Angela Eagle ...and a State of Emergency over oil and gas

Angela Eagle, slim and elegant, as beautifully dressed as she is spoken, with an acute and finely trained brain was discussing current Treasury policy and the alleged bad blood now resulting from No 10 trying to micro-manage the Treasury in the way the Treasury wanted to micromanage everything else before cuddly loveable Gordy became temporary tenant at No 10 on the BBC4 World at One programme earlier.

"Nobody predicted the current oil price spike"

Oh really ?

We we might direct he alert mind to the statements from Goldman Sachs, into whose pockets the Government shovelled many sacks of gold to prolong and delay at great cost to the tax paper and profit to Goldman Sachs the affairs of Northern Wreck.

There must therefore be the occasional contact, odd chat, over a nice dry, crisp Sancerre in a trendy London eaterie at tax payers expense of the state of the economy oil prices etc., Especially considering that each price rise does actually swell the coffers of HM Treasury more than might have been anticipated when planning national income (which one assumes someone does).

Marketwatch March 7, 2008 ..." With $100-a-barrel here for now, Goldman Sachs says $200 a barrel could be a reality in the not-too-distant future in the case of a "major disruption"

"Goldman analysts Arjun Murti, Kevin Koh and Michele della Vigna said prices have advanced more quickly than Goldman had forecast back in 2005, when it predicted a range of $50 to $105 a barrel as part of its "super-spike" oil theory. "

Are oil prices headed for a 'super spike'? from that little known and rarely watched TV channel CNN. Online article May 2nd 2005 and at the time many, many others

This report featured the Goldman analyst Arjan Murti who had produced a ," thoughtful, 30-page piece of logical analysis ....Murti had previously raised the notion of a super spike in two reports last year--in June and September--forecasting a then sensational peak price of $80 a barrel. "

Reporter Andy Serwer explained "The crux of Murti's theory is simple: We're in the middle of a classic boom-and-bust cycle. The economy has been heating up here and in China, which pushes up the cost of crude. When the price of oil--and especially, here in the U.S., of gasoline--climbs too high, it curbs economic activity, which then depresses the demand for oil, causing prices to drop. Nothing revolutionary there. For now, though, demand for crude is continuing to rise--if a little more slowly than last year. That means prices could go higher. Remember: In terms of 2005 dollars, oil peaked in 1980 at $85 a barrel. "

"All I did (Murti explained ) was to raise the high end of my price band from $80 a barrel to $105 a barrel," says Murti. "Spending on gasoline in the U.S. relative to the overall economy is still well below where it was in 1980--81. So demand could still climb from here."

A week later, at the firm's annual shareholders' meeting, Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson ( now US Treasury secretary ) felt compelled to defend the report and the integrity of the analyst and his firm.

We would direct the elegant Angela's gaze to the essential reading for literally everyone intersted in UK finacial / energy forcasting by Euean Mearns on The Oil Drum

A State of Emergency

This crisis (in energy supplies and costs) has been turned into a state of emergency by the indifference of political leaders in the UK (and throughout the world), fluttering in the wind of poorly informed public opinion while they have prevaricated about expanding renewable energy resources and building new nuclear power stations. All warnings of this pending energy crisis have been ignored in favor of pursuing popular policies that created the illusion of prosperity whilst the fundamentals of our nations security and well being have been draining away.

Here are a few pointers to what I think we can expect in the next 18 months:

1. Forever rising energy import bills will pressure Sterling which will continue to fall, pushing up the cost of energy, food and consumer goods even more.

2. Public sector workers, no longer able to borrow to supplement income will begin to strike once they discover that 3% wage increases do not come close to covering the rise in the cost of living (the great inflation lie will be found out).

3. Unemployment will begin a steady rise as financial services, banks, building sector, airlines, airports, leisure and retail come under severe pressure. They will be joined by public service workers as the government struggles to fund public services with falling tax receipts, spiraling debt and a falling pound. (already happening in Aberdeen with deep cuts in education spending across the city and teacher numbers being slashed). (QV Californian City of Vallejo filing for Bankruptcy)

4. The elderly and poor will really struggle this winter to pay their energy and food bills. If the weather is cold, the grid might fail and the vulnerable will begin to die from cold and starvation.

To illustrate this Euan Mearns has produced an amended chart from a presenation of 58 slides given internally by someone in BERR - Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (what in the old days we used to call the Board of Trade) this shows Net UK oil and gas national supplies and demand and in GREEN the growing horrible national deficit
This demonstrates how from an energy rich and independant country we have now tipped into an energy importer and the deficit is now growing at an alarming rate. For example one single component , national gas consumption and it's sourc in this graph produced by BERR shows the way how imports (especially from Norway) have grown and are growing monthly.

Click to enlarge .. which as Gemma Garrett was saying, if only it was always that easy.

PS Hot tip of the week . Radicalise yourself become a screaming hab dab mullah , get extradited and seek asylum in Norway where their leaders have had the good fortune and even greater sense to accrete the benefits of their North Sea "windfall" into a national fund for investment.

PS Second Hot tip of the week : Someone at HM Treasury get Euan Mearns in for a chat and pay him before you run out of money.

Lord Thomas of Gresford QC for Lib - Dems slams War criminal Jack Straw's proposals on witness anonymity

On the BBC4 World at One Martha Carney interviewed Lord Thomas of Gresford QC (Wrexham Grammar School , Peterhouse, Cambridge) who is the Liberal Democrat Shadow Attoney General (and all round good egg) who said , concerning the Second Reading of the Fraud (Trials Without Jury) Bill in the House of Lords - which sought to introduce trials without Juries in fraud cases ...

" These proposals must have come from a Home Office official who has never set foot in a criminal court, backed by the Government legal establishment who regard the participation of ordinary people in the criminal justice system as unhelpful."

"The Government is well aware of the outrage within the legal profession, whose job it is to ensure fair trials. There is also a lot of hostility from the general public."

He had previously stated for the Lib - Dems "..., we shall maintain our determination to oppose any attempt by the Government, now or later, to abolish juries in such cases all together."

Lord Gresford has pointed out elsewhere that we have provisions in place which enable a court to sit in camera, and to take evidence from officers of the security services in the presence of the accused and his advisers, but behind screens and that he has prosecuted men accused of letter-bombing in such circumstances.

Questioned about the still undocumented proposals by Jack Straw for witness anonymity , and speaking as a practising barrister he made the immensely powerful point ( which it has to be said had not been fully appreciated by Lord Patel's extensive legal staff) that the practice of introducing anonymous witnesses in crimial trials arose directly and especially in London (i.e the Met viz Commander Yates and his Trident gang desperate for results and an improved clear up rate ) proffering anonymity to witnesses as part of the evidence gathering process by the police...."If you grass up on blokey you will of course remain anonymous etc., ...".

Lord Thomas had recently defended a man in London who faced 5 witnesses, all unknown , unnamed, unseen, with voices distorted and so he was incapable of providing any sort of sensible cross examination as to the credibility of the witnesses or the authenticity of their evidence.

Martha also previously interviewed a Scottish lawyer (Niall ?) who explained under the Scottish system, witnesses could be anonymous in court with the judges discretion, (and rarely) but only in certain cases where the witness provided evidence as a representative of an evidence source , secret services, HMRC etc., and not in a personal capacity as in a criminal case.

Lord Thomas's vigorous and evident resistance did not suggest as the report in the Daily Mail today that their support in the House was stitched up - but of course if the Opposition agree that will not matter.

