Eight years after it was established, the report of the Smithwick Tribunal was finally published on Tuesday evening. I want to commend Justice Smithwick for his hard work of many years. I am very mindful that at the heart of the Smithwick Inquiry there are two bereaved families and I hope the report helps bring […]
Posts under ‘Crime/Justice/Prisons’
The British state is rapidly alienating a whole new generation
Nov 22nd, 2013 by Conrad Landin.Seven days ago, the Guardian revealed that Cambridgeshire Constabulary had attempted to infiltrate activist and student groups through the recruitment of informers. The news prompted outcry from students, academics and campaigners alike. If you haven’t yet seen the videos secretly recorded by the Guardian’s mole, they provide a fascinating insight into the inner workings of […]
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Uncomfortable similarities to a police state
Nov 16th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The latest revelation that the police have been trying to recruit informants about the political activities of university students produces an unpleasant and disturbing reaction that Britain is drifting into an authoritarian state where suppression of human rights and civil liberties is becoming commonplace. The Guardian reports that the police officer from a covert unit says […]
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The blacklisting scandal may turn out even worse than the phone-hacking scandal
Oct 14th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The revelation from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) that a Scotland Yard inquiry into police collusion has found that it is “likely that all special branches were involved in providing information” that deprived workers of employment is dynamite. It is known that over 3,200 workers during the period 1993-2009 were blacklisted by up to […]
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UK Uncut to blockade roads in mass civil disobedience on legal aid cuts
Oct 4th, 2013 by Newsdesk.Anti-cuts direct action group UK Uncut have announced that roadblock protests will happen across the country tomorrow in opposition to the government’s proposed changes to legal aid. The government’s reforms have come under increasing criticism, with England’s most senior family judge recently describing them as ‘disconcerting’ and suggesting that ‘something needs to be done’. In […]
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Judge says law on bedroom tax discriminates against disabled people legally
Jul 30th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.A legal challenge over claims that the bedroom tax unlawfully discriminates against disabled people in social housing was today dismissed by the High Court. But lawyers acting for the claimants said they welcomed the criticism by Lord Justice Laws, sitting with Mr Justice Cranston, that the Government has been aware since May last year that […]
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Prison for G4S executives?
Jul 17th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The exposure of G4S and Serco for stealing from the public purse on an industrial scale is symptomatic of privatised Britain. The findings of an initial inquiry that G4S had ‘overcharged’ tens of millions of pounds on electronic tagging contracts for offenders who had moved abroad, died, returned to prison so they were no longer […]
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If proven, G4S executives should face prison for embezzling huge sums of public money
Jul 16th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The exposure of G4S and Serco for stealing from the public purse on an industrial scale is symptomatic of privatised Britain. The findings of an initial inquiry that G4S had ‘overcharged’ tens of millions of pounds on electronic tagging contracts for offenders who had moved abroad, died, returned to prison so they were no longer […]
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Time for a public inquiry on the standards and ethics of policing
Jun 27th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The secretive parts of the British state are slowly being exposed to the light, and it’s a pretty ugly vista. Today we learn that over 8,900 political activists are being monitored by a secret police organisation called the National Domestic Extremism Unit within the Met. Apparently it uses surveillance techniques, paid informers, intercepts and under-cover […]
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Who will spy on the spies, regulate the regulators and police the police?
Jun 25th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The last few weeks have thrown up example after example how those with power have run rings round those who are supposed to call them to account. Yesterday we learnt that the police, shortly after the murder of Stephen Lawrence, tried to ‘smear’ his family, his friend who witnessed the murder, and campaigners protesting at […]
