Dawn Primarolo fiddles whilst the Treasury is looted

Carousel Fraud is massive. Criminals are taking over £400 Mn each month from the Treasury by fraudulent claims - Lord Patel has regularly posted on cases which appear before the courts. In December in the Pre Budget Statement the updated figures for MITC fraud were promised but did not appear (Footnote). This week the Liberal Democrats sought better and further particulars about the criminal elements unvolved the scale of theft and of the efforts to stop this fraud.

In answer to questions about Carousel Fraud by Simon Hughes, gorgeous, pouting, clever, highly educated Dawn Primarolo ( Hansard 18th January Col. 1338W ) did her best not to be helpful. She said approximately 1,000 extra staff were allocated to HM Revenue and Customs as part of the overall VAT Compliance Strategy (VCS) in 2002-03 (5/4 years ago) which included VAT Missing Trade Intra-Community Fraud (MTIC = Carousel Fraud) as one of its priorities.

A total of 1,500 staff are now engaged in countering MTIC fraud across the Department following an additional redeployment of 700 compliance staff since Budget 2006 - (an update was expected by Gordie in the December Budget Statement but nothing was said.)

Simon Hughes also asked that for the last 12 months, how many
1, companies were investigated
2, prosecutions for carousel fraud were started
3, prosecutions for carousel fraud were completed

Dr Vincent Cable asked for each of the last 5 years for which records were available ;

1. How many prosecutions were there for carousel fraud
2. How many of the defendants in cases of carousel fraud were known to be part of organised crime gangs

To which the delightful hard working mum Dawn 52, (pic with friend) replied : "Details of the investigations and prosecutions conducted each year by HM Revenue and Customs are published in the departmental annual report and, prior to the creation of HM Revenue and Customs, was published each year in the annual reports of both the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. Where the specific information requested is not published, it is not collated in that format" - ie who the gangsters, para militaries are.

On the same day the Asset Recovery Agency acting under the Proceeds of Crime Act in a High Court Action served Property Freezing Orders (PFOs) on individuals and companies connected with and /or controlled by Paul Dermot Craven and Brian Pepper as they held assets which were obtained through the proceeds of unlawful conduct, including money laundering, tax evasion, false accounting, mortgage fraud and benefit fraud.

In this case, which is said to be connected to well known Republicans in Northern Ireland have frozen 77 further properties around Greater Manchester , now making a total of 92 properties valued at £13m which have been seized and investigations continue. The equity value is however much lower (presumably because the properties are mortgaged) and is about £4.7Mn.

"There are people in groups across society who are not engaged in further paramilitary activity - but will engage in organised crime because it funds their lifestyle," says Northern Ireland security minister Paul Goggins. In 2005-6 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, ARA managed to convert £4.1m in assets into hard, recovered cash. On 11th January 2007, the Home Office laid a Written Ministerial Statement before Parliament setting out Government proposals to merge the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) from next year it will disappear as the ARA and be absorbed into the Serious Organised Crime Agency early in 2008.

The Orders name ; Dermot Craven Developments Ltd, Craven House, Britannia Road, Sale,
Manchester and company directors Brian Pepper of Bridgewater Street, Sale,
Manchester and Dawn Craven;
* Avenue Holdings Ltd, Craven House, Britannia Road, Sale, Manchester, and
company directors Paul Dermot Craven of South Downs Road, Hale, Altrincham,
Cheshire, Brian Pepper and Gerald Joseph Nightingale;
* DC&BP (2004) Ltd, Craven House, Britannia Road, Sale, Manchester, and
company directors Dermot Craven and Brian Pepper.

The Agency has not alleged any criminal conduct by Dawn Craven or Gerald Joseph
Nightingale but has frozen property held by them, or by companies of which they
are directors, because it alleges that the property held is the proceeds of crime.

One is left with the smell that lots of very worthy hard working people are working very hard ... and ...er.. not getting very far ... and Dawn doesn't really want anyone to see how little they have acheived so far. Anyway the ARA will disappear next year so comparisons cannot be made blah. blah..... making itn look like the criminals have got away with approaching £5Bn a year for the last 3 years AT LEAST.

Footnote
"The correct figures will be available in the PBR, as they are every year following the application of the strategy for reducing MTIC fraud."

Don't Mess with the Met OK ? says Chairman Len

Len Duvall, OBE is the Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority , former Local Gubment employee, Greenwich Councillor and Chairman of the Greater London Labour Party. His feathers have been ruffled by the comments political folk are making about Plod's early visiting hours on Tony's friends whilst investigating a multi - million pound conspiracy to conceal financial gifts to New Labour to fund their recent election costs, by very rich London based businessmen, in exchange for what has been described by Peter Mandelson (audio) as membership of Britain's most exclusive club : Len asked Lord Patel to pass this message on - know what I mean ?

'Throughout this investigation the police have, quite properly, refused to comment except to confirm that, as in any other criminal inquiry, they are following where the evidence leads. (qv Murder of de Menezes) It seems to me that it is inadvisable for others to comment, openly or behind the scenes, on the merits of individual lines of inquiry until such time as the full picture can be revealed. ( - that is of course if you don't want waking up by some burly policemen !) Those who have spoken out over the past 24 hours about the way in which police are conducting this inquiry may well wish to reflect on what they have said. (Watch it David ! We know where all the houses are you live in)

'What is clear is that allegations of perverting the course of justice raise very serious concerns.(Not least in the Labour Party) It is also clear that no one in this country is above the law.

'As chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority I must be seen never to seek to manipulate or pressurise senior officers in the Met on any operational inquiry. Others would do well to follow my example.'

Len tells me that anyone can contact him .... len.duvall@london.gov.uk .. should you have any comments, helpful information etc., especially regarding corruption, business, the Labour Party, Gubment, Local Gubment. Police, folks not on the square etc.,




Len had to remind us he is also a Director of Tilfen Land Ltd., which describes itself as "A business success story as unique as it is impressive. In just six years Tilfen Land Ltd.,has established an enviable position operating at the heart of one of Europe's most important regeneration areas." . They announced on June 26th 2006 that their 25 hectare site,Tamesis Point, at the western tip of the Thames Gateway regeneration area , 2000-home project, had received outline planning consent from Greenwich Council. Homes will be available mid 2007 - sign up at the Tamesis site so the builders can contact you about the houses for sale.

See also Town Planners David Lock Associates

"Tilfen Land’s role at the site will be to ‘townplan’ the whole development by devising the overall phasing strategy, offering serviced development ‘parcels’ to the housebuilders who will plan, design and construct houses in their areas according to strict design guidelines. Tilfen Land will also be responsible for providing the necessary infrastructure for the development to evolve."

