Labour politician with strong links to senior Labour Shadow Cabinet Members arrested by Police on suspicion of grooming a child for sex

Dear All

Have you noticed that quite a lot of Labour politicians seem to be getting in trouble?

Jim Devine, Eric Illsley, David Chatyor, Ruth Black, Steven Purcell, Eric Joyce, Eric Morley and the list grows.

Now, we have a Labour councillor with links to two members of the shadow cabinet who has been arrested.

On suspicion of grooming a child for sex!

Police detectives have questioned Labour Councillor John Friary last week before releasing him on bail pending further inquiries.

He has been sacked with immediate effect from his role as a cabinet member for community safety at Southwark council.

And has also subsequently resigned as a Labour councillor!

The allegations centre on an incident involved an underage girl and "child grooming offences".

Friary, who is the Governor of a Camberwell Primary School knows both Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell both south London MPs and members of the shadow cabinet.

He is alleged to have made contact with the child over the internet, holding several accounts on social networking sites including Facebook and Bebo.

They have since been taken down.

A source said:

"This is absolutely shocking. No one in Southwark can believe it. Friary was a leading light in the local Labour Party; he is incredibly close to Harman and Jowell and was often seen out on the doorsteps helping them get elected."

How close?

The official website of Ms Harman, deputy leader of Labour and shadow secretary of state for international development had a link to Friary's blog.

This has since been removed.

A police spokesman said:

"On 26 January a 51-year-old man was arrested by officers from the paedophile unit on suspicion of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He was taken to a west London police station and bailed to return in March pending further inquiries."

Southwark council leader Mr John said:

"As soon as I became aware of a police investigation, I immediately removed John Friary from his Cabinet position. The next day he resigned as councillor which was the right thing to do. The council is complying with all safeguarding procedures which need to be followed in situations such as these."

This is incredibly damaging for Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell as well as the Labour Party generally.

Grooming underage little girls for sex, if found guilty he will be going to prison.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Glasgow’s Sarah Palin, Gail Sheridan carries out an official visit to Barlinnie Prison to see if Scotland’s Nelson Mandela is being treated right

Dear All

Glasgow’s Sarah Palin, Gail Sheridan has carried out an official visit to Barlinnie Prison to see if Scotland’s Nelson Mandela, her husband Tommy Sheridan is being treated right.

Talk of her sneaking into prison has flooded the public domain but she chose the front door as she proudly strolled up to met the only political prisoner in Barlinnie.

The reunion of the couple's was emotional as expected but she left her daughter behind.

Gabrielle is a bit young and would find the visit distressing.

However, fresh from announcing she will not stand for Holyrood, she is rumoured to be thinking of going on the ballot paper to win a city council seat for his Solidarity party.

I said I could see her standing for Glasgow City Council in a previous post on the 14th January.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2011/01/gail-sheridan-to-run-for-holyrood.html

It is said that she is thinking about a possible by-election if suspended Glasgow councillor Ruth Black is forced to stand down.

I haven’t heard that Ruth Black is minded to resign as a Councillor but who knows.

Ruth Black represents the Glasgow's Craigton ward where I live, could Glasgow’s Sarah Palin knock my door?

Black is being investigated in a cash-for-cronies probe.

Sheridan’s sister Lynn said:

"We are speaking to Gail in the hope of getting her to stand for election for Glasgow City Council.

Adding:

"We're closely watching the situation as regards Ruth Black and if the circumstances prevail and there is a by-election, Gail would be the perfect candidate. She wants to put Gabrielle and the family first and foremost and that's why she felt standing for the Scottish parliament might be a bit too much right now”.

Interestingly Gail Sheridan stood down to allow Ruth Black to stand in the council elections when she was a Solidarity party member.

Then she defeated to the Labour Party being particularly chummy with disgraced Labour leader of shame Steven ‘bin laden’ Purcell.

The Craigton ward would probably offer Gail her best chance of gaining a foothold in politics but she would have to work very hard until Black’s suspension the Labour Party held three of the four seats in the ward.
However she does have a strong local connection by living there, which helps.

Of Tommy Sheridan’s situation, his sister Lynn said:

"It was an emotional meeting and they were relieved to see each other. He has been given a warm welcome when he arrived at Barlinnie, and everyone has been very supportive towards him. He was able to tell Gail all about the 34 postcards and letters that were delivered to him today."

Councillor Gail Sheridan?

Well, we will have to see!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Beleaguered Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak must go, he has lost the battle for Egypt, best to resign and hold free elections to avoid bloodshed

Dear All

When you have lost the support of the people, you have lost the country.

Beleaguered Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak must go.

Egypt will only become stable again if he steps down and resigns.

At present he is trying to hold back the tide with by announcing a new cabinet.

This will not work; he is the locus of dissent of protesters, who have gathered in Cairo in their tens of thousands.

He has put Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, widely despised by protesters, and the finance minister to the sword by replacing them.

However, this isn’t enough demonstrators will only settle for Mubarak's removal from office.

There are calls for a general strike and plan a huge march on Tuesday.

Mubarak, has ordered new Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to push through democratic reforms and create new jobs.

Window dressing, it’s a corrupt country and the problem is the people in charge.

Demonstrators remain on Tahrir Square, their numbers fluctuating over the course of the day and they aren’t going away.

If the Army steps back law and order will collapse and anarchy will rain.

One protester, Rifat Ressat, told Agence France-Presse news agency:

"We want a complete change of government, with a civilian authority."

This is a theme which has popped up before in the so called coloured revolutions of the past.

Another demonstrator told the BBC:

"This is not a new government. This is the same regime - this is the same bluff. [President Mubarak] has been bluffing us for 30 years."

The reaction of the West is interesting, they want Mubarak out; the line across the board is surprisingly the same tact.

Britain, the US and Europe have all adopted the same theme, that the "legitimate grievances" of Egyptians should be heeded.

Anyone see David Cameron heeding the "legitimate grievances" of British people over tuition fees or cuts to budgets?

Did Cameron and Clegg say they will stand down?

No!

It seems when people protest in other countries they have “legitimate grievances” but when they do it in Britain they don’t.

The longer this situation goes on the more chances that bloodshed will happen as Mubarak tries to cling to power.

And with examples of corruption by politicians in Europe spreading, this could cross the Med and hit member States of the EU.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Secretary of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee Mark Pritchard rebels against ‘soft pact’ with Lib Dems as Cameron continues to sell out Tory values

Dear All

It seems that all is not well or happy in the Tory ranks after David Cameron has adopted the so-called “soft pedal strategy” for the 2015 Westminster election.

The idea is that no hope Tories vote Lib Dem if they have a better chance to win a seat and vice versa.

And this has gone down like a lead balloon with Tory rank and file so much so that the secretary of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee has reacted with fury to revelations of an informal pact with the Liberal Democrats at the next General Election.

Mark Pritchard was quoted yesterday as saying:

“It should be remembered that the future of our country and party is more important than any one person who happens to reside in No 10.”

Bad news for Cameron and equally bad for Nick Clegg who has used up a lot of good will in his party after selling out Lib Dem principles in favour of a ministerial salary.

Pritchard is on a roll as he spoke out against the “purple plotters” high up within the Tories and LibDems.

