
With unemployment at its highest level in almost two decades, public spending cuts starting to bite, economic growth at a standstill and a double-dip recession all but inevitable, Labour should be riding high in the polls and in the minds of the electorate, at least starting to look like an alternative government.
Ed Miliband has said all the right things on many occasions; he was extremely effective in his condemnation of the hacking scandal and had initially set out his party's stall very well in support of the 'squeezed middle'.
But his message has clearly not got through well enough.
It is true that the mostly-Tory supporting press and media still promote the message that the last Labour government are to blame for the UK's current economic situation. And it is a stark reality that apart from one or two exceptions, without the support of the media it is virtually impossible for a party to win an election. However, as the UK gets closer to the next election it should be harder for the incumbent party to blame the previous administration for problems with the economy.
For the majority of the British electorate, PMQs is the only time they get involved in the political scene. With things looking so bleak for the Government, Ed Miliband has missed so many opportunities to nail David Cameron and it is starting to worry many in the Labour Party.
He started off so well.
Thinking back to their first encounter in October last year, Ed's performance was very strong. 'I ask the questions!' he declared, when the PM challenged him across the despatch box.
But the contrast with that performance and Miliband's woeful showing in the last PMQs before Christmas is, frankly, alarming. The Labour leader allowed the PM to completely run roughshod over him with a damning assessment of his first year and a half as leader and Miliband simply did not an answer for Cameron's sharp and quick broadsides. Calling him 'irresponsible, left-wing and weak' was really pathetic from the Prime Minister but Miliband was not able to fight back with any effectiveness whatsoever.
Right now, Ed is simply no match for the PM's brilliant put-downs. He simply wipes the floor with Miliband with his loud declarations that Labour left the country in the depths of bankruptcy. And with Cameron always having the last word, I cannot see what chance Miliband has of proving to the electorate that he is PM-material before any election campaign in 2015.
Before I was temporarily encouraged by Ed Miliband's Annual Conference speech in September, I had said previously that should Labour's poll ratings not improve by the time the Party meet in Manchester in 2012, he should stand down.
I am very firmly of that view now.
I am really not sure that Ed Miliband will convince me to change my mind unless he really ups his game. With the coalition so divided on Europe, Labour at the moment do not have a coherent message to take to the electorate, should the the government fall apart in the near future.
Some Labour activists have said that if Miliband was to come out in favour of holding a Referendum on whether Britain should stay in the EU, this would greatly increase his popularity. But I doubt that alone would save him now. He simply does not have the charisma or gravitas it takes to win.
More importantly, if he can't capitalise on the Coalition's really unpopular economic strategy now, then what hope does he have of winning at the ballot box? I will not be at all surprised if someone does not mount a challenge to Ed's leadership in the not-too-distant-future.
The question is, who in the current Labour ranks is capable of filling his shoes and bringing Labour back into government?
That is a question that is impossible to answer right now.
Cameron Euro Treaty Veto Pleases Tory Eurosceptics But Leaves Britain Isolated In EU
http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16126773
There is no doubt that the Prime Minister's decision to veto the recent EU Treaty will have greatly pleased the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory Party.
Although very much in favour of maintaining Britain's trading links within the EU, I have long had my doubts about European nations being too tightly bound together economically or politically.
And this has now been bourne out by the current crisis in the Eurozone.
I don't often find my self agreeing with Tory commentator Iain Dale, but in a recent interview he recalled how former PM John Major branded the Eurosceptic Tory wing as 'little Englanders' for not wanting to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. They have turned out to be so right on this issue.
Thank goodness Gordon Brown had the sense not to bring Britain into the Eurozone during Labour's time in office. This was despite Tony Blair's enthusiasm for the project.
There were many aspects of the recent Treaty that I was extremely uneasy with. Most notably, the proposal that the budgets of individual member states should be ratified by the EU, so enthusiastically supported by Merkel and Sarkosy.
This was clearly a step too far and would have undermined the sovereignty of each nation beyond measure.
The decision to join the EU in 1975 was a controversial one and the calls for Britain to hold a referendum on whether we should stay in Europe are growing. Many are now suggesting that should Ed Miliband throw his and Labour's support behind holding a referendum on this issue, his popularity would increase overnight.http://labourlist.org/2011/12/the-time-is-right-for-a-referendum/?utm_source=LunchtimeList&utm_campaign=cf1717ac0d-LunchtimeList_72311_22_2011&utm_medium=email
The bottom line is that most Britons have never wanted and do not want a United States of Europe. From this point of view, Cameron was right to use his veto. And the timing of the recent Summit has meant that the Prime Minister is ending 2011 on a high, with his personal ratings well above those of both Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and even his own party.http://news.yahoo.com/cameron-ends-tough-poll-high-190450898.html
However my worry is, that by closing the door so firmly at this stage, Britain's negotiating power within the EU has now been severely weakened.