Tilfen Land Ltd.,is jointly owned by Gallions Housing Association and Trust Thamesmead.

Hooked ? .... or Horrified ?

This image is currently used on public poster sites to promote :

1. Angling
2. PETA / NSPCC / League Against Cruel Sports
3. A PG 12 Film
4. Sado - Masochist series on Channel 4
5. Help for Addicts on National Health Service

Choose which you think it is and then explain in as few words as possible why you think the image fails the The Advertising Standards Association (ASA) CAP Code - Rules
FEAR AND DISTRESS

9.1 No marketing communication should cause fear or distress without good reason. Marketers should not use shocking claims or images merely to attract attention.

Of course if you felt to wanted to complain about the use of this image you can do so on line to the ASA here

Boeing will get USAF tanker contract - unopposed

Northrop Grumman Corp. is going to walk away from the USAF US $100 Bn for 179 re-fuelling tankers to replace the ageing fleet of Boeing KC-135's.

Grumman had been offering a version of Airbus' 330 and to make commercial sense included cargo carrying options which have been turned down in discussions between the Pentagon and the Air Force on Wednesday this week. In August Boeing shuttered their last plant in Southern Califormia which made the huge military transport Globemaster III or C-17 - at the time Boeing said this would affect 25,000 employees of the nearly 700 companies in 42 states that supply parts and systems for the plane.

That will leave Boeing a home run.

Airplane industry booming globally

The airplane industry will require 27,000 new planes costing $2.6 trillion. in the next 20 years. After 9/11 Boeing - had to cut jetliner production and shed 40,000 of its 93,000 employees who designed and built the planes - they were busy making the JDAM bomb kits and missiles however.

Over the next 20 years, it is said that China will need 2,900 new passenger and freight aircraft costing $280 billion, and India will need 856, worth $72 billion. Airbus are now rapidly developing their manufacturing facilities in China.

Many forget that planes also carry cargo - Fred Smith, founder and CEO of FedEx, says that 98 % by weight of international trade travels by sea the 2 percent moved by air constitutes 40 percent of the economic value.

From Jan 1st 2007 Fedex has imposed a net 3.5% average price increase on U.S. domestic and U.S. export express shipments, and a 4.9% average price increase on FedEx Ground services.

In Q2 2007 FedEx Corp. reported Revenue up 10% , net income up 8% and an increase in earnings per share up by 24% from Q2 2006.

Alan B. Graf, Jr., CFO attributed the sound results to ..." lower than expected fuel prices" .."growth at FedEx Ground (average daily package volume grew 14% year over year in Q2) and insurance proceeds related to Hurricane Katrina".

Curious

U.S. officials say rumor of Iran strike not true MSNBC

Updated: 10:05 a.m. ET Jan. 18, 2007
WASHINGTON - U.S. defense officials on Thursday said a rumored Iranian missile strike on a U.S. naval vessel in the Gulf was not true.

"No such event took place," said one of the officials on condition of anonymity.

...and of course no-one was killed at Camp Falcon .....

Investors.com reported

"Before open-outcry trading (on NYMEX) began at 10 a.m. EST, prices popped up as high as $52.69 on a rumored Iranian strike on a U.S.But the market calmed as soon as the Pentagon denied the rumor."

Alberto Gonzalez' balls in a vice

After 9/11 President Bush Mr Bush authorised NSA to eavesdrop on US domestic electronic communications.By doing this he acted illegally by deliberately circumventing the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, requiring the government to seek a warrant from an intelligence court before it can spy on Americans.

On Wednesday the US Justice Department said that the President would not re-authorise the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Programme and that the Administration had reached an agreement whereby any electronic eavesdropping would in future be monitored by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court - ie they will now obey the law of the US. (By whom and who this agreement was made with and when we don't get told - but for the first time - the President is on the back foot****)

In a surprising but probably well rehearsed move Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter (The 1 bullet theory man of the JKF killing) , the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate judiciary committee, told Alberto Gonzales, the US attorney-general, that more information was needed.

They asked Mr "Torture memo" Gonzales to provide them with the authorisation the administration received from the intelligence court and he refused. Pat Leahy responded sharply “Are you saying that you might object to the court giving us a decision that you publicly announced…Are we Alice in Wonderland here?”

A federal court last year ruled that the programme was unconstitutional, and told the President that there were “no hereditary kings” in America - Gonzalez lied brazenly claiming that the switch of policy by the Administration was not related to the results of the court case. However Leahy said ...“I welcome the President’s decision not to reauthorize the NSA’s warrantless spying program and instead to seek approval for all wiretaps from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, as the law has required for years."

Vermont Senator Leahy has taken the remarkable step of posting a lengthy statement on his website as a result of his crossing swords with AG Gonzalez.

"In the 32 years since I first came to the Senate – during the era of Watergate and Vietnam – I have never seen a time when our Constitution and fundamental rights as Americans were more threatened by their own government. Just this last weekend, the President and Vice President indicated that they intended to override the will of the American people, as expressed in the most recent national elections, and ignore actions of Congress in order to escalate the war in Iraq. This Administration has circumvented express congressional prohibitions on creating databanks of information on law-abiding Americans over the last five years."

He turns his attention to Human Rights .....

"We have a democratic government in which Congress is entitled to know and review government actions. The President and Vice President of the United States should not be operating a secret and separate regime in which their official acts and policies cannot be known by the people’s elected representatives.

The Administration’s secret policies have not only reduced America’s standing around the world to one of the lowest point in our history, but these policies also jeopardize the Department’s own efforts to prosecute terrorism. "

He turned his attention to Crime - especially in Iraq

"I am also deeply concerned that the Department of Justice is retreating from its core mission to hold those who would violate our criminal laws accountable. Last week, the President told us that he plans to spend $1.2 billion more, on top of the billions already sent to Iraq for reconstruction. Despite mounting evidence of widespread corruption, contracting fraud and billions unaccounted for, the Department of Justice has not brought a single criminal case against a corporate contractor in Iraq. "

Attorney General Gonzales, I thank you for agreeing to come here today. I look forward to hearing your views and answers to our questions. (You'd better believe it Alberto) We need to work together to move forward.

Listen here to the exchanges (npr)

The White House Retreat on NSA Surveillance: Puzzles Remaining
Peter Shane of Moritz College of Law, Ohio State University.....".James Bamford called his 1983 book about the National Security Agency “The Puzzle Palace.” Somebody should use the same name for a book about the 2007 White House." is how he starts his review of the apparent change of heart (and maybe procedures) by the National Security Agency’s so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP), program of warrantless electronic surveillance created by a (very) secret Presidential order in early 2002.

