Monthly Stat Pron Raw Meat 3

There is a spike in February due to this post but other than that I seem to be doing well at the end of this financial year.

Hoist by her own petard (2)

From the Register:

Last but by no means least, Clair Lewis, National Convenor for CAAN, has offered an olive branch to Ms Smith. In a letter to the national press, she writes: "as Home Secretary and as part of this puritan government, Jacqui Smith has done more than almost anyone to meddle with and regulate the sexual choices made by consenting adults in private. There is therefore a most delicious irony to find her hoist by her own petard."

I first reported this in my post http://henrynorthlondon.blogspot.com/2009/02/jacqui-smith-hoist-by-her-own-petard.html

It is therefore even more gratifying that she continues to hoist herself and her husband the now infamous Richard Timney, to heights not even reached by David Mellor and Antonia de Sanchez.


Tut tut

Sources within the Home Office were dismissive of this line of speculation. They did not consider the subject matter watched to be relevant to any other aspects of government policy on censorship of the internet or indeed of any other medium. They gave assurances that the channel watched was NOT Red Hot TV and that there was no aspect of the content that raises any further issues. It was, in common parlance, "vanilla".

Vanilla eh No kinky stuff then... Shame Though I guess wearing football strip is also " Vanilla"

Eu Agriculture Fudge

Guaranteed to leave a nasty taste in your mouth and blow a big hole in your wallet


Enjoy

What they didnt show you on the Daily Politics Show

If anyone missed the dialogue ( you need a sound editor Paul) In a nutshell it is this

Draper was kicked off the course in the 3rd year , he was refused an MA.

The man is a charlatan, and cant even shave for television.

Daily Politics 26/03/09 Draper vs Guido

So much fun it has to be reposted

Watch out for the next post tomorrow to show you what they wouldn't show on the BBC

Hat tip to guido and Youtube

More Surveillance as if we needed it

LONDON – The UK already is the West's most surveyed nation – the average Londoner is secretly photographed an average 425 times a day – and officials now are launching a new Big Brother plan that will intensify the observation of civilians, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

An anonymous building in a business park on the outskirts of Heathrow Airport is where the MI5 Security Service has begun monitoring all passengers arriving at or flying out of the facility's terminals from this week onwards.

There is no exemption for Americans starting their flights in the United States. They will find their details recorded and stored for a decade. No warning has been given of the secret surveillance to the public.


Other British airports will soon be linked to what MI5 agents insist "is essential to fight terrorism." This week it announced the threat is now "at the upper end of severe." It was a warning that an attack could be "imminent."

Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.

The top-secret system near Heathrow uses over a thousand computers – and is tied-in to the airline industry's ticketing network.

The surveillance system makes split-second decisions about all passengers. Linked to CCTV cameras at the airports, it can make similar decisions about families and friends meeting incoming flights and determine if they are already listed on "security risk" databases.

These databases are stored in a massive monitoring center in the south of London. The building resembles a warehouse and appears no different from others bordering the River Thames. However it is enclosed by a security fence strengthened to resist a Baghdad-style suicide bomber.

From within the building comes the low hum of an air-conditioning system to cool the powerful computers, which are linked to the equally sophisticated building near Heathrow.

Known only as "Status Park Four," the glass-fronted building has taken two years to build. It has bomb-proof doors and windows and is further protected by ground sensors.

Its computers list all the information passengers are now required to give when booking a flight. This includes their home address, telephone numbers, e-mail address, passport details and the names of all family members.


Did any of you vote for this? Who still wants to vote Labour, Blue Labour or Yellow Labour?

Anyone?

Seems Hannan was not the only one to lay into Brown

Hat Tip to UK Bubble

The Dangers of Sat Nav

What I fail to understand is why do people believe a machine rather than their own eyes?

Honestly I really do wonder about the intelligence of some of them.

Of course you could apply this to other things aswell

Why do people believe lies from on high or if in print without ever seeing the person or persons involved and seeing if they are saying however improbably the truth or not.

Idiots of the world untie

A Doncaster man is facing a "hefty recovery bill", and an appearance before the beak on a driving without due care and attention rap, after following his BMW's satnav to the edge of a West Yorkshire cliff, the Telegraph reports.

Robert Jones, 43, was driving in "broad daylight" on Sunday morning en route to visit some chums. In the village of Gauxholme, he was directed up a narrow footpath which led to a fence, beyond which were "stunning views across the Pennines".

