Back home today from a very life-affirming Uzbek opposition meeting in Istanbul. Blogging resumes tomorrow.
Today is Cameron’s birthday and Jamie’s birthday was on Friday Emily’s birthday is three weeks away. I really have an enormous amount for which to be grateful. I should recall than more often.
Good to have you back, Craig. Have you seen the latest batch of horrors, like the proof that cuts to A&E depts are raising the mortality rate, or the terrible suicide of Stephanie Bottrill?
….er, not wanting to bring ya down, though…
Also a few prezzies to buy! And the Tories are in melt down – hooray! Welcome back dude.
A happy 4th birthday to Cameron and many happy returns to Jamie and Emily. What a lot of birthdays. August was always a busy month! 🙂
Don’t miss my quip here: http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2013/05/no-politics-is-local/#comment-407733
Stephanie Botrill RIP
She’s not coming back anymore, her Grandchildren won’t see her next week or any other. Cameron, Smith and Clegg won’t go to her funeral, they may say some smarmy words and then forget her, she is just a figure in the suicide statistics. She was a Mum and a Nan, a real person who bought up children who pay taxes. She didn’t duck and dive and try to avoid she simply said……..
I can’t afford to live.
Welcome back Craig,
Shouldn’t we all count what we have more often … enjoy the birthday celebrations with them!
Police Confirm Bilderberg 2013 to Take Place in Watford, UK
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/10403213.World_leaders_to_hold_summit_in_Watford/
Bilderberg
This is the annual conference of the Bilderberg Group. Every year, the 35 members of the Steering Committee invite around 100 influential figures to attend the 3 day event. According to Bilderberg itself, the conference consists of: “nearly three days of informal and off-the-record discussion about topics of current concern especially in the fields of foreign affairs and the international economy”.
At the conference, officials from governments and opposition parties mix, in private, with banks bosses, heads of state, senior corporate officers, academics, and representatives of all the major international institutions (NATO, the EU, the IMF, the World Bank, the European Central Bank, the WTO etc.) Bilderberg insists that all participants attend in a private capacity – but in 2011, it was revealed that George Osborne attended the St Mortitz Bilderberg conference in his official capacity as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Bilderberg 2013 is in the UK, we can expect a return visit from George Osborne (a long time attendee) and Bilderberg steering committee member Ken Clarke MP, and conference regular Lord Mandelson. It’s also likely that David Cameron and Mark Carney (the soon-to-be Bank of England governor) will pay visits (both have also attended Bilderberg in the past). We’ll also be seeing the CEOs and Chairmen of banks and corporations such as Barclays, HSBC, Santander, Nestlé, Novartis, Airbus, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs. Plus the usual smattering of senior US State Dept and Treasury officials, National Security Advisers, Finance Ministers, European royals, Pentagon top brass and the head of the NSA.
We expect the conference agenda in 2013 to include the North Korea situation, the Cyprus “bailout”, and the ever deepening crisis in the Eurozone.
Will we be treated to the names of the 100 attendees, Mark? Darth Vader has declined.
I have not laughed for so long at idiotism of americans
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323316/FBI-surrounds-house-Saudi-student-following-sightings-pressure-cooker-pot-cooking-rice.html
idiotsim? Snark!
At least he didn’t get seven rounds plugged into his head like in another act of unfunny idiocy – by *British* police.
Any chance for “customer” chosen topics? eg
1) Western Civilisation in death throes, white women unwilling to make babies !
2) Sewage satanyahu under messianical delusion, plans another ehretz israel land grab a la moshe dayan 1967,soon.
Give the wee man a hug for me..
English dick Who do you work for,,,you people are not human
And you are so stupid that you give your racist views away
we wont hear ” it ” complain about that eh
My favourite
3) Independent Scotland waives right to its share of 40% tax/penalties on undeclared “UK” deposits in Swiss Banks in return for waiver of £150b (1/12) share of UK National Debt and unfunded pensions due by its 5.5m population. The calculation being as follows:-
??TRILLIONS(undeclared Swiss deposits) X 0.50% (annual interest rate on the deposits) X 5% (EU Withholding Tax Rate) = £500 million (to be paid annually wef 2013 to HMRC by Swiss Authorities per deal already made by Osborne)
Working backwards,undeclared amounts lying at Swiss Banks held by UK taxable persons = £2.0 trillion
Well spotted Mark. That will be a complete shutdown in a set radius.
http://bilderberg2013.co.uk/
And RIP Stephanie Bottrill. I put a reference on a previous thread saying that the media, including Sky News, were emphasizing the Samaritans’ quote that there was usually more than one reason for committing suicide, thus somewhat diminishing Mrs Bottrill’s stated financial worries in her suicide note. Her son and daughter had moved out thus triggering the bedroom tax.