War criminal Jack Straw was interviewed , he continued to push the line that this concern about witness intimidation was something previously unknown.

Lord Gresford in the Guradian November 26th 2001 on the Terrorism Act 2000 et seq is required reading for folks interested in such matters as the maintenance of habeas corpus and the 38th article of Magna Carta, 1215: ...."In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, with out producing credible witnesses to the truth of it."

UPDATE 6.30 BST : Sir Ken Macdonald QC took up his post as Head of the CPS and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in November 2003 and was ibterviewed on the BBC 4 PM programme and explained that he couldn't give figures on the number of prosecution which might be affected by the David Judgement and was waiting or reports from the CPS's 42 regional offices.

David Howarth the lack lustre Liberal shadow Solicitor General (ex Clare College and Yale Law School ) appeared to support with reservations the proposed legislation that war criminal Jack Straw wanted tio rush through the House of Commons in one day. Evidently he has not had a chat with his colleague Lord Thomas of Gresford QC Liberal Democrat Shadow Attoney General and sits as a Lib Dem in the House of Lords.

How unusual for the Lib Dems to have such confusion in their ranks on policy about anything.

Off Road rage ?

We found this photograph at the quixotic and excellent Strangely Perfect ... see BBC for story

War Criminal Jack Straw and Conservatives and Lib Dems stitch up to breach of common law rights in allowing anonymous witnesses in criminal cases

The Daily Mail today reports that "Straw will end 'secret witness' ban to prevent more trial collapses"

In a squalid stitch up the leading War criminal Jack Straw has got the backing of both the Tories and the Lib-Dems for the introduction of a new law which will legitimise the use of anonymous witnesses and destroy the rights of the accused founded in centuries of Common Law.

A statement will be put before Parliament next week . Government lawyers are burning midnight oil drafting a bastardised breach ocommon law based around ten (allegedly) simple clauses modelled on the system curently in use in New Zealand. It will it is reported grant anonymity to witnesses for cases such as those involving organised crime, witness intimidation and gun and gang-related crime. It is expected this will go through, "on the nod" and be passed before MPs break for the summer at the end of July.

The Antipodean system is based on the presiding judge hearing applications for witness anonymity on a case-by-case basis behind closed doors before deciding whether they can give evidence without revealing their identity.

They take into account the safety of the witness or whether any other person is likely to be endangered.

The judge must be satisfied the witness has no reason to be dishonest and the making of the order would not deprive the accused of a fair trial. (Thus denying the jury the chance to make their minds up)

The Government will also have to ensure any legislation is compatible with human rights laws guaranteeing a free and fair trial - meaning it will not be in conflict with European based Human Rights legislation.
.
But the judge must be satisfied the witness has no reason to be dishonest and the making of the order would not deprive the accused of a fair trial. One might ask by what divination he makes this judgement - how can he , how can he make enquiries about the witness...perhaps other than asking the prosecution ?

The Davis ruling pointed out that, the prosecution case cannot rely entirely, or largely, on anonymous witnesses. For example there was considerable evidence based on Davis's behaviour and actions after the victim was shot. (See para 2 Davis Judgement) "He had gone to the United States on a false passport shortly after the murders. When questioned by the police after his return to this country he had declined to give any answers. In evidence he had for the first time given details of an alibi, which he had called no further evidence to substantiate."

Mr Straw has acknowledged the need to 'strike a balance' between witness protection and the need to ensure innocent men and women are not convicted on evidence given by witnesses hiding behind the cloak of anonymity

It is interesting that in striving to acheive that balance that In a majority decision of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand in R v Hughes [1986] 2 NZLR 129, Richardson J, (see para 8 Davis Judgement) quoted the Supreme Court of the US pp148/9 "We would be on a slippery slope as a society if on a supposed balancing of the interests of the State against those of the individual accused the Courts were by judicial rule to allow limitations on the defence in raising matters properly relevant to an issue in the trial." and that decsion led to the statutory amendment which it appears will form the basis of our new law, already it seems assured without public debate of passing.

LORD RODGER OF EARLSFERRY remarked (Davis para 40) "Lord Bingham of Cornhill and Lord Carswell, have surveyed the domestic case law which has been developed in these circumstances. What stands out, .... is that the domestic cases which permit the use of anonymous witnesses are all remarkably recent ." ..." the Commission chaired by Lord Diplock (1972) rejected the idea of witnesses giving evidence anonymously as being inconsistent with the very notion of a trial by judicial process in a British court of law. Three years later, for the same reason, Lord Gardiner's committee (1975) also rejected the idea of using anonymous witnesses. "

It is of course premature to make any judgement about the proposed legislation. What is evident however is that from the illegal stitch up which the Police and the CPS have recently relied upon , we will now have to rely on the discretion of a judge in secret and in private based upon as yet unknown rules ... which will be a license for argument and debate, appeal and counter appeal. Good for the lawyers of course.

If we are to have a change in the law, it must be a change in the law, not a burden to the judiciary, for the jury to be denied the opportunity to hear the clear plain and transparent case for the accused and the accuser.

It is worth remembering here the case of Sally Clarke charged with the murder of both her sons. It was revealed by the prosecution after the trial anf her conviction. that by agreement between the defence and prosecution with the agreement (and participation) of the judge, details of Sally Clark's treatment for alcohol abuse was traded for a denial of her defence to bring forward testimony of good character from her family, friends, employers.

Thus denying and misappropriating the opportunity for the jury to hear evidence which had been suppressed without the power of statute, but by a grubby compromise between lawyers.

It also provided the press and TV who knew of her treatment acres of stories and pictures of the drunken mother, to a public unware of how this was concealed throughout the trial, but was to haunt th erest of her yerribly short life after release from prison.

LORD RODGER OF EARLSFERRY again at para 44 of the Davis judgement has pointed out anonymity of witnesses is a recnt development of the rules of evidence by judicial agreement . He points out very forcefully...."that threats of intimidation to witnesses and the challenge which they pose to our system of trial are anything but new. In theory, the common law could have responded to that challenge at any time over the last few hundred years by allowing witnesses to give their evidence under conditions of anonymity."

He went on ..."Lord Diplock saw the common law principle as so fundamental that he felt unable even to recommend that legislation should be passed to interfere with it. In these circumstances, while I am very conscious of the problems confronting the authorities which have led them to adopt these measures, in my view it is not open to this House in its judicial capacity to make such a far-reaching inroad into the common law rights of a defendant as would be involved in endorsing the procedure adopted in the present case."

For Lord Rodger it is clear, there is no cause for legislation or judicial interference to adopt anonmyity for witnesses.

Lord Patel agrees with him.

PS : The Metropolitan Police are still anxious to trace Martin Harvey, who is 45 - ish, black and known to frequent the Haringey area in relation to the Iain Davis case .

It's that time of the month again ....

Yes it's that time of the month (the last Tuesday of each month at 9:00 am
ET.) when Standard & Poors S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index is published. The latest for April shows continuing annual declines in the prices of existing single family homes across the United States with all 20 sample cities (MSAs) now posting annual declines, 13 of which are posting record low annual declines, and 10 of which are in double-digits.

David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor's sums it up succintly "There might be some regional pockets of improvement, but on an annual basis the overall numbers continue to decline." (full chart here)

San Francisco Chronicle "Last month, foreclosures represented 43.3 % of all home sales in Contra Costa County and 26.8 % in Alameda County, according to DataQuick Information Systems."