Jones, likely didn't much enjoy the vistas, however, because he couldn't then reverse the car out, leaving it "hanging off the edge" of the precipice, as one police officer put it.

The AA refused to assist, and so Jones called police. They deployed heavy machinery to extract the motor - a nine-hour process which attracted a crowd of locals. One said: "It's like something from The Italian Job, but what a waste of police time. It's all very well and good trusting your satnav, but how about trusting your eyes?"

Jones explained: "It [the satnav] kept insisting the path was a road, even as it was getting narrower and steeper. I just trusted it. You don't expect to be taken nearly off a cliff.

"I rely on my satnav. I couldn't do without it for my job, and this is the first time anything like this has ever happened. I guess I'm just lucky the car didn't slip all the way over the edge but it's been a bit of a nightmare."

A police spokesman concluded: "Nobody was hurt, but when someone nearly drives off a cliff it shows a lack of care which needs to be investigated." ®

Another copy from the register Full article here

BBC link here with picture

Daniel Hannan lays in to Gordon Brown at Brussels

Update: transcript for those at work or without sound

"Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government
Prime Minister, I see you’ve already mastered the essential craft of the European politician: namely the ability to say one thing in this chamber and a very different thing to your home electorate. You’ve spoken here about Free Trade – and amen to that. Who would have guessed, listening to you just now, that you were the author of the phrase ‘British jobs for British workers’ and that you have subsidised, where you have not nationalised outright, swathes of our economy, including the car industry and many of the banks? Perhaps you would have more moral authority in this house if your actions matched your words? Perhaps you would have more legitimacy in the councils of the world if the United Kingdom were not going into this recession in the worst condition of any G20 country?

The truth, Prime Minister, is that you have run out of our money. The country as a whole is now in negative equity. Every British child is born owing around £20,000. Servicing the interest on that debt is going to cost more than educating the child. Now, once again today you try to spread the blame around; you spoke about an international recession, international crisis. Well, it is true that we are all sailing together into the squalls. But not every vessel in the convoy is in the same dilapidated condition. Other ships used the good years to caulk their hulls and clear their rigging; in other words – to pay off debt. But you used the good years to raise borrowing yet further. As a consequence, under your captaincy, our hull is pressed deep into the water line under the accumulated weight of your debt.

We are now running a deficit that touches 10% of GDP, an almost unbelievable figure. More than Pakistan, more than Hungary; countries where the IMF have already been called in.

Now, it’s not that you’re not apologising; like everyone else I have long accepted that you’re pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility for these things. It’s that you’re carrying on, wilfully worsening our situation, wantonly spending what little we have left. Last year - in the last twelve months – a hundred thousand private sector jobs have been lost and yet you created thirty thousand public sector jobs. Prime Minister, you cannot carry on for ever squeezing the productive bit of the economy in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit. You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt. And when you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we’re ‘well-placed to weather the storm’, I have to tell you that you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line. You know, and we know, and you know that we know that it’s nonsense! Everyone knows that Britain is worse off than any other country as we go into these hard times. The IMF has said so; the European Commission has said so; the markets have said so – which is why our currency has devalued by thirty percent. And soon the voters too will get their chance to say so. They can see what the markets have already seen: that you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government."


You won't hear this on the BBC. Update 27/3/09 you will now Link here ( not even the full speech)

Daniel Hannan gives the priminister a blunt truthful account of what he has done for us and why we are the sickest G20 country.

"The truth is heavy so few men carry it"

(Jewish Folklore)

London health authority put on notice over data breach

Copied shamelessly from the Register this morning


All text and comments can be found at the above link I am merely reposting it
None of this is my own work nor do I have any comments to add 10-11 people Ive never met have done it all for me.

I have put one comment in italics to show the kind of spin Camden engage in but remember its the other persons comment ( freely available here) that is being highlighted

A north London health authority has been given until the end of the month to improve its information security policies following an embarrassing information security blunder last year.

The Information Commissioner's Office has given Camden Primary Care Trust until the end of the month to pull up its socks following a breach of the Data Protection Act. The ICO's enforcement order comes after PCs containing 2,500 patients' names, addresses and medical histories were dumped beside a skip inside the grounds of St Pancras Hospital last August.

Data on the obsolete computers was left unencrypted. The machines were subsequently swiped without authorisation and never recovered.

Mick Gorrill, Assistant Information Commissioner at the ICO, said: "This incident highlights organisational error and will no doubt damage public trust in the NHS locally.

