... in other UK news ...

[miker]

lessons in spin that every filmmaker should be aware of.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/pol...p?story=393445

How the deafening noise of war 'buried' Labour's bad news

By Nigel Morris and Ben Russell


03 April 2003

A controversial minister hands Labour the biggest donation in its
history, another party donor is in the frame to win a
multimillion-pound
vaccine deal, long-awaited figures show up to ?5bn in benefits are
unclaimed and the taxpayer is forced to bail out MPs' pensions to the
tune of ?25m.

In any normal fortnight it would be the stuff of political rows,
opposition outrage, banner headlines and drama. But with British troops
in action in Iraq, the usual hostilities in Westminster are suspended.

Yesterday Tony Blair faced calls to get back to his desk and deal with
domestic issues. Paul Tyler, the Liberal Democrats' Commons leader,
said: "Now that even the Pentagon is talking in terms of months of war,
Mr Blair must surely deal with some of the urgent issues at home."

Thursday 20 March

On the first full day of war, the Department of Transport makes an
embarrassing U-turn in restoring to police forces the power to install
hidden speed cameras. It had originally agreed to calls from motoring
organisations to paint the cameras yellow, but safety campaigners
objected.

Friday 21 March

Controversial plans to "name and shame" racist employers are released
with little fanfare. Downing Street had feared that the proposals would
look anti-business.

Monday 24 March

The Government announces that the taxpayer will have to rescue the
parliamentary pension fund after it crashed to a ?25m deficit, ensuring
MPs do not have to endure the deprivation facing millions of other
employees.

At any other time, that would have been the cue for a traditional
political row, played out in newspaper column inches and radio
phone-ins
across the country. This time, nothing.

Tuesday 25 March

John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, drops his threat to cap town
halls threatening big council tax rises. With five weeks to go before a
difficult set of local elections, he publishes figures revealing
council
tax bills across England will go up by an average 12.9 per cent this
month.

Wednesday 26 March

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, widens police powers dramatically
to
allow officers to take fingerprints and DNA swabs from anyone arrested.

There is barely a ripple of protest when the Lord Chancellor's
Department announces that bailiffs are being given extra authority to
force their way into homes. They will be allowed to use "forcible
entry"
if they have obtained permission from a judge or magistrate.

In what would normally have attracted charges of cronyism, Mr Blair's
senior policy adviser on media and telecommunications, Ed Richards, is
appointed to the board of Ofcom, the new regulator for television,
radio
and the telecommunications industry.

Thursday 27 March

It emerges that legislation to create new Foundation Hospitals has been
delayed. The move has proved hugely contentious among Labour
backbenchers. After an 18-month delay, ministers produce statistics
showing Britain's poorest households are missing out on more than ?5bn
a
year in benefits. Take-up levels of income support, housing benefit,
council tax benefit and jobseekers' allowance all fell in 2000-01.

Mr Prescott announces a hugely controversial new Bill giving him the
power to impose terms and conditions within the Fire Service. He
threatens to impose lower pay rises than the 16 per cent on the table.

Startling Home Office figures show that stopping and searching of
Asians
is up by 16 per cent, with a 6 per cent increase among black people in
2001-02, while searches of white people fell by 2 per cent. The Home
Office escapes a fresh storm over drugs policy when Bob Ainsworth, a
junior minister, forecasts that cannabis-based medicines could be
available in chemists by December.

Friday 28 March

The publication of proposals to send asylum-seekers to "processing
centres" outside the European Union is hardly noticed. The plan,
debated
by Mr Blunkett and his EU opposite numbers, was actually first
presented
to EU leaders by Mr Blair at an emergency summit in Brussels a week
earlier.

Monday 31 March

In a brief, late-afternoon press release, the Labour Party announces
that Lord Sainsbury of Turville, the Science minister, has given it
?2.5m, bringing his total contributions to ?8.5m. At any other time the
hand-out would have plunged the party into a row about cronyism and
accusations that his presence in Government will influence the crucial
decision over whether to licence genetically-modified foods.

Tuesday 1 April

Powderject, a drug company run by the Labour donor Paul Drayson,
emerges
as a frontrunner for a government contract worth up to ?120m for
smallpox vaccine. Last year, the company was controversially awarded an
exclusive deal to supply emergency stocks of the vaccine.

Yesterday

Mr Blair's spokesman defends the Prime Minister's failure to replace
the
three ministers who quit the Government a fortnight earlier in protest
over war in Iraq. Following Robin Cook's departure, the Commons is in
the bizarre position of having no Leader. The Speaker, Michael Martin,
has made known his concern over the vacancy.

... and, finally, the stories you may have missed

In the doghouse

The winner of Crufts could lose his title for allegedly having a secret
facelift. Danny, a Pekinese, was crowned a supreme champion at the dog
show, ahead of 22,000 rivals.

But organisers are investigating whether the pet underwent an operation
last year. Cosmetic surgery is banned at the show. A spokesman for the
Kennel Club said: "Following standard procedure, the office has written
to the owners to request their comments."

The owners, Bert Easdon and Philip Martin, put the complaint down to
jealousy among rivals.

Acting up

Hugh Grant hates acting. The terrible strain of trying to get one shot
right has taken its toll, the actor, right, told Vanity Fair magazine.
He is sick of the profession - particularly film acting - and wants to
take a break from being "wheeled on" like a monkey. "Imagine what it's
like, at 42, to be sitting in hair and make-up," he said.
"I'm rich and my life's luxurious. But, above all, I feel a nervous
exhaustion."

He said Hollywood would only have appeal if he was directing or writing
films. Instead, he would prefer to settle down. "I need to get married
and have children," he said.

Wigging out

Harry, a 16-year-old performing Harris hawk, mistook a spectator's
ginger toup?e for prey during a countryside display. To the dismay of
the wig's wearer and the delight of the crowd, the raptor savaged the
hair piece with its talons and beak. The bird's owner, Tom Graham, of
Thorp Perrow Arboretum, near Bedale in North Yorkshire, decided to
retire Harry. "The wig incident was the latest in a series of mishaps,
so we decided enough is enough," he said. Previous misdemeanours
include
puncturing a bouncy castle and damaging an ice cream van.

[Micaso]

Of course the war is covering up issues at home. Another reason behind Bush's push for it.

He has no domestic policy and their economy is in a shambles. Something has to distract the common person from the homefront.

[ickle_jim]

no offence, but if its not film related why are you posting this? there are plenty of film making boards that have misc sections for talking about nonfilm related stuff.

[eidde]

hmmmm...fascinating, but how exactly does a small fragile bird of prey damage an icecream van?

[miker]

no offence, but it is film related, so i posted it. don't make me spell it out for you.

[Micaso]

Yeah, just look at it, second from the bottom, hugh grant doesn't want to act anymore, obviously film related. Just kidding miker.

[Chance1234]

Is it just me but do a lot of the IRAQ Army groups and divisions sound like names which wouldnt be too out of place in the film DUNE ?