tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82864134643170008452024-03-13T11:56:04.221+00:00Today's musingsNilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-73926025190824731672011-09-01T11:54:00.000+01:002011-09-01T11:54:34.499+01:00EDL banned from marching through Tower Hamlets<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Home Secretary Theresa May has approved the Metropolitan Police’s application to ban the proposed EDL march in Tower Hamlets for a period of 30 days starting from 2 September amid fears of violence and disorder.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRd0Tse_2kix-1dywiP-1gq4h06E7I9D-BM0t-5Bqy7iDC6CaedrQ3HRwMjjp9JkuN-ckwTaR2v9EDkWbH6WDIkoRTBDwCusa-83jpuMn64jYre4V-yIs-uY0zUPM73mfLvnfh9vDL5o/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRd0Tse_2kix-1dywiP-1gq4h06E7I9D-BM0t-5Bqy7iDC6CaedrQ3HRwMjjp9JkuN-ckwTaR2v9EDkWbH6WDIkoRTBDwCusa-83jpuMn64jYre4V-yIs-uY0zUPM73mfLvnfh9vDL5o/s200/images.jpg" width="141" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Tower Hamlets’ Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, who campaigned for the EDL march to be banned, has welcomed this decision.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">He said: “I thank the Home Secretary for making this decision, which means we can now move forward as a community free from the threat of the EDL marching through our borough with their messages of hate.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“This has always been a borough where people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds live in harmony, and we will not be divided by the EDL or any other groups.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 9pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“It is the correct decision, and I would like to reiterate my thanks to the thousands of people that supported our efforts to get this march banned. Once again we have shown we are One Tower Hamlets and with the march now banned, I urge anyone previously planning to march in support of our cause to stand down. Their support has been fantastic, and I am delighted that our efforts have been successful.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">Pyrus from the EDL wrote: “Banning the EDL march will only serve to enhance radical Islam’s propaganda. If the government demonises and persecutes critics of radical Islam, then the radicals will be encouraged.”</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1ItDpig0W8JXHRE00bJipH5RhruOq4NVGG5V12JPLHK5xeUbMu8OkybZUUt4Hj0XP57U9N60u6iVRQT8_ogydAZA1nMzm_VMRYL9hWKsOg7mAcDL5oDXTpS71nERZNmmrHzj1MnK2Ok/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1ItDpig0W8JXHRE00bJipH5RhruOq4NVGG5V12JPLHK5xeUbMu8OkybZUUt4Hj0XP57U9N60u6iVRQT8_ogydAZA1nMzm_VMRYL9hWKsOg7mAcDL5oDXTpS71nERZNmmrHzj1MnK2Ok/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">Their website suggests that the EDL will be progressing with the march as planned.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></span></span> Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-73127078103406805132011-09-01T11:51:00.000+01:002011-09-01T11:51:33.623+01:00Man sentenced for service order breach<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">A Tower Hamlets man appeared before Thames Magistrates court for breaching his community service order for the possession of Class A drugs.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi702pe9hXNb1uTymm_mKCJuao6HThFYyELIDOFWJ4tv_PqKwMVdLqiewB0-cnGLVpgCOTZu6dFGvner7v4Ox772fHozeGLj4UWVecPiqYU9OmHjcMvgNWsEBOLzWl31aWuk_oeWaf5fsk/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi702pe9hXNb1uTymm_mKCJuao6HThFYyELIDOFWJ4tv_PqKwMVdLqiewB0-cnGLVpgCOTZu6dFGvner7v4Ox772fHozeGLj4UWVecPiqYU9OmHjcMvgNWsEBOLzWl31aWuk_oeWaf5fsk/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Anthony Davey, aged 19, was sentenced today at the request of Probation Services for a harsher sentence. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">The court heard that Probation Services had asked for him to be removed from the community service programme because this is now the third time he has breached the order.</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Having first been sentenced in May, he has been ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work, of which he has only completed 16, and made to pay a total of £120 in compensation and court fees.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Magistrate D J Seaman said: “If I see you again in this court I will be compelled to sentence you to detention. You will be issued with a further 20 hours. Considering you do not work and you are not in education you have no excuse but to complete the hours.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Your childishness has got your into this situation, you must now find the maturity within yourself to get you out of it."</span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></span></span> Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-48211841107239703272011-08-24T09:49:00.001+01:002011-08-24T10:03:53.831+01:00Tension mounts as Boris Johnson demands u-turn on cuts<div style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">London Mayor, Boris Johnson is once again creating friction in the Coalition government this week demanding that the Prime Minister makes a u-turn on cuts to the police service.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDc6Kl6J40gyq1DVvaKtw5G9ww4zPPoA03FXu0MWmiyUCXrRffR-uvTB_qUTn5C6ElKZr3y-wmCA4qZcGQEtYPWCaSG1LZLV596fQiq2MT-CVJI9pZg9E1Ot-ql0Al39JPsDLPqBZT-E/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDc6Kl6J40gyq1DVvaKtw5G9ww4zPPoA03FXu0MWmiyUCXrRffR-uvTB_qUTn5C6ElKZr3y-wmCA4qZcGQEtYPWCaSG1LZLV596fQiq2MT-CVJI9pZg9E1Ot-ql0Al39JPsDLPqBZT-E/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><span style="line-height: 200%;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Johnson said: “The case for cutting police budgets was frail and it has been weakened. This is not the time. This is not a time to think about making substantial cuts in police numbers.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“If you ask me whether I think there is a case for cutting police budgets in the light of these events then my answer would be no”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The policing watchdog said more than 34,000 jobs, including 16,200 frontline officers, will go in the next four years as forces buckle under the strain of 20% cuts to their budgets.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Following the riots last week, David Cameron convened a special session of Parliament last Thursday, where, during an hour long debate the Prime Minister was asked about the dangers in cutting police numbers. This was made all the more poignant after <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;">Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Kavanagh said officers were stretched as riots, fires and looting broke out across the capital.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">In Parliament, Ed Milliband said: “The events of the last few days have been a stark reminder to us all that police on our streets make the public feel safer. Given the absolute priority the public attach to a visible and active police presence, does the prime minister understand why they will think that it is not right that he goes ahead with the cuts to police numbers he is planning?”</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGYeFrWwHtsD6K714WoJJkx-zx0N4rKX2fY8vDo9XwOTRCSTULr9jP0ycCePCbC5pdpTXl55sMg2riMeKTMkd_oDMH0HPNfvd2_YhHHnzCBFNmsntL8XUpxr0bCurAESOTk385vA8QS4/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGYeFrWwHtsD6K714WoJJkx-zx0N4rKX2fY8vDo9XwOTRCSTULr9jP0ycCePCbC5pdpTXl55sMg2riMeKTMkd_oDMH0HPNfvd2_YhHHnzCBFNmsntL8XUpxr0bCurAESOTk385vA8QS4/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The Prime Minister responded: “Over the next four years we are looking for cash reductions in policing budgets.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“Today we still have 7,000 trained police officers in back office jobs. Part of our programme of police reform is about freeing up police for front line duties and that is why I can make this very clear pledge to the House: at the end of this process of making sure our police budgets are affordable we will still be able to surge as many police on to the streets as we have in recent days in London, in Wolverhampton, in Manchester.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced earlier this year that </span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">28,000 jobs will be lost from 43 forces over England and Wales. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWEkCeDeT1OtJWnGap_yoX3n8Wju2bZhJxRkZZhye6cKKyqeE5BO_-BQcGrLHBt92BU_LIna5kPAx6z7K4tLsVrjgCHv1POlMkXgEM-WQfj_gQaMDwnb4G_gUjiIrikS4p1l-Cev3ieA/s1600/images.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWEkCeDeT1OtJWnGap_yoX3n8Wju2bZhJxRkZZhye6cKKyqeE5BO_-BQcGrLHBt92BU_LIna5kPAx6z7K4tLsVrjgCHv1POlMkXgEM-WQfj_gQaMDwnb4G_gUjiIrikS4p1l-Cev3ieA/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">She said: </span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">“No Home Secretary wants to cut police officers’ pay packages. But with a record budget deficit, these are extraordinary circumstances. We are taking action across the board to find savings in all aspects of policing. We cannot avoid the fact that changes to police pay and conditions have to be part of that package”.