The - Guardian (2012 10 08) PDF

Section:GDN BE PaGe:1 Edition Date:121008 Edition:01 Zone:S Sent at 7/10/2012 20:34 cYanmaGentaYellowblack
Sigrid Rausing Sam Wolfson Jackie Ashley Gary Younge Hannah Betts John Crace
Monday 08.10.12
Published in London
and Manchester
£1.20
guardian.co.uk
Famous Five, choppers, NHS specs He was the future once Cleverley done
What was a British childhood made of? How David Cameron lost his sheen Wonder goal seals win
Unease and AK47s on the streets Osborne seals

as Venezuelans flock to the polls
Jonathan Watts and Virginia Lopez
Caracas
deal for £10bn
Venezuelan voters turned out in droves
yesterday to give their verdict on the
rule of Hugo Chávez after the most
closely fought presidential election
since the former tank commander won
welfare cuts
power in 1998.
Amid fears of unrest if the result
was close, national guards armed with
Tories claim Lib Dems have agreed to
AK47s and teargas patrolled the streets.
Both sides had warned that the other plan provided rich are targeted next
was preparing to destabilise the country.
But at the polling booths the mood Patrick Wintour reform of our benefits system for a gen-
was peaceful and, though partisan, eration, on time and on budget.”
Political editor
fiercely democratic. The lines of vot- They say that further savings are
ers outside the polling station in La needed in most government departments
Florida curled beyond the Cervantes George Osborne has opened the way for and most areas of spending at the next
high school, past the housing blocks and a fresh round of £10bn welfare cuts by spending review.
up the hill as far as the eye could see. securing agreement from the work and They also point out that the Treasury
Locals said they had never seen such a pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, illustrated at the time of the last budget
turnout, a sign of the interest generated and promising the Liberal Democrats that if the rate of reductions in departmen-
by the vibrant political race and what that the cuts will be balanced by a bigger tal budgets in the next spending review
some believed was an outside chance of contribution from the rich. period is to be kept at the current rate, the
an upset. Duncan Smith had been the main Con- welfare budget will have to be reduced by
“In every election, there are a lot of servative obstacle to more welfare cuts more than £10bn by 2016-17.
people here, but never like this. Peo- but yesterday he wrote a joint article with They write: “We are both satisfied that
ple want a change,” said a 50-year-old the chancellor saying he was “satisfied” this is possible and we will work together
housewife, Marcoline Uzcategui, as she such savings were possible. to find savings of this scale.”
stood outside the polling station. “I In return, the Treasury has given him Duncan Smith has also given ground by
don’t want to carry on living like this. the final political go-ahead for universal accepting David Cameron’s commitment
I have a faint illusion that things may credit, his cherished but risky master plan not to withdraw rich pensioners’ access
change this time, but Chávez has all the to merge benefits and tax credits from to TV licence, travel passes or winter fuel
power so I don’t want to get my hopes next year. payments.
up too high.” Senior Tory sources also suggested Setting out his plans for further cuts,
Others said they would stick with the that senior Lib Dems had also accepted Cameron told the BBC’s Andrew Marr
president. “Chávez will win because he the fresh cuts as long as Osborne and Show yesterday: “We are going to take
has supported the people,” said Alfredo Cameron stuck to their promises made further action to make sure that the rich-
Alvarez, a lawyer. “He’s administered yesterday that the rich would have to est people in our country pay a fair share
funds as he should.” make the largest contribution to the next towards deficit reduction.”
The show of people power was attack on the deficit. Cameron also ruled out a mansion tax
impressive. Even Chávez’s critics Osborne and the Lib Dems have been yesterday, the Liberal Democrats favoured
acknowledge that he has encouraged scouring Whitehall for £16bn of further means of squeezing the rich.
greater public participation in decision- cuts to be implemented in 2015-16 ever In his speech today, Osborne will say
making. since Osborne was forced in last year’s anyone remotely serious about tackling
The 58-year-old president has defied autumn statement to concede that he UK’s problems needs to start by setting out
many of his critics by fighting back from could not eradicate the structural deficit how savings, including in welfare, will be
cancer this year. Although he has not in this parliament. achieved, something Labour is intent on
been as prominent on the campaign trail Although Osborne does not need to avoiding until next year at the earliest.
as in the past, a huge rally in Caracas on spell out the precise details of the 2015-16 Tory strategists believe the public are in
Thursday showed his formidable cam- deficit reduction programme until next the mood to hear an honest assessment of
paign power and charisma. year’s autumn statement, the welfare how global forces are challenging the UK
His 40-year-old opponent, Henrique reforms will require legislation to be in economy to be more competitive.
Capriles, has won kudos for an energetic place within two years at the most. The The chancellor will also use his speech
campaign but in an election day tweet first targets are likely to be housing ben- to announce a £1bn of joint industry,
acknowledged he was the underdog. efit for the under 25s and restraint on the university and government funding for
“Today we decide the future of our Ven- uprating of benefits. world-leading science projects in the UK.
ezuela,” Capriles tweeted. “Today we Osborne’s two deals – with Duncan The government will add £200m of new
are millions of Davids! God will be our Smith and senior Lib Dems – free the chan- money to the Research Partnership Invest-
guide,” he added, referring to his depic- cellor to put political pressure on Labour ment Fund, which supports university
tion of the vote as the biblical under- to explain its plans to cut the deficit. capital projects. The Fund was launched
dog’s battle against Goliath.
Ahead of the vote, opinion polls
17≥ In a joint article in the Daily Mail, Dun-
can Smith and Osborne state: “We are
at the 2012 budget, with
£100m of funding but has 8-9≥
Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez, facing his most serious challenge since he was elected united in our determination to deliver been oversubscribed with a
Continued on page 17 ≥ president in 1998, greets crowds in Caracas Photograph: Sharon Steinmann/AP universal credit, the most fundamental large number of high-calibre bids.
Emergency services? Please help, my pigeon can’t breathe

Staff reporter lift from Hartlepool to Stockton was pros- ton of unemployed Yasmin Adams, 21, common, he said, was a complete lack of Some callers have mental health issues,
ecuted, as was a 17-year-old girl whose who said she did it because she was bored. understanding that their calls left others some are from children and teenagers, and
hoax call about a bomb in Middlesbrough She was given a 24-month community who couldn’t get through at risk. others are from attention-seeking adults
To the callers it’s obvious: if you’ve town centre caused chaos as the whole order. David Mackie, associate medical direc- who in his words “like to see ambulances,
dropped your new glasses in the street, are area was evacuated. In the East Midlands a man rang to tor at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said police cars and fire engines”.
being irritated by your neighbour playing The ambulance service in Leeds, West ask for help with a pigeon suffering from the 2,000 hoax calls were a tiny proportion On Merseyside, where the fire service
his radio too loudly, or your pigeon is Yorkshire, received a 33-minute 999 call breathing difficulties; another said he’d of the 750,000 calls they received each received 1,122 hoax calls in 2011, an inves-
wheezing – just phone 999. in July, apparently from a terrified three- been bitten by a snake but turned out year, but warned: “It’s a great additional tigation identified 18 adults who were
A surge in the number of ludicrous or year-old girl. After an extensive and costly to be high on drugs. Other cases among burden on ambulance services, which are responsible for a total of 1,000 calls over
hoax 999 calls – Cleveland police alone search by police, the hoaxers turned out to the 1,800 hoax or inappropriate calls incredibly busy anyway.” 24 months. In South Wales a man called an
report a 35% increase in the year to 2011, be two 10-year-old girls in Bridlington. last year include the caller who said they ambulance reporting stomach pains, but
and Devon and Cornwall report that peak- In Hampshire Jason Garrad, who called hadn’t slept for two days, the man bleed- One particularly recovered promptly on arrival at Univer-
time calls were up by 40% last month – is police up to seven times a day, at one point ing because he had squeezed a spot, and inappropriate 999 sity Hospital Cardiff, and ran off shouting
causing a genuine emergency, putting about his pet hamster, was sentenced to the incompetent wanting help to change a call in the East “thanks for the lift, mate”.
*
tremendous pressure on overstretched 80 hours unpaid work. He agreed he had battery in a remote control. Michael Jones, Midlands was from The Bridlington MP Greg Knight said
12A
staff at a time of swingeing budget cuts. “too much time on his hands”. ambulance service delivery manager, said a man saying his that although it was a serious issue, it was
Some forces are determined to tackle In North Staffordshire 100 calls threat- the calls weren’t limited to one specific age pigeon was strug- a historic problem. In 1937, in the first
the malicious callers or time wasters. One ening to smash up police cars, made over group, they receive them from adults, gling to breathe week of the 999 service, there were 91
caller who rang police 23 times asking for a six days, were traced to the home in Fen- children and teenagers. What they had in hoax calls.
Section:GDN BE PaGe:2 Edition Date:121008 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 7/10/2012 18:46 cYanmaGentaYellowblack
2 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012
The Guardian
Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU.
Telephone: 020 3353 2000
Fax: 020 7837 2114
The week ahead

Ian Sample on Nobel prizes and surprises
≥ Once more the nation’s honour rests
on the words of a secretive bunch
of Scandinavians, who, on naming the
to Ralph Steinman at Rockefeller Univer-
sity only to hear that he had died days
earlier. The prize cannot be awarded
Five things to watch
out for this week
≥ So who will win this year? No one is
eligible without a nomination, and
hundreds are received for each prize
latest members of the world’s most posthumously, but after an emergency every year. Once again and unlikely
prestigious club, the Nobel laureates, meeting, the honour was allowed to as ever, Bob Dylan is among the book-
unleash joyful celebrations, acrimoni-
ous protests, and a collectively mum-
bled “Who?”
stand.
Such problems are inevitable, says
Karl Grandin, director of the Centre for
1 Landmark peace talks between
Colombian government and
Farc guerrillas to end 50 years of
ies’ favourites for the literature prize.
Michael Orthofer, at The Complete
Review, points to Mo Yan, Adonis and
The prize-giving starts today with History of Science at the Royal Swedish war are due to be held today. William Trevor, but warns: “They man-
medicine or physiology, then moves to Academy of Sciences. “You can’t sit in age to be pretty unpredictable and often
physics, chemistry and peace, before
closing with economics and literature
hospitals all around the world to keep
track of people.”
2 David Cameron gives his
keynote speech to the
Conservative party conference on
very idiosyncratic.” Ladbrokes favours
the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
next week. Of course the real fuss begins once The peace prize may go to Moncef
Wednesday.
Most winners will be unfamiliar the names have been made public. In Marzouki, the human rights campaigner
names and that can be no surprise.
Hardly anyone with a public profile in
science or economics is a contender; the
the eyes of critics, some winners do not
deserve the highest honour in the land.
In 1973, Henry Kissinger won the
3 The US vice-presidential
candidates, Joe Biden and
Paul Ryan, square off in their one
and interim president of Tunisia, in sup-
port of the Arab spring, though Gene
Sharp, a champion of non-violent strug-
literature prize has bypassed scores of peace prize for brokering a settlement in and only TV election debate on gle, is another contender. One of Pend-
famously great writers, from Nabokov to
Unlikely as ever, Bob Vietnam, even as war raged on. In 2009, Thursday. lebury’s favourites for the economics
Tolstoy; and the peace prize is as fickle Dylan is among the the same prize went to Barack Obama prize, an invention of Sweden’s national
as politics.
Britons, however, have fewer reasons bookies’ favourites for
less than two weeks into his presidency.
Elfriede Jelinek’s literature prize in 2004
4 The International Monetary
Fund and the World Bank
begin their annual meetings in
bank, is Sir Tony Atkinson, for work on
income inequality.
than most to gripe about the obscurity led one academy member to resign in The medicine prize must, at some
of laureates. Since 2000, 16 prizes have
the literature prize dismay. Writing in the Swedish newspa-
Tokyo
yo on Friday.
point, honour
ho Shinya Yamanaka for cell
landed on these shores. And the odds per Svenska Dagbladet, Knut Ahnlund reprogramming,
reprogra though Britain’s Sir
look good for a local winner this week.
Only the US, which has won at least a
described Jelinek’s prose as “shovelled
together without a trace of artistic
5 Also on Friday, in the World
Cup qualifiers, Wales play
Scotland
tland at Cardiff City’s stadium,
Alec Jeffreys is in contention for DNA
finge
ngerprinting. And despite Cern’s
prize a year since the second world war, straightforward enough, but barely a structure”. withh Wales (pictured) hoping apparent
app discovery of the Higgs
can claim more Nobels than Britain. year goes by without some hiccup or Perhaps worst of all, people are over- for better after a 6-1 mauling boson
bo this year, the uncertainty
But UK winners are sure to be more full-blown disaster. looked. The Nobel prize can honour at at Serbia’s hands. England play makes
m a prize premature. More
scarce in future. The Nobels began with In 1987, the Royal Swedish Acad- most three people, a rule that guarantees minnows
nnows San Marino at Wembley. likely
li is an award for dark mat-
an emphasis on Europe, then shifted, emy of Sciences woke Donald Cram in trouble in the sciences. ter,
te cloaking devices, or any
with the US dominating since the 1940s. California to award him the chemistry The 2008 chemistry prize went to number
n of weird quantum
Other countries are in ascendance. prize. Cram, a carpet cleaner by trade, three scientists for work on fluorescent effects, from entanglement to
“In the coming decades we will begin suspected a prank. He hung up, but the protein, an invaluable tool for under- teleportation.
te
to see as many Nobel prizewinners from person rang back. Some words later, the standing cells, but omitted Douglas What is more certain as Nobel
Asia as we have seen from Europe and caller was directed to another Donald Prasher, who kickstarted the field. The week
w gets under way is that who-
North America since the mid-20th cen- Cram, who designed molecules at the winners enjoyed prestigious posts in ever
ev wins, there will be protest,
tury,” says David Pendlebury, who spots University of California, Los Angeles. academia; Prasher ended up driving celebration
ce and disappointment.
Nobel-class researchers from literature Countless other calls from Stockholm a shuttle bus, and joined a long list of And
A as the names are read,
citations at Thomson Reuters. have been thwarted by wrong numbers unrecognised talent. “Anyone with any plenty
p of us lesser mortals will
and stubborn personal assistants. insight into how science works knows ask
a the same question: “Who?”
≥ Handing out prizes worth 8m

Swedish kronor (£744,000) sounds
Worse has happened. Last year, the
Nobel assembly gave the medicine prize
there’s always a fourth person,” says
Grandin.
Ian
I Sample is the Guardian’s
science correspondent
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The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 3
News
I don’t like a fuss, insists Putin, as fans pay

homage on president’s 60th birthday
Hand of Kremlin behind
most celebrations
Protesters say it is time for
Russian leader to retire
Miriam Elder Moscow
Men climbed peaks and unfurled his por-

trait, while women flirted shamelessly in
videos that quickly went viral: Russians
celebrated Vladimir Putin’s 60th birthday
yesterday with adulation fit for a king.
All across the country, cities attempted
to outdo each other with platitudes. The
town of Vladimir woke up to find the city’s
name changed to reflect Putin’s name and
patronymic – Vladimir Vladimirovich – on
all its street signs. In the southern region
of North Ossetia, 10 mountaineers scaled
a 4,150-metre mountain and planted a
large portrait of Russia’s powerful leader
– the first step, they said, towards having
it renamed Peak Putin.
Not everyone in the kingdom was in
celebratory mood. The irony of the fact
that Putin has reached 60, the age at which
Russian men are eligible for retirement, in
the year of his contentious return to the
Kremlin was not lost on those who have
spent much of the past year taking to the
If Putin serves another

term, he will have led
the country for longer
than Leonid Brezhnev
streets in anger. A pro-Kremlin activist in Moscow dances in front of a poster depicting the Russian president on his 60th birthday Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP
“Lead Grandad to Retirement” was the
name of one protest held by around 150 of
those demonstrators, who came equipped Dmitry Peskov, said the president dis-
with pipes and slippers as retirement liked such grandiose displays and would
presents for the increasingly unpopular celebrate the day surrounded by close
Putin. family and friends in his home town of St
“How much can we take? We thought it Petersburg.
was time for him to go calmly and maybe Yet the state’s hand was visible in nearly
with these presents, he would see that all the festivities. NTV, a state-run chan-
retirement isn’t so bad,” said opposition nel owned by the gas monopoly Gazprom,
activist Roman Dobrokhotov. About 10 aired a fawning documentary detailing the
activists, including Dobrokhotov, were ins and outs of Putin’s daily life. There
briefly detained. was Putin in his cavernous office, Putin
Putin returned to the presidency in May swimming laps in a pool, Putin peeking
following a four-year interlude as prime into a refrigerator, Putin answering the
minister because of a constitutional ban questions of a journalist with a brow that
on the serving of more than two consecu- strained to furrow.
tive terms. He has been at the country’s Rumours of plastic surgery have long
helm since 2000 – more than one-fifth of haunted Putin, who continues to main-
his eventful life. tain a macho image despite his advancing
If he finishes this term and serves years.
another, he will have been in charge for Young Guard, the youth wing of the
longer than Leonid Brezhnev and almost ruling United Russia party, attempted to
as long as Josef Stalin. The comparisons boost that image with a racy video featur-
between Putin and the latter have only ing young women re-enacting the stunts
grown in recent months, not least because for which Putin has become notorious –
of Putin’s own calls for a Stalinesque “great from his love of skiing and hockey to his
leap forward” in industry and the renewed Black Sea dive to retrieve two Greek urns,
spotlight on show trials, such as that of the which he later admitted was faked.
feminist punk band Pussy Riot. Another youth activist, who stripped
But the Kremlin has gone to some for Putin in 2010 as part of a racy calendar
lengths to downplay the cult of Putin’s begging the then prime minister to return
personality. None of the celebrations to the presidency, said this year she would
held yesterday were officially sponsored give him a “pussy” alongside suggestive
by the Kremlin. Putin’s spokesman, photos of her with a cat and Putin’s por-
trait. “I think he’s an awesome man, a
strong leader and the ideal leader for the
country,” Alisa Kharcheva said.
A recent poll by the Levada Centre, an
independent pollster, found that 20% of
Russian women would marry Putin, given
the chance.
Presents and goodwill messages
poured in from across the former Soviet
Union, including one from Patriarch
Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox
church, whose close relationship with
Putin prompted the cathedral protest that
resulted in Pussy Riot’s arrest.
“Today, Russian citizens’ desire to live
in peace and harmony, to determine their
own destiny, and to maintain their spiritual
and cultural identity, is being realised in
large part thanks to your efforts and timely
decision-making,” Kirill said. He went on
to wishing the president “God’s help and Audio
success in your work for the benefit of the
fatherland”. Hear the
Russian officials remained mum on latest
20
another anniversary celebrated on 7 Octo- podcasts and
% The proportion of
Russian women
who told pollsters
ber, the day in 2006 on which the investi-
gative journalist Anna Politkovskaya was
murdered. As Putin was getting ready to
subscribe
for free
celebrate his birthday in St Petersburg,
that given the
chance, they would opposition activists in the northern city
guardian.
marry President gathered in the centre of town to unfurl co.uk/
Vladimir Putin a banner reading: “Putin, we remember podcasts
everything.”
National
National editor: Dan Roberts
Telephone: 020 3353 4090
Fax: 020 3353 3190
Email: national@guardian.co.uk
Town unites as hope fades for missing April

Hundreds walk to church
to honour five-year-old
Man, 46, due in court
charged with murder
Steven Morris Machynlleth
For almost a week they insisted that April

Jones could, against the odds, still be alive.
Finally yesterday there was an acceptance
among the residents of Machynlleth that
the time had come to give up hope.
Hundreds of friends and neighbours of April Jones’s parents, Coral and Paul,
five-year-old April gathered on the estate were too upset to attend the service
where she was last seen playing with
friends and walked through the town in
mid-Wales to take part in a special church “There’s a home for little children/Above
service. The bishop of Bangor, Andy John, the bright blue sky... ” Two of April’s
told the congregation that April was in the schoolmates, Gwern, eight, and Lydia,
“strong arms of God”. He said the commu- seven, carried lit candles to the altar.
nity faced a “journey” as it tried to recover The congregation sang rousing hymns
from what had happened, but that its peo- and listened to the parable of the Good
ple would walk together. Samaritan.
John praised the efforts of those who The bishop of Bangor said what had been
have been looking for April and thanked visited on April’s family and the commu-
people from across the world for messages nity was “beyond words”. But he added:
of support and compassion. “We’re here for April and her family. We’re
As the townspeople prayed and sang, here to surround them with our love, our
police continued to hunt for any sign of prayers and to let them know we are here
April. Mountain rescue teams were being with them shoulder to shoulder.”
stood down but the number of special- April’s parents were too upset to attend.
ist police searchers grew to about 100 John said: “If Coral and Paul are listening
officers who continue to focus on the to this, know the degree of care and com-
area around the town and the Dyfi river. passion that we send to you. After the
A police spokesman said: “We will see a cameras have gone we will still be here
change in resourcing but not in intensity for you. Our prayers for you and April will
as we move forward with the search. We continue.”
are maintaining the momentum and we Acknowledging there was no longer
remain totally focused and committed to any hope of finding April alive, John
finding April.” continued: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little
Mark Bridger, 46, who is charged with children come to me and do not hinder
abducting and murdering April, will them for the kingdom of God belongs
appear before magistrates in Aberystwyth to such as these.’ We take comfort that
today, a week after the girl vanished while April is in the strong and loving arms of
playing on the street near her home. God but we want her home.” He thanked
But yesterday was all about April, her The procession the community for the compassion it had
family and the town. Residents gathered through shown: “You have touched the hearts of
on the Bryn-y-Gog estate, children in their Machynlleth people across the world. You have shown
best clothes or school uniforms. Everyone before resolve, determination and love beyond
sported the pink ribbons that April’s par- yesterday’s any expectation.”
ents had asked people to wear earlier in service for John praised the tremendous efforts
the week as a symbol of hope. April Jones of the searchers. “We have seen your
The procession turned on to the main Photograph: Peter exhausted faces ... We’ve seen your
street and passed the places April used to Byrne/PA determination.”
visit – the sweet shop, toy store, the library. He thanked the people who, from fur-
By the time they reached the town clock, ther afield, had “jumped into their cars,
the throng was around 700-strong. found out where the mountain rescue
Already the church of St Peter’s, an teams were, and taken them food so they
early 19th-century stone building, was could continue with their work”.
full. In bright sunshine, those who could John said this service was not the end
not get inside stood in the graveyard and but a “step on the way”. “It’s a journey we
followed the service via loudspeakers. have to do together. We have to journey
In all, an estimated 1,000 people lis- together bearing the bruises, bearing the
tened as the Rev Kathleen Rogers said: wounds, fighting the fears and the anger
“We cannot bring little April, our sweet and despair.”
and innocent little girl, home as we had The many pink ribbons and balloons
hoped. But our hope has now been moved around the town were a reminder that
on to sure and certain hope that she is in “life is good, life is precious, life is inde-
the arms of Jesus.” scribably wonderful”, he said, adding:
In tribute to April’s mother, Coral, “Let us journey – not walk away, not fall
she read out a cheerful poem by Andrew apart – let us be together, to go on, to rest
Fusek Peters : “Sadness stealer/Cut- on each other. We want April home with
knee healer/Hug-me-tighter/Wrongness her family and for them to be enveloped in
righter ... Constant chum/Second to none the love that endures for all time. I know
... Mum!” together we will not fail.”
Parents clung to their children as she
recited older words by Albert Midlane: David Wilson, page 28 ≥
Skydiver prepares for one giant leap

Maev Kennedy It is also, as one commentator has said,
one giant leap for publicity.
With five days to go the attempt was put
If the wind blowing across the New Mex- back by 24 hours because of forecasts of
ico desert drops, a 43-year-old Austrian strong winds. A weekend dress rehearsal
man will step out of a small silver capsule went well and the forecast looks good
tomorrow and attempt to make history. for tomorrow. There have been two test
Felix Baumgartner is to jump from the jumps, including one in July from just
largest helium-filled balloon ever built As he faces an over 90,000ft up.
for manned flight and hurtle towards extreme high Images of the team working round the
the Earth from 23 miles up. He will reach jump, Felix clock from mission control in Roswell look
a speed of 690mph, becoming the first Baumgartner exactly like a Nasa space launch, and the
man to break the sound barrier in freefall, says: ‘I like the team includes many former Nasa scien-
before deploying his parachute. planning’ tists. Also assisting is the formidable cur-
If it goes wrong, the project’s medical rent record holder, Joe Kittinger, who in
director, Jonathan Clark, says cheerfully, 1960 as a US air force pilot jumped from
Baumgartner’s skin will boil. a balloon at 102,800ft. Now 81, Kittinger
Baumgartner explained in a recent continues to fly planes and balloons, pro-
interview that he “loves a challenge”. claiming “the sky is still my office”. At
He made his first parachute jump at 16, least one man has died trying to break his
the earliest Austria would permit it, and record, and Kittinger says he gets several
joined the army to continue his training. phone calls a month from people who
He hates being called an adrenaline junkie, want to attempt the challenge.
saying: “I like the planning.” Baumgartner will go up in a specially
Both Baumgartner and Red Bull Stratos, designed capsule wearing a spacesuit. As
which has spent five years and undisclosed the moment comes to open the door, the
millions preparing the stunt, say the pur- pressure in the capsule will be switched
pose is “to advance scientific discoveries off, and the spacesuit’s own system will
in aerospace for the benefit of mankind”. take over.
National
Cameron insists he
will not prejudge
Leveson proposals
statute” in order for it to be listened to.
PM reiterates promise to “It’s actually the way that doctors are now
do what inquiry suggests regulated, the way solicitors are regu-
lated, and they’re not complaining. It’s a
But ‘heavy-handed’ press tiny, tiny dab of statute to set this thing
up – otherwise the danger is newspaper
regulation opposed editors will just say: ‘Who are you? What
is this institution, this new body, this new
Hélène Mulholland regulator? We’re not doing what you say,
we’re not paying your fines’ … I personally
do not see the slightest danger to freedom
David Cameron has said he will stick to of speech or freedom of expression.”
his promise to implement the Leveson Cameron, who is due to meet Hacked
inquiry ’s recommendations, provided Off campaigners during the Conservative
any regulatory measures are sensible. party conference this week, told Marr he
The prime minister was challenged in did not want to prejudge the outcome of
a letter by 60 victims of phone hacking to the report. He made it clear that the sta-
give reassurances that he would consider tus quo was not an option, but said he was
Lord Justice Leveson’s recommendations opposed to “heavy-handed state interven-
with an open mind and that he had not tion” in the activities of the press.
already decided on a system of continued Asked whether he would stick to his
self-regulation by the press. reported promise to implement Leveson’s
The letter, signed by celebrities includ- recommendations, providing they were
ing Hugh Grant, Jude Law and Charlotte not “bonkers”, Cameron replied: “Abso-
Church, as well as 7/7 bombing victims lutely.” But he added: “We must wait for Sandi Toksvig recalls staff amusement at abusive behaviour in broadcasting Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian
and members of the Hillsborough Justice what Lord Justice Leveson says. I don’t
Campaign, expressed alarm at reports that
Cameron intends to reject any form of
statutory regulation of the press if such a
want to try and prejudge it … We don’t
want heavy-handed state intervention.
We’ve got to have a free press: they’ve
I was groped on air by a celebrity, says Toksvig
recommendation is made by the inquiry. got to be free to uncover wrongdoing, to
Grant said on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show follow the evidence, to do the job in our Press Association have been raised about the culture at the She said yesterday: “In the 80s, which
that Hacked Off campaigners were as democracy they need to do. corporation in the 1980s after the allega- is when I started in radio and television,
opposed to state regulation as journalists. “But, on the other hand, it’s quite clear tions emerged about the behaviour of Sir things were very different. Not to name
In a move backed by the National Union people have been abused, people’s fami- Sandi Toksvig has said she was groped Jimmy Savile. any names, but I was once very unpleas-
of Journalists, campaigners want to see a lies and lives have been torn up by press “on air, by a famous individual” 30 years Liz Kershaw, a former Radio 1 DJ, antly groped while I was broadcasting by a
new independent regulator introduced, intrusion – the status quo is not an option. ago. The radio and television presenter, described last week how she was routinely famous individual who shall remain name-
backed by a statutory underpinning. Let’s let him do his work. I fully intend to, who declined to name the celebrity, said groped by a colleague. less. When I told the staff afterwards what
“All that may come out of Leveson is a and I think that this goes right across the that when she told other staff what had Toksvig, who starred in children’s had happened, everybody thought it was
suggestion for, instead of the press regu- parties – we all want to put in place a sensi- happened they thought it funny. shows including ITV’s Number 73 dur- amusing. There was a sort of ‘shrugged
lating themselves, is that there is to be ble regulatory system. We’re hoping Lord The disclosure came as Toksvig re ing the 1980s, and who is now a regular shoulder’ approach to the whole thing.”
an independent regulator,” Grant said. Leveson is going to crack this problem, but viewed the newspapers for the BBC’s on Radio 4, said the other claims about She said the allegations of inappropriate
Any new regulator needed a “tiny dab of we must let him do his work first.” Andrew Marr Show yesterday. Questions abusive behaviour came as no surprise. behaviour “did not surprise me at all”.
Gone in 100 minutes:

