Cardiff City Shoot Themselves In The Foot - Again

If you want to know how to alienate people take a look at financially troubled Cardiff City Football Club.
Earlier this month manager Dave Jones banned the South Wales Echo because he didn't like a report written by one of its journalists - even though apparently there was nothing inaccurate about it.
And then yesterday chairman Peter Ridsdale, who could do with a few friends, banned the Echo from a Press conference because of the paper's coverage of the financial problems.
That really sums up Cardiff City. They can't take handle any negative publicity - even when it is accurate. The Echo would be failing in its duty to readers if it did not report on the club's financial troubles.
Cardiff City has had terrible PR for years - with both fans and the media. And even following the employment of a former News of the World journalist at a reported six figure salary - despite the club's financial crisis - it doesn't get any better. Pathetic really.
And petty sums up the decision by Cardiff City to remove books written by high profile and vocal City supporter Annis Abraham from the club's shops because he called for a vote of no confidence in Peter Ridsdale. Now, whatever you think of that call, the response by the club is truly small-minded.
Both matters will only serve to heighten criticism. What has the Echo got to lose if their reporters are banned from Press conferences - banned from the ground next perhaps? That shouldn't stop them but encourage them to dig up more material on the club. They may as well fire all barrels at Peter Ridsdale and the team at Cardiff City now.
And Annis Abraham will now doubt be at the forefront of future demonstrations against Peter Ridsdale. He's also got nothing to lose.
Someone really needs a few lessons at media relations and relations with your fans because at present the club reallys hasn't got a clue.

Binyam Mohamed: MI 5 condemned by judge

One of the UK's top judges has made stinging criticism of the activities of MI5 over the torture of former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed.
Lord Neuberger said some officers had been less than frank about what they knew about Mr Mohamed's ill-treatment. They misled the courts and, perhaps, even more worrying Parliament.
His criticism was made public after an exceptionally unusual court decision to publish his draft legal opinion on MI5's respect for human rights.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband was still insisting that rejected the suggestion MI5 had lied. But it looks clear that the Government was involved in a cover up aimed at suppressing the truth.
There is a clear case now but an inquiry into the UK's involvement in human rsights abuses but we may need to wait for a change of Government before the Truth comes out.

Bonus payments to bankers must be pegged

Quite how largely publicly owned banks such as RBS and Lloyds still have the gall to pay bonuses when they have been bailed out by the taxpayer is galling.
Lloyds today reported an operating loss of £6.3bn for 2009, after it continued to struggle with billions of pounds of bad loans. They lost a staggering £24bn on bad loans.
But it seems that the bonus culture goes on whatever the overall performance of these largely state-owned operations.
How can anyone justify vast bonuses when companies make losses? It makes no difference as far as I can see that they work in a different arm of the bank.
And what sort of these is this sending out to people struggling to make ends meet, having to take pay freezes or cuts?
I keep hearing the argument that these so-called high flyers will go elsewhere - well let them, and other good people will replace them on a package that pays rewards for success not massive failure.
Overall, the bonuses paid by banks are completely out of scale with the current economic situation and what other workers have to face. They really need to take a rain check.
* On Thursday, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 84% government-owned, reported a pre-tax loss for 2009 of £3.6bn.

Western Power Distribution: A Disgrace

Western Power Distribution is a disgrace - there can be no other words to describe the UK subsidiary of Pennsylvania Power and Light, whose US headquarters in Allentown are pictured.
WPD is the company which has been trying for many, many years to turn Cardiff's Llanishen reservoir into a 324-home housing development.
They've lost numerous public inquiries and court hearings but still don't get the message.
WPD don't care about the environment, or the community, but are just determined to rake in fat profits, presumably for their US arm.
Their latest ploy is to drain the reservoir, which Julie Morgan, MP for Cardiff North has quite rightly described as the "most appalling act of vandalism".
WPD cannot be allowed to succeed and now is the right time to turn up the heat on their US masters, which talks good environmental policies but in Cardiff their subsidiary seems determined to destroy the local environment.
This is a fight Cardiff and indeed Wales cannot afford to lose. Let's hope Cardiff council and the Welsh Assembly Government can act to help stop this fantastic resource for the capital being lost.
One has to admire the battling qualities of the campaigners. Perhaps they now need to start kicking up a fuss in the US media by writing letters and contacting newspapers, radio stations and TV companies.

Tories under pressure over spending cuts plans

Should there be government spending cuts in 2010? Twenty economists on Sunday backed the Conservatives' call for the axe to fall this year.
But they have been trumped today with more than 60 senior economists signing letters that support the Chancellor's decision to delay cuts until next year.
These letters put the onus back on the Conservatives less than impressive Shadow Chancellor George Osborne.
The question is can we afford to take measures to trim the budget deficit this year and risk the UK economy slipping back into recession?
If Osborne and his supporters get it wrong it would be a disaster. It seems to me that we can't afford to take the chance and spending cuts should be put off until at least 2011.

