Heron's Eye: 29/10/08

Downturn will not hamper public transport projects, says Geoff Hoon 29/10/08
“Geoff Hoon, the recently appointed transport secretary, said today that the economic downturn should not have an effect on delivering public transport projects.

And he said that Britain's railway system had become, "in parts, the envy of Europe".” [Guardian]

Mandelson hails thaw in relations with Moscow 29/10/08
“Lord Mandelson hailed a thaw in relations between Britain and Russia today as he wound up a four-day visit to Moscow.

Diplomatic spats that poisoned ties between the two countries in the last two years seemed to be swept under the carpet as the business secretary lauded a new climate of partnership.” [Guardian]

Bigger databases increase risks, says watchdog 29/10/08
“The proliferation of ever larger centralised databases is increasing the risk of people's personal data being lost or abused, the government's official privacy watchdog claims today.

The warning from the information commissioner, Richard Thomas, comes as he discloses that reported data losses have soared in the past year.” [Guardian]

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Heron's Eye: 27/10/08

Justice system should put victims first, says Jack Straw 27/10/08
“Jack Straw, the justice secretary, today signalled a more punitive approach to prisons by attacking the "criminal justice lobby" for putting the needs of offenders before those of victims.” [Guardian]

Police will use new device to take fingerprints in street 27/10/08
Every police force in the UK is to be equipped with mobile fingerprint scanners - handheld devices that allow police to carry out identity checks on people in the street. [Guardian]

Where the hell is parliament? 27/10/08
Henry Porter highlights how the CGHQ and Home Office are arguing for £12bn to collect data on telecommunications such as the Internet and phone calls and how the police are being issued with mobile fingerprint scanners to allow offices to carry out identity checks on people in the street. He goes on to criticise how this is occurring without having been debated in Parliament.

In The Loop: 20/10/08

More government data loses revealed 20/10/08
Its good to know that civil servants are as careless with their own possessions as they are with the personal data they hold on the nation.

The Liberal Democrats have today published statistics showing that Home Office employees have lost 3,492 security passes since 2001 - more than one a day. [Guardian]

UK wind farm plans on brink of failure 20/10/08
Last week Britain committed itself to cutting greenhouse gases by 80 per cent. This week Gordon Brown will claim the UK is now a world leader in wind power. An Observer investigation reveals his hopes could be blown wildly off course. No country has tried to switch so fast to renewable energy - but rising costs and technical problems mean that, without urgent action and cash, the targets cannot be met. [Guardian]

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Grimsdale's Ire: 20/10/08

Many in Ireland are wary of economic costs of absorbing Ulster 17/10/08
Henry McDonald on political deadlock in Northern Ireland not being resolved and how Dublin and Westminsters’ focus on the financial crisis is leading to political stalemate. [Guardian]

What's the point of regional ministers?
“It's not my question, but it's a good one. Andrew MacKinlay asked it in the House of Commons this afternoon. According to the Press Association report, this is how he put it:

‘I don't want to be unhelpful or unkind, but will you tell us what the regional ministers do … There is no scrutiny. I genuinely don't know precisely what they are supposed to do, and bearing in mind now we are told that there are some assistant regional ministers as well, those of us who are in the minority of never having been invited to do anything are beginning to wonder what we have done wrong.’” [Guardian]

Don't forget the third sector
Stephen Bubb on the need to continue development of the Third Sector through sheltering it from some of the more damaging effects of the economic downturn. [Guardian]

David Cameron proposes national insurance cut for small businesses 20/10/08
"David Cameron today called for very small businesses to be given a temporary tax cut of 1p on national insurance contributions to help them deal with the economic downturn.

In an interview on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, the Conservative leader said that a tax cut of this kind — costing the Treasury £225m — could offer immediate help to small firms struggling to pay their bills." [Guardian]

Home Office trying to persuade unions to drop opposition to ID cards 20/10/08
"The Home Office is in active talks with trade unions in an attempt to persuade them to abandon opposition to the imminent introduction of compulsory ID cards for airport workers.

Meg Hillier, the minister in charge of ID cards and passports, today promised there would be no delays to the £4.7bn programme despite the threat of a UK economic recession." [Guardian]

Digital TV switchover will hit rural viewers 20/10/08
"The culture secretary, Andy Burnham, has been accused of neglecting 2.5 million households in rural areas after it emerged they would get less than half the number of TV channels broadcast to the rest of Britain after the switch to digital services.

Opposition MPs believe the government is discriminating against rural communities because ministers have refused to make sure that all the broadcasters using the digital service Freeview offer a full service for every home, once the analogue television signal is finally switched off in 2012." [Guardian]

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In The Loop: 29/07/08

Stolen UK passports worth £2.5m

The Foreign Office admitted a serious breach of security when a van carrying the new passports destined for British embassies overseas was hijacked a short distance from the factory that made them.

3M Security Printing and Systems, one of the biggest security printers in the UK and at the heart of government plans to introduce biometric passports was responsible for the delivery. [Guardian]

Youth crime: how 982 children will save us all £300m

Excellent article by Andrew Sparrow on the importance of improving the quality of youth’s lives rather than the capacity of prisons. [Guardian]

I replied to the thread, writing:

Many thanks for trying to connect the dots of policy making and trying to jog peoples minds about what long-term decision-making looks like.

I wish the people in charge saw that pulling the weeds from the root is a more effective than merely pruning the leaves.

Too many people talk about the need to increase prison places to fit an ever growing population but they rarely raise the need to spend money on making sure that youths dont get to the stage where they are caged before they are even adults.

I heard a figure saying that to convict somebody costs around £120,000 and £80,000 per year to keep a person incarcerated. Now why havent frothing right wing groups such as the Taxpayer Alliance not directed their venom at such subjects of criticism? It seems to me that even one person bypassing prison through whatever intervention could allow for tax money to be spent on more productive things. Improved housing? New school facilities? New railways or roads? Less taxes? An extra trident missile? Or maybe punishment, prevention and enforcement is just too profitable?

Ryanair: still cheap, but less and less appealing

Gwyn Topham comments on the declining profitability of Ryanair. [Guardian]

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