Scottish government press release Tuesday: Same-sex sexual activity now lawful to be pardoned. BBC News - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37764566
In Westminster Friday: 'Turing Bill' for gay pardons fails in Parliament 2013 background to this news
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Dear Mr Campion,
As PCC for West Mercia I am appealing to you to look into allegations of pro-hunt bias in the West Mercia police force. I understand that 'PCCs have been elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the force to account, effectively making the police answerable to the communities they serve.' There has been considerable speculation on social media that when it comes to illegal hunting, the West Mercia police show bias in favour of hunting with allegations of a pro hunt culture and possible links to freemasonry- a link highlighted in the Operation Tiberius report from 2002 which made for worrying reading. Furthermore, video evidence from anti hunting protestors suggests bias in police attitudes and I note a freedom of information refusal notice on the West Mercia police website which states an 'excess of 880 records returned' linked to hunting. This information is therefore not available publicly, doing little to allay concerns. I note that one of your key election pledges was to 'work towards...a more reassured West Mercia'. I am certainly not reassured by anything I have heard, and the slow progress of charging suspects in the case of the live fox cubs thrown into a kennel full of hounds is absolutely outrageous. That video caused outrage when it was featured in the national press-not only is such an act illegal, it is a shocking example of hunt deceit whereby the claim that hunting is any form of 'pest control' is revealed to be a lie. I don't know how familiar you are with other instances of hunt crime but there have been numerous cases of captive animals found on hunt property as a ready supply to chase. The leaked email by Simon Hart of the countryside alliance warning of a nationwide shortage of foxes and an urging of landowners to breed more (with the line that any public knowledge of such facts would ruin the reputation of hunting by making it 'a laughing stock' as it clearly counters the argument of 'pest control') was telling. My concern is that any bias in the West Mercia police encourages hunts such as the South Hereford to feel that they are at liberty to flout the law and can be reassured that the police will turn a blind eye. This would, surely, be an outrageous situation. Whatever views one may hold on the issue of hunting morally, the police have a duty to be impartial and to prosecute fairly any instances of law breaking-which the cub case clearly is. I do hope that you will look into this matter and, as per your election promise, reassure the many of us concerned about a culture of bias towards this issue that it has been addressed and eradicated in West Mercia. I suspect that you will be shocked at the outrage that will erupt if the South Hereford hunt case runs out of time before reaching court. Despite its release on the day of the EU referendum, the case was featured in almost all the national papers as well as the BBC-the public overwhelmingly oppose hunting according to the most recent polls and the Hereford case was particularly outrageous. I will be forwarding a copy of this email to the IPCC as I am very concerned that this matter is not being taken seriously. I have as yet still had no response from the West Mercia police and little I have seen has raised any hopes that this is all above board. I do hope that you will do your best to communicate my concerns to the police and I look forward to your response-and a swift charging of those responsible. Best wishes Lou Background - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36598935 http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/animal-welfare/baiting-foxes-at-hereford-hunt-kennels We as the ex crew of New Brighton Lifeboat station are flabbergasted by the latest developments at the station.
We have been informed by a reliable source that as of 15:00 today till Sunday 19:00 NO COVER is available and the boat is off-service. This will undoubtedly put the public at risk due to this vital fast response service not being available. The RNLI will state that Hoylake will cover the area with it's ALB (All Weather Lifeboat) and now New Brighton's ex hovercraft stationed permanently at Hoylake. With all the speed in the world, this will add vital minutes to any rescue and from our experience on the hovercraft will mean a 15-20 minutes delay. And all this while 21 sacked or resigned crew are trained and available to respond to any emergency using the boat stationed at New Brighton. Despite our continued attempts to overturn the decision by the RNLI and to formally talk to the crew they have dismissed, no response has been received. Despite over 2000 signatures on online and local petitions from the public asking for the reinstatement of the crew, they have ignored and shunned the public in this matter. What is more appalling is the deception that the station is open and available. They have since re-opening the station brought up helms from various locations around the UK and placed them in local hotels paid for by the public's donations. This is due to the fact that the station itself has no passed out helms, as all 4 were sacked or resigned, followed by just a few new crew left who are not competent and require further training. It usually takes over 12- 18 months to be a competent helm or crew. How long will the RNLI keep this situation going and ignore the crew who have put over 300 years collectively into keeping the public safe? http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/your-voice/new-brighton-lifeboat-crew-sacking-press-release http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/your-voice/press-release-from-in-dispute-crew-of-new-brighton-lifeboat-station Open Letter to: UK PM Theresa May Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn Liberal Democrat Party leader Tim Farron Friends and Comrades One woman is campaigning in the UK to include water safety in the national curriculum. Becky Ramsay wants the government to ensure open-water safety, and the dangers in and around open-water, is taught in schools. This could be a life-saver. It would be too late for Becky's son Dylan who was just another water related fatality in 2011. Since that time Becky has campaigned tirelessly, including petitions, but five years on young people are still dying, often attracted to water such as canals and reservoirs during the summer months. Becky tells us: It does not seem a controversial subject; most people are shocked that it is not taught in schools already and some people do believe that it is down to parents. Who can disagree with Becky's reasoning? Becky is about to launch a new petition and this time we will make sure it is well supported and the government listens and acts accordingly. Plans for a Twitterstorm in the near future are being finalised. Details of both will be added later. Please support Becky and all the other families bereaved due to tragic accidents in open water. With appropriate education the government can make a real difference. AN OPEN LETTER SENT TODAY FROM MIDLANDS TUC CREATIVE AND LEISURE INDUSTRIES COMMITTEE (CLIC) TO MARTIN REEVES CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF COVENTRY CITY COUNCIL.
