Paul Flynn - Read My Day

Tyranny of transparency?

A French socialist has denounced Wikileaks as the voice of a 'tyranny of transparency.'

It's far better than the tyranny of secrecy that we suffer under. If Wikileaks had been active immediately before the Iraq War and the truth was known the UK would not have joined Bush's War and 179 British lives would not have been lost.

To assist the march to even great truth, I put down this question today:

Ordinary Written question to: Prime Minister for answer on 02 Dec 2010 12:00 AM
What assessment has he made of the work of the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment?

This is not the most vital revelation. The truth on Afghanistan could destroy the remnants of public support for the madness. Already 70% of the British public want the troops brought back home. Throughout Europe support is crumbling. Nations may soon follow the examples of the Netherlands and Canada. it was the collapse of public support that forced the USA to end the Vietnam conflict.

The public has always been denied the truth when wars are being fought. Why wait for history to tell us that British lives are been sacrificed to a lost cause?

W.E.U.- R.I.P.

The Western European Union (WEU) is in its death throes.

Its current president and last champion Tory MP Robert Walter (pictured this afternoon) conducted the final funeral rites in Paris this week. It claims to be the only parliamentary scrutiny of European Defence Policy. The European Parliament say they can do the job. They have a reasonable stake in democracy too.

 

It has the slowest death of any organisation in politics. Lord Tomlinson came to Paris in 1978 to say 'Thank you WEU. You have done a great job. But it's time to pension you off.' 32 years later the stumbling zombie will be laid to rest.

The 38 staff had their redundancy notices today. There is enough money to honour their pension obligations. I cannot make a convincing case for continuing the life of the WEU but I regret its passing. My membership since 1997 has given me insights into world politics and contacts with European politicians that were otherwise inaccessible. The WEU has provided me with a receptive audience of European MPs for my views on Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

There will be a final meeting in the Spring when the coffin will be nailed down. It's epitaph will be that of an honourable, worthy non-corrupt idealistic European institution that has made a formidable contribution to world understanding and peace.

 

---

Injury surge

Afghanistan: huge rise in war wounded Channel Four News Exclusive
Tuesday 30 November 2010 
http://www.channel4.com/news/afghanistan-huge-rise-in-war-wounded-civilians
The number of war wounded civilians in southern Afghanistan has increased dramatically this year following the military troop surge, an exclusive Channel 4 News investigation has found. 

Thousands more patients are being admitted at one hospital in Kandahar alone - a threefold increase on the previous year in an area which has seen vicious fighting.
The number of children falling victim to the fighting has also risen dramatically.
In many cases civilians have lost limbs in explosions caused by improvised explosive devices or mine blasts while many others have suffered gunshot wounds or injuries caused by shelling.
Channel 4 News spoke to hospitals in the south of Afghanistan – areas where the Taliban is strongest, and where coalition forces are fighting hardest. 
All of the hospitals said they were seeing major increases in war wounded civilians. One of the doctors, Matteo Dell'Aira, told Channel 4 News:"We have more war wounded than we have ever had in our six years of being here."
-    Mirwais Hospital, Kandahar – 163 per cent rise on number of war wounded civilians admitted in 10 months of 2010 to 3,056, compared to 1,159 in whole of 2009 
-    Emergency Hospital, Lashkar Gah – 89 war wounded civilians admitted in October 2009 – 158 admitted in October 2010, a rise of 77 per cent  
-    Military hospitals across Afghanistan – Minor rise in civilian casualties and "not surprising" to have more civilians than soldiers treated in its facilities on occasion
-    Boost Hospital, Lashkar Gah – does not take in trauma patients but says civilians with other illnesses prevented from reaching them in time by war
This is backed up by figures from the United Nations mission on the war in Afghanistan. A report on civilian casualties released in summer by the UN showed that civilian deaths and injuries in the country had increased by 31 per cent year-on-year, to 3,268 in the first six months of 2010. The figures obtained by Channel 4 News on civilian injuries are even higher due to the intensity of the fighting in the south of the country - with injuries caused by war, according to our figures, up by between 77 per cent and 163 per cent.
The UN attributed 76 per cent of the incidents to insurgents – up from 53 per cent in 2009.
Deaths and injuries attributed to NATO and Afghan forces fell to 12 per cent.

