Jacqui Smith - Is it cos I'm a Woman?

Jacqui Smith is playing the woman card again, better get my lighter out and bra ready.

She said she had been annoyed by being described as "stroppy" on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme – saying she had never heard a man described as that. "A lot of language that has been used, not only about me but about other women politicians as well, I just don't think would be used about men actually," she said. (read article)

Actually I think a man would be called a lot worst, David Blunkett was. But don't let the anti liberty or being out of your depth issue get in the way of what clearly is disgraceful persecution. I'm going to put down my lighter though.

Jacqui Smith Resigns - Dissolution of Parliament

Britain has lost a Home Secretary any Stasi would be proud of. Herr Smith, the first female Home Secretary and thanks to the really high bench mark she's set, probably the last. Yet maybe now we can get a Home Secretary with some understanding of the words innocent until proven guilty, privacy, right to protest, torture is wrong and we don't want ID cards.

She stands down among the ruins that is fast becoming New Labour, 4 Labour MPs today resigned like rats fleeing a sinking ship or as they would prefer "they want to spend time with their family". However this wasn't the biggest twist to this saga today, the SNP and Plaid Cymru have tabled a motion calling for the dissolution of parliament. Cameron and Clegg are backing the motion and it will be debated next Wednesday.

Can it be won though? Labour have a majority of 63, if Brown can whip the vote he'll win it. Yet this will be after the election results and with mutiny already in the air. If the results are as bad as the polls suggest, he'll be fighting against defeatism on top of it all. Even if he wins the vote, an election just got much earlier than May next year.

Jacqui Smith Faces Torture Legal Action

Unbelievable, more allegations that our government are out sourcing and being complicit in torture, several cases now and not one of these cowardly politicians will launch an independent investigation.

The home secretary Jacqui Smith faces legal action over allegations that MI5 agents colluded in the torture of a British former civil servant by Bangladeshi intelligence officers.

Lawyers for the British man, Jamil Rahman, are to file a damages claim alleging that Smith was complicit in assault, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and breaches of human rights legislation over his alleged ill-treatment while detained in Bangladesh. (read article)

I really don't know what's worst the Bush administration or this disgusting government. Leaving the room when someone is being tortured doesn't make it legal or right, it's just averting your eyes when they're being beaten. If MI5 were acting outside the law they need a green light from a MP. If Jacqui Smith signed this off she is complicit in torture, she should face prosecution. Disgusting, how the hell do they sleep at night.

Update: A bit more information on Politics.co.uk:

Jamil Rahman, a former civil servant, gave a false confession during the torture, in which he said he masterminded the 2005 London bombings.

Protester Surveillance Database Illegal

Thank goodness for a little Liberty, in both sense of the word. The human rights group Liberty took the Met police to court for taking photos of protesters, activist, campaigners, to store on yet another database. Lord ­Justice Dyson said there were:

very serious human rights issues which arise when the state obtains and retains the images of persons who have committed no offence and are not suspected of having ­committed any offence.

I would say take note Jacqui Smith and her Met, but she'll no doubt find a way around it. Perhaps a helpful guide above might make clear the different between a "terrorist" and "protester". As she doesn't really seem that clear, I guess it all looks the same way up in that ivory tower of hers.

Jacqui Smith Says Britons Should Be Grateful

Jacqui Smith criticised the "current vogue for police bashing'' in a speech at the Police Federation conference. That's an interesting choice of words "vogue for police bashing", is it vogue to strike a citizen, I hope not.

We all saw the pictures on the television. But what we didn't see was all the hard work that went in, behind the scenes, to mounting such a large-scale and intensive police operation

Yes preparations that involved talking up the danger the protesters presented, warning pregnant women not to venture into the City, telling bankers to dress down and generally demonising protesters. Going on to an operation that lend police hiding identity numbers, covering their faces, trying to remove the press, allegedly getting undercover police officers to provoke protesters into violence, finishing up being heavy handed, beating a woman and killing someone. All of which they attempted to cover up.

She goes on to say:

We are lucky in this country for the way in which protest is facilitated and the police play a very important role in that.

Yes we're lucky Jacqui Smith hasn't outlawed it yet. This isn't a few bad apples, this a general mentality in the police force at large, they have far too much power and not enough accountablty. Yet we should be grateful?