There is no doubt that the Prime Minister's decision to veto the recent EU Treaty will have greatly pleased the Eurosceptic wing of the Tory Party.
Although very much in favour of maintaining Britain's trading links within the EU, I have long had my doubts about European nations being too tightly bound together economically or politically.
And this has now been bourne out by the current crisis in the Eurozone.
I don't often find my self agreeing with Tory commentator Iain Dale, but in a recent interview he recalled how former PM John Major branded the Eurosceptic Tory wing as 'little Englanders' for not wanting to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. They have turned out to be so right on this issue.
Thank goodness Gordon Brown had the sense not to bring Britain into the Eurozone during Labour's time in office. This was despite Tony Blair's enthusiasm for the project.
There were many aspects of the recent Treaty that I was extremely uneasy with. Most notably, the proposal that the budgets of individual member states should be ratified by the EU, so enthusiastically supported by Merkel and Sarkosy.
This was clearly a step too far and would have undermined the sovereignty of each nation beyond measure.
The decision to join the EU in 1975 was a controversial one and the calls for Britain to hold a referendum on whether we should stay in Europe are growing. Many are now suggesting that should Ed Miliband throw his and Labour's support behind holding a referendum on this issue, his popularity would increase overnight.http://labourlist.org/2011/12/the-time-is-right-for-a-referendum/?utm_source=LunchtimeList&utm_campaign=cf1717ac0d-LunchtimeList_72311_22_2011&utm_medium=email
The bottom line is that most Britons have never wanted and do not want a United States of Europe. From this point of view, Cameron was right to use his veto. And the timing of the recent Summit has meant that the Prime Minister is ending 2011 on a high, with his personal ratings well above those of both Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and even his own party.http://news.yahoo.com/cameron-ends-tough-poll-high-190450898.html
However my worry is, that by closing the door so firmly at this stage, Britain's negotiating power within the EU has now been severely weakened.
Monday, 28 November 2011
Coalition Economic Strategy Under Fire After Osborne's Autumn Statement
http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16120010
Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement, as expected, received a scathing response from his Labour shadow, Ed Balls.
The Shadow Chancellor told the Commons that the Coalition's plan to reduce the deficit they inherited from Labour had failed 'colossally'.
And indeed Mr Osborne made no attempt to sugar-coat Britain's economic woes.
The UK was almost certainly heading towards another recession, he said, with the current crisis in the eurozone likely to have a severe knock-on effect on Britain's economy.
Not only did the Chancellor admit that the deficit would not now be eliminated before 2016/7 as opposed to before the next election in 2015 as repeatedly promised. He also predicted that growth for this year would be just 0.9%; significantly less than the 1.7% earlier predicted.
Unemployment is set to rise even further at least into the first quarter of 2012, with the public sector almost certainly the hardest hit.
Most damning of all, the coalition looks set to borrow a whopping £111bn more over the next five years than originally thought - what a stunning turn-around from a government who have made enormous political capital out of slating the previous Labour administration over how much money they borrowed from the public purse and repeatedly accusing them of leaving the country bankrupt.
What a contrast this year's Autumn statement has been with what the Chancellor declared in his first Budget last year. 'Today's the day that we pulled this country back from the brink!", I clearly remember him telling the House of Commons.
Now George Osborne has been well and truly forced to eat those words and admit that Britain's journey back to economic health will be a long and arduous one.
Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement, as expected, received a scathing response from his Labour shadow, Ed Balls.
The Shadow Chancellor told the Commons that the Coalition's plan to reduce the deficit they inherited from Labour had failed 'colossally'.
And indeed Mr Osborne made no attempt to sugar-coat Britain's economic woes.
The UK was almost certainly heading towards another recession, he said, with the current crisis in the eurozone likely to have a severe knock-on effect on Britain's economy.
Not only did the Chancellor admit that the deficit would not now be eliminated before 2016/7 as opposed to before the next election in 2015 as repeatedly promised. He also predicted that growth for this year would be just 0.9%; significantly less than the 1.7% earlier predicted.
Unemployment is set to rise even further at least into the first quarter of 2012, with the public sector almost certainly the hardest hit.