He admits however that the timing of Albert Gonzalez' welcome announcement is not puzzling - made just prior to the 1st Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the Democratically led Congress - even if Pelosi is one of the AIPAC rats aboard - in a Congress newly led by the Democrats.

**** Back Foot - a cricketing term where the bowler has forced the batter to literally move backwards to play his shot, reducing his range of playable strokes and increasing the chances of leg before wicket, playing on to his wicket, an easy slip catch. Let's not kid ourselves they have been and will continue listening in without interruption - it might just make them think a little more carefully next time - and make sure they cover their tracks better.

Pic - Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), center, consults with Committee Ranking Member Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), left, and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) before a January 18 hearing about oversight of the Justice Department. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared before the Committee to answer questions about privacy, the NSA domestic surveillance program, and other issues under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department.

Legalise Prostitution

The murder of 5 women in Ipswich and mass media coverage has focussed public attention on the confluence of addiction to heroin and crack amongst people called sex workers. Such that John Mann Labour MP for Bassetlaw asked Meg Munn the The Minister for Wimmin & Equality this afternoon ..." What estimate the Government have made of the percentage of women involved in the sex industry who are addicted to class A drugs. "

She replied that a 2004 Home Office study profiled 228 women involved in street-based prostitution and found that 87 % "used "heroin and 64 % "used" crack cocaine. Subsequent anecdotal evidence she said suggests that —in many areas, practically all of those involved in street prostitution used class A drugs.

To which John Mann riposted that the provision by the NHS of effective drug treatment is a key intervention in relation to prostitution, especially street prostitution and Meg Munn agreed claiming ;

1. The Government had introduced a co-ordinated prostitution strategy
2. Recognised that providing appropriate drug treatment was essential and had "invested" £600 Mn in drug treatment provision in the recent past.

Dr Brian Iddon , Labour MP for Bolton, South-East revealed that Wigan and Bolton health authority carried out a survey in recent years, of the "sex industry", which showed that 98 % of the women on-street were addicted to heroin. In contrast few of the women off-street were addicted to any drug at all.

Lorely Burt the deliciously named Liberal Democrat who represents, Solihull , the classier end of Birmingham, spared the sights of streetwalkers, felt that the Gubment's Strategy was merely a watered down change of rules allowing girls to work in pairs from an address, a crackdown on kerb crawlers and help on adiction to class A drugs and called for legalisation. This last brought the preposterous Mr. Denis MacShane scattering aside conventional wisdom (and detailed evidence) about pimps, white slave traffickers, drug dealers, addicts, sex slaves UN treaties, EU conventions and blamed the men. The Liberal Deocratic idea of legalising prostitution was ludicrous. He sat down.

Michael D E Goodyear and Linda Cusick published an Editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ 2007; 334: 52-53 12th January - subscription only) Protection of sex workers

A full text of their arguments for legalisation can be found as a Word Document
Remembering Ipswich: a plea for human rights.

A must read analysis, succinct, precise and concise arguments - complete with 124 footnotes and many, many contemporary articles and links - for example the final Note 124 is Matthew Parris. We could have protected the Ipswich women. We failed. The Times December 16 2006.

Another which ecapsulates the dreadful conseqences of life as a "sex worker" is ;

What happens to women who sell sex? Report of a unique occupational cohort.
By H Ward and S Day Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, UK. h.ward@imperial.ac.uk

BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVES: Sex work has been seen as both a health and a social problem. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the longer term impact on health. We explored the health and career paths over a period of 15 years among women who have worked in the sex industry. DESIGN: A longitudinal study of sex workers recruited between 1986 and 1993 and followed for 15 years. Outcome data were obtained through interview, clinic records, or third parties. SETTING: Clinic and community settings in London. PARTICIPANTS: We obtained outcome data on 130 (37%) of the original cohort of 354 women, with a combined follow up of 1247 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vital status, most recent occupation, duration of sex work, sexually transmitted infections (STI), major health problems. RESULTS: The majority (73/124, 59%) were still in the sex industry and had sold sex for a mean of 13.6 years (!). There were six deaths, a mortality of 4.8 per 1000 person years. Surviving women had a high cumulative risk (110 of 118, 93%) of STI. Past gonorrhoea was associated with pelvic inflammatory disease (RR 2.28, 95% CI 1.12 to 4.66) and infertility (RR 10.9, 95% CI 1.5 to 77.3). Other outcomes included mental health problems (38 of 97, 40%) and addiction (46 of 72, 64%). There were no significant differences in health outcomes between women who were still in the sex industry and those who had stopped. There was a high level of occupational mobility, and 31 women (of 84, 37%) had completed vocational or higher education, including eight to postgraduate level. CONCLUSIONS: Sex work is associated with excess mortality and morbidity including the sequelae of STI, mental health problems, and substance abuse.

Goodyear and Cusick place the Ipswich murders in context ;

"Several other women have been murdered in the area over a 15 year period, and the number of murdered sex workers around the world continues to grow. Standardised mortality rates for sex workers are six times that of the general population (eighteen for homicide ), the highest for any group of women anywhere, with an estimated murder every two months in Britain. Premature death forms only part of the spectrum of violence and abuse experienced daily, with a high burden of physical and emotional morbidity. , Violence against sex workers is endemic, historical , , , and part of a much broader problem of violence against women. Commentators have angrily pointed out the contrast between the scant attention paid to the regular murder of women compared to a sudden concern that a “serial killer” is involved, when the issue suddenly becomes a matter of public safety. "(This paragraph has 22 references)

They go on to argue strongly for a solution or at least a Remedy ;

"To maintain the status quo is both unacceptable and moral cowardice. The Prime Minister has opposed legislative reform, and attempted to stall the rising clamour for the protection of women, but must now demonstrate leadership to restore dignity, justice and human rights by eliminating prostitution as a crime. In doing so he has a number of lessons from history to guide him. In 1883, Gladstone acceded to public pressure, and suspended the Contagious Diseases Acts following a majority vote in the house. In 2003 Helen Clark, New Zealand’s Labour Prime Minister, emphasised that her actions in supporting decriminalisation was not related to sexual morality, but to a duty to place the welfare of the vulnerable and marginalised first. A similar position was taken by the Green Party"

He finishes by reference to the Ipswich victims ;

Gemma, Tania, Anneli, Paula and Annette were some mother’s daughters, and some childrens’ mothers. Their deaths were inevitable. (*)They deserved better, but we failed them., We will honour them best, not just by memorials, but by doing the right thing.