These are ones who are happy about the two parties being so cosy up together.

Things have got so bad that he claims he was asked to “stop rocking the boat”, a warning to remain silent.

He said:

“I was told that this nonsense about joining with the LibDems would stop, but it hasn’t. I am not prepared to have unnamed cabinet ministers putting about stories of pacts and mergers while party traditionalists like me are gagged. The vast majority of Conservative members believe in retaining the traditions of the Tory Party. This debate must be held in the open.”

But it won’t.

A Tory cabinet minister said:

“Who knows where we will be in 2015? But one scenario is an informal pact in which the two Coalition partners would help each other where they could. Voters aren’t stupid. They can work out who is best placed to win in their constituency, as they did in Oldham. It wouldn’t have to be a formal, top-down pact, which would be very difficult to impose on local associations in any case.”

The reason for a “soft pact” is to save Lib Dem and Tory Ministers who are under threat of losing their seats; such a tactic makes it meaningless that Tories and Lib Dem are separate parties.

Effectively the leader of the Liberal Democrat Party is David Cameron, he will do anything to try and shut down Labour from gaining the largest majority in 2015.

It seems that Mark Pritchard has a tough fight ahead as the leadership put political advantage before party and core beliefs.

The sell out continues.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Bad news for ‘East Coast Weasel’ Labour MSP Iain Gray as Glasgow Labour Council of shame break ranks to back Scottish Government on justice

Dear All

Bad news of Labour MSPs Iain Gray and Richard Baker, offenders sentenced to community service are to find themselves serving on work squads within hours of standing in the dock.

Rather than tucking people up in a cosy prison cell, a pilot scheme at Glasgow Sheriff Court will have low level offenders paying back society for their mistakes.

To that end a “one-stop shop” will be set up for community service and social work staff to have these people transferred from the Court to assessment, then directly to their first community payback work-squad placement.

The idea is to make justice swift and immediate rather than what is has previously been where people have been sitting about waiting to get started doing community service.

And more bad news for the ‘East Coast Weasel’ Iain Gray and his sidekick Richard Baker, Glasgow’s Labour Council of shame are backing the idea.

The Council said:

“We are very pleased to be involved in the fast-track pilot as it will allow us to test the viability of such a scheme and see for ourselves the impact it will have on offenders and the wider community.”

“Very pleased”, oh dear!

Where does the Labour Party go now when even a staunch die hard Labour Council like Glasgow breaks the Labour ranks?

It is a personal humiliation for Gray and Baker after all their rhetoric of a “criminal charter” for offenders.

Yet again Labour MSPs are on the wrong side of the debate on how to break the cycle of crime of repeat offenders.

This measure is just a pilot, however it is a useful start in reforming community service.

The Scottish Government has committed £200,000 of funding to Glasgow Community Justice Authority for the pilot, which will run for a year at which point it will then be evaluated.

With a Holyrood Election fast approaching, a key Labour plank has been weakened, this leaves the Labour Party with nothing to do but fold up its tents and move on.

The stats speak for themselves crime is down, serious crime is down, fear of crime is down; the number of people carrying out crime is down.

The number of crimes recorded in Scotland has fallen to a 32-year low.

And that didn’t happen under the Labour Party.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Corrupt Britain exposed, Ex Labour MP David Chaytor guilty of multiple fraud of taxpayers’ money is fast tracked to open prison

Dear All

Britain is just as corrupt as Egypt.

Ex Labour MP David Chaytor was convicted of fraud and sentenced to an 18-month stretch n prison.

Having served only two weeks at Wandsworth high-security prison in South London, he has been transferred to an open prison.

In corrupt Britain, treatment and justice are subject to status.

I have said this many times before and proven correct.

Now he has bben transferred to Category D Spring Hill Prison in Buckinghamshire.

A lovely country manor house set in immaculately manicured lawns.

Before a prisoner can be transferred to an open prison they have to undergo extensive assessments prior to relocation, Chaytor was fast tracked.

Fast tracked, still think corrupt Britain is fair?

Chaytor stole thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money and is hardly paying the price for it.

A source at Wandsworth jail said:

“Chaytor was treated like a celebrity and processed with astonishing speed. I’ve never known anything like it. He has been on the equivalent of an airline’s “Fast Track” system and has effectively been upgraded”.

It seems that the political class across the spectrum protect their own.

The source added:

“Life at Spring Hill is a walk in the park compared with Wandsworth. It has wonderful grounds and he will be surrounded by inmates at the end of their sentences, many convicted of “white collar” crime, such as fraud. He will be in good company.”

So, what about Category D Spring Hill Prison in Buckinghamshire, the Prison Service website says the jail’s purpose is ‘to prepare prisoners for release by addressing accommodation, employment, vocational training and offending behaviour needs’.

Presumably after they have paid their debt to society, we are still waiting for Chaytor top do so instead of being put up in Club Fed country club.

In defending giving EX Labour MP David Chaytor special treatment, the Prison Service said:

“The Prison Service has a responsibility to place prisoners in the lowest category possible so this move is entirely justified and timely”.

After only two weeks?

Yet again, the public have been deceived; the punishment didn’t fit the crime, so a precedent has been set.

It seems that all Peers and ex MPs will be given special treatment by the Prison Service provided that the prisoners have been one of the three mainstream political parties in Britain.

Justice is a sick joke in Britain, the two tier justice system operates; those with political connections receive better treatment than those without.

Can’t say I am surprised.

The only difference between Egypt and Britain is that the people in Britain aren’t rioting on the streets yet to the same degree.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Scotland’s Political Prisoner Tommy Sheridan issues statement on his imprisonment, the Birdman of Barlinnie speaks to the nation, keep flapping Tommy!

Dear All

Tommy Sheridan is still banged up.

No Kebabs, no booze, no shagging (wife) but he does have a captive audience to talk too.

Politically buried like an old dog and a set of moth eaten slippers, he speaks from ‘beyond the grave’, well Barlinnie Prison anyway.

The champagne socialist is weighed down by weighty matters.

Here is the ditto from Scotland’s own Nelson Mandela, Political Prisoner Tommy Sheridan.

“Comrades,

By the time you read this I will be a guest of the Crown. Despite a tremendous fight against the combined forces of the state and the Murdoch empire, we have lost this round. But the fight isn’t over yet.

Though I have been in jail before, this time will be tougher because I will be separated from my family. But my plight is nothing compared to the families blown apart and torn apart by the horrors of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have friends whose husbands, sons and fathers have to go to fight wars in these places, some of them never return. My family’s troubles do not compare to the loss these people face.

Across the world there are migrants who have to leave their families and travel across the world, trying to earn enough just to eat, sometimes never seeing them for years, if at all. There are families who lose everything in natural and man-made disasters. In Haiti their lives are destroyed by Earthquake, in Australia by floods, in Gaza by Israeli Bulldozers.

These are the people who make us know that it is right to fight for a better and fairer world, these are the people who show the strength to keep going and fight back. When we fight back it can mean that we become a target of those in power. Right now, I am the target and I am being made to pay. I accept that and, inspired by students across this country, and my brothers and sisters in Tunisia and Egypt, know that it is right to fight on.