"I am increasingly concerned about the way some NHS organisations dispose of sensitive patient information. Organisations need to ensure they implement appropriate safeguards to ensure personal details about patients are disposed of in compliance with the Data Protection Act."

The ICO has ordered the Camden PCT to ensure personal information is removed from its computers as soon as they are decommissioned, and to report on its progress in achieving this goal by the end of the month. Failure to comply with the order would place the health authority in contempt of court.

Camden PCT chief executive Rob Larkman told the Health Service Journal that the incident that provoked the order was an aberration. He added that the health authority had reviewed its procedures and training as a result of the incident.

"NHS Camden sets itself incredibly high standards when it comes to patient confidentiality and data protection," Larkman said. "Unfortunately, on this occasion we fell below our high standards by inadequately disposing of a number of obsolete computers." ®


"NHS Camden sets itself incredibly high standards when it comes to patient confidentiality and data protection," Larkman said. "Unfortunately, on this occasion we fell below our high standards by inadequately disposing of a number of obsolete computers."

It's like saying you have incredibly high personal standards of honesty, but unfortunately on this occasion you fell below your high standards by lying.

You know, initially I thought this must be just the latest variant of that weird seizure disorder that afflicts the public sector when they get hold of a computer with sensitive data on it; you know, the one that renders them completely unable to keep hold of it, wipe it, find it or stop blabbing about it to other departments. Then I realised, it was an Information Sharing Order, it's just that the recipient part of the form was blank, so the ****wits thought that meant the ENTIRE BLOODY WORLD...

Seriously, DBAN. It's not hard FFS and it's free.


I worked in the NHS fifteen years ago, and we already had a chuffing great magnet for knackering hard disks back then - where have these people been?

The statement 'Failure to comply with the order would place the health authority in contempt of court.' - what does this mean exactly. Does it mean a fine and thus remove monies from healthcare or does it mean a stiff letter from some jobsworth in government?

really care about practices.

In this case, place the Chief Executive of the Trust in Contempt of Court, drag away in the public glare in handcuffs and lock him/her/it up for a while. Make sure it is not a nice place and make sure the whole world knows. Even if it only for one night. Then rack up the insurance costs and take it out of their bonuses.

These so called "leaders" must be held accountable and made take data loss seriously. A dose of prison will probably concentrate their minds and will be a lesson to others. Same with the senior bankers and dodgy politicos and their expenses.

but who is responsible?

By DR Posted Tuesday 24th March 2009 15:58 GMT

the guy in charge,

or the over worked IT guy who wasn't properly allowed the time and space to actually wipe the machines?

it's all very well to say use DBAN, but if you do that where the PC is set up then you will get complaints from the guys who see their desk space being used by a useless box sitting in the way of their upgrade.

And I doubt that the IT offices are large enough to store a mountain of computers whilst they were waiting for the time to get around to wiping them before disposing of them...

I'm not defending them, just suggesting it's probably not that the person who put these there was likely up against it and it was just something that was overlooked.

or perhaps this is a good call to have a situation where no data is actually on the machines, and is instead only accessed, from some kind of large centralised database

(bring on the big databases... umm no wait,, I can't believe I just said that).

Instead of the Trust being in contempt of court it should be made the responsibility of an individual when in a public organisation.

That way any fine or punishment would not be on the patient's and that individual would have some motivation to do their job!

It is fairly common practise in other industries to make individuals responsible... e.g. at Channel 4 a producer is responsible for their program right up to broadcast, so they have to chase idents and adverts and stuff. Funnily enough it works well that way!

Don't worry the NHS database will be different

People and organisations like this won't have access to the data so there will be no chance of it being lost or security being breached in any way

Oh wait...

feel that those reponsible for this breach be subjected to punishment by the patients, whose data they exposed.

Now, if I were one of those patients, I would get my hands on a bag of USED hypodermic needles, and use those f*tards as a dart board. Put the "bullseye" right over the groin.

but that means it's OK for them to make their huge database to track every bit of detail about us - as long as they "lose" all of the data before putting it in to the database it is now public information and isn't private and confidential any more, so it's OK

Disclaimer: What Camden get up to after I have left their employ is their problem...

How to make a Solar Cell from Doughnuts and Tea

The infinite improbabability drive?