(*)The deadly effect of zero tolerance --Attempts to stamp out the sex trade will drive it underground and put women's lives at risk

Diane Taylor Wednesday January 18, 2006 The Guradian

Whatever your views on the Legalisation of prostitution, un the UK or anywhere you should read these arguments.

US Economy takes New Year Hits.

CPI to be published Thursday will show big rise, however you measure it. Power utilities seeing massive hits on costs now and near future as weather turns. Jan 30th Fed push up rate to 5.5%. Oil set to rise on back of natural gas price "surge".

Realtors hibernate.

Lord Bassam of Brighton talks in his sleep

Whilst Ruth Kelly and Margaret Beckett are members of the Gubment it seems unreasonable, inaccurate even, to say that the splendidly named and unelected (and unelectable) Lord Bassam of Brighton (created 1997) is the stupidest member of the New Labour criminal fraternity . (Very strongly in favour of smoking ban and ID cards)

However his performance on Tuesday in the House of Lords takes some beating. (Pic 4th left over the V in Hove)

My Lord Cobbold rose to ask what seems a reasonable question. The Home Secretary in January 2005 announced a "root and branch review of the ABC system of drug classification". The current sytem is based, it is claimed, on classifying drugs on the degree of self harm they cause.

My Lord Cobbold (David Antony Fromanteel Lytton Cobbold. 2nd Baron created 1960 - father Governor of the Bank of England from 1949/1961 and sensibly married into the Bulwer-Lyttons of Knebworth House - believes Members of HOL should retire at 75 or 80 - C) was aware of "the excellent report of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Drug Classification: Making a hash of it." and pointed to their conclusion on Page 48

“we have found glaring anomalies in the classification system as it stands and a wide consensus that the current system is not fit for purpose”.

He pointed out that the drugs trade is the second largest global business after oil, and it is all in the hands of criminals. Did the Minister consider this to be acceptable?

Or ...would the Gubment agree ...

" the real problem is not about detailed composition of their classification system but that current national and international drugs policies are as a whole not fit for purpose? Is it not obvious that prohibition, as the late Milton Friedman once wrote,

“is an attempted cure that makes matters worse”?

Lord Bassam of Brighton: (All this happened just after Prayers at 2.30 so one perhaps should take into account that My Lord Bassam may have been digesting a comforting and splendid lunch - perhaps with the addition of a decent claret and maybe a post prandial port or three).

"I am aware that there are some critics of the classification system, but we have to base our policy on something. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has served us well in advising not just our Government, but successive Governments, on the best course of action with regard to particular types of drugs and their derivatives."

Of course my Lord Bassam was right, although not helpful, nor indeed did he answer the question, but merely stated some easily determined facts and placed the blame squarely, if not fairly on the oddly named Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs . A point which the sharp minded The Countess of Mar was swift to point out ;

"My Lords, the noble Lord did not really answer the question put to him by the noble Lord Swinfen - Can he please tell us what consideration Her Majesty’s Government have given to purchasing the harvest of opium from Afghanistan and using it for medicinal purposes in this country? "

The policy of the excellent and very sensible Senlis Council - see endless postings here.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, my understanding from colleagues across government is that we are looking to ensure that crop substitution takes place. Work is being undertaken on that. (Whilst dodging the bullets in Helmand province no doubt)

Lord Tebbit: My Lords, can the Minister tell us whether it is the Government’s view that legalising any particular drug would be likely to increase or to decrease its consumption?

At which point the blundering Lord was saved (as it were) by the bell, as Lord Rooker The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs curtailed further debate by reminding the House that in its quaint way "My Lords, I am sorry, but we are well into the eighth minute, and we must move on...."

Perhaps it would be right to mention that Baroness Gardner of Parkes had also asked about ,"What can be done to prevent tragedies occurring where someone has caused even death due to driving under the influence of drugs? to which the beached Bassam provided, not an answer but some fascinating statistics....

"My Lords, the noble Baroness is right that we should focus our attention on the practical impact of substance misuse. It is for that reason that the Government have invested as heavily as they have in drug treatment and tackling misuse. Since 2001-02, £7.5 billion has been invested by the Government in tackling drug abuse. In the past year alone, the Government invested £1.5 billion, and a further £86 million was made available for treatment services. If we can start to deal with drugs issues in those ways, we have a greater chance of success."

"There are examples of success in terms of reducing people’s interest in and consumption of drugs "

..... but he failed to provide any.

One could be forgiven for worrying about the way our legislators handle the greatest social evil of our times, the greatest criminal enterprise (although VAT fraud is fast overtaking) and the most profoundly damaging effect on young people, prostitution, people trafficking, crime committed to indulge in drugs ....

Curious how expenditure of £7.5 Mn with no demonstrable effect on the problems of drugs misuse is decribed as ..... an investment.

It seems very unreasonable that we should taunt these chaps after a decent lunch with all these difficult questions, and expect answers -

"Cully" Stimson sends a letter of apology - not resignation

The Washington Post has published a letter today, alleging to be an apology from a man who signs himself Cully Stimson. What was needed was his letter of resignation.

An Apology to Detainees’ Attorneys - Wednesday, January 17, 2007; A18

During a radio interview last week, I brought up the topic of pro bono work and habeas corpus representation of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Regrettably, my comments left the impression that I question the integrity of those engaged in the zealous defense of detainees in Guantanamo. I do not.

I believe firmly that a foundational principle of our legal system is that the system works best when both sides are represented by competent legal counsel. I support pro bono work, as I said in the interview. I was a criminal defense attorney in two of my three tours in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps. I zealously represented unpopular clients — people charged with crimes that did not make them, or their attorneys, popular in the military. I believe that our justice system requires vigorous representation.

I apologize for what I said and to those lawyers and law firms who are representing clients at Guantanamo. I hope that my record of public service makes clear that those comments do not reflect my core beliefs.

CULLY STIMSON
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs

Maybe this will save his ass, and his job. Put the bastard in a Day Glo jumpsuit and shackle him to the damp cold concrete floor whilst he listens to Bryan Ferry's "Virginia Plain" on constant loop whilst they fog the atmosphere with more CO2 whilst they leave the lights on 24/7 only to interrupt it whilst they tell him what they will do to his family back home.

Why will it save his ass ? Because Alberto Gonzalez and Prof. Yoo wrote it for him ... " my comments left the impression "

Just watch and listen to Melissa Hoffer detail what they did to her clients here - Here
"When we degrade others", she says, "we degrade ourselves" at the end of her speech. You can't see douche bag , "Cully" Stimson even beginning to understand what that means.

Straws in the storms about to blow through ....

Lord Patel November 6th 2006 posted ..