“I received the fundamentals of my education in school, but that was not enough. My real education, the superstructure, the details, the true architecture, I got out of the public library. For an impoverished child whose family could not afford to buy books, the library was the open door to wonder and achievement, and I can never be sufficiently grateful that I had the wit to charge through that door and make the most of it. Now, when I read constantly about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that the door is closing and that society has found one more way to destroy itself.” Isaac Asimov Dear Mr Reeves The Midlands TUC Creative & Leisure Industries Committee (CLIC) has been disturbed to hear of the proposed cuts to the libraries and museums of Coventry. The Midlands CLIC is made up of unions from across the cultural sector including BECTU, Equity, MU, NUJ, PCS, Unison, NUT, UCU and WGGB. Our purpose is to campaign in support of arts and leisure provision across the region and for an improvement in the terms and conditions of workers in the sector. " A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life." Henry Ward Beecher. Industrialists like Sir Alfred Herbert in Coventry, who built the economic prosperity of the Midlands, understood the importance of culture, particularly libraries, galleries and museums, to the quality of life in the region and also to the economy and the quality of political discourse. Educated and informed democratic citizens are essential to the successful functioning of our democracy, just as an educated workforce is crucial to the regions economic success. Formal education in schools, colleges and universities, is directed, controlled and measured. Libraries, galleries and museums complement formal education by allowing individuals (especially those of limited means) to stimulate their brains and their imaginations according to their own preferences, in other words, to be intellectually free. In a prosperous, innovative and dynamic city, as presumably Coventry aspires to be, publicly funded libraries, museums and galleries are not an 'optional extra' to be discarded as soon as money gets tight, they are at the defining heart of our shared civic spaces, and without them what does the civic space of Coventry entail? Only the emptying of bins and the cleaning of the streets? Of course Coventry City Council needs to empty the bins and clean the streets, but it also has to provide the shared civic spaces that give cultural identity to the City by enhancing education and public discourse, and attracting individuals and families to want to live and work in the city, thus attracting businesses and inward investment. The statutory provision of essential services must not be used as a reason to cut cultural civic spaces; it is only our shared cultural experiences that give the pragmatic day-to-day realities of life meaning. “The only thing that you absolutely have to know... is the location of the library.” Albert Einstein The shrinking of the budgets and services of the cities libraries, galleries and museums, also disproportionately impact on the poor and disadvantaged. People like Sir Alfred Herbert understood the privilege inherent in the access to learning and culture that their wealth gave them; they sought to spread those benefits throughout society, so that both rich and poor could have access to that advantage. It is widely recognised that rapidly escalating inequality in the UK is having terribly destructive and divisive effects on our society as a whole, not just on the poor. (See: The Spirit Level: Why more equal societies almost always do better. by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.) The inevitable result of economic inequality is cultural and educational inequality. Restricting access to books, art and culture only to those who can 'afford' them, exponentially exacerbates inequality for only modest savings. This ultimately costs untold millions because of the negative effect cultural poverty has on health, crime and social cohesion. Coventry is currently preparing a bid to be City Of Culture 2021; simultaneously Coventry City Council is seeking to close or outsource libraries, cutting staff and budgets at the Herbert Gallery & Museum and decimating Cultural Services across the city. The idea of Coventry as a 'City Of Culture' is an important one but not just for 2021. We urge Coventry City Council to end the diminishing of public cultural facilities and services in the city. By doing so you would make a public statement about the type of city you are aspiring to build. We would be happy to meet with you to discuss how the Midlands TUC could help Coventry City Council fulfil its cultural duty to the citizens of the city and look forward to hearing from you in due course. Signed by Lee Barron, Regional Secretary Midlands TUC Chris Jury, Chair, Midlands TUC Creative & Leisure Industries Committee BREAKING: all 1,250 firefighters in Manchester to be sacked September 19, 2016,
Tim Lezard Firefighters in Manchester are today in shock at the news they are all to lose their jobs. Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service managers announced plans to sack every frontline firefighter in the area, totalling 1250. Only those who agree to new imposed conditions of service that will see them working 12-hour shifts will get their jobs back. The whole process has begun with limited discussion and no agreement from the FBU which represents an estimated 95% of firefighters in the area. FBU Greater Manchester brigade secretary Gary Keary said: “We are staggered that GMFRS would jeopardise relations with its workforce in this aggressive way. To start the process for dismissing firefighters to then simply re-engage them on an un-negotiated contract is really appalling, and a serious breach of the agreed mechanisms for industrial relations in the UK fire and rescue service. “We at the FBU will do everything we can to resolve what could turn into a bitter and damaging dispute using agreed procedures. Since the notice of the sacking proposals was issued, we have been contacted by lots of angry FBU members. We will continue to consult with them regarding the best way forward. This is the third change to shift systems in Greater Manchester since 2006 – surely firefighters are entitled to some sort of stability in their working lives.” Figures released by GMFRS show an increase of 140% in all rescues over the last 12 months, alongside an extremely worrying threefold increase in fire deaths. Firefighters in the region are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of repeated cuts on public safety. The proposed new arrangements mean that one in five firefighter posts will be slashed, 250 posts in total, with the remainder having worse conditions imposed on them. Firefighters would hardly see their families under the new 12-hour shift arrangements. http://www.union-news.co.uk/breaking-all-1250-firefighters-in-manchester-to-be-sacked/ |
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