"They will not get a brass farthing"

Posted on November 28, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

The Steve Norman “come on and take me to court then” story appears in today’s Evening Cancer.

A couple of passages are worth further analysis:

Police, social services and the watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CSCI) investigated earlier this year after five former care workers at Kingsmead Lodge gave statements on practices that they claimed to have seen at the care home.

Interesting use of the past tense – “investigated’ here. Because if the police have “investigated” and the case is now closed, they haven’t informed any of the original complainants about this.

Whether this is a case of good old-fashioned police incompetence or whether the investigation is, in fact, still ongoing is something that will now be looked at.

The claims that social services have “investigated” are equally confusing. No complainants to Bristol City Council have been informed of the outcome of this “investigation” for starters.

Neither has Bristol City Council published any terms of reference for this “investigation” nor have any complainants been interviewed in the course of this “investigation” and democratic oversight of this “investigation” through either scrutiny commissions or the relevant Executive Member is nowhere to be seen.

In fact it’s hard to locate even one characteristic normally associated with an “investigation” into this affair by Bristol social services.

Then there’s the so-called CSCI “investigation”. Now, this really is bollocks. CSCI are a regulator – with a role similar to OFSTED’s in education. They set national standards and inspect care homes on the basis of those standards. They don’t carry out investigations into individual allegations of abuse in care homes. It’s not their job.

Meanwhile on the substance of Norman’s court challenge the council are simply reduced to waffle:

“Bristol, with other local authorities, follows national ‘Fairer Charging’ guidance in charging for all social services provided. Under the guidelines, all residents in care homes are required to make a financial contribution to the cost of their care, depending on their income. This is subject to a means test to determine what a person can afford to pay.”

So what? Who gives a toss what shitty rules you’re following? The question is: are you going to enforce these rules in court in order that Steve Norman can invite the complainants to give evidence and state the nature of their grievances?

It would certainly be interesting to see if the general public, having heard their complaints, will be as complacent as the authorities seem to be about them.

Posted in Bristol, Bristol Evening Post, Health, Local government, Policing, Politics, Privatisation, Social Care | Tagged , , , | There are 3 comments

McNamara: "I know nothing"

Posted on November 26, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

I’ve come across some self-serving, backsliding, cowardly tosh from senior officers at Bristol City Council in my time but Stephen McNamara’s response to Steve Norman’s recent invitation to take him to court takes the biscuit:


“I do not know anything about this issue”? Er Hello? What’s happened to the basic senior management tasks of delegation and taking responsibility here?

Are you in control of your department Mr McNamara? Or are you just some vastly overpaid wig and photocopied signature for ornamental purposes?

If you don’t know what’s going on in your own department then you’re no fucking use. Resign now!

As a city do we really want some unaccountable upper-middle class snooty git firing out letters willy-nilly threatening court action to the city’s hard-up and vulnerable who then – when invited to get his sorry arse down to a courtroom – immediately denies all responsibility and tries to pin the blame on a “relevant officer” ie. Some mug somewhere down the line McNamara will blame to get himself off the hook.

He is the relevant officer. He signed the letter. Why’s he signing potentially life-destroying legal papers and  letters to people about things he knows nothing about?

Welcome to another Bristol City Council senior officer shambles. What’s the point in paying people a small bloody fortune to take responsibility if they won’t?

Posted in Bristol, Local government, Politics, Privatisation, Shirehampton | Tagged , , , | There are 7 comments

Dinosaur watch

Posted on November 25, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

Bristol NUJ meeting earlier this week

That wacky bunch of no-hoper Stalinists, conspiracy nuts and embittered ex-Northcliffe hacks who make up the membership of the local branch of the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) have come up with a recruitment plan.

“BRISTOL NUJ can be at the forefront of the union’s drive to recruit the thousands of creative workers in the new media industry who have so far gone unrepresented,” drivels the NUJ’s former local Northcliffe poster boy Paul Breedan.

“Those present broadly agreed that anyone producing creative content online who isn’t merely a blogger should be able to join the NUJ,” he writes on his, er … Blog!

Top plan that is Paul. Suck up to a load of people producing mindless corporate PR guff devoid of any journalistic value whatsoever while slagging off one of the few groups in this city – bloggers – who regularly produce original investigative reporting for the public and who have an increasingly large reach and influence.