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">In October of last year, Tom Winsor was commissioned by the Home Office to produce a report looking at a </span></span><span style="line-height: 200%;">new system of pay and conditions for police officers and staff.<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white;"></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Mr Winsor, a former rail regulator, said: “This is or could be a once in a generation opportunity to dissolve some aspects, the nonsenses, the anomalies, the inefficiencies of the existing system and to create something that will endure far longer than the present financial mess that the country faces at the moment.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">The recommendations by Tom Windsor could produce savings of £485m in three years.He will be working with police officers, staff and a wide range of representative bodies including the police federation, police superintendents’ association, association of chief police officers, association of police authorities and unison.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">But Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz urged Home Secretary Theresa May to rethink, saying: “The loss of 34,000 jobs represents a 14% reduction in workforce.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 200%;">“This will make it impossible for the police force to meet the Government’s target of doing more for less.” Crime and security minister James Brokenshire, however, insisted police were “rising to the challenge” of cutting backroom staff. He said: “HMIC predict that by March 2012 the proportion of the police workforce in frontline roles will be higher than it was in March 2010.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, said she agreed with Mr Johnson that the riots had highlighted the danger of cutting police budgets.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">She said: "The 16,000 police on the streets of London made a big difference last night in restoring calm.This is further evidence that the Tory-led government needs to urgently rethink its cuts to police officers and budgets."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">However, Mr Johnson came under attack from Ken Livingstone, Labour's mayoral candidate. Livingstone accused Johnson of "hypocrisy" and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%; text-decoration: none;">said in a statement on his website</span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">: "Boris Johnson may want to look like a critic of the government for police cuts but this is fake and hypocrisy as he has been ramming through overall police cuts in London and undermining neighbourhood policing himself."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR4kZ_JEUgsxRcW2L6MqtZi-DiUYTWHPQBG-p7XDHMkFcrO9c22Ske_aeVQOGwkgfDhq4_I6en7sXXO_A_y4kX-2dDQarrJKXoChIw2spRhCblxG-xdkN-1HyHSf2HDgpeuxf_repDu4/s1600/images.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR4kZ_JEUgsxRcW2L6MqtZi-DiUYTWHPQBG-p7XDHMkFcrO9c22Ske_aeVQOGwkgfDhq4_I6en7sXXO_A_y4kX-2dDQarrJKXoChIw2spRhCblxG-xdkN-1HyHSf2HDgpeuxf_repDu4/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;">More than 1,000 arrests have been made in London alone and Magistrates have charged 810 people after having worked through the night to clear the back log.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR4kZ_JEUgsxRcW2L6MqtZi-DiUYTWHPQBG-p7XDHMkFcrO9c22Ske_aeVQOGwkgfDhq4_I6en7sXXO_A_y4kX-2dDQarrJKXoChIw2spRhCblxG-xdkN-1HyHSf2HDgpeuxf_repDu4/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;"> </span></span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: 200%;"></span></span></div>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-63229045548020730732011-08-07T11:53:00.003+01:002011-08-07T11:53:37.424+01:00Prepare for the London to Surrey Cycle<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
As Olympic fever heightens, test runs are underway in London as part of the “London Prepares” series programme, for one of the greatest sporting events in the world.<br />
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10,000 volunteers, 8,000 athletes from over 50 countries and 15,000 spectators are part of a 12 month rehearsal running until May 2012.<br />
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For the full story, go to:<br />
<a href="http://ironfit.org/2011/06/prepare-for-the-london-to-surrey-cycle/">http://ironfit.org/2011/06/prepare-for-the-london-to-surrey-cycle/</a>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-2403726409968097302011-08-07T11:52:00.000+01:002011-08-07T11:52:33.887+01:00Elements explode at new science exhibition<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Elements, a new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in north London, is billed as a “spectacular night of chemical romance, intrigue and performance”. Not being the most studious when it came to science at school, I entered with some trepidation.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">For the full story, go to:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/elements-explode-at-new-science-exhibition-2266647.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/elements-explode-at-new-science-exhibition-2266647.html</a>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-12600047068253747862011-08-07T11:50:00.000+01:002011-08-07T11:50:19.490+01:00An alternative way to enjoy the London Olympics<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">With under 400 days to go until the start of the London Olympics 2012, we have seen east London being transformed to accommodate a newly built stadium, the nominations for Torchbearers are coming in and test events are underway.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">For the full story go to:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/an-alternative-way-to-enjoy-the-london-olympics-2307759.html</span></span>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-43773317384479791252011-08-07T11:22:00.000+01:002011-08-07T11:22:23.849+01:00Cyclists versus the world<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fear of getting hit by speeding motorists is stopping us from getting on our bikes, says a new survey by Brake, a charity which supports victims of road accidents.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a survey last month, respondents said they would be more likely to cycle, if cyclists were given priority on the roads to reduce the risk of collisions with motor vehicles.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The survey by Brake of 800 adults which revealed that:</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">71% of respondents never cycle on roads and more than half (59%) never cycle at all.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, 34% of people who don't currently cycle would cycle between home and local amenities if there were cycle paths and trails connecting them.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This means that with investment in safe cycling facilities, an additional of 20% of adults could be persuaded to get on their bikes to improve their health and reduce carbon emissions and congestion, improving the likelihood of children cycling more too.</span></li>
</ul><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The benefits to cycling are numerous. In a country with an increasing obesity rate, cycling is a great form of exercise. In a climate of financial crisis, cycling is cheap. There are no fuel costs, no need to wait for buses in the rain or sweat it out on the underground. And it is great for the environment.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grant Shapps, the Local Government minister, announced in May that he is calling for the removal of restrictive cycling by-laws which endanger pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He said: “There have been some crazy by-laws in place from the year dot stopping cycling from taking place. This should enable local people to scrap laws stopping people from getting on their bikes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Everyone is interested in looking after themselves and their health, as well as the environment, and cycling succeeds on both of those fronts.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of last year, the Localism Bill was introduced to Parliament in order to shift power from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils and therefore would not need permission from Whitehall to implement new laws.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Localism Bill:</b></span><br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Bill will shift power from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and council.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It includes a number of important packages:</span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">decentralisation and strengthening local democracy</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Non-Domestic Rates</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">community empowerment</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a radical re-boot of the planning system including neighbourhood planning</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">changes to social housing policies</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">devolving powers to the Mayor and London Boroughs</span></li>
