FOX HUNT THUGS CONVICTED

Three members of the College Valley and North Northumberland Hunt were last week found guilty of illegally hunting a fox during a hunt meet at West Kyloe Farm, near Lowick, Northumberland on 27th February 2014.

Appearing before Berwick Magistrates’ Court, joint Master, Timothy Wyndham Basil Smalley, huntsman, Ian Robert McKie and kennel huntsman, Andrew John Proe of the College Valley and North Northumberland Hunt, were all convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs, contrary to Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.

Joe Duckworth, Chief Executive at the League Against Cruel Sports said: “We are extremely pleased with the verdict. We hope this successful case will make other hunt members think twice before breaking the law and causing harm to wildlife.

“We know that many hunts continue to regularly flout the law. Our team of professional investigators work hard in the field to capture illegal activity and work with the relevant statutory bodies to bring about prosecutions.”

The case was brought by the Crown Prosecution Service following evidence supplied by the League Against Cruel Sports and further investigation by Northumbria Police.

Joint Master, Timothy Wyndham Basil Smalley was fined £2,075 with £120 victim surcharge. The Huntsman, Ian Robert McKie was fined £1,150 with a £115 victim surcharge. Kennel Huntsman, Andrew John Proe was fined £480 with a £48 victim surcharge.

Each defendant was ordered to pay costs of £385.

TORY DIRTY TRICKS DEPT'S BOTCHED 1970s SMEAR BACKFIRES

WHEN a politician is recorded without their knowledge making comments at a fringe event or gathering, there normally follows a PR disaster over their controversial utterances.

But I was far from disappointed to learn on this week’s Sunday Politics Show that Conservative Party representatives had made recordings of me without my knowledge.

What was particularly pleasing was how the attempt at political mischief making backfired calamitously, with even Sunday Politics Show host Andrew Neill describing the ruse as “far from impressive”.

In fact, rather than cause me any embarrassment, I was pleased the comments were given air time – even though the first I knew of it was when I was watching the show live on Sunday morning!

The recording featured me detailing many of the great successes of 1970s Britain that made our country anything but the “sick man of Europe” that some would have us believe during that era.

And the facts back up the point I was making.

While the government boasts today about an economic growth which tells half a story as public services gasp for air, the 1.33 per cent growth achieved to 2013-14 is nothing like
the average 2.255 per cent achieved in the 1970s.

Manufacturing represents just 12 per cent of the UK economy today, as opposed to 30 per cent back then.

We are desperately in need of new homes today, and the 135,550 per year managed during this Government’s mid-term is not a patch on the 365,000 achieved at the start of the 1970s.

The list goes on, with unemployment in 2014 more than double what it was 40 years earlier.

Now I’m not saying we should hark back to the old days. Times move on and politics has to move with it.

But I do know that as a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer in the 1970s, I was able to afford to buy my own comfortable home, something of a pipe dream for many highly qualified professionals starting out on the job ladder today.

What I do believe is that we can learn from our past – be it our successes or our failures – and there is no shame in remembering either from that particular era.

So while those responsible for releasing the recording sought to paint a picture of regressive politics hankering for a return to the dark old days, the truth is somewhat different on both counts.

Reflecting on the past as we seek to move forwards is absolutely essential, and remembering history for what it was rather than what political cowards paint it to be is vital.

And I can’t deny there was something hugely satisfying about watching a panel of analysts and commentators treat the attempt to cause embarrassment with the contempt it merited.

POLICE FAILURE TO ACT LEADS TO PRIVATE PROSECUTION AGAINST HUNTERS

THE League Against Cruel Sports launched a private prosecution on Thursday 9th October 2014 against six members of the Devon and Cornwall based Lamerton Hunt.

The League was left with no option but to bring a private prosecution against hunt members after Devon and Cornwall Police failed to deal with evidence supplied by the charity’s Investigations Team.

The League contacted the police in May but they did not respond for two months and despite several follow up enquiries, they delayed so long the League was left with no option but to commence proceedings itself.

The League has obtained written independent legal advice that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and that it would be in the public interest to prosecute

Summonses have been served alleging an offence under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 in relation to an incident which occurred on the 26th March 2014 when the Lamerton Hunt met at Holdstrong Bungalow, near Lydford in Devon.

Joint master George Moyse, huntsman David Lewis, whipper-in Steve Craddock and terrier men, Gilmore Lewis, Stephen Mitchell and Wayne Bartlett of the Lamerton Hunt have been summonsed to appear at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on November 21, 2014.

