From a British diplomatic source I learn that Britain has lobbied the United States against the publication of the Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture and extraordinary rendition. The lobbying has been carried out “at all levels” – White House, State Department and CIA. The British have argued that at the very least the report must be emasculated before publication.
The British argument is that in a number of court cases including the Belhadj case, the British government has successfully blocked legal action by victims on the grounds that this would weaken the US/UK intelligence relationship and thus vitally damage national security, by revealing facts the American intelligence service wish hidden. [We will leave aside for the moment the utter shame of our servile groveling judges accepting such an argument]. The British Government are now pointing out to the Americans that this argument could be fatally weakened if major detail of the full horror and scope of torture and extraordinary rendition is revealed by the Senate Intelligence Committee. The argument runs that this could in turn lead to further revelations in the courts and block the major defence against prosecutions of Blair, Straw and Dearlove, among others, potentially unleashing a transatlantic wave of judicial activism.
The unabashed collusion of two torturing security states in concealing the truth of their despicable acts – including complicity in the torture of women and minors – and blocking criminal prosecution of the guilty is a sign of how low public ethics have sunk. Fortunately there are still a few people in the British Foreign Office disgusted enough to leak it.
Fred (09h50)
Agree with that. There is no doubt that for some, buying sufficient food means foregoing parrt of another essential.
Re the references to smartphones, flat screens and so on : part of the problem is surely that the definition of poverty (and especially the definition of relative poverty) in a “rich” society is difficult and in any event likely to be controversial.
Anon, 12:31 pm:
These are the comforts of the lonely, the “luxuries” of the alienated.
Why object at all? Nearly all money spent on these goes straight back into the corporate system, and hardly any into either the long-term well-being and independence of the claimant (such as their education or buying or improving their home) or independent commercial concerns in their locality.
On the hypocrisy of the Tories and the supposed compassionate views of Heir to Blair.
David Cameron’s constituency office calls police on food bank campaigners Bishop of Oxford and Reverend Keith Hebden
Door was shut in church leaders’ faces as David Cameron wrote for The Church Times on his Anglican faith
Felicity Morse
Tuesday 22 April 2014
David Cameron’s constituency office has come under fire for calling the police on the Bishop of Oxford and Reverend Hebden as they attempted to present him with an open letter on food poverty.
Their letter, part of the End Hunger Fast campaign, was signed by 42 Anglican bishops and more than 600 clerics and called on the three party leaders to work with the parliamentary inquiry into food poverty to implement its recommendations.
However, despite David Cameron’s Witney office expecting their visit, they were barred from presenting the letter and instead greeted by three police officers. Around 40 people had walked to his office following a service, and while the congregation stood on the opposite side of the road, the Rt Revd John Pritchard and Rev Hebden went to deliver the letter on their own. The police “weren’t there very long” when they realised the situation, Reverend Keith Hebden told The Independent, saying that they could see Cameron’s office staff looking out the window as they were forced to abandon their visit.
He added: “It is deeply ironic, to say the least, that on the same day David Cameron was writing in the Church Times talking about what a good Anglican he is, he was wasn’t able to receive his own bishop in his constituency office. I think this speaks volumes.
“They were expecting us, we had phoned ahead. Most of my surprise was reserved for them not even opening the door. The letter was positive and addressed to all three party leaders, so it wasn’t political.”
/..
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-camerons-constituency-office-calls-police-on-food-bank-campaigners-bishop-of-oxford-and-reverend-keith-hebden-9274303.html
On the failure to care for fellow citizens with mental illness. NHS beds are closed and the private sector steps in.
Lancashire Telegraph
£5.7m spent on private treatment in Lancashire.
Hundreds of mental health patients are being referred to private hospitals due to a shortage of NHS beds in Lancashire. The shock figures, which show Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust shelled out more than £5m to private hospitals in the last two years, came after the trust slashed its provision of inpatient beds by about a third. The data was obtained by the Lancashire Telegraph through Freedom of Information laws and raised serious concerns from health campaigners. There were 251 patients sent to private facilities in 2013/ 14, at a cost of £3.6m, which was up from 136 referrals the previous year (£2.1m), which represented an average spend of £15,000 per patient. All these referrals were due to a lack of available NHS beds. Russ McLean, chairman of the Pennine Lancashire Patient Voices Group, said: “These figures are staggering and I think there’s something sadly wrong here. We want this cash spent on NHS beds in the community and not going into the coffers of private companies.” The number of beds at facilities run by Lancashire Care, such as those at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals, has dropped from 492 in 2011 to 318 last year, although there has also been a reduction in inpatient admissions over the same period, from 4,603 to 3,560. As reported last week, the trust is planning to further reduce its inpatient units, from eight to four, which could bring more bed closures. Julia Berry, Chorley Council’s lead member for health, said: “This is a nonsensical situation… Wards have been intentionally closed locally and yet they’re saying they don’t have the capacity. It’s outrageous that so much money has been spent on private beds.” Most of the spending on private hospitals went to The Priory Hospital in Preston (£2.6m last year), with about £700,000 paid to Cygnet Health Care Ltd.