I might try it out

Database State Britain unwrapped by Rowntree

From the Register again

Ministers spending billions on unlawful databases

The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust

A report on the Database State PDF here claims that 40 out of 46 key government databases are not fit for purpose, and 11 of those are "almost certainly illegal under human rights or data protection law and should be scrapped or substantially redesigned".

The report comes as the government prepares to sneak legislation on data-sharing back into parliament despite an apparent U-turn on the idea earlier this month.

Sneaky government trying to bring back clause 152 by the back door. Jack Straw is a shyster and this shows his absolute determination to bring it back in.



Amongst the report’s key findings are:

* A quarter of the public-sector databases reviewed are almost certainly illegal under human rights or data protection law
* Fewer than 15 per cent of the public databases assessed in this report are effective, proportionate or necessary, and again, most lack a proper legal basis for any privacy intrusions
* Britain is out of line with other developed countries, where records on sensitive matters like healthcare and social services are held locally not centralised as in Britain
* Many of the benefits claimed for data sharing are illusory, whilst little account is taken of the serious harm that this approach can inflict on vulnerable individuals
* The current spend on IT within the UK public sector is over £16bn a year on IT, with (approximately) £100bn planned for the next five years: yet only about 30 per cent of government IT projects succeed.

Full Article in the Register here

Many of the problems with lawfulness stem from the fact that data-sharing – or processing - of some form appears to be going on despite existing Data Protection strictures against it.

It is for this reason that the government introduced the now infamous clause 152 into the Coroners and Justice Bill, currently before Parliament. Although that clause has been temporarily withdrawn, this report highlights several dozen reasons why it is inevitable that it will be back.

Because of a strict interpretation of the law, government Ministers are presently deploying billions of pounds of taxpayer dosh – and are quite possibly doing so illegally.

The trouble is that those who should be taking action are now increasingly looking the other way. The report says: "There is a sense in the senior civil service and among politicians that the personal data issue is now career-threatening and toxic.

Sounds about right for our darling politicians, Honestly we voted for these idiots?

Who let them loose You the electorate did Any regrets?

More Tasers for Police Forces in England and Wales

"He fell down the stairs, guv. Into some power cables"

From the Register this morning:

The Home Office yesterday announced funding for a further 6,000 Taser electroshock stunguns to be used by police forces across England and Wales. Nonetheless it appears that in London the weapons will not be given out willy-nilly widely issued, a situation condemned by rank-and-file officers' spokesmen.Just why are the rank and file so worried about not carrying weapons of death?

The funding for 6,000 additional Tasers is on top of an initial budget for 10,000 made available last year. All of the new flying-cattleprod guns are intended for issue to absolute amateur trigger happy plods specially-qualified police not serving in firearms units.

Link to story above in italics.

"It is extremely fucking annoying disappointing that the Metropolitan Police Authority has not taken advantage of this funding," said Paul McKeever of the Police Federation, representing the arse end and stupid bottom four ranks of plods. "Not only does Taser provide a more less lethal alternative to firearms but it provides confidence and reassurance so we can just taser and be done with it to officers when confronted with volatile situations."

Google Maps Streetview Henry included

Click the picture to get the bigger picture

Henry is on the street with his yellow vest and crash helmet and scooter

Smarmy Labour Politicians

Kinnock a staunch Labourite and European gravy train rider.

No wonder Tracey upped and left for Hollywood

Jade Goody dies on Mothers Day

Jade died this morning at home at 3.14am on Mother's Day.

Some will miss her, her sons, Jack and her mother, but there will be some that will not.

She was a brief,brash sometimes rude and downright irritating ray of light in a world full of darkness. She will be forever associated with East Angular.

BBC obituary here

Pictures here


This is I know a radical departure from my usual blogging but then again I may aswell do it once.

Picture courtesy of OK and their copyright (thanks OK!)

Clear and Present Danger

It seems that Spring is in the air and suddenly the air has turned nasty or should that be nazi....

Following on from Alan Johnson's announcement that we will have " De mentors" enlisted by the NHS to offer 'on the spot' tasering advice in their local neighbourhood when they see people smoking, eating or drinking too much.

Of course, national socialist health issues have to be exported and extolled to the masses. After all fascist campaigns like this have occurred before, Nazi Germany being one example:

Tobacco was opposed by racial hygienists fearing the corruption of the German "germ plasm" (i.e., genetic material), by industrial hygienists fearing a reduction of people's capacity to work, by nurses and midwives fearing harm to the "maternal organism."
Has Alan Johnson been reading the old Monatsschrift für Krebsbekämpfung(Monthly Anti-Cancer Journal) that the Nazi's put out?