“The world economy is on track to grow at a 5.1% rate this year, but the risk of a severe global slowdown in 2007 is stronger than at any time since the September 2001 terror attacks on the United States,” said the International Monetary Fund in a report to finance ministers meeting in Singapore in September.

They mentioned 2 possible triggers:

1. A sharp slowdown in the U.S. housing market
2. Surging inflationary expectations that would force central banks to raise interest rates.


Well, everybody but followers of Lord Patel's projections said the rise by the Bank of England of a 1/4% base Rate hike followed this week by the disclosure of higher than expected (but nonetheless heavily massaged) price inflation data was "unexpected" .."a shock"

Well more shocks are on the way.

Pic John Everett Millais' painting Bubbles in 1886 used to promote Pears Glycerine soap introduced in 1789 In London, by soapmaker Andrew Pears.

"Cully" Stimson generates a lot of opposition amongst the blue chip lawyers on Pennsylvania Avenue

Nice to see that Wilmer Hale 1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, members (AKA Cutler Pickering) in the list of blue chip law firms that "Cully" Stimson dislikes have been creating heavy traffic to Lord Patel's site.

They point out on their website that The American Lawyer (January 2007 Cover Story)recognized Wilmer Hale’s Ronald Machen (see pic) as one of the nation's 50 most accomplished litigators under the age of 45 in this month's issue.

The article commends Ron for his ability to generate business and quotes Litigation Department Co-Chair Howard Shapiro describing Ron, saying that clients "meet him once and they keep coming back." The magazine also commends Ron for making a successful transition to private practice after having been a federal prosecutor. Ronnie has defended The Boeing Company, the former Riggs Bank nonexecutive board, and Mitchell Wade, who pled guilty to bribing former California congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Ronnie tells us he is now defending Allied Capital Corporation in an investigation of pretexting by hedge fund short sellers. In March he is scheduled to represent Prabhat Goyal, the former chief financial officer of McAfee, Inc., in an accounting fraud trial in federal court in San Francisco.

Ronnie Machen was a very effective Assistant US Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, US Department of Justice, from 1997 to 2001, when Lord Patel knew him . He was responsible for representing the United States in a wide range of criminal matters in both the local and federal court systems of the District of Columbia. As an Assistant US Attorney, Mr. Machen conducted grand jury investigations and prosecuted matters involving bribery, mail fraud, government contracts fraud, federal conspiracy, forgery, uttering and theft - what they call white collar crime in law school.

Useful to look at what they say on their website about their pro-bono work which "Cully" Stimson excoriates so much ...

"Because the law is still a profession as well as a business, lawyers have special obligations to the administration of justice and the development of the law.......We strongly believe that we have a responsibility to help strengthen our communities......we have been known for our record of pro bono representation and community service—a record based on the belief that there is more to our professional mandate than advocacy for the most powerful and successful members of society."

An original partner Reginald Heber Smith—considered the father of legal aid in the United States—authored the seminal book Justice and the Poor and galvanized the organized bar nationally to secure equal justice for those unable to afford counsel. More than seven decades later, in 1992, partner John Pickering led the effort to establish the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge and ensured that they were its charter signatory. Today, as measured by The American Lawyer in 2005, their pro bono program ranks as one of the top in the country - long may it continue.

Go and have a look at the stunning list of work they do ; including (just to upset "Cully")

WH Filed a habeas petition and are briefing an appeal to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of six men who were seized in Bosnia in January, 2002 and thereafter held at Guantanamo Bay.(These were 6 Islamic clergy alleged to have plotted to blow up the US Embassy , a charge since dropped - The Algerian 6 - see more here).

Lord Patel is happy to disclose that Melissa Hoffer of WH has acted for them and spoke (video of speech here - wmv file) at the 17th Concours International de Plaidoiries -regarding the case and their treatment - described elsewhere (pdf alert) ..." They were kept naked in their cells. They were taken to interrogation for hours on end. They were short shackled for sometimes days on end. They were deprived of their sleep. They never got letters, nor books, nor reading materials. The Bosnians had the same interrogators for a while as we did and so we knew the names which were the same as ours and they were given a very hard time by those. They told us that the interrogators said if they didn't cooperate that they could ensure that something would happen to their families in Algeria and in Bosnia.

The charge against one of them, has now been reduced to "Mustafa Idr had taught Karate to Bosnian orphans."

It seems appropriate to raise this case because these 6 prisoners were arrested on January 18th 2002 - 4 years ago to the day.

Melissa (means honey in Greek)Hoffer is pro bono environmental counsel to Boston Natural Areas Network, a Boston-based non-profit dedicated to preservation and management of urban green space and community gardens. Recently, Ms. Hoffer has provided pro bono advice related to mechanisms for establishing a carbon sequestration project in South America and has counseled a non-profit organization interested in developing a renewable energy demonstration project on the Boston Harbor Islands.

Achieved what the Washington Post described as a “stunning reversal” of a miscarriage of justice in a nationally-reported case—undertaken with co-counsel from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other firms—in Tulia, Texas, in which multiple defendants, nearly all African-American, were wrongfully convicted and sentenced on drug charges based on the completely uncorroborated testimony of a white undercover agent who was later indicted for perjury. [One of The New York Times "100 Notable Books of 2005", Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town by Nate Blakeslee tells the sad yet ultimately triumphant story.]

"Cully" Stimson's nemesis draws nigh

Dean Harold Hongju Koh of Yale Law School has a long list of offices and awards including Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor under Clinton / Human Rights Award of the Cuban-American Bar Association in 1994 / Human Rights Award of the American Immigration Lawyers' Association in 1992. He also testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to OPPOSE the appointment of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general of the United States, because of his alleged role in attempting to provide legal guidance to the U.S. military justifying abusive interrogation practices, including that the War on Terror "renders obsolete" and "renders quaint" aspects of the Geneva Convention (he supports the Red Sox which is apparently a basketball team ?). He and Dean Emily A. Spieler of Northeastern University School of Law have prepared and circulated a statement in response to the apalling views expressed by DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Detainee Affairs Charles "Cully" Stimson in a radio interview critizing top US law firms for providing pro bono representation to Guantanamo detainees and implying they were being paid by shady sources.

The complete statement and the signatories list, including over 130 Deans of US Law Schools and can be accessed here (Pdf Alert)

" ... we find Secretary Stimson’s statement to be contrary to basic tenets of American law."

"At this moment in time, when our courts have endorsed the right of the Guantanamo detainees to be heard in courts of law, it is critical that qualified lawyers provide effective representation to these individuals. By doing so, these lawyers protect not only the rights of the detainees, but also our shared constitutional principles. In a free and democratic society, government officials should not encourage intimidation of or retaliation against lawyers who are fulfilling their pro bono obligations.