 

 

Trash me please

It struck me as odd to abandon a police van in the middle of a demonstration. OK, so it did not have a sign on it saying 'Trash me please' but the defenders of the van have been named. The attackers? Not yet.

I'm reluctant to believe conspiracy theories but this letter arrived today:

 

I am a PhD student who attended the protest in Whitehall on the 24th of November. When I saw the abandoned police van, I thought it most peculiar. Before anyone had damaged it I went straight to the police in front of the Treasury and asked them why the van was there and suggested that they move it to protect it

They refused to take any notice, the impact is well known to you. Please can you make enquiries of the police and government, asking why this happened? Please take this up as a matter of urgency as you are aware we are dealing with an ongoing issue.

The police then justified the kettling of children on the basis that the damage to the van was a breach of the peace. 

It appears the police deliberately broke the spirit and letter of their oath to the Crown.

 

The letter is signed and I have been in touch with the writer. I will raise a question or two about this. You never know.

 

Truth surge

First report of the Wikileaks revelations suggests a blast of truth on Afghanistan. These vital truths could have ended our involvement in the conflict years ago and saved many lives. But truth is a rare commodity in War. The Ministry of Defence are still insisting on censoring press reports.

The allegations include details of 

• Corruption within the Afghan government, with concerns heightened when a senior official was found to be carrying more than $50m in cash on a foreign trip.
• Sharply critical accounts of UK military operations in Afghanistan.

While our soldiers have been bravely sacrificing their lives for a free Afghanistan,  the country's leading elite are looting the £25 billion aid money given to them by the West. It's likely this $50million was heading for Dubai. Scores of Afghans are lavishly preparing their bolt holes there. They know that NATO is leaving. They will not be re-building the country afterwards. Their future will be luxury living in Dubai thanks to vast stolen donations from the West. If British voters had known this, would they have continued to give their consent to a war with impossible aims?

A blast of truth on American military operations will reveal the ugly reality of warfare. It was the public's disgust at the excesses of Viet Nam that forced an end to that conflict. Public opinion on Afghanistan has been conditioned by lying propaganda. The truth may outrage that minority that still support the futile war. The leaks are more likely to save lives than destroy them. 

Let the truth work.

 

Foretaste

Newport Council provided a delightful Christmas welcome in Belle Vue Park this afternoon. In addition to the usual stalls were two reindeers. They are in fine condition and are cared for by a non-profit making charity.

 

 

 

Self assessment

No surprises in the Kim Howells' verdict of Kim Howells.

We already knew that politicians have an infinite capacity for self-deception. Not a word of regret from the longest serving Labour Foreign Office Minister for his years of cheer leading the pointless slaughter in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

He compromised and collaborated. After all, there was a political career at stake.   

Born-again devolution botherer

 

Groan.

Former MP Kim Howells is re-inventing himself. Advanced publicity for a programme tommorow suggests that he is now painting himself as a 'rebel.' His history proves that he is a conformist.

He is a natural banner-carrier. Wherever the flow is heading, he likes to be in front carrying the banner.

 Kim’s joined a sit-in at Hornsey School Art when student demonstrations were fashionable in 1968. No one knew what the protest was about, but it was more fun than painting.  The son of communist, Kim was a member of the communist party too when he was employed by the National Union of Miners. It was the thing to do – especially as his boss Arthur Scargill was a party member.

During the strike taxi driver David Wilkie was killed by two striking miners who dropped a concrete block off a local bridge on to his taxi. On being told of the incident in a telephone call from a reporter of the South Wales Echo, Howells rode his bicycle to the NUM offices, and destroyed the maps and information associated with co-ordinating the strike for fear of a police raid. He later commented that same day that the incident was a result of pressure to get the miners to return to work. 

Then his odyssey to right began. He adjusted his views to a mould that was acceptable to be New Labour as candidate in Pontypridd. The metamorphosis from communist to Blairite loyalist was swift when he was elected.

As a Foreign Office minister he had his picture taken cuddling up to soldiers who murder trade unionists.  It was a  matter of pride and displayed on the Foreign Office website.  
Smiling Kim Howells is close to a general linked to paramilitary death squads and soldiers of a notorious unit of the Colombian army accused, including by Amnesty International, of torturing and killing trade unionists.

Tony Woodley, joint general secretary of the union Unite, called for an end to British support for the Colombian regime: "Colombia is the world's leader slaughterhouse for trade unionists and it defies belief that the British ministers should be cuddling up - literally, judging by the photographs - with the perpetrators."