The League has also lodged a formal complaint about the actions of Devon and Cornwall Police with the Chief Constable, Shaun Sawyer.

UKIP: MORE TORY THAN THE TORIES!

As voters go to the polls in the constituencies of Clacton and Heywood and Middleton today, the media hyperbole about UKIP is continuing apace.

The media reportage is nothing short of scandalous, with the public being fed a constant stream of articles about how UKIP poses a threat to both the Conservatives and Labour.

UKIP’s extremist policies are glossed over, even embellished by most media outlets. Their outrageous policies are rarely challenged and the details of what they believe in only surface very infrequently.

This approach to ‘news’ coverage of UKIP is doing a huge disservice to our democracy by failing to inform the electorate to enable people to make an informed choice.

I can understand why a Conservative supporter might vote UKIP, but I can’t see why Labour supporter would when UKIP’s values are completely at odds with Labour’s.

The truth that the media will not tell the public is that UKIP are more Tory than the Tories.

The interests of democracy demands that the truth about UKIP is exposed to public scrutiny.

I wonder how many people realise that UKIP’s policies include charges to see your GP, more tax breaks for the wealthiest and tax rises for everyone else.

I wonder how many Labour voters, who are considering voting UKIP, know that earlier this year Nigel Farage described himself as “the only politician keeping the flame of Thatcherism alive”

The truth is UKIP are a more extreme version of the Conservative Party and have nothing in common with the values of Labour voters.

Last year UKIP’s health spokesperson, Jonathan Stanley, said they wanted to introduce charges to use key NHS services, including your GP.
http://www.public-sector.co.uk/news/article-426


Just after the Coalition came to power UKIP’s deputy leader, Paul Nuttall, said: “I would like to congratulate the coalition government for bringing a whiff of privatisation into the beleaguered National Health Service.”
http://www.paulnuttallmep.com/?p=712


UKIP want even deeper cuts than those already delivered by the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition. Speaking on BBC News in December 2012 Nigel Farage said: “You know we keep hearing this big debate about the cuts, where are the cuts? … I just don't think [David Cameron] is being radical enough at all."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20612624

Tim Aker, UKIP’s Head of Policy, said in August this year that UKIP they would abolish the top rate of tax giving 16,000 millionaires a break of over £100,000
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/opinions/exclusive-what-will-ukips-election-2015-manifesto-look-like

A 2010 UKIP policy document on small businesses said they would abolish workers’ rights, including parental leave, maternity pay, holiday pay, sick pay, and even redundancy pay.


And is if all that wasn’t bad enough, UKIP want even higher bankers’ bonuses. In January this year Nigel Farage told the Daily Telegraph: ”We don’t need official caps or limits.”

STATEMENT OPPOSING OPPOSITION VIOLENCE IN ECUADOR

On Wednesday 17th September, a series of violent street protests took place in Ecuador. Centring on schools and universities in Quito, the disturbances resulted in injuries to 34 police officers (with no reported injuries to the demonstrators) and damage to historic public buildings. The violence is suspected to be a result of a far-right infiltration, and neo-nazi drawings were found at the scene.

The violence took place during a demonstration against proposals for a series of constitutional changes including measures that would allow President Correa to stand for election again should he choose to, and proposals for a progressive new labour law aimed at reducing wage inequality. If passed, the labour law will grant new economic rights for women and provide protection against discrimination at work for disabled people, African-Ecuadorians and the LGBT community. It will also set a new maximum wage to follow on from the measures already taken on banker bonuses.

President Rafael Correa has called the destabilisation attempts a ‘conservative onslaught’ designed to undermine a democratically elected government, and derail Ecuador’s Citizens’ Revolution. Describing it as part of an international movement to break progress in Latin America, he said the disturbances were: “A test to find out if they can do to us as they did to Venezuela: A ‘soft coup’, a long term war that consists in weakening the government with national and international support.“ You can watch a video of President Correa’s reaction here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYdYJHNVLQo

As in other parts of Latin America, Ecuador is faced with threats to its sovereignty due to external interference. A series of cables recently released shows repeated attempts by the United States to interfere with Ecuador’s government and oppose President Correa from the beginning. A cable from the US Ambassador in 2006 stated: “we have warned our political, economic, and media contacts of the threat Correa represents to Ecuador's future, and have actively discouraged potential alliances which could balance Correa's perceived radicalism.”

The events of 17th September stir memories of a violent coup attempt against President Correa on 30th September 2010. Carried out by a conservative section of the police force, the violence left eight dead, 274 wounded, and almost succeeded in toppling a democratically elected government. Sections of the mainstream private media had privileged information about the events and presented misleading information about the scale of support for the coup.

