Archive for News
So, were the courts right to keep names secret in the Baby Peter case?
At the time, there was stringent criticism from a vocal minority expressed online (such as in the comments thread on this site) of the court’s decision to keep secret the names of the adults involved in the Baby Peter case.
Now we know for sure the reasons:
There were two reasons behind the veil of secrecy. The [...]
Court finds Corby Council negligent in landmark pollution case
Catching up on council news from outside my home patch of London*, here’s a report from The Guardian:
A group of young people who claim an “atmospheric soup of toxic materials” released when an old steelworks was redeveloped caused their birth defects won a landmark ruling today when it was found that the local council had [...]
The Political Parties and Elections Act 2009: changes to election expenditure rules
Cross-posted from The Wardman Wire:
Hands up everyone who thought the problem with current rules for controlling constituency expenditure was that they work if a Parliament last for four years but not if it lasts for five? Nobody? Oh well, that’s the basis on which Parliament has just changed the law anyway.
This provision of the Political [...]
100 days to change British democracy
An email pops in to my inbox from the Electoral Reform Society:
Today we mark 100 days until the Queen’s Speech – and the government’s last chance to change politics for good.
If you’re a blogger or a web editor you can help the campaign today by adding our countdown widget to your posts or site:
http://voteforachange.co.uk/widget
Feeling [...]
Less than 1 in 16 rapes result in a conviction
Another part of the party’s policy paper ‘Real Women’ has been released to the media today, highlighting the shocking news that the already dreadfully low rate of conviction for rapes has fallen even further:
Fewer than one in 16 rapes reported to the police results in a conviction in court, research by the Liberal Democrats has [...]
Nine staff sacked for breaking rules over ID cards database
Computer Weekly has the story:
Nine staff have been sacked from their local authority jobs for snooping on personal records of celebrities and personal acquaintances held on the core database of the government’s National Identity Scheme.
They are among 34 council workers who illegally accessed the Customer Information System (CIS) database, which holds the biographical data of [...]
Tax-exiles get a new lease of life as political donors
From today’s Observer:
A much-publicised law designed to stop wealthy tax exiles bankrolling political parties has been quietly dropped until after a general election, the Observer has learned.
The disclosure means that key Labour donors such as Lakshmi Mittal as well as Tory donor Lord Ashcroft will still be able to pump millions of pounds into the [...]
Youth Justice Board’s IT manager paid £1m in three years
From the Sunday Telegraph:
Mike Mackay, an IT manager for the Youth Justice Board, (YJB) a quango charged with overseeing youth justice and the rehabilitation of young criminals, has been paid almost £1 million over the past three years, making him one of the highest-paid public servants in the country…
Freedom of Information requests and the YJB’s [...]
What powers do the police have to stop you taking photographs?
The Voice has covered various stories about people being questioned by the police for taking photos. So here’s the guidance from the National Policing Improvement Agency* from their 2008 guide, Stop and Search in Relation to Terrorism:
The Terrorism Act 2000 does not prohibit people from taking photographs or digital images in an area where an authority [...]
Are you only interested in things you agree with?
That looks to be the view of many people according to the findings of the latest PoliticsHome Impact Tracker.
The tracker asks: “Below is a list of news stories that the media have focused on this week. Looking back over the week, please say which stories, if any, have most interested you. You may choose up [...]