It also makes you wonder what understanding of marketing and PR the Bristol NUJ and this clown Breedan have to offer any new media workers. To openly disparage an important local new media constituency to a PR savvy audience may not be the wisest recruitment move.

Always nice to know who your friends and supporters are though innit?

Posted in Blogging, Bristol, Journalism, Media, The British Left, Trade Unionism | Tagged | There are 34 comments

McNamara: "Come on if yer ‘ard enough"

Posted on November 25, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

It’s getting just like the old days. Who can forget that fine June of 2005 when our city’s esteemed wig-wearer -in-Chief, Stephen McNamara decided to take action after the Campaign to Save Daycare in Bristol paraded 10ft-high placards through the city naming seven council officers under the banner: “Bristol social services’ list of uncaring professionals”?

“The council will not tolerate its employees being harassed in this way,” thundered the council’s all-powerful lawyer from the pages of the Evening Cancer on June 7. “If necessary, the council will take legal action through the courts to prevent any such activity.”

Good. Came the reply from campaigner Steve Norman who immediately supplied McNamara with an address for the service of court papers and come June 11 what did we read in the Cancer?

Protesters campaigning against cuts to Bristol’s day care services defied a threat of legal action to drive round the city centre in a truck bearing placards naming seven council employees.

At which point McNamara performed a extraordinarily quiet exit with wig firmly between his lycra-clad legs – never to be heard from again – without a court action in sight.

Roll-on four years. And what do we find?

Only another exercise in futility from Mr McNamara with yet more of his grandiose legal threats aimed at Steve Norman and his family. This time around he wants them to settle their bill with the council’s controversial private nursing care provider Mimosa Healthcare who are currently mired in all kinds of scandal following abuse allegations from their own employees.

And Steve’s response received by the city council this morning?

Due to the lack of care received by my father and late mother and the subsequent revelations regarding this provider and the fact that there is currently an inquest pending in to the death and treatment of a former resident, we as a family are not prepared to condone or support the lack of care and abuse that Mimosa Healthcare provides to the elderly citizens of Bristol placed in their care.

…

Obviously you are fully aware of the signed statements I obtained from former employees at Kingsmead Lodge detailing what they had witnessed during the course of their employment with Mimosa Healthcare and I feel a public court room and a Judge would be the ideal place for a legal ruling in respect of this outstanding matter.

[We] look forward to receiving your court papers in the very near future and I look forward to defending [this] case for not paying you any fees in relation to this provider or for the safe haven placement we had to find for our parents.

What a great idea! Why hide behind all this secrecy, censorship and bureaucracy and string everything out with interminable never-ending investigations when you can just pop down a court room and get it all out in the open for the public to hear?

Hang on … Is that a lycra-clad lawyer clutching an old wig I see disappearing over the horizon?

That Steve Norman letter in full:

Stephen Mcnamara Edit by bristol_citizen on Scribd

Posted in Bristol, Bristol Evening Post, Local government, Politics, Privatisation, Shirehampton, Social Care | Tagged , , | There are 2 comments

McNamara's Mimosa madness

Posted on November 23, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

The bewigged anti-human fool that passes for a legal expert down at the Counts Louse, Stephen McNamara, excels himself again.

Now the man that took council behaviour to a new low in 2005 when he personally patrolled the entrance to the Counts Louse to prevent learning disabled protestors from using the council’s toilet facilities when they campaigned outside over the loss of their daycare services has dreamed up a new wheeze.

Because he’s only gone and started legal proceedings against families who made allegations that their elderly relatives were being abused in Mimosa‘s Kingsmead Lodge care home!

Apparently the brilliant lawyer has decided, in all his wisdom, that these relatives – who had to pull their elderly parents out of Mimosa’s ‘home of horrors’ – should pay up for the dubious ‘care’ their relatives received at the hands of the council’s controversial private elderly care providers who are still under serious investigation over their conduct.

The Blogger’s assured that McNamara will be receiving a suitably robust response to his latest idea in the next few days.

Looks like the Mimosa soap opera is back then.