Come and Get Your ID Card Only £60

Who on earth would volunteer for the privilege of paying £60, to be finger printed and photographed like a criminal? It's almost as puzzling as why, "Jacqui" isn't just spelt "Jackie"?

Jacqui's Least Wanted People in Britain

Jacqui Smith has published a Home Office list of 'least wanted' people in Britain. You have to wonder if she really thought through the headlines on that.

It's incredibly New Labour though, stopping people with undesirable views coming into the country. Heaven forbid the British public being capable of just not listening to them, or deciding for themselves.

In light of her "least wanted list" however, I'll put forward my own top five, bar the really oblivious politicians who are by default included:

5. Ronald Macdonald - The Macsmell that resonates out of that place is just worrying, animal, mineral or vegetable who knows? Other than the spotty teenage that has no MacHealth and hygiene qualification and is touching the food. Yet what do you expect from a clown that looks like Pennywise.

4. Spammers - I don't want any viraga, herbal remedies, any kind of enlargement or to talk to a woman from Russia on-line. Why are you emailing me?

3. Human Resources - Inhuman resources would be more accurate, or so desperate to not rock the boat and hang on to their job, they'll screw over every employee for the company.

2. Cadbury's gorilla - What has a sliverback flaring it's nostrils while playing the drums got to do with chocolate? Unless the gorilla opens a candy shop and gives out free chocolate, cut the pretentious rubbish and show me the chocolate.

1. People who Spit - A tissue, get one and just blow your nose. There's no need to hack up a large ball of saliva or snot and spit it on the pavement or wall.

Jacqui Smith DNA Spy

Up to 1 million innocent peoples DNA will be removed from the database, Jacqui Smith said:

there has to be a balance between the need to protect the public and respecting their rights. Based on risks versus benefits, our view is that we can now destroy all samples.

What she's not saying however is the European Court of Human Rights ruled that keeping the samples "could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society". She has no choice but to comply. Smith can dress it up all she likes but, she cares about as much for civil liberties as most people care for her.

Yet her dishonesty doesn't end there though, after saying she respects the concerns of people with regard to her mega database and U-turning on it. Agent Smith backhandedly created a program called 'Mastering the Internet'. Like something from a James Bond film MTI, has installed black boxes which gather email and internet information on us. The project has been allocated a budget of £1 billion over three years, so it is well past the "possibility" stage. The Times reports it as:

A huge room of super-computers will help the agency to monitor — and record — data passing through black-box probes placed at critical traffic junctions with internet service providers and telephone companies, allowing GCHQ to spy at will.

One of the firms undertaking the work is American, which is particular interest as under USA Patriot Act the data can be requested by the US government. This worry has been raised before with a US firm being awarded the census 2011. Coincidentally the same company.

Update: GCHQ has issued a statement denying any plans to monitor everyone, saying that the project is intended to "enable the organisation keep pace with developments in internet technology."

Jacqui Smith's Data Cost

For a moment I thought Smith might of back tracked for some "degree" of privacy worries. Having done a little web searching, alas no it's money, she reduces the cost of her database from £12bn to £2bn, by pushing the work and costs over to the service providers. The Independent are reporting phone and internet bills may have to rise to pay for collecting and sorting private information. Effectively if the government don't cover all the costs with our tax, we'll pay for it via our phone bills as well and what's the betting that happens.

We don't just stand to be swindled there though, ID cards are also in the spot light, minsters want to cut the unpopular plans as they look for £9bn spending reductions, ID cards are estimated at £5bn cost. Though Computer Weekly has a very interesting post on the costs to us. £650m worth of contracts have been awarded and producing passports and ID Cards aren't so easily separated. As the government intends to regain their cost via us paying for them. Everyone needing an ID card reduces the cost, as it's shared between the whole population. Scraping ID cards means only passports will be used to regain the expense, as not everyone has a passport it could easy be a £200 plus bill for those that re-new and get one. Yet we still stand to get ID cards technology within our passports, unless they cancel the contract.

At least there's one positive point to this recession, it curbs Smith's ability to create database upon database of information on us. Big sister is still watching though, as she raids our piggy banks.

Two U Turns and New Labour Snubbed

Two U turns and a snub in a day, nice to see Labour are clear and confident in what they're doing.