We urge the Administration promptly and unequivocally to repudiate Secretary Stimson’s remarks."

"We urge" ... have these folks got no balls ? .....WE DEMAND these remarks are rejected and the GUY is given his lunch pail, pink slip, the boot ..whatever ... and there's a whole slew of fancy law firms where he won't find gainful employment.

3 words for Mr Koh - CALORIE CONTROLLED DIET

UK ID card scheme - Costs under scrutiny - Baroness Noakes emerges from the shadows

Baroness Noakes 57, (formerly Dame Sheila Masters) married Barry Noakes, in 1958 , a farmer and Conservative borough Councillor. Lady Noakes has many degreees in law, business and is a qualified Accountant . She was awarded a DBE in 1996.

She joined Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG) in 1970 as an articled clerk and qualified as a chartered accountant (winning several prizes) in 1973. She was a partner in KPMG from 1983 to 2000.

Lady Noakes was made a life peer in 2000 - spokesman for Health and for Work and Pensions in 2001. Between November 2003 and November 2006, she was Shadow Minister in the Lords for Work & Pensions Nov 2003 /Nov 2006. Since November 2003, she has been a Shadow Minister in the Lords for the Treasury. Director of Hanson plc, Director of Imperial Chemical Industries plc, Director of Carpetright Plc , SThree plc, Trustee of the Reuters Founders Share Company. Formerly Director of the Court of the Bank of England. Fellow ( and President 99/00) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales , Director of the English National Opera.

A year ago yesterday this strikingly beautiful, dull, but worthy accountant , evidently one of the great,and possibly the very, very good, unelected but nonetheless an ornament to the House, provided their Lordships yesterday with some fascinating financial information concerning the Gubments ID card scheme. (Hansard)

For one year starting late 2008 the Gubment say the ID card scheme running costs will be £584 Mn. - this figure (the Minister admits) does NOT include the costs of the immigration service (and probably many other undiscolosed costs) . The London School of Economics report, of June 2006 said over 10 years the costs would be £10.6 Bn, £19.2 Bn. If the Home Office figure for running costs is correct this implies a 10 year total cost of £5.8 Bn.

The Gubment currently say the cost to the user of a passport will be £93 and an ID card £30. They imply that the fees are derived from the £584 million cost estimate.

If the LSE report is right,those fees could be between £170 and over £300, and an ID card fee , maybe £100. The Gubment have refused to cap fees, implying if costs rise, fees do also.

There is plenty of research to show that the acceptability of the ID card scheme declines as its cost increases.

She concluded ....

"The ID scheme is surrounded by much secrecy. We know that the scheme will require large and complex IT systems."

She seems an unlikely champion of democracy, but nonetheless welcome. Since her intervention we have heard litle and learnt less about how the scheme will work - or any further details on costs.

Learn more about the "Database State" at NO2ID

Democrats on a Horny Dilemma - do we ordo we not support Bush bombing Iraqn?

110th U.S. Congress (2007-2008)
H. J. Res. 14: Concerning the use of military force by the United States against Iran

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - January 12, 2007

Mr. JONES of North Carolina introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

JOINT RESOLUTION

Concerning the use of military force by the United States against Iran.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAN.

(a) Rule of Construction - No provision of law enacted before the date of the enactment of this joint resolution shall be construed to authorize the use of military force by the United States against Iran.

(b) Requirements - Absent a national emergency created by attack by Iran, or a demonstrably imminent attack by Iran, upon the United States, its territories or possessions or its armed forces, the President shall consult with Congress, and receive specific authorization pursuant to law from Congress, prior to initiating any use of military force against Iran.

At his website Congressman Jones explains ;

" ...... absent a national emergency created by an attack, or a demonstrably imminent attack, by Iran upon the United States or its armed forces – the President must consult with Congress and receive specific authorization prior to initiating any use of military force against Iran."

“If a military venture against Iran is necessary, it should be easily justifiable to Congress,” Jones said. “If no military action is contemplated, then there should be no objection to this commonsense resolution.”

Pat Buchanan at war.com and Real Clear Politics says ;

"If we are going to war on Iran, Jones is saying, we must follow the Constitution and Congress must authorize it."

"If Biden, Kerry, Clinton, and Obama refuse to sign on to the Jones resolution, they will be silently conceding that Bush indeed does have the power to start a war on Iran. And America should pay no further attention to the Democrats' wailing about being misled on the Iraq war. "

What the Founding Fathers called separation of powers, and has appeared in all the History text books ever since.

As Pat puts it, after 3,000 US soldiers dead, 25,000 (at least and probably many. many more) are wounded, between 100 and 600,000 dead Iraqis, 1.6 million middle class Iraqis have finally fled the (liberated ?) country of their birth, $400 billion has been squandered, stolen , misused, abused and the world's superpower, America, s"tands on the precipice of the worst strategic defeat in her history."

Hands up those who really think that the Democrats in Congress are going to deny Bush the money he needs for this foolish venture - so when his Midle East venture fails, he can turn round and blame them ?

Don't despair however , his drive by diplomat, sometime lover, Condi is jetting around the sandy and sunny Middle East ....er ..... meeting f0lks.

SPOT THE 'FRIDGE - Win a Million Pounds - Lord Patel's challenge to Metropolitan Police

8 January 2007 Daily Mirror
THE BEDSIT BOMBERS
EXCLUSIVE - INSIDE THE 7/7 TERROR HOUSE What cops found in explosives factory Toxic chemicals strewn across floor NYPD use replica for terrorist training -

"It looked like an ordinary suburban flat on the outside, but the chilling scene within the walls of the terror den used by the 7/7 suicide bombers to bring death to London is described below."

The rooms are a replica of the flat at 18 Alexandra Grove, Leeds, where the bombs were made for murderers Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Jermaine Lindsay, 19, and 18-year-old Hasib Hussain to bring their destruction and carnage to the streets of London in July 2005.

The Mirror was given exclusive access to the mocked-up flat inside a trailer at a secret location in Brooklyn - built with the help of photos and detailed information on the home provided by British authorities.




..and today

15 January 2007 Daily Mirror
JULY 21 'BOMB PLOT' SIX ON TRIAL

THE trial of the six men accused of plotting to bomb public transport in the capital on July 21 2005 began today.

Woolwich Crown Court was told the “extremist Muslim plot” would have taken place just 14 days after the July 7 tragedy.

Muktar Said Ibrahim, 28, from Stoke Newington, Ramzi Mohammed, 25, from north Kensington, west London, Yassin Omar, 26, from New Southgate, north London, Hussain Osmain, 28, of no fixed abode, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, 33 of no fixed abode and Adel Yahya, 24, of High Road, Tottenham are charged with conspiracy to murder and cause explosions likely to endanger life.

