The Bewilderness

Bartholomew's Webcast

My dulcet tones could be heard for one minute but James Bartholomew, debating why the welfare state should be cast into the outer darkness, was on R4 tonight. His impressions are here.

For a week, at least, it will be possible to listen to it by clicking on 'Hecklers' in the 'Listen again' part of the BBC Radio 4 website. Click here to get to the right place. Then under 'Hecklers' click 'Listen'.

My 30 secs of fame.

Bourne Shells Back

Nick Bourne, Tory Leader in the Welsh Assembly has accused  Peter Hain of acting as a 'colonial governor' and ignoring the wishes of the democratically elected body. Hain is also accused of rigging the electoral system in Wales by excluding constituency candidates from the new lists for future elections. This 'innovation' did not form part of the Richards Commission's recommendations: the body that examined the future needs of devolution in Wales.

In an interview with ePolitix.com, Bourne said the provision disallowing constituency candidates from standing as list candidates in future assembly elections was designed to "serve Labour" not Wales. The electoral system is being rigged in a way that I think is absolutely outrageous."

"Disallowing constituency candidates from standing as list candidates damages the three opposition parties to different degrees. It does not damage the Labour Party."

 

"The bill is about serving the interests of Labour rather than the interests of

Wales

."

The Liberal Democrats have also attacked Hain's Government of Wales Bill as a failure for refusing to give law-making powers to the Welsh Assembly and manipulating the electoral system.

The white paper also proposed changes to the electoral system, as a way for Labour AMs and MPs to unite around a common enemy – opposition AMs elected via the regional lists.

Mike German added: “This is pure Labour spite. They have rallied around to scapegoat regional list Assembly members, because that is what they can agree on. It is a cynical tactic to deflect from Labour’s deep split on precisely what powers the Assembly should have.”

Further information on Labour's reforms can be found  here.  Their electoral system is not based upon published research. Moreover, their proposed scheme to allow Welsh Assembly Bills to pass as Orders in Council widens the scope of secondary legislation to new levels of unaccountability.

Along with the change to the electoral system, Mr Hain's bill will also see the post-2007 Assembly having the power to draw up its own laws, which are then speeded through Westminster using a procedure known as an Order in Council. Full, Scottish-style powers would follow only after a referendum.

There are "risks along the way", Prof Hazell will say. "The main one is prolonging such an unsatisfactory system of law making, with the Assembly so dependent on the goodwill of Whitehall and Westminster."

He will say the post-2007 plan is "ingenious in using the device of Orders in Council, but it is also abhorrent in terms of principle: these would be powers wider than we have ever seen, using secondary legislation at Westminster to confer wide powers of primary legislation on the Assembly.

This would set a precedent for establishing new bodies with wide-ranging powers based upon secondary legislation and, of course, bypassing parliamentary scrutiny. This particular constitutional innovation should be stopped in its tracks, since it may act as a precursor for new unelected regional bodies in England.

Celebrating British Ingenuity

Two stunning British inventions come to the fore in 2005. From now on, women will be able to pee upright:

Women urinating while standing up is now easily achieved, thanks to a funnel-like device, its manufacturer claims.

Brisbane-based company WhizBiz said: "The Whiz" fits snugly against the body to enable women to "take a stand" like their male counterparts and avoid smelly public toilets and long queues.

Invented two years ago in Britain, The Whiz is coated in an anti-bacterial agent so that it does not have to be cleaned and is reusable, WhizBiz spokesman Lachie Campbell told Australia's news agency AAP.

"It is coated with a hi-tech plasma film developed by the British Army which repels fluid, meaning women can pee, flick once to dry and stuff it in their handbag," he said.

Pictures of the Whiz and smiling women can be found at the Whiz website. And for the men, artificial foreskins.

An Embarrassment to Canterbury

The Church of England must find the whole affair embarrassing: Muslims who have converted to Anglicanism on fear of persecution or death for their apostasy. After all, martyrs are so passe.

In Iran, the Guardian reports that converted Anglicans worship in secret and face social and economic discrimination. Whilst the Iranian Constitution protects established Christian communities, converts face a hard and bleak  regime that is determined to preserve the  Shi'a foundation of the state. And yet, under such uninspiring circumstances, individuals find succour from Christianity:

However, the edict does not sanction the conversion of Muslims to another faith, which is seen as a threat to the Shia Islamic foundations of the state.

At the very least, such conversions can damage work and educational opportunities. Workers in Iran's large public sector are screened for adherence to Islam while university applicants have to state their religion before being admitted. As a result, many converts feel compelled to hide their changed religious convictions.