Wall Street Journal "The weakness has not been contained to the bubble markets ...On a monthly basis, prices surprisingly rose in 8 cities ..... we attribute most of unexpected increase to seasonal distortions as prices are typically higher during the spring selling season –Michelle Meyer, Lehman Brothers who have a lot riding on the US domestic mortgage market ....

"In two years the price of a home will be the equivalent of the taxes due."
Comment by Good Luck. - June 24, 2008 at 12:00 pm

Seeking Alpha Comment by Dapperdan19 "For those lamenting/moralizing about credit worthiness, all I can say is that the credit quality going through and getting approved for the past 9 months is the best credit quality I've ever seen in my lifetime.

Anyone doing loans right now will tell you the same thing. It's much tougher to get an approval, but the benefit is that overall credit quality is extremely high right now.

Detroit Free Press "Metro Detroit remains the only metro area in the top 20 that has an index level under 100. It was at 93.79 in April, below the 100 set in 2000 as the baseline. That means home prices have not risen enough since 2000 to offset the current erosion "

Forbes "... another decline in the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index, which fell 15.3% in April from the similar period a year earlier. The drop may be a blessing in disguise though, pointing toward the eventual bottom for the housing market.

Miami Herald " Military officials promised changes ...House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman talked of ..."defense officials overlooking Miam based AEY's ''long record of failed and dubious performance.'' That record, as compiled by the committee, included delivering damaged helmets to the Iraqi army, falsely blaming a hurricane in Miami for failing to deliver 10,000 Biretta pistols (James BOn's oridginal and favourite weapon) to Iraq's security forces and delivering the wrong model of laser pointer and rifle attachments to the U.S Embassy in Colombia.

''It appears that anyone -- no matter how inexperienced or unqualified -- can win a lucrative federal contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars,'' Waxman said, adding it was ``hard to imagine a less-qualified company than AEY.'' .... don't fret so, Senator, there are certainly worse ones somewhere in there who hav been scamming the DOD and the Pentagon , USAID for a long, long time.

Some scurrilous celeb rag asked David on his way out of the Lakers game who won...he looked a bit blank ... and said..."Who cares ?"

NHS Choose and Use - not a popular choice with GP's, another disastrous chapter in £12.7 Billion NPfit IT program

The excessively well paid CEO of the NHS David Nicholson dropped so many jaws on House of Commons Public Accounts Committee yesterday to further consider the £12.7 Billion on the £12.7bn NPfit scheme it's a wonder a radiologist with a portable X ray and an orthopaedic surgeon weren't required.

He was explaining that the "Choose and Book" system ,which was expected to attract 39Mn bookings by 2008 had in fact resulted in ..er.. nearly 6 Mn. Limply he explained (still it appears retaining his job) “Utilisation of the system is not as great as we would have imagined at this stage.”

There are bright spots “On average half of first appointments are now made through the system.” The fact that GP's were incentivised (ie paid money to use it) and that ending it would not affect usage was, he said ,"unfounded".

“One of the things we will do as part of the next stage review is to publicise patient’s rights to choice, to get pull.” Which sounds dreadfully like huge amounts of dosh spent on , more surveys, pamphlets, Posters, and late night TV advertisements - hopefully not like the NHS "Hooked" ads that received the most complaints last year by the ASA and were banned.

Health Insider website has some comments from users (ie GP's paid to use it)Chris Frith a GP in Hereford said "the design needs a complete rethink as hours and expertise are being wasted in General Practice at present to earn our LES (payment) if we are lucky. "

Reliability and system design are common problems .."If the system reliability could be sustained and not leave communities without a fully working system for a week" ...."It also only works with Internet Explorer so you have to buy Windows to make a hospital appointment. (many of us have Windows-free systems) "....." (a) combination of IT and general system failures risks driving away even committed GPs" ...."If C&B actually did do what was intended - support patient choice and make booking appointments quick and easy for patients and practices, - we'd all be using it and this thread would not be occurring. Unfortunately a combination of very clunky software and poorly designed Directories of Services (different for every Trust)" ..."We can no longer afford to create software/systems that no one is willing to use."..." "The recent spine update has meant several weeks of access problems. In addition the update to allow full choice together with the 18 week wait has created a meltdown in the directory of services." Why? As part of disaster recovery plans, should we now include spine updates as a risk?"

It is only sustained by payment to GP's for using it ..."The DES might have stopped but almost every PCT has introduced an equivalent LES. It is ONLY the funding that keeps this going, for very many GP practices." Doctors are remarkably resistant to change - eg : take a look at the digital stethoscopes available for improved diagnostic use. (see pic follow link for evident benefits) Maybe its because they cost £100 each... and they need incentivising.

Quite simply patients choice is predictable anyway....."I have yet to have a patient who has chosen anything other than the local hospital. " Apparently patients in hospitals don't want to travel and if hospitalised ,have what we doctors call visitors, who won't want to travel far.

Lord Patel's experience - asking for Manchester Eye Hospital instead of the local and well thought of Local Hospital stumped the GP and working together we finally made it....for Lord Patel to receive over ten letters cancelling the appointment, each of which I posted to the GP and each of which he told me to ignore...because, "the system isn't working properly". I did.

Turned up, excellent consultation. The consultant queried why I chose the Manchester Eye Hospital and was intrigued when I explained they saved my fathers eyesight in 1911 when a button hook he was reaching for, fell off the mantel piece and fell in his eye. Which meant he missed the opening of the Manchester Electric Light Cinema in Rusholme.

"Lorenzo" software

This project is now only 4 years overdue and early (and very, very brave) adopters Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust , Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and South Birmingham PCT, issued a statement in early June saying that "deployment testing is identifying technical issues which are being resolved on an ongoing basis". This was just before a scheduled demonstration to MP's.

Criticism of delays with the Care Records Service have been met by Ministers giving a series of dates when the first sites will go live. These have been repeatedly deferred.

Many MPs are concerned that NHS will be pressured into going live on an a system that is not yet ready to meet promises made by ministers... or the Department of Health's financial contractual commitments to local service providers.

Major General Patrick Cordingly shows what a Desert Rat he is on BBC Radio 4 - Feed the men rations, not food

Early this morning , well very early actually, Gemma was sleepily listening to the BBC4 Today programme and then she woke with a jolt.

Major General Patrick Cordingly , retired Desert Rat ( he commanded 12,000 men in 7th Armoured Brigade, in the Gulf War) was on the Renta Quote for Iraq spot for the day (closely follows Thought For the Day usually) and he was jokingly describing the "Combat Rations" UK troops are given in unrelenting 40 degree heat.

Ho.Ho.Ho, Laughed this genial General, Beans and skinless sausages for six months every day. Terrible stuff.Ho. Bloody Ho.

"Dear General", shrieked Gemma, "we have been sending troops to the Gulf sice 1995 ,illegally invading Iraq in 2003 , 7 years bringing education to little girls in Afghanistan and you feed the men this shit."

A presenter choked on the "Tuna Bake" which was inedible. Ho.Ho. Ho. laughed the genial General again.

"You daft bastard" shouted Gemma (she really looks lovely when she is angry)..." the bloody Generals and Admirals like you spend squillions on military toys".Sh paused for breath. " Bloody millions , then you send them to Afghanistan in 50 year old designed ,unprotected "Snatch" Land Rovers...and the most important part of that Land Rover is the men in it"... another pause for breath, her bosom was heaving, and well..moving about a bit." Then you give them this muck"

There is of course powdered drinks, helps that stuff go down, disguises the taste. Ho Ho Ho laughed the genial General again. Of course water is in short supply ... desert, dry .. er.. sandy.

