UK Newswire Archive
UN Peace Corps should enter into the territory of Belarussia
20-12-2010 00:14
Polish Liberals appeal to elected officials of European democrating nations to stop supporting Mr. Lukashenko terror.Vids - Daniel Ellsberg, Ray McGovern, Margaret Flowers Speak Before Their Arrest
19-12-2010 21:32
Vids - Daniel Ellsberg, Ray McGovern, Margaret Flowers Speak Before Their Arrests At White House Protest
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Daniel-Ellsberg-Ray-Mc....html
Bank of America (Wikileaks)
19-12-2010 20:42
save EMA!
19-12-2010 19:22
At our school, Beckfoot in Bingley we decided more needed to be done about the cuts so we organised a silent protest in aim of Saving EMA. We got hundreds of students turning up and even some teachers showing their support.
TUC General Secretary is to have a secret meeting with David Cameron this week
19-12-2010 18:32
......Okasional Cafe is Back in Manchester!
19-12-2010 17:23
The Okasional Cafe is a squatted cafe space currently situated 3 mins walk from Picadilly Gardens in Manchester City Centre.
The cafe runs from 3rd-21st december
Successful Fundraising for Yorkshire Dog Rescue
19-12-2010 17:22
On Friday 10th December we had a relaxed evening of mulled wine and mince pies at the 1in12 club, Bradford, to raise some money for TIA Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue.
Video of Huntington Lane Mine blockade
19-12-2010 16:26
As part of the Huntington Lane Anti-Coal protest camp's weekend gathering on Saturday 11th December activists from across the country successfully blockaded the entrance to the mine. No Arrests were made.Heinz Workers on Strike in Wigan
19-12-2010 16:23
Workers at the Heinz factory in Wigan stopped work on Wednesday, leading to the production of an estimated 2 million fewer cans of beans and other foods. They are striking against a below-inflation pay offer, which has been combined with attacks on sick pay and changes to the bonus scheme.
91.4% of the Unite union members at the Kitt Green factory had voted for strike action, despite Unite negotiators having previously recommended they accept a worsening of their living conditions.
UKCMRI
19-12-2010 16:22
On 16 December 2010 Camden Council granted planning permission to UKCMRI for a gigantic research laboratory (employing 1,500) which will be working on dangerous biological toxins . Help oppose it.Clifton Suspension Bridge Banner Drop
19-12-2010 16:22
"People of Europe, join the movement. Make the bankers pay!"Bristol activists took to Bristol's most iconic landmark, the clifton suspension bridge yesterday to stand against all cuts. Why should students, workers and the unemployed be made to pay for the bankers' crisis?
19/12/2010 Bristol activists took to Brunels finest achievement the clifton suspension bridge yesterday to stand against all cuts. Why should students, workers and the unemployed be made to pay for the bankers' crisis?
In the early evening activists calling themselves the 3 musketeers took to the bridge and unveiled their message to the city. After an open invitation from comrades in Italy who took the student movement to new heights by occupying the tower of piza and the colosseum in rome they responded with a banner drop from Bristol's most iconic landmark.
"We stand against all cuts, job losses and the rises in student fees.
We stand in solidarity with the students in resistance globally.
We believe that it is the bankers who are responsible for this crisis and that they should pay not the poorest in our society."
The banner was taken down after a few minutes when a security guard spotted them and they were chased from the scene.
Bristol Amnesty public meeting on Palestine
19-12-2010 16:22
Speakers:-Bristol student Hari O'Brien who spent the summer with ISM in the West Bank and was injured by Israeli solders during a demonstration
and
Stephen Williams MP for Bristol West
7.30pm United Reform Church, Whiteladies Road, Redland, Bristol
Organised by Bristol Amnesty Group
FFI http://bristol.amnesty.org.uk
B-PSC will be providing an information and dvd stall at this event.
Notes from Hari's diary
This morning Thursday 5th August the Israeli Authorities in the Jordan valley demolished the village of al farisiya for the second time in two weeks. The villagers were able to rebuild the damage that was done on the 19th July when 23 homes were demolished and over 91 made homeless. This morning at 6:30 the army arrived in the village with two bulldozers and 13 jeeps to evacuate the villagers and destroy 26 homes during one hour. They beat two people with sticks. When we arrived the village committee were discussing how and where to rebuild when the chances of another demolition are so high, the inhabitants are of course very angry and tensions are high. International presence will be needed there constantly in the coming weeks. Today's demolition of 26 housing units has made an estimated 170 people homeless the villagers had been evacuated to a nearby village when we arrived. The livestock has not been confiscated and is now in nearby Tubas. On tuesday this week the army also seized one of the village's tractors.
Read more about Hari's trip at www.harisalaam.wordpress.com
Boycott Israeli Goods Action - Leafleting Open Air Film Show.
19-12-2010 16:22
Saturday 15th JanuaryBoycott Israeli Goods Action - Leafleting Open Air Film Show.
1.00pm to 3.00pm then 4.00pm to 6.00pm
Meet outside Waitrose Supermarket, 51 Northumbria Drive, Bristol, BS9 4HN
Organised by Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign
FFI www.bristolpsc.info
This event of part of:-
PALESTINE MEMORIAL WEEK 15th to the 22nd January 2011
The week aims to commemorate the memory of all Palestinian victims, especially in Gaza.
