The Green Ribbon

Two-speed Britain?

The Sunday Times has an intriguing story today on a study which could add fire to the debate about the future of the UK:

PARTS of the UK are as dependent on the state as some Soviet bloc countries were at the time communism collapsed, a new analysis based on official figures shows.

It paints a picture of large areas of the country whose prosperity in recent years owes everything to Gordon Brown’s largesse with taxpayers’ money, and which will struggle when spending slows down to more normal levels.

Labour to win in England?

Politicalbetting.com marks St George's Day by looking at the general election in England. It suggests that a majority of English seats looks increasingly beyond the Tories, even though they should win the popular vote.

Good news for Gordon, perhaps.

England's Forgotten Heroes: The Levellers

I thought I would mark St George's Day by providing some links about those neglected English heroes, the Levellers, who took on the 'Scottish Raj' of the Seventeenth Century to demand government by the people.

They were the true republicans on the Parliamentary side in the Civil War, and proposed a constitution based on an Agreement of the People. This was discussed by the soldiers of the New Model Army, along with the more conservative proposals of Cromwell and Ireton, at the famous Putney debates, which are particularly worth reading.

Their attempt to use the army to impose a more radical constitution on Parliament led them to oppose Cromwell's invasion of Ireland, a move which led to open conflict and their defeat at Burford.

They were nevertheless among the founders of an enduring English democratic tradition. personally, I think the story of John Lilburne deserves to be made into a film like those about Michael Collins or William Wallace.

US auditor criticises Aegis contract

From the Washington Post:

A controversial British firm responsible for a $293 million U.S. Army security contract in Iraq could not prove that its armed employees received proper weapons training or that it had vetted Iraqi employees to ensure they did not pose a threat, according to a government audit released yesterday.

In addition to criticizing Aegis Defence Services Ltd., the audit took aim at the Army's contracting office in Iraq for poor oversight. It reported that the official who was supposed to keep watch over Aegis's contract had not been trained in either monitoring contracts or security. The office was also severely short-staffed: At the time of the audit, 41 officials were administering 6,500 contracts and task orders.

As the Post article notes, Aegis is the company run by Tim Spicer, who was the commanding officer of the two Scots Guards who killed Peter McBride.

I wonder if the US Army Contracting Agency still thinks Spicer has a "satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics."

Plaid Cymru to take Battersea?

I missed Newsnight last night but I was intrigued to discover who topped the poll in the exercise I mentioned in an earlier post.

From ICWales:

Move over Meirionnydd - it's next stop Battersea for Plaid Cymru.

An intriguing political experiment conducted by BBC's Newsnight programme has concluded that Plaid Cymru could be the most popular party in at least one inner London district.

All the main British parties were invited to send Parliamentary candidates to a 'speed dating' pub in Battersea called the Hydro Bar. Usually, strangers are supposed to decide after a brief conversation whether they want to see more of each other.

Livingstone meets Kelly McBride

From the GLA:

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone today met with Kelly McBride, the sister of Peter McBride, the Belfast man shot by British soldiers. The soldiers, who were found guilty of murder, have been permitted to continue to serve in the British army.

Mr Livingstone said:
‘London has a long-term interest in seeing a lasting peace in Ireland, and part of this will be the need for the full confidence of Irish people both in Ireland and also here in London in all institutions including the British army. I am pleased therefore to have had the opportunity to meet with Kelly McBride today and to discuss her case with her.

‘I agree with Kelly McBride’s reasonable proposal that members of the armed services found guilty of serious crimes such as murder, rape or torture should not be permitted to continue to serve in the military. I think this is a sensible request that will help to build confidence in the armed services.'

Mr Livingstone met with Kelly McBride at City Hall today.

Unionists hope for hung Parliament

In my opinion column for the Irish World this week, I wrote that the DUP would try to avoid compulsory power-sharing and that they would hope for a hung Parliament at Westminster to facilitate this.

Events since seem to have borne this analysis out. DUP Deputy Leader Peter Robinson had this to say yesterday:

"The option of a voluntary coalition is open to the SDLP and while they are playing coy now, perhaps after the election, when their bravado is tempered by the electorate`s response, a higher level of reality might cause a rethink.

Brent bits

Guardian sketch writer Simon Hoggart had a piece from my stomping ground of Brent East yesterday.

I interviewed Lib Dem candidate Sarah Teather for this week's Irish World, and also had a story on Labour's Yasmin Qureshi.

This seat has Britain's largest Irish community and became a Labour-Lib Dem marginal in 2003 when Kelly McBride stood as an independent to highlight the case of her brother.

Peter McBride was killed in Belfast in 1992 by two Scots Guards who were allowed remain in the army after being convicted of his murder.

The commanding officer of the Scots Guards at the time was Tim Spicer, the notorious mercenary who now runs Aegis Defence Services, which has one of the largest US security contracts in Iraq.

There should be more developments on this later today.

Severo Moto feared killed

From the Guardian:

Fears were growing last night about the fate of the man at the centre of last year's murky coup plot in Equatorial Guinea, after reports that he had been assasinated.

Investigators in three European countries are looking for Severo Moto, the exiled opposition leader whom the British mercenary Simon Mann and his friend Sir Mark Thatcher last year allegedly planned to make president of the oil-rich west African country.

My Northern Ireland election prediction

Okay, here as promised, for what it's worth, is my prediction for Nicholas Whyte's Northern Ireland Elections competition. 

DUP 8, SF 6, UUP 2, SDLP 2.

Seat by seat details, in descending order of certainty are as follows: