Another excellent article from Mike Smithson at politicalbetting.com

The very best of luck with your campaign

Has the Beeb made Norwich a big party stitch-up?

July 7th, 2009 Are the rules stacked against any indie challenge?

A feature of the Norwich North by election which might have repercussions has been the way that the BBC and other broadcasters are able to deem who is a serious candidate or not.

And inevitably only those who are representing the main parties are designated the former category and get featured in the coverage. For the others we are usually told to refer to the programme’s website where there is a full list.

Now this is understandable when you get candidates like Miss GB standing on a “beauty” ticket – but I feel something is seriously wrong when someone like Craig Murray is dismissed in this way.

In the aftermath of the expenses revelations there was much speculation about the possible rise of independents – yet judging by the Norwich North by election serious candidates like Murray are going to be hard-pressed getting a look in.

Craig Murray, it will be recalled, is the human rights campaigner who was sacked as a British ambassador for refusing to condone torture and judging by his publicity material he has a very different proposition from the main parties which might just resonate.

Murray lists a whole series of problems he’s been having on his website which I think raise serious questions about the democratic process.

If ever there was a time for non-conventional candidates it is this by election. The broadcasters have got it wrong.

Declaration of interest: I do have a small bet on Murray at 33/1.

Mike Smithson

Sorry I’m starting a long trip tomorrow otherwise I would be there. But you have my very best wishes and hopes.

Are you able to make good use of the blogosphere, twitter and the rest? To activate the youth votes especially. Do you have a few student/youth contacts who could act as gateways and spread the good word into their circles? There must be plenty who would like to make a difference and have been inspired by the effect of the internet on politics, from Obama to Tehran. Bypass the old media if the old media can’t/won’t handle it.

Good luck anyway. I’ll be down at the nearest cybercafe on 24th to see the result.

Blair and Torture:

……this should be on an older thread but this will be of interest today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/08/mi5-torture-evidence-david-davis

The true depth of British involvement in the torture of terrorism suspects overseas and the manner in which that complicity is concealed behind a cloak of courtroom secrecy was laid bare last night when David Davis MP detailed the way in which one counter-terrorism operation led directly to a man suffering brutal mistreatment.

In a dramatic intervention using the protection of parliamentary privilege, the former shadow home secretary revealed how MI5 and Greater Manchester police effectively sub-contracted the torture of Rangzieb Ahmed to a Pakistani intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), whose routine use of torture has been widely documented.

This is the first time that the information has entered the public domain. Previously it has been suppressed through the process of secret court hearings and, had the Guardian or other media organisations reported it, they would have exposed themselves to the risk of prosecution for contempt of court.

Davis told MPs that although sufficient evidence had been gathered to ensure Ahmed could be prosecuted for serious terrorism offences, he was permitted to fly from Manchester to Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, in 2006 while under surveillance. He then detailed the way in which the British authorities:

CraigMurray.org.uk has been posted to reddit.com in the politics section.

Today I read David Davis’ torture statement in the Guardian and found no reference to Mr Murray.

Best of luck Mr Murray – hoping you get some well deserved press/airtime asap.

Great to hear Hellesdon School is back on.

Any news about the UCU education hustings? I haven’t had any response to my email to UCU yet.

Craig mentioned in today’s Guardian here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/08/mi5-mi6-acccused-of-torture

The truth about torture – Britain’s catalogue of shame, by Ian Cobain

A horrible, gruelling read. Don’t enter if you are of a sensitive disposition.

You believe you can fight the system, with more system?

I’m bloody sick of the same old political parties screwing us over – count me in Craig!

Craig,

If one is able to help, how does one contact your HQ? Where does one turn up?

Best to call Craig’s Election HQ first on 07908 053099 or 07908 053098 and let them know when you can volunteer or turn up so they can plan for you and arrange the accommodation if needed(it is usually manned from 9am to 9pm).

Full contact details are available on the campaign web-site: http://www.putanhonestman.org/getting-involved

I received the following reply (to my complaint left on the “BBC Complaints” webpage) this morning:

“Thanks for your e-mail.

