Malaysia bans street protests

Al-Jazeera reports:

Malaysia's lower house of parliament has approved a ban a on street protests after opposition legislators boycotted the vote and activists criticised the ban as repressive and a threat to freedom of public assembly.

The law is expected to be enforced after parliament's upper house, also dominated by the ruling National Front coalition, approves it as early as next month.

Najib Razak, the country's prime minister, has framed the bill as part of a campaign he launched in September to replace tough laws on security, speech and assembly in a bid to shore up support ahead of elections he is expected to call for next year.

He defended the act on Monday, saying it guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and said the law prohibits public marches to avoid disruptions to general society.

But it has been assailed by opposition politicians who call Najib's reforms an election ploy, and say the bill validates their fears that tough old laws will merely be replaced by strict new rules.

Malaysian and international rights groups describe it as repressive because it bans street rallies and imposes tough restrictions and penalties for demonstrators.

The law was announced only last week, and some critics say the vote was rushed without proper public consultation.

About 500 lawyers and their supporters marched to parliament hours before the vote, urging lawmakers to reject the bill and chanting "freedom to the people'' before police stopped most of them from entering the complex.

The new law would confine demonstrators mainly to stadiums and public halls. Depending on the venue, organisers may be required to give 10-day advance notification to police, who would determine whether the date and location are suitable.

Children under 15 and non-citizens would be barred from attending rallies, which also cannot be held near schools, hospitals, places of worship, airports or gasoline stations.

Demonstrators who break the law can be fined $6,200...

House of Commons spends £37k on Speaker's portrait

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

Tens of thousands of pounds has been spent on the official state portrait of Commons Speaker John Bercow, it has emerged.

The portrait which is to hang alongside images of other recent speakers including Baroness Betty Boothroyd was painted by Brendan Kelly, who was also recently commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery to paint former army chief General Sir Mike Jackson.

"I wanted to capture the day to day reality of a Speaker mid-action at work in the Chamber," said Kelly.

"This meant black robes and a House of Commons tie, the iconic Speaker's chair prominent in the composition, books and papers on the shelves and the Speaker himself, shown animated in the midst of conducting the daily business of the House of Commons."

A fee of £22,000 was agreed with the artist for this commission. And an additional £15,000 was spent on "framing and heraldic painting costs" so that the style of previous portraits could be kept.

Costs were said to be met from the House of Commons budget.

Appeal after man sexually assualted at London Bridge station

British Transport Police officers are asking for witnesses to come forward after a man was sexually assaulted in the toilets at London Bridge station on Saturday, 29 October.

Investigators have also released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to in connection with the incident which happened at 1.25pm near to platforms 1 and 2.

Constable Andy Parkinson, the investigating officer is asking for anyone who recognises the man, or who may have information about the incident to come forward;

“The victim, a 33-year-old man from Bexleyheath, was standing at the sink washing his hands when he was approached from behind by another man who touched him inappropriately before pushing him against a wall.

“The suspect apologised to the victim, who left the toilets in a bid to alert rail staff, but when they returned they found that the suspect had fled the scene.”

“We know from our enquiries that after the man left the toilets, he used the escalators and left the station via Duke Street Hill.”

DC Parkinson said that the man is described to be around 6’1 and to speak with a South African accent;

“If you know this man, or if you are the man himself, we would like to speak to you.

“This type of offence is very rare on the railway but when we do receive such reports, BTP takes this crime very seriously. If you were at London Bridge station and have any information, I urge you to get in contact and assist us with the investigation.”

The man can be seen below:

Anyone with information can call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B19/LSA of 15/11/2011. Or call the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council spends £7k of public money on CEO's leaving party

The Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle reports:

Debt-ridden Hammersmith and Fulham Council spent more than £7,000 of public money on a party for its retiring chief executive in what has been described as an 'astonishing' use of tax payers' cash.

More than 450 council staff attended the Town Hall event in honour of Geoff Alltimes, who last month left his job as one of the highest paid local authority executives in the country with a pay-off of more than £200,000 and an annual pension thought to be in excess of £100,000.

Conservative councillors and colleagues of Mr Alltimes insisted the public would 'understand' why the authority, which has overseen cuts to community services and buildings worth millions of pounds in what it describes as its 'relentless drive for savings', pushed the boat out to mark his 36-year council career.
Labour leader Stephen Cowan

But leader of the Labour opposition Stephen Cowan said: "It's hard to understand why over £7,000 of tax payers' money was wasted on a boozy knees-up while the council is simultaneously cutting many local Sure Start nurseries' annual budgets to just £19,000. Most residents will think that is the wrong priority to spend their hard-earned money on. These are difficult times."

Tory councillor Harry Phibbs said the bash, which was held on October 31, could be justified because it boosted council staff's 'morale'.
Councillor Harry Phibbs

He said: "If you'd have had a much smaller leaving party you could have saved money but you wouldn't have been able to have a lot of people there. A lot of people appreciated being involved and it was good in terms of morale."

Asked whether residents would accept the amount spent, he said: "I think most would understand it's the right thing to do. He wanted to thank the staff he had worked alongside for 35 years and I think the figure is in proportion to how many people were there."
Councillor Peter Graham

Councillor Peter Graham, who works closely with Fulham and Chelsea MP Greg Hands, added he 'didn't have a problem (with the party)' because the council is now saving money through sharing a chief executive with Kensington and Chelsea Council.

Council leader Stephen Greenhalgh has often spoken of the authority's drive to cut costs because of its £133m debts. After a host of buildings were sold earlier this year, including Palingswick House and the Sands End Community Centre, he said: "I understand how difficult some people have found it to come to terms with the budget pressures we are facing, but the reality is, we have no choice but to reduce our spending."

Mr Cowan said the expense of the party made a mockery of the council's savings pledges. "If you are spending your hard-earned money on council tax, you exoect better," he added.

The council says Mr Alltimes paid for all alcohol out of his own pocket and that the public money was spent on an outside catering firm. 'Decorations' and soft drinks came from private donations, it said, while the food enjoyed by guests was 'basic'. The final cost of £7,184 included VAT, it added.
Stephen Greenhalgh, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council

Mr Greenhalgh accused the Labour group of hypocrisy, as when in power they also held lavish retirement parties for senior officers.

He said: "I am never going to stop spending some money on celebrating the contributions of our staff who work hard for our authority for many years, whether senior or junior.

"Because we're in an era of austerity, they are asked to make some contribution. This wasn't a practice that started with the Conservatives, and when Labour were in charge they paid for the food and the wine."

A spokesman added that the 'civic event' was organised to mark the departure of an 'outstanding public servant who dedicated 35 years of his life to serving the residents of Hammersmith and Fulham'.

He added: "This council is leading the way in slashing millions of pounds worth of waste and bureaucracy. We are the only council to be consistently improving services while cutting our historic debt burden and cutting council tax."

Mr Cowan added four members of his Labour party attended in the belief the bash was being funded entirely by Mr Alltimes. "They popped their head around the door to say goodbye before attending a question and answer evening with Ken Livingstone," he said.
Hammersmith MP Andy Slaughter

Meanwhile, the row over the value of Mr Alltimes' pension rumbled on last week when MP Greg Hands accused rival MP Andy Slaughter of hyposcrisy over his attacks on the controversial subject.

Documents seen by the Chronicle reveal Mr Slaughter was also generous with the public purse in his days with the council. When he was executive mayor of the then Labour-ruled authority in 1999, Mr Slaughter oversaw the appointment of Richard Harbord as CEO on a starting salary of about £110,000, the equivalent of £150,000 in todays' money. Records show that within a year Mr Harbord was given a rise to £140,000, and it is believed he was given a further hike when appointed to a second role of finance director in June 2001.

During his recent broadside, which coincided with Mr Alltimes' retirement, Mr Slaughter was also critical of his pension arrangements, which are thought to have included a 'goodbye' payment of £270,000 in addition to annual injections of £104,000 and his final basic salary of £226,000.

But when predecessor Mr Harbord's exit was brought forward a year to May 2002 due to his 'lack of progress' in the role, notes from an executive meeting indicate he was given a leaving sum of £110,000, as well as a windfall of £62,400 to his pension fund.
Greg Hands

Fulham and Chelsea MP Greg Hands accused Mr Slaughter of double standards, saying: "Just months after Mr Harbord was given a payrise he was asked to leave and got a huge pay-off in the process.

"Whether or not either of the CEOs' earnings are right or wrong, this represents clear hypocrisy on the part of Andy Slaughter. Mr Alltimes left the council in a proper process having served it for 35 years. Mr Harbord was hired with great fanfare and then sent packing after just three-and-a-half years."
Geoff Alltimes

Mr Slaughter dismissed the accusations as 'typical Tory diversion tactics'. He said Mr Alltimes' final year salary of £226,000 was not comparable to Mr Harbord's and said his party is actively lobbying to change rules that allow pensions to be calculated on executives' last salaries instead of their average pay packets.

He added: "The current rules mean CEOs get big salary rises in their last year to get better pensions, which is why Mr Alltimes' rose by a £11,000 in his last year to one of the best packages in the country and that is not right," he said.