Well Gemma really, really got cross and used language ..like ..well.. a trooper living on baked beans and chlorinated water and washing once a week for six months.

She is right of course.. another example of the military masters failing to get their priorities right.

So we soon got her back to her old fighting self with some scrambled egg with smoked salmon and some delicate fried fresh mushrooms.. and champagne.. she likes champagne at breakfast.

Anyway the jovial General is all for some sort of research johnnies having a look at what they feed troops .. jolly important.. So fucking important that no-one has looked at how you feed our fighting machines properly. 3,000 calories a day .. what more do you want ... meals in the Officers mess ?

UPDATE Thursday 26th June

The Daily Mail have a story today following the ppearance of Major General Patrick Cordingly , retired Desert Rat on BBC4 Today programme

Yesterday the Ministry of Defence revealed the 20 menus, plus six each of Sikh, Hindu, vegetarian and halal, which should be ready for the forces in Iraq and Afghanistan next year.

Rush to judgement for anonymous trial witnesses...wronging a Right....more hastily prepared laws restricting ancient Common Law Rights

Well here IS a surprise. Justice Minister Maria Eagle (never voted against the Government) is reported by the BBC saying that as a result of the succesful Davis appeal which rules out the use of anonymous witnesses except where provided for by current legislation : "We're looking very urgently at the implications of the judgement. "

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "I certainly accept, and I said some time ago, that there is a problem here that we need to solve."

"We are working now... to look at what we need to do to put this right."

The justice secretary, war criminal Jack Straw, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he could put anonymous evidence on a statutory footing before December's Queen's speech.

"I'm looking at this as we speak," he said. "Ever since this judgment on Wednesday this has been my major preoccupation - to ensure that we are able to change the law as quickly as possible."

""We are working now... to look at what we need to do to put this right." said kebab chomping Jacqi Smith ...Oh no she isn't. The Government want to chang / mangle / destroy the common law that has survive for centuries to provide cover for the scret stitch up between the CPS and the Police, in defiance of the Common Law by allowing witnesses not only the cover of screens, but also anonymity, voice modulation and secrecy about their names, occupations, addresses. Thus denying the defendant the chance to truly test the accusers evidence and reasons for it.

Shock and Horror, scream the headlines .... a £6 million murder trial was halted at the Old Bailey today .

Common law and uncommon practices

It is now apparent that the Police and CPS lawyers had become so cocky in skipping round the Common Law. Misleading juries by preventing proper cross examination of witnesses. Making the job of obtaining evidence by the Police and case preparation by the CPS lawyers much easier. There are now at least 44 trials halted in their tracks, and a substantial number who will as a result of the Davis judgement, be subject to appeal .. and then a possible re-trial.

LORD BROWN OF EATON-UNDER-HEYWOOD @ Para 66 of the Davis Appeal Judgment said ..." ..If, .... the government now think it right to legislate in this field, so be it. Meantime, however, the creeping emasculation of the common law principle must be not only halted but reversed. It is the integrity of the judicial process that is at stake here. This must be safeguarded and vindicated whatever the cost. "

LORD CARSWELL @ Para 51 quoted the consequences identified of anonymity spelled out by Judge Ackermann in the South African case of State v Leepile (5) 1986 (4) SA 187, 189:

"The consequences to the accused of such a wide direction are, inter alia, the following:

(a) No investigation could be conducted by the accused's legal representatives into the witness' background to ascertain whether he has a general reputation for untruthfulness, whether he has made previous inconsistent statements nor to investigate other matters which might be relevant to his credibility in general.

(b) It would make it more difficult to make enquiries to establish that the witness was not at places on the occasions mentioned by him.

(c) It would further heighten the witness' sense of impregnability and increase the temptation to falsify or exaggerate."

Which , when considering the credibility of witnesses who frequent nightclubs in the early hours and are involved in the fringes of drug dealing and criminality, or who may be paid police informers on paint ball expeditions of brown men with beards, or help brown men with beards buy allegedly bomb making chemicals etc., etc., must be taken into account by a jury.

This is Gemma Garrett s latest Speech in her race for the seat of Haltemprice and Haydon - catch up with her Blog She will be speaking about David Davis's limp performae on You and Yours BBC 4 today which you can hear here. In which the surprise Studio guest was Gary Hindle (?) from the Royal United Seervices Institute, that fair minded bunch of Right Wing bastards and (fully paid up) members of the LadyDame Jane Pauline Baroness Neville Jones an Club for whom 42 days detention without charge is is nowhere near long enough.

As Lord Patel explained to Gemma over a cool, refeshing and relaxing glass of non post coital orange juice, his Nanny used to say..." Well Teddy, they must be very bad men, or else the Policemen wouldn't have taken them away".

June 25th National Catfish Day !!!

It's National Catfish Day. Time for cooking up some catfish on the Barbecue..time to save the woman in your life some cooking chores.

Here's How.

Light the Barbecue after calling a few good 'ol boys, pass round the Wild Turkey, crack a few stubbies. Convince everyone Dan Moreno was the greatest quarter back ever because he lived on a diet of catfish.

1. Take One 3 lb catfish per person, cut off the head, IIf you are from Alabama just bite it off and spit it out) draw the guts, skin.

2. Sprinkly with lemon /lime juice. Marinate.

Pass round the Wild Turkey, crack a few stubbies. Put Dolly Parton's latest CD on ...VERY LOUD . Explain how Joe Theismann broke his leg with a running demonstration. get someone to bring out Ezy Boy.

3. Sprinkle with Tabasco sauce.

Pass round the Wild Turkey, crack a few stubbies. Put some Frank Zappa on ...VERY LOUD

4. Put the catfish on the barbecue, till the surface is cracked black, turnover .Ditto.

Pass round the Jack Daniels as the Wild Turkey has ..er ..run out , crack a few more stubbies. Put some Frank Zappa on ...VERY LOUD Discuss calmly who is going to take the World Series and why it won't be the Patriots this time.

5. Take catfish and feed to cat.

Carry on with Zappa, Jack Daniels until the neighbours call the State Troopers over.

Factoid : Proclamation 5672 -- National Catfish Day, 1987 - June 25, 1987
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation - More and more Americans are discovering a uniquely American food delicacy -- farm-raised catfish. More >>

Baby Bombers !!!!! The NEW Terror Threat from all terrain pram bombers on your street NOW : Amazing Pictures !!!

Lord Carlile , the independent reviewer of UK terrorism legislation, is a worried man. Lord Carlile is a frightened man.

Which he should be...in his latest report, Lord Carlile highlights the risk of terrorists hijacking executive jets lightweight, stripped own , street smart , all terrain prams (ATP's as the Police call them) - ideal for surprise pavement attacks with prams packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings, in crowded streets full of mothers with prams, cinemas, Premier League Football stadiums !!!

Although there is no intelligence about this, Lord Carlile said senior police officers had concerns, given the large number of aeroplanes prams in private hands.

The baby Bombers have their own sinister website . Lord Patel was a "Baby Boomer" now in his twilight years he is faced with pram bombers silently striking on their trademark high pressure rubber tyred prams. Some so robust you could strap a 14 mm Heckler & Koch rapid fire , automatic pistol with dum dum HE ammunition that can slice through armour plate on them. One small pram , a lethal highly manouverable bomb. Just imagine. In a bloody instant ... body parts everywhere, blood, in a shopping street NEAR YOU ..many could be booby trapped, designed to kill Policemen!!!