“We understand you felt that there was insufficient coverage given to candidate Craig Murray in reports on the Norwich North by-election.

“Especially when there are a large number of candidates (at least 10 so far in Norwich North) the broader interests of the voters would not be served by giving equal coverage to each and every candidate, irrespective of their chances of success. So when editors are deciding how much coverage to give, relatively, to different parties and candidates in any election, one of the key factors they look for is “evidence of past and/or current electoral support” in that electoral area.

“On that basis, in Norwich there is clear evidence of support for the three main parties as well as for the Green Party and therefore those parties will be getting similar levels of coverage. Similarly, there is evidence from the recent elections that both UKIP and the BNP have some support in at least parts of the constituency and they will also, proportionately, be given an appropriate level of coverage by programmes covering the by-election.

“Other candidates, including independents, will receive at least a minimum level of coverage and may, where editorially justified, receive more coverage proportionate to the other parties – again taking some account of evidence of electoral support in the constituency.

“We’d like to assure you that we’ve registered your comments on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC, and also their senior management. It ensures that your points, and all other comments we receive, are circulated and considered across the BBC.

“Thanks again for taking the time to contact us with your concerns.

Regards

BBC Complaints”

I fail to see how, “the broader interests of the voters would not be served by giving equal coverage to each and every candidate”.

If this means giving coverage/interviews to the BNP – too bad. If the BBC’s coverage, evenly split, amounted to only 10 minutes per candidate (including those with big party machines behind them) they would al least be subscribing to the essence of democracy instead of weighting their coverage *against* all newcomers and independents.

When they say, “when editors are deciding how much coverage to give, relatively, to different parties and candidates in any election, one of the key factors they look for is ‘evidence of past and/or current electoral support’ in that electoral area”, what checking have they done regarding current support for each of the candidates in Norwich North?

Personally, I believe that the fact that Craig is standing – and what he’s standing for – is a news story in itself. But that’s another ballgame.

Please note: This post thread is a plea for people to COME TO NORWICH NORTH TO HELP DELIVER LEAFTETS FOR CRAIG’S CAMPAIGN. Everyone who comes will make a real difference.

Good post dreolin.

To which the obvious reply to the BBC is “what about Martin Bell? Why did he get so much coverage when he ran?”

Craig speaks of the Norwich voters being sick of death and the loss of young lives.

We urgently need Craig in the HoP particularly to get this carnage stopped and the troops home before Afghanistan becomes another Iraq. The Panther’s Claw and the Strike of the Sword, as these illegal operations are so cruelly named, must cease.

There were dozens killed today by drones, at least 40, and seven British servicemen are dead in as many days.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8139739.stm

The relatives say ‘He/she died doing what he/she loved’ or similar as this mother said today and the processions through Wootton Bassett will become a weekly event for the BBC and Sky to carry live to the accompaniment of a patriotic commentary whilst the wardrum beats.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090708/tuk-he-was-brightest-star-says-mother-6323e80.html

‘Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’ should NOT be the motto here nor even ‘We do bad things to bad people’ as the young Prince Harry had on his cap when he returned from his war games in Afghanistan.

@dreoilin

I received an IDENTICAL email today from BBC Complaints.

Interesting piece today in The Grauniad by Brian Eno about the need for a fair and trustworthy electoral process…

Sorry can’t be there to help Craig.I would if i could.

Keep on keeping on….

@dreoilin

Agreed.

This is a by-election, so the “profusion” of candidates is only a trickle by general election standards.

All the more reason for giving each an equal crack of the (publicly funded) whip.

The big boys, the popular boys and the crooks are well able to fund major campaigns themselves.

The Beeb is a disgrace. They have clearly not thought out the implications of their selection criteria. And they seem to equate “public service” with brown nosing the current crowd rather than serving the public.

Strategist,

I found the Guardian article you posted above

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/08/mi5-mi6-acccused-of-torture

extremely difficult to read in one session, and had to go out for a walk in the rain.