"This council is axing scores of workers while paying huge money for people like Geoff Alltimes to do its dirty work. If I remember correctly, when we appointed Mr Alltimes he was on £140,000."

Media criticised by academics for disability benefit claims

Full Fact reports:

Last month the University of Glasgow's Strathclyde Centre of Disability Research published the results of an investigation into changes in the way the news media are reporting disability, and how it has affected public attitudes towards disabled people. The article can be found here.

As our readers will know, disability, and particularity disability benefit, is a subject that is often inaccurately reported in the media. Full Fact has looked at this subject a number of times.

We were therefore intrigued to have a look at an academic take on the subject. Although we would recommend reading the article yourself, at 87 pages, it's no quick read.

The study compared two periods during the second term of Tony Blair’s Government (2004/5) when welfare reform was also a live policy area, and the past year of this Conservative/Liberal Democrat Coalition Government (2010/11).

It looked at the output of five newspapers: The Sun, The Mirror, The Express, The Mail and The Guardian.

There has been not only an overall increase in the number of articles on disability, with over 30 per cent more articles on the subject, but also a shift in the way in which it is portrayed.

There has been a significant increase in polemic on the subject, and a large drop in the number of articles on 'real life' experiences. In 2004‐5, for example, life experience stories made up over 15 per cent of the Daily Mail’s coverage of disability compared to only 7.7 per cent of coverage in 2010‐11. In the tabloid press in general such stories fell from 29 per cent to 22 per cent.

There has been an increase in both the total and proportion of articles that discuss benefit fraud and the 'undeserving' poor. The article attributes this to greater support for the current Coalition government among the tabloid press than was felt for the previous government.

It argues that: "In October‐January 2010 the Coalition Government was both attacked less frequently and defended more overall by the tabloids than New Labour had been during the same period of 2004‐5 (4.1 per cent of tabloid articles were found to contain criticism of the Coalition and 4.8 per cent contained arguments in defence of the Coalition)."

Articles looking at fraud by benefit recipients have also shot up. Fraud articles increased from 2.8 per cent of tabloid coverage in October–January 2004‐5 to 6.1 per cent in the same period in 2010‐11.

The article suggests that there is a link between reporting and public perception of benefit fraud. Members of focus groups tended to assume that disability benefit fraud was significantly higher than it actually was, citing newspapers as the source of these judgements.

More worryingly, there has been an increase in the use of pejorative language in the press, from 12 per cent in 2004/5 to 18 per cent in the same period 2010/11.

The most commonly recorded pejorative words in October‐January 2004‐5 were as follows:

• Handout – 18 occurrences

• Scrounger – 15 occurrences

• Sicknote Culture/Society – 13 occurrences

• Cripple – 8 occurrences



Whereas the most commonly recorded pejorative words in October‐ January 2010‐11 were:

• Scrounger – 34 occurrences

• Handout – 58 occurrences

• Workshy – 25 occurrences

• Cheats – 25 occurrences



Finally the most commonly recorded pejorative words in April‐March 2011 were:

• Scrounger – 21 occurrences

• Cheats – 23 occurrences

• Dependency – 17 occurrences

• Handout – 15 occurrences

• Sponger – 15 occurrences


The article concludes by saying:

"Much of the coverage in the tabloid press is at best questionable and some of it is deeply offensive. … These [disability fraud] claims are made overwhelmingly without evidence and at no point are the media reporting the very low levels of fraud that occurs overall in relation to these benefits. We would further cite the use of pejorative language, the failure to explore the impact of the proposed cuts on disabled people’s quality of life, the reluctance to criticise government policy on these issues and the frequent representation of some disabled people as undeserving of benefits as potentially contributing to what could become a highly inflammatory situation."

Deaf awareness course in Bexley, South London

This is Local London reports:

BEXLEY Deaf Centre is running an awareness course for anyone who wants to learn how to communicate with deaf people.

The course will be held on December 14 from 10.30am until 1pm in 104 Erith High Street.

There will be a short seminar about being deaf followed by basic sign language and lip reading.

Refreshments will be available throughout.

A spokesman for the centre said: “Deaf awareness is a short course for anyone who wishes to learn how to communicate to deaf people and recognise the limitations of what deaf people can or can’t do.

“There are around 9 million deaf people in the UK so the chances of bumping into a deaf person are high- it’s better to have the training to make communication effective with minimal fuss.”

For more information, call 01322 351122 or email bexleydeafcentre@fsmail.net

First reaction to Osbourne's Autumn Statement

From a Tarsier in the BBC News studio.

Confidential council files found in Telford bin

The Shropshire Star reports:

Confidential council files, some containing sensitive personal data, have been found dumped in a bin in Telford.

Telford & Wrekin Council said an immediate investigation was launched after the documents – 58 in total – were found by a member of the public. Officers were today contacting all the people whose data was included to apologise.

A spokesman said they believed the papers were put in the bin on the Wrekin Retail Park in Wellington by a former member of staff.

The documents – handed to the Shropshire Star – include job applications and staff sickness forms and include details such as addresses, qualifications, previous employment and references of people who applied for a cleaning supervisor job at Muxton and Phoenix schools in Telford.

There are also nine return to work forms detailing the reasons for individual staff absences between March and May this year – even revealing one member of staff was suffering from stress and depression.

A copy of the council’s Corporate Information Security Policy was also thrown away with the papers.

It states: “Documents and records must be stored under secure conditions up until the point that they are either destroyed or passed to a third party to carry out physical destruction.

“This means that they must not be left unattended in skips, bins, reception areas or corridors for any period of time whatsoever.”

Council paying-in books were also thrown in the bin along with names of every pupil at Moorfield Primary School in Newport who has a school meal.

The haul was found by shoppers Nick Stokes and his partner Melanie McCarthy, of Doseley.

Miss McCarthy, a mother-of-one, said details relating to children should not have been disposed of in a public bin.

Nigel Newman, for the council, said: “The council takes this issue extremely seriously and immediately after the Shropshire Star told us about this our investigations began.

“Having reviewed these our initial findings are that the information came from a member of staff who left the council very recently.”

He said the vast majority of the information did not include personal data.

Appeal after indecent behaviour on National Express train just outside Shenfield

British Transport Police (BTP) detectives are appealing for information after a man performed an indecent act in front of a 25-year-old woman on a train between Romford and Shenfield.

Investigators have also released a CCTV image of a man they would like to talk to in connection with the incident which happened on Sunday, 16 October 2011.

Detective Constable Michael Bute, the investigating officer, said: “The victim boarded the 19:40 National Express East Anglia service at Romford in order to travel to Shenfield.

“At the station she became aware of the man and so waited until he had boarded the train before getting on to another carriage.

“Shortly before the train arrived at Shenfield the man approached her, exposed himself to her and began to perform an indecent act.

“The victim challenged the man’s behaviour at which point he stopped and quickly fled the train when it arrived at Shenfield.”

The victim also left the train at Shenfield and reported the incident to station staff and police.

DC Bute added: “We also believe this may have been the same man who the victim witnessed behaving in a similar way earlier on in the evening on a train between Liverpool Street and Newbury.

“Fortunately this type of incident is very rare, but understandably the victim was left shaken and upset by what she had been forced to witness.

“If you recognise the man pictured, or have any information about the incident, I would urge you to contact police.”

Anyone with information should call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference B3/LNA of 24/11/2011. Or call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Third of private rental homes 'have safety hazards', government report claims

The Guardian reports:

Nearly a third of properties in the private rented sector contain major safety hazards, according to data contained in a government survey of UK housing stock.

The annual English Housing Survey shows that 28.2% of dwellings in the private rented sector have a category 1 hazard compared to 14.5% of local authority housing, 10.8% of housing association accommodation, and 21.5% of owner-occupied dwellings.

Hazards qualifying as category 1 under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System include those that can cause death, lung cancer, permanent loss of consciousness, 80% burn injuries, the loss of a hand or foot, eye disorders, heart attacks and poisoning. Under the Housing Act 2004, these types of hazard create an obligation for local authorities to either force the property to be vacated or to require immediate repair.

The most dangerous type of property is converted flats, with 37.7% containing at least one category 1 hazard. Older properties are also more dangerous, with 41% of buildings constructed before 1919 containing category 1 hazards compared to 4.6% of properties built in the past 20 years.

A total of almost 5m properties contain such hazards, with the most commonly occurring being those that cause falls, such as showers and baths, stairs with poorly fitted handles and grab rails, and inadequate space.

Newspapers recently reported how an 85-year-old man in Hackney, east London, became trapped in his bath with no food or heating for five days after falling into the tub. Fortunately he was able to drink from the sink next to his head (suggesting there was very little space in the bathroom) and was only rescued after friends became worried about his absence.

The second biggest hazard, particularly for those aged 45 or more, was excess cold. The survey said a healthy indoor temperature was about 21C, and serious health risks occur once the temperature falls below 16C, while below 10C the risk of hypothermia becomes "appreciable, especially for the elderly".