The threat is everywhere , there are 3 million prams surging through the urban jungle every day , 6 Million "parents" could be carrying a load of death on our 267 million miles of pavements, 275,000 public parks, even 24,000 miles of canal towpaths - just look how canals penetrate the Heart of Britain. (Click to enlarge this fearsome "network" that has grown in our midst silently over the centuries - was Brindley a Muslim ?)

Feel frightened ? Worried ? Well you should be.

Lord Carlile reports that only 257 people were arrested under terrorism powers in 2007 ...there are 6,000,000 pram users with their apparently inoccent load of a bundle of joy which could easily be a ricin based, low yield nuclear bomb ... the frightening news is , more babies are born every day, that means more prams are being sold every day !!!!

The threat on our streets is growing every day.

If you see someone with a pram - even if there is a baby in it , let a policeman know, immediately. You cannot be too careful.

Now is the time for a National Pram owners and usesr Database. Why Oh Why Oh Why ! don't we have a record of this mass of potential terrorists in our midst? Why Oh Why aren't prams licensed ? Surely a scheme to have registration plates, owners details, psychometric profile, DNA could easily be set up to every new parent ?

We repeat -- tell your children , your loved ones ...If you see someone with a pram , let a policeman know, immediately.

Bike Bombers !!!!! The NEW Terror Threat from the silent cycles on your street NOW !!: Amazing Pictures !!!

Lord Carlile , the independent reviewer of UK terrorism legislation, is a worried man. Lord Carlile is a frightened man.

Which he should be...in his latest report, Lord Carlile highlights the risk of terrorists hijacking executive jets lightweight, stripped own , fast bicycles - ideal for surprise pavement attacks on bikes packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings, in crowded streets full of mothers with prams, cinemas, Premier League Football stadiums !!!

Although there is no intelligence about this, Lord Carlile said senior police officers had concerns, given the large number of aeroplanesbicycles in private hands.

Graham Greene ex master spy who knew about these things, made cycle bombers the centre of his eye opening spy thriller, "The Quiet American" about the slant eyed Vietnamese silently striking on their rubber tyred bikes. One small bike , one small bomb and body parts everywhere, blood, ..many could be booby trapped, designed to kill Policemen!!!

The threat is everywhere , 7 million potential terrorists spread through (amazingly another crazy Lotteryfunded left wing project run by lesbians) a " ational Cycle Network" that penetrates the Heart of Britain.

Feel frightened ? Worried ? Well you should be...and so should your loved ones, especially the kiddies.

Lord Carlile reports that only 257 people were arrested under terrorism powers in 2007 ...there are 7,000,000 cyclists ...and more cycles are being sold every day !!!!

If you see someone on a bike, let a policeman know, immediately.

Now is the time for a National Bike Owners Database. Why Oh Why Oh Why ! don't we have a record of this mass of potential terrorists in our midst?

We repeat -- tell your children ...If you see someone on a bike, let a policeman know, immediately.

Mid West Floods, hits corn harvest, high corn prices hit ethanol producers , good times for Gulf fertiliser plants and GMO seed supplies

These NOAA maps clearly show how the Mid West has had a double whammy with the worst storms and flooding since '93 . This has hit sowing and early growing of corn and soya. This will undoubtedly result in lower yields plus the threat of fungal crop infections and the latest (June17th) USDA Crop Bulletin is a tale of record breaking rainstorms, the worst since 1943. For example Milwaukee with 10.96 inches has broken June records and also their wettest month of the year ever. Corn and Soya have seen 85-95% plantings completed but crop conditions have declined (USDA inspectors reports) from 60% to a recorded 57%.

Therefore projected crop estimates from earlier in the year could end up being 20-30% too high. In early May after reporting lower corn plantings, USDA projected this years crop 12.1billion bushels, down 7 % from the record 2007/08 crop. . They also anticipated (World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates) that next year's corn stocks will drop 45% to to 763 million bushels, the lowest since 1996.

The result is corn price have gone crazy and closed on Chicago Board of Trade yesterday for July @ US$ 7.2425 a bushel (US$2 2 years ago) and says Toni Fabuloso have a way to go yet . Corn for ethanol use was forecast to rise from 3 billion bushels of corn in crop year 2007-2008 to 4 billion bushels in 2008-2009, say at most 5% of the total crop.

Higher rains means higher run-off and associated nitrogen depletion, crops will need extra late season fertiliser application to try and boost yields - the most common source is urea based from Natural Gas and we wrote previously - Wednesday, June 20, 2007
US swapping oil security for fertiliser insecurity and higher farm and food costs how US suppliers based on natural gas had closed down. Now throwing food security to the winds the US relies on urea based fertilisers from Midlle East suppliers such as Sabic with a huge production complex at Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia and QAFCO founded in 1969 and owned by the State of Qatar. CF Industries are the biggest producer left in the US. Their shares IPO'd in Mid 2005 168.35 closed up US$1.60 (1%) yesterday , with a Dividend yield of 0.4% on EPS US$8.41.

All these extra production costs, plus trucking cost will eventually hit protein supplies at retail levels , Hogs, beef, milk, eggs, poultry and the Thanksgiving Turkey. The impact on ethanol production cost and prices has been even faster ;


Already having a bad time ,the US ethanol producers have announced further cuts in production and plants being shuttered. VeraSun Energy Corp announced on Monday that two plants slated to produce 110 million gallons per year, being built on Welcome, Minnesota, and Hartley, Iowa due to open now, will not start up. Spokesman Michael Lockrem said record corn prices and comparatively low ethanol prices, made life difficult but claimed that the decision had nothing to do with floods ravaging corn crops across the Midwest.

Vera Sun expect three other newly built ethanol distilleries to open by the end of this year in Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota. (VSE closed down 67 cents down 13.5 % yesterday at US$ 4.37)

The Financial Times reported plant closures on June 15th and quoted reports that output could be cut by 2bn-5bn gallons of ethanol.

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association issued a report on the impact of the floods on June 18th estimating that over 300 million gallons (annualized - total annual production 2.2 Bn Gallons) which means about 15% of capacity is idled.

Iowa Farm Bureau estimates the loss of 1.3 million acres of corn will be lost in Iowa. Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri, are expected to show a further 2-3 Mn acres . This suggests 2008 productive corn plantings are likely to be in the 83 to 84 million acre range compared with earlier USDA estimates of 86,014 cares (which was a drop of 18% on last year).

In the last major floods, in 1993 both the Missouri River and Mississippi River Basins were badly affected - economic damage in Iowa, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois was said then to be US$20 billion.

This year flooding in the Missouri River Basin is limited but Iowa report worse flood damage to Iowa's bridges, highways, roads and railroad tracks than 1993. Dena M. Gray-Fisher, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Transportation said water levels in Iowa exceeded 1993 levels. "That , and the force of the water ... This one is so different in how much area is covered, the amount of devastation, the amount of water. It just didn't stop for a long time."

After the '93 foods the farmers bounced back - in 1994 a record crop of 10 million bushels with a record yield of 138.6 bushels per acre was produced on 8% more plantings. This year the yield is expected by USDA in early year (May) reports 153.9 bushels per acre, 1 bushel down on a 17 year continuous upward trend.. and of course that relates to the Monsanto GMO varieties that have seen a huge rise in yields....and the Monsanto share price ..