Glastonbury 2013 sells out
Peter Walker it’s not going to be as fast as we think.’ You
always have some doubt.”
The festival took one of its intermittent
After a year’s break, the annual ritual of rest years in 2012, in retrospect a piece of
the nation’s young (and not so young) good timing given that the designated
spending a Sunday morning obsessively weekend fell near the end of the wettest
clicking and re-clicking their mouse June on record. “We were very grateful not
buttons to secure Glastonbury tickets to be running this year with the weather,
returned yesterday, with the 2013 edition not only in June but in May,” Eavis said.
of the festival selling out in a record hour “The whole build would have been very
and 40 minutes. wet. We can cope with a bit of wet weather,
A combination of huge demand and but when it’s all a washout, it makes it
a beefed-up website meant that the extremely hard to put it on.”
135,000 weekend tickets costing £205 So bad were the conditions, she said, it
apiece shifted quicker than ever, though was difficult to say whether a 2012 Glas-
some potential purchasers were frus- tonbury could even have gone ahead. “I
trated by technical glitches after the sale don’t know. It’s hard to say. It would have
began at 9am, bringing an apology from been very difficult for us. we’ve never
organisers. had that much rain before and that much
A few minutes after 10.40am, the rain after. It wouldn’t have just affected
festival’s official Twitter feed brought the build, it would have been the clearup
news of the sellout and carried a link to after. We were very lucky.”
205
a longer message from the organisers
Michael Eavis and his daughter, Emily.
“We are genuinely humbled by the
sheer number of people who would like
£ Price of a single
ticket to the festi-
val. Attendees pay
to come to the festival, and we dearly a deposit of £50
wish we could have you all along,” it and the remainder
read. “Sadly, that just isn’t possible, which when the lineup is
means a significant number of people announced
have missed out. Tickets were being sold
throughout the morning, but demand One of the festival’s unique features
simply outstripped supply. is that none of the 135,000 ticket hold-
“If you were one of those who managed ers have any idea which bands will be
to get a ticket, then we look forward to performing, with the lineup still to be
welcoming you to Worthy Farm in June.” completed. This helped broaden the mix
A smaller number of tickets will be of people attending, Eavis argued. “The
offered for resale in April from those who great thing is that people have faith in us to
have paid the initial £50 deposit but then do that – when they go to buy a ticket, they
change their mind. don’t know who’s playing. So many peo-
Emily Eavis said the sale process had ple come here for reasons beyond music.
been “quite hectic”, particularly the final It’s important to keep tickets available for
half-hour, owing to a technical problem. people who are coming for all the other
“The main thing is that people weren’t reasons, and who aren’t just fans of a par-
hanging on for too long, which is great,” ticular band.”
she said. “But there are some improve- Unsurprisingly, Eavis gave no clues
ments to be made for next year. You want as to who might be on next year’s bill,
it to be done as quickly as possible so saying only that things were “looking Datablog
people aren’t wasting whole days.” really good”. She did, however, hint
Even though Glastonbury operates a that it was unlikely to be the year for a
See the
pre-registration system for potential ticket debut performance by one group much figures in a
buyers – a database numbering “quite a demanded in fans’ tweets. “People always new way
few times more” people than the tickets want to see some of the more legendary
available – Eavis said she had been nerv- performers. It’s no secret that we’d like
guardian.
ous about how well the tickets would sell. to see the Rolling Stones here, because co.uk/
“We never rest on our laurels. Even last they’ve never played before. But there’s datablog
night I woke up thinking, ‘Oh God, maybe no sign of that yet.”
National
Wet summers may be due to warmer North Atlantic Ocean

Damian Carrington work. He said: “I can’t guarantee it, but it’s data covering more than a century and manifestation of human-induced climate been one reason for the record low amount
likely. We are not sure of the timing, which found that the temperature of the North change. There is a lot of evidence to show of Arctic sea ice this summer.
is what everyone wants to know. But we Atlantic remained above or below the climate change is changing the timing and It is possible that the shrinking of the
The UK’s recent wet summers can be are working on this now.” long-term average for decades at a time. amplitude of the temperature changes.” sea ice is also contributing to wet summers
blamed on a substantial warming of the Sutton added that the switch could hap- The periods of warmer temperatures, He mentioned as an example a colder in the UK, as the exposed ocean waters
North Atlantic Ocean in the late 1990s, pen as rapidly as over two to three years. the latest of which started in the late period from the 1960s to 1980s which warm up in the sun. However, Sutton said
according to scientific research. The shift His team, who published their study in 1990s, were found to correlate with wet occurred when soot and other pollution that this remained to be proved by scien-
has caused rain-soaked weather systems Nature Geoscience yesterday, examined summers in northern Europe and hotter, from power stations cooled the planet. tific work that was now under way.
to be driven into northern Europe, increas- drier summers in the Mediterranean. The previous North Atlantic warm The warm and cold swings in the North
ing summer rainfall by about a third.
This summer was the wettest in a cen-
‘It is not purely natural The team used detailed climate simula-
tions to demonstrate a causal link between
phase, which ran from the 1930s to the
1950s, also brought a run of wet summers
Atlantic affect temperatures, wind and rain
across Europe, Africa and the Americas,
tury and followed a series of above-aver-
age years for summer rainfall.
or purely a result the warmer oceans and the change in the
weather.
in the UK, including severe flooding in
August 1948 which closed the east coast
and previous research indicates a relation-
ship to alterations in ocean circulation.
But that pattern is likely to revert to of human-induced Sutton said these shifts had been hap- mainline railway for three months, and Other research at Reading University
drier summers and the shift could occur pening for hundreds of years but global the Lynmouth floods in August 1952, in has suggested that it could in future be
suddenly, said Rowan Sutton, a professor climate change’ warming was also having an impact. which 34 people died. possible to predict the warming and cool-
at the University of Reading, who led the “It is not now purely natural or purely a The warming of the North Atlantic has ing cycles some years ahead.
Muslim sect
hounded in
Pakistan warns
of UK threat
Haroon Siddique
Members of a Muslim sect persecuted

in Pakistan have called for action to pre-
vent similar victimisation in the UK.
The British Ahmadiyya community says
it is being targeted through the media, in
mosques and at conferences by behaviour
that it says is caused by religious hatred
but is not caught by the definition of that
offence under UK law.
The community moved its headquar-
ters to the UK in the 1980s after the Paki-
stani government passed a law forbidding
Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslims
and curbing their religious practices.
They were also hounded in Pakistan by
Islamic groups that have set up UK offices
and are doing the same here, according
to Naseer Din, president of the London
Ahmadiyya community. “They are advo-
cating sectarianism in Pakistan and creat-
ing hatred,” he said.
“These [same] groups are coming here
and creating the same hatred … There is
indoctrination going on in the Muslim
community.”
One anti-Ahmadi group is Khatme
Nubuwwat, whose UK academy is in For-
est Gate, east London. Its website vari-
ously describes Ahmadis as “traitors”,
“double faced”, “dangerous” and engaged
in a “conspiracy against Islam”.
The Liberal Democrat peer Lord Hus-
The Lib Dem peer

Lord Hussain has
been criticised
by Ahmadis
for attending a
Khatme Nubuwwat
conference in July
sain appeared at a Khatme Nubuwwat

conference in Luton in July, an event
Din said Hussain should not have been
supporting.
A leaflet distributed in Wandsworth,
south-west London, this year, attributed
to a group called Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuze
Khatme Nubuwwat, states: “Qadianis [a
pejorative term for Ahmadis] are apos-
tate (‘Murtad’) … He should be given the
punishment of a Murtad which is capital
punishment.” It later makes clear: “Indi-
viduals cannot and should not administer
this punishment.”
Din said: “We don’t want to stem …
debate but it mustn’t be played out in a
climate of hate … Where there’s a history
of a certain type of person or movement,
like Khatme Nubuwwat, preaching at con-
ferences, in mosques … someone needs
to look at it. The government needs to act
before it gets out of hand.”
Last month, three Ahmadis were
reportedly shot dead in 10 days in Karachi
in suspected hate crimes.
The most notorious attack against
Ahmadis was in 2010 when co-ordinated
assaults on two Lahore mosques killed
scores of people.
Din warned: “It’s only a matter of time
until an atrocity is carried out against
someone in our community here.”
Akber Choudhry, a former Ahmadi from
the Khatme Nubuwwat academy, said:
“The hype [about persecution] is worse
than the fact. No one in the UK wants to
hurt, hate or harm the Ahmadiyya com-
munity.” He promised to remove any
offensive content on the academy’s web-
site drawn to his attention.
Hussain and Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuze
Khatme Nubuwwat did not respond to
requests for comment.
National
Police try to seize journalists’ notes over

claim Adams was involved in 1972 killing
The director of the Belfast Project for
Sunday Telegraph and CBS Boston College, Ed Moloney, said he sin-
interview records sought cerely hoped both CBS and the Sunday
Telegraph would resist police attempts
IRA bomber links leader of to subpoena their material.
“Clearly this case is developing into
Sinn Fein to widow’s death a major assault on privacy. Not content
with assailing academic rights, the PSNI
Henry McDonald are now set to lay siege to the media as
well. Where will this stop?” he said.
Ireland Correspondent
Moloney added: “It is clear that the
PSNI is substituting the efforts of journal-
The Police Service of Northern Ireland ists for basic detective work.”
wants to seize interview material from the Sinn Fein and even some of its oppo-
Sunday Telegraph and American broad- nents in the Irish media have claimed
caster CBS connected to an IRA bomber’s Price is motivated by a long-running
claim that Gerry Adams was involved in enmity towards Adams, and is using the
one of the most notorious murders of the McConville murder to damage him and
Troubles. his party. Adams has strenuously denied
The Guardian has learned that the not only involvement in the McConville
PSNI is seeking to obtain notes and video disappearance and murder but of ever
footage from the paper and the New York being involved in the IRA.
based television station in relation to Price does admit that she is engaged
Dolours Price’s allegation that the Sinn in a “score settling’’ operation against
Fein president was in charge of a special- Adams because he denies his alleged IRA
ist IRA unit that “disappeared’’ and killed past. Her critics, including some com-
mother of 10 Jean McConville. mentators in the Dublin press who have
In the United States, the PSNI is already traditionally opposed the IRA, claim she
engaged in a lengthy legal battle soon to is trying to damage the peace process in
reach the US Supreme Court in its attempt her feud with Adams.
to take tapes from Boston College that But Seamus McKendry, Jean McCo-
include Price’s testimony of her time in nville’s son-in-law and long time cam-
the IRA. The police want to use the Bos- paigner for the “disappeared’’, told the
ton College interviews with IRA members Guardian he welcomed the news that
with the material from the Sunday Tele- the PSNI wanted to seize the Sunday Tel-
graph and CBS as part of its investigation egraph and CBS material relating to Price’s
into the 1972 kidnapping and secret mur- latest allegations.
der of the west Belfast widow. McKendry also called on the Garda Sio-
An award winning journalist who set chána to arrest Dolours Price following
up the IRA and loyalist archive for Boston her claims in the Sunday Telegraph and
College said the PSNI’s latest move dem- on CBS. “She is living openly in Malahide,
onstrated that the police were “laying north Dublin, so I don’t see why the Garda
siege” to free, open journalism. cannot arrest and question her about what
A PSNI spokeswoman said on Friday the she said in her very own words.”
police were “pursuing all lines of inquiry Gerry Adams in her. Obviously it was decided between the
in relation to the murder of Jean McCon- the early 1970s. General Headquarters staff and the people
ville.’’ The Guardian can reveal that this Dolours Price says in Belfast. Gerry Adams would have been
includes the most up to date interview he was in charge part of that negotiation as to what was to
with Dolours Price, the former Old Bailey of the IRA unit happen to her.
bomber who now lives in North Dublin. that abducted “I had a call one night and Adams was
McConville was abducted from her and killed Jean in a house down the Falls Road and she’d
home in the Divis Flats complex by an McConville in been arrested by Cumann [IRA’s female
IRA unit just before Christmas 1972. The 1972 unit] women and held for a couple of days.
Provisional IRA accused her of being an Photograph: She got into my car and as far as she was
informer who worked for the British Kelvin Boyes concerned she was being taken away by
Army – a charge her family has always Photography the Legion of Mary to a place of safety.
disputed. “It wasn’t my decision to disappear her,
She became the most famous of 16 thank God. All I had to do was drive her
IRA victims known as the disappeared from Belfast to Dundalk. I even got her
because after being interrogated and shot, fish and chips and cigarettes before I left
their bodies were buried in secret loca- her.’’
tions mainly across the border in the Irish Price was unrepentant . “You don’t
Republic. In her interview last month, deserve to die if you are an unpleasant
Price claimed to be part of a secretive person as she was but you do deserve to
IRA unit called the Unknowns who were die if you are an informer, I do believe that.
tasked with targeting suspected inform- Particularly in a war, that is the Republican
ers, abducting them, killing them and way,’’ she told the Sunday Telegraph.
burying them in covert locations. CBS last night confirmed it had received
Price also said that she took Jean McCo- a letter from the PSNI about the Price
nville to her death across the border after interview adding “we are looking into the
she was dragged from her home at gun- issues raised in the letter.” The Sunday
point in front of her children. Telegraph declined to comment but it is
“I drove away Jean McConville. I don’t understood the PSNI has been in contact
know who gave the instructions to execute with the paper.
Rothko painting defaced at Tate Modern

Ben Quinn a small area of black paint with a brush
to the painting. The police are currently
investigating the incident.”
A man defaced a multimillion-pound Mark The museum was closed for a short
Rothko mural hanging in the Tate Modern time after the incident.
gallery yesterday in front of onlookers. A The canvas, one of a number by
police investigation is now under way into Rothko owned by the Tate, was in a room
the vandalism of the US artist’s work. with several other works painted by the
A visitor to the museum said he raised Russian-born artist, who emigrated to the
the alarm after a man inscribed some US at the age of 10 and went on to become
words in black ink in a corner of Rothko’s The vandal used one of America’s most important postwar
1958 canvas Black on Maroon, before
quickly leaving the room.
a brush and black
paint to scrawl his
artists. His work commands huge prices.
In May, his Orange, Red, Yellow was sold I’M STANDING UP TO
Tim Wright, who posted a picture on
Twitter of the canvas after it was defaced,
said that he saw the man sitting quietly in
‘tag’ in a corner of
the canvas. One of
the words appears
in New York for $86.9m (£53.8m) – the
highest price ever fetched by a piece of
contemporary art at auction.
CANCER. PLEASE JOIN ME.
front of the painting beforehand. The Seagram murals were painted
“Then we heard the sound of a pen,
to be ‘Vladimir’
by Rothko in 1958 for Manhattan’s Four standuptocancer.org.uk
but by the time we turned around he was Seasons restaurant, but they were never
pretty much finished with his tag,” said installed. He presented a number of them
Wright, who was with his girlfriend on to the Tate gallery shortly before he died
a weekend visit to London from Bristol. in 1970. This year, Tate Modern opened
“The pen ink then just dripped down the
painting. Once we realised what had hap-
a new Rothko Room as part of its rehung
permanent galleries.
FRIDAY 19 OCTOBER
pened, we went to find a member of staff.
They were really shocked when they came
Art lovers made their feelings known on
Twitter last night, scrutinising the image
LIVE ON CHANNEL 4
and saw what he had done.” of the defacement, which appeared to
The museum said in a statement last include the word “Vladimir”.
SU2C is a trademark of the Entertainment Industry Foundation; CRUK is a registered
night: “Tate can confirm that at 15.25 this “I am a naturally peaceful person, but charity in Eng. & Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666) and the Isle of Man (1103).
afternoon there was an incident at Tate I wouldn’t be that upset if ‘Vladimir’
Modern in which a visitor defaced one accidentally met with a baseball bat,”
of Rothko’s Seagram murals by applying said one.
Conservative conference
Birmingham 2012
May targets migrants

as Tories attempt to
appease Eurosceptics
to seek work and reside in as opposed to
Crackdown on access to
work and benefits in UK Conference other EU countries.
The EU has been in a long legal dis-
pute with the UK over the UK’s habitual
Cameron reinforces stance
with budget veto warning
diary residence test, which limits benefit claims
by new arrivals. The work and pensions
secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, at one
point last year said that if the UK test was
Patrick Wintour abandoned, the cost to the UK could be
Michael White more than £2bn a year; he later revised this
Political editor
figure to £155m.
• Among David Cameron’s game- At present, citizens of European eco-
Theresa May is examining wide-ranging changing initiatives before his party nomic area (EEA) countries who want to
curbs on the European Union’s free conference is a decision to start tweet- claim unemployment benefit have to pass
movement of workers, including access ing, making him the 360th MP to sign an habitual residence test, proving they
to the UK for dependants of EU citizens, up to Twitter. From a man who once intend to settle in the UK or have a legal
and fresh curbs on access to benefits for said “too many tweets make a twat”, right to reside.
EU citizens. this must count as another U-turn, Migrants without a job who are not a
The home secretary believes she though after his first outing yester- dependant of a worker or self-employed
can make changes to one of the central day he promised there wouldn’t be person, or are judged to be a burden on
pillars of the EU with the support of other “too many”. Cameron immediately public funds, currently fail the test. Access
member states such as the Netherlands, garnered 75,000 followers, half of Ed to other social security benefits are subject
although Foreign Office sources are Miliband’s total. to different tests.
concerned that any curbs could lead to May wants to review the way EU rules
reprisals for UK citizens living abroad, • Mayor, saviour and accomplished allow partners of EU citizens to reside in
such as UK pensioners in Spain. tweeter Boris Johnson cast a shadow the EU. Once they enter the territory of the
May’s review is probably the most over Brum even before he arrived at host member state, non-EU family mem-
politically striking move among a raft of New Street station, where a poster bers enjoy the same right of residence as
EU initiatives floated by David Cameron greets travellers with the slogan “Cuts the person they are accompanying, pro-
yesterday in an attempt to mollify his not affecting frontline services? Mr vided they hold a valid passport.
Eurosceptic backbenchers, including a Cameron, are you taking the P?” The free movement directive extends
potential veto of the next EU budget. The poster is funded by public serv- the right to equal treatment – including
He said on the BBC’s Andrew Marr ants calling themselves the “Olice” access to social assistance – to non-EU
programme: “People in Europe know I (with no P). Johnson probably agrees. family members who have the right of
mean what I say … they know I’m capable Loyal MPs think Cameron should use residence or permanent residence in the
of saying no.” his powers of patronage to find the host state.
He is also backing long-term plans to perfect outlet for his flamboyant exhi- May is struggling to reach her aim of cut-
introduce a two-tier EU budget in which bitionism: appoint Boris the next arch- ting the number of immigrants to the UK
single-currency member states contribute bishop of Canterbury. Lovely outfits. to below 100,000, partly due to her inabil-
more than those outside the euro. ity to slap direct controls on EU migrants.
The government has already announced • In addition to talking up hopes for EU migration accounted for 27% of total
a review of all EU competences ahead of economic recovery, Tory officials are UK net immigration in 2010, a majority of
negotiations with the EU that might lead busy talking down claims aired on Sky which came from the eastern European Leading the applause: David Cameron listening to a speech by foreign secretary William
to a referendum or endorsement at an News that no MPs are coming to the states that joined the EU in 2004.
election. Cameron refused to be drawn Birmingham conference. Not true – Even Eurosceptic groups such as Open
on the date of such a referendum. 248 (81%) have requested passes. But Europe have accepted that the evidence Boris comes to town
He said there would be no in/out they do not include Andrew “Plebs” overwhelmingly suggests migrants from
referendum, because the speed of change Mitchell, the city’s only Tory MP, who EU countries have come to the UK in David Cameron was doing his best yes- fun today when he addresses a rally
in Europe meant that the UK needed to has been flitting from one country search of work rather than to take advan- terday to laugh off the antics of Boris organised by ConservativeHome, titled
reach a fresh settlement with Brussels safe house to another to escape media tage of the UK’s welfare system. Johnson, who showed the Tory party “Boris Johnson 2012: Re-elected and
that could then be put to the public after trolls and the Olice. But equally, Ed Miliband has argued in last week that he remained an ever- Olympotastic.”
the next general election. recent months that EU immigration can present threat to the prime minister. The title is designed to irritate
Cameron described Ukip as a complete • Good day: musicologist MP Nicola increase competition at the low-skill end On the eve of the London mayor’s Downing Street on two levels. Firstly,
waste of time, but he realises that he Blackwood told the conference of the labour market, driving down wages whirlwind appearance at the Tory con- it shows that Johnson won re-election,
needs to slow the drain of anti-European how she had won one vote when and leaving younger workers struggling to ference, Cameron spoke of how relaxed after Cameron failed to win an overall
sentiment to that party with more than canvassing to win Oxford West in find work. he was to have “the blond-haired mop Commons majority in 2010. Secondly,
just rhetoric. “I think most people in our 2010. Just as the voter finished an Non-EU family members have the sounding off from time to time”. it reminds everyone of his latest tri-
country don’t actually want to leave the anti-politics tirade, her dog dashed right to obtain entry visas to the EU, Downing Street is officially unboth- umph, upstaging the prime minister
European Union or just accept how it is out and bit the candidate on the ankle. where required, through an accelerated ered by Johnson, who has taken at the parade for the Olympics and
at the moment, they want to change it. I Voter: “Oh, my dear, what’s your procedure. weekly potshots at the prime minis- Paralympics.
want to change it,” he told Marr. name? I’ll go out and vote for you The Home Office is also looking at tighter ter. Days after the mayor and his Cameron told the Sunday Telegraph:
It had been thought there was little now.” Some people will do anything transitional controls on new member family enjoyed a jolly day out to “I am, relatively, as you can see, relaxed
momentum to review the free move- to avoid litigation. states. Romania and Bulgaria are due to Chequers last Sunday, Johnson about having the blond-haired mop
ment of EU workers on the basis that it is be given full free movement next year, accused Cameron of risking an sounding off from time to time. Every
such a central pillar of the EU’s founding • Bad day: new party chairman Grant after a seven-year pause in which restric- “economic catastrophe” over premiership has its backdrop, and I
principles. But May believes there are (“Michael Green”) Shapps failed to tions have been imposed. aviation policy. suspect this is just going to be one of
reforms that could be made in part to sparkle in his debut speech (his sacked It is estimated there were just Johnson will sweep mine.”
reverse previous European court of justice predecessor, Lady Warsi, barely over 2 million nationals of other into the conference today One minister said: “Boris is of course
judgments that have in effect redefined clapped at all) and asked the dangerous EU member states living in the for two speeches in 24 a blond bombshell. But he is not like
free movement as available to citizens (for him) question about the party’s UK in the year to March 2011. hours. He will speak that other famous blond bombshell,
rather than merely workers. failure to trumpet its triumphs. “Why from the official plat- Michael Heseltine. This really does not
May has also been struck by the lack of are we the shy Tories?” he roared. This Jackie Ashley, page 28 ≥ form tomorrow, but feel like a Heseltine moment.”
high-quality academic evidence on why from a man who uses aliases. Geoffrey Wheatcroft, page 30 ≥ will probably have most Nicholas Watt
members of EU states often choose Britain Leader comment, page 30 ≥
The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * * * 9
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Simon Hoggart’s sketch

Snooze on, there’s a long way to go
T
he Tory conference gets who haven’t a clue really what alumin-
weirder year by year. ium cladding is.
This week they are scat- Next came Philip Hammond, the
tered about the sym- defence secretary, who blamed Labour
phony hall in Birming- for the fact that he was having to sack
ham (“We need to fill the thousands of soldiers. But all is not lost.
centre!” yelled a stew- He had an announcement: there is to
ard, which is definitely be a new discount scheme for members
not the message the delegates want). of the armed forces and their families.
They don’t seem very excited. Even the “The ‘defence privilege card’ is busi-
“T
arrival of the prime minister – open- nesses’ way of saying thank you to our
ne
necked shirt, accompanied by his wife, troops and veterans,” he said.
tro
Samantha, right – failed to rouse them to o Sounds a bit cruddy. “I may have lost
anything you might call enthusiasm. my job and my legs, but now I can get
Nor did the opening speech from the 10% off a woolly cardigan from Primark.”
co-chairman, Grant Shapps, Man Of A Hammond made the feeblest joke I
Thousand Faces. Yesterday he appeared d have ever heard at a party conference
ha
under one of his many aliases – “Grant –wwhich is saying something. He was
Shapps” this time – having failed earlierr being
b e rude about the Lib Dems (this
in the day to disagree with Iain Dale on is clearly
c going to be a theme of the
LBC that the government’s recent record d conference). They, apparently, did not
con
had been “a shambles”. share his commitment to Trident.
sha
“I don’t think there’s been anything “I have heard a rumour about where
particularly glorious about the last six their
the thinking is going,” he said. “I
months,” he added. have to say to them, threatening to
ha
“We’re a mess, but things might launch Vince Cable at our enemies is
lau
improve!” is not going to get the vote not going to be the solution! He may
no
out, especially as his battle cry is, “the be
b e cheap – but a deterrent has got to be
countdown to the next election has effective as well!”
already begun! Only 942 days to go!” Admittedly this caused a faint stir in
A digital clock appeared behind his his audience, as if 1,000 tortoises had
head, the urgency rammed home by the e heard
he the distant rustle of lettuce. But
way it was going down, in front of our can you imagine who wrote that line,
eyes, second by second! who told him it was funny, who thought
wh
But it didn’t have quite the intended that it scored a point against the hated
tha
effect. You could almost hear the Lib Dem coalition partners? Someone
delegates thinking, “nearly 1,000 days very cruel, perhaps.
ver
to go? Time for another snooze”. No mere delegates were allowed to
Shapps’ oratorical style is based on speak, but we did hear from William
spe
another of his aliases, that of “Michael Hague,
Ha who remains popular. “Good old
Green”, a motivational speaker. Imagine e William, he never lets you down,” said
Wi
an aluminium cladding salesman amman behind me. “Except in 2001,” he
trying to fire up hundreds of people failed to add.
fai
Hague on the opening day of the conference in Birmingham yesterday Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty
Buzzwords
Squeezed middle gives way to

strivers as party changes tone
Juliette Jowit whose top priority is to cut taxes for mil-
lionaires, giving 8,000 people earning over
Political correspondent
£1m a tax break of £40,000 this April.”
Pressure for the shift from within the
David Cameron’s attempt to reach out to party, however, was reaffirmed yesterday
the “strivers” in society, with a series of by a YouGov poll for the news and opinion
measures to be unveiled at the Conserva- website ConservativeHome.
tive conference this week, received a cau- The poll found that only 1-8% of people
tious welcome in the party yesterday. did not vote Tory because of issues such
The prime minister is reported to be as its strong views on crime and immigra-
planning to use his conference speech tion, or because of attitudes to women and
on Wednesday to appeal to people who minority groups. However, 28% of those
“work hard and want to get on”, regard- polled agreed that Conservatives did not
less of their social background, he told the
Sunday Times. Tim Montgomerie,
Cameron’s choice of language has ech- left, who set up the
oes of previous politicians from across the ConservativeHome
political spectrum. Last year the Labour site, says the Tories
leader, Ed Miliband, used his speech to must help strivers
stand up for society’s “grafters”. but not ignore those
But while “strivers” became an instant unable to work hard
buzzword around the party conference
in Birmingham, Cameron’s aides said “care enough about the very poor and
the word itself might not be used in his vulnerable”, and 28% said Tories did not
speech, though they insisted “it’s not one “care enough about … public services”.
we’ll run away from”. The main problem, said 41%, was that
The change of tone , away from an the Tories were “the party of the rich”.
emphasis on the “squeezed middle”, was Boris Johnson, in an article in the Daily
For the
reflected in the first two policies briefed Telegraph, called for more help for the record
for the conference start: a cap on regulated “struggling middle” – working families with What the
rail fares for commuters, and a freeze on incomes ranging from £30,000 to £64,000
next year’s council tax bills. – particularly regarding issues like hous-
other parties
They were the first sign of what appears ing. “They are not being helped,” he wrote. achieved at
to be part of the Conservative response to “They are feeling utterly ignored.” their
Miliband’s audacious move into Tory ter- ConservativeHome’s founder and conferences
ritory last week, when he rebranded his editor, Tim Montgomerie, has set up an
party as One Nation Labour. internal campaign group under the ban- – on the
The potential weaknesses of Cameron’s ner “strong and compassionate”, arguing politics
argument were highlighted by Labour’s that to win its first majority for 20 years weekly
response, mocking any attempt by him to the party had to have “a radical overhaul podcast
shed the party’s “posh boy” image. of … message, manifesto and machine”.
“[David Cameron] says one thing, but Based on its polling, the party should guardian.
time and again does another,” said Michael be on the side of aspiration or “strivers”, co.uk/
Dugher, Labour’s shadow minister for the said Montgomerie, but it must not be to politics
Cabinet Office. “He says those at the top the exclusion of those who cannot strive,
will need to pay more but he is the man in the economic sense at least.
weekly
National
≥
On the site
ws
Latest stage news, reviews and interviews
guardian.co.uk/theatre
Puppets in Dreamland from the man behind War Horse

is absolutely no sense in which we scholarly, said that the most difficult
Tom Morris co-directed the are aiming to be commercial – though thing about the play is that when it was
play with that giant horse, admittedly we thought that about War written, people believed in fairies. And
Horse,” he said from the stage of the Old now they don’t,” said Morris.
but that doesn’t mean his Vic, whose glorious 18th-century audi- From this precarious world, puppets
new work will be a big hit, torium has just been given a sparkling will emerge, in perhaps unexpected
refurbishment. “The jeopardy is the ways. “We have spent time asking how
he tells Charlotte Higgins same as it always is when you put on a primitive a puppet can be and still feel
show. It might be shit.” emotionally engaging,” said Morris.
Earlier this week Nicholas Hytner, the War Horse, he said, is “an interna- “So we experimented with using breeze
artistic director of the National thea- tional business, touring over the world blocks as puppets, really to eliminate
tre, made a joke, in a way that made and making a lot of money for the them, and actually found it very mov-
you sure of its underlying seriousness: National, and that’s fantastic; and the ing. That doesn’t mean there will be
“If we are ever slightly dubious about way Nick Hytner and [executive direc- breeze blocks in the show, but it has
whether a play will sell, we wonder if tor] Nick Starr are using that money to given us the confidence to be quite
there’s a part for Joey in it.” support the bold and risky work they are daring.” To replicate the kind of condi-
Joey is the equine puppet hero of War making is great. tions that War Horse was made under
Horse, the award-laden theatrical phe- “But it’s really important to under- – notably an extended period of relaxed
nomenon that’s playing to full houses stand that it was never designed to be experimentation – the Bristol Old Vic
at the West End and Broadway; has a commercial. War Horse was a stupid sought international co-producers to
UK tour in the offing; and is being pro- experiment – a stupid experiment with help with funds, including the Spoleto
duced in Berlin, Australia and Canada. a really exciting creative team who were festival in the US.
And aside from being a vast equine allowed to mess around in a rehearsal Morris was speaking between rehears-
model that causes grown men to weep, studio without rules or expectations, als for Does My Society Look Big in
Joey is simultaneously a lifesaver, a which is what we could do in the This?, a rough-and-ready political satire
golden bullet: the central character of National theatre studio [the institution’s that opens next week, using the same
a show whose proceeds are insulating system for developing new work]... Peo- company of actors who have inaugu-
the National theatre from the effects of ple will of course compare the new show rated the newly refurbished theatre with
government funding cuts. In 2011-12 the with War Horse. And of course it would Wild Oats, John O’Keeffe’s 18th-century
show earned the theatre £18m. be great if it did well, but it’s an experi- comedy. He believes the government
It was Tom Morris, then associ- mental project.” should be thinking differently about the
ate director of the National, who co- According to Morris, he and Hand- arts and culture. Through spending on
directed War Horse, a collaboration with spring directors Adrian Kohler and Basil the Cultural Olympiad and the Olym-
the South African puppet company Jones have been quietly waiting for the pic and Paralympic ceremonies, it has
Handspring. Now he is artistic director right project since War Horse opened actually spent more than any other on
of the Bristol Old Vic – with a budget of in 2007. “We even thought about culture in recent years, he argues – while
£3.3m, less than a fifth of War Horse’s doing another show with a big animal paradoxically forcing through cuts to
earnings last year. And, while the fruits in it, until we realised that would be the Arts Council England budget that
of his handiwork flow into the National’s ridiculous.” represent a “stupidly small saving” to
coffers, he has just announced his next The team is working out how the overall government budget while
collaboration with Handspring – a ver- to create a world so unstable and having “a disproportionate impact” on
sion of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, unpredictable that it makes sense, the arts.
to open in Bristol next March. within its own internal logic, Earlier this week, Hytner was also at
Could Dream be a hit to for the audience to believe pains to highlight that regional theatres
rival War Horse? Could it, that it might contain a are in “clear and present danger” follow-
in turn, ensure financial governing supernatural ing the cuts. Morris agrees. If things go
security for the Bristol force. “Michael Boyd, on as they are “regional theatres will be
Old Vic? Morris is keen the artistic director in real trouble”. He adds: “The damage
to dampen expec- of the RSC, whose Tom Morris hopes to recreate the magic that helped War Horse become a hit, but to theatres that don’t have our random
tations. “There approach is famously says the two plays are very different ventures Photograph: SWNS for the Guardian profile could be huge.”
12 * * * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012
National
Virgin Care challenged Fit for a king Lost crown remade
on children’s health bid