http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11161498.__5_7m_spent_on_private_treatment_in_Lancashire/
In Burton, a whole mental health unit was closed in 2012 and now a promise for support for relatives to travel to other locations is being reneged upon.
http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Call-for-answers-after-mental-health-travel-support-axed-20140422080000.htm
Hunger is the real scandal
April 21st 2014
The Mail on Sunday plumbs new depths of sewer journalism in its attempts to smear food banks
You’d think the Mail on Sunday would struggle to plumb new depths of gutter journalism, but yesterday’s attempt to “expose” Britain’s food banks as a soft touch for “fraudsters” to exploit was way down in the sewer.
/..
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-d7f7-Star-Comment-Hunger-is-the-real-scandal
. You see it when someone undertakes world-standard education such as an IB or starts work in a multilateral milieu.
You are revealing more about your background than you think – given your defence of all things Putin my guess is you have New Russian and English Public School connections.
For myself, lets just say my University wasn’t at all shoddy and I have had impeccable multinational connections for many many years – so just leave the condescending stuff out.
Good to see that you are keen on protecting humans from the overreaching power of states, so needless to say you will join me in condemning the massive increases in FSB numbers and expenditure since Putin came to power. Will you not?
Habbabkuk; “Good to see the old “I/he/she was ONLY JOKING…!” in circulation again. Are you really that stupid?”
Rather, it’s obvious whose agenda driven perception failures, really does make them look very stupid.
“A manipulative mother with Jewish ancestry.”
I don’t accuse people of ‘dog-whistling’. But when the whistle is a siren, you gotta call it like it is.
Mary’s shameless excuse is to say that her statement was “true”. Which is a little bit like pointing out the African ancestry of criminals when it is true that we’re all ancestors of our ancient African forebears.
Then Macky’s comical defence of the indefensible :
1. “Absurd; pointing out that fellow members of a certain group may be inclined to act, or try to exert influence in a way that is beneficial to something to that group values, is not “racism ;..”
You mean like, when someone points out that Muslims may be inclined to agitate, or try to exert influence in a way that advances an Islamist agenda? Like pushing for the introduction and expansion of Sharia in the UK?
I might agree with you there except for the uncertainty you express with your limp use of the word “may”.
2. “Mary has never expressed any racism towards anybody, especially towards Jews; ..”
Hah! Haaaaaaa HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! Excellent..
3.”.. she has never said that Jews are bad, or evil, or cannot be trusted etc; ..”
You’re quite right, as far as I can recall. So how would you insinuate that Jews ARE bad/evil/untrustworthy without explicitly saying so? Oh, I know – “A manipulative mother with Jewish ancestry.”
4.” .. all those that have jumped on their ill thought out high moral ground to accuse Mary of engaging in racism, simply because of her habit of mentioning relevant factors that may explain or indicate a person’s possible leaning, are indulging in troll like smears, only difference being that the trolls know that their smears are indeed false.”
Note – “..may explain..”, “..possible leaning,..”
We don’t all share your low standards of justification for slandering whole ethnic groups, Macky. Perhaps you and Mary can show some self restraint and not speculate on the evil of people until there is some compelling, supportive evidence. Otherwise it just comes off as a plain old “racist” canard.
Oh, and saying “..troll like smears..” is itself a “troll-like smear”!
“I long had you pegged as a belligerent dullard Macky but, possibly because I normally scroll right past, I didn’t catch you as a jew hater.”
But then ..
“Unlikely as it sounds right now I engage with Mary and Macky because .I hold value in their opinion[s].”
Mary doesn’t have an opinion and she doesn’t engage. Never has.
And since Macky is a belligerent dullard and a jew hater, I cannot see how anyone would therefore value his moronic opinions.
Although it provides for an interesting thought experiment, explored once in Futurama, we will need to
ancestors.. insert [descendants]Jemand; “I don’t accuse people of ‘dog-whistling’. But when the whistle is a siren, you gotta call it like it is”
You mean that Mary’s whimsical direct response to Doug’s playful word-play of his “legs apart” comment, is not allowed to be considered as a light-hearted reply, but deadly serious instead? Such humour & perception failure may explain the rather bleak nature of most of your Posts, and may also suggest that perhaps you are not a barrel of fun to be around !
“I might agree with you there except for the uncertainty you express with your limp use of the word “may”.”
So you would have agreed with my “comical defence of the indefensible” if I had expressed it more strongly ?! You certainly can add irrationality & muddled thinking to your CV highlights !
“We don’t all share your low standards of justification for slandering whole ethnic groups”
The rich irony of being slandered by fabricated accusations of “slandering”, & on of all things, racism, by somebody who specializes in demonising 23% of the World’s population that are Muslims ! What’s German for “Chutzpah” ? ! 😀