Brown has dropped his flat rate expense proposal and will only include the safe options that he knows MPs are likely to vote on. Which means his pay off didn't work, and what does that say about the state of New Labour, if MPs won't take a bribe to vote for Brown. Paul Waugh is reporting though that Sir Christopher Kelly is being asked to come up with proposal that looks a lot like Browns.

Jacqui Smith has decided that creating a mega database of information, might be going to far, in doing so she wins the award of "stating the bloody obvious". She's changed the proposal to have service providers retaining the data, every internet user will be given an unique ID code and all their data stored. So essentially if the government don't have it, it's not a privacy issue in her "mind".

Brown was snubbed by the Pakistani president when he cancelled the press conference scheduled between them. Which goes to show that when you point your finger and shout terrorist, it's not very diplomatic. Particularly when it's essential that we work with Pakistani. They do have nuclear weapons and the Taliban 65 miles from them.

Easter "Bombers" Released

Budget day is a good day to hide this among the headlines, nine of the twelve men arrested in a "very big" anti-terror operation, will be deported and not changed. There is something really odd about that whole operation, the fact the case is going to be reviewed just enforces this.

Looking at the operation time line raises both eyebrows:

• Bob Quick shows off his secret documents to photographers, this brings forward operation "pathway" according to Jacqui Smith just a matter hours.

• Police launch raids across 14 properties in Northwest England, Brown states "We are dealing with a very big terrorist plot. We have been following it for some time."

• One of the men they arrest is freed straight away, suggesting he was wrongly arrested.
  

• It's reported that plot was a suspected Al-Qaeda bomb factory, planning attacks in Manchester.
  

• They don't find any evidence.

• Three days later they call in a bomb Squad to search the houses.

• All goes quiet for a few days.
  

• Then it's reported they will be released without charge and deported.
  

Though I'm sure everyone would agree using reliable intelligence pre-emptively, is far better than waiting until a terrorist has their finger the detonator. Yet can the word "intelligence" be used in any capacity with regard to this investigation. Turning it into a blaze of publicity, that verges on a witch hunt, just shows why policing and politics shouldn't mix.

Ian Tomlinson's Death Internal Bleeding

The second post-mortem examination by Dr Cary, concluded that Ian Tomlinson died of abdominal haemorrhage, this over turns the previous verdict of a "heart attack" and "natural causes". A statement from the City of London coroners court said:

Dr Cary's opinion is that the cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage. The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained. Dr Cary accepts that there is evidence of coronary atherosclerosis but states that in his opinion its nature and extent is unlikely to have contributed to the cause of death.

The police officer that attacked Mr Tomlinson has been interviewed under caution on suspicion of manslaughter.

I hope Sir Paul Stephenson unlike his predecessor, actually uses this as an opportunely to make the clearly necessary changes to the Met. The death of any innocent person at the hands of our police should never be treated with such disgrace, and certainly not covered up.

The answers and information we get over the next couple of weeks, will show whether the Met has another Ian Blair running it. I hope not, yet it's already not looking good.

Damien Green vs Jacqui Smith

Damien Green has been cleared by Crown Prosecution Service due to "insufficient evidence". Jacqui Smith response was it would have been "irresponsible" for the police not to have taken action.

Actually no, what's "irresponsible" is Jacqui Smith using the police as a political tool, of continuing to waste money due to ineptness and greed. £5m for a five-month police investigation, which discovers information leaked on the government's immigration policy was not secret, did not affect national security or put lives at risk. She might as well have taken the money ripped it up and flushed it down the loo.

Perhaps there's a sliver lining surround this 24ct gold cloud though. Brown will be under more presser to get rid of Smith, protecting her when she has no moral auditory or creditability left, will just epitomise the state of New Labour. If she does lose the Home Secretary post, there is no way she'll be re-elected, keeping her seat is already questionable.

The other aspect to this is, politicians don't tend to like it when things happen to them, so perhaps Damien Green will support David Davies on opposing things like ID Cards, and innocent peoples DNA being taken off the database. Which only helps strengthen that position within the Conservatives.

In short:

Police investigation, £5 million

Bath plug, 88p

Jacqui Smith losing her seat at the election, priceless.