Ex-minister joins private equity firm that received £15m from Whitehall agency
"Lady Amos, who was international development secretary and leader of the Lords in Tony Blair's government, has taken up a directorship with an African private equity firm, three months after it received over £15m from a Whitehall agency wholly owned by her former department.
The timing of Amos's appointment was described as "a coincidence" by the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), which approved the cash – amounting to nearly 30% of the funds raised by Travant Capital Partners, based in Nigeria." [Guardian]
Labour's new blog courts best leftwing thinkers on the web
"LabourList.org was controversial even before it was born, with established Labour bloggers complaining at being left out, and Tory bloggers warning that it would be so heavily censored as to be little more than party propoganda." [Guardian]
Peter Mandelson ushers in a virtual New Labour revolution
"The unveiling of Peter Mandelson's avatar in Second Life is part of Labour's push to beat the Conservatives in the political use of new technology, but it also has a symbolic significance. Unlike the rest of Second Life, where people drop a decade or two from their looks or masquerade as animals, Peter Mandelson will actually look like Peter Mandelson. What you see is what you get....
"How independent the blog will be remains to be seen – it has already recruited Brown's former spinster Charlie Whelan – but there is no doubt that there is a gap to be filled in generating unconventional ideas for Labour at a time when almost every policy area is in a state of flux – particularly what on earth can be done to stop the economy from imploding." [Guardian]
Gordon Brown hits back at Tory debt accusations
"Gordon Brown today accused the Conservatives of neglecting the interests of children as he and David Cameron clashed over which party has the best economic policies for Britain.
The Tory leader unveiled a new poster campaign accusing Brown of saddling every new-born baby with a debt of £17,000 because of the mounting level of public sector borrowing." [Guardian]
New babies born with £17,000 debt, claims David Cameron
"Rapidly rising government debt means every baby born in Britain starts life owing £17,000, David Cameron claimed as he launched a new publicity campaign today.
The Tory leader made the claim as his party unveiled a new poster designed to highlight what it calls Labour's "debt crisis".
The poster, which will be displayed at 260 billboard sites across the country, features a photograph of a baby and the slogan: "Dad's nose, mum's eyes, Gordon Brown's debt – Labour debt crisis: every child in Britain is born owing £17,000. They deserve better." [Guardian]
Letter: Filleted statistics
Your leader (8 January) and Marcel Berlins's plea to politicians (Let's stop fighting over the figures in 2009, 5 January) highlight the extent to which criminal justice has become a party political football. In such a fevered climate it can often seem as though statistics have been filleted to expose evidence that a political opponent has gone "soft on crime" rather than to understand what might be effective and in what circumstances. Sadly, the end product of much good work by researchers is to feed the fear of crime and pleas for ever tougher punishments. How else can we explain the lack of attention given to the excellent research into restorative justice, which shows that victims of crime who have such meetings with offenders are far more likely to be satisfied with the process than those who experience the traditional court process? Less than 1% of victims of adult offenders have access to restorative justice." [Guardian]
Gaza crisis is having 'profoundly unhealthy' effect on UK Muslims, minister warns
"The Israeli onslaught in Gaza is having a "profoundly acute and unhealthy" effect on British Muslim communities and "patience is running out", a government minister has said.
The justice minister, Shahid Malik, told the Guardian there was "immense anger" in British Muslim communities over developments in the Middle East. He said: "There is a real feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and powerlessness among Britain's Muslims in the context of Gaza and the sense of grievance and injustice is both profoundly acute and obviously profoundly unhealthy."" [Guardian]
Click here to read more information on Mr Grimsdale, King Heron and Mobius
Showing posts with label conflict of interest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conflict of interest. Show all posts
1/12/09
10/28/08
Heron's Eye: 28/10/08
The toilet roll of reason and the burger box of justice
Through examining the day’s Parliamentary debates, Simon Hoggart humorously highlights some of the hyperbole connected with crime and punishment. [Guardian]
Alex Salmond hints at concessions on local income tax plan
“Alex Salmond has signalled a significant switch in economic policy as his plans for a new local income tax for all wage earners came under sustained attack from Alistair Darling.
