You just have to read this from the Times ...
NuLabour is clearly morally corrupt at the core - even elements of the Labour party machine reject its naked attempt to takle advantage of weaknesses in the voting system ( that they introduced ).
Credit to ContraTory - where I spotted this from.
Perhaps now Alexander Baker will see the light - but then self dellusion is a prerequisit of being a socialist.
So what to make of the Bromley bye election result ? Here's my first take - haven't checked on what others are saying yet.
Well first congratulations to Bob Neil on winning and also to attacking the negative muck raking Lib Dem tactics.
Next - the Lib Dems did well getting their vote to turn out. Perhaps they picked up some from Labour - but Labour were down by 8316 votes, even scaling for the lower turn out it suggests that the Lib Dems picked up far less than half of their votes. The success of the negative campaign seems to be in reducing the Conservative turn out.
Also the Lib Dems have thrown everything at a seat, my guess is that usually picks up low resource in general elections.
UKIP probably removed quite a few Conservative votes and nearly managed to allow the seat to be won by the most pro-Euro federalist party in Britain - surely even they must have pause for thought on that count ( no pun intended ... )
The political parties will have their canvassing results which will give them a much better picture, but I'm guessing that the Conservative party isn't as worried as you might think - based on the interview with Francis Maude this morning - where he used it as an opportunity to push party reform. ( If he was worried he would have taken a different tack in public ), and the Lib Dem party spokesperson (who ?) who blamed it all on David Cameron ( he must really scare them) which given the choice of candidate is perhaps not the first person who would get any blame in circulation.
But is so often said - lessons must be learnt. And I hope its this one - the Lib Dems need to be squared up to, not because of their policies ( they change so often and vary so much ), but because of the negative and corrosive impact of their form of politics. There much racking must be rebutted fast ( a lesson New Labour learnt before 1997) and we must make the scales fall from the publics eyes so they see the Yellow Party as those activists in the Conservative and Labour parties do.
Update:
Reading comments at ConservativeHome and TaxCutter's comments look spot on to me. We know what the Lib Dems do each time - why isn't our answer better and faster. I'd emphaise again how good at this New Labour got in 1997.
Looks like Dave Cameron is going to say in public what needs to be said about the Lib Dems - well done !
Check out this post from Jaj on Lib Dem activities in Bromley. It would be good to see this on the BBC news or even Newsnight and have blogs providing the sort of feedback that would shine real light on their campaign.
Too much to hop for I guess.... Iain Dale's been keeping up with the Lib Dem campaign machine at it shameless best - and I've posted earlier on Lib Dem techniques.
They really do deserve to lose very badly. It perhaps too much to ask for - but if the voters of Bromley could see what Jaj has seen then perhaps it would happen.
Update: The result went the other way - Lib Dem negative campaigning apid off - at least int he short term with the conservtaive majority reduced to less than 700 votes. I hope that eventually the wider public will get to see the Lib Dems for the nasty vicious party they really are - but it wasn't to be last night. I've put a new post on my intial take on the results here .
Given the 25% cut in defence budget under NuLabour - where our soldiers end up going to war without body armour and keep the "peace" in unprotected Land Rovers, you can help but compare NuLabour attitude to Israel's determination to get its own soldier back who was captured by Hamas with the attitude towards our own service men and women.
Perhaps its because the Israelis have conscription that their nation is so determined to look after their people and get their man back*. The captured soldier is potentially every Israelis son, daughter, or brother or sister. In our country only certain types of people join the military, and most of us live separate lives from them almost never coming into contact with the military ( this is certainly true for most NuLabour ministers and MPs).
A profession armed forces have many advantages, but perhaps connection with the general public and politicians is not one of them. Perhaps that is why they are doing so badly in gaining the resources they need. IMHO.
* I suspect also that the Israeli government has a much better understanding of the outcome of showing weakness towards its sworn enemies, than most western media commentators do.
Update:
See this excellant post on how our soldiers are being short changed.
Also Andy McNabb was on TV last night on This Week ( the prog can be watched again for one week ) making a very similar point on the understanding and support of the military.
The Scottish tax and spend socialist must be thinking of a few tricks to help defuse the rise in English identity and the realisation of how badly the English citizens of Britain are treated, before it stops his political ambition.
Here are a few brief guesses at a few ploys the Dour One might wish to try and get away with:
If he's a little worried:
1) Announce a review into the Barnett formula - to report some time in the future – a long time hence.
Rather worried:
1) Announce review of Barnett formula - and adjust government funding to equal rates for equal need - but delay full implementation till 2010 or such whilst transitional arrangement are made.
Desperate:
1) As Rather Worried plus:
2) Stand for an English seat at the next election.
Most of this could only be announced after the next Scottish assembly elections - else Labour would be looking at 4th place.
Whatever happens you can be sure with Gordon that he's cooking the idea now and won't draw attention to the down side when he announces it - but rather leaving it till 3-4 days as the story goes cold for the down side to be found in small print which he didn't even announce ( if previous budgets are anything to go by ).
Perhaps the Scottish Labour party should expect a delivery of a knife between the shoulder blades some time after May next year. We will see ....
Update:
You can now be extradited to foreign country's without there representatives having to prove you have a case to answer and even when the offence occurred in UK jurisdiction. ( see previous post on this subject and links to Boris Johnson's campaign here ).
See the article on the Nat West Three in today's Daily Telegraph.
Similar legislation exists within the EU and soon they soon will attempt to remove our national veto on more areas of justice. England will suffer most from this as our legal system has evolved - rather than been imposed by Napoleonic dictatorship.
This is grim stuff - what do you think Mr Cameron ? We know Mr Blair doesn't care much for English justice, wanting it rebalanced. ( Is this an odd coincidence - making changes - just before the European Union demands the same thing? )
Yesterday I was up late at night and ended up watching a parliamentary debate of BBC News 24. I saw Kate Hoey making an intervention and started to consider who the individual MP's I admired the most were. As it was late at night I only came up with 3 names:
Kate Hoey
Frank Field
Anne Cryer
Suddenly I realised they were all Labour MP's - so I'll have to think of a few Tory's soon. But thought I'd be honest and just blog my initial thoughts.