It said: "The percentage rise in deaths in winter is greater in dwellings with low energy efficiency ratings. There is a gradient of risk with age of the property, the risk being greatest in dwellings built before 1850, and lowest in the more energy efficient dwellings built after 1980."

Other hazards included pollutants such as asbestos, biocides, carbon monoxide, lead and radiation, electrical hazards and fire. Although occupier behaviour was a major factor in more than 80% of fires, more than 2,000 fires a year are associated with wiring and cabling.

Electronic conveyancing company SearchFlow estimates it would cost UK property owners more than £52bn to erradicate the hazards and make repairs. However, the majority of hazards can be remedied relatively cheaply, it said, with the cost of repairing stairs, for example, to remove a category 1 hazard less than £1,000 in 85% of cases.

Stuart Pearce, chief exceutive of SearchFlow, said: "When private dwellings are assessed by local authorities, there's a one in five chance there will be a hazard present which requires immediate attention. This is a cost most property owners don't factor into their plans and can therefore prove very hard to deal with.

"If you don't make the required repairs – even if you can't afford to – local authorities have the power to issue prohibition orders, which mean you aren't legally allowed to live there any longer. In this situation, the only option for the owner may be to sell at a knockdown price."

Flipping Unions?

"Unions: the people who brought you the weekend. And capped working hours. And employment rights and protections. And fair wages. And pensions. And ended child labour. What a bunch of greedy bastards." - Priyamvada Gopal

Via UWE Solidarity Occupation

North Somerset and Worcestershire councils fined for breaking data laws

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

North Somerset Council and Worcestershire County Council have each been fined thousands of pounds after breaking UK data laws, the Information Commissioner's Office has said.

Worcestershire County Council was served with an £80,000 monetary penalty for breaching the Data Protection Act after a member of staff emailed "highly sensitive" personal information about a large number of vulnerable people to 23 unintended recipients. The incident occurred after the employee clicked on an additional contact list which was only intended for internal use.

The ICO said the council failed to take necessary measures to prevent unauthorised processing of personal data, which could have included appropriate training for employees. The council was also said to have failed to properly consider an alternative means of handling the information, such as holding it in a secure system with restricted access.

But the ICO did find that all of the unintended recipients were from organisations familiar with council protocols on sensitive data. The council said it attempted to contact all of these recipients as soon as the breach occurred to ensure the information was deleted.

In another serious breach North Somerset Council was issued with a £60,000 fine by the regulator. A council employee was found to have sent five emails to the wrong NHS employee. Two of these emails contained confidential sensitive information about a child's serious case review.

The employee who sent the information was told about the error by the NHS recipient the first time it took place. But information was then emailed a further three times to the same NHS employee. Two of the council's assistant directors then highlighted the problem with the council employee. But a fifth incident took place later in the same day.

Despite there being some policies in place, the ICO said North Somerset Council had failed to ensure relevant staff received appropriate data protection training...

Pedestrianisation plans in Kingston, South London, put disabled access at risk

This is Local London reports:

Disabled parishioners at Kingston’s foremost church could lose out if a town centre street is pedestrianised, its vicar has warned.

Rev Jonathan Wilkes said All Saints Church faces losing its “lifeblood of communication” if traffic is removed from MemorialSquare.

Mr Wilkes’ remarks came after consultants aiming to revitalise the Ancient Market Place warned the square was cluttered by cars.

The council is now considering removing the vehicles, putting eight disabled parking bays at risk and cutting off access the church needs for deliveries and concertgoers.

Mr Wilkes said: “I think walking through Memorial Square when a lot of cars are coming can feel a bit cluttered and stressful, so I think reducing the number of cars can be a good idea.

“But we need to be able to get disabled people to church, and if all access is cut, that’s our access point.

“My main concern is about disabled people being able to come in, and making sure the vehicles can access the church, which is needed.”

Councillor Chrissie Hitchcock said having cars driving between the pedestrianised areas in the Market Place and Clarence Street was anomalous.

She said: “I think it’s quite dangerous because you have got people coming off Clarence Street walking, thinking it’s pedestrianised, and then all of a sudden you come across cars.”

The council pointed to eight alternative sites with parking within five minute walk, and there would be a consultation about any plans.

Theo Harris, chief executive officer at the Kingston centre for independent living (KCIL), said blue badge holders already had problems finding town centre parking spaces.

She said: “It would be bad to lose these spaces, and KCIL would not support it.”

Government departments still spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on print media

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

Government departments including the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office have continued to spend significant sums on newspapers, periodicals and trade magazines, even after cutbacks of hundreds of thousands of pounds, official figures have revealed.

The MoD told Publicservice.co.uk that it had managed to reduce its spending by over £200,000 in the last year. But the department has still recorded spending at least £730,000 during 2010-11 on newspapers and journals, according to information released by a minister.

Correcting details from an October written answer in Parliament, a spokesman for the department told Publicservice.co.uk that the bulk of this spend went on periodicals, journals and magazines, with around £58,000 of the sum spent on newspapers.

"The MoD has reduced spending on newspapers and magazines by over £200,000 compared to the last financial year," the spokesman said.

The MoD said its pan-government contract covered "all journal provision for the Defence Medical Service, the Army Library Service, the staff and service colleges, the technical libraries, service children's education, base reading rooms and personnel recovery centres".

"The journals subscribed to are specialist academic, medical or technical publications and are required to ensure skills needed within different areas of the MoD stay current," the spokesman added.

And it was said that each spending department in the MoD had been told to "review its requirement" for newspapers and periodicals annually.

But the total spending from the MoD could be even higher.

Defence minister Andrew Robathan said that "local arrangements" existed in MoD units outside of London. This information was however not held centrally by the department and was therefore not released.

Foreign Office minister David Lidington revealed that the Foreign Office has recorded even larger spending than the MoD.

Despite a 9 per cent reduction in spending compared to the previous year, Lidington said the Foreign Office spent a total of £2.2m globally on newspapers, periodicals, trade profession magazines and electronic subscriptions during 2010-2011. He said that his department had "partly achieved savings by partnering with government departments to obtain best value when purchasing".

A number of other government departments recorded considerably lower spending. Business minister Edward Davey said his department had spent just over £60,000 during 2010-11. Children's minister Tim Loughton said the Department for Education had spent £67,000, compared with rates that were almost double in previous years. And local government minister Bob Neill said his department had reduced spending from £133,000 to just over £93,000.

Defra had recorded what appeared to be relatively high spending, with more than £327,000 spent in the last financial year. But figures for previous years released by environment minister Richard Benyon showed at drastic reduction in spending, with the 2005-06 spend at more than £1.6m under the previous government.

A Defra spokesman told Publicservice.co.uk that the spending included a "number of other items over and above newspaper and magazine subscriptions" which included online databases used by their library and legal services.

"We have made significant savings compared to the spending in this area by the previous Labour government," the spokesman added. "We will continue to reduce costs by renegotiating contracts where possible to ensure value for money..."

Public asked if MPs' expenses should be increased

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

Despite the furore over MPs' expenses, the public is being asked by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) whether the system should be changed back and MPs should be able to claim for mortgage costs on their second homes.

The public is also being asked about increasing MPs' staff budgets and the amount of taxi fares they can claim.

Under the changes following the scandal, MPs who had second homes before the 2010 election would, after August next year, no longer be able to claim back mortgage interest on the properties. But IPSA is said to be considering whether this is too harsh.

In a consultation document, the body said: "IPSA's view has not changed over the past year, but there remains a number of MPs who believe that there should be a return to lump sum allowances which would, among other things, allow MPs to continue to fund their mortgage interest.

In recognition of that, IPSA is seeking views on whether MPs should be given allowances to spend at their discretion."

Previously, nearly 70 per cent of the public who took part in a survey did not agree with MPs claiming mortgage interest on second homes.

IPSA is also using the consultation to float the idea that staff budgets for MPs rise from the current £74m to just shy of £94m. MPs had said that without this money they would not be able to keep good quality staff.

The consultation – which runs until 20 January 2012 – also looks at bringing back one-off cash payments to MPs who suffer an election defeat and raising the maximum taxi fares that can be claimed from £80 to £120.

Texas clinic allegedly threatens seventeen year old boy, blogger's family

Read these articles:

Threats from The Burzynski Clinic

The Burzynski Clinic Threatens My Family

The Burzynski Clinic Threatens 17 Year Old Blogger

Emails regarding the Burzynski Clinic not published in The Observer

Marc Stephens issues more threats on behalf of the Burzynski Clinic

Links via Rhys's Blog, Respectful Insolence, The Quackometer and Josephine Jones.

Pat Butcher's earrings to be auctioned for HIV charity

The Argus reports:

Pat Butcher’s famous gold earrings could help to raise thousands of pounds at an auction to support a Brighton charity for people with HIV.

The earrings, worn by the EastEnders character, played by Pam St Clements, will be sold to the highest bidder during the Sussex Beacon’s Christmas variety show, Tinsel and Tights, on December 7.

