Fighting Talk by Mark Metcalf

Teams of the decades - 1890 to 2012

2012-02-24T03:28:00.002-08:00

Through the decades

1890s

Top side – with 4 league titles and 2 FA Cup win’s it was Aston Villa. Although Everton were the best supported side.

1900s

With 3 league titles, 1 FA Cup win and the highest average gate it was Newcastle United.

1910s

With 2 league titles from just 5 competitive seasons it has to be Blackburn Rovers, although Chelsea was the best supported side.

1920s

With 3 consecutive titles and 1 FA Cup trophy it was Huddersfield although Chelsea despite 6 seasons in Division 2 had the highest average gate.

1930s

With 5 league titles and 2 FA Cup wins the best supported side Arsenal were the side of the 30s.

1940s

With 2 league titles from just 4 seasons it was Portsmouth, although 2^nd division Newcastle were the best supported club.

1950s

With 3 league titles honours were even – Manchester United and Wolves, with little to choose attendance wise between United, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea. Best watched away side was however Blackpool!!

1960s

Man Utd with 2 league trophies, 1 FA Cup and the 1968 European Cup Win only just beat Spurs with 1 league trophy, 3 FA Cups and the 1963 Cup Winners Cup victory into 2^nd place as the best team of the decade and also taking them to the top of the attendance tree.

1970s

Liverpool with 4 league titles, 1 FA Cup, 2 European and 2 EUFA cup wins were the team of the decade but off the pitch Manchester United assumed their virtually permanent place at the top of the attendance tree from 72-73 onwards broken only by Liverpool in 1987-88 and 88-89.

1980s

With 6 League titles, 2 FA Cup’s, 4 league cups and two more European Cups then Liverpool were the number one team.

1990s

With 5 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, 1 Cup Winners Cup Trophy and the 1999 Champions Clubs’ Cup Manchester United were the team of the decade.

This century so far

With 7 League titles, 3 League Cup, 1 FA Cup, 2 Champions League and success in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008 the current side of the century so far is Manchester United.

Niall Quinn's playing career at Sunderland

2012-02-23T01:35:00.001-08:00

With the big man having left Sunderland this week, a look back at his playing career with the club from 1996 to 2002.

"I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City, but Sunderland got under my skin. I love Sunderland."

—Niall Quinn, The Autobiography

Irishman Quinn was Sunderland’s record signing at £1.3 million when manager and former team mate Peter Reid persuaded him to pass up a lucrative contract in Malaysia to sign for newly promoted Sunderland prior to the start of the 1996-97 season. It looked money well spent when he scored twice and led the front line superbly as Sunderland swept Nottingham Forest away to record a 4-1 victory in the second game of the season at the County Ground. A serious knee ligament injury sustained the following month was however to disrupt both Quinn and his new teams rhythm, forcing the former Arsenal and Manchester City man to miss six months of the season.

On his return he never looked completely fit, with rumours constantly circulating that his career, at aged 30, might in fact be at an end. Without someone to knock home the goals Sunderland fought to the end before going losing at Wimbledon to be relegated on the final day of the season.

Fully fit at the start of the 1997-98 season Quinn was joined up front by late starter to the professional game, Watford’s Kevin Phillips. Totally different in size and shape the two were nevertheless to enjoy at times an almost telepathic understanding, especially after Manchester City’s Nicky Summerbee was signed in November 1997 to produce the sort of crosses Quinn could exploit with his superb aerial ability.

It was Quinn that had the crowd at the newly opened Stadium of Light roaring their delight when he scored the first league goal there, and with a goal from Phillips Sunderland were quickly into their stride by beating Manchester City 3-1.

In March 1998 Quinn scored his only treble during his time at Sunderland as Stockport County were beaten 4-1. Yet despite winning at Swindon Town on the final day of the season, Sunderland just finished outside the automatic promotion places taken by Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest.

Beating Sheffield United in the semi-final set up Reid’s side for a place in the Wembley play-off final. Playing poorly in the first half and a goal down it was Quinn who got his side back into the match when he brilliantly headed Summerbee’s corner beyond Sasa Ilic and into the Charlton net. It was to spark wild celebration.

Then after the sides had traded goals, with Phillips breaking Brian Clough’s scoring record for the season by scoring his 35^th of 1997-98, it was Quinn who again put Sunderland ahead. It was a fine goal, Geordie scumbag Lee Clark swinging in a deep cross which found Quinn backing away from his marker. The Irishman used his chest to perfectly control the ball before firing past Ilic from an acute angle.

Charlton though weren’t done as after taking the lead three times, Sunderland was pegged back to draw a great game 4-4, with Sunderland born Clive Mendonca scoring three times for the Adicks.

If losing the subsequent penalty shoot-out 7-6 disappointed Sunderland they didn’t show it the following season. From the off they were in charge at the top, and were to go on and record a then record number of points - 105.

Quinn’s scoring touch returned, and he ended up with 21 by the end of the season. One of his most important came at Loftus Road in January, heading home a last minute equaliser and a month later he was repeating the exercise as Sunderland edged past Wolves 2-1 at home.

It was probably however the game at Valley Parade against promotion rivals Bradford City that moved him into legend status, when after powerfully heading Allan Johnston’s cross into the net on 72 minutes to make it 1-0 he then donned the goalkeeper’s jersey after Thomas Sorensen was forced to leave the pitch with a neck injury. Sunderland won 1-0 and cemented their position at the top of the League.

In April with more than half the crowd behind them Quinn scored Sunderland’s third at Gigg Lane. Sandwiched between Phillips four the 5-2 victory over Bury ensured promotion. On the final day of the season both men were on the scoresheet, as with skipper Kevin Ball collecting the Championship trophy Sunderland beat Birmingham City 2-1.

With his popularity on and off the pitch at an all-time high A Love Supreme Fanzine released a CD entitled ‘Niall Quinn’s Disco Pants’ and the song can still be heard regularly at home and, in particular, away games. It got to 39^th in the charts. Funds raised went to the MacMillan Nurses, well done lads.

Come the start of the Premiership campaign Sunderland had four points from their first four games when they made the short journey to what was then St James’ Park. On a night of incessant rain Newcastle were leading until the 64^th minute.

Then Quinn met Summerbee’s free kick from the left with a glancing header, and the ball dropped neatly inside Tommy Wright's right post.

And when Phillips later rammed home the winner the few hundred Sunderland fans allowed entry went absolutely mental, including the author of this particular piece.

On October 31^st 1999 Quinn played probably his finest game in a Sunderland strip when in addition to scoring two fine goals he led his marker England centre-back Sol Campbell a merry dance as Spurs were beaten 2-1.

His goals were majestic when after pulling away from Campbell he took the ball on his chest and fired a right-foot volley past Ian Walker and into the top corner for his fourth goal of the season. His fifth arrived within 12 minutes in similar fashion as he again used his chest to control a cross before dispatching it into the back of the net with Walker hopelessly exposed.

The Ireland international also played with distinction against Manchester United in December. Without the injured Phillips alongside him, Quinn playing up front his own demonstrated the art of keeping the ball whilst allowing Sunderland’s midfielders to get forward in support. He also scored his sides second before Alex Ferguson’s team profited from some dubious refereeing decisions to snatch a 2-2 draw.

Later, in April 2000, Quinn scored with a delightful lob in a 2-1 win at Southampton that put Sunderland within touching distance of a EUFA Cup place. Failure to beat Bradford City at home ultimately proved it was a step too far but with a seventh placed finish Sunderland had shown they had what it takes to compete with the best.

It was something Sunderland continued to demonstrate during the following season, although there was more than a touch of fortune about the opening day’s victory over Arsenal in which Quinn headed Mickey Gray’s cross home for the only goal of a game totally dominated by the away side.

In November back at St James’ Park Quinn had the travelling hordes again in ecstasy when, following Don Hutchinson’s equaliser on 68 minutes, he buried another Gray cross to give the away side a 2-1 lead. Never the greatest of tacklers though Quinn then blotted his copybook with a poor challenge on Rob Lee that had referee Graham Poll pointing to the penalty spot. Rescued when Sorensen saved Alan Shearer’s subsequent penalty kick Quinn joined his teammates in delirious celebration at the end of the match.

With Sunderland in the last eight of the League cup there was therefore disappointment when Reid chose to rest him in the quarterfinal tie at Selhurst Park and without him Crystal Palace triumphed 2-1.

Sunderland though was in with a chance of qualifying for Europe through a high-place League finish. That was especially the case when returning from injury Quinn had a simple finish as Sunderland raced into a 2-0 lead at Easter against Spurs. The Cockneys though, inspired by Tim Sherwood produced a wonderful second half performance to come off winners 3-2 and in the end Sunderland again finished seventh amidst rumours that Quinn was to lose his strike partner as Phillips sought to boost his international chances.

Both men were to remain at Sunderland for the 2001-2002 season. It was to prove a difficult one, with Reid’s side only just avoiding relegation. With Lilian Laslandes signed, to play alongside Phillips, Quinn was on the bench for the Blackburn game early in the season. Coming on he headed Stefan Schwarz’s cross powerfully home for the only goal of the game. Against Leeds at home he turned provider by chesting the ball perfectly into Phillips path as the Peacocks were denied a return to top spot, Sunderland winning 2-0.

On Boxing Day he gave the 7,500 away fans something to shout about when he headed home twice in the first half as Sunderland won 3-0 at Blackburn Rovers. Seven games without a win in the New Year though had Reid under pressure and there was relief when Quinn scored the only goal at, another relegation threatened side, Derby County. It was the big man’s final goal of his career and as his sixth goal of the season it was probably his most vital as come the end of the season Sunderland finished just one place outside the relegation zone.

It was clear that Sunderland’s fourth season in the top flight was going to be difficult, the promotion spirit engendered in 1998-99, on which Reid’s side had flourished, having long since dissipated as the Scouse manager sought salvation in alcohol.

Niall Quinn though had other things to think about during the summer of 2002. Ireland had qualified for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Key to the side’s success was going to be the form of skipper Roy Keane. So there was dismay when angered by the poor facilities provided by the Football Association of Ireland he packed his bags and set off home.

With appeals for him to change his mind failing to move the Manchester United man, Quinn and the rest of the players publicly backed manager Mick McCarthy who Keane had lambasted in the press. Keane had previously left Quinn disappointed when he failed to appear for Ireland at the latter’s testimonial at the Stadium of Light organised at the end of the season. Drawing a crowd of 37,000 all proceeds, around a million pounds, were donated to charity.

Without Keane Ireland did well enough at the World Cup, going out on penalties to Spain in the last sixteen, one round less than in 1990 when as part of the Ireland side Quinn lost 1-0 to hosts Italy in the last eight. Earlier Quinn had scored the vital equalising goal in the final group match with Holland that finished 1-1. With 92 caps and 21 goals Quinn enjoyed a long and distinguished international career.

Quinn was unable to see out the 2002-03 season and it was as a ‘peace maker’ that he ‘enjoyed’ his most memorable moment. Amidst a poisonous atmosphere off the pitch Sunderland had hauled themselves level against Manchester United courtesy of a goal from the player signed to replace Quinn, Tore Andre Flo.

Then late on in the game Roy Keane lost his temper after a tangle with one of his strongest critics, fellow World Cup squad member Jason McAteer. Sent off, Keane was roundly abused as he made his way off the pitch when Quinn, on as a substitute, ran towards him with the intention, agreed beforehand, of offering a conciliatory handshake that would be seen as bringing down the curtain on affairs at the World Cup. Sir Alex Ferguson though was having none of it, and Quinn was left looking slightly foolish. He was though to have the last laugh because four years later, as newly appointed Sunderland chairman, he was able to persuade Keane to take over as manager at the Stadium of Light where in his first season in charge he returned Sunderland to the top flight.

Quinn’s final appearance for Sunderland came against West Ham United in a 1-0 defeat on 19 October 2002. Coming on as a second half substitute he almost grabbed the equaliser on 76 minutes but his delicate half volley came back off the post with David James well beaten. Without his aerial abilities, link up play with Phillips, all round team play and charisma Sunderland slumped to relegation with only 19 points come the end of the season.

Of course if Niall Quinn was finished on the pitch for Sunderland that didn’t prove to be the case off it!

Incinerator health study finally gets underway

2012-02-22T04:48:00.002-08:00

Britain’s first major study into the impact of emissions from municipal waste incinerators will finally get underway shortly.

First announced nearly a year ago this will see the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, Imperial College London, and the Environmental Research Group, King’s College London, undertake the investigation on behalf of the Health Protection Agency, the body that first promised to carry out the study back in 2003.

Since when Japan in 2004 and Italy in 2007 have conducted their own studies with the former reporting a “peak-decline in risk with distance from the municipal solid waste incinerators for infant deaths and infant deaths with all congenital malformations combined." Then last year a US study concluded that air pollution from industrial sources damages school children’s health and academic success.

News of the study’s start, which will take two years to complete, has drawn a mixed response from campaigners opposed to incinerators and local authorities that have commissioned them.

Shlomo Dowen, who head’s the UK’s without incinerator network [UKWIN], is concerned that the Health Protection Agency [HPA] has used the recent announcement to re-confirm its belief that ‘any potential damage to the health of those living close to well-regulated municipal waste incinerators is likely to be very small’.

“UKWIN has not been consulted on the study's reference terms to make an informed judgment. I expect even if it identifies correlations it will cite confounding factors and uncertainty to downplay the health impacts. I hope the study surprises me, but unless it does, there is not much to get excited about. Furthermore last year Imperial College signed an industry wide statement that claimed ‘energy from waste is not harmful to the environment or public health’, and so they appear to have already made their mind up even before carrying out this research,” says Shlomo.

Meanwhile a spokesperson for Kirklees Council, whose incinerator is located in a busy residential area, said they “will be studying the findings when they become available in 2014”, but would not be drawn on what should happen if the study concluded that emissions did damage the health of infants and young children.

Back in 2009 the authority threatened legal action against anti-incineration campaigners in the Thirsk area for displaying Shrewsbury’s Michael Ryan claims that their incinerator was linked to above average infant mortality levels in some wards.

It was after two of his children died that the former local government official determined to find out why. Utilising Office of National Statistics figures to assemble the largest statistical base currently available, Ryan has concluded that infant death rates are much higher in neighbourhoods downwind of incinerators. The stats would suggest he’s right.

Asked if the study would include examining Ryan’s work a spokesperson for the HPA would not comment, but did say “The study will be using original Health data obtained from the Office for National Statistics and congenital anomaly registers. Exposures will be estimated by dispersion modelling of incinerator emissions.” In other words, no.

Ryan is therefore sceptical saying “the promised study won’t get to the truth as neither the Health Protection Agency, nor the Environment Agency wish to be exposed as having been negligent.”

Hostel closures on the rise

2012-02-22T04:35:00.002-08:00

Leeds City Council has defended their plans to close a city centre hostel. With admissions to Ladybeck House having ended, the 42-bed hostel with 24-hour staff support will close its doors on 4 March.

This will be the third hostel in Leeds to have closed in the last six months after Richmond Court, a 20-unit hostel for homeless families, and The Hollies, a 31-bed hostel for single homeless women shut in September last year. According to Councillor Peter Gruen there will also be “a gradual reduction in hostels across Leeds in the future”.

Asked if the closure was aimed at saving money a council spokesperson said it “was the result of a remodelling of services after consultation with homeless people showed they felt dispersed temporary accommodation with visiting support would afford them more privacy and independence, and remove the stigma often associated with hostels. We are endeavouring to modernise our services in line with customer preference”. According to the council fifty people had attended consultation events and they had undertaken telephone surveys with those unable to attend.

However, two former residents of Ladybeck are not convinced by the council’s claims. Phil Boden and John Whittaker are Big Issue sellers in Leeds and are in regular contact with people who have, like themselves, benefited from staying at the hostel. According to John he found it “a warm and welcoming place”, whilst for Phil “it put a roof over my head whilst I waited for somewhere to live after leaving prison.

Like many other homeless people I am against its closure as not everyone can live alone because of mental health problems or being unable to cope with paying bills. Also living with people who share similar problems can help. Furthermore there are not enough hostels as it is and I fear homelessness levels could rise”.

The council disputes the latter point, with its spokesperson saying, “There is a new contract in place for dispersed temporary accommodation which is flexible enough to change depending upon demand. There are no limits to the number of beds available to accommodate homeless people in Leeds and we also have a lettings scheme to facilitate access to tenancies in the private sector”.

The situation at Ladybeck is mirrored by events elsewhere across the north.

Providence House, a short stay accommodation for up to 68 men, is the largest in Rochdale. It will close on 31 March, bringing to an end the Salvation Army’s accommodation role that first started in the Lancashire town in 1967. Rather than continue to fund the work of the church, Rochdale Borough Council has said it is ‘in favour of commissioning smaller units’, but would ‘working with the Salvation Army to ensure the transition is as smooth as it can be’.

Back across in Yorkshire the Salvation Army’s Lawley House hostel in Bradford has also had its contract cancelled with the local council and will be closing in May. This first opened in 1971, and as well as offering shelter it has helped people tackle drug and alcohol problems. A spokesperson for the Salvation Army said, “The closure is the result of local authorities having to make some hard decisions because of spending cuts.”

Leaving school is about to get harder.....16, 17, 18.......

2012-02-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

This is a longer version of a piece that is in this weeks Big Issue in the North magazine.

The government has failed to prepare for the raising of the school leaving age next year by ensuring the right colleges and courses are in place, an education expert has warned.

The current school leaving age is 16. It was introduced in 1972, seventy-three years after it became compulsory for young people to attend school until they were, at least, twelve. This is to be raised next year to 17, and the year afterwards to 18.

But Tom Wylie, former head of the National Youth Agency, said that funding for colleges and community-based organisations is “complex and problematic” and not geared towards the needs of local economies.

In 2007 Wylie - who last year acted as a special advisor to the Education Select Committee examining the challenges facing 16-19 year olds - warned the Labour government that too many people left education without the skills needed to find work. He urged for greater investment in community organisations better able to deal with “disaffected, slightly disgruntled, underachieving youngsters” likely to be forced to remain in education.

Last week he said: “I hope I am not saying the same thing in 2017- that there are not enough of the right kinds of courses and appropriate vocational qualifications for the population. But I wouldn’t bet against it. Little has changed at the supply end with funding for colleges and community-based organisations remaining complex and problematic.

Furthermore since 2008 - when the proposed changes were made law under the education and skills act - “the scrapping of the educational maintenance allowance, a steep rise in youth unemployment and massive cutbacks in youth work services are going to make it very difficult to create a system that can assistance our young people to up-skill in order to compete internationally” says Wylie.

