03 March 2016

Week in Brief: UK

DOCTORS’ STRIKE: Junior doctors have voted to continue their programme of strikes after agreement could not be reached with the Government over rates to be paid for weekend work. The BMA has announced that it intends to seek judicial review of Jeremy Hunt’s decision to impose new contracts.

POWER STATION COLLAPSE: One person was killed and three are missing after part of a disused power station at Didcot collapsed. The men were experienced demolition workers who were examining the building before a controlled demolition was to take place.

ROTHERHAM ABUSE: The trial of men who had been accused of sexually abusing young girls in Rotherham has ended with the convictions of 4 men and 2 women. The women were found guilty of pimping and of sex crimes. The court was told that a local politician and corrupt police officers had encouraged an atmosphere in which the abusers considered themselves to be immune from investigation or arrest.

POLICE MISCONDUCT: The Independent Police Complaints Commission has begun investigations into 55 allegations of police misconduct following complaints against 92 named officers.

LABOUR PARTY: It has been reported that John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, wants to abolish and close down the compliance unit. The unit’s task is to examine and, if necessary, refuse membership of the Labour Party to those outside the party, particularly hard left activists.

It appears that the Labour Party may lose 24 seats after electoral boundaries are redrawn. 50 seats in the House of Commons are to be lost, with Labour losing 24 and the Conservatives 14. Details of the proposed changes have been released by the Boundary Commission.

It has been reported that membership of the party has fallen for the first time since Jeremy Corbyn became leader. The fall is thought to be due to the leadership’s stance over the Trident nuclear deterrent.

BBC: Tony Blackburn has been sacked by the BBC and is taking legal action. He claims that he has been dismissed because he had revealed to the inquiry conducted by Dame Janet Smith that there had been a cover up by the BBC of sexual abuse taking place in the organisation.

Dame Janet’s report names a number of BBC staff who were warned about Jimmy Savile but took no action. Dame Janet disappointed the victims of abuse by both Savile and Stuart Hall by saying that she found no evidence that senior executives at the BBC knew of the abuse. A lawyer representing the victims said this conclusion meant that the report was an expensive whitewash. It appears that Dame Janet had no power to compel members of senior management at the BBC to give evidence.

Her conclusion has been attacked because, in 1973, the controller of Radios 1 and 2, Douglas Muggeridge, heard rumours about Savile’s interest in young girls. The head of programmes at Radio 1, together with a colleague, has a meeting with Savile because they wanted to discuss “serious matters”. At the meeting, Savile dismissed the rumours as lies and no further action was taken.

The Sunday Times has concluded that an examination of the witness evidence at the hearing shows that knowledge of the rumours went higher than Dame Janet was prepared to accept, and appears to contradict her conclusions. A former detective said that her findings were not consistent with the evidence.

BREXIT: It appears that a statement issued by retired senior military officers, warning that the UK’s security would be at risk if Britain left the EU, was arranged and organised by Downing Street. The letter included the name of General Sir Michael Rose, a former senior member of the SAS, but Downing Street had to admit that his name had been added by mistake. Sir Michael issued a statement in which he seemed to be in favour of leaving the EU.

Field Marshal Lord Bramall, one of the signatories, said that he had been pressured into signing by Downing Street who told him that many others had already signed.

There are reports that David Cameron could face a challenge to his leadership even if he wins the referendum in June. The reason is that Euro-sceptics in his party are angry at the attacks made on them by Cameron and the pro-EU section of the party.

In this context, there is anger among Euro-sceptic ministers who claim that information and documents about the EU have been kept from them. Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, has been summoned to appear before a Commons committee after complaints that he had undermined ministers who favour leaving the EU.

IMMIGRATION: Annual net immigration rose to 320,000 last year, which is three times the Government’s target. David Cameron said that he wanted to bring the figure down to 100,000 by the next general election.

SHARIA COURTS: A book has been published by Elham Manea, a Muslim woman, who has carried out research over a 4 year period into the attitude adopted by some Sharia courts in the UK. She has described them as being more antiquated and extreme than similar courts in Pakistan.  She alleges that some of the UK Sharia courts condone wife-beating, marital rape, and allow a father to annul a marriage if he disapproves of his daughter’s groom.

ANTI-SEMITISM: Concerns have been voiced about an apparent increase in anti-semitism in universities. It has been said that there is a decline in Jewish students applying to Manchester University and the LSE because of anti-semitic sentiment in those universities.

RHINO HORN: 14 members of a gang of Irish “travellers” have been jailed after being convicted of stealing rhino horns and jade from museums and stately homes in the UK to sell in the Far East. It is estimated that they made millions of pounds in the raids. 4 others, who were the leaders of the gang, were also found guilty and will be sentenced next month.

THE JUMP: In the Channel 4 programme “The Jump”, celebrities try their hand at winter sports including ski jumping. Their attempts have led to a number having to pull out due to injury. There may be a new dinner party/parlour game surfacing, in which players nominate who they would like to see in the next series. Names suggested so far include: Jeremy Hunt, Miranda Richardson and Sebastian Coe.

 

Please click here if you would like a weekly email on publication of the Shaw Sheet