tract, worth more than £100m, has not yet
Choice of Branson firm to been signed. Bids by the NHS and charities
be disputed in high court with expertise in children’s services were
rejected. It has not been disclosed what
Mother says takeover is changes, if any, Virgin Care plans to make
to the services.
dangerous experiment The mother’s lawyers argue that the
council and NHS trust failed to comply
Diane Taylor with equalities legislation and their own
equality policy, including by not conduct-
ing an equality impact assessment. The
A mother is going to the high court on behalf lawyers are asking the court to declare
of her two children to challenge Sir Richard the decision to give Virgin Care preferred
Branson’s planned takeover of children’s bidder status unlawful.
health and social care services in Devon. About 27% of children in need in Devon
The action is the first of its kind and have disabilities, double the national aver-
raises questions about the way NHS and age. There is also a significant Traveller
social services are contracted out to pri- population, and both children and adults
vate companies. More than 4,000 children in this group experience poorer health
will be affected by the change, many of than any other group in England.
whom are extremely vulnerable. The mother’s solicitor, Adam Hundt,
The mother, who cannot be named for at Deighton Pierce Glynn, said the hand-
legal reasons, says her two children, aged over to the private sector was a “profound
nine and 13, both of whom receive treat- development”. Hundt said: “This involves
ment for mental health problems, could management changes, transfer of assets
be adversely affected by the planned take- from the public to the private sector,
over by Branson’s company Virgin Care. and introduction of a profit motive. The
The children have been receiving men- impact on accountability is not neutral.
tal health assistance after being exposed to Where vulnerable children are involved
violence and abuse from their father, who even greater care must be taken.”
is reported to be drug dependent. The fam- The mother said she was worried about
ily were forced to escape to safety and the protection of people’s rights, given that a
effect on the children has been severe. profit-making firm with no experience of
The mother said: “This is a dangerous children’s services was taking over. Maev Kennedy Royal, which reopens this month after thing from torn bedsheets to the crown
experiment with our children and their Rebecca Harriott, for NHS Devon, Ply- seven years of restoration work. and its 344 gems, including “nyne perles
future. If children don’t get the proper mouth and Torbay, said: “Both authorities The crown may have been made not all of one sorte and three Saphires”.
care and support at the time when they are continuing to progress the process to The lost crown of Henry VIII has been for Henry’s father, Henry VII, and was The inventories are evidence of how
need it, it could cause all kinds of prob- award a final contract and transfer staff recreated in minute detail, down to the used for the coronations of his children Henry remodelled the crown during his
lems later on which will be more expen- by 31 March 2013. The decision to work last pearl and thumbnail-sized enam- Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, and then reign to reinforce his new role as head
sive to sort out.” with Virgin follows an exhaustive ten- elled sculpture, almost 400 years after of James I and Charles I. A portrait of of the Church of England, substituting
Last month Devon county council and dering process that has involved a large the original was melted down by Oliver Charles I painted by Daniel Mytens in three kings for three small figures of
Devon primary care trust confirmed they number of parents, carers, professionals Cromwell’s government along with 1631 (below) is now in the National Christ, with a tiny image of the Virgin
had selected Virgin Care to take over the and young people as well as staff.” every scrap of royal regalia it could find. Portrait Gallery, where the crown’s and Child at the back.
running of services for children with A Virgin Care spokesman said: “We have The crown will be exhibited at Hamp- image served as evidence for the his- The materials, costing an undisclosed
disabilities, the children’s mental health a very strong track record of providing ton Court Palace, where Henry wore the torians recreating it. The king is shown five-figure sum, were paid for by HRP,
service, and school nurses and health NHS care to vulnerable groups including original on great occasions. It will be bare-headed by a velvet-draped table, and the hundreds of hours of labour,
visitors, from 1 April next year. The con- children for many years now.” displayed in the royal pew of the Chapel on which the object is shown in scrupu- faithfully following Tudor metalwork-
lous detail. ing techniques, were donated by Harry
In 1649 Charles was beheaded and Collins, who retired this year as crown
the crown was broken up at the Tower jeweller after completing the redisplay
of London. The gold went to the mint of the jewels in the Tower. He remains
for coinage and the jewels were sold in the Queen’s personal jeweller.
mixed packets like loose sweets. The gems and pearls in the recre-
Henry’s crown is first mentioned ated crown are real, but fortunately
as “the kingis crowne of golde” in for the HRP’s budget the Tudors
an inventory of his jewels written cared more about size and colour
in 1521. Kent Rawlinson and Aileen than flawless quality. Rock crystal
Peirce, historians on the staff of His- was substituted for the huge dia-
toric Royal Palaces (HRP), tracked it monds and gold-plated silver
through later inventories, includ- for the original three kilos of
ing the one made after Henry’s solid gold.
death in 1547 when every The recreated crown of
royal cupboard was Henry VIII goes on display
turned out to at Hampton Court Palace
record every- from 27 October.
In the frame
Photography
news, blogs
– and pictures
guardian.
co.uk/
photography
National
≥
guardian.co.uk/inpictures
Out with the zombies at the West
Sussex Shocktober Fest
PHOTOGRAPH: PETER MACDIARMID/GETTY IMAGES

Politics Dead reckoning Art artist: he enjoyed life, food, drinking and
socialising, said Ann Sumner, director of
Birmingham’s museums.
‘Plebs’ rant damaged Norwegian gets first UK “He fell in love and was rejected regu-
larly by his various amours. He’s just a
Tories, says minister show 170 years late fascinating character and the combination
of that and his wonderful paintings made
Andrew Mitchell’s alleged “plebs” His name, Thomas Fearnley, may be all me think he would make a very promising
outburst at Downing Street police Yorkshire but he was Norwegian and exhibition indeed.”
officers has been “very damaging” for some of his early 19th-century contem- Fearnley’s career may have been
the party, according to Philip Hammond, poraries believed he was as talented as hampered by his own nature. He was
the defence secretary. Turner. extremely sociable but as one friend in
Hammond said the Tory chief whip’s Now the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in London observed at the time: “He has
conduct had been inexcusable but the Birmingham is staging the first UK exhibi- many acquaintances here but he is too
party needed to move on. tion devoted to his paintings and career proud to ask for their patronage.”
He told the BBC1 Sunday Politics 170 years after his death. His jollity may have led to the impres-
programme: “Every time any individual It contends that he was a supremely tal- sion that he was not serious about his
slips up, steps out of line … commits an ented Romantic-era artist who deserves work, and dying young – aged 39 – did not
indiscretion, and they are a member of a to have more than the mere two works help his profile. The exhibition, In Front
party or organisation – of course that is now in British public collections – one at of Nature, the European Landscapes of
bound to reflect on that organisation.” the Barber, the other in the Fitzwilliam Thomas Fearnley, will be at the Barber
Mitchell apologised after police Visitors to the Shocktober Fest event at Turners Hill, West Sussex, which includes Museum in Cambridge. Institute from 19 October to 27 January.
alleged he swore repeatedly at officers an attempt to set a new Guinness world record for the most zombies in one place Fearnley was far from being a tortured Mark Brown
and called them plebs after they refused
to allow him to cycle through Downing
Street’s main gates. Although he dis-
putes the word attributed to him, he did
not attend the opening of the Conserva-
tive party conference in Birmingham
yesterday amid concerns his presence
would be a “distraction”. PA
Crime
Two arrested after boy,

12, killed in hit-and-run
Two people have been arrested after a
12-year-old boy died in a hit-and-run
incident involving a car that had just
been stopped by police. The boy, named
as Bilal Raffey Khizar, was on a crossing
in Bradford when he was hit by the red
Seat Ibiza at 7pm on Saturday.
West Yorkshire police said the
collision happened as the car made off
at speed after being stopped for a check.
It did not stop after the collision but
continued to the Chain Bar roundabout
on the M606, where it collided with two
other vehicles. The car was found in the
Wyke area of Bradford. Two people were
arrested overnight.
Det Supt Mark Ridley said: “This is a
tragedy for the family and they are abso-
lutely devastated. I am appealing to any-
one who saw the vehicle being driven,
or the incident, to get in contact. I need
the community to come forward and tell
me … what they have seen to help bring
justice to the family.” PA
Police
Liquid nitrogen in
teenager’s drink
A teenager has undergone emergency
surgery after drinking a cocktail contain-
ing liquid nitrogen, according to police.
The 18-year-old from Heysham in
Lancashire reported feeling breathless
after drinking the liquid during a night
out with friends on Thursday, Lanca-
shire police said in a brief statement.
She was taken to Lancaster Royal
Infirmary and diagnosed with a perfo-
rated stomach. Doctors removed a sec-
tion of her stomach, thought necessary
to save her life. The teenager was in a
serious but stable condition, police said.
A Lancashire police spokesman said
the force was working with other agen-
cies and the premises which sold the
drink. “The investigation is still in its
early stages and we are still interview-
ing witnesses to establish the full facts.
The premises involved have fully co-
operated with all agencies and have
suspended drinks involving liquid nitro-
gen.” Peter Walker
Post
Cheaper stamps offer

for people on benefits
Royal Mail today starts publicising a
scheme to sell Christmas stamps at last
year’s prices to people on benefits.
Customers who receive pension
credit, employment and support allow-
ance or incapacity benefit will be able to
buy 36 first- and second-class stamps at
2011 prices: 46p and 36p.
Stamp prices were increased to 60p
and 50p in April.
The scheme will be launched on
6 November, but leaflets will be sent
to every home in Britain this week
explaining who is eligible.
Stephen Agar, Royal Mail’s director of
regulated business, said: “Royal Mail is
pleased to be introducing this scheme
to help our customers who are on these
benefits and facing extremely tight
budgets this Christmas purchase first-
and second-class stamps.” PA
National
Signs of the times: deaf community minds its language

Other signs have not changed: all DCal, said the project was the first to
Sign language survey British signers put their fist to their document changes in BSL. “The changes
finds younger people have forehead with a finger pointing straight are exactly like the changes to spoken
up, mimicking the shape of a Prussian English,” she said. “There are all sorts
dropped offensive usages spiked helmet, to refer to Germans. of words we used to refer to people 30
The three-year BSL Corpus project years ago that we’ve stopped using. The
Amelia Hill filmed almost 250 deaf people from difference is that the change in BSL has
eight cities across the UK to find how been very rapid because it wasn’t until
changes in society had affected the deaf people were able to see each other
Political correctness has caught up with signs they used for 102 key concepts. over the internet that they were able to
Britain’s deaf community. It is no longer The findings have been presented at a communicate with anyone who wasn’t
acceptable to sign a slanted eye when series of peer-previewed conferences standing in front of them and see how
talking about the Chinese or to mime both in the UK and internationally. But foreign signers referred to themselves.
a hook nose when referring to Jewish the discovery that BSL has become more “The younger deaf community
people. The flick of a limp wrist is now culturally sensitive, with signs for coun- doesn’t use these old signs because of a
an offensive signal for homosexuals. A tries changing more quickly than signs clear process of political correctness, in
finger pointing to an imaginary spot in for any other group, has caused the deaf the same way that the hearing commu-
the middle of a forehead is no longer ap- community concern. nity no longer calls gay people ‘pansies’
propriate as the sign for India. “We are nervous about this being or ‘queer’,” she said. “But what the
The first UK-wide survey into how seen as another example of political cor- hearing community doesn’t understand
British sign language (BSL) is used by rectness because the changes are more about sign language is that even though
deaf people of different ages has found a about evolution rather than dictat of
some body that approves language,”
seismic shift has taken place in the signs
used by different generations. said Gwilym Morris, from the deafness
‘We are nervous about
For deaf people aged between 16 and
30, the only culturally sensitive way to
cognition and language research centre
(DCal) at University College London.
this being seen as
indicate China is to draw the right hand Funded by the Economic and Social another example of
from the signer’s heart horizontally Research Council, the research is the
across their chest, then down towards first national web-based and publicly ac- political correctness’
the hip, indicating the shape of a Mao cessible BSL corpus. It is one of the few
jacket. large sign language projects ever under- Sign language evolves the traditional signs are now considered
Their sign for a Jewish man or woman taken and only the second, after one in offensive, they are not producing a real-
is a hand resting against the chin and the Netherlands, to have video data on- life insult when they are used because
making a short movement down, in line. The research is being used to create Gay Chinese Jewish they are not just visual representations
the shape of a beard. A gay person is the first online dictionary and reference Place forefinger and thumb in a Trace a line with finger across Place whole hand on chin. Pull of a concept.”
indicated with an upright thumb on one source for BSL grammar. pinch position on chin. Pull hand the chest and down one side of hand down in a stroking manner, But, said Woll, just as with spoken
down off chin, twice the body twice
hand in the palm of the other, wobbling Dr Kearsy Cormier led the three and words, some deaf sub-communities are
from side to side. India is a mime of the a half year project. “It will also help us reclaiming signs considered offensive
triangular shape of the subcontinent. to better understand regional variation, for anyone outside their immediate
Only older British signers still refer such as different signs for green or for group to use. “Gay deaf people use the
to France by mimicking the twirling of a the number six and the change in vo-
x2 x2 old sign for gay, and disabled deaf peo-
moustache. Younger users of BSL mimic cabulary and grammar of BSL, such as ple use the traditional sign for disabled,
a cockerel’s comb – a symbol of France. new signs for sleep or China,” she writes even though no one from outside that
Other signs have changed despite on the website. group who was socially sensitive would
there being no offensive connotations. “It will help relate those changes to use those signs any more,” said Woll.
The new sign for Ireland mimics the social factors, such as a signer’s regional Most significant, said Woll, is the sign
plucking of a harp, for example, while background, age or social class – a topic for deaf. “They have reclaimed the word
the traditional sign, opening one’s fin- of some debate in the British deaf com- because for them, it doesn’t mean they
gers from an O shape to a U, was said to munity.” can’t hear: it means they’re part of a
derive from the shape of shamrocks. Professor Bencie Woll, director of community, with its own identity.”
Section:GDN BE PaGe:16 Edition Date:121008 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 5/10/2012 18:11 mono
International
International editor: Charlie English
Telephone: 020 3353 3577 Fax: 020 3353 3195
Email: international@guardian.co.uk
Follow our coverage on Twitter: guardianworld
Tension, unease and AK47s on the streets

as Venezuelans flock to the voting booths
An uneasy peace
Voters line up outside a Caracas
polling station yesterday as
Venezuela’s presidential election
began. Henrique Capriles (pictured
below right) is taking on Hugo Chávez
Photograph: Jorge Silva/Reuters
← continued from page 1 difficult. There is a good candidate this the opposition to do the same. “I call was marked with indelible purple ink so happens outside the voting booths. The
year who has put up a fight against on all political actors from the left, right they could not return to vote a second opposition has lodged 110 complaints
suggested the president would be re- the president,” said Plajeres Rangel, a and centre for us to prepare emotionally time. “This system is 100% fraud-proof alleging abuses of election laws by the
elected, albeit by a margin well below 35-year-old hairdresser, who said secu- to accept tomorrow’s result. It won’t be and has been recognised as such by y out- Chávez campaign, mostly relating to his
his previous landslide victories. But the rity was one of her main concerns. the end of the world for anybody,” he side political institutions,” said Luis
uis domination of airtime on public broad-
large number of undecided voters gave Commune leaders said Chavez said in a televised address . Guillermo Piedra, of the National casting outlets and use of funds, staff
late momentum to Capriles. maintained a solid core of support, but Analysts fear a narrow win for either Electoral Council. and other resources from state-owned
With Venezuela sitting on the they acknowledged gains made by the side could spark accusations of fraud Former US president Jimmy enterprises. They also feared
fea that armed
world’s largest oil reserves and Chávez Capriles campaign. “This area is strongly and street violence. This has put the Carter has described the system ass militias put pressure on voters
v before
a leading figure in the resurgence of pro-Chávez, but the opposition has voting system under intense scrutiny, superior to that of the US. His Carter
er they went to the polls, though
th there
the political left in Latin America, the made inroads. They’ve been campaign- but it appears robust. External observers have been no reports of this to date.
vote will have an impact on the global ing here for the first time and they’ve and domestic analysts have lauded the
economy, energy supplies and regional come out on to the streets, which they procedure as one of the most sophisti-
‘I call on all actors to
o “I’ll stay at home tonight
ton
safe. If there is a clo
to keep
close result, there
geopolitics.
But for most of the country’s almost
didn’t do before,” said José Roberto
Duque, a journalist at a community
cated in the world.
Voters first registered themselves by
accept the result. It might be trouble,” said
Jesus Gallardo,
Ga a shop-
19 million voters, the key concerns are radio station. inputting their name, national identity won’t be the end of the keeper who
w serves his
the alarming rise in the murder rate, the “I’m here with my family to share a number and thumbprint using a con- customers
custome through
redistribution of oil wealth, and the per- stellar moment for Bolivian socialist sole. They then cast an electronic vote world for anybody’ steel ba
bars. He said he
sonality and health of the man who has democracy,” said Noel Marquez, the for their preferred party candidate on a voted
vote for Chávez,
led them for the past 13 years. director of a revolutionary music collec- touchscreen. Their vote entered the cen- Centre, based in Atlanta, Georgia, has but
bu added that
In the 23 de Enero neighbourhood tive and composer of some of Castro’s tral counting system and was printed so noted that many Venezuelans are con- he
h understands
where Chávez casts his vote, the strong campaign jingles. “This is a country that they could confirm it was recorded cerned a new electronic voting system
tem why
w the race
revolutionary spirit is evident in elabo- that is deeply committed to democracy. properly before that hard copy was might enable authorities to tell how
w has
h been tighter
rate wall murals depicting Karl Marx, the We have a trustworthy voting system, put in a ballot box, more than half the they voted, exposing them to retalia-
lia- this
t time.
Paris communes, Fidel Castro and – of but the opposition have plans to distort contents of which would later be cross- tion if they voted against Chávez. “This “Many
“ people
course – Hugo Chávez. things. They have created a climate of checked with the electronic data to concern has no basis, however,” thehe are
a unhappy
But the surge in murder and violent uncertainty, but the people will defend ensure the system had not been hacked. centre said. “The software of the vot- because
b of
crime have tempted some voters here the vote.” Voters then had to sign a form to con- ing machines guarantees the secrecy cy of insecurity
in
to consider alternatives. “My vote is On the eve of the vote, Chávez said firm they had cast a vote. Before they the vote.” and
an failed
a secret because the situation is quite he would accept any outcome and urged left, the little finger on their left hand There is less certainty about what
at promises.”
pro
Poverty, prison, then presidential palace

1954 Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is born 1992 Chávez and other disillusioned offic- links with his hero Fidel Cas- mona, but within days sacks movement sees him welcomed abroad. In
to impoverished teacher parents
arents near ers begin to plot against the govern- tro in Cuba, and visits the US, him, opting instead to swear London, he is greeted by the mayor, Ken
Sabaneta, a small town in south-western authorities are alerted and
ment. The auth meeting Kofi Annan at the UN in Chávez’s vice-president, Livingstone.
Venezuela. He is the secondnd of six sur- the renegades are either killed or and throwing the first pitch at Diosdado Cabello, who in
2009 Chávez is able to stand for president
viving children, all boys. jailed. a New York Mets game. Back turn instructs soldiers loyal to
indefinitely, instead of being limited to
home his party begins to frame a Chávez to release him. After a
1971 A local historian, José
é Esteban Ruiz 1998 Relea
Released from jail, he casts two terms. Critics accuse him of muzzling
new constitution to strengthen his two-day coup, Chávez is back in the
Guevara, talks to Chávez about
bout himself aas a leftist firebrand, the press as well as his opponents to get
powers. presidential palace.
history and politics. Chávezz wins founding the Movement of
foundi the law passed.
a place at Venezuela’s military
tary Fifth Republic. Chávez
the Fi 2000 A presidential election is held 2004 Chávez lavishes funds on social pro-
academy. He graduates five e wins 56% of the vote in under the new constitution, which gives grammes, such as literacy and healthcare, 2011 Chávez reveals he is being treated for
years later with a reputation
on as election and becomes
the e Chávez a six-year term, despite some thanks to the money flowing from nation- cancer and later undergoes an
an unruly student. president.
pres unease about his reputed autocratic alised oil companies. The populist meas- operation in Cuba, which
leadership. ures are welcomed by Chávez supporters aides say went well.
1976 Chávez joins the Venezue-
ezue- 1999 With approval rat-
199
(chavistas) and help him survive a national June 2012 Chávez
lan army, rising to the rank
k of ings
ing touching 80%, “El 2002 Opposition grows over his radical
referendum called by the opposition, who delights his sup-
lieutenant colonel. However, er, Com
Co andante”, as he has programme, leading a million people to
say he is not fit for office. porters by danc-
in time he begins to feel con-
on- come
co to be known, sets take to the streets. The protesters clash
tempt for the military, seeing
ing about
ab implementing with the military, which sparks a chain 2006 Chávez triumphs in the polls again, ing on stage as he
it as an instrument of a corrupt
rrupt his social revolution by of events including the arrest of Chávez winning a third presidential term, this announces his bid for
government. redistributing
red the coun- by his own soldiers. The military then time with 63% of the vote. His reputation another presidential
try’s
try wealth. He forges appoints an interim president, Pedro Car- as a champion of the anti-US imperialism term.
International
Rebels gain autonomy Head start Hat tricks at Longchamp Rwandans being
tortured, finds
in Philippine peace deal Amnesty report
October, sets out the broad outlines for
Agreement to establish a new region called Bangsamoro, which
David Smith Kigali
new region in Mindanao would enjoy considerable autonomy, with
Manila retaining control over defence, for- Scores of civilians in Rwanda have alleg-
120,000 people killed eign policy and broad macro-economic edly been tortured into making false
policy. The MILF will be tasked with help- confessions after being detained illegally
in 40 years of conflict ing create a “basic law” for the region. without charge or trial, an investigation by
In 2008 the supreme court decreed Amnesty International has found.
Sunshine Lichauco de Leon Manila another agreement unconstitutional, Former detainees claimed they were
beginning a wave of clashes that displaced subjected to electric shocks, severe beat-
Peter Walker
750,000 people. There is also the possibil- ings and sensory deprivation while being
ity of disruption from hardline groups. held at a military camp and a secret net-
One of the world’s bloodier but least The MILF came into being in the 1980s, work of safe houses in the capital, Kigali,
known internal conflicts could finally when another group, the Moro National according to Amnesty.
end after the president of the Philippines Liberation Front, agreed on autonomy The report is the latest blow to Presi-
announced a groundbreaking deal with rather than independence. The MILF’s dent Paul Kagame’s battered reputation
a Muslim rebel group that has spent 40 main negotiator said the 11,000-strong following allegations of persecuting oppo-
years battling for independence. group’s fighters would not lay down their nents, gagging media and arming rebels in
Benigno Aquino said his government arms until the agreement was finalised. the neighbouring Democratic Republic of
and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front However, the head government nego- the Congo. International donors have par-
(MILF) had come to a framework agree- tiator, Marvic Leonen, said the MILF tially suspended aid but Britain is under
ment under which the insurgents would leadership appeared “principled but prag- mounting pressure to go further.
abandon their armed battle and work on matic”. He added: “Of course, there are Amnesty’s report – Rwanda: Shrouded
establishing an autonomous region in a other armed groups on the ground but the in Secrecy, Illegal Detention and Torture
mainly Muslim part of Mindanao, one of agreement also has a section on how there by Military Intelligence – asserts a pat-
the island groups that form the predomi- can be co-operation between government tern of unlawful detention, enforced
nantly Catholic country. and MILF troops to maintain peace in the disappearances and allegations of torture
Negotiations have run intermittently area. There has been a ceasefire between carried out by operatives from a military
for 15 years in an attempt to end the con- the MILF and the government and, as far intelligence unit known as J2.
flict, which has killed more than 120,000 as we know, this year there have been zero Most of the detainees were rounded
people, displaced around 2 million and skirmishes between them.” up by the military from March 2010
crippled development in the south. Kristian Herbolzheimer, Philippines onwards after a series of deadly grenade
When the bloodshed has been reported programme director for Conciliation attacks in Kigali and in the runup to the
internationally, the media have focused Resources, a London-based NGO that was 2010 election, which Kagame won with
on Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist split-off from part of international efforts to assist the 93% after two of his main challengers
the MILF, which has kidnapped and some- talks, said: “This is probably the biggest were jailed.
times beheaded western tourists and mis- milestone of the last 15 years of negotia- Amnesty said it had conducted more
sionaries, as well as local Christians. tions. At the same time, of course, it’s not than 70 interviews and documented 45
In a televised announcement following the end point … In Mindanao, of course, cases of unlawful detention and 18 alle-
lengthy talks in Malaysia, Aquino said the there have been several ‘final’ agreements gations of torture or ill-treatment at Kami
agreement “paves the way for final and which did not end the conflict.” and Mukamira military camps and in safe
enduring peace in Mindanao”. He added: Both sides made significant conces- houses in Kigali.
“This means that the hands that once held sions, he said: the MILF in agreeing to Rwandan officials dismissed the find-
rifles will be put to use tilling land, sell- autonomy rather than independence and ings. Alphonse Hitiyaremye, the country’s
ing produce, manning work stations and the government conceding that a frame- deputy prosecutor general, told Amnesty:
opening doorways of opportunity.” work for greater self-government had to A fine display of millinery at Longchamp in Paris for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe “There is no torture in our country and we
The deal, to be formally signed on 15 be shaped by the rebel group. yesterday Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty can’t investigate on a false allegation.”
International
Khan’s fight against US drone attacks hits a roadblock

Indignities and discomforts are noth-
Late decision to abandon ing new to the mostly middle-aged and
tribal belt mission triggers female activists of Code Pink, some
of whom have been arrested while
claims of electioneering campaigning against US drone strikes.
But being trapped on a bus travelling
towards Pakistan’s tribal areas proved
Jon Boone Dera Ismail Khan too much even for the most hardened
of campaigners. “We had only one toilet
break in nine hours,” said Medea Ben-
Makeshift roadblocks, security threats jamin, leader of the 35-strong team of
and warnings from Pakistan’s army Americans who had agreed to join Khan
forced Imran Khan to abandon his on the march.
unprecedented attempt to lead a To add to their miseries, their mind-
cavalcade of anti-drone protesters deep ers urged them to stay behind the cur-
into the country’s restive tribal belt tains of their bus – emblazoned on its
yesterday. side with huge images of people killed
Leading a convoy of thousands, the by drone strikes – throughout much
former cricketer was within striking of the journey, particularly in many of
distance of South Waziristan, where
the CIA uses remote-controlled planes
in the fight against Islamist militants,
when he abruptly turned back.
Later Khan said he had changed plan
For him [Imran Khan]
because of warnings from the army and this is not just about
the risk of becoming stuck after the
military-imposed curfew. drones, it is about
Addressing an impromptu rally of
his supporters, he said the convoy had
popularity and elections
still been a huge success because he had
gone to areas his political rivals “can
only look at on maps”.
“We want to give a message to Amer- Pakistani and American citizens to the edge of the tribal agency. “We would be no attempt to enter the tribal the areas affected by militant groups.
ica that the more you carry out drone protest in Islamabad against US drone had to get to South Waziristan. For him areas and that instead a rally would be “It was hard for these people because
attacks, the more people will hate you,” attacks. Below, Imran Khan addresses this is not just about drones, it is about held in the town of Tank. they are protesters and they wanted to
Khan told the crowd. But after two days supporters yesterday after the convoy popularity and elections.” By midday it was decided to push on get out there,” said Shahzad Akbar, a
of travel, the U-turn seemed to surprise halted Main photograph: AP Some have also questioned the rel- regardless, apparently out of a desire lawyer who was looking after the group.
some, including a senior party official evance of Kotkai, the town in South not to disappoint the throngs who had “But there’s no way we are going to let
who got out of his car on the heat-baked Waziristan where Khan hoped to hold joined along the road from the capital, them get out in some of those towns!”
roadside surrounded by y arid scrubland his rally, to the drone debate. Most Islamabad. That was despite the all-too Billed as a protest against drone
and declared he had no o idea what was drone attacks now take place in North evident disapproval of authorities who strikes, which Khan and his supporters
going on. Waziristan, and Pakistani army efforts to had placed shipping containers across claim kill large numbers of innocent
Others expressed anger,
ger, saying Khan wrest control from militants have forced the road at three different points. civilians as well as flouting Pakistan’s
was more interested in using the event many of Kotkai’s residents to leave. The vehicles, including buses sovereignty, the procession had the feel
to burnish his popularity
ty before a The abandonment of the much-pub- crammed with supporters waving the of a political rally on wheels. Many of
general election due at some point licised attempt to reach Kotkai was the red and green flag of Khan’s political the vehicles eschewed anti-drone slo-
in the next six months. “I am very second sudden change of plan on the party, ground to a halt as throngs of pro- gans and instead carried pictures of PTI
disappointed,” said Khalil
alil Khan same day. Earlier Khan had appeared to testers worked to push the obstacles out politicians anxious to be included on the
Dawar, an oil industry worker reassure a largely female delegation of of the way, in one instance destroying a party’s official ticket in the upcoming
who had travelled all day
ay to get the US peace group Code Pink that there small building in the process. elections.
20 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 21
Eyewitness 8.10.2012 London
Under the hammer