Why are these people on my list. Well they say what needs to be said and often talk with the authority that comes from common sense. ( Why are they in the Labour party ? )
Frank Field has done it again today with his comments on immigration. Most of us are scared stiff of being accused of racism. In my case an important number of my friends are from recent immigrant families and one of my best friends is here on asylum. But I can see that the current wave of mass migration to the UK must stop.
When I was at school we were taught the population of the UK was 54million , now its 60 million. The government has no idea who is here and cannot or will not control the change that is going on.
On a trip to Warrington a few years ago when I asked my taxi driver about a suspicious few individuals who appeared to have no grasp of English ( they gave a mobile phone to anyone they needed something from) he said he had a car like that every week, and so did the other drivers in his firm. They were driven to an address given to him on the mobile phone and they never saw any of them again. That just gives you an idea of the scale of illegal immigration.
You can see that mass illegal and mass legal migration are ongoing. We can see the clash of cultures going on as multiculturalism turns into separation and colonialism in some areas.
None of this is going to end well unless something is done to manage the process. I know of a reasonable person who has joined the BNP - I have tried to stop him,pointing out how ugly the BNP are, but he feels there is no alternative.
This is why what Frank Field is saying is so important and must be understood. Unfortunately the Conservative party is unlikely to do anything after the getting its policy so badly received at the last election and the other parties are chasing the immigrant vote - and do not fear losing other voters on this issue. It is in no major political party's interest to stop mass migration - but it is a major concern of the British people. Trouble is almost inevitable unless those responsible act now.
First we must be honest about what is really going on. Then we should debate where we want to get too. England has always had waves of immigration and it is probably desirable that it always will. It just needs to be debated and competently managed in a way we can all have faith in.
Update:
Good article in the Observer today on Frank Field - I never knew he used to be a member of the Conservative party ! ( How can we get him back ? )
Dear Mr Baker,
Just seen this title (Tory plans for electoral system ) on LabourHome.org - due to the Stalinist policy on comments there is no point replying there. ( Though this sort of control must make NuLabour adherents really feal at home ;-) )
You have really got the wrong end of the stick. It is Labour that has debased our electoral system to an extent that in certain areas fraud is now the main point of contention in our elections. (That used to be the case in Northern Ireland - but things have now been reformed there and the dead no longer vote early - vote often as they used to. )
Labour knew, and were certainly told by the electoral commission and the other parties, that there use of postal voting would create fraud but they didn't care. I wonder why ?
Checking that people are eligible to vote is just common sense.
No the real attempts to manipulate the electoral system have been made by Labour in disqualifying voters from abroad who have been away for more than 15 years ( who they must fear would be Tory ), messing up the armed forces voting registration ( again likely Tory votes ) and still allowing members of the Irish Republic to vote in general elections here ( most likely to vote Labour ). Perhaps none of this bothers you, but I hope - for the sake of our country - it does.
Mr Baker you really should look at what Labour actually does, not what your fevered imagination tells you. (If you can master this trick on this issue then you should be able to go on to see why the current morally corrupt government is failing Britain. )
Yours,
Man in a Shed
PS Don't be so condescending as to think that those in lower socio economic groups are incapable of seeing through NuLabour incompetence and voting Conservative also.
Update:
Even the Labour Party's general secretary disagrees with Mr Baker - see this excellant article in the Times.
Tony Blair's NuLabour government weakness on the defence of the Falkland islands is being sensed by Argentina.
The fleet air arm FA2 Harriers have been decommissioned.
New Aircraft carriers are probably a decade away.
Our elite troops are tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan
Action is required now to sure up the military position in the South Atlantic. The last Falklands war was a far closer run thing than many people realise against Argentine forces that didn't expect to fight until it was too late. The are very unlikely to repeat the same mistake again.
They have recently upgraded their air force and would make proper preparations with their navy ( no running round the world for exocet missiles once things had started of second time. ) They now test the response times of the RAF and are stopping cooperation on fishing. Tensions are again rising - will the government hide its head in the sand.
Proper thought should be given, in private, to how far we would wish to go to recover the Falklands again and policy formulated accordingly.
Personally I doubt the islands could be retaken again once lost. Think of the impact of a major defeat in the South Atlantic with massive British casualties. It could be the end of Britain itself.
I'm not defeatist - I just believe we should go about this properly. If we don't want to fight then we should negotiate from a position of strength, and not wait till that position deteriorates. If we are going to stand then give our young men and women the equipment and resources to do the job convincingly, and they will proberly never have to actually do. The third (Blair) way will get a lot of people killed and destroy our nation.
Update:
Good blog entry here on the diplomatic front in The Bewilderness ..whislt reading it think of how important Chile was to the British in the last war.
There are a number of reports saying about a hypothesis that conditions in the womb determine sexual orientation in men. The BBC's report suggests some sort of immune reaction.
Now a similar thing happens with rhesus positive fathers on the second child, and there is an inoculation to prevent it. Will the same thing happen with sexual orientation.
This would could create a rerun of the curing of deaf children with cochlear implants - threatening a sub-culture over time.
I'm not medically trained - so perhaps I'm making some basic errors here - but the debate is likely to rage if the implications are correct. Its something potential parents are likely to have strong views on, as well as the homosexual sub-culture.
This debate may also apply to other conditions determined in the womb in time - for example like Autism. Is it right to try and change the future population like this ?
If you want an example of a politician willing to just distort words and call black white - even when presented with direct evidence to the contrary then have a listen to the BBC's Today program this morning ( real player link for the next week here - the Today program also have the interview as a separate extract see here this is the best option - I only found it after writing the post or the realplayer clip).
At 2hrs16mins in the interview with James Naughtie and Jim Knight - its high entertainment and the NuLabour wish to create their own reality at its best (aka spin ). Catch it before they all disappear.
If you have a little more time then go to 2hrs 10 min in as there's some good work by Nick Robinson on the analysis of the dynamics to Blair's position post the Ides of Clarke and the real gem is the interview with Frank Dobson - who seems to be talking sense, now he's relieved of his NuLabour cult membership.
In fact the Frank Dobson analysis is probably the most important part of the interview - he quotes Shakespeare pointing out that public servants no longer fear the current government "fear no more the frown of the great" - interesting in that it is an implicit confession of something else.
In short - well done the Today program ...
From the BBC this morning:
"In an open letter, they plead for the media and health professionals to stop raising doubts about a vaccine they say science has shown to be safe. "
This is a typical mishandling of the public by a profession. (I'm an Engineer by profession and my profession makes the same mistake in not informing about risks and more importantly educating the public about how to appreciate risk. )
Asking people to keep things quiet will just pour kerosene on the rumour bonfire. Its these sort of conspiracies (because that what they are) that make people stop trusting what they are told. If the professional and government approach is: "your too ill informed and ignorant to make the right choice - so we are going to control the information you receive to ensure you do as your told, even if it hurts some of you". Then nothing that is communicated to the public will succeed.
And of course the concern about measles is real. My personal view here is that those who seek to lead public opinion should come forward with what they themselves have done ... see previous post on MMR . Risk is something we all have to learn to live with and appreciate - just taking the decisions away from us will make us suspicious and irresponsible.
MMR
You might think that the following actions of the British government would lead to independant reviews/inquiries:
The rights of an Englishman to a fair trial are some of the hardest fought for in our history and too a large extent define that history. The stability of our society which has limited the power of government and allowed British subjects freedom is in many ways based on avoiding the imprisonment of innocent men and women.
The Magna Carter provided these rights for nobles, and the rest of us have received them over time. But now Tony Blair ( an ex Lawyer) wants to 'rebalance' the rights of victims and criminals. The problem is determining who the criminals are. Remember the man who stood trial for the murder of Rachell Nickell (a horrendous incident), the judge threw out the case as the accused had been lead on in his confession by a police woman - a very unpopular move which perhaps would be rebalanced under Blair's terror of the mob salivating for the rights of the victim popularism ( or at least he probably thinks it will get his party votes). Now with DNA evidence someone else is helping police with enquires, and it looks like the judge did his job to serve justice. What is to stop that innocent man being sent to prison under Tony Blair's new campaign to keep Labour in office rebalance the justice system ? ( My guess is that little will actually be done - as often the aim of these outbursts is to capture headlines, not do any governing - for which they are very well paid. )
Its clear that this isn't about the criminal justice system, but about Labour's position in the polls. My guess is they are very worried that some of the press are about to defect to supporting Conservatives, so they are pressing all the buttons (eg Megan's Law ) they can to keep the tabloids on side ( with the exception of the Daily Mail of course ! ).
It just goes to show how morally corrupt the current NuLabour government is.
Yesterday I read that Scottish power will raise my gas bill by up to 15%. ( A EDF keep letting me know about price increases. ) Gas and Electricity are major costs the our house hold, as is Council tax ( up 80% since Labour came to power. )
The way inflation is measured was changed (ie fiddled) recently by the government. But people on low incomes or fixed incomes know they are not being told the truth as much as I do.
Why is the media ( with the exception of today's Dailey Telegraph) so quiet ?
It subliminal message time from Gordon Brown. Normally he avoids telling anyone unpleasant news - like I've spent your pension on unreformed public services, but at least there a few more BMW's in the hospital/IT consultants car park eh ?
So as Nick Robinson asks what he up to ? I think Nicks idea that its the orderly transition is possibly true - except there is no need for an orderly transition. In the UK governments change over night. The orderly transition idea is a Blairite ploy to either tie Gordon Browns hands when he takes over or to put the Wayne Rooney of the Cabinet on the throne ( that boy Miliband ) IMHO.
So why rub the lefts nose in the Trident issue ? Well my guess is that most people know that an independent Scotland won't be a nuclear power ( if they get rid of civil Nuclear power they may not be able to keep the lights on in Princess Street - let alone threaten nuclear destruction over much of the world ). Its something you need Britain for. Even a successor English state might decide enough is enough and abandon the nuclear fireworks.
No Nukes => no security council seat => no respect and the French running Europe, up until a some unknown state gets its act together to threaten Nuclear war, when of course the French will cave. ( Ok I know that sounds wild - but having Nuclear Weapons is about dealing with possible wild situation that you haven't yet foreseen when you built them ).
So its the Britain is good - I'm from Britain - I want to be prime minister of Britain and am even willing to watch England in the World Cup if I have to - approach from Brown.
The Liberal Democrats seem to forget their part in destabilising the United Kingdom. They pushed for devolution in Scotland and Wales, and have been rewarded by ministerial posts in Scotland and for a while in Wales.
Its not a matter of handing power down to the English, but rather removing the eager fingers of the devolved Celtic nations from the leavers of power in England. Powers that they now deny the English in their nations. Its not localism - its natural justice for a nation - aka nationalism.
Also the break up of the United Kingdom is very much on the agenda - just ask the SNP. Remember Scottish devolution was essentially a ploy to kill off Scottish nationalism. It may even become the case that the English want to leave.
I'm still very much in favour of the Union surviving, but the three main political parties will have to start being more open and realistic in their approaches to England. To often in the past they have tried to keep England quiet.
For this reason I hope the Lib Dem proposals for devolution are at the top end of their game. But the signs aren't good, note Simon Hughes says devolution in England - not of. Looks like the old Balkanisation ploy with a new paint job, and an excuse for proportional voting to get the number of Lib Dems professional politicians up. Hope you prove me wrong Simon.
From Lib Dem News story:
Responding to the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee report into the 'West Lothian' question, Liberal Democrat Shadow Constitutional Affairs Secretary, Simon Hughes MP said:
Just thinking on a comment Iain Dale made this morning about supporting a referendum for an English Parliament.
What if the proposal is defeated ? It would trap us for 10-25 years in democratic deficient whilst England's enemies tried to undermine her existence with regional assembly plans, mass immigration and other ploys.
A referendum is reasonable, but keeping the status quo isn't. This could be a future nail biter. As a precaution some thought and preparation is needed for a referendum. I must look and see what the CEP is doing on this ....
Comment on opinion article by Alice Thomson - Daily Telegraph 21 Jun 06
Sorry Alice - just removing the Barnett formulae won't do it any more. There must be English votes on devolved matters and an English executive. This need not cost - just declare some departments English and have an English government from Westminster MPs. The final settlement must have symmetry and recognise the English nation, to the same degree as the Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish nations.
If your interested in a range of opinions on this take a look at the Witanagemount Club and also the Campaign for an English Parliament.