The variety show is raising funds for the Sussex Beacon, which provides outpatient and inpatient services to people with HIV in Brighton.

The fundraising show will be held at Sallis Benney Theatre, in Grand Parade, Brighton, from 7.45pm, with tickets priced from £8.50.

Tickets can be bought at Sussex Beacon charity shops in St James’s Street, Brighton, and George Street, Hove, and at www.sussexbeacon.org.uk.

Ministry of Defence lost 315 computers in 18 months

Defencemanagement.com reports:

The Ministry of Defence reported 315 computers and mobile phones, including 188 laptops, lost or stolen in the last 18 months, according to official figures.

The data shows that since the coalition came to power 188 laptop computers have gone missing or been stolen, although 21 of those have since been recovered. In one incident "during transit" in Germany, however, some 20 laptops were taken at once.

In the same period, 99 desktop computers were lost or stolen, as well as 18 mobile phones and 10 Blackberry devices.

The Ministry also lost 194 CDs or DVDs, 72 removable hard disk drives, 150 backup tapes (including 80 lost in one incident), 73 USB sticks, six printers, and 135 other items including USB 'tokens', 3G cards, cameras, keyboards and monitors...

British arms company provided tear gas canisters used in Tahrir Square, Cairo

Socialist Worker reports:

A British arms company with links to the Tory party has produced some of the tear gas canisters used against protesters in Tahrir Square, Cairo.

Chemring Defence, of Fareham Hampshire, manufactures and exports CS canisters.

The majority of CS gas comes from the US. But evidence seen by Socialist Worker shows spent CS canisters with the markings of those produced by Chemring Defence.

The British government has given no firms permission to export gas to Egypt since before 1999. Yet some of the canisters used in Tahrir Square, at least, appear to be made in Britain.

At the beginning of this year, the Tories stopped companies, including Chemring, selling “non lethal weapons” to Bahrain and Libya after pressure.

There are also concerns that the stronger and more harmful CR gas is also being used against protesters.

The links between arms firms, the military and the government are murky.

Take Lord Freeman who sits on the board of Chemring Defence’s parent company Chemring Group. He is a former Tory MP and government minister who sits in the House of Lords.

Freeman is currently a consultant to PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is also the chairman of Thales UK plc another arms company and one that was part of David Cameron’s tour of arms dealers to Egypt earlier this year.

Or there is Air Marshal Sir Peter Norris, who is a Chemring non-executive director. Norris used to be the deputy chief of defence procurement (Operations). In other words, he used to buy weapons for the government – and now he sells them.

Socialist Worker can reveal that there have been at least two meetings between representatives of Chemring and government ministers in the last year.

Chemring met with parliamentary under-secretaries of state Peter Luff and Gerald Howarth to discuss the company’s exports.

New York City taken to court over lack of disabled taxis

WNYC News Blog reports:

Attorneys for the disabled faced off against attorneys for [New York] city in a court hearing on Tuesday over the lack of wheelchair-accessible cabs.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, as well as the Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District, argued that the city is in violation of the law — the Americans with Disabilities Act — since it runs a public transportation system, yet only 2 percent of cabs in the city can accommodate people in wheelchairs.

Simi Linton of Manhattan was one of a dozen disabled New Yorkers attending the hearing. "I feel optimistic that the judge understood the depth and the reach of the kind of discrimination that disabled people face daily."

The city contends it's not violating the law because it doesn't operate the cabs themselves, drivers do.

But Federal Judge George Daniels repeatedly challenged the city’s attorney, Robin Binder, about whether New York City is responsible to do more, and if it is what it plans to do in regards to providing “meaningful access” to disabled passengers. Daniels said, “If it is your legal obligation, there is no dispute you’re not meeting that obligation.”

The Taxi and Limousine Commission has said it’s currently developing a system where disabled riders can order a wheel-chair accessible cab from a dispatcher. It should be operational by next spring.

One of the plaintiffs, Christopher Noel, said that plan doesn't cut it. "The TLC is basically saying that we'll come up with a system eventually, and then we'll get to you, but for now we'll just pick up everyone else and then we'll get to everyone else. It hurt me when I heard their argument," he said.

Judge Daniels said he’ll rule on the case by Christmas.

Before he concluded the hearing, Daniels warned the city that if he determines the city has an obligation to do more for accessible passengers, then it will have to be armed with remedies immediately, not in the future

Plaintiffs in the case are asking that as taxis are retired over the next 3-5 years, all new cabs be accessible models. The Nissan NV 200, the model chosen by the city to be the “Taxi of Tomorrow” has to be retrofitted to fit wheelchairs.

Industry opponents argue requiring 100 percent accessibility isn't feasible and is too expensive.

Sue from Manhattan comments:

"If I didn't use a wheelchair and feel so outraged, I'd probably laugh at the city's claim of no responsibility for providing accessible cabs - where the city has the sole power to select which vehicles can be used for cabs, to regulate payment and information in cabs, and to regulate the number of medallions."

GirlWithTheCane from Canada says:

"...My money as a tourist was just as good for New York when I used a wheelchair as it is now, when I can get around using a cane. Why, as a wheelchair user, would I have come to New York and spent my travel dollars there, when it's so difficult for me to get around and the mayor's comments obviously indicate that I would be considered a second-class citizen?

The reasons why Bloomberg says it can't all say, "We just don't want to," rather than "It can't be done," and that's simply unacceptable..."

Meeting to try to save Upper Norwood library on November 30th

This is Local London reports:

Campaigners fighting to save a library jointly run by two councils in dispute have called a public meeting in an effort to save the service.

An argument over the running of the Upper Norwood library, which is operated by both Croydon and Lambeth Councils, erupted in October when Croydon announced it had terminated the joint agreement, accusing Lambeth of a breach of contract by failing to attend and co-operate at the 2010 and 2011 annual general meetings.

Lambeth responded by stating Croydon failed to appoint local ward councillors to the committee, but has been issued three options including buying Croydon’s shares in the library, take a lease on Croydon’s half share in the premises and run the service or agree to sell off the library completely.

Councillor Sara Bashford, Croydon Council’s cabinet member for customer services, culture and sport, said: “We look forward to receiving a response from Lambeth and to making progress on this issue after two years of frustration.”

Crystal Palace Community Association is fighting to keep the service running and has called a public meeting at the Salvation Army Hall, Westow Street, Upper Norwood on Wednesday November 30 at 7.30pm.

A spokesman for the group said: “Despite Croydon’s claimed support for the Upper Norwood Library, these options provide little reassurance for the future of the 111-year old library.”

Wheelchair stolen from outside Brighton cinema

The Argus reports:

An amputee’s electric wheelchair was stolen while he was in a cinema.

Mick Dabner, who lost his leg in a motorcycle crash, was left stranded on his crutches after the theft outside the Duke of York’s Picturehouse in Brighton.

He left the immobilised wheelchair outside the cinema in Preston Circus while he watched Shame, a film being screened as part of the Brighton Film Festival between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Thursday, November 17.

The 59-year-old, of Brunswick Street East, Hove, said he immobilises the Rascal P200 wheelchair when he goes into shops, pubs or restaurants, as it is easier using crutches.

He said: “I assumed it would be all right. It is a public place.

“You can’t move it. There is a way of disengaging the gears but you have to know what you’re doing.

"I was gobsmacked. It’s a pretty low thing to do. Why would anyone want to steal a wheelchair?”

He had had two bags stolen from the back of the chair the previous Saturday (November 12) in Church Street.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sussex Police on 101, quoting serial 1615 of November 17.

Children in care among victims of council data breaches in London

The Evening Standard reports:

London councils are responsible for more than 100 cases involving the theft or loss of sensitive information including details of children in care.

Tower Hamlets has the worst record with 31 breaches over the past three years according to research published today by pressure group Big Brother Watch.

Officials in Brent sent minutes of a child conference relating to a child in care to the wrong parent.

In Hackney, a confidential court report was faxed to the wrong person, and Hammersmith and Fulham lost paper files containing the health records of 3,500 people. Haringey reported that confidential information relating to a family was lost from a briefcase.

MPs last month called for courts to have the power to jail those breaching the Data Protection Act. A report by the House of Commons Justice Select Committee said fines - usually about £150 per breach - were an "inadequate" deterrent.

Big Brother Watch's findings were based on a Freedom of Information request covering loss of personal information by council employees and contractors between August 3, 2008 and August 3 this year. Eighteen of the capital's 33 councils admitted 113 cases of data being lost or stolen. These included the theft of more than 60 computers and the loss of at least three memory sticks containing data from children's services officials.

Documents containing personal phone numbers were left in a pub and a shop, while other sensitive information was discarded in skips or lost on trains and buses.

In another case, documents including people's earnings and health records were lost after officials from Kensington and Chelsea left them in a pub.

Police were called in to investigate only a handful of cases and the breaches led to the sacking of just one contractor, although four others were disciplined.

Big Brother Watch's director Nick Pickles said: "This research highlights a shockingly lax attitude to protecting confidential information.

"The fact that only a tiny fraction of staff have been dismissed brings into question how seriously managers take protecting the privacy of their service users and residents.

