Author Topic: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'  (Read 17900 times)

Phil Talbot

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'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« on: October 28, 2008, 03:14:50 PM »
Greens slam callous Miliband

South Tyneside Green Party has labelled South Shields MP David Miliband as callous, after the part he played in ensuring that a 40-year injustice continues.

During the 1960s and 70s, the British Government evicted the people of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. The main island, Diego Garcia, was handed over to the United States government to be used as a military base.  US military personnel nicknamed it 'Fantasy Island' for its natural beauty.

Thousands of people, known as Chagossians, were dumped on the streets of Mauritius and have since fought in the courts to try and get their home back, winning the right to return in the High Court in 2006.

However, after a legal appeal to the Lords sponsored by Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the Law Lords ruled 3 to 2 that the Chagossians should remain in exile.

Green Party parliamentary candidate for South Shields Shirley Ford expressed her disgust at the ruling.

"David Miliband joins a long line of Foreign Secretaries who have worked to deny the Chagossian people their right to return to their home.

"He has admitted that the US base on Diego Garcia has been used for CIA 'extraordinary rendition flights'.  The treatment of the Chagossians illustrates that this government is craven to US interests, all under the excuse of the 'war on terror'.

"Recently we saw Mr Miliband replacing £50 which had been stolen from a charity tin.  Now we see him treating the victims of theft of their homeland with callous contempt.  'Ethical foreign policy' is clearly a distant memory for this morally bankrupt government.

"South Shields has a warm spirit and a big heart.  Mr Miliband had a chance to do something right for the Chagossians and let them return home.  He has failed the Chagossians, and the spirit of South Shields."
« Last Edit: September 08, 2009, 01:32:52 PM by Phil Talbot »

Phil Talbot

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Re: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2009, 02:59:38 PM »
Mr Miliband Shamelessly Denies Everything (Again) - a never ending series?
Or 'Don't Blame Mr Miliband for CIA torture, etc, he's only the British Foreign Secretary ...'

Am I alone in feeling shame that the MP for my home town is helping to cover up torture (on a huge scale)? How did we ever get such a disgrace of an MP landed on us?!
 
I note with interest what the brother of the tortured man said:
Mr Mohamed's brother, Dr Benhur Mohamed, said he had written to Mr Miliband asking him to help his brother but had not got an answer from him.
He told the BBC: "I feel very sad. I feel betrayed. It's very cruel from a person who is elected by the people to protect humanity and freedom and the rule of law."

Phil

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7871226.stm

David Miliband statement on US 'torture pressure'

David Miliband has said that disclosing classified information provided by the US could do "real and significant damage" to British national security.

He defended his decision not to release the US papers in a Commons statement about Binyam Mohamed, a Guantanamo detainee who claims he was tortured.

The foreign secretary said the UK would "never condone" torture.

And he denied the US threatened to "break off" security cooperation if its secret papers had been made public.

But he told MPs it was his judgement that "the disclosure of the intelligence documents at issue by order of UK courts against the wishes of the US authorities would indeed cause real and significant damage to the national security and international relations of this country".

He added: "Our intelligence relationship with the US is vital to the national security of the UK.

"It is essential that the ability of the US to communicate such material in confidence to the UK is protected. Without such confidence they will simply not share that material with us."

Binyam Mohamed, 30, has been held at Guantanamo Bay for four years after being accused by the US authorities of planning a terrorist attack.

He alleges he was tortured while being questioned in Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan, and that UK intelligence agencies were complicit in the practice. He wants US papers detailing his treatment to be released.

But the High Court ruled they should remain secret as Mr Miliband felt there was a risk to intelligence co-operation from the US if they were published.

Mr Miliband told MPs there would be "no prejudice" to Mr Mohamed's case as a result of the ruling as the information was available to his US legal counsel.

"The issue at stake is not the content of the intelligence material but the principle at the heart of all intelligence relationships - that a country retains control of its intelligence information and it cannot be disclosed by foreign authorities without its consent.

"That is a principle we neglect at our peril."

Shadow foreign secretary William Hague urged him to raise the issue with the new Obama administration in the US.

He suggested that, with the changes in the new administration's policy as well as personnel changes in the CIA, "would it not be right to put it to the US administration that it could change its approach to this case without fundamentally breaching the principle of which the foreign secretary has spoken?"

He pointed out that the High Court had said there was nothing in paragraphs kept secret that could be considered "highly sensitive, classified by US intelligence".

Mr Miliband replied that only the Americans could make a decision about whether sources would be compromised by disclosure adding: "I am not going to join a lobbying campaign against the American government for this decision. It is a decision they have to make... This case hinges not on the content of the redacted paragraphs but of the nature of the redacted paragraphs."

Ed Davey, for the Liberal Democrats, suggested the government had "rolled over in the face of a scarcely credible threat from a friend".

"The truth is, the question of publication of the summary was not about security and intelligence, it was about whether or not to cover up torture and the United States' interest in avoiding political embarrassment and potential criminal investigations against their security services," he said.

The White House has thanked the UK government "for its continued commitment to protect sensitive national security information".

On Wednesday, two British judges claimed that the US had threatened to stop sharing intelligence with the UK if it made public details of Mr Mohamed's treatment.

They said it was "difficult to conceive" that a democratically elected and accountable government could have any rational objection to publishing the summary of Mr Mohamed's treatment by US agencies.

The government has asked the attorney general to investigate the torture claims. But Amnesty International director Kate Allen said: "It's not enough to pass this matter to a semi-secret committee or the attorney general, instead we need a proper independent public inquiry into Binyam's case and the wider practice of rendition and secret detention."

Mr Mohamed's brother, Dr Benhur Mohamed, said he had written to Mr Miliband asking him to help his brother but had not got an answer from him.