Since President Correa assumed office in 2007, Ecuador has reduced inequality four times faster than the average in Latin America, provided free healthcare and education to its citizens for the first time, and dramatically increased wage levels while reducing unemployment. Key to these gains has been taking on powerful vested interests on issues such as tax evasion, outsourcing, oil revenues and low-quality private schools. In a speech after the disturbances, President Correa said “Those who destroyed education are now talking about rescuing it, and those who allowed the theft of our oil, now call us traitors”

These tactics are designed to destabilise a popular, progressive government which, since 2006, has won ten consecutive elections including two presidential elections in the first round. The annual Latinbarometro poll places Ecuador first in support for democracy, fairness in the distribution of wealth and trust in the State, and approval ratings for the government are consistently over 70%. This is despite the mainstream private media consistently distorting events to portray a negative image of President Correa and the Citizens’ Revolution.

We therefore:

- Condemn the violence perpetrated by right-wing infiltrators during the opposition demonstration, and condemn any undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional actions against the democratically elected and constitutional government of President Rafael Correa.
- Reject attempts by external forces such as the United States to undermine the sovereignty of the Ecuadorian people and destabilise Ecuador’s government.
- Express our support for President Rafael Correa and his democratically elected government, and commend the outstanding progressive social achievements of Ecuador’s Citizens Revolution.

Please send statements of support to friendsofecuadoruk@gmail.com

RIP David Haines

The shocking and brutal murder of David Haines is yet another outrage against humanity by the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL.

For them to claim that their pitiless acts of barbarism are committed in the name of Islam is a grotesque twisting of Islamic teaching and a blasphemy against Islam.

David Haines was a humanitarian aid worker. What kind of sick minds are capable of sadistically murdering someone whose prime motivation was compassion and humanitarianism?

And the fact that David's killer was apparently British makes the horror even more difficult to comprehend.

These murderers should not be dignified by referring to them as jihadists, they are savage serial killers.

The UK’s first priority must therefore be to stop any more young British people succumbing to this warped ideology and work with allies to cut off ISIL’s access to military hardware.

But Britain will also have to talk to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria to ensure ISIL is ultimately defeated.

PUBLIC OPINION HAS MOVED TO THE LEFT ON KEY ISSUES

FOR much of its period in office, this Tory-led Government has stood accused of being out of touch with the British people.

When I made my maiden speech in the House of Commons on 25 May 2010, I implored the Government to learn the lessons of history. I said the power of the state can be a force for good, but my words fell on deaf ears.

Now, four-and-a-half-years after my parliamentary debut, it isn’t just opposition politicians like me who are calling for a progressive alternative – the public are calling for it too.

A range of opinion polls have indicated that the public’s verdict on this Government’s policies has resulted in public opinion moving to the left.

Take the issue of income tax. One of the Coalition’s most shameless moments, was when struggling families saw their tax credits slashed, on the same day that people earning over £150,000 were handed a 10 per cent tax cut.

That decision defined this Government. Tory MPs, aided and abetted by Liberal Democrats, reverted to a quintessentially Conservative Party doctrine of rewarding the rich, at the expense of everyone else.

Labour has pledged to reinstate the 50p tax rate on incomes above £150,000, but a YouGov poll shows a majority would go even further, introducing it at £100,000 instead. Moreover, 56 per cent of the population would welcome a 75 per cent tax rate on annual salaries above £1m.

At the other end of the earnings scale, a poll by Survation shows six in 10 people want the minimum wage increased to the Living Wage rate of £7.65 outside London.

On zero hours contracts too, the public is longing for change. Labour plans to give employees the right to demand fixed-hours contracts after working for the same employer for six months. But this Government won’t contemplate such a move, even though YouGov shows 56 per cent want a complete ban on these contracts, compared to just 25 per cent against.

As for private rented housing, YouGov says 45 per cent want the state to cap private sector rents, compared to 43 per cent against.

In education, an ICM poll also shows that most people oppose academies, preferring local councils to be accountable for schools instead.

There are many other areas too where the public seems to have moved to the left. According to YouGov, an overwhelming majority want to see the energy companies, railways and Royal Mail renationalised and more than half support a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on financial transactions.

So do these changes represent a political reawakening, or are they just indicative of a nation that’s had enough of being savaged by four-and-a-half years of Tory policies?

People can make their own minds up, but the conclusion that this Government is hopelessly out-of-touch with the British people is increasingly difficult to dispute.