Around 200,000 16-18 year olds – around 10% of the total - are Not in Education, Employment or Training [NEET]. Scunthorpe County Labour MP Nic Dakin, who last year sat on the Education Select Committee, echoed some of Tom Wylie’s concerns and said “without proper resources and strong leadership nationally and locally it will be difficult to engage with youngsters already NEET or those likely to become so.”

Although the vocational courses introduced by Labour, during their 13 years in power, were heavily criticised last year by Professor Alison Wolf on grounds that they were of little value in helping young people find work or gain a university place, Dakin doesn’t believe the coalition government’s new plans are an improvement.

These will end schools having a duty to provide work-related learning, including work experience, to all pupils over 14. The English Baccalaureate [EBacc] introduction last year into secondary schools – requiring pupils to gain good GCSE’s in core subjects, including maths, history or geography, science and a language – may he feels see schools “downgrade their support for other subjects, thus increasing alienation.”

It’s a charge a Department of Education spokesperson refutes saying “EBacc is not compulsory. And because languages were not previously compulsory there was a sharp decline of take-up in French, German and Spanish. We have already seen an increase in student numbers taking History and Geography, and research shows leading employers are wanting tougher and more analytical subjects to be taught.” She denied pupils wouldn’t have time to study other chosen subjects and said it was right that all students aged 16-19 without a grade C or better in English or Maths should continue to study these subjects.

With regards to whether there will be the resources available to achieve full participation of young people in education or training until age 18 the spokesperson said, “ultimately it will be down to Local Authorities to make sure young people in their areas participate and have the support they need to overcome barriers to learning.”

In Leeds a City Council spokesperson said, “We are fully confident that the necessary changes will be in place within the required timescales to meet the challenges. We are working in partnership with schools, colleges and training providers including smaller, often voluntary sector providers. “

She said the expected increased costs of raising the leaving age would not affect other services “as learning for 16 to 18 year olds is funded through the Young People’s Learning Agency and in the case of Apprenticeships through the Skills Funding Agency and not the local authorities.”

Halifax author gets a kick out of football

2012-02-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

Halifax author gets a kick out of football

Published on Saturday 18 February 2012 07:30

A HALIFAX man has turned his passion for football into a full-time occupation.

Freelance author Mark Metcalf, who lives with his wife Ruth and four-year-old son Charlie in Pellon, Halifax, has written a host of books covering aspects of his favourite sport. And he has ideas for many more which will keep him busy for the forseeable future.

Metcalf specialises in pre-first world war histories and biographies - a field where he believes he is the most published author of football books in the world.

To call him prolific is an understatement. Metcalf already has nine books to his name with another three due to hit the shelves this year.

His latest work, ‘The Golden Boot - Football’s Top Scorer Year by Year’ is written with well-known football writer and historian Tony Matthews. It profiles those players who have topped the scoring charts in the old First Division and now the Premier League since John Goodall of Preston North End notched 20 in 1888, to the most recent in Manchester rivals Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov, who scored 21 each last season.

The pages are littered with some of the game’s top names and how they created and scored the goals that made their reputations.

“Tony and myself analysed the goals and came up with the different types of goalscorers,” said Metcalf. “You had people like Nat Lofthouse and Dixie Dean who were good in the air and then others like Gary Lineker who were more opportunists - having that ability to move off a defender and create space.

“George Best was quite obviously a superstar, he had everything, and we have seen more recently the overseas players making a big impact.

“But for me the top goalscorer of them all has to be Jimmy Greaves. He was a brilliant goalscorer who topped the charts six times.”

The book follows a long line of titles as diverse as “Stan Anderson - Captain of the North” about the only player to have skippered Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough, to a detailed account of Bury FC’s most successful years between 1900-03.

“It all started with a book about Charlie Hurley who was voted both Sunderland’s and, more recently Millwall’s Player of the Century,” said Metcalf.

“I am a massive fan of Sunderland and I used to go to matches with my dad and the love of the game grew from there.

“I have a passion for the history of football and I try to concentrate on writing books that reflect that.”

A former industrial, and later community and youth, worker Metcalf also writes for a number of magazines, particularly The Big Issue in the North and the various publications of the trade union, Unite.

However, he is never happier than when researching his next football project. A profile of legendary Manchester City keeper Frank Swift is well underway, again in partnership with Matthews.

“I am not a professional writer so I have had to learn as I have gone along,” he added.

“The subject has to interest me as the research can be extremely time-consuming.

“I am quite lucky now because as you get to work on these books you get to know people in various libraries and football clubs who can assist you.

“The difficulties in research can often be getting access to players. That can be a long process and is often very frustrating.”

Having said that Metcalf is determined to maintain his output and it seems he is never short of subject matter.

“The books are a real labour of love,” he added. “There are always anniverseries connected with the game coming up so I have ideas going on into 2015-16 and 17.”

When he is not writing about the game, Metcalf can be found at all manner of different football locations, although he admitted to not spending too much time at The Shay.

“I will probably get down to Halifax Town three or four times a season,” he said. “I have watched football since 1965 and average over 80 games a season.

“But I always go to the game to enjoy it and not to think about the next book. Like many others I like to have a drink with my mates, sing and shout and watch the match as keenly as possible.”

The Golden Boot: Football’s Top Scorer Year By Year is published by Amberley Publishing and priced at £20.

Worth a read - Banking on Crisis by Corporate Watch

2012-02-17T05:15:00.000-08:00

http://corporatewatch.hosted.phplist.com/lists/lt.php?id=NkpXAFFMCwlbTAFVBAY%3D

Corporate Watch has just released the first publication in its ‘Banking on Crisis’ series, and like most of the work undertaken by the 16 year-old research group it’s worth a read.

‘Demystifying the Financial Sector’ – is a 24 page, easy to read ‘Nuts and bolts guide’ to the financial sector that now lies ‘at the very core of contemporary capitalism and acts as the primary organising principle of a global economy driven by the single aim of profit maximisation – whatever the social and environmental cost’.

Readers with little – or no – knowledge of the world of finance and banking get an accessible overview of its working and why ‘highly speculative forms of investment authority, which were previously taken on only by a limited section of society [i.e the ultra-wealthy] have become generalised across a much wider public sphere, with banks acting to facilitate and manage this expansion’.

Particularly interesting is how workers pension funds, once largely invested in government bonds, are now indirectly invested in financial derivatives such as shares and property. When the former dips then so too does the pension fund, and to prevent this corporations’ are placed under pressure to up levels of exploitation of their workforce and the environment. Union-busting, tax evasion and waste-dumping are the consequences, a case of workers money being used to drive down their fellow workers wages and conditions at work.

Not of course that this necessarily even guarantees a decent return for the investors. In August 2011 the stock market crash wiped £250 billion from the value of ordinary peoples’ pensions, with average savers estimated to have lost one fifth of their pensions. Save more, work longer, retire later and die earlier. And that will certainly be the case for many households, as it is estimated that currently 15% of household spends in the UK are going just to cover the interest payments arising from debt.

Remember the dead and fight for the living – the Tebay tragedy eight years on

2012-02-15T03:44:00.000-08:00

RAIL UNION RMT will today (15th February 2012) mark the eighth anniversary of the disaster near Tebay in Cumbria, where four rail workers were killed by a runaway wagon, with a renewed call for action to stop a repeat of the tragic safety failure from ever happening again.

Six years ago I wrote this piece for the Big Issue in the North magazine, which was later re-produced in the Morning Star, on Tebay.

"IF WE don't get something done, there will be another similar incident that will see other rail workers die like my friends."

That was the first thing that Ronnie- not his real name- said when he was asked about the death of four rail workers at Tebay, Cumbria, in February 2004.

Genuine concern, fear and sadness were etched on his face. "I'd like to give you my name, but I'd probably get the sack," he said- which immediately begs the question whether this government's "whistleblower's charter," which is supposed to protect public servants who speak out, has got round to covering railway workers.

Ronnie is lucky to be alive. He could easily have been killed like the four men on Sunday February 15 2004, when a runaway road/rail trailer ploughed down the hill from Scout Green South in Cumbria during maintenance work on the West Coast Main Line, bringing death and destruction to a gang of 13 workers three miles down the line at Tebay.

Both sites were the responsibility of Carillion, which is contracted by Network Rail to maintain the line. Chris Walters, Colin Buckley, Gary Tindall and Darren Burgess were killed. Others suffered horrific injuries and were off work for months.

'Our injuries may have cleared up, but the memory of that night never goes away.'

"Our injuries may have cleared up, but the memory of that night never goes away," said Ronnie. Those who died were employees of Carillion, which quickly accepted its civil liability for the deaths and injuries under the Employer's Liability (Defective Equipment) Act 1969, which introduced a presumption that, where an employee is injured by defective equipment, his employer is liable.

Mark Connolly, from Anglesey, north Wales, and his employee Roy Kennett, from Kent, were found guilty of the manslaughter of the four men at Newcastle Crown Court in March this year and sentenced to nine and two years in jail respectively.

The court heard that Connolly's firm MAC Machinery Services had been subcontracted by Carillion to work alongside employees from a further seven separate firms at Scout Green.

Such high numbers of different contracting companies working on site has been roundly condemned by rail workers' union the RMT, but it is not particularly unusual.

On the day of the tragedy, the two men were offloading 20-foot rails which had been transported to the Scout Green site by a road/rail vehicle, to which a road/rail trailer was attached.

The use of an off-rail road crane to load old track onto the trailer made it necessary to detach the trailer from the road/rail vehicle so as not to interfere with the overhead power lines.

Connolly was later found to have disconnected the trailer's brakes, due to the fact that the hydraulic systems would not work properly in conjunction with the crane.

The two were relying on placing wooden chocks under the trailer's wheels to prevent it running away. It didn't work. As a second piece of track was being loaded, the trailer slipped away and hurtled down the track towards the Tebay gang.

Records show that MAC had only been given approved supplier status with Carillion Rail less than two months earlier, on December 19 2003, and it was only after the company had received an "unsolicited approach" a month later that MAC became a second-tier supplier to "fill in" when "Carillion's two principal plant-hire suppliers in the Preston area" couldn't "accommodate the requirements for road/rail vehicles and associated equipment."

MAC had first come to Carillion's attention in April 2003 when it discovered that another plant-hiring company was cross-hiring plant from it. Procedures were adopted to ensure that MAC became "link-up qualified" and "Carillion Rail-approved."

In July 2003, MAC management claimed to be link-up qualified, when, in fact, they were not. This should, perhaps, have alerted Carillion to the type of company that it was happy to hire plant from.

Carillion had notified MAC that it intended to negotiate a working framework agreement. This was not in place at the time of Tebay. MAC had also failed to supply a risk assessment for the tasks that it was to undertake. MAC was also expected to undertake inspections of machinery, including "to check all brake systems."

Connolly had employed two fitters to do this. One had no formal qualifications and the other had previously done work on similar vehicles to road/rail vehicles.

No record of safety checks appears to have been requested by either Carillion or Network Rail.

Neither had Carillion itself carried out a "civil method statement" or, as it is better known, a risk assessment for the maintenance work at Tebay. This was in spite of the fact that, following the formal investigation into events at Culgaith near Carlisle in January 2003, the company had announced in its rail safety brief of April 2003 that "it has been recorded that our method statements should be improved in the area of working on gradients with plant and equipment."

At Culgaith, a trailer had run away for nearly two miles, joining a list of incidents that Network Rail admitted may have been underestimated, as it discovered "that more runaway trailer incidents had taken place than had been reported," due to "a perception amongst the workforce that, if incidents and accidents are reported, then blame may be laid against them."

RMT members who asked for copies of the method statement for the job at Tebay were later given one dated April 4 2004, two months after the tragedy.

"I must be honest- when we were given the report, none of us looked at its date. It wasn't until a few weeks later that someone noticed it was dated for April. It angered a few people, I can tell you," said Ronnie.

Some of the workers believe that, if the trailer had been equipped with flashing lights and hooters, then those who were killed might be alive today. "All we wanted was a couple of seconds notice," said Ronnie.

RMT health and safety officer Phil Dee is not convinced, stressing that "what we as a union want is to stop runaways. We need to ensure that every vehicle is braked and there are no problems with them."

'Under British Rail, RMT would not have had to worry about these safety issues.'

RMT general secretary Bob Crow also remains concerned that, "two years after Tebay, we still have a confusion of contractors, subcontractors and one-man-and-a-dog plant-hire operators" on the railways.

He urged Network Rail to bring renewals work back in-house, as it did with rail maintenance for safety and efficiency reasons, in July 2004. Crow is adamant that Tebay was no accident and was the "result of privatisation," repeating the union's demand for the railways to be renationalised.

A few years ago, the RMT would not have needed to have concerned themselves with safety concerns over road/rail vehicles or trailers. Back in the British Rail days, the Scout Green job would have involved rail-based cranes and wagons that were attached to a locomotive being manned by a qualified train driver. This, of course, would cost more money and mean that jobs take longer than with road/rail vehicles.

One method which would certainly have prevented the deaths- and could save the lives of others in the future- would have been to chain a railway sleeper across the track. The runaway trailer would have been derailed before it got anywhere near the 13 workers at Tebay.

But such actions are apparently considered unsafe, since, if the sleeper were to be forgotten, then a passenger train could be derailed the next morning, with even more horrific consequences.

As might be expected, the injured have been forced to take time off work. Carillion's sympathy did not extend to ensuring that they were paid their average earnings rather than their basic wages, a sum of money equivalent to around Â£120 a week per worker.

The company only backed down after strong representations from Crow to both Carillion and Network Rail. In 2004 and 2005, Carillion made nearly Â£120 million profit.

The Carillion Rail website states: "Our vision is to be a company renowned for working in a spirit of openness." Yet, when asked a series of questions relating to Tebay, a company spokesperson replied: "The issues raised are subject to a formal investigation by Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate and, therefore, we cannot comment."

Andy Boyack of the RMT Liverpool office said that this "is news to members of the RMT, as we know of no other inquiry taking place," pointing out that the union has "vigorously pushed for a full public inquiry from the start."

'Carillion's sympathy did not extend to paying injured workers their average wage.'

This silence adds to concerns raised by Hilda Palmer from the Manchester Hazards Centre that "the failure of the prosecution to examine the legal responsibility of Carillion in determining that subcontractors at least comply with minimum health and safety standards may be denying rail workers the safety and security the law should ensure."

"No comment" from Carillion Rail was, at least, more than the Transport Department at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was prepared to say on the Tebay tragedy.

No-one was available to reply to any questions or telephone inquiries, while emails to former transport minister Alistair Darling and the department went unanswered.

But a Network Rail spokesperson claimed that, since Tebay, the company had "worked closely with the rail industry to implement a number of improvements in the control, maintenance and operation of the type of rail equipment involved at Tebay" and that, by bringing 15,000 staff in-house, this meant that there is now "absolute clarity over roles and regulations," allowing "easier control of work practice" on sites.

Ronnie and his fellow rail workers are not so sure. "It's true that there does appear to be a reduced number of reports of runaways," he said, "but let's not forget that, late last year, a locomotive even ran away and hurtled at 60mph down the track at night between Birmingham and Lichfield.

"I don't want what happened at Tebay to ever be repeated."

Huddersfield Town 0 Sheffield United 1

2012-02-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Huddersfield Town 0

Sheffield United 1

Collins 5

Three precious points for Danny Wilson’s side who with neighbours Wednesday also losing at home to Stevenage leaped into the second of the automatic promotion spots. The winning goal came after just five minutes when Harry Maguire rose to head Ryan Flynn’s corner back across goal where Neill Collins rose in front of Alex Smithies, back after injury to replace Ian Bennett in goal, to head home his first goal for the club. Queue ecstatic celebrations amongst the 4,500 travelling army. There was a chance of a second soon after but Flynn made a poor pass as the home defence struggled to cope with the Blades attacking midfielders.

When the Terriers did respond Danny Ward, who minutes earlier had been switched from right to left, hit a powerful 30-yard shot just wide. Then from a corner the home fans and players made a strong appeal for a penalty, as Anton Robinson appeared to have had his shirt tugged in the box. A flying Steve Simonsen save then denied Oscar Gobern before the Blades Richard Cresswell failed to take the opportunity to double his side’s advantage with a poor header from just six yards.

Huddersfield’s scoring sensation Jordan Rhodes had been well marshalled by Maguire and Collins but might have done better with two half-chances from the edge of the area before he was desperately unlucky with a snap shot that beat Simonsen but cannoned back into play off the post.

On 37 minutes the home side were kept in the match when after fumbling a Ched Evans shot, Smithies blocked Stephen Quinn’s follow up effort and then did brilliantly to foil Richard Cresswell when the ball spun towards the United attacker. With the interval looming Gobern should have headed Sean Morrison’s long throw home for the equaliser.

After an entertaining first half the second proved a dull affair and chances were few, although Rhodes should have done better when he received the ball just seven yards out from Danny Ward. The Huddersfield winger then created a half-chance for himself but after turning inside his shot lacked pace and direction.

With the home side seeking an equaliser Morrison had his header knocked off the line by Michael Doyle and then minutes later the big centre-back did well to turn inside and hit a right-foot shot that seemed set to enter the net until Collins stuck out his leg and deflected the ball, somewhat fortunately, into Simonsen’s grateful arms. With time running out the keeper confidently held on to another Gobern header to ensure a just about deserved victory on a cold night that must have Sheffield United fans dreaming of a quick return to the Championship.

4,500 Sheffield United fans packed out one end of the ground and made far more noise than the home fans.
The away fans stood throughout the whole 90 minutes of the match.

Support South Yorkshire Stagecoach bus drivers strike

2012-02-10T07:21:00.000-08:00

In a dispute over pay, Unite bus driver members at Stagecoach in Barnsley and Rotherham have been ignoring freezing cold weather to turn out in force to picket their depots and local bus stations.

As Stagecoach is highly profitable, enjoying a 27.5% rise in profits last year to £207.5 million, there were high hopes, when wage negotiations began in April 2011, of achieving pay parity with bus colleagues in nearby Chesterfield, who receive £9.22 an hour. When 48 pence an hour less was offered, the first day of strike action took place on November 18^th and as of today there have been twelve dispute days in total.

These have forced management to increase their offer to just over £9 an hour, whilst also however refusing requests for back pay, thus angering those on strike. Meantime; unable to get enough people to cross the picket line to run a service, Stagecoach have been spending money on hotel accommodation for managers - who are also getting additional rates to pay – that they have brought in from other parts of the company and country.

