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Open Thread

Politicisation of Asylum Seekers

The way this issue of AS has been politicised is abhorrent .

Asylum seekers eventually become immigrants once processed-it is just the arrival and treatment while waiting for acceptance that is the cause for concern.

Just a few thoughts that are coloured by the fact that I, like many others, was born in a country that was occupied during WW2 and my father(in the resistance) was desperate to take us as far from Europe as possible.. With 4 children he only just scraped in by lying about his occupation as there was no demand for his skills. Once in NZ , the reality overwhelmed him at times but he could never return -lack of money, pride, children settled . While safe with a house and income , there was nevertheless huge grief at loss of family, language, culture, etc. hidden under pride and bravado. So even at the best of times, migration has a real downside.

At the time, Australian immigrants were sent direct into migrant camps whereas NZ allowed farmers to sponsor families directly, so there seems to be a history here of ‘grouping’, which, while supportive in many ways ,can also backfire when there are ill-feelings . By living separately in the community, we adopted the new country and language as our own much faster than my relatives who came here to Oz.

Have watched immigrants overseas in particular where they face discrimination and many spend much time looking over their shoulders, struggling with language often for a pittance not to mention the problems their children often face especially if their appearance is different. And resentment if they do too well. For every success there are many failures.

Criminals do slip through normal immigration channels anyway (Cosa Nostra, Chinese Triads, etc.) and the ‘political terrorist’ branding often depends on hue of government in power at the time (Habib now visiting Egypt is case in point) So I can’t understand why it takes so long to process residency applications other than it being used as a deterrent . ( Applies to UK, EU,etc. applicants as well .)

Unfortunately for Australia, too many want to come HERE- not anywhere else- and not just for refuge. Often those who really need to escape, can’t. Those on boats have paid agents often the last of their money ,as Jewish people did in the ’40s, and are not aware of the standard of boats they will be travelling on. I think children are often sent ahead as footholds, the same way the Chinese sent their kids here as students and then were able to immigrate under the family reunion scheme. I can’t blame people for wanting to improve their lives.

Immigration from Europe stopped once safety was re-established, living conditions improved and those who were unhappy in their new country spread the word of disappointment back home.

Now all these years later, while I can understand my father’s desperation and fear, I often wonder if he would have done it again, given a second chance. And he didn’t even risk life and limb on a leaky boat.

It would be interesting to know if any follow up has been done of those refugees who arrived in leaky boats and were eventually settled during the Howard years? Those women and children who were stuck behind razor wire, how are they now?

Legacy of a sad difficult problem, dangerously inflamed by one J.W. Howard.

1,520 replies on “Politicisation of Asylum Seekers”

No way i am getting involved in a further discussion regarding AS except to say;
The High Court has just issued an injunction for a stay on those AS that were to be transferred to Malaysia tomorrow.
The High Court will no doubt hear the case and make a ruling one way or another.

Meanwhile wisconsin could head back to Democratic rule with the 8 recall elections to be had.

The Democrats need to win 3 of 8 GOP seats in the recall elections to gain control of the Wisconsin senate. Assuming the Wisconsin 2008 presidential election 1) Recorded vote shares and election fraud (expected) in the recall elections, the Democrats will win 1 or 2 GOP seats. 2) Recorded vote shares and zero election fraud in the recalls, the Democrats will likely win 3 GOP seats. 3) True Vote shares and zero fraud in the recalls, the Democrats would likely win 6 GOP seats.

http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Dems-predicted-to-win-in-W-in-General_News-110806-425.html

Thank you for this one Megan.
I’ve spent the last few days thinking about my travels in south and south east Asia and remembering those I left behind.
It’s not a pleasant feeling. 🙁
My gut feeling, when contemplating the current govt policy, produces a tortured cry of “Not in my name”.
I just hope my fellow country men and women will do the same.
I’ve been in plenty of places and seen lots of things that left me sick in the gut.
But I’ve always believed that the “progressive” side of politics in Oz would eventually win out.
I’m not so sure any more. 🙁
As the world drifts into a less friendly mode……The need for humans to rise above their “lesser demons” and hold on to their humanity grows greater by the week.
My old mate wolfcat has summed it up beautifully.
6 weeks old….The wolfcat cubs show us how it’s done.
http://tinyurl.com/3jvhczh