Tory's bizarre City Hall Royal Palace plan

Conservative Assembly Member David Melding's latest bizarre idea is to turn City Hall into a Royal Palace.
Not only is the City Hall owned by the people of Cardiff but the cost of turning it into a Royal Palace would be hugely exorbitant in the middle of an economic crisis not seen since the Second World War.
And why should we have a Palace in the capital that might be used a few times of year when the Royals make their sojourns to Wales? It was only fairly recently that Prince Charles deemed to buy a house in Wales.
It seems David Melding has no sense of the history of Cardiff, even though he is a member of the Cardiff-based Welsh Assembly.
His last suggestion was to remove the John Batchelor statue, again part of Cardiff's history, and replace it with a more well known person.
The suggestion is that David Melding may be targeting voters who support Plaid Cymru because of its backing for the Welsh language but have strong conservative instincts.
His City Hall idea is yet another non-starter. It really seems as he's got too much time on his hands.

British National Party vote to change white-only membership rules

The abhorrent British National Party is still a racist party despite voting to scrap its whites-only membership rules.
This move had nothing to do with any change of views but because the BNP had been threatened with a possible court injunction over its whites-only membership policy by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
It is reported that the BNP has removed references to "indigenous British" people, paving the way for black and Asian people to be admitted to the party for the first time.
But I can't for one minute believe that many people of black and Asian origin will be rushing to join the BNP.
The way the BNP operate, and will continue to operate, despite the change of rules, was made clear that when they threw out a Times journalist of the BNP meeting because they were unhappy with the paper's reporting.
Well, if individuals or political parties are unhappy about inaccurate reporting, leader Nick Griffin and his cronies can go to the Press Complaints Commission like any other normal political party - but the BNP is far from normal.
The far right wasn't the answer in the 1930s and they're certainly not the answer in 2010.

Peter Hain shoots himself in foot over Rwanda gaff

Normally, you would not expect Welsh Secretary and football fan Peter Hain to score an own goal - but he managed a spectacular one.
Peter Hain has previously insisted Wales remained a wealthy country but he went one step to far when declaring:"Compared with Rwanda and most countries in the rest of the world...Wales is indeed still a wealthy country."
The comparison with desperately poor Rwanda was seized on by his political opponents, particularly the Conservative.
Plaid also seized on Mr Hain's gaff. MP Hywel Williams pressed their argument again about the underfunding of Wales, highlighted in the independent Holtham Commission report.
Last night Mr Hain was forced to issue a humiliating statement declaring: "Frankly I could have chosen my words more carefully. Of course no-one is suggesting that Wales has ever suffered from poverty on the same scale as in Africa."
Let's hope Peter Hain's favourite team Chelsea also obliges with an own goal in the FA Cup clash with Cardiff City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Now that would really make it a week to forget for the Welsh Secretary.

Binyam Mohamed wins release of torture details

Binyam Mohamed was arrested after being suspected by US authorities of having received firearms and explosives training from al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Whatever the truth of that, the way Binyam Mohamed, a UK resident, was treated was truly appalling.
Now the Appeal Court has allowed the disclosure of secret information which sheds some light into his suffering after being detained in Pakistan in 2002.
Seven paragraphs of summary of what the CIA told British intelligence officials about Mr Mohamed's treatment was released. These paragraphs have now been published on the Foreign Office website.
They reveal that in Pakistan, Mr Mohamed was intentionally subjected to continuous sleep deprivation, as well as threats and inducements.
Mr Mohamed was sent to the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba in 2004 and held there until his release without charge in February 2009, when he returned to the UK.
Whatever the UK Government says about its stand against torture and inhuman treatment, it is clear they have been complicit in what happened to Mr Mohamed. They failed him.
The Government’s argument is that they tried to prevent release of the information because it was fundamental to national security. Bullshit. They are party to a cover-up of torture which can never be acceptable in any country, particularly one which is democratic.
Still the full story hasn’t been told. If it isn’t, then the UK is no better than the countries it often criticises for human rights abuses. The truth can be revealed without compromising national security.

Lib Dem AM faces ambulance crew assault allegation

I thought a tough new line was being taken in Wales against those that attack public servants, such as ambulance crew or hospital staff.
But it appears those working to save others are still not being protected properly.
Mick Bates, the Liberal Democrat AM for Montgomery, has been suspended from front bench duties at the National Assembly over allegations he physically assaulted an ambulance crew member called to help him.
Mr Bates has claimed he cannot remember what happened - really? Was it because he was just too drunk or too embarrassed about what had happened?
The police were reportedly called into the ambulance to give Mr Bates a warning. So much for the zero tolerance - shouldn't he at the very least been arrested or perhaps charged with assault.
If we're ever going to reduce and, hopefully, eliminate attacks on public servants then those responsible should be prosecuted - whoever they are!

