Move over flippers and duck house buyers: the latest expenses scandal is in France, where the President’s spending during his country’s EU presidency is under press scrutiny. Top of the list is a power shower costing 245,572 euros that was set up in Nicolas Sarkozy’s temporary quarters in the Grand Palais in Paris… in a [...]
Archive for October, 2009
By Tribune Web Editor /Friday, October 30th, 2009
You would think Gordon Brown had enough problems without inventing new ones for himself. The high-profile handbrake turn on the budget for the Territorial Army for example, was completely unnecessary. Or it would have been if someone in Number 10 had the political nous to have seen another “Gurkha moment” looming. The whole embarrassing affair [...]
Commission’s Ming ruling will stop politicians using charities’ research
By Tribune Web Editor /Friday, October 30th, 2009The prestigious Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) charity has been criticised by the Charity Commission for partisan behaviour by “inadvertently” supporting Liberal Democrat policies.
MPs urged to investigate blacklisting scandal
By Tribune Web Editor /Friday, October 30th, 2009Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights is to be asked to investigate the blacklisting scandal. John McDonnell, Labour MP for Hayes & Harlington, told a meeting of the Blacklist Support Group that he wanted to see a public inquiry into what he described as “one of the worst ever cases of organised abuses of human rights in the UK”.
Shame firms over minimum wage, say MPs
By Tribune Web Editor /Thursday, October 29th, 2009Every employer who fails to pay the minimum wage should be “named and shamed” regardless of whether they were proved to do so deliberately, MPs said this week.
Stop BNP or watch racism grow, says campaign
By Tribune Web Editor /Thursday, October 29th, 2009Failing to challenge the British National Party’s appeal to voters will lead to their vote multiplying and increased racism and violence in public places across Britain, a new anti-BNP campaign warned this week.
Royal Mail U-turn over managers’ orders
By Tribune Web Editor /Thursday, October 29th, 2009Royal Mail has apparently backed down from ordering their managers to do postmen and women’s work during the Communication Workers’ Union’s national strike, after protests from managers’ union Unite.
Acas denying workers rights: PCS
By Tribune Web Editor /Thursday, October 29th, 2009Conciliation service Acas was this week accused of hypocrisy by the Public and Commercial Services Union for sacking temporary staff just before they qualify for permanent employment rights.
Mr President? There’s no precedent for Blair
By Tribune Web Editor /Thursday, October 29th, 2009The prospect of a President of Europe and what the role is, or should be, has been overwhelmed by whether or not Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair wants, or will get, the job. There has been little or no debate on the purpose of the post, because the Lisbon treaty which would create it is so opaque about its definition, as so many parts of such European Union documents tend, deliberately, to be.