There are around 440 on strike, split evenly across the two South Yorkshire sites. This morning on the picket line at the Barnsley Stagecoach depot on Wakefield Road there were 71 people and it was clear from speaking to a fair number that they see this as an essential focus for their ongoing struggle. Pickets are held from 5.30am to 8.00am, at which point a picket and protest is mounted next to the bus station in Barnsley town centre.

With the strike made official then each striker gets £30 a day from Unite, but it’s still a big sacrifice to be on strike in a period when the essentials of life are rising fast. Not that Stagecoach boss Sir Brian Souter need worry, as last year, not long after bringing to an end the final salary pension scheme for his workers, he received £58.7 million in shareholder dividends.

On a bitterly cold morning pickets held a protest next to Barnsley bus station.
Earlier 71 strikers held a picket outside the Stagecoach depot on Wakefield Road in the
South Yorkshire town.

The land battle that sparked the Pendle Witch trials

2012-02-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Unite’s Charlie Clutterbuck has concocted his own special brew of political and social history by marking out an unofficial trail round the sites relating to the Pendle Witch trials.

These resulted in the largest number of executions in Britain for witchcraft with eight women and two men being hanged. And with the 400^th anniversary occurring smack bang in the middle of this summer’s Olympics Charlie wants those seeking an escape from the most expensive show on earth to consider a trip to his east Lancashire neighbourhood to discover more.

The trials were made famous by the official publication of the proceedings by Thomas Potts, the clerk to the court, in his Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster. Accused of murdering ten people, the ten hung were around 2% of the 500 people executed as witches in Britain from the early 15^th to 18^th century. Six came from two families headed by a female in her eighties. The Demdike’s and Chattox’s, whose livelihoods of healing, begging and extortion depended on competing against one another, each accused the other of wrongdoing.

One of the key witnesses at the trial was Jennet Device, who was just nine years old. Until James I had succeeded in 1603 to the throne, children under 14 were seen as unreliable witnesses. The Protestant King’s book Demonology however changed the justice system to allow the child to give evidence that helped execute all of her own family. Jennet was herself to later suffer because of this when ten-year-old Edmund Robinson made similar allegations against her in 1633 and although acquitted it’s believed she spent the rest of her life in prison.

Witchcraft, the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers, became illegal in 1542 under Henry VIII, and was punishable by death. This was a period of considerable religious tension, with Catholics and Protestants at each other’s throats.

It’s hardly surprising therefore to find many historians seeing this as being behind the events in Pendle four hundred years ago. Charlie doesn’t entirely rule this out but has noted, “The evidence for organised persecution of Catholics is not that strong”.

He wonders therefore if the terrible events were more to do with the countryside’s most contentious issue. Namely, who owns the land? “The records show that much of the land around Burnley was already enclosed, or being so. Not so Pendle Forest, as it was seen as unobstructed hunting land, and some of those made landless moved there. The landowners didn’t like these troublesome characters.”

It’s a powerful narrative, and the visual evidence is pretty strong. Many of the houses of the rich and powerful from those times are still standing, but long gone are any traces of the simple cottages of those who were executed or their neighbours.

You can see all this for yourself by walking the trail that the agricultural scientist has prepared. It takes a day – those with less time and/or energy can do part of it in half a day – and there’s a chance to stop for a decent pint or two at the Four Alls Inn: standing for The King Rules for all, The Priest prays for all, the Soldier fights for all, the Ordinary Man pays for all. Magnificent.

For more details see http://sites.google.com/site/pendlewithtrail/

Landownership in Britain today remains the most unbalanced in the world, with roughly 150,000 individuals – 0.028% of the population – owning 2/3rds of it.

Stoke City - Sunderland

2012-02-05T04:32:00.000-08:00

Stoke according to many commentators have great home
support, well they were totally out-shouted yesterday on a grim
day

Just seventeen - the Super League kicks-off this weekend

2012-02-03T04:33:00.000-08:00

The seventeenth Rugby Super League kicks off this weekend [or Friday 3^rd] with all fourteen teams in action. ‘New boys’ Widnes Vikings take on Wakefield Wildcats and last season’s winner’s Leeds Rhinos are at home to Yorkshire rivals Hull Kingston Rovers. After finishing fifth in the League, bringing with it heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike, Leeds squeezed past first-placed Warrington Wolves 26-26 in the semi-final, before comprehensively beating St Helens 32-16 in the Old Trafford final in October. Long-serving scrum half Rob Burrow was outstanding in this game and became the first player to capture the man-of-the-match award by taking the unanimous votes of all 37 judges.

BRADFORD BULLS

Cut-price tickets might have kept the crowds coming into Odsal Stadium last season, but on the pitch the Bulls struggled and failed to make the play-offs. Australian coach Mick Potter has gone Down Under to bring in experienced National Rugby League Aussie professionals Keith Lulia and Adrian Purtell. The new captain is also an Australian, hooker Heath L’Estrange, but the task of leading the Bulls back to the top of the Rugby League tree – they won three World Club Championships between 2002 and 2006 - will be enormous.

CASTLEFORD TIGERS

If everything goes to plan this will be the Tigers final season at the Jungle, an old style terraced Stadium that creates a great atmosphere and where Cas have played since 1927. The New Castleford Stadium, with a capacity of 13,300, is though costing £15 million and this has left new coach Ian Millward with a limited budget. Much will depend on last seasons Man of Steel winner, New Zealander Rangi Chase, maintaining his outstanding form if Castleford are to squeeze into the play-offs by going one place higher than ninth in 2011.

CATALAN DRAGONS

Sixth placed last season, the Dragons could well threaten the top four after signing Leon Pryce from St Helens and Louis Anderson from Warrington. The Perpignan side already possess a halfback row of great quality and Pryce will add to it. Utility Australian Clint Greenshields will be playing his sixth season in France, the Dragons having first entered the Super League in 2006 and with Crusaders have disbanded they are now the only side represented from outside England.

HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS

One of the games original 22 clubs who now ground share with the local football club but whose last major honour was the winning of the 1962 Championship. After reaching the Challenge Cup Final under then new coach Nathan Brown in 2009 the Giants finished fourth last season. Brown has been busy over the winter, letting go nine and bringing in seven players including three from Wakefield Wildcats in Luke George, Tommy Lee and Aaron Murphy. The latter is a versatile player tipped for honours in the game, but it’s difficult envisaging the Giants bringing to an end their fifty-year wait for a title success

HULL FC

Another of the 1895 founding members of the Northern Rugby Football Union who ground share the KC Stadium with Hull City Football Club. Just squeezed into the play-offs last season by finishing eighth, only to be immediately eliminated when Leeds Rhinos easily beat them 42-10. New coach Peter Gentle, who turned down Salford in 2001, has been very busy over the winter with ten out and ten in and whilst the loss of Luke Briscoe to Leeds is a blow the arrival of Jamie Ellis, Aaron Heremaia and Brett Seymour should ensure at least another eighth place finish.

HULL KINGSTON ROVERS

After finishing seventh in the League the Robins were walloped 56-6 by the Catalan Dragons in the play-offs. New coach Australian Craig Sandercock has acted quickly to overhaul the squad, letting go a number of long-serving players and replacing them with three from Huddersfield Giants in David Hodgson, Keal Carlile and Graeme Horne and four from Down Under in Shannon McDonnell, back row forward Con Mika, George Griffin and Mickey Paea. It may take time though for the side to gel together.

LEEDS RHINOS

The Rhinos are the most successful club in the Premier League era with five victories in the Super League Final including in last year’s against St Helens. After winning a thrilling semi-final against Castleford the Rhinos had disappointed their fans by losing against Wigan in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley last season, but recovered their form to come from fifth place in the League to capture the Super League Trophy in the play-offs. Coach Brian McDermott has kept more or less the same squad but the arrival of Huddersfield Giants prop Darrell Griffin and rising star Luke Briscoe from Hull KR should ensure another exciting season at Headingley.

LONDON BRONCOS

The only English team outside of the M62 corridor, the Broncos play at the Twickenham Stoop Stadium as Rugby League attempts to build a base down south. Having finished third in the second season of Super League in 1997 the Broncos – who started out as Fulham in 1980-81 and have also appeared as London Crusaders and Harlequins - finished twelfth in 2011. Significant investment over the winter should see things improve on the pitch with Antonio Kaufusi, Michael Robertson and Shane Rodney from Down Under hopefully giving London based Rugby League fans something to shout about.

ST HELENS

St Helens new Langtree Stadium has cost £25 million and will hold 18,000. It has been constructed on the derelict former United Glass site. Saints fans will be hoping it ushers in a new era of success, starting with victory in this season’s Super League Grand Final where they have lost the last five, including four to Leeds. Aussie coach Royce Simmons has only tinkered with his squad, although the arrival of Lance Hohaia from New Zealand Warriors should bring further pace and power to the half back line that has lost Kyle Eastmonds to rugby union. .

SALFORD CITY REDS

A pre-season thrashing by Leigh in their first match in their new 12,000 capacity Salford City Stadium might mean Red Devil fans having to get used to watching matches in more salubrious surroundings but seeing little better on the pitch. After being relegated in 2007 the Reds were the beneficiaries of rule changes in 2008 that ended automatic promotion and relegation and which saw them awarded a three year Super League license, subsequently extended last year to six. Eleventh place last season and it’s difficult to see much improvement in this, although Joel Moon, an Australian able to play in a number of positions, should prove a useful acquisition.

WAKEFIELD TRINITY WILDCATS

Wildcat fans will this season have one eye on the pitch and the other awaiting the outcome of the public inquiry as to whether the club will be allowed to go ahead with the construction of a new Stadium at Stanley. With Wakefield only having a lease to stay at the Belle Vue Stadium till the end of this season, it was expected that the club would lose its Rugby League license from 2012 but in the event the unexpected decision by Welsh side Crusaders threw Trinity a much needed lifeline.

Former Hull coach Richard has taken charge and in a very short space of time has shipped out, and brought in, virtually a new team including Andy Raleigh, Kyle Wood and Danny Kirmond from Huddersfield Giants.

WARRINGTON WOLVES

As the only club to have played every season in Rugby League’s top-flight Warrington thought they had reached last season’s Super League Final when winger Matt King crossed the try line with only nine minutes of the semi-final tie with Leeds remaining. When the effort was disallowed for grounding, Wolves fans suffered further heartbreak when Rhinos captain Kevin Infield kicked a last minute winner.

Head coach Tony Smith had led his charges to top spot in the League and has largely retained the same squad, although the addition of Penrith Panthers forward Trent Waterhouse should prove handy.

WIDNES VIKINGS

After being granted a Super League license Widnes are back in the top League after replacing Crusaders. It’s reward for local businessman Steve O’Connor, who when he took over in Nov 2007 dreamed of returning the club to its former glories.

The Chemics though have struggled to get-in big name stars from Down-Under. It’s meant having to largely make do with refashioning their whole squad along British lines with Ben Cross, Ben Davies and Scott Moore arriving from Wigan, Warrington and St Helens respectively.

WIGAN WARRIORS

The most successful club in Rugby League history won the Challenge Cup last season but disappointed in the Super League play-offs and were beaten 26-18 by St Helens in the semi-finals. Head coach Michael Maguire has subsequently moved to South Sydney but his replacement, Shaun Warne, has resisted making wholesale changes to a squad left weakened by the retirement of Andy Coley and Ryan Hoffman’s move to Melbourne Storm.

Leeds Rhinos inspirational Kevin Sinfield on his revolutionary socialist heroes

2012-02-03T04:04:00.000-08:00

Reproduced from Big Issue in the North magazine dated January 28th - buy the magazine whenever you see a seller.

You wouldn’t call it an outburst but for someone as cool as Kevin Sinfield his post-match speech after lifting rugby league’s ultimate prize at old Trafford last October came as something of a surprise.

A slump in form in the early part of last year’s Super League had brought brickbats for Leeds Rhinos from pundits and fans, and resulted in the Headingley side finishing fifth in the League.

So when the captain led his side through the play-offs – including a victory over favourites Warrington Wolves – to a 32-16 defeat of St Helens to win the Engage Super League Grand Final for a record-tying fifth time, he took the chance to vent his feelings.

“To all those people who wrote this team off, to all those people that criticised this team, tonight’s for you” he said passionately over the mic to a 69,000-strong crowd and a TV audience of millions.

Three months later the articulate, unaffected 31-year-old from Oldham – who made his debut for the Rhinos in 1997 – has not regrets.

“I have said a million times before that this Leeds side is at its best in adversity, when people write us off we thrive. I felt some of the criticism was too personal, but as I said at Old Trafford I’d like to thank those who made it as it inspired us to prove them wrong.”

Leeds Rhinos kick off their 2012 campaign on 3 February when they take on Hull KR at their Headingley Carnegie Stadium. Sinfield knows the sardonic thanks he offered at Old Trafford will count for little if Leeds struggle.

“I guess some of those who were proved wrong are just waiting for us to trip up, but I am proud to lead this team,” he says, laughing.

He’s done that since 2003 season, a year later finishing as Super League’s top scorer with 152 goals and 3-drop goals and leading the side to their first Grand Final victory.

Adept at loose forward, hooker and stand-off, he’s also become – according to Leeds Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington – the “finest kicker in the history of rugby”, better even than rugby union’s Jonny Wilkinson.

It was a late Sinfield penalty kick that gave his side a narrow win over Warrington Wolves in the play-off semi-finals last year, and added two more points to a total that was already more than anyone in Super League has scored. And he still has three years of his contract to run.

This year Sinfield – holder of a sport science degree and as inspirational a leader on the field as he is thoughtful and composed off it – knows there’s no room for complacency as the likes of Warrington Wolves, Wigan Warriors and St Helens pursue revenge. There’s also the question of the World Club Challenge against Aussie Champions Manley Sea Eagles at Headingley on 17 February.

Sinfield and the Rhinos, exploiting, home advantage, won the fixture in 2005 and 2008 but face stiff challenge this month, Aussie sides prevailing for the last three years.

“I am really looking forward to it as you always want to pit yourself against the best. Big games attract big crowds, the atmosphere is great and you improve by working hard individually, and as a team, and by learning from previous experiences and mistakes.”

At international level, by his own admission, Sinfield hasn’t always shone, and has endured his fair share of losses to arch-foes Australia. Sinfield will deny hew as tired at the end of a 42-game run – another record – last season but by the time the Four Nations final came around in November, ever hopeful England collapsed in familiar style as the Aussies stepped up a gear and won 30-8.

Nevertheless, Sinfield is optimistic about England’s future and backs the re-structuring programme introduced by coach Steve McNamara that includes training camps at Loughborough University throughout the year and a ‘Knights’ squad to shadow the first team.

“We are getting closer. If we had played like we did against New Zealand in the game before the Final I am convinced we would have beaten Australia. Belief is a big factor and I know we can beat them,” he says determinedly.

A short break in Florida with his wife and two children has helped him recharge his batteries and “reflect on the season that had finished”, that included the bus trip back from the Grand Final to Leeds, which recalls his

favourite film The Shawshank Redemption. Tending to avoid his teammates’ drinking he sat with a “smug satisfied grin on my face, not unlike moments in the film where banker Andy Dufresne is, despite his dire circumstances, totally self-satisfied. That film reminds me of certain aspects of winning and losing and that’s why I like it.”

With Sinfield’s will to win and focus, it’s not surprising the statue he’d like to see erected outside Wembley, planned to commemorate rugby league’s association with the stadium, is the Bradford, Wigan and Leeds great of the 1980s and 1990s Ellery Hanley, Perhaps more surprising - but the product of his parents who were trade union stalwarts and socialists - is that his other heroes are former Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Che Guevara; the man who helped him out during the successful armed revolution on the small Caribbean Island that culminated in the overthrow of American backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

“They were revolutionaries and they cared about others before themselves, which I think is an important quality when you hold a position of authority” he says. With his parents having visited Cuba he’d like to follow in their footsteps in the not too distant future.

Sinfield insists he can keep his body at its peak as a player and still improve mentally but when he does retire he wants to be the chief executive of a rugby league club. Few would bet against him being as inspirational an off-filed leader as he is on the pitch.

Award winning solicitor says all dissent is now seen as a threat

2012-02-01T01:35:00.001-08:00

An award-winning solicitor who helped overturn 20 climate change protestors’ convictions for conspiracy to committed aggravated trespass at Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in 2009 is speaking in Liverpool today. [February 1st 2012]

The cases, and further charges against six for conspiring to take over the power station, collapsed after the Court of Appeal ruled the police had unlawfully used an undercover officer – Mark Kennedy – to spy on protestors and encourage civil disobedience.

For his role in this, and many other public order and civil demonstration work, Mike Schwarz was last year’s Law Society’s private practice solicitor of the year winner.

Schwarz, who works for London firm Bindmans, will be presenting his views on Latest Themes on Protest Law at the Institute of Employment Rights conference on ‘Human Rights at Work: can the European Convention protect our rights?’ This will be held in the Adelphi Hotel.

“I am speaking because in the current climate it is vital that bonds are built between everyone affected by the government’s austerity measures and there is sharing of knowledge about how to respond including how to fully exercise the right to protest without being intimidated – if only by lack of knowledge – by the resistance the police may put up” says Schwarz, a solicitor since 1992, and who fears the authorities, government and some sections of the press now see any dissent as a threat.

“As a result the police, in order to maintain the status quo and control appear to see facilitating the right to protest as being much lower down their agenda. Kettling, surveillance of protestors, and prosecutions for minor public order offences such as aggravated trespass and disorderly conduct are a few examples of this strategy” he warns “

But surely no-one has anything to fear if they engage in peaceful protest? “Sadly, I have to disagree” says Schwarz “as evidence, contrast, the application of the full force of the criminal law to the UK UNCUT protestors - found guilty of aggravated trespass - at Fortnum and Mason in March 2011 to the mainstream political parties’ refusal to tackle the cause of these protests – tax dodging, bankers bonuses and inequitable cuts to public services.”

Schwarz would like to see a public inquiry into the actions of the use of undercover officers by the police. Back in the 1990s he found himself unknowingly representing Met officer Jim Boyling, who used the name Jim Sutton to infiltrate the Reclaim the Streets campaign group that often disrupted London’s roads to highlight the overuse of cars.

Boyling, who like Kennedy, also started a relationship with one of the women he was surveilling – later marrying her – is accused of gaining access to the privileged legal correspondence of fellow defendants and misleading the court. Boyling is currently on restricted duties and under investigation for a possible breach of professional standards following his marriage. Meanwhile, Kennedy has quit the police.