OMG!!
A rush of blood to the head on a cold afternoon and look what happens!! 🙂

Gaffy, I can totally understand where you’re coming from…I’m only now patching up friendships scorched by my passionate views during the Howard years. I watched in horror as my genuine salt-of-the-earth friends became so fearful and shrill , whipped up by our local radio bile-queen . To make matters worse, I’d joined the “Not Happy, John” group and delivered pamphlets for an Independent who’s wife was an Iranian muslim and who stood against Phillip Ruddock.
Even as I’m writing this, I can smell the fear that was around then and the sense that we were becoming an uncaring fascist country. The helicopters overhead reminded me of the Vietnam war and made for many sleepless nights. ( Even stuck a printout of “The 14 definitions of Fascism” on my fridge which my kids teased me about… http://www.rense.com/general37/fascism.htm )

However, am pleasantly surprised and relieved by the progress made this past year , and while there will need to be adjusting and refining, hope all will be bedded down well before JWHmini-me MK2 gains power .

My bull sh*t detector tells me much of the current noise has the fingerprints of Oz’s anwer to Dick Cheney all over it.

By Post Author

That’s a lovely ‘antidote’ link, Paddy.
Sounds as though your travels of Asia had a deep impact on you .
Difficult to walk away, helpless. Felt similar with my first experience of children begging, giving money and suddenly there were too many- had to concede a limit to the number I could help.

Can’t remember how AS were processed before the Tampa …don’t remember it being an issue.

By Post Author

The asylum seeker issue is one on which I am an extremist. By that I mean that I would simply welcome anyone who came with a limited amount of processing – identity check, security check (not the same thing as a security clearance – can be done in 48 hours) and health check. So they would be a week or two in detention (on the Australian mainland) at most – unless they were found not to be who they claimed, of course. Then they would get a bridging visa, which would last two years, at the end of which (assuming that they had not committed any crimes ) they would be granted residency.

And, yes, this would increase the numbers coming here. With regard to that, I would provide a number of transport vessels to take people for free. These vessels would operate from key refugee disembarkation points around the world. This would undercut the people smugglers.

People worry about overpopulation in Australia. However, in terms of the global environment, the problem is overpopulation generally. To solve this problem, we need to move people to a higher level of economic security quickly, and the only way to do that is via immigration. And I believe that this would also give us the drive and incentive to solve our own energy crisis using non-fossil fuels.

As to how the people who came to Australia feel about it, my guess is that for the vast majority of the adults who did so it has not been the best of experiences. For their grandchildren, though, it will turn out to be the best decision that they could have made.

Doesn’t take long. :mrgreen:

USA RECESSION The recession has hit everybody really hard…

My neighbour got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

Wives are having sex with their husbands because they can’t afford batteries.

CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.

Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

A stripper was killed when her audience showered her with rolls of pennies while she danced.

I saw a Mormon with only one wife.

If the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer.

Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.

Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learnt their children’s’ names.

My cousin had an exorcism but couldn’t afford to pay for it, and they re-possessed her!

A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.

A picture is now only worth 200 words.

When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.

The Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali Pirates.

Paddy 😆
Gaffy 😆
Just what the Dr ordered .

(Have a sense that the topic of AS may have the attraction of a rotting carcass 🙂 )

By Post Author

Have just had a squiz over the fence and notice a post (by Sprocket 2 ) that explains Ruddocks micro-managing and his part in the current legislation. Not sure if I can link this.

By Post Author

David Gould at 5

The asylum seeker issue is one on which I am an extremist. By that I mean that I would simply welcome anyone who came with a limited amount of processing – identity check, security check (not the same thing as a security clearance – can be done in 48 hours) and health check. So they would be a week or two in detention (on the Australian mainland) at most – unless they were found not to be who they claimed, of course. Then they would get a bridging visa, which would last two years, at the end of which (assuming that they had not committed any crimes ) they would be granted residency.

And, yes, this would increase the numbers coming here. With regard to that, I would provide a number of transport vessels to take people for free. These vessels would operate from key refugee disembarkation points around the world. This would undercut the people smugglers.

People worry about overpopulation in Australia. However, in terms of the global environment, the problem is overpopulation generally. To solve this problem, we need to move people to a higher level of economic security quickly, and the only way to do that is via immigration. And I believe that this would also give us the drive and incentive to solve our own energy crisis using non-fossil fuels.

As to how the people who came to Australia feel about it, my guess is that for the vast majority of the adults who did so it has not been the best of experiences. For their grandchildren, though, it will turn out to be the best decision that they could have made.