The trailer for the programme suggests that Kim will be bigging up his role as a Foreign Office Minister. Why? Was it his comment in July 2006 when he said that calling for a cease-fire in Lebanon was a "meaningless gesture"? Only Israel, USA and the UK failed to demand a ceasefire. It would not have been meaningless for the children buried alive at Qana, the thousand killed and the million whose homes were destroyed in the subsequent invasion.

Was it his flippant dismissal of the 7th February 2006 warning that his Afghan drug eradication programme would lead to the alienation of Aghans and the deaths of more British soldiers ? He describes the questioner as a 'muesli-eater'. Then 12 had died. Now it's 345.

Was it for announcing that Arial Sharon was dead, when he is still alive?

Was it for the serial failure of his anti-drugs policy and repeated assurances that drugs production in Afghanistan was dropping. It cost British taxpayers £250 million to engineer a 60 % increase in heroin production to the highest level ever. The price of the drugs on the streets of Britain is the lowest ever.

Was it his impassioned speech on Britain's 'shared values' with Saudi Arabia? ....bribery, torture, anti-democratic, feudal...?

Having not been nominated for a place in the Lords, Kim appears to be searching for a new role. He has taken up painting again. He is also a born-again devolution botherer.

Yawn.

 Remembrance

Today the Merchant Navy dead were remembered at Newport's Merchant Navy memorial.

In spite of his failing health Bert Bale was present to guide the service. Visitors come from many parts of the country to the prized event. The Merchant Navy National Association has just become a registered charity. Newport has always been proud of the city's maritime history. In spite of the cold and snow, today's event was well attended, dignified and inspiring.

The Newport Merchant Navy Association President writer Leslie Thomas could not attend today because of ill-health. He sent a message saying how much he admired Bert for attending in spite of his very serious health difficulties.

Well done Bert. You have served the Merchant Navy and the city of Newport well.

 

 

 

Welfare for despised minorities

Thanks you Alison.

I don’t know who you but you were the voice of moderation, sense and decency on the BBC Wales phone-in today.  I was summoned to take part half an hour before the programme was due to start.

Howard Flight’s gaffe has inevitably churned up the bigots and myth swallowers.  Scroungers are one of most persistent myths that generations have loved to believe. Of course, there are people who cheat the system but there are not great hordes of them undermining our economy.

In 1920 a book titled ‘In search of a scrounger’ was published. There was one captivating fictitious tale that was retold by a Prime Minister and half the population.

‘An elegant women, dressed in a fur coat, was seen climbing out of her limousine to collect her dole at the Labour Exchange.’

The same woman was observed in every parish in the country from John o Groats to Land’s End.

In the fifties, every one knew a person in a council house with a colour television and a Jaguar parked outside. On today’s programme, one caller said he heard a woman in a fish and chip shop saying she hoped her boyfriend would make her pregnant soon so that she get more benefits.

These apocryphal anecdotes spread like a contagion and are endlessly repeated.  They appeal to the worst side of human nature. They excite the malicious tendency to believe the worst of other people. Inevitably some of the myth-spouters unloaded their trash over the airwaves today. But then Alison called. Calm and reasonable, she spoke for millions whose lives are made bearable by benefits.

The old chestnut about those who are better on benefits was rolled. Sadly this is nut that’s very difficult to crack. But it’s a monstrous lie to say that Labour did nothing to eliminate it. We introduced the minimum wage and tax credits to make work pay.  They did not get rid of all anomalies’ Sadly, nothing will.

Another woman rang up and said that I am ‘lovely’ (absolutely right! ) but why do I not do more to help pensioners.  It’s difficult to get across the functions of a National Insurance scheme to an audience whose minds have been warped by Daily Mail thinking.

500,000 pensioners lose up to £35 a week because they do not claim the Income Support (IS) that would top up their basic pensions to the level of the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG). Why? They see IS as a handout. Their pride tells them that they have worked all their lives without taking handouts.  They have paid for their basic pensions with their contributions. They are not going to start taking handouts now. The remedy to end the stigma is to raise the basic pension to the level of the MIG.

Taking Child Benefit from rich families will stigmatised it into a handout. The Tories want to degrade the National Insurance that covers everybody to a Poor Law charity for despised minorities. If they succeed they will undermine 60 years of a welfare state that has served us well.