It should be a good time for farmers to spend at case and John Deere tractors and maybe an outsize ouside hot tub at the Indiana State Fair and join in Garfield's Official 30th Birthday (officially that was on June 19th) - Paws Inc. Jim Davis's company oversees over the annual sales of US$1 Bn of merchandise for the the slothful ginger cat whose undertall for his weight .

US Ambassador in Albania Mr Withers implicated in involvement with Albanian gun runners, fraud, and what really happened at Gërdec?

The ever inquisitive Mr Waxman's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has discovered from a zealous military attaché that the United States ambassador to Albania since July 2007, career diplomat John L. Withers II endorsed a plan by the (and now from March EX) Albanian Defence minister Fatmir Mediu, to hide boxes of ammunition with Chinese markings from a visiting reporter hot on the trail of a DOD defence scam by a Miami contractor run by 21 year old . The ammunition was being repackaged (supposedly Evdin Ltd owned and run by by Henry Thomet – aSwiss businessman) to disguise its origins and shipped from Albania to Afghanistan by Miami Beach arms-dealing company AEY Inc.,run by 21 year old Efraim E. Diveroli who has just been indicted with 3 others for arms smuggling, fraud etc etc.,

The attaché, Maj. Larry D. Harrison II of the Army, tells of late night meeting on Nov. 19 last year when Fatmir asked for help from the Ambasador because he was concerned the reporter would discover he had been profiting from selling arms. According to Albanian diplomatic speak AKA Albanian Mafioso speak, the Ambassador "owed him one". Major Harrison was very unhappy with this arrangement he explained to the Committee investigators... unlike the Ambassador.

Fatmir told the top Albanian General (Now EX Top general Luan Hoxha)to get rid of the Chinese ammunition being repackaged at Rinas Airport in Tirana, ahead of the reporter's visit according to transcripts made available by Mr Waxmans committee yesterday of Major Harrison's testimony, obtained by telephone interview.

According to the transcript excerpts released by the committee, Major Harrison told investigators he disagreed with the decision to hide the boxes from the reporter, and said that he felt “very uncomfortable” during the meeting because it was his job to train, equip and modernize Albania’s military. He further explained his suggestion to bar the reporter from visiting the Albanian air base was rejected.

Interfering Mr Waxman has told the Secretary of State, part time pianist, Condoleezza Rice, that he intends to interview Mr Withers to discuss this ..er... cover up. Apparently ahead and after the New York Times blew the story open on March 27th , e mails, available to the Committee, show that the ordure was hitting the air conditioning and there was much relief expressed by the embassy’s regional security officer, Patrick Leonard in an e-mail to an assistant , “No mention of Embassy involvement — thank God!”

The persistent Mr Waxman said yesterday , that the e-mail correspondence among embassy officials, combined with Major Harrison’s statements, “raises questions about both the State Department’s role in the shipment of illegal Chinese ammunition and the candour of the department’s response to the committee.”

None of this of course has anything to do with smoothing over the Albanian entry to NATO or even the declaration since teh President's visit last year to agree on supporting Kosovan independence and a government run by Mafia gangsters.

What is of course causing problems is the massive (and mysterious) explosion at Gerdec (Which is near Tirana) when at least 21 (and rising) people were killed, Mr Mediu's early bath after it, demands for compensation and what a reporter succinctly asked Mr Withers on June 12th ..."It is three months now from the Gërdec explosion. The immunity of the former Defense Minister has finally been lifted; the Prosecutor General is conducting investigations, sometimes under attacks from politicians; former employees are on hunger strike claiming for more compensation from the government. How do you see the whole Gërdec affair developing?"

The same reporter questioned Mr Withers ..."There have been reports in the media that munitions from Albania have been transported to Afghanistan, reports implicating the American company AEY. Can you let us know how are investigations in the U.S. proceeding” Has there been cooperation between the American and Albanian prosecutors on this issue?"

To receive the answer - Ambassador: Let me say at the start that under our laws I cannot comment on the substance of any ongoing investigation. What I can tell you is that a very serious investigation is under way, looking at all aspects of this issue, including the role of the company that you cite, AEY, that all avenues of evidence are being looked into. There is cooperation between our authorities and the Albanian authorities to get to the bottom of that matter as well. For the moment, I really cannot say much more than that. But rest assured that, as we advise the Albanian government to conduct an inquiry based on evidence and evidence alone and to prosecute whomever and wherever that evidence leads, we are doing the same.

This is currently to be found on the US Embassy website for Albania ...

Here is a You Tube video of the Gerdec explosion ..which is awesome ..just like Camp Falcon In Baghdad. see Monday, October 23, 2006Network claims Tactical nuke went up in October 11th Falcon Base Camp. Latest reports talk of 26 killed and 300 injured the new Defence Minister Gazmend Oketa decided on some changes ...


.... and last Monday Albanian President Bamir Topi sacked the country's top General Luan Hoxha as well as General Zija Bahja over the Gërdec affair . Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu and another general, Shpetim Spahiu, had already fallen on their swords. (Gjeneral Spahiu: Mediu urdhëroi ndërtimin e Gërdecit)

The US ambassador in Tirana had condemned Albanian’s Premier and Parliament speaker for stalling a probe into an explosion at an army depot on March 15, which killed 26 and wounded over 300 which might have suggested that the explosions at the bse 10 miles from Tirana were not "accidental". Ambassador John L. Withers met Prosecutor General Ina Rama who has repeatedly asked for former defence Minister Fatmir Mediu,immunity to be lifted although the Prime Minister Berisha's silence sits badly with his former promise that no Government official would hide behind parliamentary immunity. Rama mysteriously talks about a flagrant violation in the process of handling munitions involving the employment of children.

Former defence Minister Fatmir Mediu continues to blame the generals who had had approved the location of the operation to deactivate the stored cold war munitions in a village, which lay in a heavily populated area (see comments below).

None of this has anything to do with upgrading the Albanian Coastal defence force, the purchase from Holland for US45Mn of 4 ships one built in Holland and the next three at Vlora Naval Base of Orikumi, built originally for the protection of Russian submarines under the "Varsavia" agreement. (eventually).

Nor even the use of the base for clandestine transportation of the odd person or three to Italy.

It all does make you wonder why the US Ambassador was so anxious to help in concealing the re-packaging of Chinese ammunition that was moving onwards to Afghanistan on a multi million DOD contract with a very lightly capitalised outfit run by a 21 year old entrepreneur ...whose contacts in Albania involve a Mr Kosta Trebicka, and Mr Ylli Pinari Director of Meico, the official arms export agency of Albanian Ministry of Defense and Efraim Diveroli's "alleged telephone conversations" which can hear here along with the complete transcripts.

These were allegedly made by Mr Kosta Trebicka on his Nokia cellphone June 11, 2007 when Diveroli was in Florida and relate to the fact that you "can't play monkey business with the mafia ... and all those fucking guys in Albania"...""Call him up, beg him, kiss him, whatever..." and in another Diveroli tells his Albanian contact. "Send one of your girls to fuck him... Let's get him happy. Maybe he gives you one more chance to do the job. No?" Give him a little money, give him something in his pocket… And he’s not going to get much… If he gets $20,000 from you…

Mind you Efraim does also say in another "overheard conversation" with Kosta Trebicka" "Probably I will be invited in Washington DC from the CIA guys and from my friends over there" also mentioned are Mihal Delijorgji – Albanian “businessman” (contractor for AEY and Southern Ammunition, now under arrest - in Albania )Sali Berisha – Albanian Prime Minister and his son Shkelzen Berisha .