It may be some time before I can join you again on the picket lines, at the protests against war and weapons of mass destruction, at the marches and meetings to fight against the slash and burn policies of the Government coalition. But I will be there in spirit and, before long, will be back by your side, fighting the good fight.

I have been humbled and empowered by the strength of the support you all have shown to me and Gail, I am lucky to be supported by some outstanding and talented individuals and organisations, I will be alright. I urge you to give your support to trade unions in their struggle against the cuts, students in their battle for fair and equal right to education, ordinary families on benefits who face the brunt of the tory onslaught. They need you now, more than ever.

In Solidarity,

Tommy”

When I read the comparisons he is making to tragic events and weaving in his own situation I have to say:

‘For fuck sake Tommy, you have got a bed and three square meals a day in a nice cosy prison cell.

And you are the reason you are up shit creek in the first place!’

Scotland’s political prisoner has only done four days; already I feel he has done 10 years!

Surely the Scottish Government will release him on compassionate grounds, mine, he is doing my tits in!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Left-wing protesters in racist attack on wannabe Labour MP and student 'leader' Aaron Porter, life getting dangerous for political class in Britain?

Dear All

Tories are becoming universally unpopular as their coalition partners the Lib Dems.

And it seems that even unelected wannabe politicians of Labour Party aren’t safe either.

Aaron Porter is the national president of the NUS, a vehicle for wannabe Labour MPs to use to avoid doing activism on the street through-out the year.

Today he has to be escorted to safety by police after he was surrounded by protesters calling for his resignation.

Protetors allegedly shouted:

“‘Students, workers, hear our shout! We want Aaron Porter out!’ and ‘Aaron Porter we know you, you’re a f******* Tory too!”

As I said he is in the Labour Party, another Tory style organisation for the middle class to get elected in ghetto areas through out Britain.

One photographer allegedly reported chants of ‘Tory Jew scum’ directed at Mr Porter.

Luckily for Mr. Porter the Police were able to escort him before the crowd had the opportunity to do him any harm.

Porter is facing calls to step down as NUS president by members of the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. They say he has ‘lost the confidence of the movement’.

The protest march attended by thousands began peacefully and was escorted by mounted police.

Then it all went wrong as around 150 demonstrators broke off the agreed route and headed towards the city centre, where they targeted Mr Porter.

With more and more protests in the offing, the risk of rioting and targeting of the political class is growing.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Lib Dems MSP Mike Pringle caught out buying election leaflets from England while claiming to support local business, hypocrite and blowhard

Dear All

One of the things that politicians are supposed is to support is local business as they are part of the glue of a community.

They provide jobs, amenities and social fabric.

So, what does it say that Edinburgh South Liberal Democrat Mike Pringle in one breath says he supports local business and behind everyone backs he buys services elsewhere? Namely the printing of election leaflets.

Total rank hypocrisy!

And we are not just talking about not buying in this local area where he is trying to get re-elected to Holyrood.

He isn’t even buying in Scotland; he is buying in Portsmouth, England.

And the glossy handout says that he is "standing up for local business".

Actions speak louder than words and action reveals the true nature of Mike Pringle, he will say anything to get elected to public office.

The front of the leaflet, delivered to thousands of homes in the constituency, asks a simple question:

"Who can we rely on to stand up for our area?"

Not Mike Pringle.

And it gets worse as inside he said his priorities included "standing up for local business".

But not at the expense of spending a few quid extra!There is plenty of design and print companies in Scotland and Edinburgh that are desperately trying to stay afloat in these tough economic times would be only too glad of this business.

After getting caught out, Mike Pringle, who is seeking re-election in the renamed Edinburgh Southern seat at the Scottish Parliament elections in May, defended his choice.He said:

"We get quotes from people in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife and the south of England and we go to the people who are the cheapest and best value. We have had quotes from people in Edinburgh, but they are substantially more expensive.”

Pringle added:"I don't know how they do it, but the firm in Portsmouth do it much cheaper. We are talking about hundreds of pounds."

No wonder the Lib Dem support has fallen through the deck, people like Pringle don’t get it at all; he isn’t a politician for the people but rather a politician who wants to manage the people.

Pringle also said had helped a lot of individual businesses with their own problems and had campaigned for transitional relief for many businesses, including hotels and guest houses.

But we should remember that he was paid to do that by the taxpayer, he makes out he is doing us a favour.

Hypocrite of the highest order!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Ex Labour Minister Jacqui Smith to do porno for BBC, hopefully she will keep her clothes on, she went to Oxford but is she up on the porn classics?

Dear All

Some people will do anything for money.

Porn shame minister Jacqui Smith is set to make a documentary about pornography for BBC.

Donations to the campaign for her to keep her clothes on should be sent to the BBC Trust.

So, what qualifications does she have to do a porno?

Her husband charged the taxpayer for the cost of hiring two blue movies which he watched.

The title of the documentary for BBC Radio 5 Live is 'Porn Again'.

Surely a better title would be ‘put your clothes back on I’m having my tea’!

During her voyage into ‘Tits oot for the Lads’, she will ‘investigate’ the pornography industry in the UK.

This means that Oxford educated Smith will be talking to people about the ‘classics’.

Porno classics!

We will hear in the programme her talk about her own attitudes to the industry.

As if anyone would care!

She said:

"As I know from my personal experience, porn fascinates us-media and public alike. But we actually know very little about what it's like to work in the industry and what porn is doing to our society, our children and our relationships."

And our sheep!

Smith added:

"In making this programme, I've been able to challenge my own views and attitudes and I want others to have the chance to join the debate too."

Because Smith wants to be a TV presenter since she was bounced out of Parliament by the people.

They had an interest in her doughy arse bouncing along the pavement as she was kicked out.

The middle class BBC said the programme would see Smith question her own opinions and experience along the way trying to inject some vitality into what will be a flaccid and limb documentary.

Will the BBC hire ‘fluffers’ to try and get this organ erect?

I think this documentary will be a sadomasochism experience for the viewers.

If you are doing to do a sex documentary then get someone decent like Donna Ewin to front it.

I think an icon of the industry is much better than the wife of a guy who watched two porno movies paid for by the taxpayer.

‘Porn Again’, I think this is one documentary that should be buried and the coffin lid nailed shut.

Finally, do you know why sheep shagging died out?

It was because women objected to guys taking sheep to the pictures!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Egypt is a battleground as Mubarak regime stalls, the State has to right itself by giving people a future, the same applies to corrupt Britain

Dear All

It seems that the Middle East is becoming more unstable and volatile as people are rising up against their governments.

The latest flash point is Egypt.

Days of tension finally erupted like a volcano which has lead to all-out rioting.

Is it people power or something more sinister?

The military are now on the streets as the flame of revolution spread from Tunisia.

The Egyptian capital Cairo is a dangerous place, engulfed by smoke and tear gas as people set light to the Government’s party headquarters.

It is a modern day battleground between the State and the people.

After Friday prayers finished the riot kicked off with at least 10 people killed.

Police and soldiers fired tear gas and used tanks and armoured cars to disperse crowds.

The protestors have one thing in common; they want the reign of President Hosni Mubarak who has held office for 31-years to end.