2 points -

1. No-one would of course not wish to influence a jury empanelled to try the above case commenced today - least of all the NYPD who treated us to pictures of nail bombs from a car in Luton Railway Station car park (helpfully unexploded).

2. Remember the "industrial refrigerator" that was used in the flat (whatever an industrial refrigerator" is) This is the Times report August 04, 2005 headed July 7th bombs used hair dye, say NYPD

"The only unusual piece of equipment the bomb-maker needed to produce large quantities of HMDT was a commercial refrigerator, because the explosive degrades if it is left at room temperature."

"Yesterday, NYPD officials said that an expensive fridge was found in the otherwise rundown flat in Dewsbury, on the outskirts of Leeds, where investigators believe the bombs used on July 7 were built, and that the devices were brought to Luton in cooler boxes in the boots of two cars.In the flophouse where this was built in Leeds, they had commercial grade refrigerators to keep the materials cool," said Michael Sheehan, the NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Counter Terrorism. Mr Sheehan told the conference that the presence of sophisticated cooling equipment in an unlikely place could be "an indicator of a problem"."

Lord Patel is offering a

MILLION POUND REWARD

to the person(s) who points out the refrigerator in the Daily Mirror photo of the replica of the alleged Alexander Road, Leeds, bomb factory in a secret location in New York (?) - there is some cooling equipment , a fan,and a bath (we are told was full of ice where did the ice come from ?).

Of course this story is a total fabrication , allegedly originating outside the legal jurisdiction of the UK courts, and therefore "plausibly deniable" - it is a lie, bollocks, dis-information and has been circulated with the full knowledge of the Secret Services, the Metropolitan Police, the home Office, The Foreign Office and their eqivalent offices in the USA.

The intention is to affect and influence both public perception of the defendents and to affect the jury.

PS (What flats in Alexander Grove have air conditioning vents (see upper right hand wall on top picture)

There are of course no photographs of the interior of this bomb factory in public circulation - perhaps Plod might like to clarify the situtation with some snaps from the SOCO's ?

with the

Fucking big Industrial Refrigerator

included.

UK Foreign Office to use Jewish immigration proces - Law of Return?

Lord Patel first knew Lord Triesman in the 80's when he was a raving and poisonous Trot. He has been quite effective at the Foreign Office - certainly better than the dumb, clueless, gormless, brainless Margaret Beckett and has now been given a new and novel job.

Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Returns , (Evidently a specialist on the Law of Return - see Israel Ministry of Immigration ) which sounds like one of the funny men in garters who appears at Royal Weddings and Coronations an dis put away in a cupboard by the herald Alexander Extraordinary until the next won. His office however it's foundation to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) Review ( 32 pages of ....Fair, effective, transparent and trusted - Rebuilding confidence in our immigration system) published by Johnny Head "in the sand" Reid on July 25th 2006 setting out the cross-government approach to the challenges of migration, and recommended the appointment of a Special Envoy on Returns .

You will remember the IND secures our borders (?) prevents abuse of immigration laws (?) and manges migration to "boost" (??????) the UK.

Apparently this jew will ...

" ...... step up our efforts to deal with barriers to remove those who are here illegally and will give greater impetus to our close collaboration with foreign governments and international partners."

In another words he is there to ;

1. Soothe Ambassadors
2. Convince newspaper editors that the Gubment means bizniz on wogs coming over from Calais
3. Keep an eye on any Muslims
4 ..er.. well...that's it

When he opened the envelope at breakfast over Matzos and marmalade he apparently said..

"I am delighted to be the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Returns. Migration is a key priority for cross-government action. We know the benefits migration can bring to the UK economy and society. But to do this we need to maintain the integrity of our immigration system. Ensuring that immigration offenders can be and are returned to their countries of origin plays an important role in sustaining public confidence."

Meanwhile Liam Byrne, the unsavory Home Office Immigration Minister, whose main job in life is to prevent Immigration said ;

" Lord Triesman ...blah...blah ... vital that we seek international solutions .... huge challenges ........ this era of mass global migration. This new role will ....... place a responsibility .... countries ....... immigration concerns to accept back blah ...blah."

"I look forward to continuing our close cooperation with FCO(Note this post was announced by 10 Downing Street) to return those who have no right to be here back to their country of origin."

So according to the IND (see page 24) This is the start of a process. Consultation with the people who work in IND and UKvisas, and with key stakeholders and partners throughout the UK and around the world, will be crucial in transforming the system.

In the meantime, any immediate comments on this document are welcome ;
These can be sent to - indreviewcomments@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

or

IND Review Comments
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Home Office
Apollo House
36 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 3RR

Which sounds awfully like .. anyone got any bright ideas. Best so far is Jewish Lord Triesman pop off to Tel Aviv with the PM's other personal Envoy another Jew, called Lord Levy (always assuming the Police haven't kept his passport) and have a word with their Immigration services about how they keep anyone out of the country who fails to meet strict criteria - they must be a practising Jew.

MI5 - e-mail Cock up AGAIN

MI5 terror alert blunder sends private data to US mailshot firm
By JASON LEWIS - Mail on Sunday 13th January 2007

Confidential details sent to MI5 by thousands of individuals and businesses have ended up with an American company specialising in supermarket mailshots.

The security service's new email early warning system was designed to reassure the public in the wake of the July 7 bombings and the disclosure of a string of failed terror plots. blah, blah, blah

Screams the Mail - well ...er this was broken by Lord Patel ... see here

10.00 am Tuesday January 9
MI5 - email alert system announced and will be up and running - er.... real soon now
Wednesday, January 10
MI5 e-mail alert fuckup - all the gory details of their incompetence
with all the technical details obtained by the excellent Spyblog.

If you want the news read the blogs .. if you want the really old news read the Sunday papers.

Dame Eliza - Manningham Buller (pic BBC) is 65.(and that is only round the waste)

Spyblog has updated the story today Sunday, here

It appears that the system has silently been changed and apparently (?) made more secure...

1. Anonymous registration is possible - using an alias, webname etc.,
2. A Security advice has been added to the instructions ...

"Security Your subscription details will be sent over a secure Internet connection via a Secure Socket Layer (SSL), a protocol used for secure communications over the Internet. Web addresses that begin with "https" indicate that an SSL connection will be used."

3. The e-mail list sign up web form seems to be handled by :

https://mi5.h0st.biz/xdata.html

(Note points out Spyblog that replaing the vowel o as the digit 0 in "host" is a trick od spammers, phishers etc.,) This is on a Mailtrack host which has whimsical hosts named after Lord of the Rings avatars - Merry, Elrond, Arwen, Cirdan etc.