Posted in Bristol, Bristol North west, Health, Local government, Politics, Privatisation, Shirehampton, Social Care | Tagged , , | There are 10 comments

World Cup: the state of our democracy watch

Posted on November 22, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

How cities bidding to host the 2018 World Cup have used the local democratic process:

Newcastle
Report to Cabinet on 15 July along with publication of 139-page Outline Bid SubmissionUpdate Report to Cabinet on 11 November
Final Decision to be made at Cabinet on 25 November

Sunderland
Motion at Full Council on 24 June to support England World Cup Bid and promote Sunderland as a venue.
Report to Cabinet on 4 November.

Leeds
Report to cabinet on 13 May including copy of slide from FA showing key issues for consideration.
Report to cabinet on 17 June
Report to cabinet on 22 July with links to Elland Road Masterplan for stadium area
Report to cabinet for final approval to be made on 24 November

Sheffield
Scrutiny Committee on 11 November prior to Cabinet meeting
Report to Cabinet on 11 November including locally produced impact study.

Liverpool
Report to Cabinet on 6 November including Host City Bid Summary, 42-page Applicant Host City Engagement Process, and letter regarding Government Guarantees from Department for Culture, Media & Sport

Manchester
Report to Cabinet on 10 September

Hull
Report to Cabinet on 17 November

Nottingham
Report to Cabinet on 28 July
Report to Cabinet by Rushcliffe Borough on 17 July (Nottingham is pursuing its bid in partnership with its neigbouring borough and the county council)

Derby
Report and decision to submit bid approved at Full Council on 4 November
Updated report to Full Council on 18 November

Leicester
Report to Scrutiny 24 September
Report to Cabinet 5 October
Report to Cabinet for 23 November
Report to go to Full Council on 25 November

Milton Keynes
Discussed at Full Council 9 June
Report to Cabinet 27 October

Birmingham
Brief discussion at scrutiny meetings in September and in October.

Portsmouth
Report to cabinet scheduled for 24 November
Motion to full council for 24 November accompanied by 126-page report.

Plymouth
Motion to submit World Cup Bid to be considered at Full Council on 23 November. Report published to guide decision.

and finally,

Bristol
Scrutiny on 20 November with 66-page report published on 17 November.
Cabinet Meeting on 24 November with call-in suspended.

Posted in Bristol, Budget, Lib Dems, Local government, Politics, World Cup 2018 | Tagged , | There are 9 comments

FIFA World Cup™ balls

Posted on November 22, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

From the Fifa.com website earlier this week:

“Fifa President Joseph S. Blatter is using the FIFA World Cup™ qualifying matches to urge footballers around the world to show ‘More fair play, please!’ Blatter said: ‘Fair play should come before anything else … These qualifying matches must epitomise fair play. They should encapsulate the sporting, moral and ethical principles for which Fifa has always stood. And they must leave a lasting impression!”

Ho, ho, ho …

Hat tip: Said & Done, The Observer

COMING SOON: Sieg Heil! FIFA on ‘the Jewish referee problem’.

Posted in Media, World Cup 2018 | Tagged , , , | There are 2 comments

Wobblies news

Posted on November 21, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

Some heavyweight anti-authoritarian politics comes to Bristol and the south west as a trade union dedicated to the overthrow and destruction of the boss class opens up shop.

The Bristol and South west branch of the Wobblies – or the International Workers of the World to the uninitiated – is now up and running and looking for new recruits.

Already drawing lots of experienced unionists, militant workers, anarchos, artists, intellectuals, journos and a few people who seem to have just walked in off the street, you’re no customer in this union and won’t find marketing men selling you your brighter day along with cheap car insurance and 2-4-1 package holiday deals. You have to participate instead.

If you’re already in a mainstream union and think it’s bollocks or you’re an unaligned activist seeking like-minded people then this might be the place to start. Also if you’re in work and don’t want a mainstream union or a mainstream union don’t seem to want you then give the Wobblies a shout. The unemployed, the unwaged and the unruly are welcome too.

http://iww.org.uk/bristol

Posted in Activism, Bristol, Politics, The British Left, Trade Unionism | Tagged , | There is 1 comment

World Cup: today's smoking doc

Posted on November 20, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

While our poor little diddums council officer-wofficers struggly-wuggly to get their worksy-woo done in good time to allow proper democratic oversight of their work, there’s no such problems in Derby.