Looks like Gordon Brown is going to have to let everyone else know what he knew in 1997 - if you see what I mean. ( See BBC news item )
I wonder what it is he didn't want us to know ?
Update: Check out the World at One (Radio 4 Tues 20th June 2006) on the West Lothian Question about 12 mins 30 secs in for a discussion on this.
Note the number of Scots of all parties, with the honourable exception of Tam Dalyell, who come on to say why no English parliament is needed. What more proof do you need. They have made their bed with the half backed Scottish devolution – now it's time the lie in it ! The pathetic and desperate nature of the objections speak for themselves ....
Ploys used include:
There are a lot of English MP's anyway
There would need to be an English executive ( duh - yes of course there would - Conservative party take note )
When voting on English bills Scots MPs are indirectly controlling their giro cheques to be sent North of the boarder ( after all money wasted on the English can't be spent on the Scots can it ? )
England didn't want regional devolution - so should get nothing
The London Assembly is equivalent to the Scottish Parliament.
And many more disgraceful misuses of logic in the name of protecting their interests ....
The Daily Telegraph reports this today - even a Labour dominated committee can now see that the current constitution arrangement can't last. I suspect Labour politicians are beginning to panic about:
1) Brown becoming PM and getting a massive English back lash.
2) The Conservatives winning the next election and answering the West Lothian question on terms that aren't favourable to the Celtic fringe (aka Labour ).
I suspect Labour will produce a large policy shake up here - designed to hold their Celtic fiefdoms whilst denying the Conservatives power in England. Plan A was the balkanisation of England with the regional assemblies - but they'll think of something else, and soon.
The DT report comments that
"Resentment at the powers the Scots exercise over English affairs is compounded, many MPs say, by claims that English taxpayers subsidise people in Scotland because the country is thinly populated, making services more expensive to run."
Here they are wrong. No Englishman I have met complains about government spending being based on need. A large amount of money goes to Wales to help adjustments there - and that's as it should be. What we want is equal funding of people of equal need. Its the comparisons between funding in Northumbria and the Boarders area that point this out most clearly. The Barnett formula is unjust to the whole peoples of the United Kingdom.
Also most Scots live in the central belt or close to Aberdeen - not challenged by geography.
The BBC is running with Blair's love in with popular things that may bring him votes. Today its football and England.
Its a cynical move by Blair - and at the very least BBC News should be asking why he's doing it. BBC remember your reporters are supposed to deliver analysis.
Biased BBC ? It's that or they are just inept.
Update:
Radio 4 Today did much better this morning. Intially did the fawning Blair on Football thing, but then brought in the Radio 5 606 guy with a reasonable analysis of what Blair was up to. They didn't stab Blair in the back, but equally they didn't just swallow what they'd been given. This is far more like it.
Nuke Labour has a post "The Corrupt Labour Party Pays Back Unions By Screwing Businesses Hit By Strikes " - that looks on first sight very bad news indeed.
Any lawyers know if this is really the case ? This BBC post concerning a potential strike at Asda seems to confirm the worse.
I'm surprised not to have heard more about this. Have I missed it in the Telegraph ? There wasn't much on the BBC ( the link above was the best correlation I found ).
Google news has virtually nothing on this.
It looks like it needs a higher profile !
My opinion of Nick Robinson is getting better all the time since I started watching his stuff. These questions on the Lib Dems new tax policy seems fair to me !
He also listen to the Izzard love in 'I can do a pod cast just like Dave' with Blair - so I don't have to. Thanks Nick.
OK going to take Girl who must be Obeyed to Rainbows - have to get my priorities straight.
So says Michael Portillo in the middle of an article in the Sunday Times. ( You will note from previous posts that I am not a 100% Portillo fan. ) And I have to say its a very good summary of the upcoming problems - that have been ignored by the Labour Party and I have to say the Liberal Democrats.
Yes the Lib Dems will no doubt try their opportunism again - Simon Hughes says he's for English votes on English matters - but they helped set up the Scottish constitutional convention and have been in government in Wales and Scotland. They - like Labour - may have wished to carve England up into bit sized regions where they could run little fiefdoms, but it looks like the English people won't let them. We have yet to find out what the Conservative position will be.
I read this after seeing it refered to by ContraTory ( by the way ContraTory - I'd have left a comment on you post- but I'm never sure which system the user name and password applies to ? Is it Google Blogger or another site ? ).
Scotland is an increasingly insular country. Its own media points inwards - and argue about whether there should be more Scottish only coverage not less - the argument about the 'Scottish Six' is a great example of this. The Scottish media supported devolution as it was good for their sales and careers. They are not conveying to their customers the dangerous position they have now placed them in. I've had a go at the media's Little Scotlanders before ...
The world cup is a further ratchet up in the gradual awakening of England - see my feeling on SNP stirring it up - and Iain Dales comments on Jack O'Connell. England gets a very bad deal out of this Scottish Labour government and people are starting to work this out - example here.
I don't know who will win the World cup, but I know who has lost. Gordon Brown shouldn't be worried - its past that - he's finished. ( As his party well knows - which is why the leadership campaign is getting under way - thinly disguised as reconnecting to the leadership voters members and going for the deputy leadership.) The only question is whether this will lead to divorce of the United Kingdom or whether we can adjust ( ie create an English Parliament – fair funding for England vs Scotland – end Barnett formula ), understand a bit more (not all Scots football fans are Anglophobic - they just enjoy seeing England lose - more like sibling rivalry) and forgive where necessary (that's all of us )- to patch things together.
I'm not convinced this will happen. I attended a wedding just after Scottish devolution was announced which was presided over by a church of Scotland minister who runs a church in London for Scots. I told him this would lead to the break up of the UK, and he just couldn't see it. I wonder if he still holds that opinion ? If he and his fellow Scots still do then the UK is doomed.
I knew the day would come. Her in Doors has just discovered I have a Blog - so its the end of anonymity for me. Lets hope she doesn't find out that the BBC digital service is carrying live Tennis as well as the World cup ! There are some secrets a man should keep to himself. Mind you there always the fall back position of hiding the remote control :-).
News of my Blogging activities will spread like wildfire. I'll give you an idea of how fast this could be;
When I asked her to marry me and gave her some time to think it over I took her to the airport and we agreed to keep it quiet till we met again in a few weeks.