"I work for the government in a job where you are required to carry out Islamic prayers every day. It's torture for me," said Nathaniel, 42, whose former Islamic beliefs were shaken after reading the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Matthew. "I feel increased pressure every day. There is an ever present threat, but I feel when God is with me, who is against me?"

Most of the Anglican churches in Iranhave been closed down and the last vicar of the church of St. Simon the Zealot was beheaded by Islamists during the 1979 revolution. Conversions appear to be increasing:

Despite being legally prohibited from actively seeking new members or publicising his services, Mr Jaeintan says the number asking to join his flock is increasing. Many are formerly observant Muslims like Nathaniel who have begun to question Islam; others are secular Iranians claiming to have experienced a spiritual awakening. Some, whom Mr Jaeintan says he rejects, want to become Christians as a means of seeking political asylum.

The number of Christian converts is guesstimated at 100,000. However, they don't seem to blog as yet, although my search was cursory at best.

Costing the Yurt

In the South-West, woodsman Marcus Tribe is no longer allowed to live a sustainable lifestyle in the woods. Mr Tribe has lived in the forest in his yurt, a temporary dwelling:

Although their lifestyle is almost totally self-sufficient and eco-friendly, the home-made yurt and Mr Tribe's workshop do not fit in with local planning laws.

In a statement, Mid Devon District Council said that the couple were refused planning permission two years ago and an enforcement order had now been issued.

Mr Tribe said: "I haven't lived in a house now for nearly 17 years... We're pretty used to this way of life."

Many members of the local community support them. Thelbridge Parish Council has unanimously backed them in their wish to continue living there.

Many on the right may not sympathise with Mr Tribe (name not changed by deed poll) until they realise that he owns the wood. That's right, he owns the wood where his yurt is located and the local council wish to evict him. Bastards!

Hain's First Salvo

Epolitix provides an undetailed platform for Peter Hain, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, to accuse the Tories of ignoring the bipartisan consensus over the province. This unseasonal attack is undoubtedly one of the first forays in undermining Cameron's claim of supporting Blair, when necessary. This is not a clever move, as Hain wants to provide an amnesty for those terrorists who went on the run for small matters like bombing, killing and maiming innocent civilians. But we need to pardon them for an amnesty so we can stay on the right side of Sinn Fein. Epolitix is a little too succinct in their article:

Hain is particularly angry that the Tories have been trying to block the

Northern Ireland

offences bill which includes controversial measures to allow 'on the run' terror suspects to escape jail.

As David Lidington, Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary robustly answered,

"We continue to operate a bi-partisan policy on Northern Ireland wherever possible, which sometimes involves giving the government the benefit of the doubt," he told the Today programme. "But on this bill we are looking at something that would allow people who have committed barbaric murders, things like the Enniskillen Poppy Day massacre, to go free without serving one day in prison or even appearing themselves in court.

"I think Mr Hain is choosing very weak ground on which to try to pick a major fight and point the finger at us."

If individuals have committed violence against others, they should stand trial in a court of law. The right of innocent victims to see justice done should not be traduced by the political expediency of a government that seeks additional concessions to promote their 'peace process'.

Plum Posting in Djibouti

Harowo has details about British troops joining the counter-terrorist group located in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.

Djibouti’s Defense Minister Ougoureh Kifleh and a British envoy said the deal was expected to be signed in mid- to late-January after details of English- and French-language versions of the agreement were completed.

“We had received the terms of this agreement earlier, but this time the British delegation brought copies in French … so we can now amend them and agree on a final pact,” Kifleh told AFP at the end of a two-day visit to the former French colony by a group of British diplomats.

He could not discuss the exact size of the British deployment or when it was expected but a British envoy in Djibouti said Britain’s ambassador to neighboring Ethiopia, Bob Dewar, would return “in three weeks time to sign a memorandum on the modalities of the deployment.”

Djibouti is already home to France’s largest overseas military base and the only U.S. military base in Africa and currently hosts some 1,500 American troops and several hundred German, Dutch and Spanish soldiers participating in the U.S.-led anti-terrorism operation known as “Enduring Freedom.”

Are they keeping an eye on the French or showing willing, so that they aren't shown up by other countries in NATO? Harowo also thinks Djibouti sucks, and from his experience, that sounds about right. Those Army lads must hate Blair: Iraq and Djibouti instead of Oman and Dubai.

The naming of Royals is a difficult matter

The Christmas season often brings forth stories that act as an 'Indian summer' for the silly season, reminding us of warm August evenings, listening to the closing overs of a test (rain permitting), and a time when you can sit outside a pub drinking Ordinary in any London green. Summer nostalgia aside, this year's theme revolves around name changes.

