Climate change: another of those interesting networks
Wednesday 14 November 2012
 Already, via the Register, we know something of the CMES, established by activist Joe Smith and the BBC's Roger Harrabin. CMEP received funding from the hardline green organisation WWF and the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It later transpired that £15,000 was also received from the University of East Anglia - the institution at the heart of the Climategate scandal. However, equal partner in the enterprise is the IBT, about which less is known. The accounts of this charity, though, show that in the five years ending 31 December 2011, it was paid no less that £397,691 by DFID. Thus, we have an organisation which, by its own account, "lobbies Government, broadcasters and regulators to promote high quality broadcast and online coverage of the developing world, its people and the issues which affect them" – including major input on climate change – yet has been paid just short of £400,000 of taxpayers' money to do so. Based at the CAN Mezzanine in Loman Street, SE1 – sharing, incidentally, the building with the likes of the UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group - its Head of Campaigns is Sophie Chalk, the Chairthing of the Trust is Kate Phillips, of the Board is John Whittaker, the Secretary is Richard Sumray, and Mark Galloway is director. As well as all that, in this "trust" we have yet another of those networks of influence. It represents a coalition of international charities, the members including: ActionAid, Amnesty International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care UK, Christian Aid, Comic Relief, Concern UK, Friends of the Earth, the Media Trust, Merlin, Oxfam, Plan UK, Practical Action, Progressio, RSPB, Save the Children, Sightsavers International, Skillshare International, Tearfund, UNA UK, UNICEF UK, VSO, the World Association for Christian Communication, World Vision and WWF. However, apart from the "usual suspects" such as Friends of the Earth and WWF, there is a particularly interesting member of the IBT – a trust which, as one will remember, lobbies the BBC. That is the Media Trust. And the "corporate members" of this trust are … the BBC as well as Sky, ITV, News International and Google. Neglecting the other delicious members, and focusing on the BBC, it seems we have a situation where the state broadcaster is a corporate member of the Media Trust which, in turn, is a member of the International Broadcasting Trust, which is paid by the Government (DFID) to lobby the … er … BBC about climate change. And so the circle closes. Small wonder it is really that the BBC did not want too much of a spotlight focused on these seminars. COMMENT THREAD Richard North 14/11/2012 |
Human rights: what a mess they're in
Tuesday 13 November 2012
 On the one hand, we have the Arthur Redfearn case, where one can only applaud the Human Rights Convention for the addition protection it gives. And then there is Abu Qatada, where British judges, calling in aid the Convention, are saying the Jordanian Government's word is not worth the paper it's written on and the man can't be deported to Jordan to face charges for terrorism. The deeper problem, though, arises from the tendency of successive governments to offshore their legislative responsibilities and their collective consciences, which means they have surrendered their freedom to make the rules – and have largely lost the capability so to do. And while the Convention on Human Rights is not an EU instrument, it has been strongly argued that membership of the EU requires conformity with the Convention. That undoubtedly influences Mr Cameron to delay repealing the Human Rights Act, which called for when in opposition. The answer, therefore, is simple. If Mr Cameron, Mrs May and Government ministers generally want to sleep at nights, they are going to have to relearn the capacity to govern. As long as they accept the domination of a foreign power, as in Brussels, and foreign judges – whether in Strasborg or Luxemborg – they are going to have problems. COMMENT THREAD Richard North 13/11/2012 |
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