Gallery technicians hanging a picture
by Gerhard Richter at Sotheby’s
at the start of London Frieze week
yesterday. The artwork – estimated
to fetch £9m-12m – is from Eric
Clapton’s collection and has not been
seen by the public since he bought
it. Clapton paid £2.2m for the three-
painting series in 2001 Photograph:
Linda Nylind for the Guardian
20 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 21
Eyewitness 8.10.2012 London
Under the hammer

Gallery technicians hanging a picture
by Gerhard Richter at Sotheby’s
at the start of London Frieze week
yesterday. The artwork – estimated
to fetch £9m-12m – is from Eric
Clapton’s collection and has not been
seen by the public since he bought
it. Clapton paid £2.2m for the three-
painting series in 2001 Photograph:
Linda Nylind for the Guardian
US election
Even Obama’s true

believers are struggling
to keep the faith
In 2008 they cheered him to the White House. But
what do the Democrat faithful make of the presidentt
now? Aditya Chakrabortty reports from Pittsburgh h
C
all them the believers. tion: are you personally better off now were a whole host of other crises: the
The three people who than you were four years ago? A pen- bombed-out housing market, the out-
gathered at a Pittsburgh sioner, Trump frets about how younger of-control finance sector, the depend-
cafe on a sunny morn- members of her family will fare in the ence on imported fossil fuels.
ing last month weren’t jobs market. Beeton mentions his part- Then there was the economic model
merely supporters of ner, Amy, and how her business as a which many, including researchers at
Barack Obama back in professional fundraiser has got tougher. the IMF , argue gave rise to the sub-
2008 – they were inves- Such anxieties are perhaps the com- prime crisis: a country in which cheap
tors in him, full of hope for what his mon currency of life amid a slump, but credit had substituted for real improve-
presidency might deliver. Gerhardt’s story gives some idea of just ments in workers’ pay and conditions.
Iraqi war veteran Helen Gerhardt what devastation this one has caused. Obama believers would have put fixing
got to meet the then-candidate, and Finishing a postgraduate degree, she that one near the top of their list.
bend his ear about the Middle East. Her left the University of Pittsburgh last There was never a hope that the Crisis
election day was spent driving African- summer loaded down with student debt President could accomplish all of those.
Americans to polling stations: “We had and unable to land anything more than What dismays activists and economists
the music up, and we were partying all alike is how little progress he has made:
the way there. It was one of the biggest the big banks remain supersized, the
highs of my life.” ‘I can’t tell you how housing market has largely been left to
Rosemary Trump and Dan Beeton heal itself. Nearly four years later, the
went to the presidential inauguration betrayed I feel. The best that can be said is that he’s over-
in January 2009. They make it sound seen an agonisingly slow recovery.
like a cross between an outdoor rock people who wrecked This is still better than Britain.
concert and a particularly weepy wed- America’s jobless rate stands at 7.8% –
ding: 1.8 million strangers tearfully our economy have below the UK’s 8.1%. And while the UK’s
hugging each other on the Mall. Trump annual national income is still about 5%
petitioned her congressman for tickets; been let off the hook’ below its 2008 level, the US has made
trekked to her sister’s place in Maryland; back all its lost GDP – and then some.
got up at 4am to schlep into Washing- Helen Gerhardt, ex-campaigner Yet even the $1.25tn spent by the
ton; legged over security barriers to get Democrats on tax cuts, infrastructure
nearer the action and remained on her spending and social security (not to figures notched up under Obama this crat nomination: “Before you ask, I’ve
feet till 7pm. Trump is 64. a part-time job. A badly dented Chevy mention the hundreds of billions year are easily as low as those of Jimmy already given my campaign contribu-
Beeton remembers peering at a giant served as her home until just over a pumped into the markets by the US Carter and George Bush Sr when they tion. It was a cheque for two cents.”
screen showing Bush and Cheney: “I month ago, when family took over the central bank) has not been big enough, went for re-election – and lost. With the cheque (which Obama’s
thought: ‘At last, they’re gone!’” Trump loans and a friend put her up in an attic. given the size of the black hole. As Mark “With an economy as bad as this, team cashed), Ferlo sent a letter giv-
bursts into Happy Days Are Here Again Obama is the very definition of a crisis Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Ana- Obama would normally lose the elec- ing his two-cents-worth, accusing his
and asks: “How would you ever dupli- leader, winning an election just weeks lytics, says: “Government stimulus has tion,” says Dean Baker at the Center for former ally of “flip-flopping” on every-
cate that moment?” after the collapse of Lehman Brothers allowed us to motor out of a depression, Economic and Policy Research. “And thing from healthcare to the suspension
Ask how enthusiastic they feel this and George Bush’s panicky warning but it’s not been enough for the econ- were he facing anyone less useless than of habeas corpus. Then there’s the cash
time and the responses are far more that “this sucker could go down”. His omy to achieve real velocity.” Romney – Reagan, Dubya, anyone – he from the stimulus package: “The White
muted. Former Democrat campaigner job was to sort out the crisis. There’s This leaves much of Obama’s base no almost certainly would lose.” House made getting that money so
Gerhardt is furious: “I can’t tell you just one problem with that: crises have richer. Strip out inflation, and wages for bureaucratic and cumbersome.”
how betrayed I feel. The people on Wall many causes and symptoms – which the typical American worker are pretty A tale of two bridges What irked him most was something
Street who have wrecked our economy should the president focus on? Even as much the same as they were five years Even that judgment isn’t as harsh as the most analysts in Washington barely talk
have been let off the hook, while if Obama was taking the oath of office, the ago. The trend in recent presidential one delivered by Jim Ferlo, the Penn- about: the administration’s insistence
you’re caught with a gram of marijuana economy’s freefall was accelerating – so elections has been for incumbents to be sylvania state senator covering most on projects being “shovel-ready”, with
you’re sent to jail.” that by October of his first year, one in re-elected. Yet according to the pollsters of Pittsburgh and an early supporter paperwork already settled in order to
What about Reagan’s famous ques- 10 workers was out of a job. Beyond that at Pew, the dismal consumer confidence of Obama in his battle for the Demo- qualify for the stimulus cash. To prove
the cost of that, Ferlo shows me two
bridges a short drive from his office.
One was built with Obama’s dollars:
a dinky footbridge that enables Pitts-
burgh’s “granola heads” to walk over to
a branch of the ultra-expensive Whole
Foods. A small job, it was ready to go
when the stimulus package landed in
2009. Two minutes up the road is a big-
ger vehicular bridge that’s “unsafe at
any speed”. Rebuilding that would have
been far more useful, but the Is and Ts
were not dotted and crossed in time.
By Ferlo’s account, there are several
thousand failed bridges, locks and dams
across Pennsylvania that could have
benefited from Obama money.
The curious thing about all this
grumbling is how out of place it seems
in Pittsburgh, which appears to be that
rare thing: a city that has found a post-
industrial afterlife, suffering much less
from unemployment than the country
as a whole. What was a steel town is
now dominated by “eds and meds”:
universities and healthcare.
Involved in local politics for
or over a
quarter of a century, Ferlo can
an take as
much credit for this turnaroundund as any-
one else. But in his complaints
nts about
the lack of good blue collar jobs
obs and
grumbling about free trade, he fits the
profile of so many Obama believers,
lievers,
who wanted his leader to do more
than just keep a broken systemem
upright. Just after the 2008 elec-
tion, TIME put Obama on its front
cover, digitally manipulated to look
like America’s last great crisiss leader,
Franklin Roosevelt. “The New w New
Deal” read the strapline, referring
erring
to FDR’s reshaping of the economy.
onomy.
This mood infected the incomingming
team.
In The Escape Artists: How w
Obama’s Team Fumbled the
Recovery, Noam Scheiber
recounts a conversation
between president-elect and d
Tim Geithner, his chosen Treas-
eas-
≥
Eyewitness Road to the White Housee
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n
images guardian.co.uk/eyewitnessapp
Vice-presidential debate
Biden will come at me like

a cannonball, says Ryan
Moment of hope Karen McVeigh New York dismissed 47% of Americans as welfare-
It is thought that more than a takers who believed they are victims, nor
million people went to watch the of his record at Bain Capital.
inauguration of Barack Obama in US vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden is expected to go after his oppo-
Washington DC in January 2009. Four Biden and Paul Ryan are preparing for nent’s key arguments on taxes, entitle-
years on, voters are disillusioned but their televised debate on Thursday in ment reform and deficit reduction.
Obama remains ahead in the polls the knowledge that a strong performance Ryan also has a tough job ahead of
Photograph: Chris Usher/EPA during last week’s head-to-head from Mitt him. At 42, he has 14 years in Congress to
Romney has closed the gap with President Biden’s almost four decades and has never
Barack Obama to just two points. debated at a national level. He stands to
Polls over the weekend suggest that the prove himself as Romney’s running mate,
White House incumbent has maintained while defending his position on taxes.
an advantage in the race, but one that Analysts predict that both men will
has been severely eaten into following a stick to the issues they have discussed
lacklustre performance at the inaugural on the campaign trail, while fleshing out
debate. An Ipsos/Reuters snapshot of some of the differences between them.
voter intention put Obama ahead on 47% However, they have an additional
to Romney’s 45%. dimension to consider – not eclipsing
Already, the Ryan camp has sought to the boss. Alan Schroeder, a Northeastern
manage predictions. Ryan told reporters University journalism professor, said in
last week he expected Biden to come at
him like a “cannonball”, while Reince Republican Paul
Priebus, chairman of the Republican Ryan faces a tough
National Committee, said yesterday that test against Joe
he expected the Wisconsin congressman Biden, who is a tal-
to do well, but noted that Biden is a talented orator – but
ented debater. also has a reputa-
“Paul is a smart guy. He has commit- tion for gaffes
ted his life to understanding the problems
of our economy,” Priebus said on CNN’s the Courier-Journal in Kentucky: “The
State of the Union. He said he thought vice-presidential candidates have to be a
Ryan would do a great job, but Biden little careful about not getting in front of
was a gifted orator and “very good at the news and not getting in front of their
rhetoric”. top-of-the-ticket partners.”
The two men will face off for the first Biden, who has a reputation for gaffes,
time on the public stage in Danville, Ken- told reporters last week that he had been
tucky, and the stakes are high. Biden, studying Ryan’s position on the key issues
69, who has served in the Senate for 36 carefully. “I just want to make sure that
years and run for president twice, is under when I say these things, I don’t have the
pressure to make up some of the ground congressman saying, ‘No no no, I don’t
Obama lost on Wednesday. have that position,’” Biden said.
There was surprise that Obama did not Ryan got his criticism in early, saying:
employ attacks he has previously used “He’ll be in full attack mode, and I don’t
to good effect. There was no mention of think he’ll let any inconvenient facts get
Romney’s ill-advised quip in which he in his way.”
ury secretary. “Your signature accom-
plishment is going to be averting a Great
Depression,” Geithner tells Obama who ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
replies: “That’s not enough for me.”
guardian.co.uk/usa
The young ones
This election campaign has been much Video In our series of video Interactive Whose votes
more focused on this or that gaffe and reports, Gary Younge talks will make the difference in
these or those figures than on such
political dreaminess. The disenchant-
to the folks of Roanoke, the battleground states?
ment is evident not just in the sour- Virginia, to see
which way they are The Latino vote Follow
ness of the campaign rhetoric, but also
in how putative voters describe their leaning, four years our new series on the
choices. Across town from Ferlo’s office, after he last visited group most likely to
at Carnegie Mellon University, I asked a the town influence future
class of first-year undergraduates how elections
they would vote. The majority plumped
for Obama, but with no great zeal.
“People were more enthusiastic last
★★★★★★ ★★★★★★
time around,” noted Myles Blodnick,
listlessly. “They used a lot of buzz-
words.” What worried the class more
was the debt they were getting into – in
Blodnick’s case $20,000 just to start his
first term. Nor will they necessarily earn
the money to pay it all back.
At the Tin Front Cafe, I spoke to Mike
and Steffi Stout and their 23-year-old
daughter, Maura. The parents had also
been to the inauguration (“It was like a
new world opened up; just for an after-
noon,” said Steffi), and could list ways
in which the Obama administration had
helped them keep their printers’ busi-
ness afloat. What worried them far more
was what lay ahead for Maura, just a
couple of years out of college.
“Maybe four people out of my
class have got good jobs,” reckoned
Maura. By class, she meant her entire
year’s intake of 500 graduates. Her
former roommates worked in fast-
fashion shops, “and they got really good
grades”; her graduate husband, Mike,
grad
had still not got a job so worked in his
dad’s
dad construction business.
Maura had recently got a new post,
looking
loo after accounts at a hotel. The
advertised
ad pay was $13 an hour, but
the manager added a dollar an hour “so
you can tell your mother you got a dollar
for ggoing to college”. That made $14 an
hour,
hou which her father calculated was
the same as he earned as a steel worker
in 1978 – and that’s without adding four
decades
de of inflation.
In his inauguration address, Obama
told Trump and Beeton and the Stouts
and hundreds of thousands of others
that a nation couldn’t prosper long
“when it favours only the prosperous”.
“wh
Such
S optimism wasn’t for Maura: “I
don’t think I’m ever going to earn as
don
much as my parents. I don’t think my
muc
husband and I will ever have the same
hus
life as they did.”
Gary
Ga Younge, page 29 ≥
International
Libya
King of the castle Catalan human tower competition
unopposed by Democrats as Georgia
representative in November, made the
comments during a speech at a baptist
Congress votes to oust church last month. A videoclip of the
DAVID RAMOS/GETTY IMAGES

event has been posted on YouTube.
newly elected PM Broun, a doctor, said that “as a sci-
entist” he had found data that showed
Libya’s national congress passed a vote the Earth was no older than 9,000 years
of no confidence yesterday, dismiss- and was created in six days. Mainstream
ing the newly elected prime minister, science holds that it is 4.5bn years old.
Mustafa Abushagur. The result came Broun said that theories about the ori-
minutes after Abushagur named 10 new gins of the universe and evolution repre-
ministers to run the country for the next sent “lies to try and keep me and all the
six months, and days after he was forced folk that were taught that from under-
to withdraw his previous cabinet after standing that they need a saviour”.
protests. Meredith Griffanti, his spokeswoman,
Abushagur had been elected by the told the Athens Banner-Herald in Geor-
assembly on 12 September but had gia: “Dr Broun was speaking off the
struggled to form a government that record to a large church group about his
satisfied all Libyans. Protesters who personal beliefs on religious issues.”
believed their town was underrepre- But his comments may prove an
sented stormed the national assembly embarrassment to colleagues on the
on Thursday as it prepared to scrutinise House committee on science, space and
the prime minister-elect’s nominations. technology. The congressional body
Up to 150 demonstrators from the west- was subjected to scrutiny this summer
ern town of Zawiyah marched into the over remarks made by Todd Akin, the
hall where congress meets, forcing the representative for Missouri. He sparked
cancellation of a session to study the outrage by suggesting that it was “really
nominations. rare” for rape to result in pregnancy.
“After we heard the list, everyone in Matt Williams New York
Zawiyah was angry,” said Nuri Shambi,
who travelled 30 miles to the capital,
Tripoli, to voice his anger. “Abushagur France
said he would form a coalition govern-
ment and would look at experience.
Zawiyah proposed candidates for oil
Security increased after A young competitor descends after taking part in a ‘human towers’ competiton in Tarragona yesterday. Teams compete in
the traditional Catalan event to build the highest and most complex tower View the gallery at guardian.co.uk/inpictures ≥
minister, but he’s brought in someone attacks on Jewish sites
who is not well known.”
Abushagur is Libya’s first elected France increased security at Jewish reli- what the state prosecutor described as Korea capability inferior to that of the North
prime minister after last year’s over- gious sites yesterday after blank shots a suspected radical Islamist cell. The and put key military sites out of range.
throw and killing of Muammar Gaddafi. were fired at a synagogue west of Paris main target was a 33-year-old man in Under a new deal between Seoul and
Agencies and police arrested 11 people on suspi-
cion of being part of an Islamist jihad-
Strasbourg whose DNA was found on a
grenade used in a daylight attack on a
Deal gives South access the US, the South can have ballistic
missiles with a range of up to 800km
United States ist cell. François Hollande held talks Jewish kosher grocery store in Sarcelles, to longer-range missiles to cope with the North’s nuclear and
with Jewish community leaders at the north of Paris, last month, in which missile threats. The deal also will allow
Elysée and said the state was “totally one person was wounded. When police The US has agreed to allow South Korea South Korea to operate drone aircraft
Congressman calls Big mobilised against terrorist threats” and
“intransigent” in fighting racism and
arrived to arrest him, he opened fire
with a handgun and was shot dead by
to possess longer-range missiles that
could strike anywhere in North Korea, a
carrying payloads of up to 2,500kg
(5,510lb) with a range of more than
Bang ‘lies from hell’ antisemitism. officers. A convicted drug dealer, he was development expected to draw an angry 300km. It places no restriction on pay-
On Saturday evening, blank bullets described as a “delinquent who con- response from Pyongyang. loads for drones with a flying distance of
A Republican congressman who sits on were fired from a car at a synagogue in verted to radical Islam”. Police said he South Korea has been barred from less than 300km.
the science committee of the House of the Paris suburb of Argenteuil while was determined to “end as a martyr”. developing and deploying ballistic mis- South Korea can also possess cruise
Representatives has dismissed evolu- worshippers were inside the building. Three of the people arrested had siles with a range of more than 300km missiles with an unlimited range as long
tion, the Big Bang theory and embryol- Earlier that day, police raids outside criminal records for offences such as (186 miles) and a payload of more than as their payload is less than 500kg.
ogy as “lies straight from the pit of hell”. Paris, Cannes and Strasbourg led to drug-trafficking, theft and violence. 500kg (1,100lb) to avert a regional arms North Korea did not respond immedi-
Paul Broun, running for re-election a series of arrests in connection with Angelique Chrisafis Paris race. The restriction has made its missile ately to the news. AP Seoul

Business editor: Julia Finch
Financial Tel: 020 3353 3795 Fax: 020 3353 3196

Email: financial@guardian.co.uk
Follow us at twitter.com/BusinessDesk
Tainted Tucker still ahead for top job at Bank

for more than three years. However, his
Insider remains favourite long tenure could count against him. As In the frame
despite Libor stumble executive director for markets from 2002-
2009, he was a key policymaker during the Paul Tucker
Decision on new governor period that markets spun out of control. The deputy governor of the Bank of
He has also been tainted by the Libor
expected by end of year scandal. Emails released during the
England has intimate knowledge of
the central bank after more than two
investigation into rate-rigging suggested decades there, but could be tainted
Josephine Moulds Tucker was far too close to the now dis- by the Libor rate-rigging scandal.
graced former Barclays boss Bob Dia- Despite that, he remains the leading
mond. Although he was cleared of delib- contender.
The race to become next governor of the erate wrongdoing, Tucker was accused
Bank of England enters the final straight of naivety for failing to spot the market Gus O’Donnell
this morning as applications close in the abuse happening right under his nose.
The former cabinet secretary, dubbed
search for a successor to Mervyn King. The Other frontrunners include O’Donnell.
God by his colleagues, has long experi-
inside candidate, Paul Tucker, is viewed as The bookmakers Ladbrokes have him as
ence of vast bureaucratic jobs. Reports
the favourite despite his stumble during the favourite, at 2-1, but Cantor Index
suggest he is not interested in the role
investigations into the Libor scandal. offers longer odds of 11-4.
but would do it if asked. Last week he
Lord O’Donnell, former head of the Turner, who steps down as Financial
criticised the government’s handling
civil service, and Lord Turner, head of Services Authority chairman next year
of the botched West Coast rail fran-
the Financial Services Authority, are also when the regulator is split into two, is also
chise process.
in the running for a post that has been seen as a contender. He has been the most
described as the most powerful in the civil outspoken critic of the banks, but some
service because of its beefed-up responsi- say he has too many enemies in the City Adair Turner
bilities under a new regulatory regime. to be a successful governor. In 2009, the chairman of the Financial
The full list of applicants will be given It is thought the Treasury could look Services Authority described much
to George Osborne after the 8.30am dead- abroad to fill the role, although it has been of the City’s activities as socially
line today, and a decision is expected by quick to deny reports that Mark Carney, useless, which may have won him
the end of the year. The new governor will governor of the Bank of Canada, has been too many enemies to take on the role
take over in June 2013. sounded out. Claims this weekend that of governor.
Whoever gets the £302,000 job will be Glenn Stevens, governor of the Austral-
given greater powers than King has held ian central bank, was asked to apply have John Vickers
during his 10 years running the bank. As been quashed in the Australian press. A former Bank of England chief econo-
part of a complete overhaul of financial Other outside contenders include Andy mist, Vickers was appointed by the
regulation, the Bank of England will next Haldane, executive director for financial government to lead the Independent
year take on responsibility for monitoring stability at the bank, although most peo- Commission on Banking to promote
the wider banking system and preventing ple believe that at 45 he is too young. stability in the banking industry.
future financial or economic crises, as well On a list dominated by men, Kate Barker His appointment would suggest the
as looking after monetary policy. is one of the few women to be mentioned. government is committed to banking
Philip Shaw, an economist at Investec, As a member of the monetary policy com- reform.
said: “The single biggest issue is that mittee over nine years, she helped set
the job has just got so huge and that, in interest rates but, against her, she has crit- Kate Barker
effect, has narrowed the field of suitable icised plans to hand the Bank extra powers As a former member of the Bank’s
candidates. Paul Tucker, having served to oversee the wider banking system. monetary policy committee, Barker
as deputy governor, is clearly one of the The applications will be considered by has extensive experience of the cen-
stand-out candidates.” a panel of senior civil servants. They will tral bank, but she has been outspoken
Tucker has spent almost his entire make recommendations to the chancellor about the new powers to be handed to
career at the Bank. He has been deputy and prime minister, who will decide by the the next governor.
governor in charge of financial stability end of the year who will get the job. Tucker: ‘Clearly one of the stand-out candidates’ Photo: Daniel Lynch/Eyevine
Fresh talks in attempt to

break BAE deal deadlock
Dan Milmo business. Such a scenario is also expected
to trigger a US veto. “We want to see this
Industrial editor
company … prospering as a commercial Will
business, focused on doing things that Hutton
The British, French and German govern- are right for the business, not beholden
ments will hold further talks today in an to or controlled by any one government,” The West
attempt to break the impasse over the Hammond told BBC Radio 4. Indicating Coast rail
planned €35bn (£28bn) merger between that the government would allow some franchise
BAE Systems and EADS before Wednes- French and German ownership, he added: fiasco reveals
day’s deadline to agree a deal. “It is not necessary to have no French or
Sources close to the proposed combina- German government interest in the com-
what happens
tion of Britain’s largest defence contractor pany. It is necessary to reduce that stake when you
and the owner of Airbus admitted that both below the level at which it can control or hollow out
companies are likely to seek an extension direct … the company.” the state
from the UK Takeover Panel. One source The chancellor, George Osborne, told guardian.
said it was “less likely” that a deal will be Sky News that the deal must protect UK
reached by the deadline, although the jobs, with EADS and BAE employing more co.uk/
granting of more time by the panel is con- than 50,000 staff in Britain and represent- comment
sidered a formality given the complexities ing the country’s biggest manufacturing isfree
of the merger. “The betting is on an exten- employer.
sion being applied for,” said the source.
EADS’s and BAE’s advisers have made
preparations for an extension, while
playing down reports from Germany last
week that intergovernmental talks over
the deal are on the verge of collapse. The
French and German governments each
control 22.35% of EADS through direct
and indirect shareholdings, while the
British government can block the trans-
action through a golden share in BAE that
allows it to prevent foreign ownership of
the business.
Talks to protect those national interests
have hit difficulties after a conference call
between government representatives on
Friday saw Germany stun France and the
UK with a request that the headquarters of
the combined business be based in Munich.
Germany is also seeking a guarantee from
the Elyseé that its stake in the company
will not be larger than 9%, the same size as
Berlin’s proposed stakeholding.
The three governments will make a fur-
ther attempt to settle their differences in
a conference call today. The British rep-
resentatives on the call will include Ber-
nard Gray, the Ministry of Defence’s head
of procurement, with France represented
by Emmanuel Macron, an adviser to Presi-
dent François Hollande, and Germany’s
case argued by Lars Hendrik-R öller,
chief economic adviser to the chancellor,
Angela Merkel.
The UK defence secretary, Philip Ham-
mond, warned yesterday that the govern-
ment will block the deal if there is exces-
sive French and German control of the
Financial
W
Economics
hen he was unemployment misery stakes, is wary sion starts to feed on itself. Collapsing
leader of the of seeking the help offered by the Euro- demand leads to company failures,
Conservative pean Central Bank. Unlimited buying of adding to the bad debt problems of
The failure
party, William Spanish bonds by the bank will come at already weak banks. These, in turn, call
Hague once a heavy price: more austerity for a popu- in loans and make credit harder to find.
likened mem- lation already buckling under the strain. Government finances suffer, increasing
of monetary
bership of the A study of hundreds of recessions pressure on finance ministries to find
euro to being dating from the 19th century shows additional savings. Another chunk is
trapped in a burning building with no that most are short, sharp affairs. They taken out of demand, making it more
union has
fire exit. It was an apt description, as are like heavy colds, nasty but quickly difficult to cut budget deficits and the
young people in Greece would testify: over. Every now and then, however, the national debt.
in a country that has already contracted cold turns into something much more Europe’s malaise is affecting the
been abject
by more than Germany did during the serious and the longer it lasts the more entire global economy. It is hampering
Great Depression, the jobless rate for serious it gets. an already tentative US economy and
Greeks under 25 is 55%. It becomes more like a pandemic, The best thing would be if may result in Mitt Romney becoming US
Little wonder then that Antonis affecting the immune systems of president. It is leading to slower growth
Samaras, the prime minister of Greece, economies and spreading from one the euro were smashed. in China and heightened trade tensions.
is warning that his country has been
pushed to the limit and that there is,
country to another. That is the situation
in the eurozone today.
The alternative is to see The eurozone has experienced weaker
growth in the past decade than Japan
as with Weimar Germany, the risk of Activity is collapsing in Italy, is weak- the flames lick higher did in its lost decade of the 1990s. The
democracy collapsing. ening fast in France, and has started to gap between the rich and poor countries
Larry Elliott Little wonder, either, that Spain, falter in Germany. Unemployment in the has widened. Before long, one in eight
only just behind Greece in the youth eurozone is at record levels as the reces- working age people will be on the dole.
Flows of inward investment to what is
increasingly seen as an economic back-
water are starting to dry up. The failure
of monetary union has been complete
and abject.
In business this would not matter that
much. Enterprises fail all the time. The
commercial world – with the egregious
exception of the “too big to fail” banks
– is run on empirical principles: com-
panies that work tend to survive, while
those that don’t fall by the wayside.
The single currency does not operate
by empirical principles. If it did the plug
would already have been pulled on it.
It is a top-down project, with a lineage
stretching back to the Enlightenment, in
which technocrats come up with what
they see as a blueprint for happiness:
clear, rational and beautiful. When the
blueprint does not deliver the expected
results, that is not the fault of the plan.
As made clear by the ECB president,
Mario Draghi, the future of the euro is
not open to negotiation: Europe could
have a second or even a third lost dec-
ade and it would make no difference
to those who think it the last word in
modernity.
A second lost decade is certainly in
prospect. The International Monetary
Fund’s World Economic Outlook tells
the cautionary tale of British economic
policy after the first world war, which
was similar in many respects to the way
the eurozone manages affairs today.
When the guns fell silent in November
1918 the UK found the national debt had
ballooned to more than 140% of GDP and
prices were double their pre-war level.
The government had two priorities: to
return the pound eventually to the gold
standard at its 1914 exchange rate and to
cut national debt.
The upshot was that both monetary
policy (interest rates and the exchange
rate) and fiscal policy (taxes and spend-
ing) were kept tight. Interest rates were
raised to 7% in 1920 and throughout the
1920s the Treasury ran primary budget
surpluses (excluding interest payments
on the national debt) of nearly 7% of
J
national output.
ust as in the eurozone today,

great store was put on the
notion of an internal devalua-
tion. Britain had become less
competitive but could price
itself back into global markets
through cuts in wages and
prices. But as the IMF study
notes: “The combination of tight mon-
etary and tight fiscal policy, aimed at
significantly reducing the price level
and returning to the pre-war parity, had
disastrous outcomes.”
In some respects, the policy regime in
the eurozone today is far less draconian
than in 1920s Britain. Short-term inter-
est rates have been cut, the ECB has
flooded the financial system with cash
and it will buy sovereign bonds, albeit
with strings attached.
In other ways, though, it is the gold
standard with knobs on. The standard
was, in theory at least, a self-stabilising
mechanism, since those countries that
ran trade surpluses accumulated gold.
This led to an expansion of credit, which
in turn led to higher inflation, a drop
in competitiveness and a narrowing
trade surplus. Today’s euro has no such
mechanism to force the biggest credi-
tor nation (Germany) to run down its
colossal surpluses.
The gold standard collapsed in the
1930s amid great economic pressure
and Britain was the first country to
leave. For those who view the euro with
almost religious reverence, the idea that
monetary union could go the same way
is inconceivable.
Let’s hope they are wrong. The best
thing for Europe would be if the euro
were smashed to smithereens, allowing
countries to devalue and impose capital
controls. They would then have the
guardiancollection ability to boost their economies and pay
down debts more slowly. The alternative
is to sit and watch the flames lick higher.
Financial
FirstGroup may take legal action over West Coast