</ul></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Shapps said: “Amazingly at the moment it needs a minister to sign off scrapping a bylaw, I think we can trust the locals.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been many reports in the news of cyclists that have been killed by collisions with cars. Recently, Christine Fager, 69, was killed instantly on a busy road in Scarisbrick on a dangerous stretch of road.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Julie Townsend, campaigns director of Brake, said: </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“We need more traffic-free and segregated cycle paths, especially on commuter routes and connecting homes with local facilities, and widespread 20mph limits in communities.”</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other side of the argument is the denouncement of cyclists in the press. “Lycra louts” is generally the preferred term to describe unruly cyclists jumping red lights or cycling on pavements.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Pedestrian’s Association are delighted with the new fines for cyclists, who ride on public footpaths, especially as one of the key targets are cycle couriers, who get from A to B the quickest way then can, whether it be pavement, road, or busy shopping precincts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March, Conservative MP, Andrea Leadsom introduced a 10-minute Rule Bill, called Dangerous and Reckless Cycling (Offences).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mrs. Leadsom said “At the moment, the punishment for cyclists falls far short of the crime, and I believe we need to update the law so that all road users are equally protected and take equal responsibility for their actions.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The UK’s National Cycling Organisation – CTC, feels that the bill is unnecessary because fatal collisions involving cyclists are rare compared with deaths involving motor vehicles. During 2009, no pedestrians were killed by cyclists but 426 pedestrians were killed by motor vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid129el46H2AzJ60nd6FdyIK0FFXz0JD8v29pbBE_DTzgkKNr68f5qO2d8HxRaYX-5xRHOVhQbngq4n1slog6UupgVFh-TT5j9erCm3cGDcU8-OMH5ZHXo77y6bRmbw8wKrO8e1bCwb28/s1600/Howard+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid129el46H2AzJ60nd6FdyIK0FFXz0JD8v29pbBE_DTzgkKNr68f5qO2d8HxRaYX-5xRHOVhQbngq4n1slog6UupgVFh-TT5j9erCm3cGDcU8-OMH5ZHXo77y6bRmbw8wKrO8e1bCwb28/s200/Howard+image.jpg" width="143" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jason Howard</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The bill is in response to the killing of teenager Rhiannon Bennett in </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">2008, by cyclist Jason Howard, 36, of Buckingham, convicted of dangerous cycling in the town. The family were outraged that Howard was only fined £2,200.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Bennett, 52, a roofer from Finmere in Buckinghamshire, said: “If anything positive can come out of this awful situation, it would be a change in the law.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“This man has ruined our lives. He headed straight at our beautiful daughter and she stood no chance. He cut her down in the prime of her life and all he gets is a fine. We will still have the agony of watching him cycle around town on that flash bike of his.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He should have got an eight to ten year prison sentence.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, a CPS spokesperson said: "It was decided that the charge of dangerous cycling was the appropriate charge and there was insufficient evidence for more serious charges, such as manslaughter, to be pursued."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stop At Red is a campaign to improve the status of cycling in the eyes of the public and policy makers alike and to tackle the attitudes of those cyclists whose behaviour perpetuates the image of cyclists as a low-status social ‘out group’ on wheels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has introduced a great many schemes to get the population on their bikes. He says: "No form of transport is 100 per cent safe but cycling is safer than most and we are doing all we can in London to make it even safer and ever more enjoyable."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two out of the 12 superhighways leading from greater London into central London have been built so far, to make cycling into the city safer by separating cyclists from motorists. There are no obvious barriers as such, but the path is blue with signs showing when the route finishes and estimated journey times.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh788XHnBDvR4IfOXPFSFtR4bUoV9Z2H4qQTDLDfI3dmgHhQH5CxxnifGqs2crvFNKVmadV5V3qJwO2MoSbXbL23f8t2nl0LXG5vvjgNN8XQ2CY4NjcTHLA2i7NOciBGQtDUgJVXB5pzyI/s1600/Superhighways.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh788XHnBDvR4IfOXPFSFtR4bUoV9Z2H4qQTDLDfI3dmgHhQH5CxxnifGqs2crvFNKVmadV5V3qJwO2MoSbXbL23f8t2nl0LXG5vvjgNN8XQ2CY4NjcTHLA2i7NOciBGQtDUgJVXB5pzyI/s320/Superhighways.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hiring bikes is much easier now with bike racks in obvious areas – outside hospitals and tube stations, on the high street and near supermarkets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even employers are getting in on the act with the Cycle To Work Scheme. Cyclists can buy tax free bikes, with the payments being deducted from their gross monthly salary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Local authorities which have already taken the step to give cyclists more rights include:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Canterbury: cyclists are allowed on to the promenade around Herne Bay as part of the National Cycle Network</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Worthing: the council has opened the promenade to cyclists</span></span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Harrogate: cyclists can use designated routes across the Stray, open land in the town centre, following changes to by-laws that came into effect earlier</span></span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At present, it appears that the separation of cyclists from pedestrians and motorists is imperative for road harmony. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">With the number of cyclists on our roads growing in number, there remains a great deal more to be done to improve cycling conditions, making it not only safer for cyclists, but also pedestrians and motorists alike.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Cycling case studies:</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></span></div><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Gavin Davis, 25-year-old, from London<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">How often do you use your bike? Daily<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Do you wear a helmet? Yes<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">“Recently, in South London, there was a queue of traffic at a red light where cyclists can filter through. A car pulled out of a side street and without looking (I was watching him to see where he was going) he drove right through.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">“He then stopped, wound down the window, when I thought he was going to apologise and check if I was ok. Instead he shouted “f*ck you!” and drove off.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">“My advice is to avoid hotspots like roundabouts and take safer cycle routes where available.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">George Mitton, 26-year-old journalist<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLDyZkme9Tq0WL1_JvDaUkqFjyYNTN9IPJrrqEf5GW1ENV4ZgXnvBnCA_2lQsLK6X-GmJuCo11D81TgVJHP42rG2D5MrWXXrW8ZA57GqBEaM-z1o2RRCSi283Rp3uW_7tNf_D0HMgHnY/s1600/George+Mitton+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLDyZkme9Tq0WL1_JvDaUkqFjyYNTN9IPJrrqEf5GW1ENV4ZgXnvBnCA_2lQsLK6X-GmJuCo11D81TgVJHP42rG2D5MrWXXrW8ZA57GqBEaM-z1o2RRCSi283Rp3uW_7tNf_D0HMgHnY/s200/George+Mitton+pic.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Bike: Apollo racing bike<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">How often do you use it? Daily<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Do you wear a helmet? Yes<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“I suffered an accident where it <span class="apple-style-span">was the motorist's fault, but he redeemed himself by stopping, giving me a lift home (with my damaged bike in the boot) and paying me £80 for repairs. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="apple-style-span">Scratched and bruised but nothing broken. Both he and his girlfriend, who was in the front seat, were very shaken up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“It happened as I left Highbury Corner, going up St Paul's Road (London). The traffic was moving slowly and I was overtaking the traffic on the inside when the car turned left into Corsica Street, without signalling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%;">“The bike needed a new wheel but was all right otherwise. The driver was genuinely apologetic and at the end we shook hands and I said it was a shame we had to meet under those circumstances.</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">“The accident was a timely reminder to be more careful. Because I was commuting on that route I was very used to it and that probably made me more reckless - I should have slowed down more before overtaking the slow moving traffic.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">“But it didn't put me off cycling. I still think it's a great way to get around: much better to be in the open air getting some exercise than crammed in a sweaty tube carriage. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">“My advice for novice cyclists would be: take time to build up your confidence. Get practice riding on quieter roads where you feel more comfortable. If you want to cycle to work, plan your route in advance and leave plenty of time so you're not in a rush. For most people (me included) this confidence doesn't come naturally so you've got to build it up. You've just got to make yourself seen, so wearing high-vis clothing is a good idea, especially if you're a novice.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div></span></span></div>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-51000606311204382652011-05-13T21:55:00.009+01:002011-08-07T11:50:43.044+01:00Restoring London's lost orchards<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"></span><br />