The mask of smiling, compassionate, ‘we are all in it together’ Toryism has slipped. Howard Flight flaunts the true ugly face of millionaire Conservatism contemptuous of those on average or low incomes.  This is not a new idea for the Tories. Keith Joseph and Leo Amery previously argued for limiting the ‘breeding’ of the working classes.

Howard Flight, Cameron, Osborne and most of the Cabinet are millionaires – most from birth. They are victims of their environment.

Why should we expect them to understand the real world?

 

Political Earthquake

Today's by-election result in Donegal will un-nerve all European Governments.

In three years the ruling Fianna Fail's vote has fallen from 50% to 20%. Sinn Fein beat the combined votes of Fianna Fail and Fianna Gael.  The Coalition has successfully peddled the myth that Labour in the UK caused the financial crisis. Consequent events will demonstate that the calamity is world-wide. No-one has blamed the Labour Party for the crises in Ireland, Iceland, Greece, the USA or Portugal. Yet. That would be too big a whopper even for the Tories.

Donegal's result proves how far voters can fall out of love with a Government.

 

 Truth threat

A flurry of diplomatic activity on new Wikileaks revelations threatens the unity of the NATO coalition in Afghanistan.

On Sunday the truth may be revealed on what the USA thinks about its allies.

No coalition can stand too much truth.

 

Happiness Ratings. Day Zero

In the spirit of collaboration with the Coalition Government and a welcome to the epoch of happiness measurement, here are the first results. It's been a tumultuous start:

 

Lembit Opik. Happiness rating fell by ten points. He was bitten by a snake. The snake is making a full recovery.

Wales; Happiness plummets 18 points and in free fall following the country's assault by coalition. No electrification of Welsh railways in £8billion spend; following the unfair closure of Newport Passport Office,  cancelling of North Wales Prison and St Athan Training Centre, abandoning Severn marine power, cutting funds to S4C etc. 

Howard Flight: falls by 67 points. Promising  career was self-garrotted in 2005 by confession that Tories planned cuts, now survives as peer-in-waiting in spite of his neurosis that the poor are breeding new voters and rearing them in veal crates in marginal constituencies..

School students; Happiness boost of 17 points, exhilarated by joy of embarrassing coalition.

Sarah Palin; Happiness drops by 97 points after Tea Party admiration of North Korea was revealed to an adoring world.

Ed Miliband: Happiness up two points -the same as Labour's lead in the polls.

Wolfgang Wodarg: Happiness up 30 points as news that winter excess flu deaths in UK fell 30% proving Wolfgang's claim that swine flu was generally benign and eliminated deadly mass killer swine flu.

Alun Cairns AM / MP: Happiness collapse in chaotic Dragons Eye interview when 'feedback' drowned the questions and he tried to answer questions that had not been asked. The interview was meant to put the boot in another channel.

I will expecting part of the £2 million happiness cheques in the post shortly.

 

Mynydd Seion celebrates.

Had a great evening at a Welsh language lecture to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Newport's Mynydd Seion Chapel.

The Emeritus Professor John Gwynfor Jones delighted with a vivid picture of life in Newport in the 1830s. In the year of the Chartist rsing one chapel expelled two members because they joined the Chartists. Other Chapels and Churches worked to support the movement.

 

 

The story of the survival of the Welsh language has been a triumph. It was struggling to survive in 1835. Now more people speak the language of heaven than ever before.

Next week the celebrations continue with a concert with  Meinir Helyn at 7.00 on Saturday December 7th, and a People's Messiah on Sunday December 5th at 7.00. Contact 01633 243700.

 

Winter madness

 

In the face of a mountain of evidence the mind dead bigots still spout nonsense.

Lesson: excess winter have very little to do with the cold. 30,000 additional deaths included fewer than 25 from hypothermia. There is no correlation between cold weather and peaks of high deaths. But it is a convenient bit of nonsensical propaganda from some   charities that should know better. 

 Today's news should have prompted them to rethink. It was the coldest winter since 1995 and excess deaths fell by 30%. The charities have lined up to repeat the same irrational claims they have been preaching for decades.

"In October in Wales, the 2009 annual report by Dr Tony Jewell shows there was an estimated 2,500 extra deaths in Wales in winter compared to other times of the year – an increase of 74% compared to the year before. He said 34% of winter deaths were caused by respiratory problems, including flu, which became exacerbated by the cold."