The Government is on the verge of collapsing as Mubarak has dismissed his Cabinet in a tactical move to appease the protestors.

But he has a problem will the military and the Police jump onto the side of the protestors? There seems to be reluctance on their part to side with the government.

One thing is certain, rule of law cannot be allowed to collapse or the entire country will be plunged into darkness.

Mubarak has to step down and new election held; that way the democratic process can right the country.

Is bad?

When the State imposes curfews, it shows a sense of desperation akin to panic.

Protests have broken out in 11 of Egypt’s 28 provinces and it are set to spread.

Suez has experienced some of the most serious violence; people have seized weapons stored in a police station.

And burned down the building as well as 20 police trucks parked nearby.

Violent demonstrators exchanged fire with policemen trying to stop them from storming another police station leading to the death of one killed in the gun battle.

So, what is the West doing?

They seem to be taking a back seat and sitting on the fence leaning towards the protestors.

It is if the West wants the current government to fall.

Prime Minister David Cameron did the standard condemned the violence speech but tacked on the protestors maybe in the right.

He said:

“Clearly, when you have people who have grievances and problems that want them responded to, it’s in all our interests that these countries have stronger rule of law, stronger rights, stronger democracy. But the argument I would make is I think in the past sometimes we in the West have taken a rather simple view that what matters is just the act of holding an election. Real democracy is about the building blocks you put in place about the rule of law, the rights, the strength of your civil society, the freedoms you have in that country.”

David Cameron is leader of corrupt Britain which will be experiencing civil unrest as it did in the 80’s.

The gap between rich and poor is starting to stretch to breaking point because whole generations are denied a future managed by a small unaccountable political and social clique.

We recent saw the students; we will be seeing others as other sections of the community.

But he wouldn’t be saying:

‘Clearly, when you have people who have grievances and problems that want them responded to, it’s in all our interests that Britain has stronger rule of law, stronger rights, stronger democracy.”

He wouldn’t be admitting corrupt Britain exists because he is part of it.

It is time that Governments started offering people right up the social ladder a future.

The people of Egypt have spoken out because they have been denied a future, other countries and their people will follow suit.

We need a better political class.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Tories and LibDems in 2015 election pact, Nick “the rat” Clegg does the final sell out of his party, he has buried the Lib Dems as a political force

Dear All

The sell out by Nick Clegg is complete.

A Tory-LibDem pact is being planned for the 2015 General Election.

For the Tories the advantages are clear, they want the Lib Dems to take the flak so that they can run in behind and secure a ‘victory’.

Holding on to political office!

This means that the task facing the Labour Party is huge.

The informal “soft-pedal strategy” was used in the Oldham by-election were David Cameron gave a nod and wink to his voters to switch sides.

The Tory vote collapsed in order to personally shore up Nick Clegg.

People who may benefit from the arrangement are LibDem ministers such as Energy Secretary Chris Huhne who cheated on his wife and his party colleague Jeremy Browne, whose majority in Somerset is also low.

Support for Nick Clegg’s party has slumped since the General Election in May.

And it is going to further drop when news of the Tory-LibDem pact is thought through; Clegg has effectively allowed the Lib Dems to be absorbed by the Tories in all but name.

For Lib Dems voters and activists this is the ultimate betrayal and begs the question, why work for them.

So, the battle is now on for other parties to woo the Lib Dem vote but they need a few carrots.

Expect to see some Lib Dem policies appear in people’s manifestos.

The proposed deal is an insurance policy should the Conservatives once again fail to achieve an outright majority.

And the Labour Party has knows that Clegg is vulnerable; he is the crack that they have to chip away at.

A Tory Cabinet minister referred to the recent by-election sums it up as it was paramount “for the Coalition to continue and not to be destabilised; in the case of Oldham that meant the LibDems doing well”.

Despite Labour winning, the side issue of tactically voting worked, it was the story of Oldham East.

A senior Conservative said:

“Who knows where we will be in 2015? But one scenario is an informal pact in which the two Coalition partners would help each other where they could. Voters aren’t stupid. They can work out who is best placed to win in their constituency – as they did in Oldham. It wouldn’t have to be a formal, top-down pact, which would be very difficult to impose on local associations in any case.”

Actually, given what is happening politically Ed Miliband has a strong chance to be PM with the largest party at a future election.

The Minister added:

“Are we going to go hell for leather to defeat Chris Huhne in Eastleigh? No. I wouldn’t have any part in that. I am not going to go and campaign for a Tory victory there.”

So, the writing is on the wall, a new tactic to hold on to power.

And it is effective in some but not all cases.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Police bonuses scheme scrapped ‘within days’, I wrote on the 13th December 2010 that the culture of entitlement at the Police must end

Dear All

On the 13th December 2010, I wrote about the culture of entitlement at Strathclyde Police and said it was time to draw a line under it.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2010/12/strathclyde-police-is-looking-to-shed.html

Now, Police bonuses are to be scrapped.

At that time I wrote about one of the things most ordinary people wouldn’t associate with the Police is an expenses’ and padded out contracts culture.

It seems that my advice is being taken up, within days chief constables will be told that that they can stop rewarding rank-and-file officers who have extra skills or responsibilities.

This is a sensible move that will be a significant boost to chiefs desperately trying to save money.
The cuts coming down the pipeline start in April.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland have lobbied for the change, with savings in the region of £16 million a year by abolishing so-called Special Priority Payments and other bonus schemes.

Of course the effect of this is that many officers will take a financial hit in the pocket but it will protect frontline services and people will still have a job.

Police reform has been long overdue but now there is political will to hopefully do what is necessary.

Service representatives claim morale is at an all-time low but with a new national Police Force on the cards, I expect morale to rise, stability will be at the heart of the new service.

And the new measure announced came just in time as a committee of Strathclyde Police Authority was yesterday scheduled to consider plans to force some 77 officers in to early retirement.

These people’s jobs have been saved.

Councillors on the committee have shelved the proposal, which would have cut staffing budgets by some £1.9m, as it emerged phasing out of bonuses would save more than £3m.

It seems that George Laird was right again, 13th December 2010, ahead of the curve.

And the Scottish Government and Police do read my blog.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Fatwa against Theresa May: Police investigate Islamic Group, do them for repeated littering for a start, Keep Britain tidy!

Dear All

When the Tories were striving to win outright victory at the Westminster Election, their top team gave up their second jobs.

People like William Hague were coining in a fortune on the after dinner speaking circuit.

However, it seems that I missed something!

Theresa May has a second job 'for the abduction, kidnapping and false imprisonment' of various radical clerics.

Is this a real second job or just a hobby?

And how did she hear about this?

Is there a radical ‘abduction, kidnapping and false imprisonment’ monthly magazine on sale?

It seems that Posters have been stuck up issuing a fatwa against Theresa May in South London, prompting an investigation by Scotland Yard.

A fatwa be interpreted as an incitement to kill, and is an order issued by scholars in the Islamic faith.

If it is a second job then surely the tax office up her arse would be a better solution.

Anyway the Metropolitan Police are seeking the source of the Wild West-style posters.

Straightaway they can do the people involved on littering under the Environmental Protection Act 2000.