Most damning of all, the coalition looks set to borrow a whopping £111bn more over the next five years than originally thought - what a stunning turn-around from a government who have made enormous political capital out of slating the previous Labour administration over how much money they borrowed from the public purse and repeatedly accusing them of leaving the country bankrupt.
What a contrast this year's Autumn statement has been with what the Chancellor declared in his first Budget last year. 'Today's the day that we pulled this country back from the brink!", I clearly remember him telling the House of Commons.
Now George Osborne has been well and truly forced to eat those words and admit that Britain's journey back to economic health will be a long and arduous one.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Public Sector Strike Should Not Go Ahead
Ed Miliband has struck the right note in suggesting that both the Government and the Unions try to avoid Wednesday's walk-out by public sector workers and continue to negotiate.
This is a far-cry from the sentiments of his Shadow Chancellor, leftwinger Ed Balls, who has declared that he has 'huge sympathy for the strikers'. http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16118538
I have always been fully supportive of the principle of a worker's right to take industrial action.
However, I firmly believe on this occasion that this week's walkout should not go ahead. Those employed in the public sector enjoy far more generous pensions than most in the private sector can only dream of.
And given the fact that far less than half the union members eligible actually bothered to vote at all, one has to question the legitimacy of this strike.
One has to remember too, that those very militant trade union leaders who call for industrial action at every opportunity currently receive enormous six-figure salaries and will be the beneficiaries of very generous pensions when they retire.
It is impossible to ignore the hypocrisy here.
The Coalition pulled back this week from their threats to reform strike legislation. I only hope that agreement is reached at the eleventh hour and the lives of millions of people are not unnecessarily disrupted.
This is a far-cry from the sentiments of his Shadow Chancellor, leftwinger Ed Balls, who has declared that he has 'huge sympathy for the strikers'. http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16118538
I have always been fully supportive of the principle of a worker's right to take industrial action.
However, I firmly believe on this occasion that this week's walkout should not go ahead. Those employed in the public sector enjoy far more generous pensions than most in the private sector can only dream of.
And given the fact that far less than half the union members eligible actually bothered to vote at all, one has to question the legitimacy of this strike.
One has to remember too, that those very militant trade union leaders who call for industrial action at every opportunity currently receive enormous six-figure salaries and will be the beneficiaries of very generous pensions when they retire.
It is impossible to ignore the hypocrisy here.
The Coalition pulled back this week from their threats to reform strike legislation. I only hope that agreement is reached at the eleventh hour and the lives of millions of people are not unnecessarily disrupted.
Saturday, 19 November 2011
GPs Should Not Sign Off Long - Term Sick
Following the Coalition's announcement last week, for once I actually find myself agreeing with them.
GPs are not qualified to comment on or advise patients with complicated conditions.
All too often a patient will approach their friendly GP knowing that they will be able to easily convince them of their inability to work. Most hard-pressed doctors do have the time to really question a patient at length about why they are requesting to be signed off sick.
I have come across people with mild epilepsy that do not work and am aware of organ transplant patients who claim they can't work because of the side-effects of their anti-rejection drugs!
The problem is most visible with those declared unfit to work due to mental health problems. They are just given a sick note and forgotten about.
The Coalition is right to ask that these people are assessed to see if they are able to contribute to the economy in some way. And it is a view that Labour should have taken during their thirteen years in Government. All too often people's claims that they are too sick have been taken at face-value by both doctors and politicians.It is no wonder that welfare spending is so high.
And it must be acknowledged that for every sick or disabled person who can't or won't work there are many more who are willing to contribute. A distinction needs to be made between 'not being able to go out to work' and 'not being able to work at all'. With the existence of the internet and all the employment opportunities that have come with it, there is very little excuse now for most people to say they are too ill to work. It is right that decisions on a person's fitness to work should be taken by someone impartial and they should be not able to twist the arm of a easily-manipulated or stressed-out doctor.
If the new system is a success many people who desperately want to work could be able to, provided they are given the right support to accommodate their condition or circumstances.
And it will get many people who have probably told themselves for years that they've nothing to offer out of the cycle of worthlessness.
GPs are not qualified to comment on or advise patients with complicated conditions.
All too often a patient will approach their friendly GP knowing that they will be able to easily convince them of their inability to work. Most hard-pressed doctors do have the time to really question a patient at length about why they are requesting to be signed off sick.
I have come across people with mild epilepsy that do not work and am aware of organ transplant patients who claim they can't work because of the side-effects of their anti-rejection drugs!
The problem is most visible with those declared unfit to work due to mental health problems. They are just given a sick note and forgotten about.