(your comment got eaten – someone had to be the first victim)

Meanwhile in the land of Mordor Makebelieve, nothing really happened, just make yerself scarce for a year and we’ll find you another senior role at Mordormedia.

The Daily Telegraph reported that a source claimed to the newspaper: ‘My understanding is that Rupert has told her to travel the world on him for a year and then he will find a job for her when the scandal has died down.’
Both news International and Mrs Brooks’ representative refused to comment on these allegations, or deny them.

The comments will stoke the fury of the public, hacking victims and MPs who have been outraged at the litany of allegations that have surfaced about News International.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2023741/Phone-hacking-scandal-Is-Rebekah-Brooks-News-International-payroll.html#ixzz1UUKaHn5p

The Importance of Wisconsin’s Recall Elections Tomorrow.
**********************************************

Most blog readers are well aware of what’s happening in Wisconsin tomorrow, where six tea party-friendly state senators face recall elections. These elections are vital for Wisconsin — particularly Wisconsin’s working families — because if Democrats win at least three of these seats, they will regain control of the state senate (Republicans currently hold a 19-14 majority) and can stop the extreme actions of Gov. Scott Walker and his conservative allies. Tomorrow’s elections have been the target of more than $20 million and trickery from groups like Americans for Prosperity. On the other side, a host of progressive groups have lent a hand to fight against Walker’s cronies in the state senate.

But the importance of the election goes well beyond Wisconsin. As many have pointed out, success in Wisconsin would show not only the power of the grassroots, but could serve as a bellwether for 2012’s elections and could predict a “re-imagining of the Democratic Party.” The senators up for recall are all conservatives who were able to win in 2008 despite Barack Obama’s victory in the state and these victories would be a sign that the voters are fed up with right-wing assaults on working Americans. The elections could also set the stage for a recall of Walker himself next year and could play a big role in redistricting, where friendlier Democratic maps could help eliminate freshman Republicans Reid Ribble and Sean Duffy.

Turn your back for a few seconds and someone puts up a new post.

More here…

http://crooksandliars.com/kenneth-quinnell/importance-wisconsins-recall-elec

14 paddy Good article paddy. When anyone sees the Google +1 like on that article paddy just linked to. If you like the article click the Google +1. That gives the article a potentially higher ranking in Google. Unlike the Facebook Like button which only adds up the number of people who like it. No influence what so ever.

Well then ticsters…. On a day so full of catastrophic and disastrous news.
I’ve found myself doing something quite unprecedented!!!
I actually wrote to a politician!!!
What’s even more amazing, it wasn’t really about politics!
But the news that Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache were having a baby 🙂 ….. Well it just made me feel amazingly good and gave me hope for the progressive side of the Labor party.
Probably foolishly naive, but in troubled times, you got to grab onto hope whenever it sticks it’s head up.
So I sent her and Sophie a short congratulatory note via
http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/contact.asp?id=00AOU
After all, we can’t let the Fred Niles and the toxic shock jocks claim all the light.
Fuck em!!!

The Wisconsin recall election looks close, but tilting the correct way. Three GOP returned, one dumped thus far, with the remaining two trailing. One of those looks won by the Democrats; the other is heading that way. Still quite a few votes to count, though.

Two Democrat wins now confirmed. One seat left. The Democrat is ahead by just over 1,000 votes (about two per cent), but the Republican has clawed some back. Still over 30 per cent to be counted.

David
In that link of mine at 1 it says there are 8 gop recall votes. How come you are only referring to 6.
Are there two to come later?

gaffhook,

There are only six. There are going to be eight recall elections, but two of them are to be held next week, I think, and they are for seats held by Democrats.

It looks as though it is all over – the AP if calling it for the Republicans, anyhow.

32 David correct. The Democrats picked up two. Leaving them one short. There is also a referendum that can undo everything the Repugs did. The wording favours the Democrats. (Sorted out by the courts). In outher words do you support Scott Walker. Vote yes if not vote no. The two Democrat recalls are next week. Scott Walkers recall next January. The battle has just begun. I have been very busy on The Huffington Post on the issue.

Apparently one Republican opposes what Scott Walker is doing. So that will make things interesting.