The posters were stuck up at the same time as the Home Secretary announced in Parliament yesterday controversial reforms of control orders for terrorism suspects.

Controls orders are be ‘watered’ down to surveillance and other measures.

A link on the posters directs people to a website which states:

“The current reality of Muslims living in Britain has unfortunately become very bleak; what was initially perceived by some, to be a malicious smear campaign against the Muslim community has now turned into something far more sinister”.

A bit like the situation facing the working class?

“Subsequently, as a response to this extremely critical situation and having been left with no other alternative, a Fatwa has been launched against the head of internal affairs and national security, Theresa May”.

Internal affairs, has she a Lord Strathclyde history?

“We understand the seriousness of this religious verdict, and will be releasing further information in due course.”
Hurry up!

The website specifies high-profile Muslims such as Khalid al Fawwaz, 48, a Saudi Arabian with links to Osama Bin Laden.

He is currently fighting extradition to the U.S. on allegations of terrorism, not keen to face the ‘enemy’ then?

And it also defends hook-handed cleric Sheikh Abu Hamza, another awaiting extradition to the U.S.

Abu Qatadah, another candidate for a free holiday in America is also named as 'a loving father and an ailing elderly man'.

The group which issued the posters says there will be a press conference in Central London next week to explain the details of the fatwa.

Abu Bakr, a 27-year-old adult learning teacher and spokesman for the group, denied the fatwa was a physical threat against the Home Secretary.

Well, let’s see what a jury decides.

He said:

“Perhaps 10 years ago people were confused about what a fatwa is but now so many have been issued that I think most people realise what they are. A fatwa is an answer to a question, and it could relate to a political question or even a marital problem. The contents of the fatwa can't be revealed until the press conference. But we have Muslims such as Khalid al Fawwaz who have been held in prison for 12 years without charge or evidence against them. What we want to do is ask Muslims if a situation like this is allowed in Islam? Should we vote for someone like Theresa May and what relationship should we have with a government like this. For someone like Abu Hamza there doesn't seem to be any hope for them, even though they are not accused of any crimes. Secret evidence is used against them in these situations and there seems to be one rule for Muslims and another rule for others. We are not really an organisation as such, more of a community group that has come together to raise questions about these issues because something needs to be done about it.”

Well the ‘community’ group can be done with littering for a starter for ten!

The posters have been spotted on phone boxes, bus shelters and walls in Balham and Tooting and are being treated 'as graffiti' by Wandsworth Council.

Wandsworth Council has a no tolerance policy!

And should be billing Abu Bakr!

The most noticeable Fatwa was issued against the author Sir Salman Rushdie issued by Iran's Ayatollah Khomenei in 1989 after the publication of his book Satanic Verses.

Rushdie was forced to go into hiding and given round-the-clock protection from armed police for nine years.

The order, which urged all 'zealous Muslims' to execute the author, was lifted in 1998.

However, he recently revealed that he receives a reminder every year from Iranian extremists that they still want to kill him.

The author said the threat comes in the form of a 'sort of Valentine's Day' card each February 14th.

You would think that as the Tories/ Lib Dems are reforming controls orders which benefit the Muslim Community, they would be grateful.

Instead they are wandering about littering the streets of Wandsworth, Keep Britain tidy, use the bins.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Colin Fox reaches out to Solidarity supporters, there will be no united left until the SSP do a ‘deal’ with Scotland’s Nelson Mandela c/o Barlinnie

Dear All

Politics is some part is all about opportunity and timing.

With Tommy Sheridan continuing the fight for ‘truth, justice and the America way’ in Barlinnie at the moment, Colin Fox, a senior Scottish Socialist Party figure has raised the prospect of reuniting with supporters of disgraced politician Tommy Sheridan.

Colin Fox is totally deluded.

The Tommy Sheridan Camp isn’t going to cross the floor to join you or the SSP.

In their eyes you committed a ‘crime’.

You helped put their leader in prison.

They think, Tommy Sheridan, Political Prisoner.

Colin Fox has told BBC Scotland that he backed unity between the SSP and Sheridan's breakaway Solidarity movement.

But the brave Colin wants to first rub humiliation into the faces of Sheridan’s Gang; they would have to accept his jail term for perjury.

They won’t.

Fox said:

"There is virtually nothing that distinguishes the Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity other than this issue of Tommy Sheridan."

Tommy Sheridan is Solidarity.

And it was Tommy Sheridan who helped make SSP Scotland's fifth-largest party, with six MSPs.
Sheridan had a certain style which Fox and his cohorts lacked in spades.

Fox and your crew got their doughy arses kicked at the ballot box.

However both parties have been out of parliament since the 2007 election and in order to have a united left, there has to be a radical shift, to left of centre politics.

And even then the Sheridan issue has to be dealt with.

The Scottish Socialist Party has to do a deal with Sheridan himself.

Or there will be no united left.

Fox added:

"If people accept Tommy Sheridan lied, he sued a newspaper over stories he knew to be true, he conspired with others to tell lies and he vilified who dared stand up to him, then I think we can go forward."

The Sheridan Case is odd, we all think he is guilty, we all realise that the SSP got shabby treatment but they didn’t get the sympathy vote.

They looked like they were gloating all the time.

Solidarity national secretary Graeme McIver said senior SSP figures had been "discredited in the eyes of active socialists and trade unionists across the UK".
Won the war but lost the peace!

McIver added:

"I know that on campaigns, on picket lines across Scotland, I'll be standing there with SSP members."

So, the SSP if it wants a united left, it will have to see Tommy Sheridan c/o Barlinnie Prison.

Where Sheridan will be practicing to be Scotland’s Nelson Mandela!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Tommy Sheridan, ‘The Birdman of Barlinnie’ enters prison as ‘guest’ of the Queen, he says he is innocent, Political Prisoner narrative starts already

Dear All

The narrative was already written before his head touch a pillow for his first night in the prison.

Tommy Sheridan, Political Prisoner!

The bad Murdoch Empire and the Scottish Socialist Party did for him out of jealously that he was helping the working class too much.

Tommy Sheridan will continue the socialist fight from his prison cell.

However the Governor of Barlinnie will not be allowing him out to do door to door canvassing.

The Queen has made room for him in one of her ‘guest’ houses, although it is doubtful she will call on him.

Free food, free board, free medical, free dental, free gym, free tv and he can get a cuppa while he pens a book about his experiences.

His wife, Gail, said that “it would not be long” before her husband, a former MSP, would be back and stronger than before.

The saga continues!

Sheridan was driven to HMP Barlinnie in Glasgow shortly after noon which a set of cuffs slapped on him, just in time for a spot of lunch.

His lawyer, Glasgow University product Aamer Anwar lodged an appeal against the conviction within minutes of the sentence being passed.

Save us the legal aid money please, it’s over, and you’re done and dusted.

In true champagne socialist outrage, Sheridan has vowed to take his action all the way to the European courts if necessary.

And no, he won’t be getting out for a trip to that Court.

The former Scottish Socialist Party convener is still claiming that he is innocent, considering he plans to appeal the verdict that is understandable.

Mind you getting someone to believe it is a whole different animal.