As the process threatens to descend into a you would therefore expect that we are added complication of engineering work offered to pay the government £13.3bn
Move ‘an option’ if Virgin legal quagmire, the alternative is a trans- exploring all rights and options.” on the line over Christmas. “This has to be over the course of the 15-year contract
Trains contract extended fer to the government’s in-house rail unit, The transport secretary, Patrick signed off one way or the other by the end but the DfT discovered that the revenue
Directly Operated Railways (DOR), which McLoughlin, is also considering a trans- of the week,” said the source. and inflation assumptions used to vet
Line could be transferred operates the East Coast franchise and is fer to DOR, which has deployed a team of McLoughlin threw the franchise sys- that offer were wrong. This resulted in
preparing for a West Coast takeover. more than 30 staff, including temporary tem into chaos last week after cancelling the department seeking a loan of £190m
to department’s rail unit According to legal sources, a Virgin employees drawn from the rail sector, the award due to “deeply regrettable and from FirstGroup to underwrite the con-
Trains extension could be challenged to draw up plans for a takeover. A source completely unacceptable mistakes made tract – a number that the DfT now accepts
Dan Milmo under the Railways Act and EU law, with close to DOR said: “We are continuing by my department in the way it managed was excessively small.
both offering FirstGroup grounds for a to prepare for mobilisation should the the process”. The franchising system, where the gov-
Industrial editor
legal intervention. A source familiar with department ask us to take over.” The Three civil servants were suspended, ernment leases routes to train operators,
FirstGroup’s thinking said a legal move source added that DOR’s handling of East with McLoughlin claiming that the risk is in a state of paralysis while the govern-
FirstGroup is considering a legal challenge against an extension is “an option”. Virgin Coast should dispel fears of a disjointed associated with FirstGroup’s bid had ment conducts two investigations into the
against the Department for Transport if Trains said: “Virgin’s lawyers have made handover, but warned that the DfT would been miscalculated. FirstGroup had West Coast debacle. In the meantime, all
Virgin Trains secures an extension of the it clear that there is no issue about com- have to act soon. “If we are asked to take franchise competitions have been put on
West Coast rail franchise, amid warnings petition law in this.” Under an alternative over we shall have to know very soon.” Patrick McLough- hold in a move that threatens a repeat of
the government is running out of time to legal opinion, a temporary contract lasting According to one rail industry source, lin threw the fran- the West Coast extension impasse.
make a decision on the route’s future. more than a year – and unilaterally offered both DOR and Virgin Trains need a deci- chise system into Four franchises are due to expire next
Virgin Trains is in the frame to continue to any operator – could be deemed anti- sion from the government by the end of chaos last week year: East Coast, Great Western, Essex
running the London to Glasgow route competitive. the week because franchise handovers after cancelling Thameside and Thameslink. The RMT
beyond 9 December, when the contract A FirstGroup spokesman said: “Because or extensions require a minimum of 10 FirstGroup’s con- trade union has urged the government to
expires, following the DfT’s shock deci- we have not yet received a briefing from weeks’ planning. The 9 December cutoff tract award bring those contracts under the control of
sion to abandon a handover to FirstGroup. the DfT to tell us exactly what happened, date is now eight weeks away, with the DOR as they expire.
U-turn by Businesses
ministers back tough
carbon target
as rail fare
rises curbed Fiona Harvey
Environment correspondent
More than 50 businesses, including house-

Josephine Moulds hold names such as Asda, Sky and PepsiCo,
have called on the government to put in
place a 2030 target on decarbonising the
Rail passengers have been spared the power sector.
threat of double-digit fare increases next They argue that such a move – already
year, with a government promise to keep backed by Labour and the Lib Dems – will
a reduced price cap in place. stimulate investment and revitalise the
David Cameron confirmed that rises in UK’s ageing energy infrastructure.
regulated rail fares and London bus and Their call comes as George Osborne
tube tickets would be capped at the RPI prepares to address the Tory party con-
rate of inflation plus 1% in 2013 and 2014, ference, a speech that may recall aspects
rather than the RPI plus 3% formula set of his oft-repeated attacks on green poli-
out in the 2010 spending review. cies as a burden on businesses. Osborne’s
Downing Street said that would mean aides have made clear the chancellor is
PHOTOGRAPH: SIMON DAWSON/BLOOMBERG/GETTY
an annual saving of £45 for season ticket against a 2030 target on carbon, and
holders, while savings for some commut- last year he fought successfully to have
ers could be as high as £200 over the next the UK’s carbon targets for the 2020s
two years. It said the cap would benefit reviewed.
more than a quarter of a million annual The businesses – including some of the
season ticket holders and millions of biggest in the UK, and spanning a wide
Londoners, who would make an annual range of sectors from retailers to insur-
£25 saving on travelcards for zones one ance and technology companies – have
and two. written to the chancellor to urge him to
The move signifies another U-turn from support a 2030 target that would in effect
the government, having indicated in June ensure that almost all of the UK’s electric-
that fares would rise at 3% above inflation ity was from low-carbon sources.
from January in line with the original cap on fares for franchised train operators investors. “When you put this against transport secretary, Maria Eagle, said: “If This would require a massive expan-
spending review pledge. As inflation was from January 2015 on as the UK moved into the debacle during last week about rail this U-turn is to genuinely help passen- sion of renewable energy, and potentially
running at around 3%, rail fares were due a general election year. It means one of the franchising policy, it all adds to the gers, then the government must stand up also nuclear power and the installation of
to increase by 6% on average. However, signature announcements in the spending impression that private sector partners to the train companies and strictly enforce carbon capture and storage at fossil fuel
because of a clause in the fares regime review is unlikely to be implemented. face insurmountable policy risk. If the this new cap on every route.” power stations.
some season tickets are allowed to rise Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC government is hoping for pension funds She said it was a “humiliating U-turn” The letter was co-ordinated by the
by a further 5%, which would have seen Foundation and emeritus professor of and other private investors to invest in for the prime minister, coming just a Aldersgate Group, a coalition of businesses
increases of 11% on certain routes. transport and infrastructure at Imperial the rail industry, they need to be certain month after he forced Tory MPs to vote that supports the move to a more sustain-
But the prospect of an increase of RPI College London, said the government what government policies are going to be against Labour’s attempt to cap fare rises able green economy. Peter Young, chair-
plus 3% had faced overwhelming opposi- would forgo proceeds of around £280m over a number of years.” at 1% above inflation. “The government man of the group, said: “The message of
tion and plans to introduce such a rise last over two years, which would otherwise be Labour argued that the new cap was has spent two years claiming that these this letter is loud and clear: we must put
year were put on hold. Even train opera- available for deficit reduction or spending meaningless because train companies eye-watering fare rises were essential to an end to any political uncertainty sur-
tors were against it, fearing it would alien- on health or education. could still add a further 5% increase to fund investment despite the National rounding the UK’s energy future and start
ate passengers. The Department for Trans- He said the U-turn also damaged some fares, so long as the median increase Audit Office warning that they were just unleashing the billions of pounds of over-
port added that it hoped to maintain the the government in the eyes of private panned out at RPI plus 1%. The shadow as likely to boost train company profits.” due investment.”
CBI: ‘Privatise
the motorways’
Rupert Neate
Britain’s largest business lobby group has

urged the government to privatise motor-
ways and introduce more toll roads in the
latest plea from the private sector for
radical action on infrastructure.
The Confederation of British Industry
wants ministers to privatise the mainte-
nance of more than 1,000 miles of motor-
way in England, amid estimates of a £10bn
funding shortfall at the Highways Agency.
Jonathan Cridland, director general of the
CBI, said the nation’s roads are so drasti-
cally underfunded that “levering private-
sector investment is the only way [to fund]
a long-term future for roads”.
“The UK road network is the last piece
of infrastructure fully funded by the gov-
ernment,” he said. The CBI’s intervention
echoes calls from the RAC Foundation
thinktank, which argues that a sell-off
could pave the way for charging.
Under Cridland’s plan, the Highways
Agency will be disbanded and control of
England’s motorways will pass to a new
regulator, which would “offer franchises
to private providers to run parts of the
road network”.
Comment Debate
The Tories are too hardline Where’s the

evidence?
Jackie Ashley
to accept a centrist shift Wendy Savage
I
t has become popular to dis- Electorally shrewd as it may sound – ditto – those cuts are unavoidable.
Spooked by Miliband, miss party conferences. Aren’t though, the “strong but compassionate” Judging by his performance yester- Jeremy Hunt has shown
Cameron must choose they just brief stopovers for
the political classes, when they
case won’t hold. The Conservative party
has become too hardline. Look at the
day, we should expect Cameron to make
as many hand signals to middle Britain
that he is totally out of
which direction to take. pretend to take their party comments of health secretary Jeremy as he can. I think in the end he won’t touch with the medical
members seriously before Hunt on abortion (which will infuriate totally dismiss what Leveson suggests
The only obstacle will be reasons for abortion
J
scurrying back happily to London many women voters) and his suggestion on phone hacking because he knows his
the rest of his party SW1 and business as usual? Not that the NHS can’t be ringfenced after chumminess with the Murdochs is more
this year. Conference season has been the next election. Not much centrist damaging than newspaper ire. Over eremy Hunt, the newly
hugely important; and David Cameron’s there. Look at the 70% of Tory constitu- the next few days we should expect appointed secretary of state
performance at the Tories’ Birmingham ency chairmen against gay marriage. Not plenty of high-profile if financially mod- for health, has unwisely
gathering will be critical. much cuddly compassion about that. est announcements aimed at middle- shown his bias against the
After Nick Clegg had used his confer- Think of Tory contenders, such as income voters. There will be something legal abortion limit laid down
ence to promise a more progressive education secretary Michael Gove, that sounds tough aimed at rich tax by the 1967 Abortion Act and
economic agenda with more taxes for wanting to privatise the health service avoiders too. amended by the 1990 Human
the rich, and Ed Miliband had used his and the BBC. Or consider home sec- These are all, in their way, a tribute to Fertilisation and Embryol-
to silence those who had lazily declared retary Theresa May fantasising about Miliband’s conference speech, because ogy Act. He told the Times in response
he was unelectable, Cameron finds him- rewriting the rules on free movement of they are attempts to shore up Tory one- to a question about when life begins:
self confronted by a dangerous choice. peoples inside the EU – something Cam- nationism. If I were a Tory strategist, “Everyone looks at the evidence and
Which way he jumps will determine a eron dreams of too – or Cameron’s own that’s the way I would be going too. Yes, comes to a view about when they think
lot about the politics of the year ahead. warnings over deeper cuts to welfare. In some hardline Conservative Euroscep- that moment is, and my view is that 12
Will he, with one eye on Boris, go today’s economy there isn’t a neat divid- tics will take their votes off to Ukip, but weeks is the right point for it.” It is hard
further to the right, appealing to the ing line between “decent, hardworking that is a much lesser electoral problem to understand what evidence he has
party on Europe, taxes, crime and immi- people” who deserve tax breaks and than losing the centre ground. Tory MPs read that leads him to the bizarre con-
gration – giving himself a pretty easy help, and the feckless poor. As the reces- tend to believe that the Lib Dems are a clusion that the limit should be reduced
time in Brum? Or will he try to cleave sion grinds on, with promise of worse to millstone round their necks; just at the to 12 weeks.
to a more centrist path, accepting the come, millions of families are struggling moment they are more like a lifebelt. In 2007 the House of Commons
Lib Dems’ pleas on tax and spend? After and are all too aware they might need Montgomerie presents an impressive science and technology committee
yesterday’s TV interviews, it’s already the safety net at any time. argument. Cameron is right to be listen- published its 12th report on Scientific
clear that, forced to choose, he is going Montgomerie says he wants the ing. But they have a problem. It is called Developments Relating to the Abortion
for the second option. Ed’s “one nation” Tories to be genuinely one nation, com- the Conservative party. And this week, Act 1967. It concluded that although
raid has spooked the prime minister. mitted to leaving no one behind; but in Birmingham, it will prove too ideo- improvements in survival of babies
Yet the most interesting and thought- that is not compatible with an agenda logical to accept a shift to the centre. born over 24 weeks had occurred since
ful intervention from the Tory side is an of deeper welfare and public spend- Can Cameron persuade them? I doubt it; the upper limit was reduced in 1990,
eloquent plea to avoid making this kind ing cuts. Unless Cameron and George and if that’s right, then the clear confer- that was not the case for those under
of choice. Tim Montgomerie of Conserv- Osborne accept the Labour economic ence winner is Labour. This autumn, the 24 weeks. This was based on the first
ative Home, has just launched Strong- case and delay further austerity meas- game has changed. Epicure study, a study of 4,000 prema-
andcompassionate.com, a web-based ures – and there is no sign of that – or ture babies (born from 22 to 26 weeks)
campaign for a Tory agenda that mingles unless they impose swingeing new taxes Twitter: @jackieashley treated in all the neonatal intensive care
true-blue values with a stronger appeal units in the UK and Ireland, in 1995.
to poorer and middle-class voters. If you Since then the second national study
want to know the best of what the other of babies born in 2006 has been pub-
side is thinking, I recommend a look. lished and there is no significant change
His case, based on polling, is that the in the number of extremely premature
public is not turned off the Tories by babies surviving. At 22 weeks three
their views on crime, immigration or babies (1%) survived, one of whom is
Europe. Indeed, tiny percentages say developing normally at three years,
those are an issue. Instead, what wor- while one is moderately and the other

ries voters about the Tories is that they severely handicapped. At 23 weeks 15%
don’t care enough about the poor, the survived from the onset of labour and
vulnerable and public services such as just over half had no disability at three
the NHS (28% said this) and that they years of age: no better than in 1995.
are the party of the rich (a whopping Patients now have more informa-
41% agree). Montgomerie, a serious tion on which to base a decision as to
thinker, concludes: “The party needs to whether to start neonatal intensive care,
In today’s economy prove that it is committed to the public without which these pre-viable babies
there isn’t a neat divide services and is on the side of ordinary
families ... our problem is not that we’re
will not survive. But this difficult area
is not a good basis for deciding whether
between ‘decent, too rightwing or insufficiently libertar- women should be permitted to end their
hardworking people’ ian but that we aren’t seen as committed pregnancies by induced abortion. Only

to ‘Britain’s social contract’ – to the NHS, 1% of abortions are done this late when
and the feckless poor to pensioners, to a basic safety net.” the women’s reasons are compelling.
This is interesting not least because, Some 91% of abortions now take place
if Cameron accepts its logic, it would below 13 weeks. Research by Ellie Lee
mean that he decided to “agree with and colleagues published in 2007 into
Nick” on taxes, and squeeze the rich why women present late found that
harder. Yesterday he gave a broad hint irregular periods were cited by a third,
that, somehow, he would do just that. and a fifth continued having periods.
I
A third were using contraception. In a
quarter their relationship had broken
down and a quarter were frightened of
The real risks
n 1993 a young politician called On a practical level, for April and her falling for one specific reason. Partly in
Tony Blair, at the time shadow family, not much. However, there’s a response to pressure from campaigners, telling their parents. However good the
home secretary, responded to lot that they – and we – could be doing, the police now treat domestic violence service, there will always be women
who present in the second trimester.
to children
the news that toddler James especially when we remember that much more seriously than they once
Bulger had been murdered by two children are the group most likely to did. And if a man is hitting his female Last, there is the small group of
older children by suggesting that be murdered in our society, with the partner, it is probable that he will be women diagnosed with a congenital
this horrific crime was “a ham- under-twos most at risk. physically, emotionally or sexually abus- abnormality. These represent only 1%
mer blow against the sleeping First, let’s start to confront the myths ing his children too. So by insisting that of women having a termination, but a
conscience of a nation”. that exist about murder, and especially the authorities take domestic violence quarter of those having abortions at 20
David Wilson In the months and years to come, about the murder of children. We could seriously, we are protecting not only weeks and over. Although the nuchal
the murder would lead to fundamental face up to some uncomfortable truths women, but children too. screening test for Down’s syndrome is
changes in our youth and criminal jus- and stop naively colluding with, for We could also help further by start- available in most areas now, and allows
tice systems: everything from the aboli- example, ideas about “stranger danger”. ing to listen to what children say. This a termination soon after 13 weeks com-
The disappearance of tion of doli incapax – the presumption Shortly after April’s disappearance, seems like a trite point to make, but pared with after 20 weeks when an
amniocentesis was needed, other abnor-
April Jones should help that children between the ages of 10 and
14 lack the necessary criminal intent
people were asserting – particularly on
social media – that April must have been
all too often we tend to ignore what
children describe about their lives, and malities are not picked up until the
us to confront myths to be fully responsible for their actions abducted by a stranger, or a “foreigner”, indeed until recently actively preferred anomaly scan at 18-20 weeks. Women
– the introduction of secure training because it was believed that nobody in them to be “seen and not heard”. are often devastated to learn that their
about child victims centres, and the beginning of the now the close-knit community in which she Above all, we could stop treating chil- planned and wanted pregnancy has not
seemingly unstoppable rise in the prison lived would have taken the child. dren as possessions of the adult world developed normally. They need time
population. The sleeping conscience of a But we know for a fact that in nearly – mini-me, designer accessories and to come to terms with this and decide
nation had quite clearly been stirred. all cases a murder victim and the per- appendages – that merely become used whether to continue with the pregnancy
It has yet to be seen what broader petrator are either related, or known to as symbols of the adult’s wealth, status, or have an abortion. Reducing the limit,
consequences will emerge from the each other. Indeed, that’s why our clear- or culture, and instead begin to recog- as David Cameron would like, to 20 or
April Jones case, but her disappearance up rate for murder is so high – consist- nise children as individual, sentient 22 weeks would put more pressure on
has similarly resonated deeply with ently around 90%: because, frankly, you beings in their own right and therefore women and might even increase the rate
the public – not just those who knew don’t need to look too far for the likely valued for themselves. of abortion at this later stage.
her, but strangers too, and not just in culprit. Most murders are “self-solvers”. Hope for April has all but gone; still, Only someone who was completely
Machynlleth, where she lived with her That reality is also true for child the outpouring of public feeling that out of touch with women and the medi-
family, but throughout the country. victims of murder – most children are followed her abduction proves there cal reasons for terminating pregnan-
Within hours of her abduction, an at risk from their parents, carers, step- is a huge communal desire to keep our cies would introduce his ideas into an
army of volunteers had flooded into parents or someone known to the fam- children safe. Though we cannot save interview just before the Tory party
Wales to help the local community and ily of the child. On average since the every child, we can take steps to save a conference, where Cameron is hoping
the police search for April. Perhaps we early 1970s, only six children per year great many – not through waking some to improve his appeal to women vot-
might also think of this as a show of have been abducted and murdered by “sleeping conscience”, but by recreating ers. What we need is for abortion to
public solidarity with the police, in a strangers, and while that is still six chil- the space that we once called “child- be decriminalised and treated like any
week that saw two young officers bur- dren too many, this sad statistic is put hood” and letting children determine other operation: Canada managed this in
ied in Manchester. As welcome as this into perspective when we remember for themselves how they would like that 1988 without the country falling apart.
public support must have been, what that two children a week are murdered space to be filled.
can we really do to help – not just when within the home. Wendy Savage is a professor in Middlesex
these tragic events happen, but more But, here’s the good news – the num- David Wilson is professor of criminology University’s department of health and
broadly, day in, day out? bers of murders are falling, and they are at Birmingham City University social sciences

Follow us on Twitter Comment editor: Becky Gardiner
@commentisfree Telephone: 020 3353 4995
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facebook.com/guardiancomment Email: cif.editors@guardian.co.uk
Literature
to be listed
Hannah Betts
The supplanting of a
canon with the notion
that all artistry is equal
does not free the reader
H
uman beings have
long loved a list, from
Homer’s inventory of
a thousand ships to
the catalogues of fem-
inine beauty modish
in the Renaissance.
These exercises in
cultivated obsessive–compulsive disor-
der shape and stabilise the world about
us. Still, there are lists and lists, and
this apparently primal human urge has
been usurped by many PR companies
and television executives eager to pro-
claim a top 10 of everything. The phrase
“nation’s favourite” has become one to
fear, with Four Weddings and a Funeral
among best films and the Duchess of
Cambridge topping best-dressed lists.
As far as literature is concerned (and
one uses this term loosely), the sub-
genres include: things read when small,
things for the small read when big, things
bought at airports, things advocated by
Richard and Judy, and things that have
been on the goggle box. All of which
enables the sort of travesty whereby,
as in May, The Da Vinci Code can be
declared “Scotland’s favourite novel”.
Which is why a list of the perilously
prescriptive 1001 Books You Must Read
Before You Die – published in its second
Americans deserve a better

edition this month – becomes all the
more culturally valuable. To be sure,
its novel focus makes pre-18th century
works thin on the ground, while some
of the more recent musts seem a tad
Gary Younge
choice in this election middlebrow. But it remains a glorious
cross-cultural repository, up to speed on
the last two years’ output. Every school,
if not every home, should have one.
In my first secondary school library
A
lesson, we were handed a catalogue
of books we would be expected to be
t a dinner table in political power and the popular will. On over the individual, and sent America’s acquainted with year-by-year from
An electoral system Akron, Ohio, recently the other hand, there is cynicism: the standing plummeting throughout the Jane Eyre to Paradise Lost, taking in a
funded by the wealthy half a dozen Demo-
cratic activists took a
low turnout, voter suppression, billion-
aire donors and contrived controversies.
world. They built that.
The world is not marginally different
wealth of novels, poems and plays in
between. It was unfashionably prescrip-
will never distribute break from trashing All the evidence of a system corrupted because George W Bush won in 2000 or tive, unapologetically canonical. I loved
Ralph Nader for allow- by money and openly rigged . 2004. Romney is running to the right this list. It introduced me to illicit adult
resources equitably, no ing a Bush victory in These contradictions are not unique of him and Obama is running to the left worlds, freeing me to think in ways pro-
matter who is in charge 2000 to discuss the to the US. Britain is midway through of Al Gore. hibited in the more conservative realms
of history, geography and, not least, reli-
material benefits of Barack Obama’s its conference season, where the three Insisting it makes no difference who
first term. One had been able to keep main parties lay out their stalls. They wins is not tenable. Last year Chelsea gious studies.
his children on his healthcare plan have fewer members combined, the Shinneman of Roanoke, Virginia, had a The canons I encountered then, and
after graduation; another with a pre- Economist reminded us recently, than baby, Harrison, who was born with a later at university, had already been
existing condition had been able to the Royal Society for the Protection of congenital heart defect. Were it not for expanded to include former aberra-
move plans without penalty. Then Birds. Yet we treat their annual gather- the new healthcare act, Harrison would tions: women, gay, working-class and
there was an awkward silence, broken by ings as though they are moments of have been destined for a lifetime of non-white writers; literary theory
the mention of the jobs saved in Toledo, major national significance. sky-high insurance premiums. rigorous in the checks it placed on
140 miles away, by the auto bailout. That But they are particularly acute here In Fort Collins, Colorado, the head of anachronistic complacencies. However,
brought us on to Republican Mitt Rom- because of the dislocation between the Homelessness Prevention Initiative, outside academia, the supplanting of
ney’s call to “Let Detroit go bankrupt”. rhetoric and reality, pageantry and Sue Beck-Ferkiss, could point to 36 a canon with the notion that all artis-
And soon, the conversation is flowing as practice, and the nation’s belief in its families in the area helped by stimulus tic expressions are equal has proven a
easily as the beer as talk turns to how own democratic values and its actual money. Had there been any Latinos at regressive rather than an emancipating
bad things might have been – and could plutocratic electoral culture. And they the table in Akron, they might have phenomenon.
yet be – with Republicans at the helm. are particularly acute now. Obama ran on added to Obama’s achievements his Michael Gove has lamented that, in
Such are the cramped parameters change – a phenomenon that American executive order to halt the deportation 2010, fewer than one in 100 teenagers
within which Democratic loyalists elections are not equipped to deliver. of young undocumented immigrants. who sat the most popular English litera-
converse. Questions about poverty, How could they? They adhere to the Had there been soldiers, they might ture GCSE based their answers on novels
bankers, inequality, climate change or golden rule that those who have the gold have talked about the withdrawal of published prior to 1900. More than 90%
S
drone attacks are not engaged with a make the rules. That has long been a combat troops from Iraq. of answers were based on the same
defence of Obama’s record on the eco- problem. In 2008, Obama and his Repub- three slim, 20th-century tomes – Of
nomy, regulation, the environment lican challenger, John McCain, spent as o it matters who wins. Just Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and To
or foreign policy but avoided with a much on television ads in Florida as all because improvements are Kill a Mockingbird – all of which justly
threat: Romney. Speculation about the parties spent on the entire 2010 UK incremental rather than appeared in the age 11-12 section of my
what Obama might have done differ- general election. Now it’s even worse. A transformative doesn’t old school reading list.
ently are met with arguments about few years ago the supreme court loos- mean they’re not impor- One does not have to be a Tory to fear
what Bush did do wrong. Inquire if ened the rules to allow unlimited dona- tant. The problem isn’t that a society that lets go of its literature.
Obama will get more done if elected, tions from anonymous sources. Now the there’s no difference be- Indeed, the study of English literature
and they shrug and point to the obstruc- candidates spend almost as much time tween Obama and Romney itself started in working men’s colleges
tionist Republicans in Congress. courting the rich as they do on the but that there is insufficient difference as a poor man’s classics. It was once a
Dare to prod further as to why anyone stump. “It’s really sad,” Arnold Hiatt, a between what Obama has delivered and socialist rite of passage to “better one-
should vote for him given the likelihood key Democratic funder, told the New is offering and what the country needs self” via books, be one DH Lawrence or

that Republicans will win in Congress Yorker. “You could buy this election for at a time when poverty is rising, wages Jean Rhys. Such liberational narratives
and they’ll take you right back where a billion dollars.” have stalled, civil liberties have been did not come of reading potboilers, but
you started: Romney. Any question While this makes a mockery of suppressed, kill lists drawn up and were the product of the best writing this
about the good things that might have democracy it doesn’t create an illusion drone attacks escalated. It is possible to nation had to offer. It was the lesson of
happened as a result of Obama’s victory of choice. The outcome in these elec- indict the Republican party and vote for such endeavours that a knowledge of
in 2008 is short-circuited by a response tions matter. Hanging chads and slender Obama without endorsing his record or Chaucer, Shakespeare, that great fiction
about the bad things that might happen margins notwithstanding, by the end of making excuses for his failures. the Bible, and tales of Greece and Rome
In 2008, Obama as a result of his defeat in 2012. Hope the night on 6 November, either Obama But it is not possible to understand were necessary to understand – and
ran on change – a curdled to fear. Everyone can tell you
how things get worse; no one can tell
or Romney will be president. There are
other candidates. But that is the elec-
his failures without recognising that an
electoral system funded by the wealthy
assume some sort of command over –
our own culture.
phenomenon that you how they get better. toral choice. It is not a marginal one. will never be capable of distributing The most dangerous way in which
American elections are The paradox of large numbers of The case against the Republicans is resources and power equitably, regard- canons involve social exclusion is in

people investing heavily in a result not difficult to make. Their numbers less of who is in charge. Why would it? dispossessing the majority of said
not equipped to deliver without expecting a great deal from the don’t add up, their arguments don’t How could it? The fact that this is the cornucopia. Even the heroine of the gro-
outcome is particularly stark during a make sense, and their record in office choice Americans are faced with doesn’t tesquely illiterate Fifty Shades of Grey
presidential election. On the one hand, contradicts virtually every one of their mean they don’t deserve a better one. It has read some classic fiction: unlike too
there is the hoop-la: the polls, bumper professed principles. During the eight simply reflects why, under these terms, many of her real-world acolytes.
stickers, stump speeches, conventions years prior to Obama’s presidency they a better choice is not possible.
and debates. All the trappings to cele- ballooned the deficit, crashed the econ- Hannah Betts is a writer and
brate the assumed connection between omy, increased the power of the state Twitter: @garyyounge commentator
Founded 1821
Owned by the Scott Trust
Number 51,661
Conservatives in Birmingham
A nasty case of the blues

Truly memorable party conference speeches A poll this weekend by the ConservativeHome challenge from Boris Johnson is now no joke. the Conservatives responded with a socially
are few and far between. Ed Miliband may have website found that just 2% of voters now see The verdict on responses to some of Mrs unjust and politically inept budget which made
delivered one last week for Labour. One of the the Tories as having extreme views on immi- May’s other challenges is therefore less flat- a mockery of earlier claims that everyone was
surefire qualifiers for the collective scrapbook, gration or being anti-women. Only 1% think tering. Though the Tory party of today is much in this together or that the heaviest burden
however, was delivered exactly 10 years ago they are anti-gay or anti-ethnic minority. less narrow-minded than in the past, there is should be borne by those best placed to do it.
this week. It was given in Bournemouth by Yet the momentum of the Tory reform still a reflexive tendency to ignore the voters Yesterday’s confirmation that the Tories want
Theresa May, then the chairwoman of the project has slipped badly, and confidence in it when things get difficult. And many voters nothing to do with the mansion tax proposed
Conservative party, who told the Tory confer- has ebbed significantly. The Tories are strug- continue to find the Tories unattractive in by the Lib Dems seems to confirm that, under
ence that people still called them “the nasty gling in the polls and now face a genuine chal- ways that should worry today’s leadership. pressure, the Conservatives are reverting to
party”. Too much of the party, she went on, lenge from Labour. The response both of the The same new poll that has tracked the decline type. Mr Cameron says the rich must do their
was “unrepentant, just plain unattractive”, party’s leaders and its activists has been uncer- in extreme views in the Tory party also finds bit, but he is running out of options.
some preferring to “make political capital tain and divisive. Lack of success has embold- that 40% of all voters see them as the party Mr Cameron still has some good political
out of demonising minorities”, while others ened the right on issues such as Europe, gay of the rich, while 28% think they do not care instincts, as shown by his weekend interviews
indulged themselves “in petty feuding or snip- marriage and abortion, all of which are guaran- about the poor, the NHS or public services. Mr emphasising the need to appeal to squeezed
ing” rather than getting behind the leader. teed to revive voter memories of the obsessive Cameron and his team have a big task to turn middle and working-class “strivers”. But his
This week will provide a significant test of Tory party of the past with its tendency to turn those verdicts around this week, starting with party is pulling against itself, and he badly
whether and how far the Conservatives have its back on the world. More liberal thinking on George Osborne’s key speech today. needs to reassert a sense of direction. Mrs
remade themselves a decade after Mrs May’s social policy has been pushed to the margins, This week matters very much for the Tory May had the right instinct a decade ago and
brave speech in 2002. In some ways, they very including by Mrs May in her new focus on EU party. Unlike the Lib Dems and Labour, who the party agreed – it was why they elected Mr
clearly have made progress. The all-white, migrants. The environmental agenda has been showed at their conferences that they were Cameron. But both they and he have strayed
all-male stereotype of the past has been con- all but abandoned. David Cameron’s position united on their strategies and behind their increasingly from the reform path. This week
signed to history. So have some of the golf- is certainly not in jeopardy, but he is proving to respective leaders, the Tories can make no such will show whether they have what it takes to
club prejudices about gay and black people. be a weaker leader than he once promised. The claims. Faced with a stalled economy this year, get back on track.
Afghanistan In praise of…