Their gormless councillors agreed on Wednesday night to try and become a World Cup host city without a suspension of normal democratic procedures in sight.

But more to the point, not only are their officers faster and more efficient than our lot, they also provided vastly superior information, including a simple to understand handout (Appendix 2) on just how dodgy their city’s ‘Host City Agreement‘ with FIFA was going to be.

Here it is. It’s eye-watering in parts:

SUMMARY OF MAIN UNFAVOURABLE TERMS IN THE HOST CITY AGREEMENT

Development of Host City Obligations

1. FIFA reserves the right to unilaterally change the terms of the agreement

2. The Host Authority must comply with and bear the cost of implementing any guidelines/directions/instructions issued by FIFA at a later stage.

Absence of Compensation/Liability

3. FIFA and the LOC have the right to terminate the Host Agreement without compensation if the Stadium Agreement or Host Agreement is terminated for whatever reason.

4. In the event of a match or several matches being cancelled FIFA or the LOC will be under no obligation to compensate the Host City in any manner.

5. FIFA nor the LOC will be liable for any loss caused to the Host City even if it has been caused by the formers negligence.

Protection of Commercial Rights

6. The Host City must enact by-laws and regulations to prevent unauthorised third parties undertaking “Ambush Marketing”.

7. The Host City must appoint staff to assist FIFA in the protection and enforcement of commercial rights such as media, marketing and intellectual property rights.

8. Host Cities must warrant not to enter into any agreement that would restrict or prohibit FIFA, LOC or any of their Commercial affiliates, service providers or commercial rights holders from exercising their rights.

Host City Support

9. The Host City must provide support and assistance to FIFA in relation to the hosting and staging of the competition.

Controlled Area

10. Within the “Controlled Area” surrounding the stadium where the matches will be played the Host City must ensure that any advertisements are removed or fully covered, no sale of food, drink or souvenirs, etc is allowed and that existing permits and concessions and licences are suspended.

Host City Dressing

11. The Host City must 2 years prior to the World Cup submit for FIFA and LOC written approval a detailed plan of how it will comply with its “Host City dressing” obligation (ie comply with FIFA official decoration programme) which the Host City must at its cost be responsible for installing, maintaining and dismantling.

Traffic Plan

12. No later that 3 years prior to the World Cup the Host City must provide the LOC with a traffic management plan which it must implement at its own cost and pass all necessary by laws to implement.

I think my favourite one is, “The Host City must appoint staff to assist FIFA in the protection and enforcement of commercial rights.”

This means they’re gonna spend my council tax employing an army of little Hitler’s to march around with clipboards protecting McDonald’s exclusive advertising rights. What a sensible use of tax payers money.

It’s almost enough to make you want them to win the bid isn’t it? A month’s entrenched warfare between the city’s subvertisers and graffiti writers and suited and booted city council/McDonald’s private pseudo-cops would be quite something.

Must remember to invite Banksy along if we get it too ..

Posted in Bristol, Budget, Developments, Economy, Local government, Policing, Politics, Privatisation, World Cup 2018 | Tagged , | There are 8 comments

World Cup: and another one!

Posted on November 18, 2009 by The Bristol Blogger

Once again – you the public get access to the World Cup documents chief council officers are hiding away from us and our elected representatives.

World Cup Host City Agreement by bristol_citizen on Scribd


Tonight it’s a draft of the host city agreement Bristol City Council will sign – on our behalf – in its entirety, with no negotiation allowed whatsoever, with that funny old world football body FIFA.

It’s quite a read – as it seems to have been produced by some weird McDonalds-sponsored international entity that’s got Erich Honecker in charge.

I’ve come across the privatisation of public space before but this is new. The wholesale privatisation of an entire fucking city for a month so that international big business can turn it into a giant cash register for themselves.

In the highly unlikely event this overblown nonsense can generate the £150m of revenue being claimed, most of it won’t be staying in Bristol that’s for sure. Unbelievable.

So wanna run a World Cup event? Here’s their rules:

FIFA exclusively and solely owns and controls on a world-wide basis any and all Media Rights, Marketing Rights, Intellectual Property Rights and all other commercial or other rights and opportunities, including any title and interest in, and in relation to, the Competitions, including any Competition related Events, whether existing or created in the future.