My work on The Huffington Post is starting to pay off. I now have 407 HP friends and 17 Twitter friends (after just starting Twitter). The more friends I have of both. The more people can read what I have to say. I am aiming for 1,000+ friends/links for the run up to the 2012 election. Twitter is harder to get. I did manage to go from 300 yesterday to 400 today. The politics is great. 🙂 If they do what over the fence used to do they get removed. 🙂

Paddy@22
Yay for Penny and her Girl!!
–
lets just hope they don’t want to tie the knot, given that Jules doesn’t approve of gay couples being allowed to marry.
Although she obviously approves of kiddies being born out-of-wedlock to a couple of lezzos 😉

Jan Schakowsky Announces New Budget Plan With Focus On Jobs.
****************************************************

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, announced on Wednesday that she will introduce a progressive-minded budget outline aimed at putting more than two million people to work.

Titled the “Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act,” the plan would cost $227 billion and would be implemented over two years. It would be financed by separate legislation introduced by Schakowsky called the “Fairness in Taxation Act,” which would raise taxes for Americans who earn more than $1 million and $1 billion. It would also eliminate subsidies for big oil companies while closing loopholes for corporations that send American jobs overseas.

The congresswoman said that her plan would create 2.2 million jobs and decrease the unemployment rate by 1.3 percent.

More here…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/jan-schakowsky-jobs-to-restore-american-dream-act_n_923899.html

News Corp Announces Profits Up After Phone Hacking Scandal Arrests.
*******************************************************

News Corporation has announced annuals profits of $2.74 billion, despite what chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch said were “challenges” relating to the ongoing phone hacking scandal.

The company said in its earnings release that net income for the 3 months ending June 30 was $683 million.

Profits for the year are up from $2.54 billion last year, despite a reported loss of $254 million after the sale of failing social network Myspace.

News Corp beat analysts estimates. Shares rose by around five per cent in after-hours trading.

Answering questions from US journalists on the earnings call following the announcement, Murdoch said the company’s performance was “exceptional.”

On phone hacking he said: “I have run this company for more than 50 years. The kind of behaviour that occurred in that newsroom has no place within News Corporation.”

Arrgh!

More here…
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/10/news-corp-announces-profi_n_923736.html

Phone Hacking: Greg Miskiw Arrested In Connection With News Of The World Scandal.
******************************************************

Former News Of The World assistant editor Greg Miskiw has been arrested in connection to the investigation into phone hacking, Metropolitan police said on Wednesday.

Miskiw had been scheduled to return to Britain from Florida, where he had been living, to answer questions about his role in the scandal.

In July, he told reporters: “I am returning to the UK voluntarily. My solicitor has been talking to the police for some time now so I have effectively been in touch with the police. They know where I am and they know I am returning. That is all I have to say.”

He had worked at the News of the World in the period where both Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks edited the paper.

That’s twelve!

More here…

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/10/phone-hacking-61-year-old_n_923111.html#comments

Syria Claims Cities Under Control, Activists Report Further Protest.
****************************************************

The Syrian government took journalists on a rare tour of the protest stronghold city of Hama on Wednesday, claiming that it now had the city of 800,000 firmly under its control.

Journalists for the Press Association and others reported that the city was “deserted” while troops set about removing barricades.

“We have finished a delicate operation in which we eradicated terrorists’ hideouts,” an army officer said.

There were also reports that government troops had seized control of Deir el-Zour, another centre of anti-government action, after almost a week of attacks on civilians.

The PA reported that an activist in Deir el-Zour said the military was “shooting anything that moves”.

“The situation is terrible,” the activist said. “Bakeries and pharmacies are closed, while food and baby formula are scarce.”

More here…

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/10/syria-claims-cities-under_n_923686.html

Thousands Of Officers Deployed Following Day Of Emotion.
**********************************************

Thousands of police are out on the streets of the UK in an effort to prevent a fifth night of rioting.

Both Manchester and Birmingham have 1,000 officers on duty, while large numbers are available should trouble arise in London.

Though minor skirmishes have been reported, police have so far faced nothing on the scale of previous night’s unrest.

Police have been have been called to Eltham in south east London in response to vigilante groups of local men taking to the streets. However, following a substantial deployment of officers in full riot gear, the standoff remains calm.

The disturbance in Eltham follows a similar pattern to last night, when police were called to the area to contain a group of around 300 disgruntled local residents, with some bottle throwing reported. According to the the men, they had amassed in defiance of rioters to defend their homes and businesses.

More here…
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/08/10/tariq-jahan-urges-communi_n_923440.html

McConnell, Boehner Make Deficit Committee Appointments.
**********************************************

Republican leaders of the House and Senate announced their picks Wednesday for the “super Congress” deficit committee slated with finding about $1.5 trillion in savings. Their announcement comes a day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appointed three Democrats to the 12-member commission.