Sheridan said:

“The thing that upsets me most in some respects is that I am supposed to be punished, and quite rightly so. If you are found guilty of something you are punished, whether I maintain my innocence, as I do, or not ... the problem is the length of the sentence is going to punish Gail and Gabrielle more than me.”

If Tommy Sheridan decided to resume his career in politics he would be able to do so after serving his sentence.

He could possibly be standing for Glasgow City Council in 2012.

In a ward near you!

Maybe he will go back to his political base of Pollok and try to work his way up the political tree.

Sheridan said to the Judge before his transport to the clink was ready:

“On my release, I will return to fight for justice and equality, and for peace.”

Is he thinking of standing for Miss World?

If so, he missed out wanting to help little children.

Tommy Sheridan, Champagne Socialist, political career deader than the Dodo!

Finally, a new legend enters the Scottish Prison System, Tommy Sheridan; ‘The Birdman of Barlinnie’.

He is definitely away with the birdies if he thinks anyone is going to believe his shite!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

'Double dip' fears grow for Scottish economy as facts of poor economic performance hit the public domain, we need a new state controlled Scottish Bank

Dear All

For sometime, I have been saying things look bad and we maybe heading towards a double dip recession.

http://glasgowunihumanrights.blogspot.com/2010/10/east-coast-weasel-labour-msp-iain-gray_14.html

Now, Economists have issued a growth warning for the Scottish economy because they believe that Scotland will be hit harder than the rest of the UK.

Latest figures show Britain is teetering on the brink of a double-dip recession.

And we are going in.

Why?

Because no one is planning for growth, instead we have the bizarre situation that they are hoping for growth.

And you can’t have a country’s economy based on hope.

When thousands of people flood the jobs market after being made redundant from the public sector, businesses right across the board will suffer, they in turn will sack people.

And many businesses will go to the wall.

Closely followed by people who can’t pay their mortgages and or have racked up huge debt which they can’t serve!

In a capitalist economy there are winners and losers, we are now entering a time when losers are going to lose big.

The Housing bubble is a prime example of how markets were manipulated for profit, well the wheels have fell off that band wagon as the sub prime mortgage scandal proved.

And now the same people are making money packaging and reselling the debt.

At the same time banks haven’t been willing to lend either, this is a problem.

What is needed is a new banking system which can challenge the stranglehold of the big banks cartel.

This would address the problem of lending to business and paying savers a decent return on savings is sorely needed to encourage saving as a part of normal household activity.

Things are bad but it can be solved.

Scotland needs a new state controlled Bank in Scotland on a par with HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland.

If we are going to invest in the future of this country shouldn’t we have the mechanism to do it that works?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Tommy Sheridan sentenced to three years in prison; Lord Bracadale gives him a light sentence, mini protest as supporters shout “solidarity” in court

Dear All

Wednesday 26th January 2011.

Former Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan has been jailed for three years for perjury.

He is in disgrace.

On the bright side the sentence means that Sheridan is likely to serve 18 months or less before being released.

Outside the court Gail Sheridan said:

“The real reason why he has been imprisoned today is because he has fought injustice and inequality with every beat of his heart”

Actually, it was because he was fibbing his head off in a Court of Law, nothing to do with fighting injustice and nothing to do with fighting inequality.

His ‘crime’ was allowing his ego to get in the way of sound judgement.

Lord Bracadale through-out this trial has impressed me and given the circumstances he has done Sheridan a favour by giving him a light sentence.

The judge said he had not taken Sheridan's previous convictions into account as he had judged that they were not relevant to the perjury trial

What a terribly nice judge.

Sheridan listened to the judge's comments in silence which was the first smart thing I have heard he done during this trial.

And he kept his mitigation plea to 40 minutes.

We should remember that talking dug Sheridan the hole he is currently in.

After the judge finished talking, dock officers moved in to handcuffed the prisoner.

The politician's family including his wife Gail and some supporters stood in unison with clenched fists and shouted "solidarity".

Presumably they think Sheridan is a political prisoner, he isn’t.

The judge made some interesting comments in his summing up:

"You led the Scottish Socialist Party to considerable electoral success and your contributions to the anti-poll tax campaign and the abolition of warrant sales will become part of the fabric of Scottish social and political history”.

"By pursuing, and persisting in the pursuit of, a defamation action against the proprietors of the News of the World you brought the walls of the temple crashing down not only on your own head but also on the heads of your family and your political friends and foes alike”.

"You were repeatedly warned by the comrades that it would come to this."

"You went on to commit perjury in the course of successfully pursuing that action, as a result of which you were awarded a very large sum of damages.

"In these circumstances the only appropriate sentence, as you yourself recognise, is one of imprisonment."

Afterwards in the cold light of day outside Gail Sheridan said:

"Tommy has dedicated his life to helping others. The real reason why he has been imprisoned today is because he has fought injustice and inequality with every beat of his heart. But it won't be long before Tommy is back - stronger and continuing the fight."

Awhile ago, I bumped into someone who does work for the NOTW, he asked me what I thought of the case.

I said that “Tommy Sheridan was completely f*cked,” he disagreed with me.

George Laird was right again.

Tommy Sheridan was completely f*cked.

By his own actions and words!

And just when you think it is all over, there maybe an appeal in the offing!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Lord Taylor of Warwick guilty of making false expenses claims, majority verdict of 11-1, he faces a prison sentence, House of Lords reform needed

Dear All

Ex-Tory peer Lord Taylor of Warwick has been found guilty.

He now faces the prospect of going to prison.

The amount he defrauded the taxpayer of was £11,277 in false parliamentary expenses claims.

The 58-year-old peer claimed travel costs between his Oxford home and Westminster, as well as subsistence for staying in London.

He claimed he had made the false claims "in lieu of a salary," and had been acting on the advice of colleagues.

Let’s have their names and the Police can visit them.

The jury at Southwark Crown Court found him guilty in an 11-1 majority verdict.

Someone thought he was innocent!

How?

Like ex Labour MPs David Chaytor and Eric Illsley, he has been freed on bail pending sentencing at a date to be confirmed.

Lord Taylor was Britain's first black peer and a former barrister and radio and TV presenter.

He should have set a better example, and he must have known as a barrister that submitting false information was wrong.

He listed his main residence as a home in Oxford, which was owned by his nephew, while he actually lived in a flat in London.

Deception!

His defence was it had been a common practice among peers to claim for fake journeys and enter expenses claims with a false address as a main residence.

So, let’s round up everyone involved in this and prosecute them.

During his stint in the witness box which was at times quite an emotional experience as he gave evidence, he told how he had battled racism in his political career; how he had been an unsuccessful Tory candidate in Cheltenham at the 1992 general election and claimed he was in public life to "help people" and not for the money.

But what he did was wrong.

Helen Law Prosecution barrister said:

“It was a lightly policed scheme, open to abuse. Lord Taylor knew that, and he used it”

She also said that as a man with a degree, who is a qualified barrister and a legislator, Lord Taylor should have been able to understand the rules set out in guidelines for peers.

Speaking of the trips he claimed for, prosecution barrister Helen Law said:

"Those were journeys that didn't happen from a home that wasn't his. Taylor knew those facts and he said he didn't attempt to mislead anyone. I'm going to suggest that as a lawyer and as a member of the House of Lords, the alarm bells would have been ringing loud and clear."