Hat tip to Fidothedog at Lone Voice

And then courtesy of Pulse magazine for GPs It seems that the GMC are asking for more sweeping powers because the power hungry psychopaths who fuck up all the time or lie through their teeth want a second chance at stitching us up body wants to extend the grounds that may trigger a review of decisions, and create a time-limit to allow them to re-examine cases up to two years after they take place, or even longer in ‘exceptional circumstances’.

This is for their Fitness to Practise procedures.

"Nick Clements, head of medical services at the Medical Protection Society, said the changes would place doctors under unfair pressure.

He said: ‘ It seems to be a case of double jeopardy for the doctor. The GMC appear to be arguing for Carte Blanche to say, ‘we want to be able to revisit our own decisions in case we fucked up or were found lying got it wrong the first time’"

H/T to Jobbing Doctor

I dont know about you but I find this breaching human rights

I think the view of these two organisations and the government is akin to Weltanschauung. Jaundiced and in need of treatment A good general election with a 90% turnout is required.

Bank of Fun Iceland

A strangely prophetic song, Bank of Fun by Iceland in 1986

Its nice weather so Henry is out enjoying it

Im out enjoying the good weather, and I expect you to be too.

Theres not much to add at present.

But I would like an answer to an age old question Why is it you can never find things when you actively look for them?

Bank of England comes clean about the Depression

Finally the bank has admitted that the conditions are ripe for the 30s style depression when there was massive unemployment and deflation and what do our governments do but print money to get us out Weimar republic anyone?

They tried this in the 1930s and it failed miserably, it was only the war which primed our economy, we got taken off the Gold standard in 1931 and we've never been able to return to it

This is the beginning of the end

Link here to the Telegraph story

Badger sells off Royal Mint

The Darling Badger is selling off the Royal Mint through Rothschild in a bid to get more money.

Details will be in next months Budget

What a crock of shit this government is

You are no longer free

All travel plans and all visits abroad are now going to be tracked by the government and held on a database for at least ten years


Forget leaving the country They will come after you if you dont file an accurate travel plan.

Blog round up

Many medical blogs are finding out about Common Purpose. Many Political Blogs are doing the G20 quickstep. Some blogs think that the politics of this country are so despicable but wonder why there are still Labour supporters

The most worrying thing is that our browsing habits are about to be scrutinised which is a breach of personal freedom.

The EU seems to have taken sovereignty and is now imposing laws that Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini would have been proud of.

More jabs at the British Public are being organised and then I see posters saying dont take it out on our staff? Well who should we take it out on then? Your staff are the ones being irritable.

I was at my GPs surgery to have some blood taken and I heard this lady shouting at a patient You were shouting at me She was louder and more acerbic than him

Pot calls kettle blacker

Friday the Thirteenth part one

It is also Red Nose day, and comic relief. Apparently we are being exhorted to do something funny today.

For Charidee.... innit, I did my bit I gave to a performer and I helped the UK economy

Strange time for it though Friday 13th.

Anyway I thought I should post this little gem



I also bumped in to Rik Mayall today walking along Old Compton Street.

Olivia Banks of the Ohio

Why I joined the Libertarian Party (1)

There are stakes on which I am part of the Libertarian party

I don't like paying the state several times over for the money I earn that I have worked hard for and sweated blood tears and energy for

I have a big aversion to income tax
I have an aversion to stealth taxes as I find it makes life difficult

Health has become over run with political policies, guidelines and dogma which is not the purpose of health care The purpose of health care is to keep those people who are ill safe and from harm and to cure rehabilitate and make them better
so that they may once again be able to produce for themselves

I have a big aversion to bureaucracy only the bare minimum should be there.

For example when I got my driving licence it was printed on paper and I didnt have to give my telephone number

I still have that paper licence It is one reason the police can not phone me or email me and tell me off They don't have the information because at that point it wasnt taken down.


The purpose of speed cameras is to make sure you have to renew your licence and give your details if caught. Policemen can not now endorse with handwriting your licences anymore. The money is neither here nor there.
It is about the database and punishment.

Managers now outnumber beds in the NHS

It should be the other way around

There is no proper provision for anything because all the money in reality is for database production to have everyone labelled and tagged for future reference.

