Monthly Archives: July 2009

July 20, 2009 · 6:58 pm

CYPRUS RALLY YESTERDAY AT TRAFALGAR SQUARE

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Every year in July the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK holds a rally in Trafalgar Square to demand an end to the division of Cyprus.  This is something of a fixture for me as I have been speaking at the event since I was first elected an MEP, nearly ten years ago.  I have always thought it important to take up the Cyprus cause as the majority of Cypriots  in Britain live in London.

Despite the overcast sky and even the occasional shower, the rally was well attanded with people from all over the country making the trip to London.  It was good to see a high turnout, which shows that even after more than 30 years, Cypriots still care passionately about ending the Cyprus problem.  My own view is that it must be made clear to Turkey that their EU application will never be successful until they make much more effort to find a solution in Cyprus.  Although the talks between President Christofias and Mr Talat are continuing and appear to be going well, Turkey also needs to understand that it must faciliate a settlement and not be obstructive, as has often been the case in the past.

The rally, led by the Chair of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, Peter Droussiotis, had an impressive array of speakers, including Andrew Dismore, Labour MP for Hendon, other London MPs and MEPs including Theresa Villiers, Simon Hughes and Charles Tannock, as well as representatives from Cyprus including the keynote speaker, Neoklis Sylikiotis, Cyprus Minister of the Interior.

It’s high time the Cyprus problem was solved once and for all.  Nicosia is the only divided capital in Europe.  It’s up to all of us to keep the pressure on the EU, the United Nations and the British Government, which has a major role as one of the Cyprus guarantor powers, and Turkey to ensure that Cyprus is kept at the top of the agenda.  I live in hope that next year the Trafalgar Square rally will be celebrating not commiserating.

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July 19, 2009 · 5:05 pm

IAIN DALE FAILS TO CHECK HIS FACTS

 

Yesterday Iain Dale paid me a tremendous compliment in suggesting I might be the new Harriet Harman. There’s only one Harriet of course. I have great respect for Harriet and organised in London and Europe to support her successful Deputy Leadership bid. Sadly Iain went on to claim that I had made some facts up. I have reproduced my source below and highlighted in bold the part he doubts. Now looking again I think 1,000,000 is a high figure for workers on the Olympics and I will check further this week. Iain asserts only 10,000 workers so come on Iain, what’s your source? Iain says “I am told”, who by? Is it an educated guess? I think for the whole Olympic project Iain’s figure is too low. He may be forgetting there is more than one Olympic venue.

The Press Trust of India is a Press Agency and is the equivalent of Reuters. It is a well respected organisation.

Noting Iain’s postcript on Norwich North, I’ll be there later this week for the by-election and happy to discuss further if he’s campaigning there too.

 

Influx of workers for Olympics could lead to rise in sex trade.

 LENGTH: 448 words 

 By: Prasun Sonwalkar

London, Mar L7 (PTI) Thousands of construction workers, expected to arrive in London for 2012 Olympics could cause a surge in prostitution, health experls have warned saying it could also lead to the spread of sexually transmitted

infections.Workers will be coming to thec ountry in huge numbers for large scale construction activities related to the Olympics.

The rise of prostitutition could also lead to the spread of sexually transmitted infections,The Times reported today.

Olympics officials are being asked to address the impact of the predominantly male construction workforce, which is likely to total more than 1,00,000 over the next four years.

More than 1,000 people are already working on preparing the site, with a further 2,000 scheduled to begin arriving within weeks as work starts on the stadium.

Health organisations have warned that thousands of prostitutes including trafficked women, are likely to arrive in the run-up to 2012.

They are calling for extra staff in sexual health clinics to address a predicted rise in sexually transmitted infections

And for preventive measures such as sex leaflets in various languages and condom distribution.

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), the HIV and sexual health charity, is calling for an urgent meeting with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

Lisa Power, policy director for the trust, said, “There will be increased sexual activity at the Olympics and in the run-up.There will be migrant workers, mostly men, separated from their families. “Many of them will have unprotected sex.They will go out for casual sex or with sex workers.There is a big potential for increase in poor sexual health, including HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. This an issue where everybody gets embarrassed and they don’t want to talk about it. Sara Walker, of the Enelish Collective of Prostitutes. said: “Of course,where men gather with time and money then prostitues will go there. We are more concerned about the police coming in and targeting prostitutes who are not illegal immigrants.” Clinicians assessing the impact of the Sydney 2000 Games found a big increase in demand for sexual health services and a conesponding increase in sexually related diseases, mainly among casual workers, the trust said.