The Baffler
Beating a retreat
As western forces eye the emergency exit in have not just weathered the US troop surge – date ends. It quotes one veteran Afghan secu- Throughout America’s dotcom boom, as
Afghanistan, not a month goes by without the coalition forces, or Isaf as they are known, rity official as saying there is no national army the press exulted in hokey e-retailers, as
someone in charge lowering expectations. have been unable to dislodge them from the or police force, only a factionalised one which cable channels exhorted wage-earners to
Last week, Nato’s secretary-general, Anders south and east. Next year’s spring offensive could instantly fissure. The international chuck their hard-earned dollars into an ever-
Fogh Rasmussen told this newspaper that the promises to be the deadliest yet, spurred on by community, it warns, has one last chance to expanding bubble and the Nasdaq technology-
retreat could come sooner than expected in the imminence of withdrawal and elections. leave a viable state in Afghanistan, by help- stock index became a kind of secular god,
2014, as morale had been sapped by insider Targeted killings of government officials ing Afghans prepare for an election and a The Baffler stubbornly remained the literary
killings. A day later, Sir Richard Stagg, Britain’s and politicians have tripled. Three elections smooth transfer of presidential power. About equivalent of a giant raspberry. Taking “the
ambassador in Kabul, said the west had done are to come as the Taliban press home their 18 months remain to prevent a repeat of the culture of business and the business of cul-
enough “hand-holding” and Kabul should advantage – provincial councils in 2013, the chaos and fraud of previous elections. Failure ture” as its subject, the journal tweaked the
be left to get on with running the country. presidency in 2014 and parliament in 2015, so to do so in a corrupt and factionalised state nose of the blowhards at CNBC, was among the
They are not moving the goalposts. They are the opportunity for mayhem is unbounded. would lead to civil war on the heels of Nato’s first to expose the new internship culture, and
walking off with them. With the proposed rate of 20 base closures a withdrawal, especially if President Karzai tries generally ridiculed the delusions of America’s
Remember the old trope about conditions month, the job of holding the country together to stay in power by declaring a state of emer- new economy. Then in 2007, at the point of
on the ground dictating the pace of Nato’s will come down to an Afghan national army, gency. Under these conditions the army would maximum vindication, it went the way of all
withdrawal? It comes as no surprise to learn only 7% of which is currently considered capa- not maintain its nominal unity. little magazines. Until this summer, when it
that conditions are, on some counts, worsen- ble of independent action, even with foreign An exit like this would leave the US with suddenly came back. Co-founder Thomas
ing. The much-vaunted drop in civilian casu- advisers. The International Crisis Group in a just two points of historical comparison: the Frank no longer edits, but the original ethos
alties may just have been a result of record report today paints a bleak picture of Afghani- fall of Saigon in 1975, and Soviet withdrawal seems largely intact: beautifully discontented
snowfalls. August this year became the sec- stan’s readiness to prepare for elections and a from Afghanistan in 1989. Of the two, the prose written by people who’d rather be out
ond deadliest month on record. The Taliban transfer of power after Hamid Karzai’s man- Soviet parallel is looking closer each day. scrapping. Quite right, too.
Comment & Debate
‘W
The Tories
hat is that observer is perplexed by the sight of the ing that Cameron is “the leader of a very rich have became so much richer
man for?” “progressive” party flourishing thanks horrible public school clique”. over the past two decades.
a little girl to rotten boroughs within a corrupt If anything, what’s wrong with the Here is where Cameron could find
just aren’t
asked, point- system, the very thing radicals spent Tories of Cameron’s vintage is not that new meaning, and show what the Tories
ing at the generations campaigning against. they are too patrician but that they are for. If it seemed cleverly counter-
egregious But there it is, and the Tories find the aren’t patrician enough. They have intuitive for New Labour to proclaim it
patrician
figure of odds heavily stacked against them. This not only lost their self-confidence, was totally relaxed about people becom-
Randolph is paradoxically compounded by the they have quite forgotten the redeeming filthy rich, it would be still cleverer
Churchill. Even that ever-diminishing general rightward change in the political ing virtues of the old aristocracy, from – and better – for Cameron to say that he
enough
band who could be called friends of Ran- weather. Tony Blair moved steadily to a sense of public duty to disdain for was fed up with the filthy rich behaving
dolph, Sir Winston’s bibulous and noisy the right throughout his 10-year pre- vulgar money-grubbing and realistic like parasites. And Osborne could tell
son, sometimes pondered the same miership, stealing Tory language and patriotism. Apart from anything else us that he intends to follow the precept
question. And today it could be asked policies on health, education and crime. about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, of Winston Churchill as chancellor: “To
of the party with which the Churchills And whose inheritance did Miliband which most of us now recognise as make industry more happy and finance
once had such complicated relations: claim in his much admired speech last cruel and lamentable failures, a policy less proud.” Yes, they could do that. But
what is the Conservative party for? Tuesday? Benjamin Disraeli, and the old of unthinking support for America’s don’t hold your breath.
All our parties have been going charlatan’s emptily demagogic phrase calamitous adventures throughout the
through existential crises, and for the about “one nation”! Muslim world was plainly contrary to Geoffrey Wheatcroft is the author of The
Liberal Democrats theirs may yet be However cynical that larceny might the British national interest. Why don’t Strange Death of Tory England
terminal. But Labour has turned its for- seem, it leaves the Tories bereft of the Tories say so?
tunes round in a way that would have purpose, and identity. I’m reminded of The real charge against Cameron isn’t
seemed most unlikely during Gordon what Hubert Butler, the Irish essayist, Eton or Bullingdon but Carlton. Where On Comment is free
Brown’s disastrous tenure and the said about the Protestant ascendancy. someone of his background might once
humiliating collapse in the Labour vote After the Free State was established 90 have spent his early manhood serving ‘The right in politics stands
at the last election. That recovery leaves years ago, the old ascendancy lost its with the Coldstream, he spent his as a
Geoffrey Wheatcroft the Tories in a fix, and they reach their traditional arrogance, but also its self- shifty PR man for a second-rate televi- for aspiration. It believes in
conference in despondent mood. confidence and lack of self-conscious- sion company. And the Tories became living within your means
Although Cameron has been derided ness. Something similar is true of the infatuated with easy money, as can be
for his failure to win a majority of seats Tories – despite Andrew Mitchell, and seen by the sordid ways they have tried and not weighing down
Self-conscious and lacking two and a half year ago, this derision can with even the Daily Telegraph complain- to raise their own party funds. potential with debt. It
in confidence, the party has only come from those unable to read Nor have the Tories apparently
empowers the individual
simple electoral statistics. The question grasped the link between that easy
forgotten the redeeming is not how a party with 36% of the popu- money and our larger economic woes. to make better choices
virtues of the old aristocracy lar vote falls short of a parliamentary It’s true that the coalition inherited the
than the state. But many
majority, as happened to the Tories in The real charge against consequences of Brown’s burst bubble
2010, but how a party with barely 35% of
Cameron isn’t Bullingdon
and the wreckage of public finances it remain unsure whether we
the vote can gain a parliamentary major- left behind, but the government cannot
ity, which is how Labour “won” in 2005. or Eton, it’s his time as a go on using that as an excuse for ever. in the Conservative party
A ham-handed attempt to reduce Anyway, whatever merits the austerity are on their side’
the number of MPs has now been aban- shifty PR man for a programme might have had in theory,
doned thanks to the rupture with the
second-rate TV company in practice it isn’t working. Steve Barclay
Lib Dems over Lords reform. Still, if In his recent book The New Few, Fer-
Ed Miliband delights in the way that
general elections remain a huge gerry-
mander in favour of Labour, a detached
dinand Mount, a former adviser to Mar-
garet Thatcher, expresses the revulsion
so many of us feel at the way that the
Comment online at
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Letters and emails Corrections and

clarifications
Now is the time for
a civil service act Universal benefits in perspective • A misunderstanding led to a photo-
graph accompanying an article about
the Labour party conference (Now that’s
what you call a party, 4 October, page 6,
Vernon Bogdanor proposes a royal com- Your editorial (Perks amid penury, 5 ers. I cannot disagree with your analysis. • Your editorial quite rightly points out G2) being captioned as showing “a box
mission to investigate the relationship October) adds fuel to the increasing If, however, you are suggesting that that the government doesn’t dare to inviting [delegates] to vote on whether
between ministers and civil servants (The chorus and pleas of conscience-stricken removing pensioners’ benefits will allow alienate the “grey vote”, while feeling Ed Miliband should stay or go as
minister is responsible, 6 October). Not a journalists on finding themselves recipi- the government to restore (or at least not quite comfortable targeting disabled leader”. In fact the question being asked
bad idea, if the government can overcome ents of universal benefits for elderly peo- reduce further) the provision it makes people (among others) with vicious cuts. of delegates by a reporter from the
its rooted dislike of such “time-wasting” ple such as the winter fuel allowance. for the working and disabled poor, then However, you repeat a mistake I’ve BBC’s Daily Politics show was: “Should
exercises. But a more effective and attain- In this emotive atmosphere, a few facts your naivety is beyond belief. seen so many times – describing pen- Blairites stay or go?” On answering the
able goal would be to secure cross-party may serve to refocus the debate. The government is on a crusade sioners and disabled people as though question, they were invited to place a
support for a civil service act, such as One of the most illuminating statis- driven by much of the tabloid press – if they are entirely separate groups. I’m a ball in one of the two boxes shown in
exists in most mature democracies. As tics regarding the fate of poor pension- on benefits, you are a scrounger. pensioner, and disabled too. This must the picture: one labelled “stay” and the
long as civil servants are regarded con- ers is that in 2010-11 it is estimated There is a system for assessing apply to thousands of folk. Add to that other marked “go”.
stitutionally as the playthings of govern- there were 26,156 excess winter deaths whether individual pensioners need the pensioners now having to help out
ment, with no legal rights, ministers will among elderly people. Fuel poverty more financial support; it’s called the their disabled sons or daughters and the • The footnote on an interview with the
always be tempted to blame them when is recognised as a significant factor in tax system and, if structured properly, government forgets this at its peril. Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama
anything goes wrong. They need to be such appalling loss of life. Any allow- this would provide an ideal basis for Merry Cross (My best shot, 4 October, page 19, G2)
made to stop and think. Civil servants ances that aim to address such a toll by making such decisions. Reading should have mentioned the exhibition
need to feel that they are made of some- effectively targeting universal benefits But what needs retaining is the free bus Tights and Lips at the Michael Hoppen
thing stronger than putty. And both sides must surely be supported. pass (no “freedom pass” outside London • Your article has a peculiar implica- Gallery, London SW3, where the photo-
need to think harder about what the civil The suggestion that means-tested you know). This encourages the elderly to tion: that delivering pizza or cleaning a graph that accompanied the article can
service is for and how it should be run. benefits would be a more effective go out and, equally important, encour- barber’s shop is humiliating for a person be seen until 20 October. However,
David Gladstone method of addressing fuel poverty ages the middle classes to use the bus, receiving unemployment benefit until works by Moriyama can also be seen at
London is undermined by the evidence that, not only maintaining rural services but he hits retirement age, but noble for a the Tate Modern exhibition mentioned
according to Department for Work ensuring they don’t return to using worker receiving a salary which is taxed in the footnote, William Klein + Daido
• The government’s plans to cut facility and Pensions statistics, £4.5bn of their cars – this government once said it to pay unemployment benefits. In fact, Moriyama, which runs from 10 October.
time for trade union representatives in means-tested pensioner benefits were would be the “greenest ever”. the salaried worker is being enslaved for
the civil service (Report, 6 October) may unclaimed in 2008-09. This contrasts Maureen Panton the benefit of the unemployed youth. • Glenn Greenwald is not a contribut-
have unintended consequences. A good with the estimated costs of winter fuel Malvern, Worcestershire Poverty is not an impediment to ing writer at Salon.com, as we said in
union rep often foresees problems in allowances of £2.8bn in 2010-11. work, but old age is. It is ludicrous to an endnote on a Comment piece by him
new personnel policies that HR depart- The central issue is therefore a fair consider unemployed youth in the same (A third party could end the presiden-
ments miss and offers early warning of protection mechanism for elderly peo- breath as a pensioner. tial debate deceit, 5 October, page 40).
these, and a well-organised union branch ple. In this context, it seems apposite Fiamma Truuvert He left that role to join the Guardian in
to quote the pension minister’s state-
provides support on equality and health
and safety law, meaning less expense to ment in May 2011 that the winter fuel What needs retaining London August as a columnist on civil liberties
and US national security issues.
payment “provides vital reassurance
the employer down the line. The govern-
ment’s blockage of promotion to union that people can afford to turn up their is the free bus pass • Would it not be much more equitable,
unavoidable and cheaper to collect if all Contacts for Guardian departments
heating”. Such sentiments should evoke
reps on full facilities will also mean noth-
ing to most reps, who know that taking positive rather than critical commentary (no ‘freedom pass’ universal benefits such as free bus passes
and prescriptions, fuel allowances and,
and staff can be found at gu.com/help/
contact-us. To contact the readers’
from all who espouse a fairer society.
up a post means a freeze (sometimes
permanent) on career preferment. Union John French and Carmel Kelly outside London dare I say it, child allowances, were
treated as regular income and taxed?
editor’s office, which looks at queries
about accuracy and standards, email
reps who get promoted in post are usu-
ally those who collude with management
London
you know) The result would be no loss of income for
the poorest, but substantial funds raised
reader@guardian.co.uk including article
details and web link; write to The readers’
to repress activism in their branches – • Your editorial makes a compelling Maureen Panton from the better off – I would hazard editor, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London
their reward often follows. distinction between the way the gov- hundreds of millions of pounds a year. N1 9GU; or phone +44 (0)20 3353 4736
John Medhurst ernment’s benefits regime treats the Mike Gotch between 10am and 1pm UK time Monday
Hove, East Sussex younger poor compared with pension- Oxford to Friday excluding public holidays.
The Guardian’s policy is to correct
significant errors as soon as possible.
More pigs, less parsons – a succinct slogan Eton only perpetuates culture of cronyism
Country diary
Grant Shapps reportedly regards Ed Granada TV veterans Bill Grundy (died Tony Little argues (In defence of Eton, on the advantages of good education. But
Miliband as someone who has never had 9 February 1993) and Brian Inglis (died 6 October) that Etonians are “of value he ignores something he is surely aware
a proper job. It seems setting up a get- 11 February 1993) not only passed away to society” and “serve the public good”. of: the social capital gained by such priv-
rich-quick scheme on the internet under within two days of each other, they also Possibly, but seldom as teachers, social ilege and the (almost inevitable) attend-
an assumed name is a proper job, while wrote each other’s Guardian obituaries. workers or nurses. Instead, they are dis- ance at Oxbridge. This leads to the old-boy
teaching at Harvard is not. What does Ian Heath proportionately represented in politics, network and is possibly one of the reasons
this tell us about the Tory party’s values? Egham, Surrey and at top levels, where they have an Cameron did not sack Jeremy Hunt. And
David Butler influence over everybody else. The qual- no, it does not matter he went to Char-
London • When you’re bald at the front it means ities he claims of Eton, such as “lively, terhouse – he will still be seen as (to use
you think, when you’re bald at the back challenging, stimulating”, are true of Margaret Thatcher’s term) “one of us”.
• The Chartists’ slogan “More Pigs Less it means you’re sexy. When you’re bald most schools, which could also add that Frank West
Parsons” put succinctly their view of the at the front and the back you just think they better foster the understanding of London Western Lakes
comparative usefulness of the church of you’re sexy (Letters, 6 October). all kinds of people – women, disadvan-
their day (Loose canon, 6 October). Ken Ducker Yorkley taged, poor. The reasons he gives for the • Little says the boys are “part of the This summer’s washout, interposed by
Mal Jones Lydney, Gloucestershire success of ex-students are insufficient, world around them”. Please could he spells of neon blue sky, has changed
Market Rasen, Lincolnshire which is why concern about the unrepre- tell us how many of them a) are on free to days of Skiddaw-slate skies above
• The first port of call in New Society sentative nature of senior politicians and school meals; b) come from families on lakes, tarns and reservoirs that are brim-
• Jack Wakefield (Letters, 4 October) (Editorial, 5 October) was Nigel Paige’s anxieties about cronyism will continue. benefits; c) have had a member of their ful. Thirlmere – just one example – is
says it must be an odd occurrence that cartoon – unpredictable, unpolitical, but Phil Hind family die of starvation (Mother and son awash. How the winds have yowled,
Eric Hobsbawm was his own obituarist’s reliably anarchic. Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire deaths reveal benefit gap, p11, same day)? refusing to be blaan oot (Cumbrian dia-
obituarist. Here is an even odder coin- John Trevitt Jenny Maxwell lect for blowing out a candle), but still
cidence, or is it an even coincidence? Weobley, Herefordshire • No one could argue with Little’s article Craven Arms, Shropshire scouring the Lake District and blaa’in’
oot even ravens from the sky. Taking
their place, arms outstretched as if sky
diving, walkers who braved the heights
Open door have then descended by leaning out
horizontally into the gale holding them
aloft. Westerlies and sou’westerlies have
before moving on to the broader issue, some westerners objectify Africans is as – his mouth stuffed with his own testicles. blown unending.
the history of the Guardian’s usage of bad as racism. This is hard, adult reading from the broad- Wild Ennerdale – a partnership
“fuck” and “cunt” in absolute numbers The Guardian has guidance about sheet. Only these sort of articles really between local people and organisations
is instructive. When Ian Mayes was writ- swearing – but not other kinds of sexu- allowed us to understand the atrocities. led by the National Trust, Forestry Com-
ing about the problem 14 years ago he ally explicit material that may offend. So it was stern stuff to read but justifia- mission and United Utilities – really
noted the use of the f-word 400 times Usage relies on editorial judgment. ble as we sought to understand the true has looked untamed as westerlies have
in the 12 months prior to October 1998 Readers often write expressing concern suffering of the Iraqi people.” raced through Jordan Gap between Pil-
and the c-word 28 times. By the time about the effect of such material on their For him both were offensive but one lar Rock and Pillar and, on the far side
Siobhain Butterworth tackled the sub- children. While the Guardian is not writ- was necessarily so and the other not. of the mountain, Wind Gap (flanked
Chris Elliott ject in 2009 the figures were 470 and 61 ten for children, a father of an 11-year- I respect his views but I judged the also by Black Crag). And on they have
respectively in a year. In the 12 months old made a plea for more care. He Tatchell quote as something that reflects gusted: over Looking Stead, across Beck
to October 2012 it was 599 and 76, and objected to the inclusion of a response a society in which gay sex is no longer Head col to circumnavigate Kirk Fell,
for the previous 12 months 639 and 110. by Peter Tatchell to the question “what taboo and that jokes of this nature are and then to tear through Windy Gap
The readers’ editor on… Over a 14-year period the trend is has been your most embarrassing the standard fare of standup comedians (sandwiched between Green and Great
whose right is it to offend clearly up, notwithstanding the criminal moment?” in Weekend magazine. He on Live at the Apollo, week in, week out Gable) and down Aaron Slack to churn
trial of John Terry, the Chelsea footballer replied “mistaking a sachet of shampoo on the BBC, just past the 9pm watershed. up Sty Head Tarn with white horses at
and using whose rules? cleared of racial abuse, during which a for lube when having sex. His bum was So the latter would be acceptable to the 1,434ft and on over Seathwaite Fell.
A
lot of obscenities were used in evidence. blowing bubbles for hours”. majority of our readership, vibrators too. High House Tarn was next as the
Reporting those is consistent with the The reader continued: “On p35 we But I had to think about it a bit. westerlies continued streaming towards
mong the most dif- Guardian’s editorial guidelines of “using have a full page of vibrators. In the review We have no guidelines for this or sim- Langstrath, the wilds of Raise and on
ficult things I have to swearwords only when absolutely nec- we have an open leg drawing of a woman ilar material – should we have? Should over Calf Crag and Steel Fell to cross
deal with as readers’ essary to the facts of a piece”. apparently masturbating … years ago one we revise our guidelines on the use of Dollywaggon Pike. Skyline tarns have
editor are matters of “Yeah, fuck off indifference,” a phrase article carried a distressing story about the swearwords as society changes its atti- looked in danger of emptying, their
“taste”, considering used in a G2 column on 24 September atrocities in Iraq. I have retained a mental tude to such words? If so, how? I would contents spouting into the air, including
complaints about 2012 is not within the rules, which is image of a young Iraqi man blinded by be interested in the views of readers. the water of Burnmoor Tarn, Lakeland’s
things some readers presumably why it was changed to “bog Iraqi soldiers and returned to his family I asked colleagues for their view on third largest, its spray sometimes reach-
find offensive, beyond off indifference” when launched online. holding his eyes in the palms of each hand the material we use and how we use it ing the shore and drenching walkers.
the bounds of decency. This difficulty One direction is that “the stronger and 25 responded. Half said we should One tarn is reputedly so placed, a hur-
doesn’t just cover readers’ concerns the swearword, the harder we ought The Guardian has be tougher on the use of such material, ricane could whip up a freak wave that
about the use of obscenities and other to think about using it. Avoid using in including one who thinks we should would send thousands of gallons of
swearwords in the Guardian. These headlines, pull quotes and standfirsts”.
guidance about swearing use asterisks for swearwords. Another water spilling over its dam – though leg-
concerns have been aired in this column So why use this headline? “African aid: – but not other kinds felt there was a case for more coverage: end has it that that could only happen
before, by my predecessors and me. no more ‘pity shit’” on a passionate first- “The debate around feminism, sexual- once in a blue moon. As it was, it was
Of course it’s a matter of whose person piece published on the Guard-
of sexually explicit ity, pornography and more is one of the out of the firing line of recent winds.
sense of decency and whose rules, but ian website that contends that the way material that may offend big ones among liberals at the moment.” Tony Greenbank
Obituaries desk
Obituaries Email: obituaries@guardian.co.uk
other.lives@guardian.co.uk
Twitter: @guardianobits
Commander Bill King

an oil leak in case it betrayed his
Decorated submarine boat to the enemy.
captain who served A return to the Mediterranean for five
months in 1943, as second-in-command
Britain throughout of the Beirut submarine base in his new
rank of commander, led to a meeting
the second world war with the writer Anita Leslie, whom he
C
married in 1949.
After Beirut he was given another
ommander Bill King, who boat in the far east, the T-class
has died aged 102, was Telemachus, on which he served
the much-decorated, out the war, sinking a troopship and a
last surviving British supply ship. He was awarded a bar to
submarine captain of the his DSO for a successful duel with the
second world war – he Japanese submarine I-166, which sank.
was in command of his In September 1945 he began his last
first boat on day one and naval posting as executive officer of the
of his third when Japan surrendered. large submarine depot ship HMS Forth.
As a form of compensation for his He resigned from the service rather
years of underwater claustrophobia, than return to submarines.
he took up yachting, set out to sail After the war, King moved to Ireland
solo round the world and succeeded to farm and acquired a ruined castle at
at the third attempt. Oranmore on the west coast near
King was born in Hampshire, Galway. He and his wife spent an
the son of a Royal Engineers officer extended honeymoon sailing round
who was a lieutenant colonel with the West Indies before draining their
the Distinguished Service Order 150 acres and starting an organic farm,
(DSO) and was killed on the western regularly riding to hounds with the
front in 1917. His mother sent Bill to Galway Blazers, after whom his first
Dartmouth naval college and his initial yacht was named.
posting was on a battleship in the In 1968 King made his first attempt
Mediterranean as a midshipman. His to circumnavigate the globe in the
first taste of the submarine service, junk-rigged Galway Blazer II in the first
for which he volunteered, came in round-the-world yacht race, in which
1932 aboard HMS Orpheus on the he was the oldest contestant. Although
China Station, where he was promoted relishing the contrast with serving on
to lieutenant. Almost four years later submarines, he had to give up when a
he became “number one”, or executive record storm dismasted his yacht and
officer on a support vessel. Short stints he was towed into Cape Town. He tried
on two more boats led to the notorious again in 1970 but was forced by illness
“perisher” course for would-be to go ashore in Western Australia. He
submarine captains at Portsmouth, started again from Fremantle at the end
which he passed. of 1971. His yacht was rammed by
After four months on a depot ship, a whale or huge shark, forcing him
King was given his first submarine to make hair-raising repairs at sea
command, HMS Snapper, in April and limp back to Fremantle, but he
1939. Sent on patrols in the North Sea, King, centre, was made captain of HMS Snapper in 1939 and earned recognition for his wartime patrols of the North Sea finally sailed into Plymouth after
Snapper’s first taste of warfare was a two years away.
very near miss from a bomb dropped King wrote two volumes of
off Harwich, Essex, in December 1939 During this period he also ran the In 1941 King was posted to the new but unhurt in Singapore, King found autobiography and books on sailing.
by the RAF. The boat limped into the boat aground off the Dutch coast but and larger, ocean-going HMS Trusty, total chaos as the island faced being Anita died in 1984. Their son and
harbour without major damage and in managed to refloat her without damage. of the T-class, for service in the overrun by the enemy. On his own daughter survive him.
the following eight months King sank The customary inquiry did not lead Mediterranean. At the end of the year, initiative he made two patrols in the Dan van der Vat
six enemy ships off Jutland, earning to a court martial but an invitation Lieutenant Commander King and Trusty South China Sea, without result. He
his first DSO in spring 1940, followed to drinks with the First Lord of the were assigned to the far east, just in briefly retreated to Surabaya in the William Donald Aelian King, submarine
by the Distinguished Service Cross in Admiralty, Winston Churchill, not long time for the great Japanese onslaught in Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), captain and yachtsman, born 23 June
autumn that year. before he became prime minister. the Indian and Pacific oceans. Bombed before they too were overrun, to repair 1910; died 21 September 2012
Birthdays
Judith Crist
Baroness (Betty) Boothroyd, former
Speaker of the Commons, 83; Chevy
reviews of Hollywood films, some of film critics, Crist was nevertheless which had a wide release in the US in an Chase, actor, 69; Prof Maurice Cockrill,
American film critic which were easy targets, that made the adored by many of her students at English dubbed version. Crist admired expressionist painter, keeper of the
with mass appeal greatest impression, particularly the the Columbia University school of Federico Fellini, whom she interviewed, Royal Academy, 76; Matt Damon,
J
scathing critique of Cleopatra (1963) that journalism, where she taught for more at the expense of Michelangelo actor, 42; Anne-Marie Duff, actor,
established her reputation. “At best a than 50 years. She had a reputation as a Antonioni, whose “obscure” L’Avventura 42; Paul Farmer, chief executive, Mind,
udith Crist, who has died aged major disappointment, at worst an great hostess, welcoming guests to her opened around the same time. 46; David Gauke, Conservative MP and
90, was, at one stage, probably extravagant exercise in tedium,” apartment where it was “required” to She confessed to taking guilty exchequer secretary to the Treasury,
the most widely read, listened she wrote of the film. She went on to smoke. She also held Judith Crist Film pleasure in watching revenge movies 41; Tom Glocer, former chief executive,
to and watched film critic in dismiss Elizabeth Taylor in the title role Weekends in Tarrytown, New York such as Michael Winner’s Death Wish Thomson Reuters, 53; Paul Hogan, actor,
the world. At least, due to her as “an entirely physical creature, no state, each attended by about 200 (1974), but disliked the work of Sam 73; Peter Horrocks, director, BBC World
appearances on the early depth of emotion apparent in her kohl- people, including actors and film- Peckinpah. Crist’s opinion of The Service, 53; The Rev Jesse Jackson,
morning US television show laden eyes, no modulation in her voice, makers, from 1971 to 2006. Godfather (1972) was: “You can’t say the US civil rights leader, 71; Martha
Today and her reviews in the which too often rises to fishwife levels”. She was born in the Bronx, New trash doesn’t get first-class treatment.” Kearney, broadcaster, 55; Sadiq
weekly magazine TV Guide, which had Hated and feared by some film- York, as Judith Klein. Her mother was a She championed Steven Spielberg Khan, Labour MP and shadow justice
a huge circulation of 17m in its heyday, makers – Billy Wilder, after her put- librarian and her father a fur trader. She and Woody Allen. secretary, 42; Bill Maynard, actor
she was the American film critic with down of Some Like It Hot (“full attended Hunter College in Manhattan However, in Allen’s Stardust and comedian, 84; Alasdair Milne,
the largest appeal to a mass audience. of perverse gags and homosexual and received a master’s degree from Memories (1980), his sour, subjective broadcaster, 82; Bel Mooney, writer
Crist, who called herself a in-jokes”), remarked that “getting her Columbia’s journalism school. Soon portrayal of how the famous see their and broadcaster, 66; Blake Morrison,
“journalistic reviewer”, knew what to review a film is like asking the Boston after graduation, she got a job writing fans, Crist found herself cruelly poet and writer, 62; Prof Richard
the public wanted and catered to Strangler for a neck massage” – and reviews for the New York Herald lampooned in the character of the Morris, medieval archaeologist,
them. She had no truck with “cerebral” dismissed as too populist by weightier Tribune, becoming the first female full- organiser (played by Helen Hanft) of a 65; Ardal O’Hanlon, comedian, 47;
film theorists, nor auteurists such as time critic on a major US newspaper. It “film culture” weekend. Crist, who has a Dame Merle Park, ballerina, former
Andrew Sarris, nor feminist critics such Crist, who was was for the Trib that she filed the cameo during a flashback fantasy, felt director, Royal Ballet school, 75;
as Molly Haskell. Her idols were James feared by some notorious Cleopatra review. In 1947 she herself badly used by the film. Ray Reardon, snooker champion,
Agee, Otis Ferguson and Frank Nugent, film-makers, married William Crist, a PR consultant. Her husband died in 1993. She is 80; Lord Romsey, film producer, 65;
solid writers in the literary tradition. became the first When she was on the Today show, her survived by her son, Steven. Albert Roux, chef, 77; Robert Saxton,
“If you’re going to be a movie fan, you female full-time choice of films was restricted to those Ronald Bergan composer, 59; Sir Robert Scholey,
take Bond as seriously as you do the critic on a major distributed throughout the US, which former chairman, British Steel, 91;
grand auteurism of Bergman,” she said. US newspaper meant she rarely reviewed foreign films. Judith Crist, film critic, born 22 May 1922; Dennis Silk, former cricketer, 81;
Predictably, it was her negative An exception was La Dolce Vita (1960), died 7 August 2012 Sigourney Weaver, actor, 64.
Other lives Announcements