Cameron steals a march on Brown - Again!

David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats have stolen a march on Gordon Brown once again.
They've called for the law to be changed to prevent three Labour MPs charged with theft over the expenses scandal arguing that Parliamentary Privilege means that they cannot be tried.
Cameron has asked Sir George Young to provide a new Parliamentary Privilege Act while the Lib Dems want to amend existing legislation this week in the House of Commons to ensure that those charged with abuse of expenses cannot evade the law.
Sure, it is pure opportunism from Cameron and Clegg, but shouldn't Brown's advisers seen that coming - and told him or perhaps Justice Minister Jack Straw to make it clear that the Government would look to change the Parliamentary Privilege law to stop any possible attempt by MPs using it to avoid justice?
Gordon Brown's advisers continue to be out of tune with public mood - just as no one appeared to have spelt it out to the PM what an awful idea it was to axe the 10p tax rate which hit the poor and vulnerable very hard. Perhaps they ought to take a tgrip outside the Westminster bubble and start speaking to people on the streets to gauge the man/woman on the street's mood.

Politicians' expenses scandal: Legal action ordered

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for MPs and those in the Lords it has.
Labour MPs Elliot Morley, Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Tory peer Lord Hanningfield will face criminal charges over their expenses, the Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer has announced.They will be charged under the Theft Act.All four have said they denied any charges.
Given the incredible revelations about MPs' expenses last year it's hardly surprising that legal action is being taken against some individuals and more cases could follow.
This is set to rumble on for a long time after this year's General Election.
It comes following the publication this week of the amounts MPs have to repay following an investigation.
The expenses system has been thoroughlym. Every party knew it was rotten but took no action until the Daily Telegraph did the public a great favour by exposing those MPs who took the public for a ride.
While the majority, including MPs are in politics for the right reasons, there are those whose only interest seems to have been to claim as much as they could from what they saw as a public gravy train.

Auditor General Goes: Good News For Staff

Jeremy Colman,the Auditor General for Wales, quit suddenly yesterday. Speculation over the reasons for his departure was detailed in the media today.
But his resignation must lead to a complete change in the culture of the Wales Audit Office.
Over the last two of three years relations between staff and some managers have been frankly appalling. There have been a series of employment disputes, complaints about bullying and pay-outs to staff using public money. And those departing with pay-offs have had to sign confidentiality clauses preventing them from telling the terrible truth about life in the Wales Audit Office.
Really, the full story about staff-management relations needs to come out - it should not be buried because it is embarrassing.
Jeremy Colman, as the man in charge,failed to tackle the issue and did not crackdown hard on the perpetrators.
Scrutiny is needed of the scrutiniser of public bodies and that has not really happened until now. Many politicians have appeared reluctant to take up this issue.It's time Members of the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee showed their mettle because staff should not be expected to work in such a hostile environment.
Late last year former Finance Minister Andrew Davies revealed that he had successfully sought an amendment to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill which would give the Assembly the powers to introduce new governance arrangements for the Wales Audit Office. They paralleled the powers the UK Parliament had sought in relation to the National Audit Office. It is hoped the Assembly will be use those powers as soon as possible.

Cardiff City Must Tell Fans The Truth

Cardiff City Football Club are in a financial mess - but they are not yet prepared to spell out the truth to their customers - the fans.
Cardiff City Supporters Trust,which has 700-plus members, is now trying to gather enough support from shareholders to force an extraordinary meeting of the club's shareholders.
But they shouldn't have to. It should be called now - not in six or eight weeks.
The arrogant way the club's board has treated its fans is frankly appalling.
It seems that trading standards may also get involved after complaints from supporters over the club's failure to meet its pledge of bringing in new players - if fans bought their season tickets early.
Many fans would have bought the tickets early if the club explained its financial position - but instead it misled them.
Now Peter Ridsdale and his board hang on in at Cardiff City for one reason - to see if they can sell the club and pocket a nice pay-out as shareholders.
Let's hope the situation is sorted, including payment of the tax bill, so Cardiff do not end up in the same mess as Leeds United.

Tories attack on breakfasts for children

A total of 1,000 schools in Wales have now signed up to the Welsh Assembly Government's free breakfast programme, started six years ago.
It was launched to make sure the poorest children did not start the school day hungry and in the last year cost more than £8m.
But the Conservatives say that money could be better spent on the education budget because parents should be responsible for feeding their own children.
In an ideal world, yes. But we are far from in an ideal world.
Some parents, sadly do not look after their children well enough, for a variety of reasons - perhaps because of poverty, poor parenting skills, drug or alcohol problems. The reasons are numerous and varied.
A full stomach will undoubtedly help those children, who would otherwise get little or nothing at home, concentrate and learn at school.
It's a scheme which should be expanded not scrapped. It does prove that it really is the same only Tories.