Grahame Maxwell spokesman on human-trafficking at the Association of Chief Police Officers, said that the Metrlpolitan police were liaising closely with the Human Trafficking Centre and Maxim, another unit dealing with immigration and smuggling, to detect any increase in trafficking related to the Games.

LOAD-DATE: March 19, 2008

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

ACC-NO: L768A4985

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newswire from Lexis Nexis

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· 1:40 pm

LIB DEM DECEIT IN COLVILLE

Amir Akhrif, Labour’s excellent candidate in the forthcoming by-election for Colville Ward of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, is having to cope with some very dirty tricks from the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems have recently put out a leaflet for the by-election this Wednesday (Wednesday as the traditional Thursday would have upset the Council Chief Executive’s holiday plans) accusing Labour councillors of agreeing to sell off part of the grounds of  Colville School.  This is completely untrue and the Labour councillors intend to sue their accusers.  A Labour rebuttal leaflet is due to go out very soon. 

The truth is, as ever, more complicated, and appears to have very little to do with Labour councillors.  Kensington and Chelsea passed a planning application at the beginning of the year to change the use of an old laundry building in Colville, which was approved by the Tory Council following a public consulation.  I gather this building now belongs to another school, one of the French establishments in the area.  I must say it takes some doing even by Lib Dems to turn this into an anti-Labour story.  It’s hardly surprising that Labour concillors are taking legal action against the Liberal Democrats.

Since I was out canvassing in Colville this morning, I picked all this up first hand.  It was a fine morning to be on the doorstep in a pleasant part of London full of dignified old houses.  The final touch was the tolling of a nearby church bell.

I was pleased to catch up with my old friend, former Kensington Councillor Pat Healy and say hello to Karen Buck, the area’s indefatigable MP.

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July 18, 2009 · 10:12 am

OLYMPICS SPARKS PROSTITUTION FEARS YET AGAIN

Whilst a strong supporter of the Olympics and the opportunities it will offer the vibrant capital  that is my home, I am deeply concerned that unless decisive action is taken quickly the games may spark a rise in prostitution.
London's Olympic Stadium

London's Olympic Stadium

Fortunately, it now seems that the Metropolitan Police are beginning to share these concerns. A report they published this week  warned that an increase in prostitution and trafficking linked to the Games would put women at risk.
Over a million construction workers are set to work on the site over the next three years, when added together with spectators and athletes cxould a fuel a sex trade time bomb.
Kerb Crawling

Kerb Crawling

During the Athens Games, sex trafficking almost doubled and there were reports of sex attacks in the athletes’ village at Sydney in 2000.

The BBC reported yesterday that a  small increase in the number of trafficked women working in the five Olympic host boroughs has already been noted.

Previously when I have approached the police and the councils concerned on these issues they have backed away from making any link between sex crimes and sporting events, even when I used figures showing dramatic increases in trafficking in w0men around the Germany World Cup, which I also used to call for greater protections for women in last years Euro 2008 on Women’s Hour last year.
Given that the Met are now responsive on this topic I will look to work with them on reducing the risk to London women, caused by a potential surge in teh sex trade around the Olympics, over the next three years.

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July 17, 2009 · 1:53 pm

VACANCY FOR A TRAINEE IN BRUSSELS

Every year I recruit at least one trainee (stagiaire in European Parliament terms). I have placed an advert on the excellent w4mp_logo[1]working for a MP recruitment website http://www.w4mp.org/default.asp

MEPs are, I know, sometimes criticised for their employment practices.  I have  published the details of my staff on my website since I first set it up, and I have never employed anybody who is related to me. One of the pleasures of my job has been seeing a succession of bright young people who have worked for me as trainees and subsequently achieved greater things.

Previous trainees  have gone on to work for MPs and MEPs, become councillors, lobbyists, work in organisations promoting equality, work at No. 10 Downing Street, for the Labour Party, government ministers and many other jobs. I would like to thank my most recent trainee Paul Wilmshurst for all his work and wish him every success when he starts his barrister’s pupillage.

 If you, or someone you know, would be interested in working at the European parliament in Brussels, please click here.

And finally ……..If you are thinking of working for a MP or a MEP you may wish to take account of the information in the excellent guides you will find on the site written by blogger Sadie Smith.

