The BBC and Ethiopian famine relief: a few last words
At least, I hope they will be my last words on the subject. The Guardian today (9.xi.10) publishes in its ‘Response’ column my article about the BBC’s tardy apology to Bob Geldof and Band...
Brian Barder's website and blog Brian Barder's website and ephems
BBC apology to Band Aid over Ethiopian famine aid is not enough
Throughout today (4 November) the BBC is broadcasting an apology to Sir Bob Geldof and Band Aid for wrongly implying in a BBC World Service broadcast back in March that its allegations regarding the...
Three broadsides for civil liberties and a key test for the LibDems
Three articles in today’s Observer newspaper fire welcome broadsides at the authoritarian crime and terrorism obsessives, in the cause of restoring some of our lost liberties. Sophie Radice, journalist and commentator, launches a vigorous...
LibDem ministers accused of complicity in torture: it’s for the birds
A blog post entitled “Lib Dem Ministers Complicit in Torture” appeared yesterday. It concludes: I accuse Nick Clegg of complicity in torture. I am beginning to wonder whether the man has any connection to...
Labour in four local by-elections
According to LibDem Voice, at four local by-elections last week: The Labour vote was up by 17.7% compared with May 2010 in Camden LBC, Kentish Town (the LibDem came second with almost exactly half...
Contraction, cuts and coalition chutzpah
I responded to an invitation to send a letter about the coalition’s spending review last week by sending this to the London Evening Standard (which, as far as I can discover, didn’t publish it):...
Liberty on Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPPs)
The human rights organisation Liberty has authorised me to publish here the text of a letter from a Liberty solicitor in reply to a message from me urging Liberty to support the campaign for...
Labour’s record: time to expose six Tory myths
Predictably, whenever a Tory (or even a coalition-tipsy LibDem) sees a microphone or a television camera, he or she goes onto automatic pilot about the ‘economic mess’ they claim to have inherited from Labour. ...
Time to abolish Indeterminate Sentences (IPPs) [with 12 Oct update]
Last week I sent a letter about Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection to the Sunday Times. I wrote: Prison Overcrowding and Indeterminate Sentences You report that the Justice Minister is pressing the Home Secretary...
A modest suggestion for Labour’s new leader
Dear Mr Miliband, Like, I’m pretty sure, thousands of other members and supporters of the Labour party, I was immensely heartened and impressed by your conference speech on Tuesday. It was a real tour...