So nice to know that Our Government and security services are deeply involved in such activities as

” Then a guard came in with an electric drill. “I was told to face the wall, and the guard was told: ‘Drill another hole in his buttocks.’” The guard switched on the drill, and touched Amin’s backside. At this point he appears to have passed out. When he came around the questioning continued, his interrogators whipping his head.”

Obviously boiling people alive is just the tip of an extremely gruesome iceberg of depravity which our Government is much more than just complicit in.

The whole bloody lot of them including Blair, Straw and Blunkett should be on Trial for War Crimes against Humanity and if found guilty receive very long jail sentences.

They have not only brought our Country into the most appalling disrepute, they have brought the ultimate shame on humanity itself.

We need more men of courage, like Craig Murray to stand up to this depravity and attack it centrally from within its heart. This is why it is so important that he is elected, even if the issue of Torture is never actually mentioned during the campaign.

Any person who attempts to silence Craig Murray, such that he does not receive his full democratic rights to be heard by the electorate should be completely ashamed of themselves.

With very few exceptions, the House of Commons is occupied not by Honourable Members, but corrupt cowards. Until they are replaced with men and women of honour and integrity then nothing will improve and we all will sink into the abyss of hell.

Turn up to Norwich and deliver some leaflets. You know it makes sense.

Tony

It’s astonishing how the British media are willing to give acres of space and airtime to a bunch of Chinese on nobody’s radar but not to 6 peace-loving British citizens assaulted by Israel on the high seas, robbed of their belongings and thrown in jail. Nor do the media seem interested in the way Egypt is similarly trampling the human rights of two equally peace-loving British women trying to leave Gaza through Rafah. The Foreign Office appear to have completely lost its grip, showing indifference to the safety of British subjects peacefully going about their business and no desire to protect them from humiliation and threat to life.

Craig, we need you in the Commons to poke Miliband, the Foreign Office and its spineless inhabitants with a sharp stick.

“When we talk to people they are sick of corrupt politicians”

Came across this…

http://tinyurl.com/mx6m3c

@Stu

The FO cannot even protect their own Consul General from Israeli humiliation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/mar/28/israel

And don’t forget Ian Gibson MP (as he then was), who was detained at an Israeli checkpoint for 90 minutes despite having suffered a stroke.

The website has been down overnight (I tried it at 3am) and has just become available thank goodness. Hacked or some other reason?

An enourmous underswell of bad feeling towards all political parties on the streets, been pounding from 10 am till 9pm last night.

Now is the time to commit ourselves to a final two weeks push, it is becoming more possible by the day to crack this egg.

Still the media is perpetuating the harm done to society by promoting the same old same same of ideological parties steeped in dogam.

The sleaze and corrupt stench is still not dissapating but the media seems to have forgotten here in Norfolk.

Multi millionare William Hague, found time to have his sweaty palms squeezed with clueless Cloe, you all have seen the arms lenght of directorships and monies earned by this man, so why is the media so contrived and slipping to the right.

I’ve just sent this letter to Rupert Read and all the Norwich Green Party councillors. Good luck tonight, wish O could be there!

Dear Rupert and Norwich Green Party councillors

As you may know, Craig Murray, your rival candidate in the Norwich North by-election, has been excluded from this evening’s UCU hustings event on manifestly unjust grounds – a poll taken before his candidacy was known. The letter below has been sent to UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt and all UCU national and regional officers, so far without even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

Obviously Craig is your rival candidate but his basic platform is one all Greens will recognise: if we want change and want to clean up corruption, we cannot rely on the mainstream parties to do it. It is a platform that any voter may or may not agree with, but hopefully all Greens will agree that there is a democratic principle that the platform deserves at least to be heard at hustings.

Craig is currently subject to a national and local media blackout, because of his status as a whistleblower about the British Government’s complicity in torture. The question is whether UCU want to be part of that blackout, or part of the process of undermining it. Whether the University & College Union is about defending free speech and democracy or about defending the establishment and its ingrained corruption.