"Despite having access to increasing amounts of data and being responsible for even more services, local authorities are simply not able to say our personal information is safe with them."

South London pool pervet has sentenced halved, still allowed to swim in public

This is Local London reports:

A pervert who peered over cubicles in a swimming pool changing room has seen his sentence halved, but lost a bid to overturn a ban on swimming in just one pair of trunks.

Registered sex offender Paul Spelman was jailed for three years for twice breaking a sexual offences order at the Kingfisher leisure centre in Fairfield Road, Kingston [upon Thames], last November.

The original order was imposed following a string of convictions involving children stretching back to 1987.

During his trial, Spelman pleaded guilty to voyeurism and possession of a class C drug, but not guilty to two breaches of a sexual offences order.

But the jury at Kingston Crown Court found him guilty of both breaches in March 7.

Judge Fergus Mitchell also told him to wear two pairs of trunks when swimming, as he imposed a new sexual offences prevention order on Spelman on April 13.

He said: “He is very determined in his desire and lust to be near children and expose himself, and be close to them where they are naked or vulnerable.”

The 42-year-old, of Eversley Crescent, Isleworth, appealed against his convictions and the terms of the order at the Court of Appeal on Friday, November 18.

The three-man panel quashed one conviction from November 14, when the prosecution offered no evidence, and reduced his sentence to 18 months.

But they upheld the other, from four days earlier, when a mum saw him sit with his hand down his trousers near children using rides near the cafe, and then went to the public changing area.

She later saw him dressed in swimming trunks and repeatedly entering different changing areas, and CCTV footage showed him peering over the top of different cubicles.

However, the judges turned down Spelman’s bid to overturn the ban on him swimming in just one pair of trunks.

• Police have refused to issue a photograph of jailed pervert Paul Spelman, despite a judge imposing strict conditions on his post-release life to prevent him reoffending.

• The sexual offences prevention order forbids him from being seen in public in his underwear or entering changing rooms.

• It also bans him from being alone in vehicles not directly traceable to him, following a 2009 incident when he drove alongside a coach of children on the M25, stripped off while at the wheel and started masturbating in front of them.

• Police often publicise images of such offenders so the public can act as an additional pair of eyes and ears to make sure they do not breach these terms.

• However, Kingston police said they withheld his photo to protect his family.

Why is Spelman not banned from all swimming pools and leisure centres in London (at the very least - I would prefer him to be banned from all swimming pools and leisure centres in the whole country.

As I understand it he is currently only banned from changing rooms.

Surely children have a right to be protected from this man. His freedom to swim is not a human right.

I would also like to see a custodial sentence and a large fine imposed, as well as looking at ways to treat his perversion.

Sister of woman murderd by ex partner calls for domestic violence lessons

The Manchester Evening News reports:

The sister of a woman murdered by an abusive ex has called for domestic violence classes in schools to prevent further tragedies.

Mum-of-four Katie Boardman, 24, was stabbed 82 times by jealous ex-partner Brian Taylor after a tempestuous eight-year on-off relationship. Her younger sister Sarah Summers has since become a dedicated campaigner on domestic violence issues.

Today, as the End The Fear campaign on domestic abuse was being launched across Greater Manchester, Sarah told the M.E.N. how she felt more education was needed to tackle the problem.

Sarah, from Farnworth, Bolton, said: “I believe classes on domestic violence should be taught in school. Education is the key to dealing with it.

“We often don’t realise people are victims until it’s too late. People don’t know what signs to look out for. If I had learned about it at school I would have been able to realise that Katie was a victim.

“We need to teach people at an early age that it’s not acceptable and it’s not normal.”

Katie was killed by Taylor at her home in Mansfield Drive, Farnworth, in October 2008 – three months after the end of their stormy relationship.

He flew into a rage when he found out she had been to a club with a friend. Taylor, from Bolton, was sentenced to life after he admitted murder.

Greater Manchester Police was criticised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission following Katie’s death for its ‘total failure’ to link 11 pleas for help made to officers on her behalf in the 16 months before she was killed.

But Sarah said she did not want to blame police. She added: “A lot of people like to point the finger, but that doesn’t help the people who are still suffering.”

Sarah, now 24, also believes a national database of domestic violence would help the police, social services and charities work together.

But she fears public funding cuts will affect training to help them deal with victims.

Mum Sarah, who is pregnant with her second child, is due to speak at a candlelit vigil in Manchester at 5pm today to remember victims of domestic abuse.

She said: “I still find it hard to think about my sister. If I can help at least one person in the same situation as her then that’s one good thing that has come out of her death.”

The vigil, in Barbirolli Square, next to Bridgewater Hall, starts 16 days of action for the national End The Fear campaign.

The week includes sponsored walks and sporting events – and will see a clothes line with t shirts painted by victims of domestic violence on display outside
Salford Civic Centre.

Anyone who is experiencing domestic or sexual violence can find help on 0808 2000247 or at www.endthefear.co.uk.

Nick Cohen on the murder of Rafiq Tagi

Via the Observer:

The "international community" showed no grief about the assassination of Rafiq Tagi. An unknown coward stabbed him in the back, then ran away. He "was very nervous and did not say a word," Tagi said before his injuries overwhelmed him. Index on Censorship tried to sound an alarm.

But as Tagi's murderer was in all likelihood a supporter of religious rather than political tyranny, the death of the 61-year-old Azerbaijani journalist and literary critic passed almost without comment.

As the Arab Spring turns to winter, more should take notice. Men and women such as Tagi are everywhere under attack. In Tunisia, the religious right in the form of the Ennahda party wins a plurality of the vote in the first elections after the fall of the dictatorship.

The BBC and the Guardian hail its leaders as "moderate Islamists". The Islamists then display their moderation by attacking a TV station that broadcast Persepolis, the animated version of Marjane Satrapi's story of the subjugation of women in Iran, and sending it to the courts to face charges of undermining "sacred values and morals".

In Egypt, the demonstrators in Tahrir Square start to realise that the Muslim Brotherhood is not their ally, and even western optimists begin to see the wolfish looks on Islamist faces as they gaze at Egyptian Christians and think of a pogrom. Meanwhile, in Azerbaijan a nervous man stabs Rafiq Tagi in the back and leaves him for dead without saying a word.

As no one else in Britain will write his obituary, I will see what I can do. Tagi was an enemy of oppression in all its forms. He opposed Azerbaijan's secular dictatorship, whose oil and gas reserves make it popular with governments the world over. The Aliyev family has made the country its property.

Ilham Aliyev, son of the former KGB officer who seized power after the fall of communism, now runs it. Westerners learn about this far-off land, if at all, through the English-language magazine Baku, a glossy rag Condé Nast ought to be ashamed to publish. Baku reveals the old connection between trash culture and trash politics by featuring fashion, modern art, film stars and Azerbaijan's beautiful scenery. It fails to give due prominence to the regime's harassment of the opposition. Nor does it mention a fondness for money, which led Transparency International to place Azerbaijan 134 out of 178 countries on its world corruption index and American diplomats to compare its rulers to the Corleone crime family. Baku's sins of omission become less surprising when you learn that the editor is Leyla Aliyeva, daughter of Ilham.

Tagi also wanted to – had to – oppose religious oppression and he became a volunteer in the two-front war liberals must fight in so many Muslim-majority countries.

His religious enemies knew it and marked him for execution. Tagi compared Muhammad unfavourably to Jesus, arguing that Christianity led to human rights and democracy in Europe while Islam led to "eastern despotism". Azerbaijanis, he said, must embrace secularism if they were to be free.

I'd have argued that western religions buttressed oppressive monarchies and empires for most of their histories and he was being too kind. But argument was not what his opponents wanted.

The Azerbaijani state imprisoned him and Iran's grand ayatollah, Fazel Lankarani, ordered his followers to kill him. Tagi got out of jail and carried on writing. One of his last pieces was an attack on the Iranian theocracy.

The Iranians or local Islamists probably arranged his murder. As Tagi wrote and spoke as if he were a free man with nothing to fear from dictatorial authority, however, one cannot rule out the involvement of agents of the state.

Emin Milli, a liberal Azerbaijani writer, told me that Tagi appeared to be recovering from his injuries in a state hospital and then took a turn for the worse. He wondered how that could be.

He was as suspicious about the failure of westerners to take an interest in the murder of a writer, whose "crime" had been to speak his mind. He'd tried the BBC, newspapers… everyone he could think of and no one apart from Index on Censorship was interested. "Why don't they care?"

Milli has a touchingly simple belief in the power of free speech, but his question was not as naive as it sounded. He knew from experience how effective democratic opinion can be when mobilised. He was one of the Azerbaijani "donkey bloggers," whose persecution became a cause celebre in 2009.

Milli and his friend Adnan Hajizade found that the regime had paid €42,000 for a donkey from Germany. Suspecting it was hiding yet another corrupt transaction in the small print of the accounts, they dramatised the absurdity of life in the dictatorship by dressing an actor up in a pantomime donkey costume. The donkey demonstrated why he was worth so much taxpayers' money by answering reporters' questions and leaping up to perform a virtuoso violin solo.