“The legal process has been institutionally corrupted with the entrapment of protestors, the formation of sexual relationships, the planting of informants within defence legal teams, the failure to disclose key evidence and a readiness to mislead the courts about the true identity of police witnesses and defendants. The response of the establishment, in setting up 12 discrete in-house enquiries, shows they have a pathological aversion to seeing the bigger picture, which is not that of a few apples but the cultivation of an orchard of bad fruit” says Schwarz critically.

Neither is Schwarz too impressed by Prime Minister David Cameron’s regular raising of the possibility of the government replacing the European Convention of Human Rights with a UK one.

“I feel the move fits with one of the rules of bad government such that when difficult questions are being asked then make up your own rules and get your own people to decide the answers. For protestors against government policy, or big business, it can only be a backward step. It’s worth remembering protest is often the best and most immediate way that those without a voice – who can’t pay lobbyists or contribute to party funding – can try to influence government policy” says the 48-year-old.

Chesterfield reach Wembley for third time in their history

2012-01-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, Northern Area Final second leg.

Oldham Athletic 0

Chesterfield 1

Lester 89 minutes.

Aggregate Chesterfield 3 Oldham Athletic 1

Chesterfield made it through to Wembley in the Johnstone Paints Trophy after pinching a late winner to win this tie 3-1 on aggregate. The result was harsh on the home side, who did most of the attacking, only to find the Spireites keeper Tommy Lee in fine form.

Oldham started the game quickly and less than sixty seconds had gone when Shefki Kuqi, fastening on to Robbie Simpson’s long ball, beat Lee only to see his shot cannon back into play off the post. Continuing to play impressively, Simpson then curled a delightful ball to the back post where Filipe Morais had his powerful header well saved by the keeper.

With Chesterfield in the first twenty minutes rarely threatening, Simpson then had a twenty-yard shot well stopped by Lee, and then the keeper was grateful to see Kuqi flash a ten yard shot well wide after Gregor Robertson misjudged his header. Morais then drove a shot wide from a promising position before Drew Talbot hit Chesterfield’s first chance straight at Alex Cisak in the home goal.

The Chesterfield veteran striker Jack Lester had been very quiet, but on 35 minutes he showed a touch of quality to set up Scott Boden whose strong shot was saved by the Oldham keeper at the second attempt. The first booking of the game arrived soon after, when Gregor Robertson brought down Simpson. On the stroke of half-time Lee was down smartly to prevent Diamond from forcing home a bouncing ball.

With the score goalless at the interval it meant Chesterfield were on track to reach Wembley for the first time since 1995, when they beat Bury in the Division Four play offs. This was a year after the Latics had last played at the world famous Stadium, when they lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, and buoyed by the prospect of a return they again pushed forward on the restart.

Playing in midfield for the home side was Tom Adeyemi, on loan from Norwich City, a player racially abused when Oldham played at Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup. He had a quiet game, but showed his stamina by getting more involved in it the longer it progressed. He passed the ball well, and shows a nice shimmy to send an opposing player the wrong way, but failed to shoot when well placed to do so.

It was Chesterfield who should have taken the lead, on 48 minutes, when Jamie Lowry’s fine ball sent Drew Talbot running unopposed into the Oldham box, but the Chesterfield midfielders shot was too close to Cisak who saved it with his feet. When Oldham responded Lee confidently collected a Morais drive, before James Hurst and Mark Allott were booked as Chesterfield’s defence struggled to prevent Oldham equalising the tie on aggregate.

Morais then had Lee scampering across his line, but the ball finished on the roof of the net before the keeper did well to block a Kuqi header as the game moved towards the final ten minutes.

Then on 89 minutes Jean Yves Moto and Cisak, seeking to get the ball down the field as quickly as possible, only succeeded in getting in each others way and when the ball ran free Lester was like lightning in getting beyond the pair to push the ball into an empty net. Queue ecstatic celebrations amongst the 937 Chesterfield fans behind the goal as they started to celebrate a famous victory that will take them to Wembley for only the third time in the club’s history.

With six added minutes, Oldham continued to press but rarely threatened and at the end the Chesterfield players ran across to spark further celebrations amongst the away fans. Chesterfield will play either Swindon Town or Barnet in the final at Wembley on March 25^th 2012.

“We will enjoy the day, but we are going there to win” said Chesterfield manager John Sheridan, who also praised his side for their battling performance, defensive skills and will to win.

Over 5,000 fans, including 937 from Chesterfield watched the game at Boundary Park

What’s happening in Iran? Interview with Iranian activist.

2012-01-30T08:55:00.000-08:00

What’s happening in Iran?

Interview with Iranian activist, who for obvious reasons shall remain anonymous.

1. Does the Iranian President have the people’s support in ‘standing up to the West’ and the USA in particular?

Really the question here is who is the President and who does he represent? Is he elected or selected?

Iran is unlike France and America where people elect the President. Elections are not real. Governments are imposed on people and they only use the democratic tool to legitimise themselves. There has never been a free and democratic election, either to establish the Islamic Republic of Iran or to legitimise any of its actions. As result, if we say people’s support?? Certainly not, but the regime does have a small and well-organised group of followers that include mercenaries.

2. Do people believe that military action may be imminent?

That’s hard to answer. People wish for fall of this regime, but at what price? War helps them to stay in power even longer. Bluffing is part of the regimes propaganda and they really want to provoke an attack on Iran.

3. I gather you are concerned at the increasing drug trade, especially in the Kurdish regions of Iran. Can you explain?

Yes this is correct. The Iranian regime uses three main elements to strengthen their position within or even outside of Iran.

* Religious propaganda: to keep people in idiocy.

* Military: which is more against its own people rather than outside threats.

* Drugs: both inside and outside of Iran. It is not only exclusive to Kurdistan (Iran or Iraq), but to other regions as well. However it has been one of the regimes policies in the Kurdish regions, where there is always more resistance to central governments actions.

4. Is there any indication that workers are organising themselves within unions to push up wages and play a part in the political process in Iran?

No, there are not any real worker syndicates or unions. The regime controls and monitors the real workers, exerting constant pressure on them. Many workers are sacked or even imprisoned. Many factory employees have not been paid for months or in some cases even for years and factories are closing down. Yet on the other hand Chinese goods are being heavily imported to Iran.

5. Iran is developing links with China. Why is this important to the current regime?

Two reason. First, to secure China’s backing in international affairs and secondly, China is a big oil market and while many European nations have sanctioned dealings with Iran, China is currently willing to exchange goods for oil.

6. Are those opposed to the current regime being politically persecuted? [

They are, and many influential members of past governments have been imprisoned, some of them even without legal trials. Within this group are the Prime Minister of Iran during the Iraq war in the 1980s, a parliamentary speaker and many members of previous parliaments and government ministers.

Many students, workers, intellectuals, white-collar workers and minority national front groups at first were fooled by the regime and collaborated with them. They were hoping to witness reform from within, something that never happened. Now they are considered as opposition too. The regime does not accept any sort of objections even from people close to the regime itself. There are many recent cases and frame ups are so normal that people no longer believe in media shown confessions, as they know of the brutal conditions under which people are held in prisons.

The worst part is that no human right groups can defend those arrested as even well-known lawyers are now in prison. In the Iranian judicial system they arrest people for unfounded and baseless crimes. One recent one was “crime against god”. Public protest is stamped on harshly.

7. How have the Iranian people – and the regime in charge - viewed ‘the Arab Spring revolt’?

Differently. For the vast majority of people it is the Arab revolt against dictatorship. However the Iranian regime sees and calls it an Islamic Awakening and the result of Iranian revolution. However because of the close ties with Syria the regime in Iran prefers to regard this as interference by outside forces rather than a people’s uprising.

8. With the world economic crisis then has the standard of living of ordinary Iranian’s been affected?

It has. There are three different numbers of inflation in Iran. The Government’s: at 12%, financial institutions at 20% and others who have estimated it at 40%.

The gap between rich and poor is widening more and more. The Iranian currency has lost its value in recent weeks and it means even more pressure for people. The West expects and hopes this pressure results in more objections from people, but one should remember any mass protest and revolt from the people is because of an objection to the regime and not because of the needs of outside forces.

Remploy future remains in doubt

2012-01-30T02:13:00.000-08:00

The threatened closure of 54 Remploy factories shows the government is “intent on destroying the social welfare gains made after World War Two.” That’s the view of Brian Anderson, the Unite workplace rep at Wythenshawe print works, Manchester.

Like his 21 colleagues, part of a national workforce of 2,800, he is waiting anxiously to hear Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people, announce the result of the Department of Work and Pensions consultation on the Sayce Report that recommended closing all of Remploy’s factories.

It would be a sad end for the government owned company established under the 1944 Disabled Persons [Employment] Act, with the first factory opening two years later in Bridgend, South Wales. At Remploy thousands of disabled people have benefited materially and mentally from having a proper job with the company.

After 23 years as an employee Brian, partially sighted in one eye, has witnessed this for himself saying, “employment here gives people pride and status. Some people only go out to come to work. I fear 90% will never work again if the factory shuts. Rather than contributing to the economy they will be an additional expense. I believe we have a future if the government were prepared to use procurement rules to place orders with us.”

Brian supports the Access to Work Fund that financially supports employers who hire individual disabled people. He’s not convinced however by government claims, used to support shutting Remploy down, that the average cost of helping 37,300 disabled people find work under it in 2009-10 was just £2,600. His letter asking the DWP to clarify matters however currently remains unanswered and he suspects the figures “are mainly composed of part time workers and volunteers.”

With Miller having said – even before the consultation period had ended - she was “attracted” to the Sayce Report conclusions Brian, a life-long union member has fully supported the Unite and GMB campaign to defend all the factories. This included participating with colleagues in the massive Manchester march in October to the Tory Party conference at the end of which he heard UNITE general secretary Len McCluskey praise their efforts and say, "They are fighting for their dignity and against an unscrupulous government.”

In 2007-08 the two unions forced the Labour Government to climb down from plans to close 43 factories. Eighteen were rescued including Wythenshawe. The fight to save the remaining 54 continues.

WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE CAN STILL HURT YOU - nanoparticles

2012-01-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

Every sane person now accepts that asbestos and smoking aren’t good for you. Mind you it’s taken millions to die to ‘prove’ it. Following on from an article on this site – Out of sight is not out of mind, Graham Cliff, asks whether the dangers of nanoparticles are now being similarly ignored. Graham is a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the University of Manchester. His email is zen177374@zen.co.uk

Would the late Doctors Richard Doll, John Knox, Irving Selikoff and Vernon Timbrell, tolerate the present state of affairs with respect to the regulation of anthropogenic nanoparticles, that prevails today in the twenty first century?

As a non-smoking, so called “expert” in the identification of asbestos, I don’t believe so.

Professor Sir Richard Doll’s obituary, in the Telegraph, 25 Jul 2005 (1), described him as an epidemiologist and former Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. He was one of the first two scientists to link smoking, with lung cancer, in a report in the British Medical Journal of 1950, which concluded “The risk of developing the disease increases in proportion to the amount smoked". This early study was the first in the world to show that smoking could cause not only lung cancer but also heart attacks. Doll subsequently collaborated with Dr. John Knox (2), Chief Medical Officer with Turner Brothers Asbestos of Rochdale, and with others, to publish a series of papers analyzing the mortality of asbestos workers with reference to the incidence of lung cancer.

In retrospect, the time lag in each case between initial demonstrations and general acceptance of the hazard seems to be inordinately long. In part, these delays subsequently resulted from protests, drawn-out court actions and biased scientific investigations by vested interests. In some cases, rearguard actions continued long after courts had started awarding damages for the illnesses. At the present stage of knowledge, relating exposure to sub PM2.5 particulates and adverse effects on health, it is tempting to draw a parallel with earlier discoveries in the 20^th century, of factors with adverse health effects, e.g. ionizing radiation, radioactivity, heavy metals, certain organic compounds and not just cigarette smoking and asbestos. It is to be hoped in this instance that the appropriate responses will be put in place in a more timely fashion, unpalatable, as many aspects will undoubtedly be. (3)

In summary, views about some of the questionable benefits of ignoring air quality regulation today, when set against some of the potential costs to health, bear comparison with failure in the 20^th century. Taking effective precautionary action to avoid the plausible hazards of smoking and aerosol asbestos exposure would have saved much health harm, reduced treatment costs and other attendant inability to work costs. The precautionary principle was just not applied with any rigour.

Professor Vyvyan Howard, of Ulster University, NI, has commented on poor air quality since before 2004, when he is quoted as remarking that “nanoparticles can cross the blood-brain barrier” Other studies have linked nanoparticles to cardiovascular disease, asthma, lung fibrosis and Alzheimer’s disease (dementia). (4)

Also in 2004, Professor Ann Dowling, in a Royal Society Report stated that “Nanoparticles can behave quite differently from larger particles of the same material and this can be exploited in a number of exciting ways. But it is vital that we determine both the positive and negative effects they might have.” (5)

The late Dr. Vernon Timbrell commented upon the warnings about the smallest of particles being too often totally ignored, in 1996. Perhaps he was concerned that, as with smoking, he was seeing with asbestos the need to wait until victims existed to prove that warnings were justified? My own early research involved the analysis of aerosol asbestos particles, and I subsequently analysed aerosols containing combustion products, which can massively reduce air quality with its smoke emissions, regulated to only PM2.5.

From December 1971 I was able to examine particles to about 50nm in the first Analytical Electron Microscope, the AEI EMMA -4. From October 1973 until April 1974, in the Reserve Mining versus the EPA court case (the longest running US environmental court case), the doctors from Mount Sinai, including Dr. Irving Selikoff, could not then do this. They had declared that discovering an infinitesimal particle (an asbestos fiber) was “incomparably difficult”! (6)

My techniques for aerosol particle analysis were developed to achieve analysis to nanometre dimensions and atom analysis limits. With my colleague Peter Kenway, I published the engineering design criteria needed to do this in 1989. (7)

It has taken 22 years for this to be realised in the modern FEI ChemiSTEM. (8)

It will be capable of achieving particle analysis of nanoparticles and fully characterise them.

Although today, the only nanoparticles it seems to analyse are catalysts. It does not appear to be used to analyse potentially harmful nanoparticles from aerosols. Perhaps because this does not provide a profit?

I hope not and I hope that the many warning of the inadequacy of regulation of nanoparticles is recognised.

Professor John Dearden, of Liverpool John Moores University has remarked that the danger from very fine particulate emissions is only now being realised, and very fine particulates cannot be filtered out effectively from (the likes of) incinerator gaseous emissions. (9)

We now know that combustion products cause cancer and heart attacks. Dr. Andrew Lucking has postulated that in his home city of Edinburgh, if diesel buses had filters to remove small particles, heart attacks would stop! (10)

We are increasing anthropogenic nanoparticle emissions, with no adequate control for any particle size smaller than PM2.5.

Thirty-five years ago, in 1977, it was realised by Manchester University asbestos “expert” Professor Jack Zussman that “any material to which people are exposed on a large scale needs to be tested for its physiological effects”. (11) The material to which he referred was processed crushed mineral material – that is small particles of material exposed to the public on a massive scale!

The potential for causing harm to human health, from unregulated nanoparticles, many of which are anthropogenic, is immense and insufficient research is being applied to this problem. Most of the reasons I have been given, privately, are financial. I simply want to know who will be paying the bill in the future for the failure to act now.

We are supposed to learn from history but by the time something is done we may well be just too late for the many innocent victims of a failure to act today?

Yours sincerely,

Graham Cliff.

References –

1) Professor Sir Richard Doll, obituary, Telegraph, 25 July 2005. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1494745/Professor-Sir-Richard-Doll.html

2) Dr. John F. Knox, obituary, Oxford Journal of Occupational Medicine, London, 1973.http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/23/1/28.extract

3) Dr. Barry Clark, text adapted from “A rationale for the mandatory limitation of outdoor lighting”, April, 2009. Original text from the author as a 111 page PDF. (Email - contact Graham Cliff)

4) Prof Vyvyan Howard, “What they don’t know could hurt you”, Hazards magazine, 87, 2004.

http://www.temas.ch/Impart/ImpartProj.nsf/3932C3A54384443DC1257368003A8D80/$FILE/nanotechsafety.pdf?OpenElement&enetarea=01

5) Professor Ann Dowling, Royal Society Report, 29 July 2004. Quote in Hazards magazine, 2004 http://www.hazards.org/nanotech/safety.htm

6) Dr. Thomas Huffman, “Enemies of the people: Asbestos and the Reserve Mining Trial”, 2005.

http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/59/v59i07p292-306.pdf

7) Cliff & Kenway, “The future of AEM: Toward atom analysis”, 47^th EMSA, 1989. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2016280247781&set=a.1662848572210.2087342.1267103040&type=3&theater

8) ChemiSTEM – FEI Inc, advertising PDF, 2011. http://www.fei.com/uploadedFiles/Documents/Content/LR_Bro_ChemiSTEM.pdf

9) Prof John Dearden, Parliamentary Waste Strategy Memorandum, DEFRA, 2007. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmenvfru/230/230we57.htm

10) Dr. Andrew Lucking, “Filtering fumes could reduce heart attacks”, Edinburgh University, 20 April 2011. http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/all-news/fumes-120411

11) Professor Jack Zussman, Proceedings NBS Asbestos Workshop, July 1977. http://tobaccodocuments.org/pm/2063104836-4849.html?zoom=750&ocr_position=above_foramatted&start_page=1&end_page=14

Excellent video on big business and its domination of American elections

2012-01-23T03:57:00.000-08:00

This is well worth taking a look at - http://www.storyofstuff.org/

Cheers to those Sunderland fans who helped make my son's first match a 'good un'

2012-01-23T03:31:00.001-08:00

On Saturday I took my almost four-year old son to his first football match - Sunderland versus Swansea. He had a great time, and what was heart warming was just how friendly total strangers were. Holding his hand as I tried to weave my way in and out of the crowds to get to our seats in the North Stand it was amazing how many people stepped out of the way - even ‘wrongly’ apologising for being in the way- gave the lad a great big smile and generally helped make it a special day out for him. Thanks to all of them for doing so.

Help ban wild animals in circuses

2012-01-23T03:21:00.000-08:00

The government is, once again, under pressure to ban wild animals in circuses. Sixty-six MPs have now signed a fresh early day motion in the House of Commons calling on Cameron and Clegg to act.

Currently the animals – defined by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [Defra] as ‘a member of a species that is not normally domesticated in the British Isles…..not having a fixed place of residence for over six months’ - are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act [AWA]. This was passed in 2006 and its wake a Circus Working Group [CWG] was established to consider specific legislation.

Containing representatives of the circus industry, animal welfare organisations and academics this disappointed animal welfare campaigners by failing to find sufficient scientific evidence to justify a complete ban on the grounds that the animal’s welfare need were not being satisfactorily met. The group was criticised by many for its unwillingness to consider photographic or video evidence, with animal rights organisations pointing out these showed animals being regularly beaten during training and enduring long periods of isolation.

