Trafficking and prostitution

Interesting article in the Guardian about trafficking and prostitution.

Parliament is in the final stages of passing the policing and crime bill which contains a proposal to clamp down on trafficking by penalising any man who has sex with a woman who is “controlled for gain” even if the man is genuinely ignorant of the control. Although the definition of “controlled” has been tightened, sex workers’ groups complain that the clause will encourage women to prove that they are not being controlled by working alone on the streets or in a flat without a maid, thus making them more vulnerable to attack.

There are also fears that if the new legislation deters a significant proportion of customers, prostitutes will be pressurised to have sex without condoms in order to bring them back.

Hopefully the publication of this research will weaken the Policing and Crime Bill. Further criminisation of sex work just won’t work.

Here are my previous thoughts on this specific Bill….

London Film Festival

Well, have been checking out what’s on at the BFI 53rd London Film Festival….

Lots to choose from. So many films so little time…

More than 22,000 complain to the PCC about Jan Moir’s article

The PCC has received 22,000 complaints over Jan Moir’s nasty venomous homophobic rant in the Daily Hate. Though the PCC has ‘stopped short’ from announcing an immediate investigation instead it will ‘consider’ the 22,000 complaints. Erm, think the PCC needs to do a lot more than ‘consider’ those complaints…it really needs to investigate.

But when you consider who is the Chair of the PCC code committee it is no surprise that there won’t be an investigation

Paul Dacre, the Daily Mail editor, is chairman of the PCC code committee, which oversees the commission’s code of practice that all journalists and newspapers are expected to abide by.

And what of Moir? Well the homophobic bigot continues to dig a very big hole for herself  …and sorry just seems a very difficult word for her to construct….

There’s a good post by Claude over at Hagley Road to Ladywood about this that I forgot to link to before.

It aint Xmas yet!

Gawd am in a prickly, peevish and petulant mood…..

Meandering down Oxford Street yesterday I was utterly appalled, shocked…appalled and shocked I say… to see those bloody Xmas lights. Is it that time already? No, it’s two months away….. Ooo that Xmasy light fantastic will be switched on the 3^rd November. Tis Xmas in the consumer land of Oxford Street with late night shopping to behold.

And of course my grumpy, grouchy, gripy, cranky, crotchety, cross, crabby ….narky mood is due to the fact that when I see anything of the Xmas kind it means my birthday is near as well. And increased moody down-in-the-mouthy manner is ‘cos I will be 40!

Damn you time flies…. I recall in the mists and fog of 10 years old ago when I was in the doleful doldrums about hitting 30 at a massive speed. And the memory from yonder past of 20 years ago is a dim flicker where I vaguely recall being down in the dumps of dreaded despair of heading into my 20s. Actually I wasn’t moping in a morose-y miserable manner more ‘way hey good riddance to those traumatic terrible teenage years… hello twenties’….

And now, fast forward 20 years on, I am on the brink of crashing into my 40s. It’s vanity and stoopid fear….

Oh pish! Once the day arrives I shall partake in various frolicsome, fanciful, jaunty and merry activities (not know what they shall be) hopefully my mood will become cheery, chipper, and chirpy 40 year old. Melancholy rejected for merriment….perchance?

NB: And Xmas …it reflects the institution of the family. Time when families get together to celebrate the festivities, well on the surface that is yet when you scratch the surface the misery and the contradictions are exposed. People getting together more out of custom than doing it cos they want to (though some may do). And I know from past, present and future experience the difficulties in explaining my own family situation to people and sometimes changing the subject is a good distraction and at times simply being straightforward and honest with people that I find Xmas and families stressful, with the emphasis being on the superficial ‘happy family’ image that is projected at Xmas. And sometimes I kinda feel alone and isolated, standing on the margins staring in. I know people have varied experiences on the rector scale when it comes to surviving families but sometimes I do feel a void in my life, if I am honest, bereft of a family of one that I could trust, enjoy the ups and downs and even like. I kinda miss what I never had. Emptiness from not having a half-decent compassionate family. On a contradictorily level I can survive without one but at the same time I wish I had one…It is a time tinged with sadness and loss…and the desire of being able to fast forward time and find myself, emotionally unscathed and in one piece, on the 1^st January without feeling the usual angst and sadness.

I am such a miserable bastard!