I think I made a mistake, admits Osborne
“George Osborne attempted yesterday to draw a line under the row over his contacts with a Russian billionaire when he admitted he had made a mistake in discussing a donation from Oleg Deripaska during his summer holiday in
Brown and Sarkozy unite in call for increased IMF funds
“Gordon Brown tonight received the backing of French president Nicolas Sarkozy for a substantial increase in the resources available to the International Monetary Fund to stop the "financial contagion" from spreading around the world.” [Guardian]
10/27/08
Heron's Eye 27/10/08
Political hypocrisy - don't you hate it?
Michael White analyses the Machiavellian positions that politicians take to appear honest and compares it with historical politicians from the past. [Guardian]
Tories face call to repay Rothschild £1m loan
“The Conservative party faced demands last night to repay a huge loan from a member of the Rothschild banking family made through a company set up with the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity.” [Guardian]
Survey shows George Osborne affair has tarnished Tories
Deborah Summers on how the Oleg Deripaska affair appears to have impacted on the Conservative part’s image. [Guardian]
“A group of economists has attacked the government's Keynesian strategy to spend its way out of the recession as "misguided and discredited". Further big increases in public-sector spending would make the state's role so dominant it would stunt the private sector's recovery, they say in a letter in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph.”[Guardian]
Click here to read more information on Mr Grimsdale, King Heron and Mobius
10/24/08
EU Parliament Monitor - 24/10/08
MEPs approve new EU trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton (UK)
"The European Parliament voted 538 in favour, 40 against and 63 abstentions in favour of new EU trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton from the UK. Baroness Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience.
Baroness Ashton will be Commissioner until the end of the current Commission's mandate - 31 October 2009." [Europa]
Summary of the hearing of Catherine Ashton (United Kingdom), Commissioner-designate for Trade
"Commissioner-designate Catherine Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience. The outcome will be considered on Tuesday by the Conference of Presidents, with the full Parliament due to vote on Wednesday." [Europa]
Ashton wins emphatic endorsement from MEPs
MEPs back the new trade commissioner; Ashton wants better co-ordination of trade policy.
Members of the European Parliament yesterday (22 October) endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the European commissioner for trade. MEPs voted 538 in favour, 40 against, with 63 abstentions during their meeting in Strasbourg. From there, Ashton went directly to Geneva for a dinner with Pascal Lamy, the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to discuss the prospects of reviving the Doha round of world trade talks.
Ashton had told MEPs on Monday evening (20 October), at a scrutiny hearing, that she would be assuring Lamy that “the WTO and pursuing a successful Doha round remain absolutely central to Europe's trade policy”. [EuropeanVoice]
EU parliament formally approves new trade commissioner
"MEPs have formally endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the EU’s new trade commissioner.
Deputies meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday voted 538 in favour of her appointment, with 40 against and 63 abstentions. She replaces Peter Mandelson, who stepped down after four years in the job to become the new business secretary in the UK. Ashton faced a hearing in parliament on Monday in which is she is generally thought to have given a good account of her grasp of the notoriously difficult trade portfolio.She was also questioned on the future of the Doha round, the financial crisis and bilateral trade negotiations.
The conference of presidents, or group leaders, endorsed her appointment on Tuesday ahead of today’s vote by the full parliament." [TheParliament]
Alliance of Civilisations: Jorge Sampaio addresses MEPs
"Building bridges and altering misguided perceptions of other cultures are crucial in a globalised world, according Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and a former President of Portugal, who addressed a formal sitting of the EP on Wednesday on the subject of cultural diversity, in a speech given as part of the EP's series of guest speeches for Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
In his introduction, the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, stressed the shared outlook between the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the EP, with their emphasis on the importance of cultural interaction, and argued that there was a need in the modern world for practical not just symbolic steps on this front, such as the many projects the EP had supported in the context of Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
At the start of his address, Mr Sampaio read out a short statement on behalf of the UN Secretary General, which said that "Like many other regions of the world, Europe faces multiple challenges in promoting intercultural dialogue. Migration, economic uncertainty and political tensions are putting strains on relations between different cultural, ethnic and religious groups. But it is precisely in your region, where constructive contacts over the centuries have allowed humanity to take major leaps forward, that opportunities for reconciliation and cooperation exist." Ultimately, "Cross-cultural tolerance, dialogue, respect and understanding must be pillars of the better world we are trying to build."" [Europa]
Row flares over EU commission's link with business group
"A furious row has flared over allegations of an “intimate” relationship between the commission’s trade directorate and the organisation representing European SMEs. It follows claims by a left-wing Swedish MEP of a possible conflict of interest between the influential directorate and Businesseurope. GUE/NGL member Jens Holm sets out his allegations in a letter to new EU trade commissioner Catherine Ashton.