Suddenly its already Sunday

Saturday Swap Shop

Just a bit of nostalgia for you

Ode to a Dame

Shifty Deans send shifty emails

Scottygate


-----Original Message-----
From: Gillian Needham
Sent: 19 July 2008 10:18
To: PAICE, Elisabeth
Subject: Re: FW: DNUK
Thanks Lis. Quite shocking.
I will discreetly pursue.
Thank you.
Gx
>>> "PAICE, Elisabeth" 19/07/08 09:08 >>>
Dear Gillian
I thought I should bring the letter below to your attention. It is a posting on DNUK from a doctor whose DNUK profile identifies him as xxxxxxx, an StR year 3 in general surgery. He signs off as 'from Inverness' so I imagine he is one of yours. I read the DNUK fora from time to time and came across his posting in the 'air your views to the media' forum, which clearly states it is open to journalists.It is therefore intended as a public statement of his views. I wrote to Sir Cyril Chantler, who is the chair of the DNUK board, as soon as I saw it. It has now been modified with all the scatological languiage removed. I have been assured that further steps will be taken to stop this kind of behaviour. I thought you should be aware, as you may feel that this posting, which was up for at least 5 days before it was altered, is evidence of unprofessional behaviour in one of your trainees. He may of course be unwell. I would be grateful if you would not circulate this further than absolutely necessary, as the fewer people read it the better.
Kind regards
Lis

Mandelson Gets Slimed Video

Frankly he deserved it, Politicians are being sleazy scumballs so they should get slimed.

She wasn't arrrested either which is a big blow to the authoritarian state



As you can see, she got him square in the face ! Yes!


Other suggested titles for this post

Mandelson does involuntary Bukkake

Bukkake Mandelson

Mandelson slimed by Green Protester

Mandelson is a cowardy Custard

Quantitative Easing: Printing Money

Well its now happening and for all of you out there Good bye Great Britain Hello Zimbabwe.

Honestly what is the Bank of England trying to do to us?

Massive hyperinflation coming Its so that they can get us to riot when the price of a loaf of bread gets to £100 and implement the Civil Contingencies Bill

I advise you to go read it on the web where it is freely available and see that it can be implemented at the drop of a hat. That plus the Lisbon treaty bringing back the death penalty. It wont be long before they shoot you dead for breaking curfew and that will be on the streets of Britain.

The video explains Printing money for the casual observer. Not very well but well enough

The value of the pound in your pocket already only buys what a penny did in 1901

Now it won't even be worth a farthing by next month

Craig Murray Needs Your Help

I was told at this meeting that it is not illegal for us to obtain intelligence gained by torture, provided that we did not do the torture ourselves. I was told that it had been decided that as a matter of War on Terror policy we should now obtain intelligence from torture, following discussion between Jack Straw and Richard Dearlove. I was told that we could not exclude receipt of specific material from the CIA without driving a coach and horses through the universality principle of the UK/US intelligence sharing agreement, which would be detrimental to UK interests.

On Tuesday 10 March the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights will discuss whether or not to hear my evidence on the UK government's policy of using intelligence from torture. They discussed whether to hear my evidence on 3 March but failed to reach a conclusion.

The government is lobbying hard for my exclusion. I need everybody to send an email to jchr@parliament.uk to urge that I should be allowed to give evidence. Just a one-liner would be fine. If you are able to add some comment on the import of my evidence, or indicate that you have heard me speak or read my work, that may help. Please copy your email to craigjmurray@tiscali.co.uk.

Please also pass on this plea to anyone you can and urge them to act. Help from other bloggers in posting this appeal would be much appreciated.

The evidence I am trying to give the parliamentary committee is this:

I wish to offer myself as a witness before the Joint Commission on Human Rights on the subject of the UK government's policy on intelligence cooperation with torture abroad.

I appeared as a witness in person before both the European Parliament and European Council's enquiries into extraordinary rendition. My evidence was described by the European Council's Rapporteur, Senator Dick Marty, as "Compelling and valuable".