<div class="font-null" style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was a time when London and its suburbs were crammed with orchards providing fresh fruit for the population</span></div><div class="font-null" style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div class="font-null" style="margin-bottom: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to a £50,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The London Orchard Project has a two year plan to restore some of the surviving trees and sites to produce fruit for the future.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the full story, go to:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/restoring-londons-lost-orchards-2282970.html</span></div>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-60208981538461864072011-03-02T14:20:00.000+00:002011-03-02T14:20:19.306+00:00Multiculturism...<div style="color: black;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><img src="http://img2.blogblog.com/img/video_object.png" style="background-color: #b2b2b2; " class="BLOGGER-object-element tr_noresize tr_placeholder" id="ieooui" data-original-id="ieooui" /> <style>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Following David Cameron’s speech in Munich, the BBC asks, what does multiculturism mean? It offered a few definitions:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNJjL5Jokg-QoiqJrdkjeW1FpBNDAiMA13pJGrAkA8g4WnRp-4ceIgDgnFWf_aLLOx5gfxlfOciZFMZE5kqf8HawLuemBMgwYYQQtzENTgclYPDsUCkhPtvQLXWj1__w9iwTEzzH6i0M/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNJjL5Jokg-QoiqJrdkjeW1FpBNDAiMA13pJGrAkA8g4WnRp-4ceIgDgnFWf_aLLOx5gfxlfOciZFMZE5kqf8HawLuemBMgwYYQQtzENTgclYPDsUCkhPtvQLXWj1__w9iwTEzzH6i0M/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><ul style="color: black;" type="square"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">People of different communities living alongside each other or ethnic or religious groups leading completely separate lives.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">The policy or process whereby the distinctive identities of the cultural groups within such a society are maintained or supported</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Putting people into ethnic boxes; multiculturalism is a fusion in which a culture borrows bits of others and creatively transforms both itself and them</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">But this is all a little too ambiguous for my liking... <br />
<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">I’ve set out below some of my ideas of the meanings of multiculturalism:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Firstly, I believe it's Whitehall's fault for encouraging segregation and not just within the "Muslim" community... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">There are so many policies that encourage segregation and racial discrimination - policies implemented by the government including faith schools and positive discrimination. Although this was created in order to create a “multicultural” environment, white counterparts could be forgiven for feeling like they were not being chosen for places because people from ethnic minorities were favoured above them – even if they held better qualification and experience.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Perhaps if local MPs didn't just appeal to specific communities and instead spoke to every member of their constituency, then the form of multiculturism that Cameron's harping on about wouldn't be perpetuated to the extent it is... For example, although Tower Hamlets is only made up of around 30% of people of Bangladeshi origin, it was them that the majority of MPs concentrated on.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> <br />
Secondly; segregation has existed for-absolutely-ever. This country has welcomed immigration for hundreds and hundreds of years... It seems now that us "coloured" folk have come in, apparently taking "their" jobs that there is a "problem”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Maybe Mr Cameron should leave Whitehall occasionally and visit these “segregated” areas. I will admit that people stay within their own communities when they first get to the UK – it’s natural to feel more comfortable amongst your own people rather than strangers. Once they’ve made themselves at home, give it until the second or perhaps the third generation and people DO start integrating. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">And thirdly, upbringing: “The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua has created a great deal of controversy over the last few months. But people from ethnic minorities that have succeeded have done so because of the hard work of their parents – be it, saving money to send them to a better school or putting homework above having a social life. These parents want to give their children what they never had growing up, especially as most immigrants come from poor backgrounds. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">An education provides a better income and therefore a better way of life (well, it did in MY day! Who knows what’ll happen to the graduates of today). It’s money that gets them out of the “ghettos” – not people of the same ethnicity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Where I grew up in Birmingham - when we first moved there, it was mostly Irish people, and then came the South Asians – a mix of Bengalis, Pakistanis and Indians. Now it's Eastern Europeans and Somalians... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">The Asians have moved out to more well-off areas of Birmingham such as Mosely, Sutton Coldfiend and Solihull. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Visit north London where in areas such as Stoke Newington there is a vast number of Hasidic Jews, all complete with skull caps and below-the-knee pleated skirts. If Cameron thinks that it’s just Muslims who oppress women, he should consider the Jewish community as well: women are expected to separate from their partners during their menstrual periods and the men give thanks to God for not making them a woman.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">I think Cameron needs go back to the drawing board on this issue and pick his words a little more carefully.<br />
<br />
He is scapegoating people and in doing so, making them less likely to want to “integrate” than they already feel. The reason, I think, why he's picking on Asian and Black communities is because we stand out more - it's physically easier to see the difference between an Asian person and a white person than a white Irish person or white English person... </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">I personally don’t believe I fit into a stereotype: I am as happy to stay at home and cook my friends a curry as I am sat in the pub on a summer’s afternoon. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Amongst my peers, we have always joked about the similarities between Irish and Asian people: their love of food and family being the main ones! Every culture has things in common and it is those that should be promoted rather than the differences highlighted. If you feel you have something in common with your neighbour would you not be more likely to offer them a cuppa than someone you didn’t know?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">David Cameron may be trying to turn multiculturalism into a dirty word, but unless he opens his eyes and talks to the British people one to one, he will not understand the basic facet of our cultural identity: empathy. This country has been a haven to immigrants from all over the world – during times of wealth and depression; war and peace. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">Integration should not be about assimilation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">At our fingertips lies a doorway into the many cultures of our world – we should embrace the good bits, discard the bad bits and come up with a whole new identity: one that is rich, full of life, and the best of British.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVtt0h9HDmae2IFk6wMNeGH6F2RCM4rFpV9sm8Cdjl7iv8GohMSuXyeA9H2xvIpEL7hDQvRWX2NLOgEy_aePdklGWnGoxzOuWqgm8Ae2PYbK6SmHgH5uFeIgWDVkJV8A7t4MVT74etoI/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVtt0h9HDmae2IFk6wMNeGH6F2RCM4rFpV9sm8Cdjl7iv8GohMSuXyeA9H2xvIpEL7hDQvRWX2NLOgEy_aePdklGWnGoxzOuWqgm8Ae2PYbK6SmHgH5uFeIgWDVkJV8A7t4MVT74etoI/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt;">It looks like it’s going to be an interesting four years…</span></div>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-72039103807830971382010-10-24T16:15:00.003+01:002010-11-29T13:57:58.860+00:00East End stabbing escalates gang war<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">17<sup>th</sup> September 2010</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br />