In early 2010 members of the public were asked their opinion, when Defra asked people to complete a questionnaire on whether they supported a complete ban, voluntary or statutory regulation to safeguard the welfare of the animals, the numbers of which are estimated at between 40 and 50. The result was overwhelming, with 94% backing a complete ban.

Soon after the results were announced a new coalition Government was elected.

They replaced a Labour administration that had failed to follow through on its 20006 promise made by Ben Bradshaw, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs “to use a regulation under clause 10 of the Animal Welfare Bill to ban the use in travelling circuses of certain non-domesticated species whose welfare needs cannot be satisfactorily met in that environment.”

Yet if anyone harboured hopes of a change of attitude, from May 2010 onwards, they have proven misplaced. When Tory MP Mark Pritchard put down a motion in June 2011 in the Commons, asking MPs to support the public’s demand for a ban, he complained during the debate on it that he “had a call from the prime minister’s office directly and I was told that unless I withdrew this motion the prime minister would look upon it very dimly indeed. “

MP’s approved his motion with a formal vote, but with it not being binding Environment Minister Jim Paice, who’d like to see the Hunting Act repealed, said the government was restricted from acting because there was a “serious risk” of a legal challenge to any UK ban. This followed a legal challenge to Austria’s ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

Last month though the Austrian courts dismissed this and on January 16^th Pritchard asked Paice when “he expects to make progress on the banning of wild animals in circuses?”

With the Environment Minister replying that “we are considering its relevance to the legal position here” he is now coming under increasing pressure from MPs, with the numbers signing EDM 2563: Ban on Wild Animals in Circuses expected to rise sharply over the next few weeks.

As always the group Animal Aid at www.animalaid.org.uk/ is doing an excellent job of bringing public pressure to bear and is urging members of the public to contact their MPs to ensure they sign the EDM.

If you'd like to tackle disability hate crime then get involved

2012-01-20T02:28:00.000-08:00

There's a great facebook group working on tackling disability hate crime - 2,000 people have signed up and if you'd like to join them then see -

http://www.facebook.com/groups/disabilityhatecrimenetwork/10150543808318987/

Are we moving towards a government of national recovery?

2012-01-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

Labour ‘leader’ Ed Miliband’s decision to throw his parties lot in with the coalition government’s cuts agenda must surely give rise to the question ‘what’s the use of the Labour Party?’ Because having long since abandoned the Labour heartlands - through its adoption of policies which have significantly widened the gap between rich and poor - it’s now set on a collision course with its own supporters in the trade union movement and the public sector workers they represent.

If that’s the case then why not go the whole hog and seek to enter government by becoming a junior partner in it? If there’s nothing to differentiate Labour’s policies, then surely that’s the obvious next step during these ‘straightened economic times?’

Three words, which in the case of all three major parties means refusing to accept that the accepted neo-liberal economic dogma of the last 35 years of letting the rich run riot by multiplying their incomes, at the expense of all others, is now threatening the very system they so passionately defend. One that it has to be said that continues to mean abject poverty for at least a 1/6^th of the world’s population, and alienation for a good many more.

Miliband’s move seems to be an attempt to imitate earlier election successes. First there was Labour’s promise not to alter the Tories spending for two years if they were elected in 1997. Then at last year’s election the Tories were unwilling to map out in detail what their promised CHANGE actually consisted of and the Liberal Democrats, of course, appeared not to be in favour of making any cuts – especially in student tuition fees.

However he could well find himself outflanked if the Tories are clever enough to go to the polls when really they’ve got no effective opposition – by which I mean from a Party, unlike Clegg’s lot, that actually could win a majority at an election. In such a case what is the worst that could happen for Cameron? He again ends up needing Liberal support, which from their actions over the last 18 months seems pretty guaranteed.

Also things aren’t going to get better – in fact, as I’ve written before the ruling class, which the Tories are part of, and all the political parties are working to serve; don’t want it to. They hope, and are using the current crisis to try and permanently drive down people’s standards of living and expectations. I laughed when a Labour MP I know well – but who shall remain anonymous – told me in the middle of last year that the Tories would go to the polls before the Olympics. She might just be right, not that it’s going to do her much good.

Drop Eddie Gilfoyle's murder conviction and prosecute the police

2012-01-17T11:28:00.001-08:00

A Merseyside man’s 20-year struggle against his conviction for murdering his wife has taken a dramatic turn following revelations that the police kept hidden her personal papers from at least 1994.

At trial Eddie Gilfoyle argued his wife Paula committed suicide. However evidence from friends and family about her contentment with life helped convince the Jury he had tricked his wife into leaving a suicide note before killing her.

In 1995 the dead woman’s state of mind was cited as grounds for rejecting the first of two appeals. Having maintained his innocence, Gilfoyle left prison in December 2010. Shortly before Merseyside Police handed, his legal team, Paula’s previously unseen personal effects revealing an earlier overdose of pills and letters from two ex-boyfriends threatening suicide. In one the language used resembles her final letter.

With Gilfoyle’s case before the Criminal Cases Review Commission the former Assistant Chief Constable for Merseyside Police, Alison Halford, has demanded an independent inquiry and the Home Secretary’s involvement into the latest events.

An online petition supporting Eddie Gilfoyle is at http://www.petitiononine.co.uk/petition/justice-for-eddie-gilfoyle/4104

Buy the badge and help fund the Miners’ Memorial Sculpture at Allerton Bywater

2012-01-11T04:30:00.001-08:00

Buy the badge and help fund the Miners’ Memorial Sculpture at Allerton Bywater

A memorial sculpture dedicated to the 80 miners who were killed, and hundreds of others who died from work-related diseases, whilst extracting coal at Allerton Bywater Colliery in West Yorkshire will be unveiled on September 8^th this year.

Some of the money for the memorial has been raised through sale of an exquisite red and gold enamel badge in the shape of a miniature miners’ lamp bearing the words “Allerton Bywater Colliery Miners’ Memorial.”

They still have 700 badges, available by sending cheques for £5 and 70p postage made out to The Allerton Bywater Colliery Memorial Fund, to 7, Woodside Grove, Allerton Bywater, West Yorkshire, WF10 2HG.

Book review – NEWS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE

2012-01-11T04:15:00.000-08:00

Book review – NEWS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE

The epic story of race and the American media

Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres

Verso books

The blurb on the front cover of this book claims “we’ve needed this book for a long time.” As I agreed I thought it would be good to review it for the Big Issue in the North magazine and I received the go-head from the deputy editor to read the book and then submit some questions – via Verso’s London office – to the authors. I’ve done about 20 or so such reviews over the last few years and have always received replies, even if on occasions they were a little later than originally promised.

The book is 400 pages long and so took a fair bit of time to read. As you don’t get much for reviewing a book in the Big Issue then the opportunity to read books that you’d like to read anyway is, in part, compensation for the time spent. Part hobby/part work is how it might be described.

The book was very interesting and so I duly sent off the questions and waited and waited….and more than three months later I am still waiting…..even the people at Verso in London appear embarrassed. So I’ve given up, the authors rightly illustrate throughout the book how black people have been excluded and marginalised from mainstream American media. Yet they can’t be bothered to answer some questions for a magazine that helps similarly marginalised people in the homeless? It makes me wonder about their motivation in writing it.

The Iron Lady film lacks substance

2012-01-11T03:56:00.000-08:00

The Iron Lady

This biographical film about former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep, is a pretty dull depiction of a remarkable woman who changed – for the worse – the direction of British politics.

By focusing on Thatcher as a woman in a man’s world, allocating too much time to her rise to power and using her current senility as the base to look back the film struggles to properly capture the conviction neo-liberal politician that the Tory leader was.

Consequently the multi-faceted fightbacks that eventually led to her own political demise, but not the politics she spawned, are inadequately represented on screen.

We learn that she stood up to the unions - particularly the Miners. Yet there’s no depiction of their leader, Arthur Scargill, or the largest movement of working class women in British history, Women Against Pit Closures. They wanted to protect the communities that she aimed to destroy.

She imposed a hated Poll Tax whereby the rich and poor all paid the same for their local services. Yet there’s nothing about how, after it was first introduced there, it helped create the initial stirrings for Scottish Independence and left the Tories dependent on their support in southern England.

We learn that she stood up for Britain in Europe, but we have no idea that it’s in order to ensure the Tories can continue to drive back the social welfare gains made at the end of the Second World War. A policy that today’s Tories and Liberals are all too happy to continue.

In the film Thatcher is quoted as saying she didn’t “want to manage the decline of this great nation” and the implication is that she didn’t. As such, and despite enjoying the benefits of massive North Sea Oil revenues, we find out little about her Government’s economic policies that were so destructive to British manufacturing with huge swathes of industry, especially across the north, swept away rather than provided with political and economic support.

Love or like me, loathe Thatcher it should be possible to make a great film on her. This is certainly not it.

Golden Boot book now out

2012-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

THE GOLDEN BOOT:

FOOTBALL’S TOP SCORER YEAR BY YEAR 1888-2011

MARK METCALF & TONY MATTHEWS

Including George Best, Jimmy Greaves, Gary Linkeker, Kevin Phillips, Alan Shearer, Dixie Dean, Mick Channon, Nat Lofthouse, Pop Robson, Jimmy Ross, Jack Southworth, Nat Lofthouse, David Halliday, Bob Latchford, John Charles, Roger Hunt, Stan Mortensen, Johnny Campbell, Enoch West, Frank Worthington, Malcolm McDonald, Andy Wilson, Frank Bowers, Charlie Buchan........

out now from Amberley Publishing and bookshops and Amazon

What's happening at Tata Steel in Scunthorpe?

2012-01-05T02:40:00.000-08:00

This is an unpublished article - it was written for Unite works magazine in September 2011.

Given the opportunity to retire at 60 on a generous final salary pension, as well as the added bonus of a lump sum, then most people would jump at it. Especially when it would bring to an end 37 years as a steelworker in one of Europe’s largest plants. Bill Gray, Unite works convenor at Tata Steel in Scunthorpe, is different. Stung by having to deal with the loss of over a thousand jobs, a quarter of the workforce, he’s determined to help ensure a brighter future for those he represents and the local economy as a whole.

It means he’s willing to support plans for new products, involving moving out of low market value steel products, and into more valuable markets such as high grade plate, tyre cord and rail. “It’s a case of quality, rather than quantity, as lower wage levels in Eastern Europe, India and China means they can produce bulk steel considerably cheaper” says Bill realistically.

All of which has meant big losses. So with the construction industry still battered by the worldwide economic crisis brought on by irresponsible banking practices - not forgetting the subsequent austerity measures adopted by the likes of the UK government - then Bill doesn’t mind admitting he “feared that if the previous owners Corus hadn’t sold up to Tata we would now be moving towards closure.”

So whilst he certainly wasn’t happy in May to be informed that cuts in Tata’s Long Products division was going to hit Scunthorpe particularly hard he was buoyed by news that the company was going to invest up to £400 million in it over the next five years. As part of this £4.2 million is being spent next year installing new fans, motors and drives to save energy and reduce emissions at Scunthorpe.

Meanwhile there have been no plans to reduce the number of new apprentices, with 65 set to start in September.

They’ll be studying to become fitters, welders, electricians, chemists and metallurgists and Bill is delighted saying; “We are going to need these skills as we move forward and seek new markets. We have an ageing workforce and we need to equip young people with some real skills during their three-year apprenticeships and then continue to update these through their working lives. Unite wants to see the skills levels on site increase and will push, and work with, management and other unions to ensure this happens.”

Meanwhile though there’s the difficult problem of working through who might be losing their current jobs. Because most are on the process side then Unite members aren’t being hit as hard as those in Community. That’s no real consolation to Bill and all unions on site have worked together on convincing management - successfully he believes - that considerably fewer posts should be axed.

There’s a real determination to prevent compulsory redundancies, helped, in part by the fact that steelworkers can retire aged 60 with a pension that matches their final salary scale.

The unions will also negotiate a voluntary redundancy package for those who want to leave and have backed a local Task Force whose aims include helping find alternative employment or support to set up in business.

Meanwhile Bill is, after the Task Force met Prime Minister David Cameron, looking to see the Government “buy into the concept of wind energy” and as such build on the support it gave earlier this year to the construction by E.On of 77 wind turbines five miles off nearby Spurn Point. Once operational the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm should generate enough electricity to power 150,000 homes a year.

That though could be a drop in the ocean. In June 2008 the previous Government drew up plans to build up to 7,000 wind turbines at a cost of £80 billion, something business secretary Vince Cable was reminded of by local council’s when he visited Scunthorpe in July.

Bill Gray, and all Tata employees, are now hoping for further developments and he shares the views of Unite at a national level which is that the ‘wind energy sector has the potential to generate nearly quarter of a million UK ‘green’ jobs, helping lead the UK out of the recession and towards energy security. Unite believes this vital green industry is in danger of being totally lost to countries which are doing more to support this emerging market.”

Thousands more wind turbines will mean much more high-grade steel will be needed. Steel, a refashioned Scunthorpe plant will be in a position to supply. Thus generating much needed profits that “can then be invested to help ensure a long-term sustainable future for the Scunthorpe plant when the construction industry begins its revival” said Bill anticipating a time when he will finally be able to enjoy his own retirement.

Out of sight is not out of mind

2011-12-20T02:06:00.000-08:00

Taken from Big Issue magazine - December 19th 2011

Not enough is being done to evaluate whether tiny airborne

nanoparticles are damaging people’s health, according to a former

Manchester University scientist.

Nanoparticles of substances such as iron and copper are produced by

industrial and waste management processes and car emissions.

They are found in products ranging from tennis racquets to paints,

and also occur naturally. Critically, nanoparticles are so small –

less than a billionth of a metre – that can often possess properties

that are different from the bulk material from which they are drawn.

Scientists have suggested that nanoparticles could be associated with

heart attacks, asthma and a worsening of the condition in people with

dementia.

Last year new EU legislation reduced the level at which particulate

matter (pm) is regulated from 10 to 2.5pm in diameter. But former

research fellow Graham Cliff believes public bodies don’t have the

equipment to do so.

Graham Cliff

The Environment Agency uses the well know method of light microscopy

to assess particles. But Cliff said: “This cannot chemically analyse

small particles, reducing our understanding of what is in the air.”

Cliff pointed out that that the initial failure to regulate asbestos

particles below 10pm led to thousands of deaths from mesothelioma

across Britain.

He said: “Cliff said: “We know that in 1947 scientists were

instructed to ignore nanoparticles and then in the 1970s Professor

John A Chandler from the Cardiff University Cancer Research Institute

was restricted from analysing particles below 10pm because they were

considered too small to do any damage.

“Although it’s now accepted that’s not the case the very same

argument is being used with regard to nanoparticles down to 1pm.”

Three years ago at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital tests were carried out

on seven young women exposed to nanoparticles in paint in their

workplace for up to 13 months. Suffering from shortness of breath and

excess fluids in their lungs, the women, two of whom died, were

tested, with doctors concluding that “long-term exposure to some

nanoparticles without protective measures may be related to serious

damage to human lungs.”

Here in Britain Professor Patrick Case from Bristol University

believes that “nanoparticles may cause DNA damage” and Professor

Raymond Agius from Manchester University has suggested that

“aggravation of dementia” may be a symptom. Cliff claimed other

scientists fear that nanoparticles are contributing to heart attacks

and a general rise in asthma amongst the public.

Yet Britain lags behind China and the US in assessing the possible

health effects of human exposure to nanoparticles. The Health

Protection Agency did establish a Nanotoxicology Research Centre in

2008 in Oxfordshire – using sophisticated electron microscopes

costing up to £3 million each – but could not say when it would issue

any results.

But a Health Protection Agency spokesperson said this technique might

not be suitable for other government departments. “It is not clear

that electron microscopy would be the most appropriate technique for

the Environment Agency to use to evaluate nanoparticles,” said the

spokesperson.

Race and the British media - one week in the Sunderland Echo

2011-12-16T03:19:00.001-08:00

Race and the British media – the Sunderland Echo.

Part of the Johnston Press group the Sunderland Echo is published Monday-Saturday. It has an average daily circulation of over 34,000 with around 87,000 readers across the northeast of England, mainly in the City of Sunderland and County Durham.

At the 2001 census the City of Sunderland’s population was 98.1% white, 1% Asian and 0.4% mixed-race. It is expected that the 2011 census will see a rise in the % of people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds as over the last decade a number of migrant workers, overseas students and refugee and asylum seekers have migrated to the City.

In 2002 the arrival of refugees and asylum seekers under the Labour government’s forced dispersal policy was met with hostility, boosting support for the British National Party at the local and general elections in the City. Largely housed in some of the poorest areas of the city the new arrivals were the victims of some brutal attacks culminating in the murder of Iranian refugee Payman Bahmani in August that year, which was met by a dignified passionate series of demonstrations and pickets by refugees, and those who supported them.

Ironically I benefited from events in that I was asked by the Guardian newspaper, via Northern correspondent Martin Wainwright, to write an article [s] for the paper and which I then followed up by writing a lengthy piece for the Big Issue in the South magazine – which for some reason also includes in its patch the north-east of England. Doing this got me started on writing for a living.

As I was also secretary of Sunderland Fans against Racism then I helped co-ordinate with a number of fans counter-leafleting to the BNP, in which no punches were pulled in attacking the Labour Party’s refusal to try and tackle racism in the City. At one point this led to considerable correspondence with the Local Labour MP, Chris Mullin, who I still feel wanted to duck the issue.

At the time many anti-racists were also extremely critical of the Sunderland Echo for its coverage of events. In particular the paper was accused of constantly giving the BNP uncritical coverage, and of allowing them to create a poisonous atmosphere in the City and the surrounding areas. I am guessing here but I believe it was the death of Payman Bahmani – and less so the resistance that followed - that changed the stance of the Echo as quite simply Sunderland’s’ reputation was being [economically] damaged and rubbished.

As the City relies a lot on overseas investment – think Nissan, for example – this was not going to do a lot of good – and the stance changed. Coverage became more balanced – a response that led to the BNP even targeting some local journalists, and thus confirming what many people already know that their democratic values are shallow.

I left Sunderland in 2004 and although I go back to watch the World’s greatest team I no longer read the Sunderland Echo every evening. This was as such the first time I had read it for a whole week for some time, starting on Monday December 5^th 2011.

There was little coverage of issues relating to race during the week. Five articles and one letter was the sum total, with a further three in which the actions of black people were economically and socially raised.