Events around the country
See www.prc.org.uk/newsite/en/WorkShop/642-2nd-annual-palestine-memorial-week.html
local authority propaganda on the rates
19-12-2010 15:22
Grant Shapps MP and his selective amnesiaLocal Authority Publicity Code - DOE Circular 20/88.
bettsc, sandra, picklese, richard.kemp, stuart.macdona.,
19/12.10 at 2:46 PM
Dear Mr Betts,
As Chairman of the Communities and Local Government Committee you held on the 13th December 2010 a one day hearing into proposed changes to the Local Authority Publicity Code DOE Circular 20/88. You asked several of the witnesses called eg: Grant Shapps MP, Cllr Richard Kemp, if they were aware of any breaches of the Code of Recommended Practise on Local Authority Publicity. To a man they all shook their heads and stated they were not aware of any breaches of the code.
For your information I refer you to the following facts.
1) “I have concluded that Bath and North East Somerset ( B&NES) Council breached s4 of the LGA 1986 (as amended) because it failed to have regard to the Code of Recommended Practise on Local Authority Publicity in coming to its decision to publish “Transfer News” during the Weston by-election and that, accordingly, the expenditure incurred by the Council in connection with “Transfer News” was unlawful.” (Mr Richard Lott District Auditor letter to B&NES Council’s Chief Executive 27th October 1998)
2) “Transfer News – consultation publicity with council tenants. In summary B&NES Council has incurred £500,000 of unlawful expenditure by preparing, publishing and distributing the publicity material. I find this material to be unbalanced, one-sided and misleading…in some respects scaremongering” (Mr Richard Lott District Auditor Statement of Reasons 31st October 2001)
This judgement was at the time extensively covered in the national housing press eg: Inside Housing, Housing Today, as well as Private Eye, BBC News, local media etc.,
3) “In summary West Wiltshire Council has incurred unlawful expenditure by preparing, publishing and distributing the publicity material. (Richard Lott District Auditor letter to Chief Executive West Wiltshire District Council January 2002)
4) “Lancashire County Council is to leave the North West Regional Assembly in a move prompted by fears that Council Tax is being spent illegally. In the light of advice from leading counsel, the authority’s Cabinet took the view that the North West Regional Assembly’s publicity amounted to a campaign with the aim of persuading and that it ought not to allow its £80,000 annual subscription to be used in this way.” (Lancashire County Council Press Release 6th March 2003)
5) House of Lords debate regarding unlawful publicity being issued by regional assemblies (20 March 2003: Column 358)
5) “Twenty five Council’s charged with illegal campaigning. Leaders of a North East lobby group have been reprimanded by the District Auditor after allegations they used taxpayers cash to promote a regional assembly. District Auditor David Jennings wrote “So far as I can see, some of the publicity issued by the North East Assembly could be seen to be contravening Part II of the Local Government Act 1986 and DOE Circular 20/88 Code of Recommended Practise on Local Authority Publicity. It could be argued that unlawful expenditure has been incurred by the twenty five contributing authorities.” (The Journal 6th May 2003)
6) “Since I issued my statements of reasons in October 2001 my legal advisors have drawn my attention to the case of R (Beale and Carty) v Camden London Borough (2004) EWHC 6 (Admin), which relates to consultation with tenants about the transfer of the management of Camden’s housing stock. The Camden case suggests that publicity does not need to be balanced and that the consultation is a matter for the Secretary of State rather than the courts…but the Camden case does not seem to have considered the principle that local authorities may only do that which they are authorised to do by statute to do. Continuing legal advice to me is that those powers (including the power to issue publicity) may only be exercised for a proper purpose. In this context if the publicity material had been designed to persuade rather than inform it was unlawful.” (Richard Lott District Auditor Transfer of Housing Stock B&NES Council Public Interest Report March 2004)
Considering the 28 judgements made by the Audit Commission we are surprised that none of the witnesses called by your committee could recall any breaches of the Code of Recommended Practise on Local Authority Publicity.
Finally can Eric Pickles and Grant Shapps confirm they will be clamping down on local authorities who are still mounting propaganda campaigns promoting the sell-off of our council housing in clear breach of Part II LGA 1986 and DOE Circular 20/88 this unlawful publicity being sanctioned by the DCLG.
Regards,
Sue,
Tenants Against The Cuts,
Bath,
England.
Clifton Suspension Bridge Banner Drop
19-12-2010 14:28
Using Aktivix VPN service from Microsoft Windows
19-12-2010 14:23
4 minutes to freedom
Using aktivix vpn
19-12-2010 14:22
How to use aktivix vpn service on microsoft windows to mitigate ISP surveillance and blocks
Gail Sheridan Acquited in perjury trial
19-12-2010 14:22
At the conclusion of Mr Sheridan's defence case this morning the Advocate Depute rose to address the court. Alex Prentice QC stated that he had now had the opportunity to consider his position on the second accused. Gail Sheridan, and had decided that it was 'not in the public interest to proceed.
Call for solidarity action against Shell
19-12-2010 14:22
Call out for solidarity actions against Shell
Call out for Direct Action against Shell
19-12-2010 14:22
In the next few weeks An Bord Pleanála (the Irish planning board) will be announcing whether they have decided to grant permission for Shell to complete the final section of the Corrib raw gas pipeline. This project has already been delayed for 10years as a result of people campaigning and taking action against Shell.