‘But according to her local Labour councillor, Miss Bottrill, who was unemployed, could barely afford to feed herself, let alone fund the shortfall in rent.
On Saturday May 4 Miss Bottrill wrote a series of suicide notes before stepping out in front of a lorry. She died instantly.
In one of the notes, addressed to her son Steven, 27, she wrote: ‘Don’t blame yourself for me ending my life. The only people to blame are the Government, no-one else.’ D Mail
Our sympathies go to the driver of the lorry.
I followed with details of the + £11m income of the Samaritans which includes £1m of state funding. They spend £2.5m on generating funds and their CEO is paid £120-£130k. No worries there about bedroom taxes or any other taxes presumably.
The Grove Watford has previous and will be familiar territory to some of the Bilderbergers. Gordo and Policy Network held a Progressive Governance Summit (no laughing in the back please) there in 2008 at great expense.
http://www.policy-network.net/uploads/media/154/6976.pdf
Rod Liddle is now the Chair of Policy Network. Mandelslime is the President. Liddle has written a smear in the Sunday Times on Prof Stephen Hawking for joining the academic boycott of Israel, entitled ‘Professor Hawking’s protest is a brief history of humbug’. The Medialens editors have copied the whole piece in this thread.
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1368346640.html
Liddle was once editor of Radio 4 Today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Liddle
Sad to hear about Ms. Bottrill. Readers may remember a Greek pensioner killed himself over similar government financial antics. I feel sorry for her and her family but surely there was another ay – like ask landlord to reduce her tax? Get a lodger, ask her son to move back in, refuse to pay council tax, water, electricity, TV license or whatever, or simply move out to a cheaper 1 bedroom flat? I dare say something could have been done rather than killing herself.
I tried to book in but there is no availability for 5th-8th June. Shame. I could have the 4th @ £285 B&B.
http://www.thegrove.co.uk/rooms/
‘We were told by the nearby Fullerians Rugby Club, that it has taken an unusual booking from Herts Constabulary, who have booked the entire grounds and facilities for ten days – spanning the weekend of the conference. The rugby club has no idea what the booking is actually for. Could this be the base of operations for security during the event?’
http://bilderberg2013.co.uk/bilderberg/watford/
My Boy is A color sergant in the Argyle’s…he currently works at sandhurst teaching officer trainees……he’s been to afghan and recorded on Ross Kemp a few times…regardless of having blood on bayonet…( for his country ) i’m so happy he has still a heart and soul…He tells me of the arab sons he teaches… driving around in spaceships cutting edge cars… £10 grand watches on wrist… he recently Ran the west highland way ( 96 miles ) in under 27 hours in aid of yorkhill childrens hosp…for a wee port glasgow boy – thats not an idle passtime.. he loves his wife and kids – and is so happy in that wee togetherness…. His Brother ( my son – we dont use the Step word ) wants to follow brother into army…i was sat in in inverclyde hospital watching doctor tacking glass out his upper eye last sunday 4 am… as a bar man he had turned into a flying glass…in a fight… i dont want my boys in army… ( war Crimes ) its distressing that ( 1 ) its all they have as future ( 2 they dont know truths ) and there is pretty much fuck all else for them… A Shame.. Some of my boys are U.K. jui jitsu Gold medalists…and still army sems only option… I have a theory about computer games Violence..and tv content.Conditioning…but dwell on that another time perhaps
April…Thanks for Proff Hawking Radio Link
Enjoy all the Happy Birthday cake!
I guess children are like precious stones, beautifiul, the more they arw polished, shaped
enhanced the greater the asset they become to us.
Aa you say Brian presently the one are sand blasted with mass media indoctrination.
First we need to teach the teachers.
I am confident Craig is one of the best.
Sparkle on Craig.
Long time consultant to ABC News and Director of the Middle East Forum and the Energy Security Group at the Council on Foreign Relations, Judith Kipper, blames Russia and China for the 70,000 ++ deaths in Syria by postulating the ‘no fly zone’ axiom enforced by NATO would have ended the violence long ago and prevented the terrorism, slaying and displacement of Syrian civilians.
http://rt.com/shows/crosstalk/us-iran-interest-consensus-140/
It is of course important to remember Libya…
Most happiest birthday wishes to young Cameron, Jamie and Emily to come, gosh were have these four years gone, I still remember him as a baby.
My best to Nadira and her birthday cake challenge….;)
Norfolk has changed, yesterday Norwich secured next season premiership and today, a balanced Norfolk county council was able to vote and decide to allow councillors a full debate on waste disposal, they never were allowed before to debate incineration or any other alternative, without having elected a leader of the council.