Freddie Lees back to south-east Asia at the time of east-west human relationships rich in
erotic and mystical elements. He began
continued studies in Cantonese in
Macau, before being posted to Malaya.
Indonesian confrontation against the
My father, Freddie Lees, who has died creation of Malaysia. In the 1970s he a trilogy of semi-autobiographical Freddie became a huge character in
aged 87, spent a long career in public became involved in the work of British novels with Fool’s Gold: The Malayan the life of Rye, and a leading figure in
service overseas. His first posting as a and European non-governmental Life of Ferdach O’Haney (2005). the project to set up a theatre in the
civil servant with the British Overseas agencies active in developing countries. The Rape of Rye (2006) described town. The Fletcher theatre, celebrating
Service was to Malaya, in 1949, while it Later he returned to diplomatic work to contemporary social life in the East the life and works of Shakespeare’s
was still under British rule. Much of his train members of the foreign service of Sussex town, where he lived for many collaborator John Fletcher (a Rye local),
work then related to countering the Papua New Guinea. The last part of his years, and The First Lady (2012) was will focus on Renaissance theatre, and
communist insurgency before overseas career was spent in the Asian based on the life of Imelda Marcos. is set to become an integral part of the
independence. He helped guide the Development Bank in Manila. Freddie was born in Birkenhead, annual Rye festival.
Federation of Malaya to independence In retirement, he published Cheshire. He served in RAF Bomber He is survived by his wife, Marie,
in 1957 and continued working for its diverse books, from The Arthuriad of Command during the second world war whom he married in 1955, two sons,
government until the early 60s. Catumandus (1996), set in the early as a navigator and afterwards studied Matthew and me, and six
Subsequently he entered the dark ages in Britain, to Annals of geography at Liverpool University. He grandchildren.
diplomatic service, which took him the Purple City (1997), a novel about studied at Soas in London, and Jerry Lees
Reviews
≥
‘A triumphant start to the season’
Reviews Guy Dammann on Jukka-Pekka Saraste and the
BBC Symphony Orchestra guardian.co.uk/music
Dance or performance art? It’s all a matter of timing

Dance Pop
Dance Umbrella Nickelback
Central St Martins, London Manchester Arena
★★★★★ ★★★★★
Dance, performance art or music: the Canadian rockers Nickelback aren’t

duets created by Matteo Fargion and universally popular. Some 55,000
Jonathan Burrows occupy a niche American football fans once signed
somewhere between the three, and it’s a petition to attempt to stop them
partly a matter of habit that they’re given playing at half time. A dating website
to dance critics to review – Burrows has voted their music the No 1 “musical
started his career with the Royal Ballet. turn-off ”. In a particularly low moment,
In this year’s Dance Umbrella, however, Nickelback haters set up a Facebook
no less than five of their duets are being page to demonstrate that a pickled
shown, and around them Burrows as cucumber could get more fans.
guest “curator” has assembled a range of None of this has prevented the band
experimental work that similarly dodges selling 50m albums and packing arenas
the question of genre. across the world, combining grunge and
Much of it is unknown to the soft metal with breathtaking cynicism.
audience, and the atmosphere around Chisel-jawed blond frontman Chad
the festival’s opening night suggests that Kroeger – who reveals that he speaks to
Umbrella was ready for something new. his own mother in the same eardrum-
So lively was the buzz, it even survived splitting yell – once explained how he
the dour solo by Mette Edvardsen, studied the songs that he heard on the
which opened the evening. For 25 radio and copied the formula: songs
minutes Edvardsen mimes a woman about relationships and memorable
doing domestic tasks around her flat. hooks. Thus, Photograph sounds weirdly
And with each gesture she not only like fellow Canadian Bryan Adams’
names the object and action (“table”, Summer of ’69. The 2008 hit Rockstar – a
“push”, “there”, “better” ) but repeats not-so distant relative of 4 Non Blondes’
each word six or eight times, on an 1993 world dominator What’s Up, about
incantatory loop. Black may be the a wannabe rocker’s desire for a life where
physical equivalent of concrete poem, “the girls come easy and the drugs come
but while its concept has an intriguing cheap” – would be satire if it didn’t eerily
resonance, there’s a nagging inevitability reflect their own career.
in Edvardsen’s handling of it that makes Their lyrics flirt with misogyny,
for swiftly diminishing returns. The and women are routinely depicted as
difference between conceptual art and Funny and clever … Fargion and Burrows’ One Flute Note at Dance Umbrella Photograph: Hugo Glendinning “naughty” or strippers. You become
theatre may all be in the timing. thankful for small mercies, like when
Andros Zins-Browne promises, Kroeger tells a “dirty little lady with the
winningly, to give us a trio of cowboy pretty pink thong” that she “looks much
dancing on a giant inflatable set. Yet
that offers up Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel
as a play within a play, one that is a
Opera matched as Sid and Nancy, and Rosie
Aldridge is wonderfully plummy as the cuter with something in your mouth”, it
The Host opens with such unforgiving cross between a dark thriller and a disapproving housekeeper Florence turns out he’s referring to her thumb.
slowness (just the sound of pumping timeless Greek tragedy complete with Albert Herring Pike. She, we sense, has not had much And yet, the more derivative,
air) that my anxious neighbour has to a vengeful, gossip-mongering chorus trouble resisting the temptations dunderheaded, dated and downright
ask whether this is the actual show.
Linbury Studio, London troubling they are, the more people
who are both witnesses and accessories offered by men, and nor has her
Once the inflatable is up and bouncing, to the crime. It’s a good place to start, ★★★★★ employer; but the terrifying do-gooder love them. Kroeger requests that
however, the ferocity of the air supply because the blonde bombshell, Dorian Lady Billows should get more laughs. everyone jump with devil’s horns in
transforms it into a dramatically Gray (a terrific debut by Tom Canton), The Union Jack bunting looks awfully Jennifer Rhys-Davies moves across the air, and they do. “I like your pants
turbulent presence – a herd of buffalos, a is a young man who turns himself into familiar – and indeed, if anyone foolishly the stage like a battleship, and you around your feet,” he wails, amid more
bucking bronco, a raging sea. As the three a work of art by making a Faustian wanted to update Albert Herring can hear every one of her directives musical cliches. If they didn’t have such
men wrestle to remain upright, there’s pact that ensures that he is endlessly then 2012 would be the year, with if you listen, but they should really disturbingly straight faces, they could
a very watchable virtuosity involved in desirable and always youthful. It is his the Loxford May Day feast as an early hit you like a jabbing finger in the almost be a giant prank to prove that 50
their struggles, as well as a convincing heart that withers. Jubilee street party and Mrs Herring as solar plexus. million people can be wrong.
play of metaphors about our battles to Dorian is the blank canvas on the proprietor of the local Costcutter. Erica Jeal Dave Simpson
tame the environment. which others write their desires, from But Britten’s comedy was a period piece Until Wednesday (020-7304 At Sheffield Arena (0114 2565656),
By far the best of the evening is the yearning Basil Hallwood (Frank even when it was written, in 1947, and 4000), then touring. Details: Sunday and Wembley Arena (08444
Fargion and Burrows’s funny and clever McCusker), who bares his own soul so it must remain. englishtouringopera.org.uk 999999), Monday.
One Flute Note. The two men begin by (and unspoken longings) in painting Britten’s opera about a town where
calling out requests for music – “Three Dorian’s portrait, to the all-corrupting a shy greengrocer’s son is elected King
drum rolls”, “45 pianos” – as if ordering Sir Henry Wotton, who is played by of the May in the absence of any local
up a delivery of tools. Gradually, the Jasper Britton with a fabulous silky female virginity is the light relief in
sounds cohere into a kind of score to vitriol. Wotton remains fork-tongued English Touring Opera’s autumn season.
which Burrows performs fragments even as he crumbles into old age, his Christopher Rolls stages it neatly in
of dance, yet the more complex the eyes still glittering in his ruined face like the cage-like room of Neil Irish’s set,
material becomes the harder he and an ancient poisonous toad. Even the with Michael Rosewell conducting
Fargion have to work to keep track doomed teenage actress, Sybil, projects the excellent Aurora Orchestra.
of its construction. It’s a challenging her own yearnings upon Dorian, making Rolls’s direction is sharp and keenly
meditation on form and memory, but the fatal mistake of confusing appearance observed. From the flirtation between
performed with such a droll tension that and reality, real feeling and acting. The vicar and schoolmistress to Albert’s
it’s also a deliciously entertaining kind roses that Dorian gives her are a gash of unconsciously priapic handling of the
of dance theatre. blood amid a vase of funereal lilies. fruit and veg, he ensures the subtext
Judith Mackrell Acting and the illusions of theatre are of sexual repression is barely sub at all.
Until Sunday. Details: danceumbrella.co.uk at the dark heart of Bartlett’s production This is not laugh-a-minute comedy,
that is faithful but never literal, and but there’s a lot to smile at. If the pace
which succeeds in Kandis Cook’s occasionally sags, that is as much the
Theatre ravishing design in offering something fault of the work as of its presentation;
that exudes sumptuousness and yet – even the usually acerbic Britten
The Picture of Dorian Gray with the stage stripped back to the brick occasionally lets his audience get
wall – is also spare and revealing. Mostly too comfortable.
Abbey, Dublin about our illusions about ourselves. It Mark Wilde’s strongly sung Albert
★★★★★ glitters artfully; it leaves us desolate. gets the balance between innocence
Lyn Gardner and anger just right, though his nervous
“All art is quite useless,” is the first line Until 17 November. Box office: tic is a clumsy directorial detail.
of Neil Bartlett’s arresting adaptation 00 353 1 677 8899. Charles Rice and Martha Jones are well
■ Lifeguard ■ Frieze Art Fair/Frieze Masters ■ Straight

You need to pack your More art than you can shake a stick at from Richard Wilson is at the
Opening swimming costume to galleries from 35 countries, commissioned
artists projects, films, talks and a new,
Book helm for DC Moore’s
screen-to-stage
this week see Adrian Howells’
genuinely immersive parallel fair featuring art from across the now adaptation of Humpday,
show that
hat explores millennia. From Thursday to 14 October, about two best buddies
our fear,
r, and love, Regents
Re Park, London, whose friendship takes
of water. A multimedia and multi-sensory
ulti-sensory frieze.com.
f a new turn as the result
of a bet. Heads for London’s Bush theatre after
theatre piece played out in Glasgow’s
asgow’s
its Sheffield premiere. Sheffield Crucible Studio
beautiful old baths that have been closed Last chance to see: (0114 249 6000; sheffieldtheatres.co.uk),
for over a decade. Govanhill Baths,
aths, Glasgow ■T
The Magic Flute 1-24 November, then touring.
(0141-565 1000; thearches.co.uk),
o.uk), tonight It rea
really is the last
to 27 October. opportunity to catch
opport ■ DanceLive 2012
Nicholas H Hytner’s 1988 Now in its seventh year, Scotland’s leading
■ Cat on a Hot Tin Rooff production, w which ENO says contemporary dance festival ranges from a
Zoe Boyle swaps Downton for the is finally off tot the knacker’s triple bill of modern ballet to new work by
happily
Mississippi Delta to play the unhappily yard when th this revival is over. smaller companies. His Majesty’s Theatre and
married Maggie in this revival of But it’s come up well this The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, (01224 641122;
Tennessee Williams’s family dramaama of time, with El Elena Xanthoudakis boxofficeaberdeen.com), 16-31 October.
secrets and lies. This should bee a show and Robert M McPherson
that sizzles. West Yorkshire Playhouse,
ayhouse, leading the cacast and Duncan ■ Robert le Diable
Leeds (0113 213 7700; wyp.org.uk),
rg.uk), Rock as Papageno.
Papag Coliseum, A fully staged Meyerbeer opera is a rare event in
tonight to 27 October. (020-7845 9300;
London (020- this country. Here, it’s directed by Laurent Pelly,
Thursday, Saturday,
eno.org), Thur with Bryan Hymel as Robert and John Relyea
Last chance to see: Duncan
an 15 and 18 OctOctober. as Bertram. Royal Opera House, London
Rock in The Magic Flute (020-7304 4000; roh.org.uk), 6-21 December.
Opinion
F
A fortnight
or George Entwistle, the venture arrangement with Clarkson, and work were not enough to convince only wonder what Lord Patten – where
honeymoon lasted no so at least the buy-out ends what was Rippon there was a story. Even more was he last week? – thinks of that. Surely
more than a fortnight. becoming a very generous deal. extraordinarily, Rippon’s intervention there is somebody out there whose job
of apologies
Phone hacking and Lev- Meanwhile, it is not just the BBC that was such as to kill the report for good: it is to protect the corporation’s reputa-
eson may have taken the is responsible for its own tax affairs, but why not say to the investigators “Do tion; Entwistle’s only contribution was a
media news agenda away the stars and freelancers whom it pays some more work”? Friday-night email to staff pretty much
has badly
from the BBC for an un- in gross. And, although not much of Over at Newsnight, anger at Rippon’s repeating what its spokespeople had
precedented period – but the reporting reflected this, the Public decision is, frankly, off the charts. A already said.
last week’s Jimmy Savile abuse claims Accounts Committee’s complaint about terrible signal has been sent to future Far more serious, though, is ascer-
damaged
have changed all that. Those grave al- this was aimed across the public sector, whistleblowers wanting to approach the taining what Savile actually did all those
legations, of course, remain by far the but then no reporter on Fleet Street will BBC. Or as one of Savile’s victims told years ago. It remains to be seen how
most serious issue facing the BBC, but be fired for writing an anti-BBC story. the Guardian last week: “You tell News- the Metropolitan police’s assessment
the BBC
the past fortnight has seen the national However, as regards the Jimmy Savile night and then they squash it.” One can of the people who have come forward
broadcaster splurged all over the public allegations, the BBC shouldn’t comfort develops, and for the moment the force
prints repeatedly. itself with the notion that the rest of the seems to be keen for the BBC not to
Think quickly of Frank Gardner’s on- media is being unfair. Make no mistake, launch its own inquiry in parallel.
air lese majeste, the multimillion-pound the dismal accusations are terrible news But police inquiries end in court cases
enrichment of Jeremy Clarkson and
complaints about the th tax treatment of
for it.
It did not help that the BBC offered
A terrible signal has or otherwise. They do not provide a
comprehensible, single explanation to
about a third of its
who are paid gross
it top presenters –
gro into “personal
the flimsiest of justifications of its
December 2011 decision to axe a News-
been sent to future victims and the public as to whether and
if so how Savile may have got away with
companies”. In all three of
service compan
those, the BBC ccould argue that its
night investigation of Savile’s activities.
Its editor, Peter Rippon, insisting that
whistleblowers abuse for so long, or a written guide as
to how processes are in place to ensure
critics are, as so often, seeing half
Gardner breached his
the picture. Gard
nobody leant on him to can the film,
dropped it after setting the preposterous
wanting to approach that the power of celebrity cannot be
used in this way. Above all, though, the
obligations to t a source and so
apology to Buck House
an apolo
hurdle that it could only be aired if the
Crown Prosecution Service had decided
the corporation strategy leaves the BBC without a clear
voice, when its bosses need to do a lit-
was rereasonable. Top Gear not to pursue Savile because he was too tle more than send out emails to staff
industries had grown
indu old. The 10 victims and witnesses the exactly a week after the allegations
Dan Sabbagh fast under the joint- production team had found in a month’s about Savile emerged.
Media Monkey’s
Will Rupert pick up Penguin – or the FT? Diary
ing Jamie Oliver and Jeremy Clarkson,
Dame Marjorie Scardino’s has been identified as the weakest link
departure could herald
a change of direction
of the major media assets in the portfo-
lio. The book publisher, operating in the
most mature media market, made profits
Full
marks
to former toilers on the
of £111m last year, giving Penguin a valua- Times’s axed science supplement,
tion of between £650m and £800m. Eureka, as it was presumably intentional
Mark Sweney “If they want to sell something non- that their final edition on Thursday
core then selling Penguin is the obvious was called “Apocalypse – the disaster
choice,” says Alex DeGroote, an analyst at issue”, with a volcano image providing a
Ever since Dame Marjorie Scardino Panmure. “It makes a bigger profit [than spectacular fiery cover. Two pages were
famously said that the Financial Times FT Group] and there is a much poorer stra- allocated to the giant headline “Struck
would be sold “over my dead body” a tegic fit. FT Group profits will respond to Down”, and another to “Blown Away”.
decade ago, the position of the Pink ’Un in the business cycle, it is doubtful Penguin Hold on, though: page 52 poignantly
Pearson’s portfolio has been sacrosanct. will. It is hard to see a great growth story details the contents of a non-existent
Scardino’s departure as chief executive in a 10-year view.” next issue in November, so all the alarm
has inevitably put the spotlight on Pear- DeGroote believes Penguin would about the world coming to an end could
son’s commitment to the FT. However, make a perfect addition to the publishing just be a ghastly coincidence.
some analysts believe that if her succes- company that Rupert Murdoch intends to
sor John Fallon wants to restructure the
company, it could be Penguin that is dis-
posed of.
set up to house assets including the Wall
Street Journal, the Sun and the Times
papers, and his book publisher HarperCol-
Nicky Campbell (below) joined
Radio 1 in 1987, and so he
celebrated 25 years on national radio
Penguin, the home to authors includ- lins. HarperCollins is about 80% of the size Will the new Pearson boss, John Fallon, be as committed to keeping the FT? last week, recalling that his first break
was presenting a Scottish station’s
of Penguin globally. “The proposed pub- driven North America, Penguin and the FT opera programme (when he
lishing company could do with a bit more as well, they are Pearson-wide,” he said. also began a rock and
critical mass,” says DeGroote. “It is a bit “[The FT and Penguin] are valued and val- pop show, he had
far-fetched to see Murdoch buy the FT – uable businesses in their own right, and to be called “the
they have the Wall Street Journal – but not very much with the strategic grain of what other Nicky
at all far-fetched to see them buying the we are trying to do across Pearson.” Campbell” to
imprints under Penguin.” FT digital subscriptions grew by almost avoid confusion).
The counter view is that Penguin could a third last year, to more than 250,000, Monkey, passing
remain valuable by exploiting greater syn- adding up to well over 40% of total paid through Salford as
ergies with Pearson’s education assets. circulation. And at Penguin the digital you do, asked him what
In spite of the extensive coverage it transition is moving at a pace, with ebooks did he regard as his worst moment.
receives in the media, FT Group, which jumping year on year from 6% to 12% of Remember when he jumped in ahead
includes a 50% stake in the Economist the publisher’s £1.05bn in revenues in of his compatriot James Naughtie by
Group, is a small part of Pearson, account- 2011. getting the words “west Kent hunt” in a
ing for just 7% of its £5.9bn revenue. But it is the education division that is terrible tangle on 5 Live?
The Financial Times alone is thought to Pearson’s future, accounting for 75% of
account for just 4%, although Pearson is
coy about figures when it comes to the
newspaper. Adjusted profits at FT Group
total group revenue and about 80% of
operating profits. With £1bn to spend on
acquisitions and headwinds facing the US
Newspapers and broadcasters
scrambled to follow up ITV’s
late-night documentary on Jimmy
are expected to be about £50m this year, a education operation, which represents Savile, but the story was broken long
small fraction of Pearson’s £1bn. almost 50% of Pearson’s total profits, it ago: the Sunday Mirror disclosed the
Eager analysts have put a price tag of is perhaps clear why Fallon was chosen blocking of Newsnight’s investigation
between £500m and £800m on FT Group ahead of more apparently fancied inter- in January, and the following month
– Pearson’s stake in the Economist Group nal candidates. the Oldie (edited by Richard Ingrams,
representing more than half of most of the Handling Rona Fairhead, the chief exec- formerly of Private Eye) had further
estimates – with Bloomberg cited as a par- utive of FT Group, Will Ethridge, the head details, including the fact that “the
ticularly good fit to snap it up. of the North American Education opera- woman who gave [Newsnight] the
Fallon, who has a low profile (although tion and John Makinson, Penguin’s group interview said that she and others were
he was a press officer for the company chairman and chief executive, will be high abused by Savile on BBC premises …
in the 1990s), has been instrumental in on his to-do list. Financially too there is in Savile’s dressing room.” The author,
building Pearson’s education business work to do to please investors. “Pearson incidentally, was Miles Goslett, who,
internationally. At his first public outing underperformed the FTSE by 7% and is rumour had it, tried and failed to hawk
in the job last week, he was obliged to easily the weakest performing medium- his story elsewhere around Fleet Street
dampen speculation about the possible to-large sized media company over the first.
disposal of the media assets – instead last year,” says DeGroote. “It was out-
he portrayed them as part of Pearson’s
digital transformation.
“The strategic themes that have
performed by ITV, BSkyB, Reed, WPP
and DMGT.”
So the FT may be safe for now, but
BBC bosses, said to be
“horrified” by the women’s
testimony, especially when instances
driven the growth of the business given the constant need to maintain of abuse at TV Centre were alleged, will
I’ve been directly responsible stock price performance, there is have difficulty maintaining they were
for over the last decade have always a City analyst ready to argue unaware of the claims seven months ago
that Pearson will may one day sell its – particularly as parts of the mainstream
prized newspaper.
Penguin would “A clear message was sent with
press picked up the Oldie’s story.
Just as striking as the broadcasters’
make a perfect Fallon’s appointment, the company lack of interest until forced to act
is positioned in education and FT last week, on the other hand, is the
addition to the Group is a less strategic asset than failure of newspapers to investigate
publishing it was 10 years ago when Scardino
made her comment,” says Will Smith,
for themselves the allegations in the
ditched Newsnight report and the
company Rupert an analyst at Jefferies. “I would be sur- magazine article.
prised if they haven’t previously had any
Murdoch [right] discussions on a sale. They need to invest You can catch up with Monkey every
intends to set up to continue to grow and selling assets like day online at mediaguardian, or on
the FT would certainly generate cash.” Twitter: @mgmediamonkey
Read more online Coming up this week

All week: coverage
co of the
at mediaguardian MipCom TV and entertainment
content market
mar in Cannes
Friday: Natio
National newspaper ABC
figures for S
September
Interview Deborah Joseph
‘It’s not enough now to be just a magazine’

The editor of Condé Nast’s Easy Living magazine reveals how her glossy has bucked the sales trend with
more US cover stars, a new ‘sophisticated’ sex section – and by dropping most of the content about children
Emine Saner magazine but I want to get to it straight For all the good news about her sales
away.” figures – a monthly average of 164,019
Before Joseph took over, cover stars in the first half of 2012 – Easy Living is
So imperilled is the magazine publish- included the TV presenters Tess Daly some way behind Marie Claire, which
ing world that most editors must greet and Kirstie Allsopp; Joseph has gone sells around 236,000 copies a month,
every half-yearly set of Audit Bureau of for – is there a kind way of putting this? and the 216,000 of Red, its closest rival
Circulations figures with weary resigna- – starrier women, including Scarlett for readers in their 30s.
tion and a hope that their percentage Johansson and Charlize Theron. The “[Condé Nast] have always wanted
sales decline is still in single figures. So cover stars of five of her eight issues between 150,00 and 200,000 sales. It
when a magazine puts on sales of 17% in have been big-name American actors. dipped below 150,000 before I got here
just six months (and 3.8% year on year), Do they sell better? “It depends on who and I would never want to go there
it is remarkable. it is,” says Joseph. “I like having them, again, but obviously I’m aiming towards
Between January and June 2012, because it feels more glossy but we’ve 200,000. But it’s a volatile market at the
Condé Nast’s Easy Living posted its had some very interesting British stars moment, everyone is struggling.”
highest sales for two years. You don’t on the cover – women who have lived a Joseph grew up in Manchester and
have to be a cynic to note this would bit, and have something to say. Amanda although she says she was “obsessed”
have been helped by several price- Holden [in the August issue] has experi- with magazines as a teenager, she origi-
cutting promotions – experiments with enced so much and I think people can’t nally wanted to be an advertising copy-
dropping the usual £3.70 cover price to help but be interested in her.” writer, which she did for a while after
between £2 and £2.90 over the last few With the Leveson inquiry highlight- university before doing work experience
months – but that would be to under- ing the ills of celebrity coverage, does at More!, where she began her journalis-
state the impact Deborah Joseph has she think other magazines (Easy Living tic career.
had on the monthly since she took over is certainly not a celebrity gossip title) Does she believe magazines will sur-
as the editor in October last year. Her are going to have to be careful about vive in print? “Absolutely. If you look at
first issue came out in February, and if what they print? how many women’s magazines are sell-
those six-month figures are anything to The furore over the topless photo- ing every month, it’s phenomenal, but
go by, readers appear to like what she is graphs of Kate Middleton may be a sign I do think it has to be multidimensional
doing. they have changed already, says Joseph. – there has to be an iPad version, the
Joseph keeps a blanket and a dog “Nobody has printed them in the UK. I website, you have to appeal to people on
bowl in her central London office – think that’s quite a move forward. But different media platforms.”
sometimes her two pugs come in to will people continue to print pictures of But, overall, women’s magazine sales
work with her. Her bookshelves are celebrities in the British press? Probably are still declining. “I think that’s because
crammed with inspiration: a couple of yes. Are we more cautious of our royal people are looking for content in differ-
years’ worth of Oprah magazine, with family? Yes. I think they’re two separate ent ways. If you’ve got a strong brand,
pages she liked bookmarked with sticky things.” you’re in your readers’ lives on different
notes, and a women’s lifestyle maga- She says celebrities are still “hugely” platforms. I still love a [print] magazine.
zine, Myself, launched by Condé Nast in important to a magazine’s success. There is a luxury in sitting in the bath
Germany and Italy. She is down-to-earth “When we do research, people say they or on a train and reading a magazine. I
and friendly, notably less guarded than don’t want too much celebrity but if you don’t believe it’s the same as reading it
many magazine editors, and praises her don’t put a celebrity on your cover, your on an iPad.”
team for the way they have adapted to sales drop. Our readers don’t want it to Joseph is about to go on maternity
all the changes over the past year. become a ‘celebrity magazine’ but when leave, but I get the sense that it won’t
Easy Living’s grown-up fashion and you’re on the newsstand and everyone be a time for switching off from work.
regular relationship and work-life bal- else has a celebrity on the cover and you There is a lot more she wants to do with
ance features are aimed at women in haven’t, you miss out.” the magazine, she says. An awards show
their 30s, although Joseph says she felt Joseph says she views many maga- has been considered, “and there are big-
the target age had crept up too much. zines as her competitors, from Marie ger things to come, which I can’t tell you
“The general feeling was it had a very Claire and Grazia at the younger end of about,” she says with a smile. “It’s not
loyal readership and a lot of the read- the age range to Good Housekeeping. enough now to just be a magazine.”
ers had grown with the magazine over
the eight years [since it launched],”
she says. “We wanted to attract more
younger readers. It hadn’t been rede-
signed for seven years, so we wanted to
freshen it up.”
She says she was keen to make Easy
Living “more newsy, because you have
to give readers a reason to buy every
issue. I wanted them to feel they had to
pick it up or they would miss out.” She
introduced a style section and an extra
fashion story, brought in a new agony
aunt, Rosie Boycott, and dropped much
of the content about children. “I have
an 18-month-old baby but magazines
are ‘me time’ and about my break, and
I don’t need to be defined by being a
mother,” says Joseph.
The latest issue sees the debut of a
sex section, with a story that is one of
the raciest things I’ve read in a women’s
magazine for a long time (“erotic non-
fiction” is how Joseph puts it). “The
whole phenomenon of 50 Shades of
Grey – it’s my readers who bought those
books,” she says. “They’ve probably
been married a few years, got a couple
of kids and are maybe looking to reignite
that side of their life. Stars in her eyes … Deborah Joseph says American cover stars boost sales
“Nobody else seems to be doing it in
magazines for the slightly older reader,
why aren’t we doing it? We felt very Curriculum vitae
strongly that if we were going to do sex
content it shouldn’t feel out of tune
with the rest of the magazine, so we’ve Age 38 Our readers are
done it in a very sophisticated way.”
She worried that she might get letters Education Manchester high school for really busy. I haven’t
of complaint from some readers, “but
we only got one. I had more complaints
girls, University of Nottingham
got time to click
when I dropped ‘find the piggy’ [the Career
monthly competition to find a picture of 1997 writer, More! 1999 senior writer, through 10 times to
a pig in the magazine]. I didn’t want to Cosmopolitan 2000 entertainment
alienate our older readers.” director and associate editor, Glamour get to what I want
There is a new website, which claims 2004 editor, Lifestyle, Daily Mail 2005
71,000 unique users a month, and has editor, Wedding 2006 editor, Brides
just been shortlisted for a British Society 2011 editor, Easy Living
of Magazine Editors award, although
when it launched some pointed out
how similar it looked to Pinterest. “The
thinking behind it was to create some-
thing clear and simple. Our readers are
really busy. I haven’t got time to click
through 10 times to get to what I want. Portrait: Mark Harrison
I want it to reflect every area of the
More jobs at guardianjobs.co.uk

