The PCSOs were not involved in the arrest. After five hours in a police cell, Bonomo said she was told to sign an £80 fixed penalty fine for a public order offence. She plans to contest the penalty, which stipulated she caused “harassment, alarm and distress” in public. Bonomo returned the next day to interview builders who had witnessed her arrest. Footage of the interviews appears to corroborate her account. “I was disgusted,” one said. “They were terribly out of order. There was one officer who was spiteful to you.” The Met confirmed that a woman was stopped and searched under section 44 of the Terrorism Act. Any complaint made to police would be fully investigated.

Links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/15/italian-student-police-arrest-filming
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/contents/enacted
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/section/44/enacted – SECTION 44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7nkXIfSY5Y

“Now today, I want to talk about how we will get there, three major steps that will begin immediately. One, we will repeal all of the intrusive and unnecessary laws that inhibit your freedom. Two, we will reform our politics so that it is open, transparent and decent. And three, we will radically redistribute power away from the centre into your communities, your homes, your hands. Big sweeping change: not incremental, not bit by bit.

Our democracy has suffered at the hands of encroaching centralisation and secrecy for decades. Take citizens’ rights: eroded by the quiet proliferation of laws that increase surveillance, quash dissent, limit freedom. Take executive authority: consistently increased by successive administrations to the point that we now have a muted Parliament and government enjoys almost untrammelled control over precisely the people who are meant to keep it in check. Take the welfare state: one of modern society’s greatest liberators but now so different to that envisaged by Beveridge because it has been distorted by excessive centralisation and micromanagement.” – Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Ministers Speech and Q+A – 19/05/2010

Mike Leigh cancels Israel trip over loyalty oath

Letter Sent by Mike Leigh

At a time when the citizens of Europe need to tighten their belts, the European Union wants to increase its spending. The EU budget for 2010 amounts to 141 billion Euros. Many European politicians and senior EU officials consider this a “paltry sum”. They want to boost the EU budget by introducing indirect European taxes, such as a higher contribution from national VAT, a tax on CO2 emissions and charges on banking and electronic communications. If Brussels itself gets its own tax-rising powers, there will be no way back. Once the tax is introduced, the tariff will go up gradually. The bureaucracy decides what the taxpayer pays. For the taxpayer himself, it’s checkmate.

Let the European Union focus on its core tasks, such as the internal market, the euro zone or a common policy on environment, transportation, immigration and energy independence. But there is no need for a huge subsidy system, financed through an EU tax. The EU is already unable to spend the full budget of the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund, due to lack of convincing projects. Therefore the EU budget should be no more than 1 per cent of European Gross National Income (GNI).  Main elements: No introduction of direct EU taxes or increase in national VAT contributions to the EU ! Restrict the EU budget to no more than 1 percent of European GNP, so more efficient use of the existing means.

 Click here to sign »» 

EU considers levying taxes directly

The European Commission wants EU member states to consider allowing it to levy direct taxes – a move that could ease the burden on national budgets.  The EU’s Budget Commissioner, Janusz Lewandowski, said he would present some options next month for direct EU taxes.  Taxes on aviation, financial transactions and CO2 emission permits are all possibilities, he told the daily Financial Times Deutschland.  However, the UK promptly rejected the idea.  Historically, national governments levy taxes in the EU. “I’m hearing from a number of capitals, including important ones like Berlin, that they would like to lower their contributions [to the EU],” Mr Lewandowski said.  The 27 EU member states pay a fixed contribution to the EU budget, based on their gross domestic product and a percentage of their sales tax (VAT).  This year Germany’s transfer to the EU budget – the largest contribution – is about 21bn euros (£17.5bn).  Pressure on budgets  “Many countries want to be unburdened. In this way, the door has been opened to think about revenues that are not claimed by finance ministers,” the commissioner said.

Traditionally taxes are seen as a prerogative of nation states and any move by the commission to levy taxes directly is likely to be opposed by Eurosceptics wary of Brussels’s powers.  A British treasury minister, Lord Sassoon, said the British government “is opposed to direct taxes financing the EU budget. The UK believes that taxation is a matter for member states to determine at a national level and would have a veto over any plans for such taxes.” France and Germany are pushing for a financial transaction tax in the EU, but the UK argues that any such tax must apply globally and be co-ordinated by the International Monetary Fund.  However, all three countries are introducing separate bank levies, which will not affect smaller banks and building societies. The UK levy is expected to raise more than £8bn over four years.  The EU’s budget for this year is 122.9bn euros (£110bn) – nearly half of which is allocated to agriculture and natural resources. It is 6% bigger than the 2009 budget.

The Gaza aid convoy, with 40 survivors from the Mavi Marmara massacre, has been delayed departing Latakia, Syria for Gaza. Last minute complications over entry requirements by the Egyptian authorities are responsible for the postponement. Convoy organisers are confident these problems will be quickly resolved and the convoy will be on its way tomorrow morning (Monday). Due to futher complications, the convoy is still stranded in Latakia.  More info when it comes through……. – (18th October 2010)

Iran will assume the presidency of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) for the first time in 36 years. The country’s oil minister was elected as Opec president at a one-day meeting of the group, which is made up of 12 oil producing states. Iran, which takes over from Ecuador, is Opec’s second-largest oil producer and holds about 10% of world oil reserves.  At the meeting in Vienna, Opec also agreed to keep its oil production target unchanged at about 24.8 million barrels a day. US light crude ended Thursday trading down 32 cents to $82.69.  Brent crude finished 11 cents lower at $84.53.  Iran will assume the presidency of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) for the first time in 36 years. The country’s oil minister was elected as Opec president at a one-day meeting of the group, which is made up of 12 oil producing states.  Masoud Mir-Kazemi will hold the presidency from 1 January 2011. Iran, which takes over from Ecuador, is Opec’s second-largest oil producer and holds about 10% of world oil reserves.  At the meeting in Vienna, Opec also agreed to keep its oil production target unchanged at about 24.8 million barrels a day.  US light crude ended Thursday trading down 32 cents to $82.69.  Brent crude finished 11 cents lower at $84.53.

Davis v Lisle [1936] 2 ALL E.R. 213

Rice v Connolly [1966] 2 All E.R.649

The ability of UK police to use “arbitrary” counter-terror stop and search powers against peace protesters and photographers lay in tatters today after a landmark ruling by the European court of human rights.  The Strasbourg court ruled it was unlawful for police to use the powers, under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, to stop and search people without needing any grounds for suspicion.

The widely-drawn ruling said that not only the use of the counter-terror powers, but also the way they were authorised, were “neither sufficiently circumscribed, nor subject to adequate legal safeguards against abuse”.  The use of these powers has grown fourfold, from 33,177 times in 2004 to more than 117,200 in 2008.  The Metropolitan police have used them most, but 11 other forces in England and Wales also make routine use of them.  A political furore ensued when it was disclosed that the whole of Greater London had been secretly designated for stop and search without suspicion since 2001.

The case ruled on today was brought by Kevin Gillan and Pennie Quinton, who were stopped by police while their way to a demonstration outside the annual arms fair at the Excel centre, in London’s Docklands, in September 2003.  Quinton, a journalist, was ordered to stop filming the protest despite showing her press card, while Gillan, who was riding his bicycle, was only allowed to go on his way after 20 minutes. They were awarded €33,850 (£30,400) in costs and expenses.

 The European judges said the power to search a person’s clothing and belongings in public included an element of humiliation and embarrassment which was a clear interference with the right to privacy.  But they also criticised the way in which the police use of stop and search powers was authorised. There is no requirement that the powers be considered “necessary” – only “expedient”.  The use of the powers is subject to confirmation by the home secretary within 48 hours, renewable after 28 days, but the European court said there was no real check on authorisations by parliament or the courts.