Leveson and Regulation of the Press

The press are still at it. Wittering on about how important they are to a free democratic society as if anyone still believed anything they read in the papers. I've got some news for them. We are increasingly getting our news from the internet and social media. But they still go on in their precious way about being the guardians of freedom despite being controlled, as I've said before by a few self important families or individuals. About the only things they are really good for is telling us what all the other media told us yesterday, mopping up large spillages and training puppies where and where not to piss.

If the press are so important in holding governments to account then that is really a case for giving them fewer powers, because they have usurped the role of democracy and the democratic process. Governments should be being held to account by the democratic process and if the press are doing that job then it is surely the democratic process which needs to be more powerful and not the press.

And when it comes to holding institutions to account, where were the press during the phone hacking that went on for years until it eventually had to come to the surface because it jeopardised a murder investigation? Many of the papers did it and most of them knew. Where was the holding to account when it came to holding their own to account? Criminal conduct was ignored because knowing which celebrity was kissing which other celebrity was clearly in the public interest, or so they would have us believe. Going through pop stars' bins was vital to uncovering … I'm not sure what.

But I've never seen a 'kiss and tell' story published by a newspaper, even a 'quality' newspaper, exposing the peccadilloes of the proprietor or editor of another paper. They must all be real paragons of virtue. But they all knew about Robert Maxwell's conduct and published not a sniff of it until he died falling off a luxury yacht and the workers, as usual, were left without a pension. Where was the holding to account? As I said, they all knew.

Just as they all knew about the systematic corruption of police and other public officials by many newspapers, but said not a word until it all came crashing down around their ears at Leveson. Where was the holding to account when it came to their own? Nowhere in sight, that's where.

So I say again, I'd rather governments were held to account by people I have elected to do the job rather than a troop of Tory 'grandees' wielding more power than they should have and exercising it in their own interests. They want to be above the law and not have their conduct regulated by law. But they have had many opportunities to put their house in order and they are being offered what should be their last chance to act responsibly. They should be told, 'Take it or leave it', and if they won't commit to behaving responsibly and having an oversight body which regulates that behaviour, then there should be legislation to make sure they do. It will take a 60% vote in both houses of Parliament and in the Scottish Parliament to change the deal they are being offered, and to be honest, if all of that lot agrees you're no good then chances are you're bloody awful. They should sign up, and sign up right now.

I'm Back

It's been a while but but I'm back in the land of the Blogosphere and hope to be posting regularly again soon.

Meanwhile you have let it all go to the dogs. Where has all of the piss-taking gone. Surely the big clunking fist deserves more than he's getting. Labour are paying the price of their own corporatism. As they moved away from community values and individuals and tied themselves firmly to capitalism they are suffering from the credit squeeze in the same way as the banks and financial institutions they have come to love. The English middle classes, don't you just love them. They have reduced voting with your wallet to an art form. Labour are getting what they deserve in the English local elections, but the Tories under Big Dave Cameron are no better, in fact they are remarkably similar.

The SNP have made a complete arse of things in Scotland. They have not increased the council tax, but instead have cut services to the most vulnerable right through the country. But surely the same price for less is an increase. Perhaps they should re-introduce 'O' level arithmetic. They carry on with PFI schools and hospitals even although they opposed them previously. What happened to those extra police, student debt, a referendum and an end to the council tax Oh, and by the way, where is Sir Sean's new house?

The Lib/Dems, well, anything at all for a taste of power please, including kissing Salmond's arse.
They have become a parody of themselves. Remember when they stood for something, even if it was something different in every town. Now they stand for nothing.

That's enough to start back with.

In Memoriam: Jean Charles de Menezez

This young man was shot seven times in the head at close range by firearms officers of the Metropolitan Police.

The news today that 11 officers involved in his killing will face no disciplinary action fills me with disgust. We had already learned of the whitewash regarding criminal charges, with the Met being charged only with a breach of health and safety regulations. I'll say it was! There is a young man dead and his killing did not even justify a verbal warning for the officers concerned, because that is what today's ruling means.

The poor parents of the young man do not understand, and I do not blame them. They are outraged and so they should be, because their son's only crime was to look like a muslim on a day when muslims were all under suspicion.

As usual, however, no-one in the Government or the police force will take the responsibility for what happened and resign. I don't care what any enquiry says, a young man is dead who shouldn't be and the people who killed him, and their taskmasters, must be held to account and pay the price of their carelessness, because someone must have been careless for this 'mistake' to happen, and in view of the dire consequences that person or persons should go and never again be in a position where their poor judgement means life or death to an innocent person.

Terry Kelly's Conspiracy Theory

I'm not sure what I've done to be characterised by being SSP as one of a 'vicious bunch of thugs' by TKMax, but just to clarify my record, I've never been reported to the police or the standards commission for any offence apart from speeding and that was 30 years ago.

I've never been thrown bodily out of an election count for trying to pick a fight with a political opponent, and just to cap it all, TKMax has never in all of his life spoken to me or to any of my family, and that's a promise, so how can he smear me as if he knew me.

Desperation is a terrible thing, but if he sees me as part of a right wing conspiracy then he has lost it completely.

I note that he has not denied the story about the free entry to the fairground reported on 'Terrywatch', and whether he paid for it or just got it as a favour from a grateful fairground operator (who needs the local council on side to be able to get the prime sites) then it is morally and probably legally suspect.

I look forward to the outcome of any police enquiry.

West Yorkshire Police Violence

I have just been watching TV coverage of the West Yorkshire police captured on CCTV punching a young woman five times in the course of arresting her, and it is very scary.

A mealy mouthed senior officer is trying to say that the footage was out of context, but its difficult to see any reason why five burly policemen couldn't restrain one wee lassie who was already drunk and on the ground without punching the hell out of her. Even if it was her arm, and she was kicking as they allege, how much power can a drunk 19 year old girl put into a kick from a prone position. Why was it necessary to punch her at all, far less five times on any part of the body. She was unlikely to escape and it was not time critical. They had her surrounded. This was macho gone mad and utterly inexcusable.

It was also distinctly unprofessional. Real macho men (like Strathclyde Police) would have made sure that the cameras were off and she was handcuffed. At least that's what my son alleges that they did to him, and a knee to the groin is much more effective. Complaints in his case got nowhere, and I suspect that the West Yorkshire case will result in a similar whitewash.