Utter cobblers! Estimated by whom? A little statistical error here. A 74% estimated increase is actually a 34% decrease. Will Dr Jewell please explain?

The Western Mail published the news of the 30% drop with no mention of their previous gullible account of Dr Jewell's forecast. To cast a little sense on the mystery I tabled an EDM today demonstrating that the mild benign swine flu strain pushed out the killer seasonal flu. That was the major influence in reducing excess deaths. We were all scared witless by a hysterical campaign of greed and bad science. 

When will someone say sorry?

 

SWINE FLU AND WINTER DEATHS

24.11.2010

Flynn, Paul

Hancock, Mike

That this House welcomes last winter's 30 per cent. drop in excess deaths in the coldest winter since 1995; notes the Office for National Statistics' explanation that seasonal influenza deaths fell, probably replaced by the remarkably mild swine influenza cases that caused only 150 UK deaths when 65,000 were expected and only 18,000 worldwide when four to seven million were expected; and looks forward to a less hysterical response to future threatened pandemics.

 

 

Kettled into politics

Politicians of my age are saddened by the almost total absence of political fire among teenagers. Not toady. Even Tory Monmouth and Marlow witnessed demonstrations from the over-indulged youngsters of the 21st century.

Those who were kettled in Whitehall today will be shaped by their demeaning thrilling experience. The slogans they chanted will become part of their vocabulary. The Coalition are politicising an inert generation.

Well done, David and Nick. You have made your mark. It will boomerang back on you.

 

NATO surge failing

Soldiers die. Politicians lie.

At last a blast of cold truth on the deepening futility of Afghanistan. The Pentagon has exposed the lie in the chronic optimism of Britain's politicians and general. The last hope for an honourable end was success for the 'surge'. It's failing. Almost all indicators reveal a spiral of deepening violence.

 

The Pentagon reported yesterday:

US progress in the war in Afghanistan is "uneven", with only a modest improvement over the last few months and an increase in violence. The report, a six-monthly assessment sent to Congress, says that while there has been a slight improvement in security, the number of Afghans recording their security situation as "bad" is at its highest since 2008.

The modest improvements come in spite of an increase in the number of US forces in Afghanistan over the year.

The assessment offers a taste of a bigger report to the White House planned for early next month, a review of progress demanded by Barack Obama.

"The Taliban's strength lies in the Afghan population's perception that coalition forces will soon leave, giving credence to the belief that a Taliban victory is inevitable," the report says.

"Progress across the country remains uneven, with modest gains in security, governance, and development in operational priority areas." The Taliban are maintaining momentum in some areas, while in others the balance is shifting towards Nato and Afghan forces. Combat incidents have increased 300% since 2007. Afghan forces are being trained faster than scheduled, but retention levels are poor, the report said. Only marginal improvements in security have been made in Helmand and Kandahar, where the Taliban have a strong presence."

Last week a trip to Afghanistan by a parliamentary Select Committee was cancelled because of the worsening security situation. Visits by Hague and Cameron were curtailed by the strength of the Taliban threat. But the Government continue to spin the fable of optimism and hope. Liam Fox refused to answer my questions on the catastrophic levels of desertion from the Afghan Army which the Pentagon has recognised.

Cameron's line is to throw £billions at the problem and refuse to  see the truth. He turns a blind eye to the export of NATO cash by the Afghan elite to their bolt holes in Dubai. They are preparing for defeat and feathering their nests. The coalition buys time with the lives of our brave soldiers.

 

Proof of Swine Flu  Con

New figures underline the foolish threat of 65,000 British swine flu deaths. There were less than 150. The world was terrified by the threat of 4 to 7 million deaths. There were less than 18,000.

The super mild swine flu 'pushed out' the seasonal flu that kills between 2 and 12 people a year. The number of extra deaths occurring in England and Wales last winter fell despite the coldest weather for 14 years.

Figures from the Office of National Statistics show there were an estimated 25,400 extra deaths. That marks a reduction of around 30% on the previous year.

ONS confirm that, the fall is possibly because while it was certainly cold last winter, there was no big outbreak of seasonal flu. The excuse will be given that British spending of £1.2 billion worked. Baloney. Poland spent next to nothing and had half the deaths per million than we did.