(i) The Host City shall be entitled to organise, host and stage Host City Events, subject to the terms and conditions of this Host City Agreement and the Host City Event Guidelines and, in particular, the following specific requirements:

a) Pursuant to Clause 5 below, the Host Cities may use the following Competition Marks in relation to the Host City Events, subject to the prior written approval by FIFA:

• Host City Composite Logo;
• Host City Designation;
• official Competition design as developed by FIFA;
• Official Slogan; and/or
• official Competition designation.

b) Commercial Affiliates shall, free of charge, be given appropriate recognition in relation to, and at, any Host City Event (e.g. by way of using composite towers or the Commercial Affiliate logo strip as provided by FIFA).

c) The Host City may grant marketing rights in relation to the Host City Events in such manner as to be determined by FIFA. The Host City agrees and acknowledges that entities being competitors of any of the Commercial Affiliates may not be granted any rights or opportunities in relation to any Host City Event.

d) Pursuant to Clause 4.11.2 below, Commercial Affiliates in any food and beverage product category shall have a first right of negotiation and right of last refusal for the right to offer and/or sell their products at any Host City Event, to be implemented in accordance with the procedure set out by FIFA.

e) The sale of official licensed products at any Host City Event shall be exclusively conducted by the entity appointed by FIFA as the official retailer for official licensed products in relation to the Competitions, to which the Host City shall provide space and utilities, on an at cost basis.

f) The location used for any Host City Event must be free and clean of any visible third party advertising, branding and/or other commercial identification.

Or what about Bristol’s World Cup website? That’ll be a great opportunity to promote local business won’t it?

3.5 Host City Website
(i) The Host City shall be entitled to promote and communicate its status as a host city of the Competitions on its Host City website by creating a dedicated section informing on its promotional activities and events as well as its support of the Competitions in such manner to be approved by FIFA in its sole discretion and subject to the Host City Website Guidelines.

(ii) The Host City shall ensure that no third party advertising or branding, or any other commercial content or identification of any commercial entity, appears within the Competition-related section of the Host City website.

Ok, maybe do some World Cup flyers supporting local business then?

(ii) The Host City agrees and acknowledges that the publications produced by, or on behalf of, the Host City shall a) be free of any advertising and promotional or other commercial content of any entity which is considered by FIFA a competitor of a Commercial Affiliate; and
b) bear recognition of the Commercial Affiliates in such manner as determined by FIFA (for instance, by way of using the Commercial Affiliate logo strip as provided by FIFA).

They’ll also be taking over our publicly-owned road system when they feel like it too:

(i) The Host City shall, upon FIFA and/or the LOC’s reasonable request, at any time during the Competition Periods, temporarily
a) restrict public access, or close public access completely, to any roads within the Host City; and
b) provide special traffic access lanes as well as police escorts for the participating Teams, key representatives of FIFA and the LOC, VIP guests and further Competition officials;

And who pays for the pleasure of turning our city into a giant McDonald’s advertising platform? We do!

8.1 Costs
Unless otherwise explicitly stated in this Host City Agreement, the Host City shall be responsible to bear all costs for the fulfilment of its obligations, and the exercise of the rights granted to the Host City, as set out in this Host City Agreement.

And we’ll pay their tax too:

8.2 Municipal Taxes
(i) The Host City agrees and acknowledges that all taxes, duties and levies which are imposed directly or indirectly by statute, directives or in any other binding legal form on FIFA and/or FIFA’s subsidiaries and/or the LOC as a direct or indirect consequence of the Competitions and/or the entering and/or implementation and/or cancellation of this Host City Agreement under municipal laws and regulations in the Host City shall be borne by the Host City. To the extent that FIFA and/or FIFA’s subsidiaries and/or the LOC incurs any costs for taxes imposed under municipal laws and regulations in the Host City, the Host City shall indemnify and hold free and harmless FIFA and/or FIFA’s subsidiaries and/or the LOC from and against any such tax payment.

Deal of a lifetime eh?

Posted in Bristol, Economy, Local government, Politics, Privatisation, World Cup 2018 | | There are 11 comments