I told - no-one.
She told - the people sitting next to her on the airplane, the person next to her in the coach from Edinburgh to Aberdeen ( aircraft had to learn there due to snow ), people she shard a taxi with, her neighbour downstairs, some of her friends in church and a fair number of her workmates - ie most of Northern Scotland would know in about 2 days.
This is going to leading to a lot of questions eg:
1) What is a blog ?
2) What's a blog search engine ?
3) Are you sure you're doing work all day in that Shed ?
Wait till she discovers the Blogsphere is at least as good a read as "Good House Keeping", by the way why is Jerry Hall always in GH ? Not that I read it - cough cough. Anyway I digress, I'll have to buy her another computer just to get near the laptop. Could be for Christmas... mmm.. and I need a high spec test machine for the business - this could work out :-)
When NuLabour got in I used to argue that you couldn't trust Blair as I had never seen an adequate explanation for how someone who belonged to CND could move to supporting the deployment and use of those weapons in government. (And that's just one of the old chalk and cheese differences between the old Labour party and NuLabour - and of course the conservative party that opposed old Labour.)
Yes you can change your mind - but you need to explain how it came about and why.
People accuse Blair of just telling people what they want to hear. In my view he's gone further in doing what he thinks people want him to do - at least in the first half of his premiership.
This would make him a very flawed person and someone unsuitable to be a national leader.
Update - was just browsing Not Little England ( so he's outside Pembrokshire then ? ;-) ) and found this. Its not quite my point but its not to far off:
A review of the NHS IT project is out today. It says costs have grown from £6.2bn to £6.8bn but that the costs won't be born by the tax payer.
I think this is wishful thinking. The contractors - the IT consultancies - will find a way to recoup this money. The key is probably in this phrase ( from the BBC report ).
"It also includes the costs of replacing core contracts that expire before the end of the 10-year period - leading to a total bill in the region of £20bn."
At the end of that period the government will be tied into the IT providers whose renegotiating position will be very good - enabling them to get the money back.
This project should continue to give any tax payer patient real concern. The real costs end up being estimated at £20bn - when we were told it would cost £6bn. If there is nothing substantial to hide then the government won't mind an independant review will it ?
Boy in a Shed ( my six year old son ) had the MMR shortly after the photo on the right was taken. I can't say I noticed a sharp change in him then, but gradually a bit latter in time he engaged a little less with people directly and his language was very delayed and is still a problem. It really is hard to be sure if anything changed - or if he just didn't develop as he should have done. In short this lead, after years of pushing, to his getting a statement of special educational needs ( the magic document you need to get help in the British system ) and latter to a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (know as ASD – its a wide range).
However, I watched the argument on MMR now with some interest. I'm not fully convinced either way, but I think the firm balance of probability comes down against MMR being the reason for the increase in Autism. (But I'm not a medical researcher – so what do I really know ? ) We let our second child have both sets of MMR injections ( the second for our daughter after knowing about the ASD diagnosis for our son ).
The reason for mentioning this is that vaccination rates in the UK – and especially Surrey and Sussex have dropped to such low levels that measles is starting to make a come back. The Doctors are reminding us on TV and in notes from School what a nasty disease measles can be and pushing for people to take up the MMR vaccination.
Its hard to measure and evaluate risk – especially when family is involved. And to put it mildly I don't trust official government advice. But I take the medical profession more seriously and they are shouting fire right now.
John Gummer got into a lot of trouble for feeding his daughter a beefburger on camera during the BSE outbreak. However, in many ways this is exactly what we want to see. Doctors and Politicians what's good enough for your children? -( note the link here describes a report by Direct Health 2000 who promote the use of single vaccine and profit by that- I have my doubts about how valid what is reported there is - but I include it as many parents will have read such articles ). Remember the outcry about Leo Blair's MMR jab, where he appeared to only have the MMR jab after reporters started asking about it and latter than is normal. 
I have sympathy for Tony and Cherie Blair on this ( and I won't be saying that often ), however what the public needs is the same leadership that John Gummer provided.
The irony is that now it looks like MMR, where the Blairs may have hesitated, is probably safe – (see comments on survey in Japan in this link), and the hamburger was more of a risk ! Just because you've weighed up the risks doesn't mean you or your child won't suffer from your decision. We have delayed taking Boy in a Shed for his MMR boaster for that reason. In my head I believe its safe, but can't stand the risk that we might make his situation deteriorate any further. We will probably have his boaster after teenage years have set in and the last major set of brain development has finished.
Given that ASD is now seen to run at up to 1 child in 150 there should be a supply of parents who are also medics and politicians who should come forward with their views on MMR. Maybe an enterprising journalist could do the survey – but of course the problem is that news is only interesting when its dramatic, so if such a survey showed the professionals really do support MMR – with the health of their children – it might never get published widely.
There is the a more sinister interpretation of the facts. That MMR is seen by the government and medical establishment as the lesser of two evils. Looking at how they treat their own children should help establish this – and what I've seen so far isn't all that reassuring.
What's the point of saying all this ?
The link between Autism and MMR looks far from proven to me – despite having a child with ASD. That between measles and some very nasty outcomes is not.
The Doctors and Health car officials should try and understand how hard these issues are for people. Sometimes the approach taken is very forceful and condescending. The independent survey I suggest of uptake of MMR amongst medical professionals children might help, or alarm. It would certainly inform.
Its parents who have to live with the results of these decisions – for the rest of their lives.
I'm still not sure on this issue, but a decision is needed and our decision has been to have our son immunised with MMR, before it became apparent that he would be classified with ASD, and his younger sister has had both MMR shots. He will have his booster latter on – and we will live with the consequences.
Sorry if this rambles a little - I don't have more time to work on it - but wanted to convey the feelings of the dilemma many of us are in.
PS – Boy in a Shed is doing fine thanks to some very helpful doctors, speech therapists, his school, his classmates – who are great, and his sister. A mention in dispatches also for Surrey LEA – who mostly draw fire from anxious parents, but in our case have eventually done their stuff.
Full credit to Sven - he's got the balls when it counts. Firm change of strategy with subs in 2nd half turns the game !