The five articles included two that covered the arrests and deportation at a Takeaway shop in nearby Horden Colliery of three workers in breach of their visa conditions.

Then there were articles on a Sunderland woman who claimed, at and Industrial Tribunal, to have been racially discriminated against by her NHS bosses and one on the actions being taken by Irish police after complaints that a Twitter user in Ireland had racially abused Sunderland Football Club’s black striker Frazier Campbell. This was a lengthy and prominent piece with reports of how Campbell is a keen supporter of the Show Racism the Red Card campaign.

The fifth piece – and only one not related to events locally – was an article about Mark Lambie’s appeal against being kept behind bars for having kidnapped two men in North London in 2002. In 1987 Lambie had been cleared of murdering PC Blakelock during the Broadwater Farm Riots two years earlier.

In terms of other coverage there was a piece on a shop’s plea to stay open longer being rejected and a Sunderland business-woman facing the possibility of losing her alcohol licence for serving under-age drinkers. In both cases the owners were of Asian background. Whilst finally there was a prominent piece on British long jump champion JJ Legede and his work with local young schoolchildren.

Finally there was a lengthy letter from a local resident that said ‘Most of the country has put an end to racism, yet Sunderland has a long way to go.’

Conclusion

The articles that did appear were balanced in their reporting but apart from the article on JJ Legede then none could be considered to be positive about black people.

Save Remploy

2011-12-15T03:45:00.001-08:00

In 2007-08 the two unions forced the Labour Government to climb down from plans to close 43 factories. Eighteen were rescued including Wythenshawe. The fight to save the remaining 54 continues.

Save Bombardier

2011-12-15T03:34:00.000-08:00

It will be a bittersweet moment this Christmas for John Pearson, the Unite senior rep at Derby-based train manufacturer Bombardier, as he drives out of the gates for the last time.

Grateful for the extra money that will come his way - courtesy of the unions fight for enhanced redundancy payments - the 64 year old hopes to also be buoyed by having helped persuade management to “hang fire, for now” on issuing any compulsory redundancies on the shop floor. But also “very angry as despite the coherent arguments put forward by the trade union movement this uncaring government has failed to abort the decision to give the London Thameslink contract to Siemens of Germany and place it here. Unless they do then the future is bleak for Bombardier, its workers and thousands employed in the local supply chain industries.”

John had his hopes raised when the new Transport Minister Theresa Villiers visited Derby in November. He expected that, at the very least, she would bring news of orders for the 60 trains needed for the Crossrail link across London but “there was nothing except a repeat of previous excuses we had heard. Really we should have walked out. She didn’t even seem to understand that this plant could easily close. They should change their decision now.”

Earlier piece written for UNITE works magazine

Last time, under Thatcher and Major, it was coal, steel, the docks, cars and trucks……And whilst there’s still time to change their mind it’s now, under Cameron, train manufacturing after the Tories, with Liberal support, decided in June to make Siemens of Germany the preferred bidder to build 1,200 carriages for the London Thameslink route.

As a result 1,400 jobs at Derby based Bombardier are set to go, the long term future for Britain’s last train making company has been thrown into doubt and the supply chain industries are set to throw thousands on to an already rapidly expanding dole queue.

If the plan really is to switch employment away from the public to the private sector then the government clearly has a funny way of showing it.

Not that John Pearson, Unite senior rep and chairman of the works committee, at the massive Bombardier complex half a mile from Derby Midland station is laughing.

John’s worked there for 27 years and at 64 will be one of those leaving early. He’s grateful for the extra money that will come his way courtesy of all the unions on site fighting for enhanced redundancy payments. BUT, he’s deeply upset and angered that fifteen young people have had their apprenticeships cancelled, that plans to take on a further 100 in the next 8-10 years are on hold and he’s going to be walking out of the gates accompanied by hundreds of others.

The jobs that will be going, which include welders, vehicle builders, fitters, painters and testers, are decently paid. Back in the 90s one rate for all manufacturing staff was agreed with management and that’s currently £430 a week with a shift premium on top. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that once people’s redundancy money is exhausted that local shops and businesses are going to be hit when unemployed workers have a lot less to spend. More will be signing on.

“No-one could believe it when we heard the news. Government claims that as a nation we’re all in this together ring hollow when they then give away a major contract to a German company that already has a full order book” says Pearson, who as a transport worker at Bombardier moves trailers across departments.

The company is currently building carriages for London Underground until 2014 but other contracts for the Victoria underground line, National Express and London Midland will come to an end shortly. An order of 1,200 carriages would have kept its 3,000 East Midlands employees in work for four years.

John’s aware that Bombardier is one of five companies shortlisted for the contract to supply stock for the Crossrail link under Central London that will require 60 trains 200 metres long. However as this won’t be awarded till late 2013 he fears that the Derby site might not even be functioning by then or in a position to fulfil such a contract due “to the loss of so many skilled workers.” Meanwhile he rejects Siemens claims that 2,000 jobs in the supply chain will be created “because only components are to be made here in Britain.”

John, those he represents and the Derby public, in a town originally built on rail, wanted to know exactly why the Government had sent the Thameslink contract abroad. However the nearest they’ve got to an answer is Transport minister Theresa Villiers stating “the Siemens bid represented best value for taxpayers” and Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, defending the decision on grounds that he was restricted by the tendering process set by the previous Labour government and that EU rules had tied his hands to prevent the Tories favouring home based industry.

That’s not the case however in other parts of Europe. In the last five years France has built 100% of its domestic trains at home and Germany 98%, their governments being convinced that they can justify any challenge at the European court of justice on grounds they have taken wider considerations into account such as unemployment.

A survey carried out for Unite by Survation has shown that 40% of companies who supply Bombardier will be cutting jobs as a result of the government’s actions, and not just in Derby and the East Midlands.

“There are 10,000 jobs right across the UK under threat from this decision and that’s why we need to see it reversed” says Diana Holland, Unite Assistant General Secretary.

And to help the Government do so John, other Unite members and colleagues in the RMT, TSSA and GMB have been out vigorously campaigning by taking their case across the UK and into Europe. In August over 10,000 marched through Derby city centre. “It was one of the greatest days of my life” says John. A delegation got a marvellous reception when they went on the pitch before the local team’s match against Birmingham City and the Derby County manager Nigel Clough backed their fight for justice.

Local and national newspapers, and in particular the Daily Mirror, have supported them.

There have also been lobbies at all the major party conferences and the TUC, as well as attendance at the Transport select committee that examined the decision to award the Thameslink contract to Bombardier.

This was presented with written evidence from Unite, which identified ‘the principal cause of the Derby problems as originating from the previous Conservative government decision to privatise the rail network in 1993.’ Following which John Major set up Rolling Stock Operating Companies who lease out the rolling stock to train operators. These companies have made massive profits, but an environment where train manufacturers don’t know when orders, or their size, might be placed has decimated the industry leaving just Bombardier standing in the UK.

“Which is why the union won’t be giving up the fight to get the Government to change its decision” says Diana Holland. Hammond has admitted they could saying he “has the ability to abort and look afresh at the Thameslink project” before its finally signed off.

“He would be doing the country a great favour if he did so. We need a government that is committed to investing in British manufacturing and we feel that if Bombardier loses out it will be another example of this government’s failure to do so. None of which workers can afford” said Holland.

Government pressurised to introduce CCTV in slaughterhouses

2011-12-06T02:12:00.001-08:00

An increasing number of MPs are backing calls for CCTV to be made mandatory in UK slaughterhouses. Now over 30 have signed an early day motion calling on the government to act, with Dewsbury Conservative MP Simon Reevell and York Labour MP Hugh Bayley amongst the latest to add their signatures.

MPs have been left disturbed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ decision [DEFRA] not to prosecute when evidence of animal welfare abuses has been gathered secretly. And whilst DEFRA has recently had its prosecution powers passed over to the Crown Prosecution Service MPs are keen on further action to defend what they term is ‘the UK’s position as a world leader on animal welfare regulations.’

The MPs have acted after secret filming methods were employed over a 30-month period from January 2009 by national campaign group Animal Aid. This revealed shocking levels of abuse in eight out of the nine slaughterhouses they filmed. These included multiple stuns being needed to render animals unconscious before slaughter and animals being kicked and hit in the face. At Cheale Meats, a family run firm in Essex, workers were shown in June this year stubbing out cigarettes on pig’s faces. None is to face prosecution.

Animal Aid’s exposure led to another Essex slaughterhouse closing down after A&G Barber had major contracts cancelled. Meanwhile during Labour’s time in office cases were built by DEFRA for prosecution – under the Welfare of Animals Regulations [Slaughter or Killing] of 1995 - against four operators and nine men. These were dropped in August 2010 after DEFRA lawyers concluded that ‘legal action can only be taken where evidence has been gathered legally’ which they determined ruled out using a hidden camera.

Yet in comparison Panorama’s ‘Undercover Care - the abuse exposed’, that revealed shocking mistreatment by staff at Bristol’s Winterbourne View residential hospital for patients with learning disabilities, and which was filmed secretly, is now being used to prosecute.

Meanwhile DEFRA has defended its position not to require slaughterhouses to make compulsory use of CCTV. They’ve done so on the grounds that because a new piece of European Legislation, effective from January 1^st 2013, does not include such provision the UK is prevented from ‘introducing stricter national measures such as CCTV.’

However when Animal Aid asked the European Union on this they were told ‘it is in the domain of the competent authorities of the Member States to take the necessary measures in order to ensure compliance with the requirements of EU legislation.’ This would appear to pave the way to allow the UK government to introduce CCTV if it chose to do so in Britain’s 350 plus slaughterhouses.

Kate Fowler, Animal Aid’s Head of Campaigns, is pleased “that an increasing number of MPs are signing the early day motion.” Even with Animal Aid having earlier this year claimed that ‘This government could hardly have done more to damage animal protection’ she’s still confident that the coalition can “be forced to change their minds because the public feels very strongly about this issue and some supermarkets have already forced their suppliers to introduce CCTV.”

But does it matter if animals that are only a few minutes away from being slaughtered aren’t properly treated? “Yes, it does. All animals - no matter their circumstances - deserve to be treated with respect and to be spared deliberate suffering. This is what the law demands and what the public expects, especially after we’ve revealed shocking levels of abuse in Britain’s slaughterhouses” said Fowler.

Whilst DEFRA said “We care deeply about animal welfare and are horrified by any abuse’ they refused to respond to a series of questions put to them.

Grahame Morris, the MP behind the early day motion, said he would like to see “all those passionate about animal welfare contacting their MPs to support the motion and protect animals from unnecessary cruelty.” Morris, the MP for Easington Colliery, County Durham accused DEFRA of dithering and delaying and having lost “all sense of purpose” on animal welfare.

Land grab?

2011-12-06T02:04:00.001-08:00

Over the last ten years land equalling the size of Western Europe has been sold or leased in developing countries to international investors. Most of the acquisitions have taken place in the last two years and can be explained by the international food prices crisis of 2007-08 that sparked riots in a number of countries.

Keen to discover how these developments have impacted on local people Oxfam has conducted studies in Uganda, Indonesia, Guatemala, Honduras and Southern Sudan.

The resulting report – Land and Power: The growing scandal surrounding the new wave of investments in land - does not make for pleasant reading. Now the charity is calling for changes to ensure that any further investment contributes ‘to rather than undermine the food security and livelihoods of local communities.’

In Uganda, where following decades of human rights abuses multi-party politics were restored five years ago, Oxfam viewed the actions of the UK-based New Forests Company with alarm.

The charity accuses New Forest [NFC], which describes itself as ‘a sustainable and socially responsible forestry company’; of benefiting from what it claims was the forcible eviction of 22,500 people in the forest reserves of Namwasa and Luwunga in the Mudende District.

NFC is now leasing the land to plant trees. It has denied its operations are designed to sell carbon credits to companies in the developed world to offset their carbon emissions.

The company disputes the numbers evicted arguing its closer to 9,700. They’ve cited a census paid for by them as evidence. However they’ve, so far, refused to make it publicly available. Meanwhile Oxfam’s figures said policy officer Radhika Sarin “were derived from speaking to former community leaders in Luwunga and estimating that a court case brought by 1,489 families in Namwasa represents, on the basis of five people per family, a further 7,445 people being evicted.”

NFC also disputes Oxfam’s claims, supported by testimonies from some of those evicted, that violence was used, by security personnel and government officials, with a company spokesperson saying “no violence was used and none has been reported to the NFC or local police.”

The company claims that the vast majority of those evicted were on the lands illegally and that as owners of the land the Uganda government could lease it to whomever they wanted.

However according to Sarin many of “those evicted have lived there for many years. But everyone affected has the right to fair consultation and compensation, including assistance in finding another place to live where they can raise their families. Oxfam doesn’t oppose investment in developing countries but the manner in which it is undertaken is important. Our report shows communities across the developing world are finding their land being grabbed from under them.”

The report, and the subsequent campaign, has however been attacked by the Ugandan government with the Minister of Water and Environment Maria Mutagamba stating NFC are “a responsible company who has performed satisfactorily within the legal, policy and regulatory frameworks of Uganda. The insinuation of a land grab by NFC is patently false.” She has called for Oxfam to review their findings.

Meanwhile NFC has now agreed to conduct an external investigation into Oxfam’s claims. In a prepared statement the company said they “will consult many parties including Oxfam and would welcome their suggestions for appointees to a supervisory committee that we will establish.“

“ We will continue to monitor the situation on the ground in order to confirm that the investigation is happening. We are pleased at the news,” said Sarin.

Less pleasing however were Oxfam and other charities failure to get MPs to support their calls not to reduce overseas petitioners access to legal aid in cases against British companies operating abroad. The new Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill was passed by the House of Commons on November 1^st. Unless the House of Lords offers opposition it will become, after gaining Royal Assent, Law. Civil liberties organisation Liberty believes it ‘will decimate the legal aid system, placing justice beyond the reach of many.”

Let's picket

2011-11-30T13:21:00.000-08:00

A striker gives his personal views on his first picket.

7.45am - Arrived at Halifax Connexions office and joined colleagues Judy and Mick. After 34 years as a public services worker this was my first experience of picket duty. We were all apprehensive as we knew that all other Connexions offices were closed in Calderdale and Kirklees. We had also been told that workers who wanted to work were being directed to Halifax so that this office could stay open.

By 9.00am we were wishing that we had brought a brazier as the temperature wasn't much above freezing. However, our cause was warmed by shoppers and people on their way to work who stopped to offer support:-

Fiona - explained that her husband is a refuse collector and there had been problems with their strike ballot and the fact that the refuse collection service has been privatised further complicated things. She felt that her 18 year old unemployed son was suffering as there were very few prospects at present. She said they were struggling with finances and that she hoped the government would take notice of the strikers.

Tammy and Jess - fellow strikers and administration workers from Northgate House offered to get us hot drinks if we needed them. They said around 30 workers had crossed the picket line where they were.

Stan - a former rent collector for Halifax MBC said he was pleased to see us demonstrating. He felt that someone needed to stand up for the futures of his children and grand children. He said that all people should have decent pensions.

Catherine - a teacher from the King Cross area of Halifax said she was behind our cause and hoped that we didn't get too cold.

At 9.30am the first worker turned up who wanted to cross the picket line. He wasn't in the union and didn't contribute to the pension scheme. Fifteen minutes later another 2 workers and a manager appeared. Thankfully only 3 workers were willing to cross the line and the centre stayed closed. At 10.20am we left for the demonstration in Huddersfield.

After over 2 hours on the picket line I had received no abuse and had met over a dozen supportive members of the public. I have been heartened by the experience and will be willing to do the same again if necessary.

See link below for photos from Halifax and Huddersfield.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/110660238400382020331/albums/5680834919670527409

The TUC Day of Action in Yorkshire and Humberside has been a big success

2011-11-30T10:32:00.000-08:00

This appears on TUC site at http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial/tuc-20359-f0.cfm?regional=4

The TUC Day of Action in Yorkshire and Humberside has been a big success. Picket lines have largely been respected and the four [*] major rallies in Bradford, Sheffield, Hull and Leeds drew a combined total of 25,000 people to listen to a range of speakers from the 29 unions on strike. If the Government were hoping that public sector workers would refuse to stand up and fight for their pension rights then they will have been disappointed.

Picketing started early at many workplaces. At Kirklees Building Services the atmosphere was lively with Jan Grabowski, Unite deputy convenor reporting that from a total staff of around 600 “less than 20 had gone into work.”

Directly opposite members of UNISON at Street Scene and Housing were doing their best to keep out the cold. They may have had the youngest picket in Edward Williams who at just three months had joined his engineering dad Robert in protesting about changes that will leave both of them worse off. No wonder then that Kirklees UNISON had 61 newly completed forms from non-members this week as people from all occupations begin to understand just how important being in a trade union is.

Less than half a mile away members of UNISON and NAPO were unlikely to remain cold for long as they danced up and down and urged passing motorists to honk their horns in support. Plenty were willing to oblige as Natalie Atkinson, NAPO steward, explained "They just wanted to get over the message that we are not just against pension cuts but are for good public services that everyone needs and relies upon. Also it is not right that a crisis caused by unregulated financial banking should be paid for by working people.”

In nearby Leeds some of the pickets were on strike for the first time in their lives. At St James Hospital these were multi-union and they’d even gathered the support of a local pub owner who had provided sandwiches and light refreshments.

Suitably refreshed, and buoyed by news that even those who had been forced to work - in order to rightly provide emergency cover - were intending to join them at the end of their shifts they joined thousands of their colleagues from right across the public sector in converging on Leeds City Centre. With the Leeds Trades Union Council and University and College Union banners at its head a demonstration led the way.

By the time the rally on the steps of the Art Gallery kicked off then there were an estimated 9,000 people present.

Bill Adams, secretary of Yorkshire and the Humber TUC said he was “proud to be amongst them” as he introduced the speakers. They were to draw warm applause with Hugh Lanning, the PCS Deputy General Secretary saying, “It has been a great day and if the government thought the public services were a soft touch they probably don’t now. But make no mistake the Tories never had a plan B and they are just using the financial recession as a cover for what has always been their political and ideological objectives. But we can fight and win.”

Kate Mayer, a GMB education steward pointed out that all “pension funds are in surplus” and called for tax avoidance loopholes to be closed in order to raise an “annual £123 billion that could easily fund decent pensions for everyone in the public and private sector.” She said she was proud to have participated in the largest public sector strike since 1926.

Karen Reay, Unite Regional Secretary asked, “What will happen to young people, who want to work, if we force those who want to take a deserved break to work much longer? They are expecting nurses to work into their sixties, which will not only impact on their own health but will impact on the level of service members of the public can expect.”