EDM on the postal dispute

That this House welcomes the proposals put forward by the Communication Workers Union seeking to find a resolution to the current postal dispute, in particular their offer to explore the possibility of third party mediation; and calls on the Government to do all in its power to ensure that Royal Mail responds positively to the union’s proposal.

EDM 2035 on the postal dispute.

Are you ever allowed to move on with your life?!

Someone in the audience at yesterday’s TUC conference mentioned this briefly. I was aghast at this judgement and agree with Liberty when they say:

The judgement “forgets the privacy rights of millions of people”. She said: “Exceptions to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and the net of employment vetting are being cast so wide that people will be forever haunted by the minor indiscretions of their youth. “We need a tighter rein on the circumstances when spent convictions can be disclosed.”

There’s a recession which means unemployment so this further measure will only serve as an obstacle for many people by keeping them out of the job market. One case that was mentioned in court of was an individual who had stolen a packet of meat costing 99pence when they were still a kid way back in 1984. Oh, and they were fined £15! A disproportionate punishment if ever…. Why should that spent conviction be still lurking around 20-odd years later?  And used for vetting job applications (also can be shared with other organisations).

The reasoning for the judgment: “If the police say rationally and reasonably that convictions, however old or minor, have a value in the work that they do, that should, in effect, be the end of the matter,” said Lord Justice Waller, sitting with Lord Justices Carnwath and Hughes.

Every aspect of your life, no matter how long ago it was, will be vetted and scrutinised.And you will be forever haunted by something you committed many many years ago that you may have forgotten about. People move on, life moves on, time moves unfortunately a minor spent conviction will remain static. What about a right to privacy? It seems like people are not allowed to make mistakes and be allowed to move on from them. Why should stealing 99 pence worth of meat in 1984 be relevant now? And I am sure any ‘blemish’ on your character will be under the HR microscope when you apply for jobs ….and previous history of mental distress is already thrown back at employment candidates….

What kind of society is being created? People will have a past, made mistakes, developed, evolved, and moved on. People are complex, contradictory, and multi-faceted. With this current judgement that is not being reflected instead there’s desperation for people without a past of any kind. This will inevitably lead to further mistrust and…. lying on your application form (‘to admit to your previous minor offence or not to…..that is the question’). And from personal experience, I know how that feels like because you know damn well that past/current mental health history will not be looked at in an objective way and whether it is actually relevant information in relation to the job application. Same now with past minor convictions.

This also reminded me of what Richard Wilkinson said yesterday regarding high prison population in rich unequal societies and punitive sentencing this in relation to California where there are around 350 people serving life ….for shop lifting. The reason for this unjust and barbaric sentence is based on the punitive 3 strikes notion.

Again what kind of society are we becoming? This judgement is wholly disproportionate

People are imperfect not perfect and anyway…so what! Why should it matter….

Question Time: UAF demo on Thursday

And as the BBC are pushing ahead with having fascist Nick Griffin on Question Time this Thursday…. I want to reiterate that UAF will be organising an all-day protest on Thursday outside the BBC, later from 5pm there will be a mass demonstration.

I will be there with other trade unionists. See you there.

Oh, and the fascists have had their membership details leaked …again.

To lose your membership list once is careless, but twice?

TUC – An alternative vision for the welfare state

I think the speakers for me that were outstanding at today’s TUC – An Alternative Vision for the Welfare State were Mark Serwotka (PCS), Jeremy Dear (NUJ) and Richard Wilkinson (The Spirit Level).

I was unimpressed by Jonathan Rutherford (Compass) speech it was rather a convoluted high faultin’ exercise in intellectualism…nothing grounded about it, there was nothing I disagreed with but it lacked political clarity and activism…a way forward other than the usual shopping list of demands…Though to be fair he was the only one who mentioned neoliberalism. Less Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle…more Marx (well hey, I am biased!)

Richard Wilkinson was great (I was fascinated by the statistical analysis he was presenting and could listen to him all day as there is  so much data) he digs out the statistical data that can be used as political ammunition but overall Wilkinson and Pickett give people the intellectual self-confidence to argue that equality matters and it is fundamental to the make up of society.

Unequal rich societies creates a fractious, disjointed and fragmented society where isolation, oppression, atomisation and alienation are engendered. Consumerism and individualism reflect inequality. Inequality impacts on every aspect of society; political, personal, social and economic.

I really would recommend their  book The Spirit Level btw.