Just reading the DT Opinion, and it points out that defence spending had dropped by 25% since NuLabour got in.
That's a massive drop. Things must be getting bad. You see references to large amounts of our helicopters being unserviceable. Equipment denied to front line troops etc....
If NuLabour wants to fight all these wars they must provide the resources. ( As an aside you never hear them talk about 'investing' in the armed forces. That's one of the few things they will call spending.)
Anyway it looks shocking - *25% , in wartime !*
Michael Portillo is being wheeled out by BBC Radio 4 this lunch time to comment on the problem Dave Cameron is having with leaving the EPP. ( Is he becoming the new Michael Heseltine as the favoured route to undermine the Conservative party ? )
Is there a media campaign starting to stop Cameron ?
I'm waiting to listen to what is said:
.......
The BBC line on this seems to be what does this tell us about David Cameron's leadership. Portillo calls the pledge to withdraw a mistake and damaging. He's saying DC can't be seen by Bush (Iraq war) European leaders (EPP). MP repeats that its an error and he should break his pledge. Describes the pledge as a moment of weakness by DC.
So its the usual Heseltine style full support then! The BBC will be pleased.
Major was right on Portillo. His judgment is highly suspect - I stopped holding him in any high regard after that SAS speech to the party conference - and I wasn't the only one-, and voted IDS in the leadership election accordingly.
Hearing Lord Falconer on the radio trying to square the circle on John Reid's (Scottish MP currently holding the English Home Office post ) behaviour on judges - got me thinking on the West Lothian question again. (I think I just associate the idea of an English Parliament with the sound of Lord "There's no demand for an English parliament" Falconer now.) I'll not go on about John Reid's attempt to blame everyone else but himself/NuLabour for the impact of NuLabour's legislation - that's being done elsewhere to great effect.
No, I was wondering if an English administration and a British administration could co-habit in Westminster. I don't think English Votes with Scottish MP ministers holding English Executive posts is acceptable. My plan - just cooked up - is:
1) An act of parliament reserves rights and powers to the British government.
2) All other powers are devolved to national parliaments ( and powers are recalled if necessary).
3) English votes and attendance on English matters is introduced. An English speaker is elected.
4) An English administration is formed with the devolved powers.
English MP's would serve in both systems - if the Scots and Welsh want to pay twice for highly paid and pampered politicians then in comes from additional taxation in their countries. They could of course adopt the same arrangement if they wanted.
This looks cheap ( for the English ) and would require little change. Some government departments would become English Departments - eg most of the Home Office, Health, DEFRA, Education, and a large part of the Treasury ( this is really important and the Treasury is almost a shadow government and if much of its tax raising powers aren't devolved then we get the mess that exists in local government again).
The Conservative party could do this by promising to resolve the West Lothian question in the next election manifesto, and then enacting this when in power.
Watched the BBC 10pm news tonight. Nick Robinson, who I'm taking a close look at over the next few weeks, was on as PMQ has made the headlines. His review was good. He pointed out where Blair contradicted himself in PMQ, and also that the Governments critics at the start of the week have shown to be right.
However the BBC managed to lead with Blair and Cameron blame each other for the headline ( which equals NuLabour not to blame in the public mind. ) This is the bit that people take the most notice of - so the BBC manages to spin for NuLabour.
But NR did a good job tonight - IMHO.
Hazel Blears (PM radio 4 c17:30) keeps talking about how Labour membership only went up to 'get rid of the Torys'. (Maybe she's stuck in a time warp in 1997, the warm safe place in NuLabour's mind before the ugly business of trying and failing to administer and lead a government.) It is now heading down - unlike the Conservative party ( up 16k since Dave took over).
Since the government doesn't listen to its party - oh yes it says it does, but we all know thats mostly untrue. Whats the point in belonging to that party ?
They are a failing organisation...as John Reid would say - not fit for purpose - and no amount of Hazel doing her masters bidding is going to revive them.
Looks like the Bromley bye-election is going to be interesting. The shady practices of the Yellow Party - or the Fib Dems as I've seen them branded North of the Boarder can be expected to receive full scrutiny.
Already chickens are coming home to roost on their candidate's real occupation. Drawn into sharp contrast with their claims about the Conservative candidate in literature going out now.
Guido and Iain Dale are keeping the pressure on - and to Iain's great credit he's doing the hard work on canvassing too.
LibDem Bromley Ben's Shady Secret
More Hypocrisy from LibDems in Bromley
Suddenly there's a lot of economic gloom about. It only seems like last week when we had a Scottish Labour MP avoiding answering any questions on the West Lothian question on Newsnight by just ranting about how good Gordon Brown had been for the economy.
Man in a Shed has done well with his small share portfolio over the last 3 years, but some of the shine is coming off it now ! He sold on the first drop, but then decided to buy back in. This is an area were hindsight is wonderful - but you just have to take your view and act on it. Still that's the nature of the game.
But on a Britain specific viewpoint I think the article by Niall Ferguson in the Sunday Telegraph last week needs to be more closely looked at. We are carrying an increasing large public sector and may be very unstable in the rough weather approaching. David Cameron would do well to put down markers on Labour's economic mistakes now - so they look insightful rather than giving them when the storm hits.
As ever it a good idea to keep a close eye on the BBC Politics reporting. So I thought its time to follow Nick Robinson a bit more carefully.
During the local elections I could never get his RSS feed to update. You could see him in the studio typing away - but nothing came out unless, perhaps, you were on the BBC web site.
Nick got a lot of stick over the Prescott affair ( why doesn't that term get used much ) and was a little chastened, in my view, by time of the local elections.
I do feel a bit of sympathy with his position as a BBC commentator with the emerging Blogsphere, as he's like the first generation of GPs to be presented with patients who looked their diagnosis up on the internet. His analysis is going to have to be insightful, fresh and - unless he wants a savaging from the right Blogsphere - lacking the instinctive BBC left wing bias.
Lets see how he does - if he can fix his RSS feed.
Update - no update:
Still no fix for the RSS feed Nick. I sent in a email to your technical people yesterday - as I guess you don't do this yourself - like the rest of us have to. Perhaps the BBC's ignor right winger filter has me in the trash already ....
