Barking and Dagenham Borough Liberal Democrats

Sarah's bulletin: 23 October 2009

Tories show their true extremist colours

It seems apposite that just as we mark the 40th anniversary of the beginnings of the internet (yes, incredible!) that does so much for communication, the backward Tories have yet again shown how illiberal they are, with their new far-right European friends. As if failing to defend gay rights in Lithuania is not enough for Cameron's Conservatives, this week they added press freedom, the International Criminal Court and the abolition of the death penalty to the matters they are not prepared to stand up for. And to think that this is all in just three months, one can only wonder what more they will have in store for us over the coming year!

You can read more about this here.

Press freedom

Berlusconi's cronies in the centre-right European People's Party, plus the far-right including the Tories, this week managed to block a condemnation of threats to press freedom in Italy. It was one of the tightest votes I have ever seen in the Parliament: a first resolution was lost by only 3 votes and a fall-back one by a single vote. The resolutions denounced the Italian prime minister's attempts to control the Italian media and intimidate journalists, and called for press freedom to be upheld in Italy and in the EU as a whole. It also requested that the European Commission draft much-needed legislation to stop the concentration of media ownership in the EU.

Since the Tories have 25 votes, their responsibility for letting the absurd but also dangerously anti-constitutional Berlusconi off the hook is clear. No doubt Silvio Berlusconi is at this very moment toasting David Cameron with a glass of prosecco! We can hardly be surprised that UKIP and the BNP voted the wrong way, but the Conservatives claim to be "progressive" and "reformists". So how do they explain their actions? Were they perhaps afraid that Rupert Murdoch would take umbrage and drop his newly-given support if they voted for curbs on media concentration? Either way, what the Tories did was a disgrace.

Click here to see my press release on the vote.

BNP leader Nick Griffin on Question Time

The more exposure Griffin gets, the better, on the basis of last night. He showed himself not only a fascist and racist but politically unimpressive as well, wilting when his crazy policies were put to the test. They are said to be in financial difficulties, facing a £5,000 fine for failing to file their 2008 accounts to the Electoral Commission and with cash-flow problems. But we cannot assume they will just implode; we must fight them on the doorsteps as well as on the airwaves, ensuring that we take up the grievances about joblessness, lack of housing and poor quality of life that fuel support for nasty anti-establishment political forces.

Year of the tiger: China still failing to stop tiger trade

Even though the Year of the Tiger will begin in February of next year, the Chinese government is still failing to clamp down on the black market in tiger skins and bones, according to a new report by an NGO I am pleased to work with, the Environmental Investigation Agency. Tiger skins are sold for luxury clothing or décor in China and Tibet, and can fetch between £7,000 and £13,000. Tiger bones are used for traditional Chinese medicine and are also worth a lot of money. Current estimates are that there may only be around 3,100 of these beautiful beasts left in the world - the Chinese government must do better in the fittingly named upcoming year. The EU has begun to push harder on this issue and offer support to both India and China, but the magnificent tiger must not be allowed to follow other animals into extinction.

Schengen database: delays could threaten Olympic 2012 security

This week I spoke in two different debates on the European border-free Schengen zone and I highlighted the impact that a 2-year delay in upgrading and installing two databases will have on EU border management and security. I was the 'rapporteur' on the new common Visa Information System - necessary to accompany the free movement of persons within Schengen - and delays will make life difficult for visa applicants.

I also pressed the Commissioner on whether the new improved Schengen Information System which contains data on wanted and suspected terrorists and criminals - and which the UK is allowed to hook in to though we are not in Schengen - is going to be ready in time for the London 2012 Olympics. I am concerned that if this 'SIS II' is not ready for the Olympics such that the UK can join (since the Labour government has failed to prepare to join the current version) then security at the Olympics will be heavily compromised. For a city that only four years ago suffered some of the worst terrorist attacks in memory, that is not a risk that should be run.

See here for my press release and speech to the European Parliament. Radio stations can download an interview I did on this issue for free at www.radioep.com.

EU-US relations

The Parliament held a debate on the EU's relations with the US and the forthcoming EU-US summit. As vice-chair of the US delegation, I take a prominent role in promoting the need for cooperation to authorities on both sides of the Atlantic, such as the need for more cooperation in the response to the financial crisis, in international climate policy and the creation of a barrier-free transatlantic market. In particular, as the party's European spokeswoman on justice and home affairs, I stress the need for police and judicial cooperation, but always on the condition that this is entirely within a transparent, legal framework. It has to be "above board", as opposed to the "below ground" extraordinary rendition operations that occurred post 9-11. I am off to Washington on Sunday with the delegation which will be interesting, though sadly it means I have had to cancel my attendance at the Liberal International Congress in Cairo as the dates overlap.

Best regards,

Sarah Ludford