The key points I wish to make are these:

- I was British Ambassador in Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004.
- I learned and confirmed that I was regularly seeing intelligence from detainees in the Uzbek torture chambers, sent me by the CIA via MI6.
- British Ministers and officials were seeing the same torture material.
- In October/November 2002 and January/Februray 2003 I sent two Top Secret telegrams to London specifically on the subject of our receipt of intelligence gained under torture. I argued this was illegal, immoral and impractical. The telegrams were speciifically marked for the Secretary of State.
- I was formally summoned back to the FCO for a meeting held on 7 or 8 March 2003 specifically and solely on the subject of intelligence gained under torture. Present were Linda Duffield, Director Wider Europe, FCO, Sir Michael Wood, Chief Legal Adviser, FCO, and Matthew Kydd, Head of Permanent Under-Secretary's Department, FCO.
- This meeting was minuted. I have seen the record, which is classified Top Secret and was sent to Jack Straw. On the top copy are extensive hand-written marginalia giving Jack Straw's views.
- I was told at this meeting that it is not illegal for us to obtain intelligence gained by torture, provided that we did not do the torture ourselves. I was told that it had been decided that as a matter of War on Terror policy we should now obtain intelligence from torture, following discussion between Jack Straw and Richard Dearlove. I was told that we could not exclude receipt of specific material from the CIA without driving a coach and horses through the universality principle of the UK/US intelligence sharing agreement, which would be detrimental to UK interests.
- Sir Michael Wood's legal advice that it was not illegal to receive intelligence got by torture was sent on to me in Tashkent (copy attached).
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/documents/Wood.pdf- On 22 July 2004

I sent one further telegram on intelligence got by torture, with a lower classification, following FCO communications on the subject. Copy attached.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/documents/Telegram.pdf
It was my final communication before being dismissed as Ambassador.

In conclusion, I can testify that beyond any doubt the British government has for at least six years a considered but secret policy of cooperation with torture abroad. This policy legally cleared by government legal advisers and approved by Jack Straw as Secretary of State.

Craig Murray
2 March 2009

The Coroners and Justice Bill

Or why the Conservatives are not fit to rule the country either if Labour are defeated at the polls in the General Election


Thanks to Lynne Featherstone my MP and my soon to be rival at the polls, I have gleaned the following information about the Coroners and Justice Bill. She wrote to me and thanked me for bringing it to her attention.

The majority of MPs voted against the motion to condemn the Coroners and Justice Bill.

The motion, which was rejected, said:[1]

* This House declines to give a Second Reading to the Coroners and Justice Bill
* because it provides for inquests in private and without a jury, at the behest of the Secretary of State and on grounds that are overbroad;[2]
* because it unduly restricts what coroners and inquest juries may say about a death; because it proposes reforms to the law of murder that are ill-thought through and incomplete;
* because it fails to deal with legitimate criticisms of the legislation on anonymous witnesses, and in particular because it fails to make adequate provision for the use of special counsel;
* because the system of sentencing guidelines it proposes fails to incorporate adequately the aim of reducing re-offending;
* because it will allow unlimited data sharing to occur between any organisations or persons for the purposes of supporting unspecified government policies, regardless of the safeguards contained in other legislation; and
* because, to the extent that other measures proposed in the Bill are welcome and not merely symbolic, those measures should have been brought forward in separate Bills to allow them to be scrutinised more carefully.

No Conservative MP voted on this motion.

Party	Majority (No)	Minority (Aye)	Both	Turnout
Con	0	0	0	0.0%
Ind	2	2	0	66.7%
Lab	276 (+2 tell)	2	0	80.0%
LDem	0	41 (+2 tell)	0	68.3%
PC	0	2	0	66.7%
Total:	278	47	0	53.5%

What does this say about the Conservatives? They abstained from the issue. They are lily livered loons and should not be in power, The electorate has been misled by David Camerons sweet talking but when the actual acts of the party are taken into account this is a gaping omission on his part and on his party the Conservatives who are by abstaining letting the matter go unchallenged.

Of note all the LibDems in the House voted to condemn the motion and only 2 Labour MPs

The full report of how the vote went is here in the public whip


This is frankly sickening The Conservatives and Labour MPs who abstained or voted against the motion to condemn the bill should be thrown out of office.

It is completely sickening.

Henry North stands for Parliament

Henry is standing as the Libertarian Party Candidate for Hornsey and Wood Green in the next General Election.

He would like your support in publicising this and by generating lots of support which might get turned in to votes.

I suppose I can even vote for myself,as Im registered in my own constituency. Don't worry if you dont see the name Henry North on your ballot paper, but look for the Libertarian party candidate, thats right the one with the yellow griffin on the light blue background a bit like this little fellow here



You will of course want to know more about us and our manifesto which can be read here

Remember I am wholly for civil liberties, and will represent my constituency properly and fairly.