What's up with Iain Dale's new Blog template - is he applying for a seat in Wales or Jockland ? The Cross of St George has gone ( of just got very big). And the new personal images eyes seem to follow you around the room - and I'm not sure the smile is reassuring either Iain ( still with the last template there were complaints he looked like a serial killer ).
I was going to post a picture - but you need to open his Blog to get the full shocking impact here ...
Still perhaps as a man with a wooden building as my icon I shouldn't make any further comment.
The GMB have produced a report on NuLabour hangers on - special advisers etc and how they have benefited. I think this is the sort of material the Conservatives should run with in Northern England and Wales. I would think David Davis would be the best man for this job.
Download it now before someone takes it down - useful background I would think for any national politician - who isn't NuLabour. No further comment right now - as I must get some work done ...
Spotted via Guido continuing insurrection - here.
According to NASA there has been a Asteroid circling the Earth for the last 7 years, but not actually in orbit. Its about to depart.
I found this on the old newsgroup news://sci.space.news . Which got me thinking about newsgroups and Blogs. When I first discovered the internet in 1993 news groups were almost what Blogs are today. A revolutionary way for people to get into contact with each other - an in one case with an American Physics society a revolution was actually organised as young physicists ousted the old guard from their organisation - possible for the first time as they could now talk to each other. ( Political parties take note ).
Unfortunately the history is newsgroups isn't all happy - they didn't scale well and suffered from abuse.
My favourite event with news groups was when I heard of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 about 6 months before its collision with Jupiter and managed to download images as they came in from telescopes via Arizona's ftp site over a 2400baud modem via the university's computer system from my bedroom ( yes I know this makes me a geek). But it was really exciting to be ahead of the mainstream media. - a feeling that I think fuels Blogs too.
Anyway by by Asteroid 2003 YN107 - see you again in about 60 years. Though ,come to think of it, I'll be dead by then.
Well this certainly looks different ! I wonder who they'll draft and what Steve Norris thinks of it all. We are likely to find out soon.
Since I live in Surrey I don't expect a vote - but perhaps this new selection process is the shape of things to come ? How will Ken and the Lib Dems respond ?
|
London’s top job – Can you rise to the challenge? The next Mayor of London will be chosen in May 2008. For the first time, every voter in London will get the chance to select the Conservative Party’s candidate for that election. Any Conservative who is eligible to stand in the election for Mayor can apply to become the Party’s candidate. London’s top job – Can you rise to the challenge? This marks a first for London and a first for the Conservatives: it’s the first time in British politics that such an important post has been chosen like this. And it’s a first for the Conservatives – we’re changing our selection process for the Mayor to give every Londoner a say. Who wins? You decide. Every Londoner who supports our Party will have a chance to become the Conservative candidate. Headhunters will be used to encourage potential candidates to apply. And, later in the year, we will be holding a series of public meetings across the capital so that Londoners can quiz potential candidates face to face. Then every Londoner will be able to vote by text or phone on who should be the Conservative candidate for the capital’s top job. Too many people are fed up and disillusioned with politics. We hope that doing things differently will fire the public’s imagination, and get them talking and thinking about politics again. Somewhere in London, there’s a Mayor in the making. If it’s you, please consider applying today. |
Promoted by George Bridges on behalf of the Conservative Party both at 25 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0DL
The Law Commissions ideas of what they call rights for cohabiting couples look to me more like rights of cohabiting people over each others property and assets.
The spin in the media, and the concern of the Archbishop, appears to be the erosion of marriage. However this looks to me more like compulsory state marriage ! Or the common law marriage that we are told doesn't exist.
Marriage costs - if you just turn up at the registary office - are cheap. This isn't the barrier to people getting married. A good friend of mine married his wife in a prelonged coffee break at work ! We all nipped down to Weybridge registry office and were all back at work within the hour.
I'm guessing a lot of the partners who aren't married are making strategic decisions about keeping control of their assets. This move would make this cynacism ( we don't need a bit of paper to confirm our love dear etc ) much harder.
I'm not sure its the Archbishop who should be worried ......
See BBC News article
Good luck lads !
Update: And it seems they had a bit - lets hope its not a limited supply.
As a Christian there are a number of substantial points I would disagree with a Muslim on. But the existence of judgment after death is not one of them. The comments made by Z Hussain on the Daily Telegraph's web site on the news that Zarqawi like to read the Daily Telegraph and Guardian have us in close agreement. The difference would be in my understanding it is impossible to be certain of someone's judgment as we don't know their state of mind and for a Christian salvation is available up to the point of death, regardless of previous acts.
Mr Hussain's point is the one that should be repeated in Iraq and the Jihadi community. I think it is mostly likely true and also would be much more effective in reducing terrorism than a lot of the military measures in place in the world.
"Zarqawi unlike Bin Laden was not an American creation. I am glad he has met his maker. I as a Muslim can say that Zarqawi won't be enjoying his virgins in Paradise. He is no Martyr. Martyr does not blow up innocent civilians. Zarqawi will be burning in the Fire of Hell. In Islam, God does not let murderers and oppressors anywhere near His Beautiful and Eternal Heaven. God is never unjust to anyone. He gives prople what they deserve. Zarqawi deserves a very bad place. Posted by Z Hussain on June 9, 2006 7:57 PM
"
Who wants to be deputy leader of a major political party ? Usually only those who have given up on ambition. You're better of with a major portfolio in government the the Treasury or Foreign Office.
So why are so many people campaigning for the Labour Deputy Leadership at the moment ?
My guess is that its because you can campaign - without direct disloyalty to Blair. Canvassing can now be undertaken under the cover of positioning for the Deputy Leadership. A campaign could then transform very easily into one for the Leadership just by removing the word Deputy.
More and more I think Gordon Brown blew it in May. If he had acted - no one would have opposed him. Now they are organising to do just that. Everyone is grabbing for the purple of a dying empire.
Just heard Patricia Hewitt on Radio 4 news this lunch time. She has a real nerve - as I believe a member of the RCN conference pointed out to her recently.
She goes on about the deficiet, that is about 300% of the one she predicted, being due to poor local management. OK Ms Hewitt if thats true why did you go on to say that most of the 'failing' trusts are in the South ? ( Poor managemnt you would expect to be randomly distributed ).
The truth is that this is a movement of resources from the South of England to the North. The NHS banking arrangements to punish Southern (ie Tory/Lib Dem voting areas ) of the South are proof of this. The failure is thus being created by Ms Hewitt ( who is an ex-management consultant ) for reasons of naked politics.
Will she be happy when people in the South start dieing faster so as to close the gap with the areas of the North that Labour has failed for so long ?
This is going to cost jobs and lives. Patricia Hewitt is a national disgrace as a Health secretary.
Also see
Don't forget the one that tops the list did so because of Government interference just before the general election when they wanted to save a marginal seat. Watch the whole disgrace again ( thanks BBC - and I don't say that too often ).
Man in a Shed has been on half term break with kids to his old home town of Rayleigh in Essex. He took a few photos of the contrails from high flying aircraft. These must have a very real impact on the ground by reflecting sun light and removing water vapour prematurely from the upper atmosphere.... I gearing up for a few Blog entries on the environment in a few weeks time, but I'll leave it here for the moment.
He's campaigning - when not on holiday. He should be the last person who needs to, especially when there a lot of administration and leadership tasks sitting in his in tray. What makes me think this ? Well I've seen his picture in 3 publications where it would be unusual.
1) Local paper in Rayleigh, Essex. Castle point MP trying to save his seat by getting funding for local children's hospice ( grinning TB in photo ).
2) The Evening Echo ( local paper of SE Essex) had a full page spread on Southend Hospital becoming a trust - plus personal letter from TB and the obligatory grinning photo.
3) Even The Chemical Engineer this week has a grinning Tony Blair in it.
This sort of publicity has to be an organised campaign. Plus we have Blair giving an audience to the Pope and making campaigning speeches on crime and public services.
So what's up ? He is one of the few Labour politicians who should be doing all this - as the cult of his personality is of no use to Labour at the next general election .... or is it ?
I think the Lib Dems overestimate the joys of getting ride of Surrey CC. It will ost lots of money and Woking will end up bundeled with Guildford in a cinderella type relationship.
In short Woking is too small to be unitary council, but not large enough to benefit from being in a unitary authority with its larger neighbour.
Its a bad idea .....
See ....
Re: Goodbye Woking Borough Council? (by Cllr Ann-Marie Barker): "By Cllr Ann-Marie Barker
The proposals for local govt are still due out in a paper in July. However it has been suggested that this may be delayed now that Ruth Kelly has taken over from David Milliband.
I've heard the suggestion you mention about Woking merging with Guildford and Waverley and also Surrey County Council breaking into two or three areas. The proposals are supposedly going to allow for a degree of local self determination.
Ann-Marie Barker "
This is due to Labour changing the rules on voter registration in the armed forces. They were warned about the low voter registration, but just sent out leaflets. ( see article in todays DT. )
Might this apathy have something to do with the way they thought members of the armed forces might vote ?
I recently heard the story of children of Christian parents being kidnapped and sold into salvery , to help fund Islamic militants in Pakistan. See also Time Online.
This story has a particular horror about it.
I can't seem to find any reports about it on the BBC. No great surprise there then. Please correct me if I'm wrong here ... Looks like the BBC desciding what news is good for us.
Results of:
| Slave trading of Christian boys by Jamaat-ud-Daawa and Christian ... Pakistan Christian Post, Pakistan - ... The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| PAKISTAN: EXPOSED - SALE OF PAKISTANI CHRISTIAN CHILDREN AS SLAVES ... Virtue Online, PA - Gul Khan, a leading member of a militant Islamic organisation based in Pakistan, is funding its activities through the sale of Christian children into slavery. ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... Post Chronicle - ... The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... Hawaii Reporter, HI - The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Christian Children Sold Into Slavery to Fund Al-Qaeda AINA, CA - The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... AXcess News, NV - ... The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... National Ledger, AZ - ... The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... The Conservative Voice, NC - The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... Magic City Morning Star, ME - ... The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... TheRealityCheck.Org, CT - The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Islamist Sex Slave Traders FrontPage magazine.com, CA - ... The children, all Christians, had fallen into the hands of Gul Khan, a wealthy Islamic militant and leading member of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD), a group linked to ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... American Chronicle, CA - ... The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... WEBCommentary - ... The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Undercover Missionaries Save Christian Boys from Al-Qaeda Slave ... The Common Voice, SC - The Sunday Times' Marie Colvin has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy radical, using the base of terrorist group Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind ... |
| Terrorism Funded By Slavery Profits Jawa Report, TX - ... The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| ROP Roundup, Howie’s Sheepish Edition. Jawa Report, TX - The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| Al Qaida ally finances terror by kidnapping Christian boys American Thinker, AZ - The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| Osama group in boy slave racket Australian, Australia - ... The children, all Christians, had fallen into the hands of Gul Khan, a wealthy Islamic militant and leading member of Jamaat-ud Daawa, a group linked to the al ... |
| Terrorist leader accused in slave trade NewKerala.com, India - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Terrorist Leader Accused In Slave Trade Post Chronicle - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Christian boys saved from Islamist slavers in Pakistan Judeoscope.ca, Canada - The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| Terrorist leader accused in slave trade Malaysia Sun, Malaysia - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| UPI NewsTrack TopNews DailyIndia.com, NY - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Terrorist leader accused in slave trade DailyIndia.com, NY - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| News Roundup Monsters and Critics.com, UK - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| UPI NewsTrack TopNews May 21, 2006 Political Gateway, FL - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Terrorist leader accused in slave trade Political Gateway, FL - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Terrorist leader accused in slave trade Washington Times, DC - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Terrorist leader accused in slave trade United Press International - ... group. The Sunday Times of London reports the missionaries have videotaped evidence that Gul Khan is in the human trafficking trade. ... |
| Al-Qaida group funded by Christian-slave trade WorldNetDaily, OR - ... Gul Khan, a wealthy militant and senior member of Jamaat-ud Daawa, an Islamic organization declared by the US State Department to be a front for another banned ... |
| Reunited: boys saved from slavers Times Online, UK - The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged ... |
| Rescued – the Pakistan children seized by Islamist slave traders The Sunday Times, UK - ... The children, all Christians, had fallen into the hands of Gul Khan, a wealthy Islamic militant and leading member of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD), a group linked to ... |
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