The video of the stunt went viral. Police thugs beat up Milli and Hajizade. The courts charged them with starting the fight and sent them down for two years. The world did not stand by and say that Azerbaijan was none of its business. Barack Obama, the EU, the media and human rights groups took up the donkey bloggers' cause and persuaded the regime to free them.

Milli is now studying in London and cannot understand why those who shouted with such passion about his conviction ignored Tagi's murder. I tried to explain that Europe was not the brave continent that Tagi imagined.

It would defend the victims of political oppression but not of religious oppression. Ever since the persecution of Salman Rushdie, many have been frightened of denouncing Islamism for fear of reprisals. Others were frightened of being accused of orientalism, neoconservatism or some other sinful religious or racial phobia.

Most, I said, were frightened merely of breaking with the consensus and arguing a minority position. In the war on two fronts, liberal westerners would therefore be reliable allies in the battles with political authoritarianism, but not with religious authoritarianism.

He didn't understand and I felt ashamed. Compared to what liberals must face in the Middle East and beyond, what right do westerners have to put their paltry fears first?

Comedy fundraiser in aid of mental health charity Mind on December 15

In honour of the comedian, Mackenzie Taylor, who died last year, there will be a comedy fundraiser in aid of Mind on December 15th.

The Laugh Goodbye – Comedy Fundraiser will be on Thursday 15 December at the New Diorama Theatre, 15-16 Triton Street, Regents Place, London, NW1 3BF.

The event runs from 7:30 to 10:30.

The line up: Tom Wrigglesworth, Kevin Shepherd, Joe Wilkinson, John Gordillo, Holly Walsh, Richard Sandling and Tony Law.

The tickets are £10 in advance and £12 on the door (all proceeds go to MIND)

The Box Office Number is +44 (0)207 383 9034

The nearest tube stations are Great Portland Street, Euston Square (both on the Metropolian, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines) and Warren Street (Northern and Victoria lines).

New Diorama is directly on the following bus routes: 18, 27, 30, 88, 205, 453, C2, N18.

Please do come along, have a laugh and support an excellent cause.

If you can't make it, why not donate online to MIND?

Via The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive.

Tesco staff prevent man from getting his emergency medication

A shopper at Tesco's Kilverstone store in Norfolk was not allowed to go and get his emergency medication while having a hypo-diabetic attack, according to Private Eye 1302.

Patrick Hills claims that, despite showing his receipt for a radio and food he and his wife had bought, the security guard only allowed him to his car to get the medication, despite him being in a state of collapse, after a security tag was removed from the radio packaging.

More in Private Eye 1302.

Ten MPs sign early day motion attacking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Early day motion 2427 says thus:

That this House is deeply concerned about the recently released video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, in which players engage in gratuitous acts of violence against members of the public; notes in particular the harrowing scenes in which a London Underground train is bombed by terrorists, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the tragic events of 7 July 2005; further notes that there is increasing evidence of a link between perpetrators of violent crime and violent video games users; and calls on the British Board of Film Classification to take further precautions when allowing a game to be sold.

Interesting that the "vidence of a link between perpetrators of violent crime and violent video games users" is not quoted. Many media reports of these links, as with violent films, are spurious.

Just because someone played Grand Theft Auto the day he attacked someone does not mean that Grand Theft Auto was the reason he attacked someone.

The ten MP's who signed this silly early day motion were:

Caton, Martin
Corbyn, Jeremy
Hancock, Mike
Hopkins, Kelvin
McCrea, Dr William
Meale, Alan
Osborne, Sandra
Russell, Bob
Simpson, David
Vaz, Keith (primary sponsor)

Thankfully some MPs have more sense:

An amendment has been moved saying:

leave out from `House' to end and add `notes that the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) gave the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 an 18 classification, noting that `the game neither draws upon nor resembles real terrorist attacks on the underground'; further believes that the game has an excellent user interface and challenges the gamers' dexterity as well as collaborative skills in an outline setting; and encourages the BBFC to uphold the opinion of the public that whilst the content of video games may be unsettling or upsetting to some, adults should be free to choose their own entertainment in the absence of legal issues or material which raises a risk or harm.'.

The Primary sponsor is Tom Watson. Sponsors are Julian Huppert and Kerry McCarthy.

Man in Thailand sentenced to 20 years for offensive text messages

Amnesty International reports:

A 20-year prison sentence for sending four text messages deemed offensive to the Queen of Thailand is a blow to freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today.

Amphon Tangnoppaku, 61, was sentenced today to 20 years’ imprisonment, reportedly under the lese majeste law – the crime of insulting certain members of Thailand’s royal family – and the Computer-related Crimes Act.

Amphon was accused of sending four text messages to an aide to the Prime Minister in 2010, but reportedly continues to deny that he did so, claiming that he does not know how to send text messages and did not know who the recipient was.

Under the lese majeste law, it is illegal to even report the content of alleged insults.

"This sentence clearly infringes on freedom of expression,” said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International’s Thailand researcher. “Amphon is a political prisoner."

Thailand’s lese majeste law prohibits any word or act which “defames, insults, or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent, or the Regent”.

The law overrides the Thai constitution, and according to Benjamin Zawacki, Thailand's lese majeste law, in “its current form and usage place the country in contravention of its international legal obligations.”

Amnesty International has stated that Thailand’s existing lese majeste law violates Thailand's obligation to uphold international standards of freedom of expression.

In particular, there has been a sharp increase in internet monitoring and censorship resulting from regular application of lese majeste together with the 2007 Computer-related Crimes Act.

A retired grandfather with no reported history of political involvement, Amphon was arrested in August 2010 and was held on remand without bail until his trial.

Birmingham City Council lost details of 64,000 tenants

BBC News reports:

Birmingham City Council lost the personal data of 64,000 of its tenants, a report has revealed.

The incident happened in 2009 when a housing officer misplaced a USB stick containing the information.

It is the only time private data has been lost by or stolen from the council in the past three years, according to research by Big Brother Watch.

The campaign group also highlighted seven incidents involving Dudley Council and three in Sandwell.
'Lack of precaution'

In a statement, Birmingham City Council said the employee, who was suspended and later resigned, downloaded profiles of tenants on to a memory stick without permission in order to work on a project away from the office.

It added: "The council reported the incident to the Information Commissioner who judged the council's actions to be appropriate and made no further recommendations.

"Since this occurred, the security of all USB sticks used by staff has significantly increased and [all] are password protected."

Nick Pickles, from Big Brother Watch, said: "It shouldn't be possible for a member of staff to simply plug one in, download thousands of people's information and then walk out of the building and drop it in the street.

"Yet across the country we've found cases where all kinds of information is being lost simply because people take the convenient route to moving data around and don't take proper precautions."

Some 132 authorities across the UK said they had had a total of 1,035 cases of data loss or theft between 2008 and 2011.

No losses were reported by 263 councils, while a further 38 did not respond.
Theft from car

Among the seven incidents reported by Dudley Council, one involved the loss of an encrypted memory stick with details of 99 council housing tenants.

The council said: "Although there has been a small number of incidents of data loss over the past three years in Dudley, we work very hard to avoid such incidents taking place."

The theft of a file containing details of a child from a car was one of the three incidents involving Sandwell Council.

Deputy leader Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: "The council takes its data security responsibilities very seriously and has strengthened existing practices and introduced a number of others to meet legal requirements.

"Staff are made aware that personal data must be disposed of in a secure manner, either by the use of a secure data disposal company or by destroying the information with a cross cut shredder."

Brent Council chiefs discussed cuts over suppers costing taxpayers over £1,000

The Brent and Kilburn Times reports:

Town hall bosses discussed multi-million cuts in the borough while tucking into a £500 hotel meal paid for by taxpayers.

Labour councillors and senior members of staff at Brent Council spent £520 on the supper at Wembley Plaza hotel, in Empire Way, Wembley, last month.

It followed another dinner at the same hotel in July which cost £520.

Cllr Barry Cheese, Liberal Democrat councillor for Brondesbury Park, said: “Labour councillors should be ashamed of themselves for spending more than £1,000 of Brent taxpayers’ money this year on dinners for themselves at a posh hotel.

“These are the same councillors who closed our local libraries, who are taking away lollipop patrols and who slashed the street cleaning service.

“At a time like this every penny counts. Labour should stop this waste of public money.”

In 2010, Labour councillors spent almost £8,000 on two budget away days at an expensive hotel in Buckinghamshire.

The council says away days aim to help councillors and officers bond and to talk informally about the decisions they have to make.

This year they took place at the Brent People Centre, a council owned building, before the councillors went to the hotel for dinner which Cllr Ann John OBE, leader of the authority, described as an “economy buffet”.

She said: “It was a very inexpensive meal. The wine was paid for by everyone there.

“It was an opportunity to have informal conversations with members and officers.

“Most organisations of any size do this once of twice a year and has been at happening at the council for some time. “It is very important at the moment when the Government is making these awful cuts.