Maybe that's what they teach them at Diplomatic School as well as charm offensives over the canapès.

Stay Tuned.

TOTAL POLITICS ... Vanguards in the fight for FREEDOM ? A tangled web of political personae, patrician's PR co, opaque funding and er... dog shi

If you are an elected representative of Local Government a new magazine will have fluttered through your letter box recently it's called TOTAL POLITICS and it has a website . Tis part of the TOTAL POLITICS website which has undergone a dramatic and recent change.

They have a Team. They describe it as ,"a mixed bunch from across the political spectrum" ..you can say that again, Editor is Sarah McKinley who many may not recognise as the daughter of Mr McKinley the Labour MP and the man who gave the murdered Dr Kelly such a nasty grilling when he appeared before the House of Commons Committe shortly before his violent, untimely, unexpected and (for the Government) very convenient death.

Their Editorial Board covers a large church, Iain Dale, blogiste, wannabe Conservative MP and it appears "Publisher" of Total Politics, plus Paddy Pantsdown , Hi Pooh Bah at one time of Bosnia and long term MI6 agent, and joined by felloe Liberal and leadership contender Chris Huhne . The spooky Ian Denis McShane of shifting nationality, name and alliances. The night time caller of David Davis (ex MP) , would be litigant of Andy Burnham the lissome ex Home Office lawyer, doe eyed scarf adjusting Shami Chakrabarti all appeared on the previous website as major names behind this project (whose funding seems somewhat unclear - well totally opaque) .

Guto Hari former BBC correspondent who just joined Fleishman-Hillard Inc., one of the world's biiggest PR agencies whose junior staff member staff Paul Borge quietly registered David Davis's website and rather rapidly switched it to DD when unmasked by blogiste (unmentioned by the incurious press / TV) but roundly criticised by the teenage hooligans who "comment" on Guido's website.

Which many considered odd because Fleishman-Hillard's , Regional Director Kevin Bell, ( ex M. Thatcher groupie and who helped Zoe Aylward on with her T shirt in DD's failed and futile leadership campaign - DD got 32.4% of the straight vote against Cameron) spoke at the conference organised by Intellect , ID Cards: Towards Procurement and Implementation a one-day conference held in London on June 6, 2005 - the Title of his talk was "Achieving public acceptance". THEN he was talking about ID cards ...now it must be David Davis who he is trying to make publicly acceptable.

Norsould we forget New Media Intelligence who worked for DD on the leadership campaign ...where does all the money come from ? They also feature Iain Dale on their client list ....Westminster Conservatives and the Westminster Council Conservative Group.

It must of course be remembered that David Davis voted for the 2nd Reading of the Governments Identituy Card Bill on 20th December 2004 before they all went away for Christmas 20.12.2004 . Along with the Conservative frotn bench.

Wannabe Green MP for Brighton and Euro MP for the Greens Caroline Lucas, Lord Trimble, the retired Prod leader for many years and now put out to grass, and SNP MP Angus McNeil who raised th e question of slimy liar Lod Levy and Cash for Coronets, and the odd Conservative leader of Westminster Council and now Chairman of the Local Government Association ("excellent") Sir Simon Milton who David Davis points out in his Guardian piece today has called for " local councils to scale back the overzealous use of local surveillance powers ", under RUPI.

Short cut to Gemma Garrett's blog and her collected speeches here

QUOTABLE QUOTES by Total Politics Groupies

"There is no question that David Davis is doing this out of principle," Daily Telegraph 15/6/08

Shani Chakrabarti, Liberty (Believers in freedom not the place where you can buy fabulous pashminas that look really, really good when it's cold and you've gt 2 minutes with somebody from Al Jazeera on St Stephen's Green)

"There is no question that David Davis is doing this out of principle," Daily Telegraph 15/6/08

"During my six months working for DD in 2005 Tony Blair's 90 day detention proposals I saw first hand how passionately he feels about this issue. It's not a matter of political conviction, it's almost as if it is in his DNA. He genuinely thinks that extending pre charge detention to 42 days will make the country less safe. It will give the terrorists a propaganda victory." Iain Dale on his Blog June 12th .. but voting as he did (and the Conservative Opposition) for 28 days in the slammer without charge, is ...well....er ... OK I suppose.

"It's like something out of Italian comic opera,'' Labour lawmaker Denis MacShane on BBC News 24.... DD gets the doe eyed maiden in the end ?

DD groupie Sir Simon Milton hit the news today as Chairman of the LGA complaining about surveillance under RUPI being used to chase up dog foulers and Hey Presto ! there is Rentaquote Shami Chakrabarti taking time off from adjusting her scarf in wild support of the DD's other friend , "This is about using quite serious powers that are meant for crime, not minor matters." BBC Online

....as for Spy Blog ... we haven't quite worked out where they fit in yet. .... why should they, spies never do.

Gemma Garrett says we want Freedom of Information to help fight crime ...

It is not possible to determine exactly when society in the UK declared war on its children. It's very statisfactory progress has been illustrated by research undertaken by the Institute for Public Policy Research.

New research shows that Government targets means many thousands of youths are being criminalised for minor offences and anti-social behaviour without any impact on re-offending rates.

A great deal of this criticism relates to ASBO's introduced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 by the Nu Labour "Tough on Crime and tough on the causes of Crime, " which were re-inforced by the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. The biggest criminal justice-related charity in England and Wales, he National Care and Resettlement of Offenders has published 2 major reports the fir in2002 said they were a failure , costly and slow (and one third were breached within 9 months), and a second in December 2006 after an NAO report, "Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour" on ASBO's, criticising the haste in which courts applied them before alternative remedies had been tried and pointing out that 55% of them were breached.

This was of course, we now know a pattern we have seen for the past 10 years by this Government, rarely objected to by the Conservative Party , of seeking to address every perceived social problem with a legislative , and invariably punitive response response invariably at the expense of personal freedom, and requently as part of an element of the state to control behaviour, especially of minorities.

This has diverted police pursuing Government inspired targets away from preventing and investigating severe crime, which disrupt societies and lead to social breakdown, such as drug dealing, human trafficking and controlling the supply of alcohol.

A direct consequence is turning young people into lives of crime, increasingly re-inforced by custodial sentences and learning in what have for decades been called Universities of crime helping them along the road to a life of crime. being dumped into the forbidding and unyielding criminal justice system at an early age increases the likelihood of re-offending.

IPPR's research , much of it only made available by Freedom of Information requests ( the police are remarkably reluctant to share their information lest theycan be judged on the facts) shows that targets to bring offences to justice led to a disproportionate focus on minor offending by young people, despite no increase in offending in that period. The rsults since target were introduced in 2002 include :

1. A dramatic 25% in the numbers of under 18's entering the formal criminal justice system
2. For under 15's this figure has risen by 33%.
3. The level of crimes involved to induct people into the criminal justice system has fallen.

The consequences of these changes in policing - and the perpetual chasing of targets has been disatrous.

The Government wanted to cut youth custody by 10 % by 2007/08, it rose by 6%. While youth justice has received the largest increase in spending of all the main criminal justice agencies excluding probation - 45% in real terms since 2000-1 - more children have been criminalised and imprisoned, the study by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies found.

Let us not forget that this must be considered against a background that the UK spends
proportionately more on law and order than any other country in the OECD, including the United States and major European Union members such as France, Germany and Spain.