</span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">A man in his early twenties was stabbed yesterday outside Bethnal Green station. His bloody footprints led to the Approach Tavern near Victoria Park. He had been stabbed in the calf and sought sanctuary at the pub accompanied by a friend. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Sharon, one of the bar staff, said he had sat in the beer garden until the police and ambulance services arrived at the scene. His blood-soaked trainers were left for forensics who arrived around 11pm to aid the investigation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Bethnal Green police constabulary refuse to comment on the events and insist no arrests have been made. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Locals at the pub were not shocked or surprised at the turn of events. Richard Walker, 26, who has lived in the area all his life, said: "Gang crime is still rife in the East End. It doesn't affect</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> us </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">and </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I feel pretty safe walking around here". </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Speaking to youths on local estates, they agreed that it is easy to identify gang members. Shoaib Ahmed said: "My parents are really strict and we'd get into lots of trouble if we got involved with them". Another, who did not wish to be named, said his parents enforce curfews and encourage them to get involved in local activities at youth centres and mosques in the area. The youth centres and mosques have after school activities to engage the younger population of Tower Hamlets in an effort to keep kids off the streets, learning skills to help them gain valuable experience for job hunting or to help them into higher education. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Google has created a map to show the distribution of gangs in London:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://sites.google.com/site/londonstreetgangs/borough-pages/tower-hamlets</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In Tower Hamlets there are presently around 25 gangs, with over 20 of these almost entirely, Bengali. The Bengali population makes up 29.4 per cent of the overall population (around 65,553 people) from which an estimated 2,500 Bengali youths in Tower Hamlets are associated to street gangs. Some of the more prominent currently in existence are the Brick Lane Massive, Turin Massive (Turin Street) and White Flatz (Minerva Estate).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-1396627997201771012010-08-22T18:55:00.014+01:002010-08-27T12:47:41.788+01:00Fanatical fervourI am always overwhelmed when I think about the millions of people that inhabit this Earth and their very different priorities in life.<br /><br />Everyone has something that drives them, that keeps the blood pumping through their veins, and gives them that warm fuzzy feeling in their belly. For some people it can be their family, for others their job and for quite a few people: religion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfmpC6liXUtZ4jbQ5tr8GxyLvwKfnwA8qgWES6CnHIWC5p7KWjaBuznZDQmUaHJ6s_qJetrAB_tDUCV2jcU-u9zz59kF-_q9SPOUfAfbEPr8lWTl9VQzR7cpsNdqAyO5tOCLR6S9saV8/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyfmpC6liXUtZ4jbQ5tr8GxyLvwKfnwA8qgWES6CnHIWC5p7KWjaBuznZDQmUaHJ6s_qJetrAB_tDUCV2jcU-u9zz59kF-_q9SPOUfAfbEPr8lWTl9VQzR7cpsNdqAyO5tOCLR6S9saV8/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510054892058913298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I went to an Evangelical church service last Sunday, and far from being full of over zealous types attempting to convert me, I discovered the meaning of an equilibrium between fanaticism and open-mindedness. Even as a non-believer I was welcomed with open arms into this group, who are bound together through their love of Jesus.<br /><br />Take away the bouncy songs, clapping and swaying in praise of their Lord, and you're left with people who are looking to do good. With their songs, emotive words and literature they declare that they're not interested in what other people do or say. They encourage their followers to do good by giving to the community to enrich the lives of people around them, proactively and not just with cash. My friend who took me to the service, showed me a derelict building that the church had bought. He insisted that there wasn't going to be any material advertising the church - not even subliminal messages, he joked! He said the only people who would know of the church's involvement in this scheme would be those curious enough to ask who their benefactor is.<br /><br />My friend said that his interest in this church in particular stemmed from the pastors having lead "real" lives and converting much later in life, rather than having been born into religion. For example, one of the pastors had been part of a gang. He wanted a sense of belonging to a family and when he finally "found Jesus" he realised he could get it within a group that didn't need to use knives to gain respect from fellow members.<br /><br />Now, don't get me wrong; the service wasn't all sweetness and light. On my way in I was given a "Welcome pack" which contained information on what the church does and how they can help you to see the light. It's a white bag, so highlights to everyone else that you're new - and because they're all such a friendly bunch everyone comes up to you to say “hi” and ask what your motivations for being at the church are. At the end of the service the pastor asks "Is there anyone amongst us who would like to receive Jesus?" - it's a chance for those that are looking to convert to evangelicalism to have their doubts put to rest so they can become part of this family.<br /><br />Of course, let's not forget that fanaticism doesn't just manifest itself within the religious, but also the non-religious.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiscldcafB71sX9bEKMAKkCfDsMwB6L1ImQQDLm4FQaEx6y1CAW5dte2DJuCX2c5uiMCsyPPIlIenw2023D79Ez2SmtUmtXnVs1-_jDqO4oTneH6b0u1tX-pAQ40AHOCnXHqsxNgT3CA/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiscldcafB71sX9bEKMAKkCfDsMwB6L1ImQQDLm4FQaEx6y1CAW5dte2DJuCX2c5uiMCsyPPIlIenw2023D79Ez2SmtUmtXnVs1-_jDqO4oTneH6b0u1tX-pAQ40AHOCnXHqsxNgT3CA/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510054031599096642" border="0" /></a><br />Richard Dawkins is one the most famous atheists around. He also leads services open to the general public under the guise of “lectures”. His welcome pack comes in the form of his many books full of powerful words in an attempt to convert the readers.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On the Richard Dawkins Foundation website (http://richarddawkins.net/), it lays out its purpose (akin to the Ten Commandments, perhaps?):<br /></div><br />“The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and human suffering”.<br /><br />I don’t believe that religious fervour is the same as fanaticism. What I saw at the Evangelical service was pure fervour, whereas the antagonistic feel of the Richard Dawkins’ website is fanaticism.<br /><br />I believe religion to be a human instinct to create a bond between people in order to encourage cohesion. Religion manifests itself in a variety of forms. It is this OBSESSION that unites people but also creates dissention.<br /><br />Everyone has a religion, everyone has an agenda; be it God, football, or a boyband. Each side is looking to increase their numbers – either subliminally or by force - and do you know which side I'm going to take? NONE! When the collection tin comes round to me, I'd rather give my hard earned cash to my local pub than the pious or Mr Dawkins!Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-79086109116962271662010-07-14T22:16:00.007+01:002010-08-27T12:33:09.975+01:00Soap operas? Who'd watch 'em?!In the past few years, Bollywood has become part of our every day vocabulary. We’ve welcomed with open arms these films with their glamorous stars, glitzy costumes, and of course the all important singing and dancing; now it’s time for the soaps!<br /><br />Forget Eastenders, Coronation Street and even the best hangover cure that is Hollyoaks; my new favourite is Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-DQs01Ql-rIZiZfnw96fFRH-jNNv4VlZlMqFA9mTPGAv567UwFqU3j5iPR2vzZYnECX-Saiu7IrS65Q_PUNXsWBbtXR-KFwX5m5eIfRkkxTj4dPyrhD_OKrbylYR9AaU5OazVwTm1Hc/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-DQs01Ql-rIZiZfnw96fFRH-jNNv4VlZlMqFA9mTPGAv567UwFqU3j5iPR2vzZYnECX-Saiu7IrS65Q_PUNXsWBbtXR-KFwX5m5eIfRkkxTj4dPyrhD_OKrbylYR9AaU5OazVwTm1Hc/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510051022766378098" border="0" /></a>India is changing. It is an emerging giant capable of doing as much as the other superpowers of this world. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy with this change and this is voiced in these soaps.<br /><br />Although they follow the age old idea that love really and truly does conquer all, they also focus on the fact that through following Indian culture and tradition you can overcome all obstacles. A belief in the gods and taking part in the rituals and prayers will aid you in leading a better and happier life. If you can do a pilgrimage then more kudos for you! The western way will only bring about your downfall.<br /><br />This is the underlying tone, but these soaps also raise issues on caste, skin colour and a woman’s place in society. Sapna Babul Ka...Bidaai is a story of two cousins - Sadhna and Ragini; one is fair in colour and the other dark, but both of their hearts are pure (don’t worry – this won’t be the only cheesy line – read on for more!)! The fair skinned Sadhna is revered by society whilst her darker skinned cousin is shunned. We follow their trials and tribulations, their determination to uphold their culture and traditions within a higher caste, westernised, rich and powerful family that they've married into.<br /><br />Most people consider soaps to be a very inaccurate portrayal of real life. I believe it to be a hightened view of our existence and relationship with the people and world around us. It allows us to take note of the priority of individual societies. In the Indian soaps it is about maintaining traditions. Success isn't about how much you have in the bank but how those closest to you feel towards you. Respect can't be bought, it has to be earned (I DID warn you about the cheesy lines!).<br /><br />At the end of the day, regardless of how we may feel about the soap opera - be they British or Indian - after a hard day's work, sometimes, it's a wonderful feeling to kick off those heels, find a comfy spot on the sofa, with a glass of wine in one hand and the remote in the other!Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-64131682256474133172010-06-29T15:14:00.010+01:002010-08-27T13:07:33.648+01:00Beach holidays – to go or not to go?I’ve just come back from a week in Turkey. Well… I say Turkey… I mean Marmaris – a holiday resort that is a home away from home for us Brits! You can get an English fry-up or Sunday roast every where you turn. God forbid you'd want anything else... Like Turkish food perhaps?! There are TV screens to watch the all important footie and of course the Sun – in case you cared about what was happening back in Blighty.<br /><br />Although a little dubious at first, the more and more stressed out and tired I became the more attractive a prospect Marmaris became. The idea of sun, sea and stunning white beaches was certainly getting me through the grey and gloomy weeks in London.<br /><br />After all, Thomson Travel voted Marmaris the third best holiday resort in the world for British holiday makers (in case you’re interested, Benidorm was number one).<br /><br />http://marmaris.org/marmaris_blog/Default.aspx<br /><br />OK – a bit of back story here: I’m usually a “sight-seeing” traveller. I go to places to explore and understand a different way of life to that of my own. I enjoy doing things I wouldn’t do at home. So the idea of a beach holiday would never have occurred to me until my housemate suggested it.<br /><br />As soon as we landed and checked into our hotel, I realised that this would be as much of a culture shock as any other far flung place I've been to. I’d never seen so many lager louts, never been perved on so much in my entire life, and never started a pool party before!<br /><br />I know I sound like a snob – but not only did I grow up in a ghetto in Birmingham, but I've also been to university so you’d think I’d be used to seeing people pissed off their faces, tinny in one hand and fag in the other. But believe it or not, I’ve never ever felt so out of my depth.<br /><br />Our activities included sitting by the pool, swimming in the pool, getting a massage from very cute Turkish men, sitting by the beach, swimming in (or in my case bouncing in) the sea.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv2KtwQvABtq4864V1S-3lgsLsJFrZq_hU1lULvWQfD1j9Fg3kFUmVeDStYocHeNqoKKTYmTQElmNJFwtowaLNfddBYF7rfGFoKo_XwrCEvPzMbM2X9o_zmRs0_gUIabbqmDkO5bv2Nw/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv2KtwQvABtq4864V1S-3lgsLsJFrZq_hU1lULvWQfD1j9Fg3kFUmVeDStYocHeNqoKKTYmTQElmNJFwtowaLNfddBYF7rfGFoKo_XwrCEvPzMbM2X9o_zmRs0_gUIabbqmDkO5bv2Nw/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510059951385596674" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not to worry, though, we didn't just sit by the hotel pool sipping our martinis - we explored Marmaris itself: Bar Street contained more bars than I’ve ever seen, even compared to the West End! And the drinks were about the same price as London! All the bar staff encouraged dancing on the bars! For the shoppers out there, there are hundreds upon hundreds of shops selling, towels (for the all important sun worshiping), sheesha pipes and the usual tacky nik-naks you get in every major toursist destination!<br /><br />Towards the end of the week, we thought it was time to do something a little more strenuous! We took a boat out to Dalaman and Turtle beach where we did some more lying around in the sun, had a mud bath and sat around in a sulphur pool!<br />http://www.troysan.com/dalyan-caunos-turtle-beach<br /><br />There's nothing particularly Turkish about Marmaris (the signs were in English and every Turkish person we met (mostly men) spoke perfect English!) If you want a holiday where each day all you have to think about is "pool or beach" and "martini or gin and tonic" then Marmaris is for you!Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-20060853900629670162010-06-10T11:04:00.010+01:002010-08-31T10:52:01.398+01:00Do as the French...Liberté egalité fraternité...<br /><br />It is on this mantra that the French have been raised. It is this belief that sets them apart from the rest of Europe. They believe in a free society, where everyone is equal and walk hand in hand as brothers. Although on the surface this appears to be a harmonious way to live – it is just that - skin deep.<br /><br />Recent events have us waiting with bated breath for Autumn. The French Senate will decide in September whether there will be a ban on people from concealing their face in public. This means masked crusaders, balaclava-clad robbers, hoodies and of course veil wearing Muslims.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatAZ3Xlm5-Tht5wuNkpjYJGE7K_R2_jehGxbb4LxE2kJS8-2NL4hIhP0cNDBKoongN_S1rncXzNEibfoq7wjn7g2HKWAQ99Mi4qdKi18NdF0dYN2glfpYIb8hMaW_kCVqtY2H505Pu8Y/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatAZ3Xlm5-Tht5wuNkpjYJGE7K_R2_jehGxbb4LxE2kJS8-2NL4hIhP0cNDBKoongN_S1rncXzNEibfoq7wjn7g2HKWAQ99Mi4qdKi18NdF0dYN2glfpYIb8hMaW_kCVqtY2H505Pu8Y/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511509301962742818" border="0" /></a>According to the UK national press, out of the five million Muslims living in France, only 2,000 women wear a full face veil.<br /></div><br />But of course, the French have a history of hypocrisy towards Muslims, so is it any wonder that they still feel threatened today?<br /><br />The French government has tried to create a secular society but it appears that more than anything else, it has created divisions between the people. They seem more at ease hiding things from view rather than being upfront.<br /><br />This is represented on a small scale, by concealing religious symbols at school. This means that children do not learn about the belief of others through experience but merely through text books. You learn by asking questions, not through spoon-feeding (as the British government is doing - but we'll save that debate for another time!). Nothing is as black and white as it seems. Even if it appears as such you need to ask why.<br /><br />And on a much larger scale:<br />The end of the Algerian war in 1962 caused an influx of immigrants to France. The pieds-noirs (original immigrants to Algeria from France when it was under French rule) were repatriated. On the other hand, the 91,000 or so Algerians that had fought for France (the Harkis) were not given official permission to migrate to France so were left in refugee camps.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcoOEHJHU37LYjXaHhieJXNSQeyW-mfwGXYNqhcQMwF457wd3aFAh776GJURHlXC45Lo8r41r3sxD4PPfpD1-UYnQvzm_9Lyrm6S-Ja_mGXcT3zafwVU3M-bLUlhQQoNR4Iu30WUJ3t0/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcoOEHJHU37LYjXaHhieJXNSQeyW-mfwGXYNqhcQMwF457wd3aFAh776GJURHlXC45Lo8r41r3sxD4PPfpD1-UYnQvzm_9Lyrm6S-Ja_mGXcT3zafwVU3M-bLUlhQQoNR4Iu30WUJ3t0/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511508092200723266" border="0" /></a>Once they were freed they were left to their own devices, but their lack of money and social status meant they could not afford proper housing, thus creating the infamous banlieues as represented in films like that of Matthieu Kassovitz’s La Hain and books, such as the autobiographical Le Gone du Chaba by Azouz Begag.<br /><br />Those at the bottom rungs of society are hidden from view allowing the rest of the population to continue with their daily lives as if nothing had ever happened.<br /><br />Separating a population on such a vast scale doesn’t allow a culture to assimilate nor people to integrate. They are left feeling like second class citizens.<br /><br />A ban on the veil will not encourage integration. The French say that a ban will liberate these women, but many feminists including myself will argue that true freedom comes from being allowed to be who you wish to be.<br /><br />People rarely learn from past mistakes – why should the French be any different? So... Now, we wait...Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-32144390855082397592010-05-01T23:57:00.004+01:002010-08-31T14:45:59.512+01:00The demise of Mr BrownThe Cast:<br />