4. This seems to have started from the date of the hastily obtained Digital Certificate ;-

Valid from:
11/01/2007 00:00:00
(11/01/2007 00:00:00 GMT)

i.e. on Thursday 11th January - 2 days after the launch of the MI5 e-mail list subscription service, and after the initial Spy Blog article, but before, say, The Register reported it more widely.

5.Subscribe and you will get this ...

MI5 E-Mail Lists - Subscription Verification

Thank you for submitting a request to subscribe to our mailing list(s).

We will send you an e-mail in the next few days asking you to click on a link to verify your subscription request.

All this suggests Spyblog suggest a manual check or perhaps a buffer whilst they sit round wondering what to do next, give up ? Do the job better ? Do the job properly ?

Spyblog also asks what has happened to the data they have already collected ? How will anyone know - if these stumblebums cannot set up such a simple service properly first time round.

As for the Mail who give no credits to Spyblog who alerted the world to the actual details - enabling them to harass Mr & Mrs Geller (who is Iranian so self evidently a spy / terrorist) of WhatCounts.com who handled the work in the US originally and appear to have been dumped -not that the Mail no Sunday tell you that.

... you could of course go to the Observer / Guradian you have a headline about MI5 ...

MI5 braced for fresh 7/7 disclosures
Security services listed Tube bombing ringleader Khan as a 'desirable suspect' a year before the attack.

The story is a lot of bollocks but again MI5 and the lovely corseted Liza are in the firing line AGAIN. If you cannot stand the heat in the kitchen ... but then that's Liza's problem , she can't keep out of the kitchen.

Does that make you feel safer ?

Judge gives ICE until 22nd Jan to tell him where 220 plus illegals are from Swift , Greeley Plant.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided Swift meat packing plants on Dec 12th 1,282 people were arrested. ICE has said about 220 face identity theft or other criminal charges and the rest face immigration charges, The plants raided were in Grand Island, Neb.; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn. and Greeley Colorado where 260 staff were arrested. (they didn't raid the Louisville, Kentucky and Santa Fe Springs plants) With more than $9 billion in annual sales, Swift & Company is the world’s second-largest processor of fresh beef and pork. It was founded in 1855 and headquartered in Greeley, Colorado,

The raids were said to be part of an investigation that began in February 2006 after several reports of stolen identities were linked to the company.

Now Colorado U.S. District Judge John L. Kane has given ICE until Jan. 22 to submit a list accounting for all the detainees, including those who have been deported.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 filed suit in Denver federal court, alleging the arrests of the 265 Greeley workers violated their constitutional rights to due process. (No civil or criminal charges, filed by the government against Swift & Company or any of its current or former management employees.)

Involved in the claim to illegal processes are 61 detainees who were taken to El Paso, Texas instead of remaining in Colorado for complete deportation processing. Some detainees claim they did not know what they were signing when they agreed to leave the country willingly. If they return, they could face felony charges, but they claim agents told them they would be allowed to return legally.

ICE has denied the charge.

Sam Rovit, president and CEO of the 150 year old Swift & Company^®. said on January 5th that the cost of those raids has been estimated at $20 million in lost revenue and $10 million for employee retention and hiring incentives. "The Company does not believe there will be a continuing effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows beyond the current fiscal year."

Prior to joining Swift, Sam was head of global mergers and acquisitions practice for Bain & Company, leading money jugglers and strategy consultants. he is said to be a leading expert in food industry value-creation strategies, and has in the past provided counsel to many of the largest companies in the food industry. There are several Directors (Joe Colonnetta, Edward Herring, John Muse) who represent Hicks Muse and First one of the biggest Private Equity outfits in the US. They with Vail, based Booth Creek Management bought the company fron Con-Agra in SEpt 2002.

Swift released its earnings report Thursday January 4th 2007 (pdf Alert). Net sales for Q2 were up 6.9 % to US$2.47 billion. In the first quarter of Swift's fiscal year, May through August 2006, Swift posted its best gains in three years, with sales for Swift beef up 12 % from the previous year. Prior to that, Swifts earnings had been dropping each quarter.The Company's second-quarter EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) was $32 million, up from $2 million in the prior-year period.

Current year EBITDA was also affected by increases in freight and packaging costs that were more than offset by reductions in workers compensation and employee medical costs based on receipt of updated actuarial reports, as well as reductions in management incentive accruals and lower utility costs.

Pic Greeley Tribune
FAMILY MEMBERS OF JOSÉ MENDOZA, a Mexican immigrant who was detained in the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at Swift & Co., fill out the necessary paperwork to enter the Aurora Contract Detention Facility/ICE Processing Center to see José in court. Family who went to the center 12th Jan to visit him included, from left, his sister, Veronica Mendoza of Fort Morgan, his sister, Maria Mendoza, visiting from Chihuahua, Mexico, his niece, Jessica Bustil los of Fort Morgan, his nephew, Raul Lopez of Chihuahua, and his uncle, Manuel Quiñonez of Chihuahua.

SWIFT CELEBRATES 150 YEARS OF MEAT INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE

Bring 'em on - the boys bring home the bacon ...er

Today is the 25th Anniversary of the Rescue of "Sir" Mark Thatcher the wannabee terrorist, adulterer, divorcee, disgraced financier ( a mere 29 yr old stripling) competed in 1982, in the Paris-Dakar rally, with the nubile exotic and highly experienced French lady co-driver, Charlotte Verney. They, with their mechanic went missing in the Sahara Desert for six days.

On the 2nd January 1982 they had become separated from a convoy of vehicles after they stopped to make repairs to a faulty steering arm (rumour was he had stopped for a "quickie"). Declared missing on January 12 , his mother Mrs Thatcher, in tears, demanded a massive aerial search of the whole of African continent , a C-130 Hercules search plane from the Algerian military spotted the white Peugeot 504 some 50km off course, run out of petrol in a lay by.

Thatcher, Verney and the mechanic were (thank God) all unharmed.

Mark Thatcher Racing Ltd., was later, like many of the boy Mark's business ventures in "financial difficulties" and was bankrupted and shut.

“I tend not to give money to people whom I’ve never met and when I don’t know what it’s for,” Mark Thatcher Cape Town Authentic Passenger Statement 25/11/2004

Let's hope that people don't dredge up pictures of Harry in a different Army Uniform and make sick jokes about joining the Afrika Korps - or even suggest he is following in his Father's (the real one) footsteps. He is going into the Hell Hole that is the officers mess of the Royals and Blues remember.