Indygal Goes to Holyrood! (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009
Just to update everyone on the Florence and Precious Mhango deportation case, in the early hours of this morning Florence phoned me with the news I've been waiting for. Paul Chen QC, an English advocate, has agreed to fight for them. We can't get too carried away but at this very minute they are on their way to the airport and in 5 hrs their flight will take off so we've really nothing left to lose....
SNP Tactical Voting (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009
Hi everybody, this isn't Jeff, it's Esther Sassaman ( @estherann on Twitter and lapsed blogger at Thingummy). Jeff is in Ireland sans laptop and has graciously allowed me to do a guest post on here, in a personal capacity. So, apologies in advance for my strident prose instead of Jeff's erudite, considered comment. I'm writing to let you all know about two asylum seekers named Florence and Precious...
Indygal Goes to Holyrood! (Free subscription) | 21/11/2009
I can't sleep. I can't sleep because I know Precious (pictured here) will be lying awake, staring out of the window at the barbed wire fences that surround the detention centre she's being held in, her stomach churning at the thought of being transported to Yarls Wood tomorrow. She has had many nightmares since being taken there a couple of months ago. Children in Need is on TV right now. I want you...
Christian Today (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Methodist Baptist and United Reformed Church leaders have called on people to send an extra card this Christmas to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas MP asking him to end the detention of children in the asylum system
Indygal Goes to Holyrood! (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Am heading out to Dungavel shortly. It may be the last time I see Florence and Precious. I hope not. The response to my last minute plea to Phil Woolas yesterday was "you're not an MP, we won't talk to you" which is a story for another day. John Mason MP has also made urgent representations and they can't give him that response. And of course Michael Russell the Minister for External Affairs...
The Talking Clock (Free subscription) | 20/11/2009
Phil Woolas (ZaNuLiebour) lamented the failure of Tony Blair to land the European Empire gig but is sure Emperor von Rumpy-Pumpy will do a good job. Droned on and on about expenses and the budget deficit. Our Rating: Said nothing that we wanted to listen to and said way too much. 0/12 Clare Short (Independent, ex-Labour) said that Tony Blair never had a chance of the EU gig because he is
Britannia Radio (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
19/11/2009WATCH:NEXT ON:Today, 22:35 on BBC One (except Scotland, Wales)SYNOPSISQuestion Time comes from Leicester, with a panel including Immigration Minister Phil Woolas MP, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling MP, Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell, the broadcaster Nick Ferrari and Independent MP Clare Short. David Dimbleby presents.CREDITSPresenterDavid DimblebyParticipantMing
Mark Reckons (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
It's #bbcqt day again and as usual the Live Chat on this blog will start tonight at 10:30pm. The panel will include the Immigration Minister Phil Woolas MP, the shadow home secretary Chris Grayling ( Alan Johnson's mini-me ), the Liberal Democrat MP and former leader Sir Menzies Campbell, the broadcaster Nick Ferrari (Richard Littlejohn's mini-me) and the Independent MP and former thorn in Tony Blair's...
Indygal Goes to Holyrood! (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
It's been a flurry of activity today and so much to tell but no time to tell it. You can read more about why the Mhango family should not be returned to Malawi here . Good news is that Michael Russell, the Minister for (lots of things including) External Affairs in the Scottish Government is concerned too and has asked his officials to make formal representations to Phil Woolas at the UKBA regarding...
Big Brother Watch (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
Two stories today on the dreadful 'Intercept Modernisation Programme' otherwise known as the Home Office plan to monitor all of our emails, phone calls and other forms of private communications. The first, courtesy of Kable, is that Phil Woolas MP has said that the £2bn Programme is due for completion in 2016; despite the bill being dropped from the Queen's Speech earlier this week. As they report:...
Biased BBC (Free subscription) | 19/11/2009
In what promises to be a spectacularly lefty panel this week, Question Time features the Immigration Minister Phil Woolas, the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, expenses trougher and LibDem Sir Menzies Campbell, and Clare Short who is now sitting as an Independent. Broadcaster Nick Ferrari will add weight (literally) to the proceedings in the plus an extra panelist seat. On the BBC website Short...
Indygal Goes to Holyrood! (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
Update on Precious Mhango and her mum in Dungavel. Have spoken to Florence and she's extremely upset but also exhausted so relatively calm. Precious is complaining of a headache and I can understand that - stress can do that to you as we all know. Ten year olds shouldn't know it though. Florence has told me to do whatever I can to help their case and so I'll be writing to Phil Woolas first thing in...
My World Earth (Free subscription) | 18/11/2009
Sham: Jelili Adesanya and his 'wife' Karimotu Adenike pictured in Britain Big day: The happy 'couple' in their bogus wedding photo A Nigerian Home Office worker 'married' his own daughter to get her a British visa, the Daily Mail can reveal. The extraordinary scam was apparently executed by Jelili Adesanya while ministers turned a blind eye. Mr Adesanya, 54, has lived here for more than 30 years and...
computing (Free subscription) | 16/11/2009
Tom Young, Computing , Monday 16 November 2009 at 18:46:00 Cards will cost £30 but only 2000 people have registered for an application form Identity cards will go on sale for £30 to people who live and work in Greater Manchester from the end of this month. So far only foreign national carry the cards. The government hopes to target students and young people as those most likely to use...
Louise Baldock (Free subscription) | 15/11/2009
Unlike last year when I found the money to stay in the Vincent Hotel (and met Marc Almond coming out as I went in), this year I drove up to Southport for the Saturday and Sunday sessions of conference. We heard from the General Secretary of the Labour Party, Ray Collins with a presentation about the General Election strategy. Harriet Harman spoke about the battle lines for 2010 - all that the Tories...
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