Therefore I am asking you and the Green Party to think bigger than the slim political advantages to be gained from having a place at the hustings when Craig does not, and to walk out of the event publicly and loudly if Craig is not allowed to speak. Believe me, this will win you more goodwill amongst those everywhere who cherish a free democracy than anything you will gain by attending a boring, bureaucratically-rigged event.

URGENT URGENT URGENT

HELP NEEDED NOW

I was up in Norwich yesterday helping delivering leaflets.

Craig needs foot soldiers out pounding the streets leafleting.

So stop blogging. Get off your backsides and get up to Norwich.

It’s only 2 hours by train from London Liverpool Street Station.

Craig’s Election HQ is 07908 053099 or 07908 053098

8 ?” 10 Cromer Road, Norwich NR6 6ND (above The Insurance Centre).

It’s on the A140 by the crossroads where Boundary Road, Aylsham Road, Cromer Road and Mile Cross Lane meet.

While we were leafleting last night, we saw that NuLabour were out knocking on doors, they weren’t getting a much of a response. You can make a real difference.

PUT AN HONEST MAN INTO PARLIAMENT

@ Kerry Murdock

I suspected as much!

For what it’s worth, I’ve just fired off a rant to the BBC, as follows:

Dear Sirs

I have been following the saga of Mr Craig Murray’s attempts to obtain media coverage of his candidacy in the Norwich North by-election. Recently a number of his supporters wrote to the BBC to complain about its lack of coverage of his candidacy. The BBC responded with a stock reply including the following fatuous statement:

‘Especially when there are a large number of candidates (at least 10 so far in Norwich North) the broader interests of the voters would not be served by giving equal coverage to each and every candidate, irrespective of their chances of success.’

It is not within the remit of the BBC to decide what is and what is not in the broader interests of voters and thereby determining which candidates they will hear or see and therefore be prepared to choose from. *Every registered candidate* has a right to equal converage from the state-funded media; any other response means that the state, with my licence fee, is deciding which candidates are worthy of election.

That means that if you give 10 minutes to Labour and 10 minutes to the Conservatives, you give 10 minutes to the Craig Murray. You also give 10 minutes to the BNP and 10 minutes to the Monster Raving Loony Party, if they’re fielding candidates. You do *not* get to decide which candidates are worthy of election, or which ones have a ‘chance of success’.

By depriving the voters of access to these candidates, you are *determining* their chances of success, and thereby *interfering* in the electoral process.

There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for your actions, nor for your attitude to the complaints you’ve received. By all the gods, what has the BBC become?

I haven’t been able to get into Craig Murray’s website all day. I tried Google and only just managed through another bloggers site. Dirty deeds are being done.

I haven’t been able to get into Craig Murray’s website all day. I tried Google and only just managed through another bloggers site. Dirty deeds are being done.

“By all the gods, what has the BBC become?”

A bunch of…

http://tinyurl.com/m6krg6

“I haven’t been able to get into Craig Murray’s website all day. I tried Google and only just managed through another bloggers site. Dirty deeds are being done. ”

Obviously MI5, or those dastardly Jews – what other explanation can there be? Ha Ha. Craig must be stopped at all costs, clearly. Idiots. Can’t you see the scale of your paranoia? It all links together with the troofer stuff – there is never a simple explanation for things going wrong is there? The toaster breaks down so it must be the CIA. What is the world coming to? Dear oh dear.

— TWITTER —

When the UK students rose up earlier this year on GAZA and other matters, it was reported they used TWITTER for quick exchange of essential information.

Craig and Co, it may be worth your while having someone full-time on Twitter and Facebook every day.

At present you have approx 200 Twitter subscribers for your news. My experience has been that if you surf around within Twitter’s membership and subscribe yourself to the accounts of various Twitter users, around 90% of them will subscribe back to you within 48 hours.

If you keep subscribing to more and more people, the process will continue.

You could have A LOT of people subscribed to your news before Polling Day.