In this Financial year this amounts to £22.7 billion. Nearly 66% is allocated to the police, who have seen growth inf dunding by 1% in real terms between 1997 and 2005. This has led to an overall increase in police numbers and probation service spening in that period up 160%.

This is not new, or recently discovered, the Daily Telegraph reported almost exactly a year ago on 27th June on the Youth Justice Board Annual Report

-" Minor offences are disproportionately committed by young people; therefore as greater volumes of lower order offences are detected by the police,so the number of young people who offend and are brought to justice increases. ".

Their research includes a breakdown by region of increases in criminalisation of young people since 2002, which are as high as 98% in Cheshire and in England and Wales averages 27% compared with 11% rise in cautions and charges for adults. (see full chart for all Police areas) See here for how Chief Constable fail to understand how ASBO's are supposed to work.

In 5th October 2007 Jacqui Smith appointed Louise Casey (and there are 2 ladies who won't be taking the Miss UK Title from me !) to report on Connecting Communities with the Fight Against Crime - this was long on "reflect(ing) the high priority the Government places on tackling the fear of crime" ... ie not on the much contested methods of calculating crime figures.

Anyway the combative Casey produced an excellent report last week (8 months .. that must be a record ) and probably her most encouraging Proposal was numbered 30 to match her dress size : Combined with a dramatic reduction in its approach to targets, monitoring, assessments and intervention, the Government should ensure that, in its place, an overriding measure of public confidence is used, with performance reported to the public at ward, local authority (Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnership), force and national levels.

To this she adds the very sensible Proposal 23 and 24 which involve providing the public with more detailed information about action being taken to tackle crime.... opportunities to meet local police teams and influence their priorities, and details of crimes committed, with feedback on what sentences offenders have received. Further more the Government and/or the Statistics Authority should consider what more could be done to develop a more dynamic and interactive website that maps local crime information and allows the public to compare levels of crime and the performance of criminal justice services in their area.

A public, that is better informed is a public far better armed and far more capable of helping the Police undertake their tasks . - Catherine Archer the CEO of the West Yorkshire Police Authority which unfortunately doesn't cover this area where I am canvassing your votes , pointed out in a letter to the the Daily Telegraph on Saturday that they already have such a website - she says , "we have received nothing but positive feedback".

This is a superb example (which everyone should look at - examples are proved here by Lord Patel's excellent technical staff) of the sensible use of the internet to inform public debate, to integrate public officers by sharing their information with the public to re-inforce joint action - especially in the area of Youth crime and youthful Anti-social behaviour. Unsurprisingly the journal Criminal Justice Matters called their latest June issue "Criminal justice policy making too often 'an evidence-free zone' and Professor Simon Hallsworth, Government adviser on `gangs' and violence, dismisses policy on tackling Violent Crime as `flat earth crime science' and not an "evidence driven policy'.

Professor Rod Morgan, ex Youth Justice Board Chairman and former Chief Inspector of Probation in reflecting on his Government service says he was `incensed... by the incomprehension and arrogance regarding the research process which some administrators displayed.....in politically highest-profile policy areas, such as anti-social behaviour ... where there was little or no evidence base."

Ministers now faced with the collapse of their decade of failure are uncertain how to treat youth crime , is it a law and order issue or i it a matter of social policy. With the break up of the Home Office a little noticed a little-noticed change placed responsibility for youth justice removed from the Home Office and shared out between war criminal Jack Straw's Justice Ministry and the Children and Family Department, headed by Ed Balls.

The tsunami of initiatives has had very little impact - according to a heavily leaked Whitehall document this incoherent and muddled policy on youth crime has led (according to aleed Whitehall document) to 25% of under-18s having committed an offence and high re-offending rates remaining unchanged since the dawn of Nu Labour.

The best Freedom we can have is Freedom of access to information ... join me in demanding that Freedom. Concealing the facts for decades has not produced a result, let the sun shine in on on our strets and what is happening on them.

Short cut to My Blog and all my speeches here

Summer Lightning

It is nearing the end of June . It is Midsummer . Lord Emsworth, if he were still with us ,would be admiring his pigs and dreading the forthcoming Garden Party... A lot has happened since this time last year , especially in the financial world ... Let's just recall.

Adam Applegarth , CEO Northern Rock (who had bailed out of his shareholding (32.7Mn) in Northern Rock completely in January 2007)

Introduced the Interim results to June 30th 2007 ...Page 4

"...We are pleased to have achieved approval for use of our Basle II rating systems. This means that the benefits of Basle II enable us to increase our 2007 interim dividend by 30%. Going forward our dividend payout rate increases to 50% of underlying EPS from around 40%. Future capital planning, including the reduction of capital hungry assets, will allow us to return capital to shareholders through a share buyback programme.

The medium term outlook for the Company is very positive”

Later on Page 14 under the heading ...Capital Management and Basle II

"On 29 June 2007, we received notification of approval by the FSA of our Basle II waiver application. Our regulatory capital requirements, comprising both Pillar I and Pillar II, are therefore calculated under Basle II with effect from that date."

and on Page 15 he was happy to explain the rise in the Dividend (which alas was not to be for the shareholders)

"The introduction of Basle II, which requires less capital to support new lending, also enables a review of the Company’s dividend policy. It is proposed that for 2007 and beyond, dividends will be maintained at a payout ratio of around 50%. The interim dividend therefore increases by 30.3% to 14.2p (2006 - 10.9p) payable on 26 October 2007 to shareholders on the register on 28 September 2007." (eventually this was not paid - with Darling acting not only a as a lender of the last resort but also as a Shadow Director influencing the other Directors)

This was the time the Company Treasurer , Mr Keith Currie became "ill" - he had sold £1.1m worth of NR shares in 2007 and bought £2,992 . His job was described on the company website as ......"responsible for the management of the Company's Group Treasury function including liquidity, wholesale funding, derivative portfolios and the management of the Company's securitisation funding and covered bond programmes."

Deputy to Adam was David Baker, who had sold made £1.9m wrth of NR shares in 2007 and invested £50,032.

Meanwhile we learn from our ex colonies of the the Indictment this week of Mr Cioffi and Mr Tannin of Bear Stearns that almost simultaneously ..

54 ...... On June 26, 2007, investors were told that they could no longer redeem their investments in the High Grade Fund, regardless of whether or not they had already submitted redemption requests.

55. Eventually, investors were told that the Funds had both lost 100% of their respective values, resulting in a total investor loss of approximately $1.4 billion.

We also learn that a notepad computer of Mr Cioffi and a notebook used by Mr Tannin , quite naturally in all the excitement cannot .. er ... be found.

Meanwhile in England Northern Rock ... how to turn £14 Billion into £19.3 Billion between April and "over the summer" .Treasury prestidigitation and legendary legerdermain we discover that the loan balance owing from Northern Rock to the tax payer is £19.3 Billion.

Perhaps Adam is still ferrying Amanda Smithson (who is presumably by now ex Buy to Let) off to the Presidential Suite in the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington to shag his brains out. Perhaps he is playing cricket.

Let's not forget Adam walked away with a pension pot of £2.2 Mn plus 6 months salary. His total package in 2006 was £1.4million, including basic pay of £690,000 and a bonus of £660,000. Plus of course his well timed share sale.

Let us hope when the Serious Fraud Squad come calling on him and his fellow Directors they haven't mislaid any notes , or computers.

A very effective object lesson in how the criminal justice systems operate on both sides of the Atlantic.