But Philippe De Buck, director general of Businesseurope, hit back on Thursday, telling this website, “What is the problem?
“Yes, we have a close relationship with DG trade – they need us but, equally, we need them. I make no secret of that.
“However, I want to stress that all dealings between my organisation and the commission are done openly, publicly and transparently, and I object to these comments,” said De Buck, formerly the organisation’s secretary general." [TheParliament]
Click here to read the European Parliament Monitor
"The European Parliament voted 538 in favour, 40 against and 63 abstentions in favour of new EU trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton from the UK. Baroness Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience.
Baroness Ashton will be Commissioner until the end of the current Commission's mandate - 31 October 2009." [Europa]
Summary of the hearing of Catherine Ashton (United Kingdom), Commissioner-designate for Trade
"Commissioner-designate Catherine Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience. The outcome will be considered on Tuesday by the Conference of Presidents, with the full Parliament due to vote on Wednesday." [Europa]
Ashton wins emphatic endorsement from MEPs
MEPs back the new trade commissioner; Ashton wants better co-ordination of trade policy.
Members of the European Parliament yesterday (22 October) endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the European commissioner for trade. MEPs voted 538 in favour, 40 against, with 63 abstentions during their meeting in Strasbourg. From there, Ashton went directly to Geneva for a dinner with Pascal Lamy, the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to discuss the prospects of reviving the Doha round of world trade talks.
Ashton had told MEPs on Monday evening (20 October), at a scrutiny hearing, that she would be assuring Lamy that “the WTO and pursuing a successful Doha round remain absolutely central to Europe's trade policy”. [EuropeanVoice]
EU parliament formally approves new trade commissioner
"MEPs have formally endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the EU’s new trade commissioner.
Deputies meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday voted 538 in favour of her appointment, with 40 against and 63 abstentions. She replaces Peter Mandelson, who stepped down after four years in the job to become the new business secretary in the UK. Ashton faced a hearing in parliament on Monday in which is she is generally thought to have given a good account of her grasp of the notoriously difficult trade portfolio.She was also questioned on the future of the Doha round, the financial crisis and bilateral trade negotiations.
The conference of presidents, or group leaders, endorsed her appointment on Tuesday ahead of today’s vote by the full parliament." [TheParliament]
Alliance of Civilisations: Jorge Sampaio addresses MEPs
"Building bridges and altering misguided perceptions of other cultures are crucial in a globalised world, according Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and a former President of Portugal, who addressed a formal sitting of the EP on Wednesday on the subject of cultural diversity, in a speech given as part of the EP's series of guest speeches for Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
In his introduction, the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, stressed the shared outlook between the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the EP, with their emphasis on the importance of cultural interaction, and argued that there was a need in the modern world for practical not just symbolic steps on this front, such as the many projects the EP had supported in the context of Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
At the start of his address, Mr Sampaio read out a short statement on behalf of the UN Secretary General, which said that "Like many other regions of the world, Europe faces multiple challenges in promoting intercultural dialogue. Migration, economic uncertainty and political tensions are putting strains on relations between different cultural, ethnic and religious groups. But it is precisely in your region, where constructive contacts over the centuries have allowed humanity to take major leaps forward, that opportunities for reconciliation and cooperation exist." Ultimately, "Cross-cultural tolerance, dialogue, respect and understanding must be pillars of the better world we are trying to build."" [Europa]
Row flares over EU commission's link with business group
"A furious row has flared over allegations of an “intimate” relationship between the commission’s trade directorate and the organisation representing European SMEs. It follows claims by a left-wing Swedish MEP of a possible conflict of interest between the influential directorate and Businesseurope. GUE/NGL member Jens Holm sets out his allegations in a letter to new EU trade commissioner Catherine Ashton.
But Philippe De Buck, director general of Businesseurope, hit back on Thursday, telling this website, “What is the problem?
“Yes, we have a close relationship with DG trade – they need us but, equally, we need them. I make no secret of that.
“However, I want to stress that all dealings between my organisation and the commission are done openly, publicly and transparently, and I object to these comments,” said De Buck, formerly the organisation’s secretary general." [TheParliament]
Click here to read the European Parliament Monitor
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