With Dr Wodarg I will continue to press for recognition that this was a massive confidence trick that fooled the world and made a fortune for Big Pharma. Last week I appeared on a major Dutch television programme to spread the message further.

Blog watch

Good to see the Guardian is faithfully following my blog of three days ago. They report:

• With the public finances shot, some are wondering whether it is truly necessary to recall the Home Office mandarin Sir David Normington from impending retirement to become both First Civil Service Commissioner and Commissioner for Public Appointments – roles that were previously the responsibility of two people. He earns £189,000 a year now. Once he retires, the dual position will pay him a tidy £85,000 a year. And of course the whole thing deprives someone else of a valuable opportunity.

So it is understandable that there is concern. Still, those who question the arrangement clearly haven't seen Sir Humphrey in operation. "How do you strengthen the role by making it half a job," asked Paul Flynn MP, scrutinising the new arrangement as part of the public administration committee. "I've asked that myself, because I am not accepting this on the basis that I'm making it half a job," explained Sir David. "It's two roles in one person, but doing it three days a week. I've tested quite hard with people, 'Can I do it over three days a week?'" Unsurprisingly, they said he could.

But do you think, continued Flynn, "that if you went up to a junior civil servant and said, 'You're doing one job now and next week you're going to do two jobs so that we can maximise the synergies', they would understand what you were talking about?" No, "they probably wouldn't", said Sir David. But he understands. That's the important thing. He didn't get where he is today by making anything very clear to anyone else."

The full enthralling cross examination can be read here. Yes it is hard to believe.

 

The Express do it their way:

A RETIRED civil servant fatcat on a lavish pension has picked up a new £85,000-a-year job working only three days a week.

Sir David Normington, 59, is retiring next month from his £189,000-a-year job at the Home Office.

After 37 years as a civil servant, he has built up a pension of between £85,000 and £90,000 a year, plus a lump sum of between £255,000 and £260,000, Home Office accounts show.

But in April he is due to start a new five-year role vetting top civil service and quango appointments.

He will be paid £85,000 a year for a three-day week.

A TaxPayers’ Alliance spokesman said people would be “shocked” that Sir David was getting both his pension and salary.

And Tory MP Charles Walker said: “There are some questions that need to be answered.’’

With unfortunate timing, Sir David announced yesterday that more than 9,000 jobs will be lost over four years at the Home Office and its agencies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manx Joy

What a wonderful morning!

The exodus of Irish delegates from the six-monthly meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly allowed British MPs a free morning. It was a glorious day of winter sunshine with the seagulls dancing across the waves at Douglas.

 

It luckily co-incided with a rare meeting of the House of Keys. Reading the agenda, it struck me that they could have arranged it especially for me. There was an amendment to a bill to allow the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. At the time of writing I do not know the decision. For reasons I have argued before it would be an act of sense and compassion. Additionally the Isle of Man could boost their flagging tourist trade. They suffered with all cold-water beaches when the rush to warmth and sangria of the Mediterranean decimated their tourists.

 

It was delight to meet again a member of the House of Keys (MHK) who I had previously meet 20 years ago. Peter Karran is still the liveliest MHK and dominated the question time today. He was Labour a long time ago. Now he is a Liberal. Not that it makes much difference. He is still the strident restless voice of persistent opposition that adds spice to a parliament in need of a challenge. 

For Westminster politicians it was bewildering. Nearly all but two of the 24 members appear to be ministers. Backbencher Peter asked most of the questions, but oddly many ministers asked other ministers questions! This is impossible in the British Parliament but makes sense in an assembly dealing with the affairs of 80,000 people. While the tasks often appear Liliputian the House of Keys have great powers to act independently in the family of British nations. Wales and Scotland have no such independence - yet.

This the world's oldest parliament. It is rivaled in its 1,000 year history only by the Icelandic parliament which is also named a Tynewald.  Both have a tradition of reading out the details of their bills once a year in the open air. They share a pride in their Nordic ancestry. Strangely the Isle of Man gene pool is far more Nordic than Iceland’s which is overwhelmingly Celtic. That’s because the Icelandic Vikings stole the best looking Welsh and Irish women.

 

Peter is also a Manx Gaelic languages enthusiast and refereed to all ministers as ‘Surveyshock’ I cannot find the correct spelling but I presume that it is similar to the Irish Gaelic word for Prime Minister. A valiant campaign has rescued the langue from the brink of extinction. A new generation is now learning through the medium of Manx. 