On the Senate side, Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) will serve on the commission, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced. Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) will represent House Republicans, said Speaker John Boehner.

All six Republicans have signed a pledge to Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform that they will not vote to raise taxes.

No raising taxes. What about getting people/corporations to pay their real tax?

More here…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/mcconnell-boehner-deficit-committee-appointments_n_923312.html

Lessons from Wisconsin.
*******************
While we didn’t win everything we wanted in Wisconsin, we scored a significant victory. Of the Republicans the left tried to recall in the state, three of the seven were successful. That’s a pretty powerful message, since there were only four recall elections prior to that in the state’s history. There are a number of important things we learned last night, or at least, a number of things we should learn…

1. The grassroots can overcome Citizens United-inspired massive spending: Between $20-$40 million was spent by the right on this recall. The results of that were two losses and several narrow victories in strongly Republican districts. This is very encouraging.

2. Money still talks, although the influence is less than it used to be: Alberta Darling is still a state senator because $8 million was spent on her campaign. That’s the only reason. Similarly, Rick Scott is governor of Florida because he spent $72 million. Without these large sums of money, these candidates couldn’t have won. They have nothing else going for them.

3. Left-wing GOTV methods are inadequate: Looking at the narrow margins in these races (and many other races in recent years) it is obvious that better GOTV could have swung a lot races, particularly in the 2010 midterms. I think it’s time to completely, and scientifically, re-examine left-wing GOTV efforts. Learn what works and doesn’t work and abandon the traditional methods that don’t work. And there are probably a lot of them. Then we need a coordinated and well-funded effort to train everyone on the left nationwide how to do things the right way.

More here…
http://crooksandliars.com/kenneth-quinnell/lessons-wisconsin

A good piece discussing the unrest in the UK.

Those asking why these young people aren’t concerned about the personal consequences of their behaviour need to understand that thanks to the efficient policy implementation of the Tories and their Liberal Democrat buddies, these kids effectively have no future… so why not grab a nice television if you’re spiralling towards oblivion, anyway?

This futurelessness is the longed-for victory of the British right over the ideology of the welfare state. Reinstated in the May 2010 election was not only conservative government, but, with the help of the socially similar Liberal Democrats, a specifically born-to-rule class of aristocratic elitists with an actual disdain for the aspirational ethos of Thatcher’s petit-bourgeois individualism. David Cameron himself is the epitome of the private-schooled, Oxbridge-educated, careerist conservative whose sense of inherent class superiority is so ingrained it has driven Thatcher-style self-made men out of his own party. One of these, working-class-born Sir Tom Cowie, ceased funding the Tories in August 2007, famously withdrawing his cheques on the basis that “the Tory party seems to be run now by Old Etonians and they don’t seem to understand how other people live”.

While the conservative raison d’etre is the transfer of public wealth into private hands, what’s been going on in Britain since the election of Cameron is hardly the short-term sell-offs to small investors, like Thatcher’s purchasers of ex-council houses or our own Howard’s “shareholding democracy” float of Telstra. Cameron’s Tories are not interested in even pretending to enfranchise the working-class or middle-class, let alone the underclass from which the majority of London’s rioters have sprung. What’s been going on is nothing less than a social revolution where public services have been stripped and withdrawn to structurally prevent any social enfranchisement of the non-ruling classes whatsoever. Public healthcare is facing privatisation. Welfare services have been shredded, benefits cut, school resources cut, community centres closed down, libraries shut, arts funding eroded. Public broadcaster the BBC has taken bloody hits and the introduction of stiff university fees has removed forever the opportunity of many to access higher education. The rhetoric is that of austerity, but the reality is a full-scale assault on any social means by which the middle, working or underclass of this country can access even an image of class agency, let alone the social tools to aspire or achieve the privileges of Cameron’s elite.

Britain is a materialistic society, and young people the target of heavy marketing campaigns. High visibility brands dominate the high streets of every city, suburb and town; in the absence of any social means provided to achieve status, status is attached to the mere possession of these omnipresent, socially-hyped materialistic things. With their aspirations impoverished by a system that limits their access to cultural learning, cheapens their school experiences and makes university education financially unthinkable – not to mention enforces their deprivation through new controls on public housing and the removal of benefits – it is unsurprising that the rampaging underclass presently on the streets are seizing stolen sneakers with exultance. This moment, and these things, are all they have to enjoy.

The helicopters seem to have parted for the evening, and I haven’t heard a siren for a while. Maybe the police have had a victory for this evening, maybe the young people have been trundled into the vans and peace will ensue for the night.