And, he should have pleaded guilty earlier, now he doesn’t qualify for a reduction in sentence.

Mohammed Khamisa QC defending said his client's actions had been:

"clumsy, illogical and stupid, but not a deliberate attempt to lie".

Fuck off with that shite, you awake during this case?

Mr Khamisa added:

"He is not motivated by money. He is a humble man, a gentle and honest man, with a clear moral compass. He is not a man with a silver spoon in his mouth."

Well he was motivated by something when he was filling in the forms?

Money!

What the Taylor incident tells us is that there has to be a review of the House of Lords Allowances.

There should be a daily allowance for attendance. In due course, we should be moving towards a wholly elected second upper chamber where Lords are salaried in much the same way as MPs.

I have no doubt that Lord Taylor of Warwick did devote a lot of time to helping others but he was caught in a corrupt system which rather than campaign to change he went along with it.

Britain is a corrupt country which begs the question why those in power don’t change it for the benefit for all.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

‘Public’ Service before ‘Private’ Service, Lord Strathclyde sneaks back to Westminster, Brigit felt like a ‘dirty Hooker’ because of him

Dear All

Lord Strathclyde has surfaced.

Yesterday he made his first public appearance following reports of an affair with an unmarried woman called Birgit Cunningham.

Apparently Birgit Cunningham was getting banged by Lord Strathclyde to music of George Michael.

I wonder, what tunes?

Father Figure, Careless Whisper or Wake Me Up Before You Go Go!

Anyway, he has sneaked back into the House of Lords to lead the coalition's attempts to get through its voting reform bill through the Lords.

‘Public’ Service before ‘Private’ Service, how novel!

The ‘Leader’ of the House of Lords has he made it clear the government was prepared to continue with late sessions this week to get its bill on a referendum on changing the voting system through in time.

What about knob breaks?

Miss Cunningham, 48 is an ex-girlfriend of Kevin Costner who descended into poverty and alcoholism said:

“I’m not proud of sleeping with a married man, but I feel Lord Strathclyde took advantage of me when I was at my most vulnerable and I feel betrayed. I’m fed up of this Government’s hypocrisy and how they preach to us about family values”.

How does Lord Strathclyde come back from allegedly taking advantage of a ‘vulnerable’ woman?

The old brass neck!

By all accounts it was a steamy deal.

Birgit details the action in such graphic terms.

In September 2003, she says turned to her old friend Lord Strathclyde, for help with a campaign.

She says:

“I cried down the phone that I needed help, women needed help.”

Lord Strathclyde promptly replied:

“Let’s meet up, I’ll come over, I’ll bring some food, some wine. I’ll cheer you up.”

He then arrived at her ‘grim’ housing association flat above a chip shop and mini-cab firm in the shadow of a flyover on a shabby stretch of west London’s Ladbroke Grove.

They sat down and ate a meal off plates rested on their laps.

What no dining table!

She added:

“He brought food and wine and he listened, I had a bit to drink and was feeling sorry for myself”.

Then it is full steam ahead.

“He started kissing me, saying, “You are a very attractive girl, you can move on from this”. He started rubbing my leg. I gave in to him”.

“The flat was filthy and it stank of chip fat from the takeaway downstairs. When I moved in the ceilings were stained with nicotine and the carpets covered in dirt and muck.”

Lord Strathclyde is a married man.

Brigit Cunningham said they had sex on the creaking sofa.

It is all so sordid isn’t it?

Brigit also said:

“Afterwards I felt like some Dickensian girl, like a dirty hooker”.

And after laying on some Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference smoked salmon at a meeting, Lord Strathclyde allegedly left £40.

Salmon and a bang for £40!

I remember a story about Dr Brendan Wallace from the human rights abusing Glasgow University who was selling his ass for £40.

He wasn’t throwing in Salmon!

The Sunday Mail exposed his sordid double life, telling how he dressed in denim mini, purple stockings and wore red lipstick to sell his body.

So, what advice would I give Lord Strathclyde?

Keep your dick in your trousers, get on a treadmill you fat fuck and giving £40 is so cheap.

Vermin in Ermine or kindly gent giving women £40 for a bit of salmon, you decide.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Labour Party lies exposed, Average Scottish jail sentences 'longest in a decade', there is no ‘soft touch’ prison policies, just good hard judging

Dear All

Bad news for the ‘East Coast Weasel’ Labour MSP Iain Gray and his sidekick ‘idiot boy’ Richard Baker, average prison sentences in Scotland are now at their longest in a decade.

And it is official according to statistics.

One of the disreputable aspects of the Labour campaign to retake Holyrood is their stance on crime.

Part of that is their phoney knife crime campaign, ‘carry a knife go to jail’.

How do we know it is phoney?

Two reasons!

One, no Crime Bill proposing compulsory prison sentences for carrying a knife.

And secondly, despite adding an amendment to the last Crime Bill, it didn’t change the current legal position in the Scottish Government Bill.

On knife crime, the Labour Party was trying to introduce the concept of ‘guilty until proven innocent’ for party political benefit.

Such a proposal is in violation of the Human Rights Act 1998 as it clearly states the right to a fair trial is sacrosanct.

The Labour proposal was illegal but they still use it as an election gimmick in order to trick gullible voters.

The trick was successful used by Labour MP William Bain during the Glasgow North East By-election.

After the election William Bain has done nothing.

You can check for yourself on TheyWorkForYou.

William Bain played the people for Springburn for mugs on crime to get elected to public office.

With the average length of jail terms rising by 7% in a year, this kills the Labour Party narrative of the Scottish Government being a ‘soft touch.’

Crime is one of the key issues at election time and as such it gets a high profile but isn’t it time that the MSM turned their spotlight on the Labour Party and their claims?

It should be asking questions about phoney Labour Party campaigns which disappear as soon as the election is over.

The people of Scotland need to learn to look beyond the rhetoric of the Labour Party and see the work that is getting done for their benefit by the Scottish Government.

For example the new Scottish National Police Force which will be a major step forward in the fight against crime.

The introduction of the Community Payback Order on 1 February will see more people getting treatment for drug or alcohol addictions and serving a community sentence breaking the cycle of crime.

The statistics show Scotland is becoming safer, crime is down, fear of crime is down; the number of people carrying out crime is down.

But there is still much more to do in the background.

Do the people of Scotland want to lose all the good work already done by allowing Iain Gray and Richard Baker to destroy it?

Check the facts for yourself, and then make an informed judgement.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Former Tory MSP Phil Gallie dies aged 71; he brought much colour to the Holyrood Parliament, which is so sadly lacking, Scottish Politics loss

Dear All

The former Conservative MSP and MP, Phil Gallie, has died at the age of 71.

I best remember him as a Tory law and order type of the old school.

‘Jail them all, let God sort them out’.

Gallie represented the South of Scotland for eight years at Holyrood from 1999, also served as MP for Ayr from 1992 until 1997.

By any means he had a good career in politics.

Phil Gallie died suddenly on Monday night and I am sure people will wish his family all the best in this difficult time.