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Prime Minister Gordon Brown<br />
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Gillian Duffy<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKEe7VJuUeozNIpzk8lYrusmEInMtF2wurrlwhuT199t8IOePtXr1MSeraDkhIP8qeVLMxG2eSDx5gDJev_ExQVH-vJEY-6HkcjcR6wIwXblVvFj-EvFZqltIbnjqPq5NPeGOG8B4-Io/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKEe7VJuUeozNIpzk8lYrusmEInMtF2wurrlwhuT199t8IOePtXr1MSeraDkhIP8qeVLMxG2eSDx5gDJev_ExQVH-vJEY-6HkcjcR6wIwXblVvFj-EvFZqltIbnjqPq5NPeGOG8B4-Io/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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The extract:<br />
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GD: You can't say anything about the immigrants because you're saying that you're... but all these eastern Europeans what are coming in, where are they flocking from?<br />
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GB: A million people have come from Europe but a million British people have gone into Europe. You do know that there's a lot of British people staying in Europe as well. Look, come back to what were your initial principles: helping people – that's what we're in the business of doing. A decent health service, that's really important, and education. Now these are the things that we have tried to do. We're going to maintain the schools so that we can make sure that people have that chance to get on. <br />
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Gordon Brown gets in car. <br />
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GB: That was a disaster... should never have put me with that woman. Whose idea was that?<br />
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Aide: I don't know, I didn't see her. <br />
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GB: Sue [Nye]'s, I think. Just ridiculous.<br />
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Aide: Not sure that they'll go with that one.<br />
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GB: They will go with that one.<br />
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Aide: What did she say?<br />
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GB: Everything, she was just a sort of bigoted woman who said she used to be Labour.<br />
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And so on... <br />
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The British press has predicted that this event will lead to the demise of Gordon Brown and the Labour party. But where on earth has this conclusion come from? It appears that the majority of the UK publications have reported this affair in a negative manner. From the extract of the conversation with Gillian Duffy, you can see that Brown attempts to placate her; he makes an attempt to encourage her to understand the immigration situation and in doing so certainly makes a very valid point.<br />
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From my point of view the only negative of this episode is the length to which Brown went to, to apologise to Mrs Duffy. I actually found this quite embarrassing. Surely the opinion of one person can't be THAT important? Shouldn’t the Prime Minister be exempt from grovelling? It feels as if the general election has created a little boy of one of the world’s most powerful men.<br />
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As the Independent noted today: "Mrs Duffy won't decide the election. You will". I certainly hope that the general public aren't quite that easily influenced. But as the final election debate demonstrated, it does not take much to sway public opinion.<br />
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I can understand that people will be disheartened to know just how two-faced he actually is, but who isn’t? We all have a face we show people we don't know very well - colleagues, clients, even to the Big Issue bloke and a more relaxed face to our friends, family and loved ones. He may be the Prime Minister and in the middle of fighting to retain this position, but he is also a HUMAN BEING.<br />
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In terms of immigration, what most people don't seem to realise (or those that DO know, are not willing to accept) is the extent to which we rely on the immigrant population. As Brown pointed out: the level of immigration may be high, but let's not forget the Brits living abroad.<br />
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The film "Dirty, pretty things" contains a brilliant line: "We are the ones who drive your cabs. We clean your rooms, and suck your cocks". The people that come over here (especially those of the "Eastern European" variety) do the jobs that none of us would want to do.<br />
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Mrs Duffy also complained about university fees. Maybe Gordon Brown should have told her about the extortionist fees paid by foreign students. According to a Guardian story last year, foreign students can pay up to £20,000 a year. Without this money the universities would be in a much more dire state that they're already in.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D625BetGTiMaDpIP0PZviQuScbLpTTRByhb1ksuhLmsG6czxtknN4tXRIgGPuHK0auXfpF41y5SlHqQNgWRqTWYYhRrLsETOufnB4zKjGMdSCoc5WEEcNsTv6DeTlzH04kM2VO_PzdY/s1600/brown4-400x305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_D625BetGTiMaDpIP0PZviQuScbLpTTRByhb1ksuhLmsG6czxtknN4tXRIgGPuHK0auXfpF41y5SlHqQNgWRqTWYYhRrLsETOufnB4zKjGMdSCoc5WEEcNsTv6DeTlzH04kM2VO_PzdY/s200/brown4-400x305.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's a shame and terribly unfortunate that this is such a no-win situation for poor Gordon Brown and unfortunately the majority of the population will ignore that he tried to open the eyes of this woman - to get her to see the bigger picture. I certainly believe that he did his best, but sadly, in these, situations honesty will get you nowhere. You need to put on your best, most smiley face for the public to win those votes and pray to all the gods that you don't slip up!<br />
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It is a shame that the Labour party has had to resort to relying on people like Duffy for votes. Where have all the sane people gone?<br />
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Of course, as much as this event has raised my estimation of Gordon Brown, I still won't be voting Labour.<br />
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Thursday’s election debate:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNwT5TrZCCe4JH7-EQtAL1hBkRxOea89M72jYJUSfOjJP2KzZdCC_71KJRW9dNQgaTu-aggSppiMiPK3vOE2K18YshzgnR0R6OGtY-WoILzY2448hE8VU6ukJfVyWozrvxSXtf9fW9QA/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNwT5TrZCCe4JH7-EQtAL1hBkRxOea89M72jYJUSfOjJP2KzZdCC_71KJRW9dNQgaTu-aggSppiMiPK3vOE2K18YshzgnR0R6OGtY-WoILzY2448hE8VU6ukJfVyWozrvxSXtf9fW9QA/s320/images.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I believed this to be Gordon Brown’s most impressive performance since the start of these debates. And, why should it not have been? This is his field; this is his area of expertise. THIS was his time to shine!<br />
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Unfortunately, the polls showed a whole other story… The public put Cameron first, Clegg second and Brown last. Was I watching a totally different debate to the rest of the country? It certainly felt that way! It seems that Brown’s grovelling didn’t improve the British public’s opinion of him. If he had stood his ground, I think he would have certainly gained a few more points from various sectors of the population. I want a strong leader. A leader who is in control of the power we have entrusted him with. He should stand by his convictions and not give in to the media. That phone call should have sufficed. He lost so much precious preparation time, and for what? To appease a voter? Incidentally, she was portrayed by papers like the Times s an innocent, sweet grandmother, who did not mean any harm and was sorely wronged. <br />
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The Liberal Democrat leader’s performance certainly was not up to the standard to which we have become accustomed, so in my opinion, he deserved to come second. But, Cameron FIRST?<br />
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His face became more and more flushed as the debate progressed. He seemed flustered, confused and unable to form coherent sentences, to the point where he kept repeating himself.<br />