As many kids they arrest, however, as a Londoner, I know that this peace is temporary. These riots are but mere battles in an ongoing class war, but don’t make the mistake in believing it’s the kids who are leading it. It’s David Cameron.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2833334.html

I should not gloat but anyway.

Tom Watson, the U.K. lawmaker who has pursued an investigation of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World newspaper for two years, said documents on hacking submitted to Parliament’s Culture Committee were “dynamite.”

Murdoch’s son James was among those who had until yesterday to supply written answers to questions from the committee following their testimony last month about phone hacking at the now-defunct tabloid.

After that session, former News of the World editor Colin Myler and the paper’s lawyer Tom Crone issued a statement saying James Murdoch had been “mistaken” in aspects of it. Jonathan Chapman, a former lawyer for the paper’s publisher, News Corp.’s News International, complained of “serious inaccuracies” about his own role, and Harbottle & Lewis LLP, a law firm that has worked for the newspaper, asked for privilege to be waived so that it too could respond. All were asked to supply written evidence to the committee by yesterday.

“Reading documents related to hacking that I’m not allowed to reveal,” Watson said yesterday in a Twitter Inc. message that was confirmed by Bloomberg News. “They’re dynamite though.”

Watson didn’t provide further details on the nature of the documents.

Referring to journalists who may ask to see the documents, Watson added: “And no point in journos asking for them. Parliament’s rules prohibit me from doing so until my committee considers them next Tuesday. We can decide to publish then. I’m voting yes!”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-11/u-k-lawmaker-tom-watson-says-documents-on-phone-hacking-are-dynamite-.html

Another law suit for NoW and roo to fight.
must be going to cost him a small fortune in settlements.

The bisexual deputy-leader of the Liberal Democrats, Simon Hughes, is to sue News International over the hacking of his phone by a private investigator working for the now defunct News of the World.

Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator hired by the paper has already pleaded guilty to hacking into Hughes’s messages, along with seven other people’s voicemails in 2006.

“It is important now that all those who were clearly the subject of criminal activity help to get to the bottom of what happened during this dark period in British journalism,” Mr Hughes told the Evening Standard.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/08/11/simon-hughes-to-sue-news-international-about-phone-hacking/

Elizabeth Warren Gearing Up For Senate Run, Announcement To Come Post Labor Day.
**************************************************

Former Obama adviser and longtime consumer protection advocate Elizabeth Warren is moving toward a Senate run, several Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post.

The Massachusetts resident and Harvard Law School professor authored a post for an influential progressive state-based blog on Thursday afternoon pledging that she would not “stop fighting for middle class families.” The article prompted a slew of speculation that Warren was poised to take on sitting Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).

Additional information relayed from Massachusetts Democratic sources suggest she’s even more serious about launching a campaign. Warren is currently being assisted by two influential Democratic operatives in the state: Doug Rubin, the chief strategist for Gov. Deval Patrick’s two successful statewide runs, and Kyle Sullivan, Patrick’s press secretary for his first term. She has also begun making a series of calls to influential activists and party officials in the state, including one to the Massachusetts Democratic Party chairman John Walsh on Thursday, a Massachusetts Democrat tells the Huffington Post.

We a getting back on the right track.
Now all we need is an awesome candidate in Connecticut.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/elizabeth-warren-senate-massachusetts_n_924881.html

Chris B,

He is not a ‘source’ in any respect, credible or otherwise, on this matter. As the article says:

“Clarke speculates—and readily admits he cannot prove—that the CIA withheld the information because the agency had been trying to recruit the terrorists, while they were living in Southern California under their own names, to work as CIA agents inside Al Qaeda. After the recruitment effort went sour, senior CIA officers continued to withhold the information from the White House for fear they would be accused of “malfeasance and misfeasance,” Clarke suggests.”

Not the second word: ‘speculates’. And the last word: ‘suggests’. And, as the article says, this speculation/suggestion is not even original to him and has already been investigated. No evidence for it was found.

Which to the conspiracy crowd, of course, proves that it must be true: obviously, ‘they’ destroyed the evidence or the investigation was run by ‘them’ …

Sigh.

David, chin up mate. You will be back in the big house next week listening to the Rabbitt.

What are the short cut keys for Umm, Arrh, emmm. umm, arr, errr!?

gaffhook,

Actually, I have a bit of luck: I am in the Senate. That means I just get Barnaby and Boswell and Conroy and Abetz and Cormann and …

Actually, Abbott might be better.