Paying tribute, Scottish Tory leader Annabel Goldie, said:

"Phil was that rare breed of politician - admired by friend and foe alike and a tireless advocate for the people of his beloved Ayr, his party and Scotland. No one who knew Phil will ever forget the passion and enthusiasm he brought to everything he did."

He was a politician when so many are robotic cannon fodder, when he had an opinion he said it.

Goldie added:

"He leaves a gap in our lives. I have lost a friend and Scotland has lost a shining example of a true public servant, someone who cared deeply about people and loved his country."

A well-liked figure at Holyrood, he caused some controversy in 2002 when he refused to officially declare his long-standing membership of the Freemasons.

Mr Gallie is survived by his children, Kirsteen and Craig, and grandchildren.

A bit of a shock, he was one of those people you thought would be around forever.

Sad day for his family and politics!

And Holyrood is desperate in need of some colourful and outspoken advocates like Gallie.

Didn’t like his politics but liked his passion for his cause.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

‘East Coast Weasel’ Iain Gray launches Labour's election campaign with fighting talk, he will surrender to Tories immediately if elected FM

Dear All

I don’t like ‘bitch talk’, and it gets my goat when the ‘East Coast Weasel’ Labour MSP Iain Gray does it.

Iain Gray is portrayed in the Scottish media as a Scottish Labour Leader, this is a falsehood.

The leader of the Labour Party in Scotland is Ed Miliband, his constituency isn’t in Scotland; it is in Doncaster North.

Iain Gray is only leader of the Labour MSPs in the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.

That’s it, his command is 45 MSPs.

As usual The Labour Party is kicking off the party's election campaign with the message to voters:

"We are ready to work hard for you again."

You can be pretty sure that can be taken with a pinch of salt.

On the eve of the 100-day countdown to the parliamentary election on May 5, the Labour Party wants to make the pitch that the party would fight to regain the trust of those who left Labour in the 2007 vote.

In Labour Councils, the trust already has been violated as Labour in places like Glasgow prepared to sack people, impose pay freezes and make people work longer hours for the same salary.

Is that regaining trust?

Screwing people over!

In the two terms that Labour held Holyrood, Council tax people pay went up by 60%.

For the last 4 years Council taxes has been frozen and guess what, Labour hasn’t been in power.

The ‘East Coast Weasel’ says that Labour will publish plans for jobs and growth would see Scotland "walk tall" again.

By sacking public sector workers?

The Iain Gray rhetoric is surprising predictable.

He said:
"Scots worried about their jobs deserve a government that will get our country back to work again”.

Labour crashed the economy!"Parents and teachers deserve better than more broken promises from politicians”.

Labour has a school’s closure programme in Glasgow! "Older people deserve better as they struggle with soaring fuel bills and worry about their care”.

This isn’t a promise, it is patronising crap."And families working long hours to make ends meet deserve a government that works for them”.

Labour is cutting pay and conditions for the vulnerable and low paid."Between now and polling day I will be out knocking on doors, talking to people about their concerns, listening, learning and understanding”.

Listening, learning and understanding, can he explain why he didn’t bother before?
"We start the next 100 days with momentum but no complacency. Labour is taking nothing for granted and will be fighting for every vote to win the trust of Scots again”.

If people stand back and remember the past, it wasn’t the good old days; the only people enjoying themselves were connected to the Labour Party.

They were getting, jobs and contracts in places like the City of Glasgow run by a Labour Council of shame.

"To those who left Labour four years ago but still stand for Labour's values, I say this: we learnt, we listened and we are ready to work hard for you again."

Are they ready to see people sacked, are they ready to see services cut, and are they ready to see public money funnelled to the Labour Party via Labour donors who get rich on Council contracts?

If the people of Scotland want to continue moving forward, then they need to stay the course with the current Government.

Because one thing we do know, the ‘East Coast Weasel’ Iain Gray will roll over and bend over backwards taking ‘English’ orders from both the Tories and London Labour.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

Jo Yeates, Police charge neighbour with murder, George Laird was right again, I said the key to solving this case lay at 44 Canynge Road, on 7th Jan

Dear All

The Police have now charged a 32-year-old Dutch national, Vincent Tabak in connection with the murder of Jo Yeates.

Engineer Vincent Tabak was arrested on Thursday; was remanded in custody at Bristol Magistrates' Court.

For the Avon and Somerset Police this is a wonderful result after all their hard effort.

This case in a relatively short space of time became very high profile and pressurised by the media.

On Friday, the 7th of January 2011, I wrote a post about the case because of comments made by Criminal profiler Dr Gary Macpherson, a consultant forensic clinical psychologist at Carstairs State Hospital.

He was making all sorts of claims in the press which I found odd!

For example he said that the person responsible has shown a level of “forensic awareness” indicating he may have abducted and killed before.

Macpherson said:

“The police appear to be struggling with forensics and that would suggest whoever may be involved in this had some sort of forensic awareness … they would take special care in covering their own tracks. That would certainly suggest the person may have committed similar crimes in the past. I am aware that, historically, there have been a number of unsolved murders in that area”.

His qualifications are:

BA (Hons), MPhil, DClinPsychol , Chartered Clinical Psychologist, Chartered Forensic Psychologist, AFBPsS , EuroPsy , CSci

He also touts himself as an expert witness on:

http://www.expertwitnessscotland.info/search/details.asp?id=4539&type=C

And he was wrong about Tabak being ‘forensic aware’, wrong about him having committed similar crimes in the past and wrong to imply that the killer may have been involved in a number of unsolved murders in the past.

How do we know he wasn’t forensically aware?

Because in Vincent Tabak’s panic, he left behind Jo Yeates' coat, door keys and boots in the flat.

You would think with all that education and work experience he would be better, especially when the case files and information in the public domain point towards something else.

Macpherson added:

“One has to wonder how she got into a vehicle. It is very hard to pull someone into a car while they are on a street, and dispose of a body and not be seen by someone. This again indicates some sort of forensic awareness.”

This led me to say:

“I would say it was highly likely she didn’t ‘get’ into any vehicle and that she was already dead unless Dr Macpherson thinks she would leave her home and walk about in the street without boots on”.

And again, it doesn’t support or indicate “some sort of forensic awareness”.

Looking at the case on and off, I took a different view as my post of the 7th of January 2011 states.

I thought the key to solving the case lay in the reason why the body of Jo Yeates was moved.

I wrote:

“The question is why was she transported to Longwood Lane after she was killed?If she was killed by person or persons unknown then why take what would be an unacceptable risk and move her?And then leave her in an area where she would be found, then perhaps whoever done it wanted her found.She was moved for a reason, so that is what the Police need to establish as part of their inquiry that reason.You could easily theorise that Jo Yeates was killed by someone she knew as 90% of murders are committed by someone who knows their victim and moved to draw attention away from the flat and surrounding area”.

It seems that George Laird was right again.

I wrote this post thirteen days before the arrest of Vincent Tabak.

Vincent Tabak stayed next door to Jo Yeates.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones and his team of 70 officers working full time did a good job on this case.

My only complaint is that they should have handled the media better, they should adopt the system current used by the Met Police and use people who are media trained and detached from the case.

Something to think about for the future!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University