In Manhattan, Jorge Luis Espinal sent a reporter to new heights of expression with his legal petition for the Second Coming:

A Manhattan man's holiday spirits soared to celestial heights today when a judge gave him permission to change his name to Jesus Christ.

Jose Luis Espinal, 42, said he was "happy" and "grateful" that the judge approved the change, effective immediately.

Espinal said he was moved to seek the name change about a year ago when it dawned on him: "I am the person that is that name."

The article provides some further information on the legal framework governing legal name changes. You can be a name but not a number in South Dakota. You can be Jesus Christ so long as your intention is not to defraud others by your actions or avoid an obligation. Jose has more chance of changing his name than a convicted conman, or possibly, a politician such as Tony Blair, if the latter wished to change his name to that of the Messiah.

The judge said she held a hearing in which Espinal, who also uses the last name Tejeda, testified. She said he was aware of the "common law right to assume another name without legal proceedings so long as the change is not made to deceive or perpetrate a fraud or to avoid an obligation" but wanted to go the formal route anyway.

The judge said Espinal's "reasons were primarily those applicable to his own private religious beliefs and he stated no desire to use his proposed name to secure publicity, to proselytise, to fund-raise or advise others that he had been cloaked by the courts or government with a religious authority".

Jose's example has been followed by that closet nominalist Prince Charles who is reported to be seeking coronation as King George. Changing the name of the Prince or Princess on accession to the throne is quite common and the Royal Family supposedly views the name Charles as jinxed, due to associations with decapitating Puritans and rebellious Jacobite pretenders.

Patrick Cracroft-Brennan, a genealogist from Cracroft's Peerage, said: "There has been a tradition over the last century for the regnal title to be different to the christian name. The change would make sense.

"Monarchs called Charles have not had much luck. One was beheaded, one was in exile, and one was a pretender to the throne.

While the Prince of Wales is known throughout the world as Charles, there is enormous goodwill to the name George. George VI was an outstanding and popular king who took over in the aftermath of the abdication crisis and rallied his people during World War II, Mr Cracroft-Brennan said.

"King George and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother were wonderful. I think George VII and Queen Camilla sound wonderful, too."

A swift name-change to airbrush the excesses and eccentricities of  unfortunate heirs seems all too common with the Hanoverians.  If our heir to the throne will  adopt a name off Rainbow, surely Zippy or the more accurate Bungle would prove just as gracious and popular.   

Mergers and Acquisitions

Charles Clarke is encountering heavy criticism from many quarters over his handling of the new constabulary structure. The lack of consultation or engagement with issues of accountability demonstrates that the government wishes to establish Potemkin police forces. The use of strict deadlines and a cumbersome procedure for police authorities to contribute to the merger procedure were designed to allow the Home Office control over this process.

However, many constabularies are opposed. The HMIC report that provides the justification for this, asked particular questions about the issues that police forces faced and argued that the greater deployment of resources ("officers") would need to be exploited in the event of a crisis. Larger police forces would be able to prioritise more effectively by switching officers to  new roles as  demanded by the targets set by the government of the day.

Charles Clarke set today as a deadline for the 43 authorities in England and Wales to come up with detailed plans on how they could merge to form 12 super forces.

He believes the move would give police forces the resources necessary to tackle both local policing and organised crime and terrorism, after the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) warned the current system was "not fit for purpose".

The police authorities have not responded with enthusiasm to the report or the deadline. The use of financial incentives to encourage them to merge has only encouraged the Association of Police Authorities to come out fighting. Their press releases and attacks on Clarke have dominated the headlines.

Perhaps Clarke hoped to follow the script that New Labour reads to the public: modernisation = managerial reform through institutional change=improvement in public services. However, crime issues are linked by the government to wider arguments on the quality of life as well as security. Having invoked their needs for one political campaign, the government cannot tarnish the police forces as a 'producer interest', although they undoubtedly are. The two objectives of local policing and counter-terrorism are incompatible if they are the engines of institutional change. The policing "reforms" or bureaucratisation will prove ineffective at meeting either goal, which requires a cultural acceptance of self-defence and voluntary commitment.

New Wallpaper

A good friend told me that the design of The Bewilderness was unreadable. Never let it be said that I am so stiff-necked as to ignore good advice when I hear it. So I have switched to a karmic and subtle colour that will soothe those who share my anger with those who reduce our freedom in the name of 'social justice'. And make the blog easier on the eye, I hope.