On Facebook, you can launch a ‘CAUSE’. Such as: HELP BRING DEMOCRACY TO THE UK. It might spread fast. When people join your cause they are given the option of extending an invitation to all of their friends.

You have good people here who know the Internet – how about it / what do you think?

TWITTER – If you decide to put a large effort into Twitter, you probably need to put one news item out every hour for British daylight hours, to keep a momentum going. You can cover associated news – news vital to the type of Britain (and world) we all want; then keep coming back to your own campaign news.

If you want TWITTER and FACEBOOK to work for you, you probably need one person on each 18 hours every day. If you know some good people who can do it, or share it, they can work from anywhere – they don’t need to be based at your Norwich HQ.

CRAIG’S TWITTER Account: http://twitter.com/craigmurrayorg

Subscribe NOW – and get your friends to subscribe … NOW.

Let’s hope you can get your 80,000 DVDs delivered soon.

Someone mentioned STUDENTS. If you can get students and young people involved, you could be onto a winner.

Re your TWITTER account / page. Perhaps it would be best to have your main link on your Twitter page pointing to your CAMPAIGN website, rather than to your blog website.

No one actually blames anything on ‘the Jews’ unless they’re a shit-stirring little gimp trying to muddy the waters – kind of like you Eddie.

eddie is only content when Muslims are blamed. Anything else is a conspiracy theory. Yawn.

“Can’t you see the scale of your paranoia? It all links together with the troofer stuff – there is never a simple explanation for things going wrong is there?”

eddie

“Dear oh dear”…

http://tinyurl.com/npwudm

eddie,I bet you feel really stupid now.

What does “troofer stuff” mean? I assumed it was an inpenetrable typo, rendering a most probably inane remark wholly meaningless.

Troofer = “Troofers are sanctimonious pricks who believe in absurd conspiracy theories blaming the US Government for 9/11, when it is obvious that Jews were responsible for the attacks.”

“The rise and rise of conspiratorial thinking is one of the most disturbing developments in twenty-first century public life.

“Sometimes it appears as if Western societies have regressed, adopting a medieval attitude towards calamitous acts. Back in the Dark Ages, people regarded accidents, disasters and other acts of misfortune as the work of hidden forces. Accidents did not happen, apparently ?” they were intentionally caused, either by divine or malevolent forces. Misdeeds were often said to have been caused by people who had been manipulated by ‘evil forces’.

“This primitive outlook is making a comeback; it informs the way many people make sense of high-profile catastrophes today. Conspiracy theories are pushed forward to explain what happened on 9/11, or why there was such devastation in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. And since conspiracy thinking believes that what you can’t see is more important than what you can see, it is highly unlikely that the report on the destruction of Tower Seven on 9/11 will help to clarify matters.

So that’s “troofer stuff” is it? I would have thought that the refusal to apply dispassionate rational thinking to evidence, and instead to accept blindly the repeated, preposterous claims of those in power, is the most telling indication of a return to the Dark Ages.

On the matter of the towers I agree that’s what most important is what you you can see. It’s blindingly obvious that they were demolished. You can tell just by looking at them. It’s the apologists for the official account who are forced into inventing absurd alternative theories.

I’m halfway through ‘Murder in Samarkand’ at the moment and I can see that this country needs more people like Craig in parliment. No more lickspittles and spindoctors, we need politicians who speak the plain honest truth.

I’ll try come over next weekend to help with the leafleting.

I just saw you ranting like a maniac at the Conservative candidate in Norwich high street. What kind of political debate is that? The most un-civil behaviour I have yet seen from a candidate in this by-election. Your frankly childish ranting has lost you the vote of my partner and myself. Did you not stop to think how intimidating that must have felt for all the residents enjoying the music and sat in the cafes around your stand? Unbelievable…

“Posted by: at July 11, 2009 3:49 PM”

That should read…

Posted by: VERY worried conservative supporter at July 11, 2009 3:49 PM

Anyone worth their salt would have been cheering Craig on. The trolls coming on here are just SO transparent. Bravo Craig if you really did ‘rant’ at the Tory.. you’re speaking for millions up and down the country.