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My only trouble with Brown was his relentless petty attacks on Cameron. Brown had the knowledge, he was certainly in his element and therefore capable of standing his ground – so, what was the need for all those cheap shots?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpAz43yAeYcusVuvdqexE-obLCG9-Kktf8ybA9rntt6oXIP_7dl2yu1uKAgn_69zFzo_xEhbAWPzvpV2vaqI6_MoH_Zy23UTYnvGl1Xpa0ldQ1kBMVOgCp5CDcoSF5CFQKCebWms2pPo/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKpAz43yAeYcusVuvdqexE-obLCG9-Kktf8ybA9rntt6oXIP_7dl2yu1uKAgn_69zFzo_xEhbAWPzvpV2vaqI6_MoH_Zy23UTYnvGl1Xpa0ldQ1kBMVOgCp5CDcoSF5CFQKCebWms2pPo/s200/images.jpg" width="199" /></a>The results of this debate just proves how easily people are swayed by the media. As a would-be journalist, I find this very exciting and yet terrifying about the power at my dispostition. It seems the pen certainly is mightier than the sword. But, surely, the media’s duty is to report the facts – to make the public aware of home and world affairs. NOT to influence. Black and white facts should be enough to help the public make an informed decision. During previous elections, the Sun claimed Labour’s win as their doing. Hence, the Independent’s posters declaring “Murdoch won’t decide this election; you will” (which resulted in James Murdoch storming into the Independent offices and throwing expletives at the editor!).<br />
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The media should not be making or breaking elections. They should be reporting the lead up to it and then the results. The media has a duty to keep each and every person informed of the situation – they should not be making decisions for them. <br />
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The British Media = 1<br />
Gordon Brown = 0Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-77918454494967507672010-04-30T09:48:00.003+01:002010-06-30T14:28:02.576+01:00Teacher trouble!Teachers. A story was forwarded on to me yesterday. The author viewed teachers as no more than mere babysitters. Apparently, teachers are paid an extortionate amount of money for doing nothing more than what a 15 year old does to earn and bit of pocket money.<br /><br />In my opinion, teachers are more akin to crowd control personnel. All the teachers I know work 10 – 14 hour days. It is certainly true that they have a great deal more holiday than the rest of us 9 to 5ers. But again, the teachers I know spend the majority of it marking or creating lesson plans.<br /><br />Teachers are the foundation of our society. It is their influence on the future generations that will give us doctors, police officers and Prime Ministers.<br /><br />In recent years, under the Labour government, bureaucracy has crept into the education system. Teachers no longer have the power to decide the curriculum – there is no encouragement to teach children to think outside the box. In order for schools to win funding, they need to meet government standards, yet this means ticking a whole load of inane boxes. These boxes don’t include teaching anything other than the basics. Children are not pushed to achieve more than the minimum that will lead to some form of employment. <br /><br />I feel that we will have a generation of young people incapable of using their initiative, terrified of living independently of others because they are so used to being spoon fed.<br /><br />A standardised curriculum, short working days, and 13 weeks of holiday a year, could a job get any better than this?<br /><br />According to a report in the Guardian last year, nearly 40% of newly qualified teachers drop out after 6 months. Many teachers have complained that this is due to the conditions under which they work.<br /><br />This brings me to the case of Peter Harvey, who in a moment of utter madness hit a child over the head with a dumbbell. Firstly, the pupil was waving a Bunsen burner whilst shouting abuse at Harvey. Secondly, what was the teacher doing with a Dumbbell in the classroom. Jokes aside, I do not condone this behaviour, but it is also easy to understand the stress he was under. Children are extremely cruel. I remember a lesson once when a group of girls left a number of tampons dipped in red paint in the classroom. The teacher, after seeing this went bright red with embarrassment, which resulted in the class hurling abuse at him.<br /><br />Teachers deal with abuse on a regular basis – some more than others. Luckily there are those that are strong enough to persevere with their students in order to create another generation of people who have the desire of improving the conditions of our society.<br /><br />Considering all the difficulties, the long hours, and constant abuse faced by some from students, I think they do a pretty good job!Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286413464317000845.post-26935538816365503862010-04-29T12:17:00.003+01:002010-06-30T13:43:01.211+01:00The Respect partyGeorge Galloway? Apparently, he's the man who's spent the last 5 years "fixing" Tower Hamlets and if voted for again, he will continue to do the best for the borough.<br /><br />Below are a few of his ideas:<br /><br />It's been reported that he's bringing in a new brand of cola where the profits will go to Palestine. Keeping the streets clean, maintaining the schools, building houses, costs money. If these profits are sent to Palestine, where will he find the money to help the residents of Tower Hamlets? At the end of the day, people will ALWAYS give to a good cause, and I'm not aware of many institutions who don't believe the plight of the Palestinians is a worth cause. At the end of the day, liberal papers like the Independent and the Guardian will always support the Palestinian cause. The journalist Robert Fisk - has lived in the Middle East for over 10 years and has always condoned the behaviour of the Israelis. Just because Galloway’s screaming louder than everyone else it doesn't mean its going to make a difference.<br /><br />Second point - he wishes to "empower local Muslims". It seems people have forgotten about the number of schemes that are in place which helps Muslims from all corners of society in order to reach their potential. This hasn't happened because of Galloway atop his red bus, but thanks to the Labour party. Although I don't agree with positive discrimination, there are initiatives which help those from underprivileged backgrounds to get into Oxford and Cambridge. In industries where there are a limited number of people from ethnic backgrounds, for example, media: there are various grants to help fund the courses - the average journalism course costs around £3000. As long as these people can prove that they have the determination to succeed in their chosen industry, they have a shot at getting a place. Galloway didn't do this - Labour did.<br /><br />In terms of Galloway's character, compared to most other MPs, he has made the least amount of appearances in Parliament compared to any other MP - what on earth is he going to do for Tower Hamlets if he's never in Parliament??<br /><br />According to a story by Simon Carr of the Independent, if Galloway were to become Prime Minister, his main priority would getting the army out of Ireland - what on earth's that got to do with helping the people of Tower Hamlets.<br /><br />On the contrary, this is what the Liberal Democrate candidate's offering:<br /><br />They're going to make sure that money goes into funding the Idea Store isn't cut - this'll ensure that future generations can actually read and don't turn into gangsters - that these kids will take advantage of the scholarships and grants being offered to people from unprivileged backgrounds.<br /><br />Galloway says there are over 25,000 people in the East End who are in need of housing - the problem is that he doesn't know how he’ll fix this - on the other hand, the Liberal Democrats are campaigning to make habitable the 2,692 empty houses in Tower Hamlets that are being wasted and could go to those that need help.<br /><br />They plan on building more sports facilities in Mile End. Not only will this keep kids safe this will also aid the problem of rising obesity (this is more so an issue within Bengali communities rather than other communities).<br /><br />Most people may feel indifferent to these issues. They believe them to be too small in the grand scheme of things. But it is these are issues that affect us - Galloway’s policies are based on helping Muslims abroad – which is all well and good, but at least the Liberal Democrats appear to want to put our own houses in order before branching out into the world.<br /><br />The Telegraph reported that when he turned up yesterday in order to get on his open top red bus, he was sat in his car smoking a £400 cigar - if he has that sort of money to waste on something without any sense of permanence, why doesn’t he pump more cash into his campaign?<br /><br />Galloway is a one trick pony. Yes, he stood up against the war in Iraq. Yes, he wants to help the Palestinian cause. Yes, his heart is probably in the right place, but you know what? I would rather vote for a party that will help ME to achieve my potential than worry about issues better left to institutions created to resolve foreign conflicts.<br /><br />At the end of the day, I believe that although Respect has some good ideas they have no method with which to implement theme. The Liberal Democrats have mostly the same ideas and beliefs (they also didn't agree with the Iraq war and have tried to encourage the government to get involved in the war in Israel) BUT the difference is that the Liberal Democrats have a plan!!Nilshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12782564392493043958noreply@blogger.com0