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July 16, 2009 · 10:05 am

EDWIN NORTHOVER STRUGGLING TO BE A CONSERVATIVE PPC

I wrote earlier this month about Edwin Northover’s opportunism in calling only for Labour MPs embarrassed in the expenses affair to stand down for by-elections. Edwin wants this because he is a Conservative PPC.

As I have commented before Edwin seems in two minds about his Tory candidacy.  Any self respecting candidate should have a website -  Edwin’s was in a shocking state.  He has now gone   to “site under construction” taking down the rag bag of oddments he had up previously.

Edwin has had two weeks to produce at least a basic passable website. It does not inspire confidence in his abilities if he is unable to undertake such a simple task.

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· 8:56 am

SCEPTICISM AND SEXISM – UKIP AND THE BNP

Yesterday UKRep, the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union, held their traditional reception to welcome British MEPs to the European Parliament.  It was, for me, a deeply depressing experience.  Not only were most of the UKIP MEPs present; they were also accompanied by young women in fairly flimsy purple dresses.  We had, in addition, Tory sceptics and other assorted Brits, most of whom appeared at best lukewarm towards the EU.  It brought home to me just how far Britain has moved away from support for Europe.

However, there were some bright spots.  It was good to see British Commissioner Cathy Ashton there.  The keynote address from Baroness Glenys Kinnock, Minister for Europe, was absolutely delightful.  At last we have a Europe Minister who knows not only knows the subject but has years of experience as an MEP.  Glenys, of course, talked about her passion, international development, and how she wished to continue contributing to Europe on the world stage.

Unfortunately, but maybe not surprisingly, I head a voice from the back barrack Glenys when she said how pleased she was that more women have been elected to the European Parliament.  As you may have guessed, it was none other than UKIP’s Godfrey Bloom (of women should clean more behind the fridge fame) grunting that women should make the tea.  Not quite as bad as the BNP calling Glenys Kinnock a “political prostitute” but, together with the purple dresses, indicative of UKIP’s undisguised sexism.

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July 15, 2009 · 4:20 pm

POLISH LAW AND JUSTICE PARTY TO LEAD EUROPEAN CONSERVATIVES AND REFORMISTS

Michal Tomasz Kaminski from the Polish Law and Justice Party has just become leader of the European Conservatives and Reformist Group (C&R) in place of Timothy Kirkhope, the previous leader of the UK Conservatives who appeared to be the C&R leader until very recently.  It is slightly unclear what is actually going on within the C&R Group. What is, however, crystal clear is that the Tories are losing out dramatically in the Group they set up and, no doubt, hoped to dominate.

My analysis is that if the small parties in the C&R Group do not get what they want, they will threaten to walk (as I explained earlier).   Maybe this is why the Tories have lost the leadership of the Group they hoped would be their own.  I would lay odds that there is more to come.

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· 1:46 pm

TORIES EXPEL REBEL MCMILLAN-SCOTT

Edward McMillan Scott, one of the newly elected Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament, has been expelled from the Conservatives and Reformist Group for disobeying the party line by standing for Vice-President as an independent.

Rumour has it that Edward is now looking for another political group.  Watch this space.

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· 9:16 am

QUEUE JUMPING TO AVOID NICK GRIFFIN

STRASBOURG14.7It was, in fact, the queue to cast my vote for the President of the European Parliament.  Having seen Griffin at the end of the queue in which I was due to cast my vote, I truly felt I couldn’t voluntarily go anywhere near the man.  I therefore did that very un-British thing and jumped the queue, insinuating myself further up the line.  My small discomfort at pushing in was far less than the anger and rage I would have felt had I had to share the same space as the leader of the racist, fascist BNP, now elected to the European Parliament to our great shame.   

Just to explain how I came to be in this position.  The ballot for the President of the European Parliament is done by hand with MEPs filling  in their forms then placing them in the ballot boxes.  A number of these boxes are distributed around the Chamber alphabetically and each box typically takes ballot papers from MEP surmanes beginning with three lettes per ballot box, eg “A -C”.  I therefore cast my vote in the F – H box, the same box as Griffin.  Queues form to put the ballot papers in the boxes as each vote, which is completely secret having been put into an envelope, has to be ticked off by Parliament staff.  Hence  the queue and Griffin. 

The BNP presence is not going unremarked.  Far from it.  The “Not in Our Name” campaign organised by the anti-fascist “Searchlight” magazine is very acive and presented a petition yesterday to Michael Cashman, the outgoing Vice-Chair of the Petitions Committee.

Pictured in the photo are Nick Lowles from Hope not Hate and my fellow London Labour MEP Claude Moraes.

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