“The changes they are making are an assault on poor people and an assault on local government.

“It was an economy buffet. It was not a sit down meal.”

Revamped Didcot town hall needs £4000 new doors

The Oxford Times reports:

It took more than a year to complete at a cost of £1.3m, but less than two months after it opened Didcot’s revamped civic hall needs new doors at a cost of £4,000.

The town council, that owns the building, says the three sets of wooden fire doors were approved by South Oxfordshire District Council’s building control staff as part of plans for the refurbishment of the civic hall last year.

But because the doors do not contain glass viewing panels, the council says they will now have to be removed before it can issue the town council with a completion certificate for the building.

Town council leader Margaret Davies said: “This is local government red tape and as far as I am concerned the doors should be allowed to stay. I think the theory is that if the doors don’t have glass panels then someone might open one onto someone coming the other way, but I think that’s unlikely.

“There are about 10 other doors in the building that don’t have these panels in but as these are fire doors they have to be treated differently.

“I think this is over the top and a waste of money and I would be quite happy for the doors to stay.

“SODC inspected the plans at the beginning and were satisfied, then on completion of the building refused to certify the building safe for occupation until the doors are changed.

“SODC has a lot more money than the town council and as it is insisting on the change it should foot the bill for £4,173.”

One set of double doors leads to the main hall while the other two sets lead to the foyer.

Mrs Davies added that the civic hall was a “high quality, beautiful” building which was being well used by groups in the community.

Mrs Davies said civic hall architects have challenged the doors ruling, and town council leaders will now put their complaint in writing.

The civic hall closed in July last year, but work did not start until January and the building reopened in September.

Former town council leader Bill Service said: “It does appear that SODC’s building control inspectors are at fault over this.

“Four thousand pounds might not seem a huge amount when you compare it to the cost of the refurbishment but that is money that the town council could use as grant funding for community groups.”

One of the new features at the civic hall is an extension with an entrance off Broadway to make the building more visible.

The centre, which is used by community groups from Didcot and the surrounding area, also has a new foyer, a larger bar and kitchen to cater for functions, and a new stage and floor in the main hall.

SODC spokesman Andy Roberts said: “SODC has not received any official communication from Didcot Town Council with regard to compensation for the replacement of fire doors to comply with building regulations.”

Ashleigh Rest Home in Walthamstow breached human rights of residents

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

A CARE home breached the human rights of an elderly resident by refusing to let her leave.

The woman was locked in to Ashleigh Rest Home in Upper Walthamstow Road, Walthamstow, which was found to be failing to protect the safety of the vulnerable people living there.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said the home had locked the front door to prevent the woman, who had been at the home for six months, from leaving and returning home.

An inspector’s report stated that the woman was often visited by her family and taken out at weekends, but was “extremely reluctant” to return.

She repeatedly tried to leave the home, which was planning to install restrictors on windows to prevent her climbing out.

The CQC also found that staffing levels at the home, which is run by Mrs Rooksanah and Yusuf Jooma, were not sufficient to meet the basic standards of care required by law.

Two residents could walk independently in the community but only one was supported to leave the home due to a lack of resources.

It emerged that despite previously being warned that staffing levels must be increased before more residents were admitted, another person had arrived with no-one else being employed.

The inspector found the resident slept most of the day and was told by staff that this was due to boredom.

The report stated: “There have been no attempts made to reduce the impact of confinement on the individual by escorting them to access the community.

“The home has a responsibility to make a referral to the social services for an an assessment. They have not done this.”

The inspector also reported that fire regulations were not being adhered and concluded: “People are not fully protected from abuse, or the risk of abuse, and their human rights are not respected and upheld.

“People who use the service are not in safe, accessible surroundings, that promote their wellbeing. The home is not compliant with this outcome area.”

Colin Hough, Regional Director of CQC in London said: “The standards of care we found when we visited Ashleigh Residential Home in August were worrying.

“We will continue to monitor Ashleigh Residential Home very closely. If we find that Mr and Mrs Jooma continue to fail to meet the essential standards of quality and safety, we will not hesitate to take further action on behalf of the people who live there.”

Mr Jooma told the Guardian that the CQC’s report is not correct and that he thoroughly denies all the accusations, saying that their six staff, half of whom work in the morning and half in the evening, are enough to look after their five residents.

He said: “We respect the human rights of the service users. They should come again and see for themselves that the care home is well-run. I will talk to them and they can say why they came to those conclusions because it’s not right.”

Carmarthenshire, Kent, Waltham Forest, Barnet, Essex, Norfolk and Waveney councils in Private Eye 1302

The latest issue of Private Eye reports on:

*Carmarthenshire council's loan of £270k to a church for a bowling alley, conference centre, cafe, food bank and furniture recycling scheme.

The church has also partnered with Mercy Ministry Homes UK, which operates residential homes. Two Mercy Ministry Homes UK were closed in Australia following a Syndey Morning Herald investigation. The SMH was told of verbal abuse, exorcisms and harsh discipline.

*Confusion over the "managing director" of Kent county council, Katherine Kerswell.

*Staff at Waltham Forest council recieving a letter saying that if they do not agree to harsh new terms and conditions, including the end of an "essential car user" allowance for people such as meals on wheeels assistance and social workers,they will be sacked.

*Barnet Council's battle to try to curb the scrutiny of bloggers by complaining to the Information Commissioner.

*The claims of Lord Hanningfield, former leader of Essex County Council, who was recently released from a prison sentence after fiddling his expenses by £13,379.

*Caroline Spelman's withholding of £169m in credits for an incinerator to be built at King's Lynn, despite the objections of Norfolk City Council, which needs the credits to build the incinerator.

*More on Andrew Draper, former Tory councillor and now independent on Waveney district council.

All this on p15 of Private Eye 1302, just £1.50

Appeal after man takes photo of woman in Dewsbury station toilet

A hunt has been launched by British Transport Police (BTP) for a man who took photos of a woman in the toilets of the West Riding Refreshment Rooms in Dewsbury station.

Investigating the incident, which took place on Saturday, 15 October, PC Berni Grogan from BTP said: “At around 9pm, the victim, a 36-year-old woman from Wakefield, entered the bar toilets when she noticed a flash coming from above a cubicle. It is believed a man had taken a picture of the victim from the next cubicle before leaving the bar.”

Officers have conducted several lines of enquiry into the incident including viewing CCTV and speaking to people who were there at the time.

PC Grogan added: “This was an extremely unpleasant, intrusive and intimidating experience for the victim.

“I am appealing for anyone who saw anyone suspicious in the area at the time or who knows the man responsible to come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 quoting background reference B6/NEA of 17/10/2011. Information can also be passed to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111.

Central Essex Community Services loses health information on hundreds of mothers and babies

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

Central Essex Community Services has been ordered to improve its data protection measures after it lost a birth book containing information on 249 mothers and their babies, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said.

The ICO said some of the data lost in the incident related to the physical and mental health of the individuals concerned.

The book should have been stored in a locked filing cabinet, but it was said to have been kept on top of the cabinet in a locked room due to no secure storage space being available.

Despite an extensive search the book has never recovered

Central Essex Community Services has now signed an undertaking to train staff on following data protection guidance.

The ICO, which has the power to issue fines of up to £500,000 for breaches of the Data Protection Act, said compliance with data policies would now be "routinely monitored".

Latest tube performace figures released

Transport for London have released tube performance figures for 21 August – 17 September 2011.

Here are some interesting points:

...Excess journey time increased by 0.15 minutes to 5.38 minutes this period. This was
due to a higher number of signal and track related incidents...

There were 55 unplanned station closures in the period, with a total duration of 42 hours which represents just 0.03% of scheduled station opening hours.

The most significant causes of station closures this period were Staff Absence / Shortage (19); Customer Action (11) and Lift & Escalator Failures (9)...

The number of lost customer hours (LCH) increased from 2.1 million in period 5 to
2.6 million in period 6.

Incidents on the Jubilee line caused by fallen tunnel telephone wires and points failures as well as some bedding in issues with the new signalling, and problems with a track circuit on the Victoria line following works over the August Bank Holiday weekend, contributed to this increase...

Via Londonist, which has a short summary of the report:

‘Lost customer hours’ increased from 2.1m in July/August to 2.6m – mainly the Jubilee and Victoria lines’ fault again – but that’s still significantly better compared with the same time last year. Other measures are improving on a year-by year basis: total journey time, station closures and excess journey time. Track-related delays are down, but delays due to signals and points have shot up (174 in Aug/Sep 2010, 224 this year).

A figure that might worry the Olympic planners is that more people are using the tube: there were 80.9m passenger journeys in the period the previous year, but 84.1m this year, 700,000 more than TfL’s target.

Free Mental Health First Aid training in Oxford‏ this December

Oxfordshire Mind, in partnership with Restore, is running free mental health first aid in Oxford in December.

The training course will take place on Monday 12th and Thursday 22nd December, 9:30am to 4:30pm, at Restore on Manzil Way, Oxford OX4 1YH.

The course is free of charge.