Maybe we should keep it like that and forget about majorities in committees, after all, once elected, these councillors should serve us all.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/council_in_limbo_as_borrett_s_leadership_bid_blocked_by_opponents_1_2191312
“My explanation that the sudden appearance of an unprecedented 400 ton short sale of gold on the COMEX in April was a manipulation designed to protect the dollar from the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing policy has found acceptance among gold investors and hedge fund managers.”
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2013/05/13/gangster-state-america-paul-craig-roberts/
One good bit of news in between: One of the largest German newspapers, “Die Zeit”, has brought a small commentary on Uzbekistan at a prominent position of its homepage. While not much it does at least get mentioned, and the thing that makes me become hopeful is that there’s no concrete occasion to comment on Uzbekistan.
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2013-05/eu-menschenrechte-usbekistan/komplettansicht
Google Translation of Mr Friederich’s post.
A red line for human rights
The EU must work for the observance of human rights is more. For example, in Uzbekistan torture state, call Hugh Williamson and Steve Swerdlow.
© MAXIM MARMUR / AFP / Getty Images
Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov in Tashkent on a poster (2007)
Eight years have passed since one of the worst massacres in the former Soviet Union: On 13 May 2005 security forces in the Uzbek city of Andijan opened fire on mostly unarmed protesters. They killed hundreds of men, women and children for whom there was no escape. No one was held accountable. The authoritarian President Islam Karimov resisted up to now all calls for independent investigations.
The authors
Hugh Williamson is head of the human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW). HRW’s Steve Swerdlow employee of the Europe and Central Asia.
Since 2005, Uzbekistan’s reputation has only worsened – the human rights situation in the country is among the world’s most hopeless. Immediately after the massacre, the authorities have acted with unprecedented violence against human rights defenders and journalists, of which dozens were arrested. Human rights groups and international media were expelled from the country.
How pervasive torture, illustrated a particularly shocking case in April 2012. Security forces abused the 26-year-old Gulnaza Yuldasheva, was doing the research on the involvement of the state in human trafficking. They beat with a truncheon on her legs, her abdomen and her shoulders, until she lost consciousness.
Since Andijan are to many western states its relations with Uzbekistan, an uncomfortable topic, especially for the European Union (EU) and its members. Immediately after the massacre, they were outraged and launched a sanctions. The last were lifted again in 2009, though Uzbekistan has fulfilled not only their human rights claims.
Thus, the country has become a litmus test for all those countries that want to work with an authoritarian government. Through Uzbekistan performs a central supply route of NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. And it is an important, albeit unpleasant, regional player. Play a large role in the economic benefits of Karimov and the recognition that it is through close ties to Western countries given.
The EU writhes and says there in respect of human rights yet to recognize a glass half full – despite all evidence to the contrary. Quite different, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which, this approach crosses the EU with its recently felled decision not to visit Uzbek prisons and other detention facilities. The part of the ICRC, this is a very rare event, but it was not allowing the organization to carry out its standards for prison visit in Uzbekistan, such as the ICRC Director-General Yves Daccord said.
Even the most authoritarian governments usually allow visits by the ICRC, especially as the organization holds its secret insights. That says a lot about the situation in Uzbekistan. As the ICRC’s regular visits resumed in 2009, after the Uzbeks had prevented them for five years, the EU foreign ministers interpreted this as a “positive step” and lifted the sanctions promptly. Only the human rights situation there has not changed since then.
This raises the question of when the EU and its Member States will realize that they have no influence on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan with its strategy? The ICRC has drawn a line. The EU and its Member States should now respond similarly unambiguous.
The EU must make Uzbekistan clear that their foreign ministers targeted restrictions will reintroduce, until the human rights situation improved demonstrably. For example, they should impose visa bans and freeze their assets abroad. A good, first candidate is the head of the infamous National Security Service (SNB), Rustan Inojatow. He was taken by the EU in 2005 to its sanctions list, and he still controlled the authority which is responsible for the torture of countless prisoners.
Uzbekistan has cynically across eleven UN human rights observers denied on more than ten years of entry – and behaves like so restrictive than Iran, China and Turkmenistan. The EU and its allies should ask the UN Human Rights Council about to appoint a rapporteur countries, the international forces a confrontation with the crimes.
Would improve human rights and rule of law in Uzbekistan, which would broadcast to the whole region, which is characterized by aging autocrats, corruption and abuse of power elites. It would be the victims of Andijan, at least to some extent honor – and show that the EU is able to say: Enough is enough
All peace and happiness to you and your family, Craig. Good partying too!