Celia Foote of the NAS/UWT said it “was the government which wanted to put children’s education at risk and not teachers. Public sector pensions are affordable and it’s not just our pensions that are under attack as can be seen at Unilever where workers have voted for action.” Noting that it was the unions who had forced the Government to the negotiating table she called on “people to stick together in a battle we must win.”

At the end Bill Adams summed up the day’s events saying “this great turnout has been matched elsewhere across the region and we should all be proud of our efforts.”

Sheffield had 10,000 people at the closing rally
Thanks to Ralph Dyson from Rawmarsh School for photo

Rallies were also held in 8 of the regions smaller towns and cities with an estimated total attendance of close to 8,000.

Power to the pickets
Thanks to Ralph Dyson for photograph.

The Leveson Inquiry

2011-11-29T03:19:00.000-08:00

The Leveson Inquiry - Culture, Practice and Ethics of the Press

I’ve only been working as a Journalist/writer for a small number of years and certainly wouldn’t consider myself important enough to appear at the Leveson Inquiry, especially as I haven’t done much work for the national papers that set the tone for the press industry.

There are though three events worth recalling. In 2002 a young Iranian refugee, Payman Behmani, was stabbed to death in Hendon, Sunderland. It wasn’t much more than a few hundred yards from where I then lived and I contacted the Guardian newspaper and provided much of the copy that was filed on the story by their Northern correspondent Martin Wainwright.

Not too long after an asylum seeker in Sunderland was also stabbed in Hendon and taken critically ill to the hospital. I re-rang the Guardian and asked if they wanted me to file some copy and was told by the then Deputy Editor [whose name I can’t recall] they would only be interested if the man died. Fortunately he survived.

In the autumn of 2003 I also wrote a number of articles [potentially 3 of around 1,000 words each] for publication in the popular regional newspaper The Journal. I had already written a number of pieces that had been published in the Morning Star about gulf war syndrome affecting British servicemen who had served in the first Gulf War a decade earlier. I’d followed this up with other pieces on how badly members of the military have always been treated if they fall sick, or are left injured or invalided as a result of their service. The pieces in the Journal were to have a similar focus, but with a more human touch with interviews with local ex-servicemen.

The articles were to go out on a Saturday, starting with September 20^th. The night before I was rang by the paper and the final content was read down the phone to me. Next morning – nothing and none of them were ever to appear. On the Tuesday I rang the deputy editor I had been working with and was told he had left his post. I never did manage to speak to him to confirm exactly why but I was told by someone who wished to remain anonymous that “he had quit in disgust” when following a call from the Ministry of Defence the paper had decided to drop all the articles. To matters even worse I got not a penny for my work.

Three years later I was alerted to the fact that Arsenal’s new multi-million pound Emirates Stadium was not up to scratch when it came to facilities for disabled fans. In a nutshell helpers had their seats situated behind the fans, thus when assistance was needed they were forced to stand. Many were doing so throughout the whole match, and as Arsenal were at the time throwing out other supporters for doing just that then the Gunners had a potentially bad news story on their hands.

I worked with the Sunday Express reporter in the North on standing up the information and we had a good piece written and ready to run in the paper. Again it never appeared and the reason was that alerted to the story - by asking them to comment - the North London club had contacted the paper and promised them a couple of major football exclusives if they dropped it. In this case I did get well paid and I was subsequently able to alter and have the piece published in the Big Issue in the South magazine. Arsenal though had avoided national publicity over their new Stadium - and to their credit

they did alter the seating arrangements at the Emirates subsequently.

GMB fears care homes rescue could be storing up future problems

2011-11-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

One of Britain’s biggest unions believes that the rescue of 30 threatened care homes in the region may simply be storing up future problems.

When Southern Cross, the UK’s largest home care operator, went bust earlier this year there were fears that thousands of its 31,000 residents could find themselves on the streets.

Thankfully, that has proven not to be the case with the company transferring its 750 plus homes in the UK to over 30 existing operators. One of these is Four Seasons Health Care Group that by being registered in Jersey does not post accounts.

On October 31^st its subsidiary company Four Seasons Healthcare assumed control of the final wave of 139 homes being transferred to it. Of these 22 are in the North West with a further eight across Yorkshire and Humberside. The moves brought the total number of homes under the care of the company to over 500.

Four Seasons homes are rated highly by the Care Quality Commission; the body that oversees standards in care homes, with 88% rated as good or excellent. Nevertheless the company has experienced financial difficulties in recent times.

In 2009 its creditors agreed to write off half of the group’s £1.6 billion debt. Previous owners Qatari Investment Authority, a private equity company walked away having lost their entire investment and ownership was transferred to its creditors, the main one being the Royal Bank of Scotland who took a 40% share. The maturity – repayment - of the remaining debt of £780 million is set for September 2012.

The GMB, Britain’s third biggest union after Unite and Unison, is worried that Four Seasons may not be able to pay it especially as in 2010 the subsidiary company itself posted a £12.1 pre-tax loss. They’ve suggested that ‘If Southern Cross was the original motion picture, Four Seasons are the sequel, and they’re coming soon to a town near you’ whilst also querying why just over a quarter of the £31,800 income earned per occupied bed in 2010 was spent on rents and interest payments.

In response a Four Seasons spokesperson accused the union of “singling us out for attack after we had declined voluntarily to give them collective bargaining rights or deduct union subscriptions from staff pay.” He denied GMB claims that Four Seasons was anti-union and pointed to the single agreement the group has covering one of its homes.

The spokesperson said “we are well able to manage our debt and are very confident we will be able to refinance it before it becomes due next year. The company has recently been valued at £950 million, much greater than our debt. Southern Cross was a private sector problem that has been resolved by the private sector, thus saving a massive burden falling on local authorities or the public purse. We’ve taken on operating homes that were marked for closure, will be investing in them and working with 7,300 transferred staff to improve the quality of care in homes.”

None of which has reassured Jon Smith, GMB organiser in Yorkshire and North Derbyshire who said, “that for nearly two years we warned that Southern Cross’s business model was fundamentally flawed. We feel the same model is being adopted by Four Seasons and that concerns us greatly.”

Also worried that Four Seasons could prove to be short-term custodians of the three care homes they taken control of in his Blackley and Broughton constituency is Graham Stringer, MP. He said; “I was appalled by the financial arrangements around these care homes and I think it brings into question whether or not care homes providing a public service for vulnerable people should ever be in the private sector.”

Asked to provide an alternative to the transfer of Southern Cross homes Smith said “they could have been brought under direct local authority control or transferred to not for profit providers. 80% of funds for these homes comes anyway from the taxpayer via local authorities and the NHS and such a move would cut out the costly middle men.”

Sunderland 1 Wigan Athletic 2

2011-11-27T04:30:00.000-08:00

Sunderland 1

Wigan Athletic 2

With four of their next five matches against Champions’ League challengers this was a vital win for Roberto Martinez’s side. The victory took Wigan off the bottom and within touching distance of a Sunderland side plummeting fast. It’s now just two homes win in sixteen for manager Steve Bruce who was roundly booed at the end and urged to go by the home crowd. With games against Wolves and Blackburn next on the calendar finding someone to put the ball into the net is a priority, as otherwise Sunderland will be relegated.

The Wearsiders should have wrapped the game up in the first half an hour. They took the lead when Ali Al Habsi spilled Nicklas Bendtner’s shot and even though the keeper then did well to block Kieran Richardson’s follow-up shot he had no chance when the ball ran loose to allow Sebastian Larsson to score his fourth League goal of the season. Credit must go to the Wigan custodian who then put his mistake behind him to produce a good performance saving neatly from Richardson, performing heroics to keep out a Wes Brown header and touching away John O’Shea’s header before half-time. An unmarked Phil Bardsley, the Sunderland fullback blasting high and wide from eight yards out should then though have beaten him.

This proved a costly miss as on the stroke of half-time Wigan drew level when Larsson stepped a little too close to Victor Moses and from the resulting penalty Jordi Gomez gave Wigan’s 200 travelling fans something to cheer.

The away side improved in the second half and for much of it their better passing had them in control. Yet it was Sunderland who carved out the only real chance but Richardson failed to direct a lovely Jack Colback cross home. However in added time Wes Brown was guilty of failing to clear quickly enough and suffered when substitute James McArthur nudged him off the ball and then squared it for Franco Di Santo to push home into an empty net. This was the queue for huge celebrations amongst the Wigan staff and fans.

In comparison the home fans – rightly – hurled abuse at their manager who appears to believe that the on-loan signing of Bendtner will somehow prove good enough to replace the centre-forwards he’s lost in recent years such as Kenwyne Jones, Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan. The big Dane though appears to have no appetite for a challenge and rarely appears in the box. As regards some of the other signings then one of the worst is John O’Shea who simply left Larsson all afternoon to deal with Moses, can’t pass accurately over 15 yards and generally went missing for most of the match.

In the middle of midfield Bruce seeks to play two holding players in Colback and Lee Cattermole, neither of who has yet to score a goal for Sunderland. In the summer the Wearsiders allowed Jordan Henderson to depart to Liverpool, a figure of £20 million apparently being too much to refuse even though in reality the sum received was £14 million as Sunderland had to then spend £6 million replacing the departing youngster with Craig Gardner, who has hardly started a game. Without Henderson Sunderland lack pace and enthusiasm and his going had been a very big loss.

That wouldn’t be the case if Bruce also departed. When he was appointed Niall Quinn said that the former Manchester United man was “perfect’ for Sunderland as he “understood the northeast.” It was a view I found difficult to equate because if really true then as a Newcastle lad he wouldn’t have taken the job, and when he later said he had never watched a local Derby match between the sides then it was clear Quinn’s statement didn’t stack up.

If he ‘understands’ then why does Bruce suggest we should somehow be grateful for the fact that he took us to tenth in the League. Sunderland has won the League six times, it might be a good many years ago but it’s still a fact. A decade ago we finished seventh twice in a row, and Peter Reid’s side was a lot better than anything Bruce has assembled. Just because we’ve had shit sides for many years does not make him some sort of Messiah, and he was just lucky as I still maintain that Sunderland were ‘only five minutes’ away from going down last season as if Wigan had held on to their 1-0 lead for five more minutes at the Stadium of Light in March then they would have won the match and sent Sunderland into free fall. That is conjecture, what is not is the ridiculous comments earlier this week from Phil Bardsley, a full-back of limited talent who suggested that the criticism Bruce – and the team – have endured was because Sunderland fans feel we should see our side challenging for the Title or a Champions League place. It would certainly be nice to see us do so – and after all we are the only ‘big’ club never to qualify for Europe by finishing high enough in the League to do so – but I’ve not met any Sunderland fan that believes what Bardsley was suggesting.

However we do expect - given the resources the club has at their disposal to see better players than the likes of Bardsley playing for Sunderland, and O’Shea and Bendtner, Cattermole, Richardson. So do us a favour Phil and take a trip back to your beloved Manchester United with Mr Bruce and take O’Shea and Richardson with you.

Can coal be made 'clean'?

2011-11-22T02:10:00.000-08:00

Taken from Big Issue in the North magazine. Please buy the magazine as it is a good read and helps out people who are working to improve their lives.

The abandonment of a carbon capture project at a Scottish power station

could finish coalmining in the north, increase unemployment, create chaos in energy supplies and make it more difficult to cut CO2 emissions. That’s the view of Bill Adams, secretary of Yorkshire and Humber Trades Union Congress that represents trade unionists in the Region.

Longannet, in Fife, was set to trial technology aimed at removing or capturing

emissions in coal or gas burning power plants. After processing they would then be transported by pipeline for sub-sea rock burial.

One billion pounds of public money through the Department of Energy and Climate Change [DECC] was available, but according to Keith Anderson, chief corporate officer at Scottish Power, one of three companies behind the project, they required a sum 50% greater and one that in the current climate the government was unwilling to advance.

The decision is a further blow to any hopes of developing clean coal technology in a long-running saga that stretches back to the 1980s. At that time the National Coal Board’s Coal Research Establishment [CRE] was, according to Dave Feickert, head of research for the National Union of Mineworkers between 1984 and 1993, and who now advises the Chinese Government on mine safety, “the world leader in developing clean coal technology, particularly the pressurised fluidised bed power plant at Grimethorpe. We also had supercritical boiler technology that burnt coal at high pressure but reduced CO2 emissions by at least 20% though increasing thermal efficiency.

CRE had 200 engineers, scientists and technical staff and the electricity industry had its own labs as well. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and then John Major shut them down and made everyone redundant. Many went to work abroad.”

No one knows for sure - and in 1987 New Scientist magazine was already casting doubt on whether coal could ever be made ‘clean’ - what might have been achieved if research had continued. What is though certain is that Britain, like much of the rest of the world, currently still needs a significant amount of coal to keep the lights on. Around 30% of the nation’s electricity is generated from 19 coal-fired stations and five are, as a result of European legislation aimed at cutting CO2 emissions, due to close by 2015.

With coal mines across the north having been closed after the Miners year-long strike in 84-85 then 70% of the 51 million of tons coal currently used in power stations comes from abroad. Yet there are billions of tonnes of coal reserves underground.

Adams was hoping to see a lot more of them being used in the future. Like Feickert he accepts that carbon capture and storage “is not a proven technology.” Making him keen to see established a project aimed at de-carbonising one-sixth of the output at Longannet, the UK’s second largest coal power plant.

Now despite Anderson calling the engineering study already undertaken, at an estimated cost of in excess of 20 million pounds “a huge success” it has been abandoned.

“It’s very disappointing” says Adams. “If we can’t develop this technology then the jobs of miners such as the 800 or so at Kellingley are under threat. We could also extract the coal we have beneath our feet. A successful test could also see new power stations being built, bringing contracts for local suppliers and creating skilled, well-paid work.”

He’s pleased to see that David Cameron and energy secretary Chris Huhne have promised that £1 billion is still available for new projects but wants “things to move quickly.” Peterhead gas-fired power station in Aberdeenshire is believed to be the most likely site for any future project.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature [WWF] this would avoid

trialling the new technology on a newly built coal plant currently being proposed at Huntertston in Scotland. Its spokesperson said “ the work at Longannet has significantly improved our understanding of the technology. It’s testing should continue, but at an already existing site where we can, at the very least, know that during testing it will reduce our green house gas emissions.”

Britain is committed to reducing such emissions by 80% by 2050 and Adams believes that target and keeping the lights on can only be met by pushing ahead on carbon capture and storage. He argues that “the development of renewable energy isn’t going to be quick enough, especially in the next decade or so, to prevent energy shortages and simply switching from coal to gas powered stations isn’t going to reduce emissions. “

The WWF is also keen not to see a switch to gas but believes that much more has to be done to push ahead on renewable sources of energy, which in its wake it argues could create 4.4 million jobs across Europe. Its recently released report ‘Positive Energy’ argues that the 60-90% of the UK’s 2030 electricity demand could be met by renewables, but only if the government sets a legal target at no less than 60% for renewable energy generation to ‘provide certainty for investors.’ Failure to do so argues the WWF would mean ‘dangerous levels of climate change and high energy prices.’

“Both of which I’d like to see avoided” says Adams. “But in a world where coal production is expected to jump from today’s seven billion tonnes to ten by 2030 then I’d like to think we can push ahead on getting this technology right so that we can protect and create jobs here before exploiting what would be a valuable export market.”

New report lifts lid on Stoke's racial violence

2011-11-21T07:23:00.001-08:00

A new report on racism in Stoke is worth reading. Written by the Institute of race Relations it’s short, simple to read and makes its key points succinctly.

Now Stoke has never been my favourite place. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had bother – sometimes, major, very violent, bother – when going to see Sunderland play there. As such it’s now the only place I won’t go for a pre-match drink.

So it didn’t surprise me to read there’s plenty of racial violence meted out to local black, Asian and migrant people in a City that has been left devastated by the closure of much of its once thriving manufacturing base – pottery, coal, steel and their supply chain industries.

As a result many inhabitants and/or the grand\children have been forced to follow Norman Tebbitt and get ‘on their bikes’ to find work. Not doing so has often meant being long-term unemployed or having to get by on part-time, irregular, poorly paid work.

As people move out then the overall numbers living in Stoke has dropped considerably. Meanwhile the arrival of a smallish number of family relatives from the Indian sub-continent and higher birth rates have increased numbers in the Asian community. Which combined with new Labour having introduced, at the start of the millennium, a dispersal programme away from the South East for asylum seekers has meant that the numbers in the black and ethnic minority communities has risen both in real terms and % wise. Up from 3% to 7% in the twenty years up to 2009.

Reading the report it’s clear that far too many of Stoke’s white working class population have been conned into believing that their current woes are somehow connected/caused by a pretty small increase in the numbers of black people living locally.

No surprise then that the fascist British National Party have done their worst to convince them that’s so, and until relatively recently receiving in return for all their campaigning a healthy electoral reward in terms of a high number of elected councillors.

But as the report shows the BNP’s success was only in part a result of their own poisonous politics. Just as importantly was ‘new’ Labour’s willingness to placate its media allies by constantly attacking the rights of asylum seekers and refugees arriving from holiday ‘hotspots’ such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the Congo, Zimbabwe…

Failing to explain – never mind defend – why people are being forced to travel thousands of miles for the ‘chance’ to live in a previously disused house in a run-down part of Stoke - or Sunderland where I lived in 2002 and witnessed the despair after an Iranian refugee, Payman Behmani, was stabbed to death less than 300 yards from where we lived in Hendon – could only help create the impression that new arrivals were up to no good and should be viewed with alarm…….or even attacked?

Then there was Blair’s need to support US President George Bush in his ‘crusades’ to Afghanistan and Iraq. And even though close to 1.5 million marched in London in March 2003 to oppose the latter adventure that didn’t stop the Government pushing forward on its plans to put the Muslim community - the vast majority rightly angered by the invasions, but playing no part in the terrorist outrages that have followed in Britain –under surveillance whilst also having their residency questioned in the papers, and by politicians, for failing to ‘support our troops.’

Is it any surprise therefore that attacks multiplied? And whilst the BNP have now had their presence on the local council wiped out that doesn’t appear to have lessened the numbers. The statistics presented in the report are worrying. Not least because they’re taken only from official sources and so are likely to be an underestimate – especially as there are a good number of quotes indicating people who are or might be attacked view the police not as friends but as “part of the problem.”

And, sadly, there’s not much indication that things are going to get significantly better. Having won control of the council there are indications that Labour want to create an impression that with the BNP gone then the problems will go away themselves – so youth workers have been told not to distribute anti-racist leaflets or attend rallies.