Mental Health First Aid is a nationally accredited training course designed to give participants the knowledge and skills to recognise the signs of mental ill- health and support someone to seek the right help.

It covers the spectrum of mental health disorders from anxiety to psychosis, providing an in-depth knowledge of their signs, symptoms and treatments.

The course is aimed at people without specialist mental health training, from family members and carers, to employers to people who are likely to come into contact with those at risk of poor mental health.

On completion of the course all participants receive a Mental Health First Aid (England) certificate.

If you wish to book onto a course, or for more information, please contact Laura Epton at Oxfordshire Mind on 01865 263730 or laura.epton@oxfordshire-mind.org.uk

Next year, Oxfordshire Mind will be running courses in Abingdon, Banbury and Witney (dates to be confirmed) please let Laura Epton know if you would like to be told about the course(s) in the future.

Personal data of millions of motorists sold by DVLA

Publicservice.co.uk reports:

The DVLA has reportedly sold the personal data of millions of motorists to local councils, insurers and private clamping companies for a fee of just £2.50 per enquiry, as a means of benefitting the public sector.

With the increasing number of data breaches and losses, Labour MP Graham Stringer said: "Some of these parking companies are pretty close to the edge of legality. Some are pretty dodgy characters."

The Commons Transport Select Committee further questioned the nature of such personal data and more importantly the reasons as to why a charge was associated with it.

DVLA chief executive Simon Tse reassured the committee that the organisation only provided information which had been authorised by the British Parking Association and that the £2.50 covered basic administration costs.

When asked by the committee on the expected profit of such measures, David Evans, corporate affairs director of the DVLA stated: "we don't make any profit"

The Tube Map for people who can't use stairs

Aside from the DLR and the extended part of the Jubille Line, London's transport is poorly designed for people who can't use stairs.

There are only 2 fully accessible (Tower Gateway and Shoreditch High Street) and 2 partly accessible (Euston - London Overground and King's Cross St Pancras - Victoria, Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan) in the whole of Zone 1, for example.

Transport for All has published a tube map showing only the stations people who can't use stairs can use.

Tfl wastes money on a cable car and taxis for staff, but can't find money to do something essential like ensure everyone can use the Underground and Overground stations.

Looped message of Health Secretary plays at NHS patients' bedsides

BBC News reports

Andrew Lansley has defended a welcome message played on a continuous loop in hospitals in which he tells patients their care "really matters to me".

His face appears on bedside screens every few minutes, asking people to thank staff looking after them.

The health secretary told the BBC it was a "useful message" and patients could register to turn it off.

He says he inherited the system from his Labour predecessor Andy Burnham and says it is useful to gather feedback.

Those who do not register to turn off the hospital entertainment system, patients are greeted by the health secretary saying: "Hello, I'm Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary.

"I just want to take a few moments to say that your care while you're here in hospital really matters to me. I hope it's as good quality care as we can possibly make it and I do hope you'll join me in thanking all the staff who are looking after you while you're here."

Patients are charged about £5 a day to access television, email and email services via the monitors - until it is switched on, the looped message continues to play.

Mr Lansley told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was useful as he wanted people to realise "we want them to have as comfortable and as high quality a stay as possible", to thank staff and give feedback.

"They only have to see me once," he said.

"They can also turn on the radio and get radio for free."

But he also sees the funny side.

"It can be even worse - one constituent told me their baby's first experience of life was to see me on a monitor, which he found rather unnerving. He wasn't sure about the baby."

How does watching him on a loop help the Health Secretary gather feedback?

Mobility scooter driver hit by Ford Ka in Bolton

The Manchester Evening News reports:

A mobility scooter driver escaped unhurt during a hit-and-run.

The man was riding along Tonge Moore Road in Bolton when he was hit by a Ford Ka.

Moments earlier the Ka been involved in a collision with an Audi A6, which had propelled the Ka into the scooter.

The Audi had been racing with a white car before the crash.

Two men who had been aboard the Audi abandoned their vehicle and ran off.

Police say the scooter rider was lucky to escape serious injury.

Now officers are appealing witnesses to help catch the two men from the Audi following the incident at 10.40am yesterday.

One is said to be white and the other may be mixed race.

PC Peter Phillips said: “This was a collision which could have had very serious consequences, particularly for the man on the mobility scooter.

“We are investigating what has happened and need to trace the men who abandoned the Audi.

“We need people who saw these men running away to get in touch and give us a better description. We also need to know where they went next.

“It is possible that people may have been caught up in the aftermath of the collision and may not have seen the men leave, but any information that could help us would be appreciated.

“Witnesses to the collision also need to call us.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0161 856 7201 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Wiltshire Council chiefs to finally lose London club perk

This is Bath reports:

...But now the Royal Overseas League, a private members’ club that offers sumptuous rooms for business meetings, fine dining and suites of rooms for members to retire to at the end of a long day, has lost one member – the taxpayers of Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Council chiefs have admitted paying £135 each and every month for the last five years to the club to give its senior executives, and one top boss in particular, access to the kind of hospitality the now-redundant council workers axed in a £100million savings project could only dream of.

And after an outcry by councillors – who weren’t members so weren’t able to stay there – the membership has been cancelled, because chief executive Andrew Kerr has been made redundant.

The most recent council employee to use council taxpayers’ money to pay the membership fee – and the extra £120 or £130 a night to stay there – was the former head of the council, who had been to stay there.

Mr Kerr was made redundant last month by councillors after council leader Jane Scott and her Cabinet decided they could run the West’s biggest local authority with three corporate directors and no head of the administration.

The club boasts an “attractive garden backing onto Green Park, just 400m from Buckingham Palace, 80 quality bedrooms, buttery and bar, both with al fresco dining in the summer, restaurant, drawing room, period fireplaces and rooms with a history”.

Mrs Scott said the council would not be paying the membership fee anymore, but defended the fact that more than £8,000 had been paid in membership fees over the years – not including the money paid to stay there.

“The membership was taken up by the previous chief executive officer of the county council, more than five years ago. It was a special offer,” she said.

“It was taken up because the cost of staying over at the club was less than the cost of a three- or four-star hotel and they have meeting rooms available for colleagues.

“When he left, he took his membership with him, but a membership was offered to us, which was taken up by Andrew Kerr,” she said, adding that she had never stayed at the club...

Walthamstow psychiatric unit future in doubt

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports:

THERE are doubts over the future of a psychiatric unit which treats elderly people with mental health problems.

An online petition signed by nearly 2,000 people is calling for the unit at Thorpe Coombe Hospital in Forest Road, Walthamstow, to be saved, after a consultation was launched over its future.

An North East London NHS Foundation Trust spokeswoman said: “We are currently conducting a consultation with substantive members of staff to look at the way we deliver psychotherapy services.

“We will look at all options to ensure we continue to maintain the high standard of these services for the residents of Waltham Forest.”

The petition is available at saveforesthouse.org.

You can follow updates from the campaign on Twitter.

Profile of disability rights campaigner Kaliya Franklin

Via Disability Horizons:

Regular DH contributor, Sarah Ismail, shares this fantastic article on Kaliya Franklin. A tireless campaigner for disability rights who has been a pioneer in online campaigning via her blog, The Broken of Britain.

Kaliya Franklin’s life hasn’t always been what it is today. Although her disability, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, affected her in childhood, Kaliya says it ‘did not cause significant disability then.’ She was labelled as being an attention seeking child, and then a ‘malingering’ adult. Kaliya started to become disabled by EDS in her late teens/early 20s, although she was not actually diagnosed with the condition until the age of 28.

Asked what EDS means, Kaliya says the condition “affects the way the collagen in the body is made; people with EDS have collagen which is weak and too stretchy to do its job properly. If you imagine the human body is a bit like a house, the collagen is the glue, or cement which holds it together. In people with EDS that ‘cement’ is like chewing gum that someone’s chewed for a week then left in the sun to melt.”

Practically, that means that Kaliya gets tired more quickly than most people. She needs much more energy than most to do the things most people hardly have to think about- breathe and digest food.

Somehow, Kaliya manages to put aside all these personal challenges to be a disability rights campaigner and disability blogger. She explains: “I started blogging in 2007 after years struggling to obtain a diagnosis and the correct medical professionals to treat my EDS. Becoming disabled and discovering the complexities and loop holes of the NHS, welfare state and social care was a depressing and isolating process. I knew I couldn’t be alone in my experiences but I had no idea how to find other younger adults dealing with these issues.”

With the sense of humour that Kaliya’s many online followers have come to know and love, she adds that she started her personal blog, Benefit Scrounging Scum, because she wanted to test a theory that “wearing 6 inch heels would relocate my hips to make walking possible.” Unfortunately, her unique brand of hip relocation has not yet been successful but, she says, “I remain optimistic.” One thing that Kaliya has discovered is that it is possible to pull a man whilst involuntarily drooling!

About the name of her blog she says it is “partly ironic, intended to reclaim the language but also partly in the hope that if anyone ever googled for ‘benefit scrounging scum’ it might challenge their perceptions about disability and welfare issues...”

Read more at Disability Horizons.