36 MediaGuardian Creative, Marketing and Sales, Courses Monday 8 October 2012
CURRENT AFFAIRS OFFICERS

An office of the US Embassy London based in Berkshire is looking to recruit
full time officers specializing in Middle East or Iran current affairs.
Duties will include coverage of media developments and breaking news,
production of translations and multimedia, web content management,
research, and written analysis. The positions will occasionally involve working
evenings and weekends.
Re-shaping Nottingham through excellence, Qualifications:
employability and enterprise. • Knowledge of Middle East or Iran current affairs and media (degree-level
or equivalent)
• Working fluency in Arabic or Persian, and the ability to translate into
English from Arabic or Persian.
National Citizen Service Project Director • Strong English writing skills
• Strong technical skills and knowledge of social media, web content
£61k - £67k per annum Ref: 2145 management and digital media tools
Fixed-term contract for two years, with a possible additional year • Self motivated individual with proven team working skills and flexibility
if the project hits all targets This position offers career opportunities, competitive salary and benefits
We are delighted to invite applications from outstanding individuals to join ncn, a winning package, including paid holidays and private health plan.
college! You will be inspirational and creative and determined to make a difference to the Starting salary: £27,000-£34,000 per annum subject to experience.
lives and aspirations of thousands of young people across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Please apply by email to LondonHRC@state.gov by COB 15 October 2012.
We are seeking to appoint a highly experienced and influential individual with proven The subject line of the email should read “Arabic Current Affairs Officer” or
experience of leading, managing and delivering complex projects with our broad range “Iran Current Affairs Officer” and you must include the following:
of public, private and voluntary sector partnerships. • Cover letter identifying how you meet the above qualifications and
clearly stating your interest, qualifications and language expertise
You will have a proven track record of securing significant business involvement, • CV (Please note that as an equal opportunity employer, we ask that you
sponsorship and income through fundraising activities, be able to provide outstanding do not include your gender, race, religion, date of birth, age, marital/
leadership and operational management and deliver the highest standards for this family status within your CV.)
• Scanned documentation in support of your legal right to work in the
nationally significant flagship programme.
UK, e.g. citizenship or residency, in accordance with the Asylum and
If so, join us to lead this growing programme and work with us to ensure young people Immigration Act 1996 (Please note that applicants not providing this
from all walks of life experience the opportunity of a lifetime! information in their application will not be considered.)
Please call Maria Semak, Assistant Principal Corporate on 0115 910 4614 Only short listed candidates will be notified within 14 days of the closing date.
for an informal discussion in the first instance.
The selection assessment date for the post is Wednesday, 31 October 2012.
The closing date for this post is 5pm on Monday, 15 October 2012.
Strategic Tourism Manager
Grade 12, £35,430 - £38,961 per annum Ref: EN9840
Peterborough Town Hall
Strategic Tourism Manager required for Peterborough to work with
partner organisations to develop a tourism strategy and a practical,
Apply online at www.ncn.ac.uk realistic and fundable action plan for delivery of the prioritised Tourism
Strategy actions.
or call 0115 911 3662 for an information pack. The post holder will be required to:
Encourage support for Peterborough Tourism. Creating a communication
and marketing plan to promote Peterborough as a visitor destination
and identify funding opportunities.
Closing date: 12 October 2012.
Interview date: 22 October 2012.
To apply, please visit our website at

www.peterborough.gov.uk/jobs
No internet access?
Please telephone: (01733) 747474 between 9am and 5pm
(Monday - Friday).
We particularly welcome all people regardless of age, race, gender,
religion, sexuality or disability.
The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare
of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers
to share this commitment.
TRAVEL WRITING WORKSHOP

Saturday November 3rd
(repeated Saturday December 1st) Central London
Learn how to write and sell travel features. The workshop
leader will be Peter Carty, Guardian, Independent and
Telegraph contributor and former editor of Time Out’s
award winning travel section.
Details: www.travelwritingworkshop.co.uk
travelwshop@gmail.com
Notice to
RUSSIAN CURRENT AFFAIRS Advertisers
CAREERS OFFICERS It is a condition of acceptance of advertisement
WITH orders that the proprietors of The Guardian

do not guarantee the insertion of a particular
PLYMOUTH
An office of the US Embassy London based in Berkshire is looking to recruit full time
officers specializing in Russian current affairs. advertisement on a specified date, or at all
Duties will include coverage of media developments and breaking news, production of
UNIVERSITY
although every effort will be made to meet
translations and multimedia, web content management, research, and written analysis.
The positions will occasionally involve working evenings and weekends.
the wishes of advertisers. We reserve the right
to edit or delete any objectionable wording
Qualifications: or reject any advertisement. Although every
• Knowledge of Russian current affairs and media (degree-level or equivalent)
External Relations Directorate • Working fluency in Russian and the ability to translate into English from Russian
advertisement is carefully checked, occasionally
• Fluency in Central Asian and/or Caucasus languages desirable mistakes do occur. We therefore ask advertisers
Marketing Services • Strong English writing skills to assist us by checking their advertisements
• Strong technical skills and knowledge of social media, web content carefully and advise us immediately should an
Design and Publishing Manager management and digital media tools
error occur. We regret that we cannot accept
• Self motivated individual with proven team working skills and flexibility
Plymouth University is seeking to appoint a Design and Publishing Manager within its Marketing Operations responsibility for more than ONE INCORRECT
This position offers career opportunities, competitive salary and benefits package,
unit which is part of the External Relations Directorate. This is an exciting and challenging position for including paid holidays and private health plan. insertion and that no republication will be
someone with Senior Graphic Design and management experience knowledge and expertise, to help shape granted in the case of typographical or minor
and deliver a comprehensive, customer focused, and progressive Design and Publishing Service. Starting salary: £27,000-£34,000 per annum subject to experience.
Please apply by email to LondonHRC@state.gov by COB 15 October 2012.
changes which do not affect the value of the
Working as part of a team of the leadership team within Marketing Operations, you will be responsible
for interfacing with clients from across the University, providing guidance and advice on design and The subject line of the email should read “Russian Current Affairs Officer” and you advertisement. All calls, both incoming and
publishing for print, exhibitions and display systems. must include the following: outgoing, will be recorded automatically;
You will lead the internal design team and manage the external contracted design agencies. This will • Cover letter identifying how you meet the above qualifications and clearly however, we only intend to listen to these
include all aspects of design and publishing from initial project discussions, developing comprehensive stating your interest, qualifications and language expertise calls for training and monitoring purposes,
design briefs with the client and delivering a leading edge design. You will have a clear understanding • CV (Please note that as an equal opportunity employer, we ask that you do not
of the University brand, how to develop it and challenge it through good design and implementation. include your gender, race, religion, date of birth, age, marital/family status within
for the resolution of invoice disputes, and/
You will work alongside our Digital Manager and Printer Manager to a first class service. your CV.) or for any other business purpose which is
This is a ‘hands on’ role, duties will include design of all external and internal publications, design of • Scanned documentation in support of your legal right to work in the UK, e.g. permitted by applicable legislation.
exhibition banners and stand graphics and production of signage and graphic layouts. Your duties citizenship or residency, in accordance with the Asylum and Immigration Act
will also include management of internal design staff, external and subcontract design agencies and 1996 (Please note that applicants not providing this information in their
of internal university admin systems. You will also assist in the development and maintenance of the application will not be considered.)
University’s brand and corporate identity. Good management and leadership skills are essential.
Only short listed candidates will be notified within 14 days of the closing date.
You will have clear understanding of the strategic priorities of faculties and other directorates and
will work with a range of academic and professional services colleagues and specialists and experts
across the University.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a creative, talented and driven individual with excellent
communication, interpersonal and networking skills.
Educational attainment at further education level (or demonstrable equivalent experience) in graphic
design and professional certification.
This is a full-time, permanent position working 37 hours per week.
Location: Plymouth
Salary: £31,020 to £35,938
Ref: A2754
Closing date: 12 midnight, Wednesday 31 October 2012
To apply, please visit www.plymouth.ac.uk/jobs

Plymouth University is committed to an inclusive culture and respecting diversity, and welcomes
applications from all sections of the community.
More jobs at guardianjobs.co.uk

MediaGuardian Creative, Marketing & Sales, Jobs Online Monday 8 October 2012 37
Over three quarters of

MediaGuardian readers
are educated to
degree level or higher,
giving you access to an
educated pool of
candidates
Head of Development
Opera Rara guardianjobs.co.uk
Circa £35,000 pro rata
London
Ref: 4521305 Job Type: Part Time
We are looking for a fundraiser to help this small

opera charity become financially independent.
Contact: info@opera-rara.com for job spec.
Source: Sections 06
For more information please visit www.guardianjobs.co.uk
Careers at the Guardian Guardian News & Media is one of the UK’s most successful and innovative media companies,
publishing the Guardian and Observer, two of the world’s oldest and most highly-regarded
quality newspapers, and guardian.co.uk, one of the world’s leading news websites. Our unique
and the Observer ownership structure through the Scott Trust Ltd. ensures the independence of our editorial
voice, and a sustained investment in intelligent, liberal journalism.
BUSINESS & DIGITAL

PROFESSIONAL REF NO. JB41 DEVELOPMENT REF NO. AK419
Commercial Manager (Sponsorship) iOS Software Developer
- Media & Technology We’re seeking an iOS Software Developer to be responsible for
This division’s the programming of software products, features and services for
remit is to expand
We’re seeking an experienced Commercial Manager to join our
and strengthen our Media & Technology team. You’ll be responsible for generating Apple’s iOS platform within the mobile product roadmap and help
connections with revenue through cross-selling sponsorship and advertising create a solid iOS mobile development capability in-house. You will
our professional need experience in iOS development, including iOS4, Objective
solutions to clients operating in the Media and Technology
audiences, and to
grow our revenues markets. Whether it’s creating new print supplements, microsites, C, XCode 3.2.x, Interface Builder & Instruments, plus substantial
from them. events, or brand partnerships, you’ll be given full autonomy to software development experience.
deliver the best solution for your clients. This position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found.
The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 12th October 2012.
BUSINESS & GUARDIAN

PROFESSIONAL REF NO. JB61 COMMERCIAL REF NO. JG78
Content Producer (Media & Technology) Brand Partnerships Sales Executive
We’re seeking a Content Producer (Media & Technology) to work We’re seeking a business focused, creative thinker to join our
as part of the Guardian Media Network events and editorial team. Guardian Commercial award winning Brand Partnerships team as Brand Partnerships
plays an integral role
This role is responsible for producing and commissioning a range in generating revenue Sales Executive. The purpose of this role is to win sponsorship
of online editorial and interactive content elements across the by selling advertising and branded content revenue by selling creative media solutions
Media and Technology Professional Network. This role will be and communication to agencies and clients. This role will be working across print and
solutions.
contributing towards GNM’s high quality journalistic standards in online as well as additional emerging platforms.
order to increase audience engagement. The deadline for receipt of applications is Sunday 21st October 2012.
The deadline for receipt of applications is Thursday 18th October 2012.
BUSINESS & GUARDIAN

PROFESSIONAL REF NO. JB55 COMMERCIAL REF NO. JG79
Commercial Manager (Sponsorship) Marketing Manager, MA Journalism
- Sustainability In Autumn 2013, GNM are launching a Masters course in Journalism
We’re seeking an experienced Commercial Manager (Sustainability) with Digital Media in partnership with Cardiff University. In order
to join our Sponsorship division. This role is responsible for to support this, we’re seeking Marketing Manager to create a
generating revenue through selling a variety of sponsorship solutions leading edge, industry relevant market position for the course.
and editorial propositions to organisations who work within the You’ll be responsible for the design and delivery of a marketing
sustainability agenda. The successful candidate will be a consultative, strategy that identifies the course as the digital journalism training
pro-active salesperson with proven experience of sponsorship sales. ground of the future.
The deadline for receipt of applications is Tuesday 16th October 2012. The deadline for receipt of applications is Thursday 18th October 2012.
For full details on these roles and to apply visit We welcome applications from any individual regardless of ethnic origin, gender, disability,
religious belief, sexual orientation or age. All applications will be considered on merit.
www.guardian.co.uk/workforus Textphone (for deaf or hard of hearing applicants): 020 7833 2977
Weather&Crossword
Weather report Weather forecast

Around the UK and Ireland Air pollution UK and Ireland Noon Summary
Sun Rain Temp (°C) Weather Sun Rain Temp (°C) Weather London low
hrs mm High/Low (noon) hrs mm High/Low (noon) Temperature (°) X London, SE England, Cent S England, SW
SE England low Shetland Islands
Aberdeen 8.2 0.0 13 6 Fair Jersey* 0.0 14 11 Cloudy England, Channel Is A cloudy day with spells of
Wind (mph) X
Aberporth 4.9 0.0 13 5 Sunny Kilkenny 5.5 - - Fair SW England low 1012 mostly light rain or drizzle. Hill fog is possible in
S Cent England low 1016 Sunny
Aberystwyth - 0.0 15 2 Sunny Kinlochewe 1.4 0.2 11 4 Cloudy the south-west. Light winds, variable in direction.
Alnwick 9.8 0.0 13 3 Sunny Kinloss 7.2 0.0 12 5 Fair Channel Is low Sunny intervals Max temp 15-18C (59-64F). Tonight, patchy rain
9
Aviemore 5.8 0.2 11 0 Cloudy Kirkwall 5.0 1.0 11 7 Showers SE Anglia low and drizzle. Min temp 9-12C (48-54F).
Mostly cloudy
Barrow/Furness - 0.0 12 4 Sunny Leeds 9.1 0.0 13 3 Sunny NE Anglia low
Showers
Belfast 5.5 0.0 13 5 Cloudy Lerwick 5.1 0.1 10 7 Fair E Midlands low 12 Wales, E Midlands, W Midlands, E Anglia Cloudy
Belmullet* 4.3 0.3 12 4 Sunny Leuchars 8.7 0.0 13 2 Sunny W Midlands low Light rain with some rain at times in more southern areas.
Birmingham 3.3 0.2 13 3 Cloudy Liverpool - 0.0 13 5 Sunny S Wales low Rain Drier and brighter towards the north. Light east or
Bognor Regis 7.3 0.0 - - Cloudy London 3.6 0.0 13 5 Fair Cent Wales low Heavy rain
north-easterly winds. Max temp 12-15C (54-59F).
Bournemouth 5.6 0.2 15 2 Sunny Malin Head* 3.3 0.0 13 6 Sunny N Wales low Thundery rain
Tonight, most areas dry. Min temp 5-8C (41-46F).
Braemar 8.0 0.2 11 0 Fair Manchester - 0.2 13 6 Fair NE England low
Bridlington - 0.0 13 6 Sunny Margate 8.4 0.2 13 6 Sunny Heavy showers
Lincolnshire, NW England, Yorkshire, NE
NW England low
Bristol 6.4 0.0 14 3 Sunny Milford Haven - 0.0 13 6 Sunny 13 England Remaining dry through the course of the
Scotland low
Cardiff 4.5 0.2 13 5 Sunny Morecambe 8.8 0.0 11 3 Sunny 12 day. A touch of frost at first in the north. Sunny
N Ire/Ireland low
Cork* 6.9 1.2 12 7 Cloudy Northallerton 9.7 0.0 14 0 Sunny spells. Light north or north-east winds. Max
Today’s forecast in towns and cities
Cromer - 0.2 13 4 Sunny Nottingham 7.9 0.0 13 5 Sunny by busy roads. Low (1-3); moderate Slight temp 12-15C (54-59F). Tonight, clear with mist
Dublin* 5.5 0.0 12 1 Sunny Okehampton 3.4 0.0 12 5 Sunny (4-6); high (7-9); very high (10) patches. Min temp 2-5C (36-41F).
Durham 8.4 0.0 14 2 Sunny Oxford 4.5 0.0 13 4 Sunny 1016
Edinburgh 9.3 0.0 13 0 Sunny Plymouth - 0.2 14 5 Sunny Lighting up 12 NW Scotland, NE Scotland, W Isles, N Isles
Eskdalemuir 9.0 0.0 12 -3 Sunny Portland - 0.0 14 9 Cloudy Areas of cloud with sunny intervals. A few showers
11 too, mostly in the morning and early afternoon.
Falmouth* 10.5 0.2 14 - Cloudy Portsmouth - 0.2 16 5 Sunny Belfast 1840to0740
Glasgow 8.8 0.2 13 0 Sunny Prestwick 9.7 0.0 12 1 Sunny Moderate to fresh north-west winds. Max temp
Birmingham 1827to0721 Slight
Guernsey* 0.0 1.0 14 12 Cloudy Rhyl - 0.0 12 5 Sunny 9-12C (48-54F). Tonight, mostly dry. Clear spells.
Bristol 1831to0724
Hastings 6.7 0.0 16 7 Fair Shannon* 6.6 0.0 13 4 Cloudy 12 14 Min temp 0-3C (32-37F).
Dublin 1844to0741 1008
Holyhead 5.6 0.0 13 6 Fair Shrewsbury 6.8 0.0 13 3 Fair 35°
Glasgow 1833to0736 SW Scotland, SE Scotland, Northern Ireland A
Hove - 0.2 15 4 Sunny Skegness - 0.0 13 3 Sunny 30°
London 1822to0715 chilly, locally frosty start but it will be generally
Hull 8.4 0.0 14 2 Sunny Southend - 0.2 15 5 Sunny
Manchester 1828to0725 25° fine with sunny spells throughout the day. Light
Huntingdon 7.5 0.0 14 3 Sunny Stornoway 4.5 0.0 13 4 Fair
Newcastle 1823to0723 20° to moderate northerly winds. Max temp 10-13C
Ipswich 3.8 0.2 11 4 Fair Swansea - 0.0 13 8 Fair
15° (50-55F). Tonight, dry and mostly clear. Min temp
Isle of Man 8.2 0.0 12 4 Sunny Tiree 6.5 0.0 13 3 Cloudy
10° 0-3C (32-37F).
Isle of Wight - - 9 Fair Valentia* 6.7 3.4 14 7 Sunny Sun & Moon Channel Islands
14
5°
24 hours to 6pm yesterday. Locations supplied by MeteoGroup UK. * denotes sunshine from previous day
0° Ireland Rain in the south. Rain in central areas
easing this afternoon. Dry for the north with sunny
High tides -5°
spells. Locally moderate north-east winds. Max
Moderate 12 -10°
17 temp 12-15C (54-59F). Tonight, rain in the far
Aberdeen 0720 3.4m 1942 3.4m Hull 1154 5.6m - - -15°
south. Min temp 2-5C (36-41F).
Avonmouth - - 1210 10.0m Leith 0833 4.4m 2100 4.4m
Belfast
Dover
0457
0417
2.9m
5.5m
1728
1644
3.1m
5.2m
Liverpool
London Bridge
0441
0654
7.4m
6.0m
1703
1933
7.4m
6.0m Sun rises 0713 UK and Ireland Five day forecast Atlantic front Noon today
Galway 1104 3.8m 2357 3.6m Penzance 1009 4.4m 2247 4.1m Sun sets 1822
Moon rises 2355
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1000 L
Greenock 0600 2.9m 1815 3.1m Scrabster 0213 3.9m 1437 4.0m
1008 992 L 1008 L
Harwich 0451 3.5m 1722 3.4m Weymouth 1127 1.6m - - Moon sets 1444 1000
Holyhead 0354 4.4m 1621 4.5m Whitby 0947 4.4m 2210 4.5m New Moon 15 October L
1000 L
1008 HK
Around the world 1016
1016 LY
°C °F Weather °C °F Weather °C °F Weather °C °F Weather
Cold front
Ajaccio 25 77 Cloudy Dakar 31 88 Sunny Lima 18 64 Cloudy Paris 15 59 Sunny 1024
H LV Warm front
Algiers 28 82 Sunny Dallas 12 54 Cloudy Lisbon 24 75 Sunny Perth 17 63 Showers
1008 Occluded front
Alicante 30 86 Sunny Denver 2 36 Cloudy London 10 50 Fair Prague 8 46 Rain L Trough
Ams’dam 14 57 Cloudy Dhaka 28 82 Sunny Lux’bourg 12 54 Fair Reykjavik 5 41 Cloudy High 18 Low 2 High 18 Low 6 High 17 Low 5 High 14 Low 2 High 13 Low 4 Low Y and High K move east. Low V drifts south.
Athens 21 70 Sunny Dublin 12 54 Sunny Madrid 24 75 Sunny Rhodes 26 79 Fair
Auckland 15 59 Showers Faro 26 79 Sunny Majorca 26 79 Sunny Rio de J 27 81 Sunny
Pollutionwatch
B Aires 20 68 Cloudy Florence 22 72 Cloudy Malaga 20 68 Mist Rome 22 72 Cloudy
Bangkok 32 90 Sunny Frankfurt 14 57 Fair Malta 27 81 Sunny Shanghai 24 75 Sunny
Barcelona 25 77 Sunny Funchal 26 79 Sunny Melb’rne 13 55 Cloudy Singapore 26 79 Thunder
Basra 41106 Sunny Geneva 19 66 Rain Mexico C 22 72 Fair St P’burg 11 52 Sunny
Beijing 21 70 Fair Gibraltar 22 72 Fair Miami 31 88 Cloudy Stockh’m 12 54 Sunny
Belgrade 24 75 Sunny H Kong 30 86 Cloudy Milan 23 73 Fair Strasb’g 13 55 Cloudy September started with a brief spell inspired us to get on our bikes leading to for each additional cyclist death caused
Berlin 11 52 Cloudy Harare 28 82 Fair Mombasa 31 88 Fair Sydney 17 63 Sunny of summer-time smog. Ground level increased cycle sales and a surge in the by the extra air pollution exposure
Bermuda 27 81 Fair Helsinki 12 54 Cloudy Montreal 11 52 Rain Tel Aviv 28 82 Cloudy ozone reached “moderate”, accord- use of London’s Boris bikes this summer and road accidents, 77 deaths per year
Bordeaux 20 68 Cloudy Innsbruck 14 57 Showers Moscow 16 61 Cloudy Tenerife 28 82 Sunny ing to the UK pollution index, along – up over 50% compared to last year. would be avoided due to the benefits
Boston 24 75 Cloudy Istanbul 23 73 Sunny Mumbai 30 86 Fair Tokyo 18 64 Showers
the south coast on the 7th and 8th and Every urban cyclist is keenly aware of from increased exercise. A recent UK
Brussels 14 57 Fair Jo’burg 28 82 Sunny Munich 14 57 Rain Toronto 10 50 Cloudy
then spread north as far as Blackpool, air pollution; they travel among the traf- study has suggested that the NHS might
Budapest 20 68 Cloudy K Lumpur 32 90 Fair N Orleans 29 84 Fair Tunis 32 90 Sunny
C’blanca 25 77 Sunny K’mandu 28 82 Sunny Nairobi 24 75 Fair Vancouv’r 17 63 Sunny
Sunderland, and the Edinburgh sub- fic close to vehicle exhaust. This prox- benefit from savings of £17bn in 20
C’hagen 12 54 Cloudy Kabul 23 73 Showers Naples 24 75 Cloudy Venice 21 70 Mist
urbs on the 9th. This was the day of the imity coupled with fast breathing rates years’ time if we increased urban walk-
Cairo 28 82 Fair Karachi 33 91 Fair New Delhi 32 90 Fair Vienna 18 64 Rain Paralympic marathon: fortunately the leads to increased pollution dose. So is ing and cycling to the current levels of
Cape Town 14 57 Showers Kingston 32 90 Fair New York 25 77 Cloudy Warsaw 10 50 Cloudy races were completed before pollution cycling bad for our health? Scientists in Copenhagen; benefits from fewer heart
Chicago 9 48 Cloudy Kolkata 30 86 Fair Nice 22 72 Cloudy Wash’ton 26 79 Cloudy peaked in central London during the Barcelona looked at the health impact of attacks, strokes and less diabetes could
Christ’rch 13 55 Rain L Angeles 24 75 Cloudy Oporto 22 72 Sunny Well’ton 11 52 Showers mid-afternoon. that city’s cycle hire scheme, regularly be achieved within three years.
Corfu 27 81 Sunny Larnaca 28 82 Cloudy Oslo 10 50 Sunny Zurich 16 61 Rain The successes of British cyclists have used by 28,000 cyclists. They found that Gary Fuller
The weather in September Guardian cryptic crossword

There was a brief warm spell around 9 above average in East Anglia and 1.3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Across 3 Come in to register (5)
September, on which date the highest degrees below in western Scotland. 4 Organise row on a river
1 A change of view from
September temperature for six years The highest recorded temperature (7)
across the Channel (5-4)
was recorded, but much of the rest was 29.3C at both Writtle in Essex 8 9 5 Joint study produces
of the month was cool. In fact it was and Cambridge on the afternoon of 9
6 Bag for loot (4)
8 Tucking into venison, scope for expansion
the coolest September since 1993, and September. The coldest night was that (5,4)
heavy rain during the third week caused of 22/23 September, when Braemar, can’t be the wine pourer
10 11
(8) 6 Firm in rush to get a cat
floods. This was the result of a deep Aberdeenshire, recorded a minimum (7)
and slow-moving low pressure system temperature of -4.1C. 9 Examination of tissue
7 Discount a misprint in
delivering copious rain between 23 and by op is ordered (6)
Guardian (9)
25 September. Prior to that it was dry in Rainfall 12 13 14 15 10 He could be best man
13 Passes on effortlessly
East Anglia and south-east England. and groom (6)
Across England and Wales there was (5,4)
11 Person freshly
Temperatures 78mm of rain, which is 102% of the 16 17 18 19 20
14 More than a quarter
appointed to make a
average. Scotland had 81mm, exactly on take control at sea as
clean sweep? (3,5)
The mean maximum temperature the average, while Northern Ireland had master (9)
12 Got the wrong city area 17 Occupy in monastic
in September ranged from 20.2C at 98mm, or 123% of average. Much of that 21 22 23 (6) style (7)
St James’s Park, London, to 12C at rain came from the slow-moving storm
15 Secret coteries broken 18 Old soldier who went to
Lerwick, Shetland. The Central England during the last week of September.
Temperature (CET) was 13.1C, which Up to 22 September it was relatively up (8) work at Butlin’s (7)
is 1 degree below average. Daytime dry, but the following three days had 24 25 16 Technician in control 20 Dressed in a suit,
temperatures were between 0.2 degrees widespread heavy rainfall which led to (8) country-style (7)
significant floods. During that period 19 First service (6) 22 Direct supplier of beef
Regional rainfall breakdown 131mm of rain fell on Ravensworth, 26 27 21 Middle West ground to (5)
North Yorkshire. The wettest location be avoided (8) 23 Dissolute but not tight
Rainfall as a % of average September through the month was Cluanie Inn, No 25,761 set by Rufus 22 Legs in action make one (5)
values for the region (1981-2010) Wester Ross, which measured 325mm run (6)
NE England 155 of rain, while Otterbourne in Hampshire 24 Stand in for the Winners of prize puzzle 25,754
This week’s winners of Guardian Style and Secrets
was the driest with 24mm. rehearsal or run (6) of the Setters are: V Lloyd – Sheffield;
NW England & N Wales 123 C & K Martin – Preston; A Watts – Birmingham;
25 Frank to inform against
N Ireland 123
Sunshine Stuck? For help call 0906 751 0038 or text GUARDIANC followed by a space, the day and date the crossword
business accepting non-
D Firth – West Yorkshire; N Robinson – Essex
appeared another space and the CLUE reference to 85010 (e.g GUARDIANC Monday12 Across1). Calls cost
77p per minute from a BT Landline. Calls from other networks may vary and mobiles will be considerably higher. union staff (4,4) Please allow 28 days for delivery
W Scotland, Highlands and Islands 109 England and Wales had an average 171 Texts cost 50p per clue plus standard network charges. Service supplied by ATS. Call 0844 836 9769 for customer H F L W F C A H
hours of sunshine, which is 116% of the service (charged at local rate, 2p per min from a BT landline). 26 Sandpiper in difficulty O Z ON E HO I P O L L O I
Want more? Access over 4,000 archive puzzles at guardian.co.uk/crossword. Buy the Guardian Cryptic Setters
Midlands 100 mean. Only 11 Septembers have been series (4 books) for only £20 inc UK p&p (save £7.96). Visit guardianbooks.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846. (4) P C A I R N K G
sunnier in the last 100 years. Scotland 27 Car demo to be organ- S OU B R E T T E SMA S H
Cent & E Scotland 91
had 127 hours, or 111% of its average, and
Saturday’s 7 4 1 6 9 3 8 5 2 5 > 3 < 4 2 1 ised — for a president? S E U O N
puzzle NO S T R I L P A R K E R S
Killer Sudoku 313
9 2 3 5 8 1 4 6 7 ∧ ∨
Northern Ireland recorded 139 hours, (9) O E I I T H
Ireland 88
which is 113% of the average. Manston in
solutions 8 6 5 7 2 4 1 3 9 1 4 > 3
∨
5 2
S E D A N E G G I N A N E
Futoshiki 313
SE England 84 Kent was the sunniest location with 196

6 3 7 2 4 8 5 9 1
4 < 5 2 1 3 Down E G E U P E
5 1 2 9 3 7 6 8 4 Y OD E L E R L AMB E R T
∨ ∨ 1 Takes a new line in free
E Anglia 84 hours of sunshine, while Kinlochewe, 4 8 9 1 5 6 2 7 3 3 > 2 1 4 5 A E I A R
Wester Ross, had the lowest sunshine 1 5 8 4 7 9 3 2 6 ∨ ∨ ∨ verse (5) T I L D A P O T E N T I A L
Saturday’s sudoku E L D L I A T O
SW England & S Wales 79 total with only 62 hours. solution appears on
3 7 6 8 1 2 9 4 5 2 1 5 3 < 4 2 A tract of meadow felt
2 9 4 3 6 5 7 1 8 C H AM E L E O N A L I E N
Becky Newham MeteoGroup the back page of G2 to be different (7) H S R Y E N F G

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Section:GDN BE PaGe:1 Edition Date:121008 Edition:01 Zone:S Sent at 7/10/2012 20:34 cYanmaGentaYellowblack

Unease and AK47s on the streets Osborne seals

Emergency services? Please help, my pigeon can’t breathe

2 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

The week ahead

≥ Handing out prizes worth 8m

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 3

I don’t like a fuss, insists Putin, as fans pay

Miriam Elder Moscow

Men climbed peaks and unfurled his por-

If Putin serves another

4 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

Town unites as hope fades for missing April

Steven Morris Machynlleth

For almost a week they insisted that April

Skydiver prepares for one giant leap

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 5

Gone in 100 minutes:

6 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

Wet summers may be due to warmer North Atlantic Ocean

Members of a Muslim sect persecuted

The Lib Dem peer

sain appeared at a Khatme Nubuwwat

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 7

Police try to seize journalists’ notes over

Rothko painting defaced at Tate Modern

8 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

May targets migrants

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * * * 9

The conference on Live blog Video & audio Comment is free

Simon Hoggart’s sketch

Squeezed middle gives way to

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 11

Puppets in Dreamland from the man behind War Horse

12 * * * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

Virgin Care challenged Fit for a king Lost crown remade

on children’s health bid

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 13

PHOTOGRAPH: PETER MACDIARMID/GETTY IMAGES

Two arrested after boy,

Cheaper stamps oﬀer

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 15

Signs of the times: deaf community minds its language

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 17

Tension, unease and AK47s on the streets

Poverty, prison, then presidential palace

18 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 19

Khan’s fight against US drone attacks hits a roadblock

Eyewitness 8.10.2012 London

Under the hammer

Eyewitness 8.10.2012 London

Under the hammer

22 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

Even Obama’s true

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 23

Biden will come at me like

24 * The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012

DAVID RAMOS/GETTY IMAGES

The Guardian | Monday 8 October 2012 * 25

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Tainted Tucker still ahead for top job at Bank

Fresh talks in attempt to