59
DG, you’ve left out the true star performer. 😆
Mary Jo Fisher doing the hokey pokey looty rooty. 👿

58 gaffy “You will be back in the big house next week listening to the Rabbitt.” I thought torture was illegal.

David “That means I just get Barnaby and Boswell and Conroy and Abetz and Cormann” So’s cruel and unusual punishment.

Tinned tuna results –
Mercury 0.51 mg/kg (just over the “safe” ie: allowable level)
Arsenic 1.1mg/kg – double the so-called Safe level according to the bio-chemist that I spoke to who tested it.
None of this corelates with the Food standards of australia levels …

fkd if I know, – but maybe something has poisoned me to the point of scary near-death stuff.

It’ s times like this i wish Diogenes was still my friend ;-((

68
Katielou

That article is an apt description of that old adage “what is good for the goose is good for the gander.”

Simon Hughes to sue over News of the World phone hacking.
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The Liberal Democrat MP, Simon Hughes, is to sue News International over phone hacking at the News of the World, he confirmed on Thursday.

Hughes told the Evening Standard: “It is important now that all those who were clearly the subject of criminal activity help to get to the bottom of what happened during this dark period in British journalism.”

Hughes’s decision to take legal action against Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday tabloid, which was closed last month, is significant because the private investigator employed by the paper has already been convicted of targeting his mobile phone.

Glenn Mulcaire pleaded guilty to hacking into Hughes’s messages, along with those left on mobiles belonging to seven other people, in 2006.

That means Mulcaire will be unable to resist complying with any court order Hughes obtains that requires the former investigator to say who asked him to intercept Hughes’s messages.

In other cases currently going through the civil courts, Mulcaire’s legal team has successfully appealed against such orders by arguing that he would be incriminating himself if he were to comply with them by admitting his guilt.

Mulcaire will not be able to mount the same argument when Hughes takes legal action, against News International subsidiary News Group Newspapers, because he pleaded guilty to hacking his phone five years ago.

That could lead to more News of the World journalists being named. Three of the original eight victims named in the 2006 legal action have already sued the paper’s owner.

More here…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/11/simon-hughes-news-of-the-world

74
Jen Excellent piece by your sister. (All you bloody Connor girls are a menace to the right thinking people of the world.)
Long may you stick it to them. 🙂

yeah it’s good Paddy –
she is Conor and I am O’Connor … (don’t ask), and we are a bolshie lot.
My father is a Howard/Bush supporter and gets slaughtered every time we all get together. :mrgreen:

Have spoken to Senator Richard Dinatale about toxic seafood thing… watch this space.
Australia stopped testing imported tinned tuna in 2007 . Apparently it was deemed to be unfair to the fishing industry as it wasn’t responsible for the toxicity to be in the oceans.
Time there was some digging done.
Conspiracy theories abound about this – David G – what do you reckon??

72 Katielou There’s a long way to go yet. Anything can happen. The way the Republicans are going. They are helping the Democrats. But I’m not sure Obama is helping himself.

david Gould
Is there anywhere on hansard where one can find easily how a member has voted on all the bills/legislation that has gone to the house without looking up each days hansard? TIA.

Rick Perry For President: Governor Announces Candidacy, Says It’s ‘Time To Get America Working Again’.
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) officially jumped into the 2012 presidential race on Saturday, framing a promise to prioritize job creation as a cornerstone of his campaign.

“It is time to get America working again,” he said, according to prepared remarks given to reporters beforehand. “That’s why, with the support of my family, and an unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today my candidacy for president of the United States.”

Perry blamed President Obama for S&P’s recent downgrade of the United States’ AAA credit rating, and promised he would restore the country’s good standing.

“In reality, this is just the most recent downgrade,” said Perry. “The fact is for nearly three years, President Obama has been downgrading American jobs, downgrading our standing in the world, downgrading our financial stability, downgrading confidence and downgrading the hope of a better future for our children.”

Perry made his announcement at the RedState Gathering, a conference held by the conservative blog RedState.com with 400 registered attendees. Other speakers at the event include South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R), Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) and Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.).

Oh no! Not another Texan!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/13/rick-perry-president_n_925983.html

Hmmmmmmmmm, i’ve heard the name Paddy somewhere before.

A man boarded an aircraft at London ‘s Heathrow Airport for New York , and taking his seat as he settled in, he noticed a very beautiful woman boarding the plane..
He realised she was heading straight toward his seat and bingo – she took the seat right beside him.