Wilkinson rightly pointed out that while David Cameron keeps arguing for economic growth when it is redistribution that is key. And that Cameron is wrong about the ‘broken society’..it is inequaliy that has broken society.

Actually, overall, I was unimpressed with the whole day. These are just my brief impressions but I always feel so utterly despondent after one of these TUC conferences regarding welfare reform/welfare state and the politics lacked dynamic…..and why can’t I listen to people who are experiencing the sharp end of this recession. People who are unemployed, on disability benefits, lone parents…people who are bearing the brunt of the economic meltdown and these vicious, punitive, punishing and hideous ideological attacks? I want to be part of a fight back, grassroots activism not events rubber stamped by the trade union bureaucracy. As I said there were good vibrant TU speakers who have positive things to say and a way forward…..

And yet…and yet…

I get pissed off by the NGOs as who are they speaking for…precisely? As there were people there who support conditionality/sanctions though ‘not at the moment’ (they say) but if things were more equal.. Well things are not equal, far from it (did they listen to Richard Wilkinson’s talk?) so why bring up the case for conditionality and sanctions?

If we are talking about conditionality/sanctions as a ‘citizen’ then what about sanctioning rich people who fail to pay their tax? Criminal charges brought against capitalist corporations who dump toxic waste yet believe they have the right to gag the truth? What about penalising and sanctioning employers who run roughshod over the Disability Discrimination Act, along with tightening up the law? What about snappy and hard hitting legislation that makes employers accountable when it comes to corporate killings….where criminally negligent employers face the courts..real accountablity not the toothless pap of a law we have?

So when people talk about ‘rights and responsibilities’ in the same breath of sanctions and conditonality then they really should examine the unequal power relationships in this society….

There is an ideological consensus in the establishment when it comes to attacking the welfare state and the public sector and it is up to us to face down these attacks by working together in alliance and unity. But today…I just wasn’t sure of the purpose…

Here endeth the rant.

It’s ’bout being tough, tough, tough….

So it is about talking tough, tough, tough for Gordon Brown. Certainly a tougher line against “vested interests”. Those pesky unions for obstructing ‘progress’, ‘reform’ and ‘modernisation’. Public sector cuts and loss of jobs where working class people will get shafted by NL. It is not postal workers who are to blame for ‘destroying’ the postal service. It’s the bosses (Adam Crozier and his cool millions) aided and abetted by NL. Don’t blame the workers, and don’t blame the unions fighting for the vested interests of their members. Blame the ideology of neoliberalism that NL and the Tories feverishly follow.

Mandelson says, Reform, is essential, since “it will be necessary to constrain and cut lower priority public spending while protecting front line services.

Strange how modernisation always means poorer working conditions, more work for less pay and the trashing of the pension scheme. You would have thought that it would mean investment in new technology, developing new markets (this should have been a huge no-brainer for the bosses of the mail: you cannot send physical items across the internet- you can do with a mail service… too busy counting their loot no doubt) and upskilling the workforce. The reason people resist “modernisation” and are right to do so is because they recognise that it is a code word for the pillaging of the enterprises that they work for.

Back to Mr Brown. The parallel is of course with the 1970′s Labour government using the IMF to force cuts and the pay restraint (for ordinary workers…bosses got company cars instead) to soften up their natural supporters for the Tory onslaught. Mr B seems to want to have the same as his role in history…the man who took on the “vested interests”.

Egotism dressed as principle.

 

Battersea Park, Crystal Palace and places in between

Liked the aspect of nature juxtaposing with the industrial Battersea Power Station

I spent some of the day wandering around Battersea Park with my new camera, practicing taking pix, experimenting and getting use to it. Amazing what it can produce compared to my little Nikon Coolpix.

The tones, colours and textures were so vibrant. So probably means that I will be dumping my PC.

Oh we have spent many a happy time togther…me swearing at it for the slowness, crashing and freezing …..though ’puter was impressive cos while researching my piece for Briefing on the Tories and welfare reform it kept crashing while attempting to look at the reactionary ratbags website…

But old faithful ‘puter has been there for me during the past 4-5 years, me tippy tapping away at all hours staring at the screen developing dry eyes ‘cos I forget to blink.

I know I have said this before but Mac here I come. In a previous job at an art and design college where I worked with Macs for over 7 years and developed a liking for them. And Macs are good for photographs.