Later a group of us had a glorious bus ride to Snaefell mountain. It rises 2,000 foot in the middle of the island. The day was remarkably clear and we could see the Welsh mountains of Gwynedd, the Irish Mountains of Mourne, England's Cumbria and Scotland. No wonder the people of the island boast that they live in the centre of the British Isles.

Missing frill

 

It was a 'No frills flight" with Flybe. While I am content to miss out on the free champagne and complimentary pair of socks - having no plane is a problem. Yesterday I was booked to fly from Bristol to the Isle of Man. Everything was going well. With a former Secretary of State I was  booked in, went through the meaningless rituals of security and settled down waiting for our flight to be called.

A cheerful voice announced that our flight had been cancelled because of a 'technical fault.' Alternatives would be offered by Flybe. Instead of flight from Bristol at 2,30 Flybe gave me a £7 voucher and a free bus to Gatwick for a 7.30 flight.  It was five hours of boredom and futility. This morning I received this message from the ever cheerful Flybe

 

Dear Paul Flynn

We hope that you enjoyed your recent flight from Bristol.

Here at Flybe your feedback is important to us and we would love to hear your views on your recent flight experience. From booking on Flybe.com, to the service you received during your journey your comments will help us make improvements to provide that 'extra' quality service in the future. 

 

I hope they find my reply stimulating and instructive

 

 Big Pharma judges Big Pharma

 

The German health expert,  former MP and chairman of the Subcommittee for Health in the Council of Europe Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg accuses WHO of continuing  their unwise close cooperation with specialists from pharmaceutical industry. 

Dr Wodarg says;

"On October 15th 2010 the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced a scientific evaluation of its "pandemic" strategy. Prof. Jonathan Van Tam and his Institute at the University of Nottingham (UK) were designated as WHO partners for this delicate mission. 

WHO does not seem to be irritated, that the evaluator, Prof. Van Tam has worked for ROCHE (Tamiflu),  Aventis Pasteur MSD (Sanofi Aventis) and SmithKline Beecham (GSK) as Head of Medical Affairs and has been a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) in the multi-billion dollar business of threatening the world about birds- and swineflu "pandemics".

Although those pandemic threats soon turned out to be science-fiction or marketing ideas of some well paid pharma-experts, people like Van Tam were extremely successful for their sponsors.  They managed to shape the flu strategies of WHO and of all countries listening to them.

Now in his position as a public health expert at Nottingham University, WHO has asked him again, to "evaluate how preparedness activities aided the response to pandemic (H1N1) 2009, identifying good practices for the future and areas where continued or additional WHO support is still needed." Prof VanTam has announced, that he plans to present his report at the end of 2010.

The Council of Europe had examined WHO's "faked" pandemics and the British Labour MP Paul Flynn has presented a well recognized report last June, which blamed WHO for hiding important facts and opening the door for interests of the industry while sacrificing its independence and its important role as a standard-setter for global health.

Ignoring the European Parliamentarians who were insisting on more transparency, WHO continues its dangerous relations with industry-financed experts and seems to be immune against public protest.

We have experienced, that in spite of aggressive advertising and ongoing media-campaigns only few doctors and patients still follow the advice of a corrupted agency. 

But we should ask our governments, why they just observe and pay, while in the meantime the most important international health agency is misused for greedy marketing by scrupulous pharmaceutical companies."

 

Here you find the WHO announcement: http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/diseases-and-conditions/influenza/news2/news/2010/11/new-collaborating-centre-studies-pandemic-preparedness

 

Irish woe

The six-monthly meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary  Assembly has turned into a wake.

For he first time ever, we are meeting in a Crown Dependancy - the Isle of Man. The word from the Fianna Fail TDs is that Government will go and a general election will be held in January. Some even suggest it will be 'before Christmas.' The mobile phones link between the Isle of Man and Ireland were throbbing with Fianna Fail anxiety about the demise of their party. They presently stand at only 17% in the polls.

Today's meeting had warm words for David Cameron for his apology on the Bloody Sunday report. Some asked for a similar inquiry into the Ballymurphy killings. It was reported that other very expensive inquiries had achieved little. There are dozens of unlawful killings that could qualify for new probes - but to little purpose.