The Coalition is right to ask that these people are assessed to see if they are able to contribute to the economy in some way. And it is a view that Labour should have taken during their thirteen years in Government. All too often people's claims that they are too sick have been taken at face-value by both doctors and politicians.It is no wonder that welfare spending is so high.
And it must be acknowledged that for every sick or disabled person who can't or won't work there are many more who are willing to contribute. A distinction needs to be made between 'not being able to go out to work' and 'not being able to work at all'. With the existence of the internet and all the employment opportunities that have come with it, there is very little excuse now for most people to say they are too ill to work. It is right that decisions on a person's fitness to work should be taken by someone impartial and they should be not able to twist the arm of a easily-manipulated or stressed-out doctor.
If the new system is a success many people who desperately want to work could be able to, provided they are given the right support to accommodate their condition or circumstances.
And it will get many people who have probably told themselves for years that they've nothing to offer out of the cycle of worthlessness.
Capture Of Saif Brings Final Curtain Down On Gaddafi Regime
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15804299
The curtain has come down for the final time on Colonel Gaddafi's regime.
His son Saif al-Islam, long considered to be the heir to his father, has now been captured and should soon be taken back to Tripoli. He will now face trial for his part in the murder and torture of the people so brutally oppressed for 42 years.
Saif is already wanted by the ICC in the Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Had he managed to escape into neighbouring Niger and been captured there, there is no doubt that Saif would very soon be on his way to the Netherlands, as Niger recognises the ICC whereas Libya does not.
Therefore the most probable outcome of Saif Gaddafi's arrest and detention will be a trial in Libya itself.
However this is a country that has hardly started to recover from the brutalities of the late Colonel's regime. Libya's entire infrastructure has to be rebuilt from scratch following the end of 42 years of dictatorship. There is no proper justice system in place to speak of at present.
How, when or where in Libya Saif will be tried in court is at the moment unclear, despite the promises of the NTC that he will receive a fair trial.
What the international community is absolutely unequivocal about is that Saif must face justice through the proper legal channels and must not be subjected to the same kind of mob execution his father was.
One one level, it is very difficult to blame those who have been subjected to decades of the most brutal dictatorship for wanting to exact swift revenge on the man responsible. However, it was widely reported that Colonel Gaddafi was sexually assaulted on his capture. It remains a huge disappointment to many that this dictator was not put on trial, neither in the Hague nor by his own people.http://labourlist.org/2011/10/the-libyan-people-deserved-a-trial/
No matter how brutal a dictator the Colonel may have been, Libya will face enormous international condemnation if it fails to put Saif on trial according to international law.
The new Libya must show the world that it follows the same moral compass as those nations that helped it to overthrow Gaddafi's regime.
Only time will tell if Libya can rise from the ashes and fully embrace democracy.
The curtain has come down for the final time on Colonel Gaddafi's regime.
His son Saif al-Islam, long considered to be the heir to his father, has now been captured and should soon be taken back to Tripoli. He will now face trial for his part in the murder and torture of the people so brutally oppressed for 42 years.
Saif is already wanted by the ICC in the Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Had he managed to escape into neighbouring Niger and been captured there, there is no doubt that Saif would very soon be on his way to the Netherlands, as Niger recognises the ICC whereas Libya does not.
Therefore the most probable outcome of Saif Gaddafi's arrest and detention will be a trial in Libya itself.
However this is a country that has hardly started to recover from the brutalities of the late Colonel's regime. Libya's entire infrastructure has to be rebuilt from scratch following the end of 42 years of dictatorship. There is no proper justice system in place to speak of at present.
How, when or where in Libya Saif will be tried in court is at the moment unclear, despite the promises of the NTC that he will receive a fair trial.
What the international community is absolutely unequivocal about is that Saif must face justice through the proper legal channels and must not be subjected to the same kind of mob execution his father was.
One one level, it is very difficult to blame those who have been subjected to decades of the most brutal dictatorship for wanting to exact swift revenge on the man responsible. However, it was widely reported that Colonel Gaddafi was sexually assaulted on his capture. It remains a huge disappointment to many that this dictator was not put on trial, neither in the Hague nor by his own people.http://labourlist.org/2011/10/the-libyan-people-deserved-a-trial/
No matter how brutal a dictator the Colonel may have been, Libya will face enormous international condemnation if it fails to put Saif on trial according to international law.
The new Libya must show the world that it follows the same moral compass as those nations that helped it to overthrow Gaddafi's regime.
Only time will tell if Libya can rise from the ashes and fully embrace democracy.
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