“Hello”, he blurted out, “Business trip or vacation?”

She turned, smiled enchantingly and said, “Business.. I’m going to the annual nymphomaniac convention in the United States ..”

He swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen sitting next to him, and she was going to a meeting for nymphomaniacs!

Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, “What’s your business role at this convention?”

“Lecturer,” she responded,” I use my experience to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality..”

“Really”, he smiled, “what myths are those?”

“Well,” she explained, “one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well endowed when, in fact, it’s the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait.
Another popular myth is that French men are the best lovers, when actually it is the men of Greek descent.
We have also found that the best potential lovers in all categories are the Irish.”

Suddenly the woman became uncomfortable and blushed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I really shouldn’t be discussing this with you, I don’t even know your name!”

“Tonto,” the man said.. “Tonto Papadopoulos, but my friends call me Paddy.”

Pommie parliament back in action next week.

Recalling three top guns to answer fresh questions.

The Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee is expected to request three former News of the World executives to give fresh evidence when Parliament returns next month. News International chairman James Murdoch is not to be recalled until other witnesses have been heard.

The cross-party committee wrote to former News of the World editor Colin Myler and the legal manager Tom Crone after they claimed Mr Murdoch had misled MPs during his evidence session last month.

Jon Chapman, News International’s head of legal affairs, will also be recalled.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/264872/Hacking-row-Newsmen-face-recall

Mordor is leaving no stone legal door unopened in his fight for survival.
The fact that he is spending like a man with no arms on the kind of legals he is retaining seems to me he is very concerned about the well being of his company going forward. Methinks he is quietly filling his OPDs.

For all you need to know about Rupert Murdoch, look at his lawyers.

In addition to Arnold & Porter, Klein and Dinh retained another top Washington law firm, Williams & Connolly, and the firm’s highly skilled criminal defence attorney, Brendan Sullivan, to assist with the criminal investigation in the US. Klein and Dinh retained Mark Mendelsohn, who until recently had been the deputy chief, fraud section, criminal division, of the US department of justice, and understands the department’s thinking about prosecuting under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (which prohibits American businesses from bribing foreigners to assist their business, and appears applicable to some of the allegations against News Corp).

In addition, they hired Bush’s former attorney general Michael Mukasey and former Manhattan US attorney Mary Jo White, both of Debevoise & Plimpton, to assist with the investigation. Criminal prosecutions are always a matter of discretion, and Klein, Dinh and their hires are friends and former associates of those who might undertake any prosecution of News Corp.

Klein and Dinh surely now know the full extent of their problems. If they could state that no person remaining in the News Corp organisation, or the corporation itself, was involved in any criminal misconduct, there would be no reason for them to remain silent. Such a statement would largely end the story. The fact that the lawyers have absolved no one suggests to me that they have discovered potentially serious problems. Only Murdoch is suggesting the scandal will remain in the UK, and he is not the most reliable source………………………
If the problems are half as serious as the level of legal talent retained suggests, I would not be surprised if News Corp co-operates with the prosecutors to get this matter behind the organisation. Rupert might throw his son James to the wolves. If evidence of wrongdoing by senior figures is found, the lawyers can defend it while requiring the government to prove its case, but they cannot assist in a cover up – a reality I learned the hard way. Rather they must withdraw from representation. And if that happens, we will all know they are fleeing a sinking ship.

http://www.opednews.com/populum/linkframe.php?linkid=136278

You know things are not looking too good for the dirty digger, when his own news outlet is too embarrassed not to mention the stink.
The WSJ is (finally) trying to look respectable with an article about their boss’s problems.

Investigators haven’t found hard evidence so far in probing whether News Corp.’s U.K.-based journalists might have hacked the phones of 9/11 victims, but U.S. authorities have expanded their query to see whether they can establish a broader pattern of more recent misconduct at the company’s U.S. operations, say people familiar with the matter.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904823804576504622038558108.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

gaffhook,

Unfortunately, there is no category like that in parlinfo that I have been able to find.

I will talk to the library and ask them if there is an easy way to find this information.

Democratic Base Solidly Behind Obama.
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A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds President Obama’s base is behind him with 70% of Democrats saying they’d like to see Obama as their party’s presidential nominee next year.

Notes pollster Keating Holland: “In 1994, only 57% of Democrats wanted the party to renominate Bill Clinton, and he went on to win the nomination and a second term two years later.”
http://politicalwire.com

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