Meanwhile cuts in local services and planned redundancies in the public sector are going to further economically damage the City, and with the Tories intent on using the world economic crisis to attack/finish off the welfare gains made at the end of the Second World War there is no chance of an economic revival that could create work for the thousands that desperately need it.

All of which means that in some localities black people are becoming better organised to resist the attacks. That’s good and very welcome – especially as the English Defence League recently marched through Stoke – but what’s also needed is a society in which everybody has a future with a well paid job, proper well-funded public services and a decent place to live……it doesn’t look too likely at the moment…….

To view the report New Geographies of Racism visit http://www.irr.org.uk/2011/november/bj000021.html

Death rates down but incinerator impact ignored in Kirklees

2011-11-21T03:55:00.000-08:00

There was good news last week when it was revealed that fewer babies in Kirklees - comprising Huddersfield, Batley and Dewsbury - are dying before their first birthday. Death rates have dropped from 6.1 per live births to 5.5 per thousand in the last couple of years.

That’s still, though, above the national average of 4.7 per thousand. According to health professionals it’s all down to obesity, smoking, drinking during pregnancy, poor diet and genetic closeness to parents.

Which whilst clearly important means that no examination or tests have been undertaken to see if the locally sited incinerator might just play a part, especially as the cluster of wards where death rates are highest are downwind.

See map from Michael Ryan.

http://www.ukhr.eu/incineration/kirklees.pdf

And, of course, as Michael has shown in other much more affluent areas where incinerators are sited such as Chingford, North London, the death rate is also above average downwind.

Now surely, somebody or say an organisation such as the Health Protection Agency should be investigating?

See earlier article on this blog dated August 22^nd titled - Doubts grow on promised health study on incinerators impact

Articles on recent reports on birth mortality rates in Kirklees.

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2011/11/18/infant-mortality-rate-in-kirklees-is-falling-but-it-s-still-above-the-british-average-86081-29797432/

http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/news/local/dewsbury-news/shock_of_smoking_mothers_1_3981122

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/obesity_warning_on_infant_deaths_1_3979957

Just two wins for Sunderland in 15 at the Stadium of Light

2011-11-20T02:45:00.001-08:00

Sunderland 0

Fulham 0

The smallish number of fans who chanted “Bruce Out” would surely have grown considerably if Clint Dempsey hadn’t pulled his late shot wide when left with only Keiren Westwood to beat. Not that Fulham deserved to win, neither side doing enough to justify all three points in a match that confirmed both could go down at the end of the season.

Early on Westwood had kept his side level with a fine save from Mousa Dembele before twice Sunderland, through a Kieran Richardson header and Jack Colback left foot effort, had struck the woodwork. That was about it in terms of goalmouth action until late on Lee Cattermole headed Dickson Etuhu’s header off the line, Dempsey screwed wide and Stephane Sessegnon saw his shot deflect off Philippe Senderos to produce a great feet saving save from Mark Schwarzer.

Next week are at home to Steve Bruce’s old side Wigan Athletic. The crowd at the Stadium of Light, an amazing 38,000 for a side that has won just two out its last 15 at home, is quickly running out of patience for a manager who has had plenty of money to spend. Defeat to the bottom club and expect things to turn really nasty.

Teesside steel set to roll again

2011-11-18T13:40:00.001-08:00

There will be some post-Christmas celebrations on Teesside when steel making resumes at Redcar on January 6^th. Previous owners Tata mothballed the plan in February 2010 before it was bought for £291 million by Thai firm, SSI this March.

Dorman Long founded Teesside steelworks in 1917 and the steel produced was used to build the Sydney Harbour and Tyne Bridge’s. Over the years thousands have relied on the works for a living, whilst it’s estimated that for each job on site another three people are employed in supply chain companies.

Unite, in conjunction with the other unions on site, therefore fought hard to keep it open. A large demonstration was organised, leaflets were distributed in there thousands, politicians were lobbied and House of Commons visits organised. Expert help was employed to look for new customers and buyers, and a constant stream of press releases and appearances on the television kept the issue alive and helped bring it to the attention of potential purchasers.

Unite convenor Kevin Cook, who has worked in the Teesside steel industry for over 35 years is looking forward to seeing steel slabs again role out of the plant and says’ “It’s like a rebirth of the area, we’ve been informed there are around a thousand new jobs and then, hopefully, we can find additional customers to secure a long term future for Teesside Steel. “

Sadly the chairman of the multi-union committee that helped make all this possible won’t be there on January 6^th. According to Cook, 43 year-old Geoff Waterfield of Community had become regionally known as, “That bloke from the works on the TV! But to those who knew him he was an inspirational leader who had put aside his own personal ambitions to fight for the whole employee population, their families and the future employees of this area. His high profile approach ensured Teesside Steel was rarely out of the news keeping hopes alive of a future for so many in the local community and prosperity for the area. He will be remembered in these parts for many years to come.” Waterfield died on August 31^st.

Independent schools show a shocking lack of care in asbestos survey

2011-11-16T03:10:00.001-08:00

The recently released results of the Health and Safety Executive’s inspection initiative targeting asbestos management arrangements in randomly selected schools outside local authority control revealed a shocking lack of effective controls. 164 schools were visited and following which the HSE issued improvement notices to 28 schools including a quarter, 17 out of 59, in the independent sector.

It was discovered that over a third of schools had no written plan on how to manage asbestos, putting in doubt the long-term health of pupils, teachers and parents. Britain has the highest death rate in the world from Mesothelioma at 2,100 a year. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer almost always caused by exposure to asbestos dust. The development of the disease can take many years and can be caused by only small amounts of exposure.

Meanwhile 117 people were killed at work in the six months starting in April this year. They included five men killed in separate mining accidents at Gleision Colliery in Wales and Kellingley Mine in Yorkshire. In the former case the pit manager, Malcolm Fyfield, 55, was questioned on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter before being released on police bail as South Wales Police continued their investigations.

Agriculture accounted for 17 of the deaths, which whilst down on this time last year, is still close to 1/6^th of those killed in an industry that accounts for just 1/60^th of those at work.

Construction accounted for 22 of those killed, and of these 7 died after falling from a height, with two young men both aged 21 – Jon Valbuena and Bradley Watts – being electrocuted to death.

Race and the British media - One week in the Yorkshire Post

2011-11-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

Newspaper coverage of race – some observations

1] A study of the Yorkshire Post from November 7^th to 12^th 2011.

Background

Defining itself as ‘Yorkshire’s National Newspaper’ the Yorkshire Post has a daily circulation total of just under 40,000 in a region [Yorkshire and Humberside] of close to five million. [4,964,833] Harrogate, with daily sales of 1569, is the town that buys the most copies, although Pateley Bridge Rural Area with sales of 270 has the highest household penetration of sales at 11.24%.

Owned by Johnston Press the paper was first published in July 1866 when it declared itself firmly committed to ‘Conservative principles’ and up to the 1960s its owners used to be known as Yorkshire Conservative Newspapers Limited. In the recent past the paper was stridently opposed to the ban on foxhunting.

7.3% of the population of Yorkshire is classified as ethnic minorities, with the majority living in West Yorkshire [including close to 1 in 5 of the population of Leeds, home to the offices of the Yorkshire Post] and to a lesser extent South Yorkshire. Approximately 10.7% of the UK’s population is from ethnic minority backgrounds.

News themes

In addition to the ongoing economic [and political] crisis across the world, and specifically in the euro-zone, the Yorkshire Post had a large number of articles on events surrounding Armistice Day on November 11^th. [*]

There were also a number of articles about the [possible] discovery of Christopher Alder’s body in a Hull mortuary ten years after the former black paratrooper’s funeral.

Alder died after choking to death in the local police station in April 1998. This led to an unsuccessful prosecution against five police officers for manslaughter and misconduct. They had been caught on CCTV laughing and joking as Alder died within feet of them, but were cleared of disciplinary charges in 2003 even though the Independent Police Complaints Commission [IPCC] later found the conduct of four of them amounting to “unwitting racism” and a “most serious neglect of duty.”

Now it appeared the body returned to his family for burial might have been that of a 77 old black woman Grace Kamara, with Christopher’s body being discovered when Grace’s body was finally due to be released for burial more than a decade after she had died.

Considering the background to the case, and knowing how many black people have died in police custody without any officer doing time, then I think a journalist covering this story might just consider that this isn’t any ordinary ‘mistake’, that just perhaps there might be some racial element to this whole affair? That someone is taking ‘revenge’ on the family and friends for the long fight they put up for Justice and a successful prosecution? Well if anyone on the Yorkshire Post did consider such a possibility it didn’t make it into the paper as no probing questions appear to have been asked of anyone in authority. [If they were then the answers haven’t made it into the paper]

The coverage of the discovery of Christopher Alder’s body is at odds with much of the reporting in the rest of the Yorkshire Post where there is a noticeable absence of black and Asian people, certainly locally. You certainly wouldn’t be able to guess that 7% of the region is black and ethnic minority or 10% of the UK’s population is.

But where they are covered then these are the issues that were raised: -

1] A trial in which it is alleged that sham marriages were being arranged in which Slovakian and Pakistani’s are deeply implicated. Reports on this appeared on three days.

2] Two reports in which the word Muslim appears in the headlines – ‘Seven killed as Muslim festival hit by suicide bombers’ and ‘Muslim sect attacks kill more than 100.’ Muslims it appears are either being killed or killing others if this is typical of the YP’s coverage of a very large number of people, both locally and [inter] nationally.

3] Immigration – this was the week in which Home Secretary Theresa May was alleged to have ‘loosened’ border controls and quite naturally many papers, including YP, covered the affair. The paper chose to use it as the background to one of its Daily News Poll asking Is the UK Border Agency fit for purpose? whilst also warning the Government that it ‘needs to be far most robust’ in its leader columns. In its letter columns there were 2 letters during the week, one of which was headlined ‘immigration is increasing’ and there were three small articles that taken together would suggest Britain is in danger.

[a] A ‘border officer gave false visas to non-EU residents’ and

[b] ‘Forced marriages - spouses under 21 given right to enter UK’

[c] Most English think country ‘crowded’ indicating ¾’s of Britons are concerned about population projections suggesting the UK will reach 70 million within 16 years. [A figure the UK would have reached back in the 1980s if not for the fact that until the last few years it has been a net exporter of people for over 150 years]

In terms of positive coverage of events where black people were involved there were just two/three during the week.

The first was a picture of Prince Charles meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa.

Second was the accompanying picture and quote by Prudential Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam declaring ‘we will do better than our rivals, predicts Prudential.’

In addition there was a lengthy piece written by Nick Ahad on Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. Ahad’s photograph accompanies the article and it would appear from reading the rest of the paper that this is the only article written in six days by a writer/journalist from an obvious ethnic minority background.

[*] And whilst this piece isn’t about war its worth noting that none of the YP’s articles offered any suggestion that those who died did so – especially in the First World War – for very little or that those currently sacrificing themselves on the killing fields of Iraq and Afghanistan are doing so for oil and to further Britain’s imperialist ambitions. War it would seem is good.

Chesterfield's b2net Stadium lets down disabled fans

2011-11-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

Chesterfield's 18 month old stadium has far superior facilities to previous home Saltergate but like the grounds at Morecambe and Brighton it appears to have few facilities for disabled fans, with all vantage points pitch side.

Home of Chesterfield United

No vantage points for disabled fans above pitch height

Torquay United fans celebrate their sides third goal in a 3-1
FA Cup first round succcess

Chesterfield United 1 Torquay United 3
A fair reflection on the balance of the game.

Slaithwaite co-operatives go from strength to strength

2011-11-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

Slaithwaite, is the only village in England with a canal running along its front street. Now such uniqueness has been added to by the opening of a café run by a workers co-operative that has already won a number of awards for its baking products. And as it’s also situated just a few hundred yards from a co-operative grocers owned by its customers then it’s clear that despite its small size Slaithwaite, situated in the Colne Valley near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, is big on ideas when it comes to maintaining essential services in rural locations.

Passionate about producing food in a sustainable manner the handmade bakery was the brainchild of Johanna and Dan McTiernan. Following the birth of their son four years ago they were both seeking to move away from careers in the media and bring to an end the time, not to mention cost, it was taking to commute to work in either Leeds or Manchester.

Whilst neither had any previous experience of setting up a business “we knew we wanted one run along democratic rather than hierarchical lines” says Finish born Johanna. That wasn’t so difficult at the start of the venture in February 2009. After all the two-baker worker directors were themselves! Now however there are six of them, all with a £1 investment and earning £8.50 an hour. It means “decisions can take a bit longer to make” says Johanna.

This doesn’t appear to have had any adverse effect as two months ago the bakery moved just along the canal path to larger premises. This has allowed for the opening of a café that has boosted sales of bread and cakes as well as increasing the space in which the co-operatives highly successful bakery courses are taught.

Expansion was made possible through the launch of the Bread Bond under which local people investing £2,000 for a minimum of three years get one loaf a week, the equivalent of a 6% return per annum. For those living further afield - and thus unable to turn their dough into dough - an investment of £1,000 secures a place on one of the School of Slow courses that include artisan bread basics, wild yeast baking as well as one on how to start your own community bakery.

“We think people should regain the skills and joy of baking bread at home which is something everyone used to do. Our bread takes 20 hours to make and this makes it healthy because people are then abandoning industrially produced bread that is packed with additives and preservatives” says Johanna who was delighted when the business picked up a national co-operative award last year and also made it through to the Final of BBC Radio 4’s food and farming awards.

Sharing in the joy was Graham Mitchell, a passionate advocate of co-operatives and one of the founders of the Southampton based graphic design co-op Total Coverage that’s now more than a quarter of century. He’s currently the chair of the board of shareholders at the nearby Green Valley Co-op, one of the main outlets for the handmade bakery’s products.

Green Valley was established in July 2009 after Graham and friends organised a successful local public meeting. At this £10,000 investment in a community share scheme was raised from people who were asked not to put in any more than they could afford to lose and were also informed that no dividends would be paid in the first three years. With the funds it was possible to purchase the fittings and furnishings at a greengrocers that had seen better times and was now closing down, the aim being to prevent other shops following suit and also encourage local food producers to sell their wares there.

Boosted by the community support it now enjoyed then once the shop re-opened it soon went from strength to strength. As a result turnover of £800 a week has leaped to over £3,000. Nine local people, mainly on a part-time basis, are employed. The business has benefited with free advice from a number of agencies - including the Plunkett Foundation that helps rural communities. All of which means that according to Graham “it’s now possible for co-operatives to be established everywhere, especially as there are also some funds available from different sources.”

Book review - WHITE CARGO – The Forgotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in America Don Jordan and Michael Walsh

2011-11-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

WHITE CARGO – The Forgotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in America

Don Jordan and Michael Walsh

In the 17^th and 18^th century over 300,000 Britons became slaves in all but name in Britain’s American colonies, living and dieing in bondage. Urchins were swept from the streets, criminals were transported and sold like livestock on arrival, brothels were raided to provide ‘breeders’ for Virginia, hopeful migrants were duped into signing their lives away as indentured servants and political opponents of the aristocracy and the ruling classes dragged overseas in chains.

Jordan and Walsh demonstrate through letters, diaries, court and government archives that the brutalities associated with black slavery alone were perpetrated on whites throughout British rule in America.

Why did you write this book?

Because the period and events we cover comprise a fascinating, important and forgotten part of our history and that of the United States; one that has sometimes been deliberately distorted by some who would use history as propaganda and draw a veil across unpalatable aspects of the founding of modern America or of Britain’s treatment of its citizens in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The latter wanted to offload its poor, its criminals and its political and religious troublemakers and the colonies required cheap labour.

Doesn’t WHITE CARGO demeans the experiences of millions of black slaves in the America’s by putting forward arguments that the experiences of a relatively few white people amounted to slavery?

Piffle! Slavery takes many forms and the experience of even one individual should surely not be thought any the less of on the grounds that many more came after. The black slave trade in America was founded upon the very system the English colonists designed to enslave the unwanted from around the British Isles. In the words of the eminent African-American writer Lerone Bennett Jr: ‘When someone removes the cataracts of whiteness from our eyes, and when we look with unclouded vision on the bloody shadows of the American past, we will recognize for the first time that the Afro-American, who was so often second in freedom, was also second in slavery.’

What was Oliver Cromwell’s part in sending slaves to the America’s?

To quote the great Victorian historian TB Macauley on Cromwell: ‘In a few months he subjugated Ireland….so that great cities were left without inhabitants, drove many thousands to the continent, shipped off many thousands to the West Indies, and supplied the void thus made by pouring in numerous colonists…’

As we say in White Cargo, ‘Native Irish could be deported to feed the voracious labour market in America while making room in Ireland for planters from England.

How were the white slaves bought and sold and then treated whilst at work?

Many unwittingly sold themselves into slavery by signing on as indentured servants with a merchant to pay for passage to the New World. On arrival, plantation owners who exercised absolute power over their human purchases usually bought their indentures. Along with convicts, paupers and dissidents from England they were advertised for sale along with other goods. In the early days half were dead inside a year, some literally worked to death. Whipping and branding were standard punishments.

Did many resist their fate and what were the results?

Some white slaves were pushed into suicide, some into murdering their masters. But, as with black slaves, the most common form of resistance was flight. Huge numbers tried to escape their plantations and risked brutal punishments for “desertion”, which at one stage included death. Slave uprisings were recurrent features, too, culminating in a mass revolt in 1676 when a slave army of blacks and whites briefly took over much of Virginia and almost ended British rule 100 years before the Declaration of Independence. The results of this uprising were profound. The planters deliberately drove a wedge between white and black slaves. Blacks lost the few rights they had and were totally degraded. Whites gained a few rights, and were told that they were a superior people. Racial divide and rule began to shape America.

Could you explain the unique role of Anthony Johnson in establishing slavery in Virginia?

Johnson was one of the earliest Africans enslaved in Virginia. Like all slaves in the colony at this time, white and black, there was a term to his servitude – it was not for life. This meant that if Johnson lived long enough he would eventually be freed. Johnson not only secured his freedom, he became a successful planter with black and white slaves of his own. One of his black slaves eventually demanded his freedom but Johnson objected and persuaded a local court that the man was his slave for life. It was one of the first cases of lifetime slavery being imposed in North America - precedents that saw millions of Johnson’s fellow Africans enslaved in perpetuity, their children included.

Why did slave owners eventually abandon the transportation of white slaves in favour of black?

Economics. Changes in the status of black and white slaves meant that blacks could be enslaved for life while whites could usually only be held for a set period of years (anything from 3 to 18). It became far more profitable to buy whole-life slaves from Africa than part-life slaves from Europe.