To the sensitive wee poster who is easily intimidated: If you’re not pissed off too, you’re not paying attention. In fact if you’re not pissed off, perhaps you need urgent medical attention to check there’s still a pulse.

Oh fabulous, so now Tory voters don’t deserve a pulse do they George, for not seeing the light? How comforting it must be to presume millions support your views. Your fringe, don’t delude yourself into thinking otherwise.

Don’t belittle this either. Your a ‘troll’ for Murray so I am equally impressed with your reply. The fact is, in a crowded street with music playing, people shopping and most not wanting to give a crap about politics and enjoy the sun (including the young and the elderly incidentally), no one wants some random independent shouting agressively at the top of his lungs down the street. Not a blow for freedom of expression or however else you want to spin it, just pissing off the town centre. Well done. I just felt sorry for the poor people in Pret who couldn’t escape as they were having lunch.

My first reaction was ‘who is that nutter and should we call someone’. And let me assure you that people are not going to think to themselves ‘a random man shouting at people across the street, lets go and engage him in political debate’.

Will somebody PLEASE think of the poor people in Pret trying to have their lunch!

;-D

VERY worried conservative supporter above.

Lets examine both your posts…

“the music”

Hmmmm,might I suggest that to get himself heard Craig had to be a bit more loud what with music playing etc. But you come on here saying…”I just saw you ranting like a maniac”…your opinion of course,I put it to you not shared by 99.999% of others that were there.

You say…”most not wanting to give a crap about politics”…your opinion again.So now you know what everybody thinks and have appointed yourself as spokesperson for the people of Norwich …I am impressed,NOT.

I could go on and on pulling your two posts above apart but you show yourself up as such a right wing little fascist I can’t be bothered.

I would suggest you uncoil yourself and stop hissing it’s all so transparent.

This is so much fun! I love the careful analysis leading to the dispassionate conclussion of ‘right wing little fascist’.

Let me apply the same treatment to your post.

“the music”

You may ‘suggest’ all you want, but as you weren’t there your guesses on the volume and type of music are worth zero. As it happens there was a chap playing guitar at what I would call an easy listening volume.

Ranting is correct, as he spotted a Tory poster a good 10 metres away and at once started shouting and yelling at them over the heads of a crowd of people. No provocation, just instant rant.

I can tell you most people didn’t want to give a crap about politics because everyone was trying their best to ignore ALL the political types out, from the Tories to UKIP to, yes, even your man Craig. Heads down, avoiding eye contact, sweeping past the stand to avoid getting pulled in. It was a pleasant Saturday afternoon, go figure. So again, as you weren’t there your comment is worth zero.

Finally, having pulled your post apart, I conclude that you are a left wing little communist who thinks he has sole right to the moral high ground and that anyone right of Tony Benn is a fascist, and who I can’t be bothered with further.

I would suggest you stop your warblings about an incident at which you were not present. Your reflexive defence of Murray regardless of context is so transparent.

Anyone else want to accuse me of being a fascist for suggesting that yelling at people across the street isn’t intelligent political debate? Obviously I’m a Tory mole for suggesting such a thing, how do I sleep at night.

To: Posted by: at July 12, 2009 12:15 PM

It would be helpful if you would use a name rather than leaving it blank. You can use a nom.

“but as you weren’t there”

My point about you…

How do you know that?.You seem to know everything…Someone that say’s they know what other people think and want is the definition of being a fascist.So as I said above…”you show yourself up as such a right wing little fascist”…I am NOT the one saying that,you are.Your problem is you can’t see what your posts tell everybody about you…Fact.

To: Posted by: at July 12, 2009 12:15 PM

It would be helpful if you would use a name rather than leaving it blank. You can use a nom de plume.

“You can use a nom de plume”

Ian

What with the person above saying they KNOW what people think their “nom de plume” should be…

http://tinyurl.com/mvhqsl

LOL.