Heron's Eye: 06/01/09

Home Office flouted guidelines in 10 ways over knife crime statistics
"Any figures that fail to comply with code in future will be refused stamp of approval, says statistics body

The early release of knife crime statistics by the Home Office last month flouted new official guidelines in 10 different ways, the UK statistics authority said today.

The UKSA published its code of practice today alongside a final judgment by the UKSA on the Home Office's misuse last month of knife crime statistics suggesting the offence was under control. The UKSA said that any figures that failed to comply with the code in future would be refused a stamp of approval." [Guardian]

Boris 2009: transport
"Noticed those fares rises yet? They have in Enfield, and I doubt they're alone. It's no surprise that from the moment he announced them Mayor Johnson has worked super-hard to limit the political damage, initially by blaming them on Ken Livingstone - who's latest broadside on the issue is here - and now, it would appear, by trying not to mention them. His effort in today's Standard skates straight past the subject (as did the paper in general: there's two pages on commuters' rail fares going up, but barely a mention of those affecting bus and Tube-users).

His spin, supported by a shamelessly one-eyed newspaper, might work for Johnson, at least in the short term. We'd get a better idea if someone would commission an opinion poll: after eight months of Mayor Boris - one sixth of his term already - you'd have thought someone might have thought it worthwhile by now." [Guardian]

It will take more than goodwill and greenwash to save the biosphere: Shell may boast about tackling climate change, but companies tend always to sacrifice good intentions for hard cash
"For a while it seemed that Shell had stopped pretending. The advertisements that filled the newspapers in 2006, featuring technicians with perfect teeth and open-necked shirts explaining how they were saving the world, vanished. After being slated by environmentalists for greenwash, after two adverse rulings by the Advertising Standards Authority, Shell appeared to have accepted the inescapable truth that it was an oil company with a minor sideline in alternative energy, and that there was no point in trying to persuade people otherwise.

The interview I conducted with its chief executive, Jeroen van der Veer, broadcast on the Guardian's website today, contains what appears to be an interesting admission. I asked him whether Shell had stopped producing ads extolling its investments in renewable energy. Van der Veer does not express himself clearly at this point, but he seems to admit that his company's previous advertising was not honest." [Guardian]

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