He told the BBC: "I feel very sad. I feel betrayed. It's very cruel from a person who is elected by the people to protect humanity and freedom and the rule of law."

Dr Mohamed said of his brother: "He is very supportive and very considerate. He is not the kind of person who would want to hurt anybody."
 

Phil Talbot

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Re: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2009, 03:11:30 PM »
The 'little' Chagos Island scandal, far from home for most British (etc) people, and involving relatively few people (directly) - and so seemingly 'easy' to forget/ignore or otherwise brush aside - seems to me to reveal much about wider patterns of 'imperialism' ancient and modern.

For more details of ongoing Chagos Island campaign visit:
 http://www.letthemreturn.com/index.html

« Last Edit: May 26, 2009, 03:13:30 PM by Phil Talbot »

Phil Talbot

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Re: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2009, 01:25:49 PM »
Notes That Might Be Useful In A General Election Campaign Against David Miliband

In my view ...

* Mr Miliband 'lied to' / 'misled' the people of South Shields (via the Gazette) when he said 'yes' there was 'overwhelming evidence' that Iraq possessed 'weapons of mass destruction' before the illegal American-British attack on Iraq in 2003. He has never even acknowledged that 'error', let alone apologized for it. An MP who 'misleads' constituents like that - and gets away with it - has behaved in a 'contemptible' way and is a 'disgrace' to the town.

* Like every other MP who for voted for the illegal attack on Iraq, he stands accused of being a 'war criminal'. In voting for that illegal attack on another country he brought disgrace - by association with a 'war crime suspect' - on the people of the town he is supposed to 'represent'.

* He has also brought shame on the town by giving support (sometimes active, sometimes tacit) to murderously violent acts by other nations (such as Israel), to torture regimes, to false imprisonment without trial, to forced displacements of populations, and to other human rights abuses.

* He has supported, and as a senior New Labour 'thinker' - and now Foreign Secretary - has been personally responsible for, a disastrous 'war on terror' foreign policy which has:
+ led to the deaths and injuries of several soldiers from South Shields
+ led to British forces killing and maiming large numbers of civilian people abroad
+ scape-goated Muslim people and other 'minorities' in Britain
+ created a 'climate of fear' completely disproportionate to any actual 'terror threat'
+ involved torture, false imprisonment, and other gross offences against basic human decencies
+ made the world a less safe and secure and peaceful place

* He has cravenly followed American foreign policy at every turn, as if tamely accepting a subservient 'position' for Britain in the world of being no more than another minor state in the United States of America.

* While an education minister he supported 'tuition fees' and other education policies disadvantaging young people from the sort of 'poorer' backgrounds Labour is supposed to 'represent'.

* While an environment minister, he talked a lot about 'green issues' but did next to nothing

* There was no fascist British National Party 'problem' in South Shields before Mr Miliband arrived (or more accurately was parachuted in by his New Labour pals). He can be held personally responsible for the 'emergence' of that fascist party in this town. He has 'aided and abetted' the rise of the BNP in South Shields:
+ by his involvement in a 'xenophobic', violent, militaristic, 'anti-Islamic', imperialistic foreign policy
+ by his support for New Labour policies - along with 'scape-goating' styles of rhetoric - that have fostered prejudice against - and even hatred of - ethnic minorities at home (as the 'them' who oppose 'us'/'our ways of life')
+ by the failures of many New Labour social and economic polices (which he, as a 'major' figure in New Labour is greatly responsible for) - which have left large sections of the 'white working class' (for want of a better expression) feeling impoverished, disillusioned and resentful (and so more likely to turn to hate-mongering groups like the BNP)

* Under (the now exposed as 'fraudulent') MP's 'expenses' scheme, he took some £30,000 or more of tax payers' money to 'feather his own nest' by 'refurbishing' his (tax-funded) 'second home' in South Shields. He did this while many people living in council housing - now effectively partly privatized - were still waiting for more basic refurbishments of their homes under the 'decent homes programme'. By so conspicuously 'feathering his own nest' while others were waiting for more basic improvements to give them 'decent homes', Mr Miliband stands accused of showing contempt for the sort of people Labour MPs are 'supposed' to represent and have 'affinity' with.

* As Foreign Secretary he failed hopelessly to make anything of the diplomatic possibilities open at the time of the Olympic Games hand-over from China to Britain in 2008. Given the growing importance and influence of China this was a scandalous failure - among other things, its effect on trade probably severely incapacitates the British economy for years to come. While that Olympic Games was going on in 2008, what Mr Miliband was actually doing was actively war-mongering against the Russians over Georgia (as if showing complete contempt for the 'Olympic Spirit' -which is supposed to involve truces from warmongering).

* He has played a major role in a New Labour government that, contrary to all previous Labour principles, has not only maintained the Thatcherite 'privitization' agenda, but in many instances actually speeded it up. He is presently supporting efforts to privatize (in a typically under-hand deceptive New Labour manner) the Metro system, contrary to the wishes of the people of the North East.

* He was/is a major player in a New Labour 'establishment' reponsible for the near collapse of the British economy in 2008, and an ongoing massive 'debt crisis', and such a huge 'deficit'in public finances that most people cannot comprehend the numbers involved.

* He and the rest of the New Labour gang have 'privitized profit and nationalized debt' - and effectively let the 'rich' get away with 'daylight robbery'

* During his time as South Shields MP, manufacturing industry in the town has continued to decline, as have many other sectors of the local economy. While this has been going on, he has pretended, with typical New Labour spinning gimmicks, that 'all is rosy' and 'business is booming' in this town and elsewhere in New Labour Britain.

* Despite having a tax-funded and refurbished 'second home' in South Shields, he in fact rarely visits the town - and stands accused of treating its people with something like 'contempt' when he does so. He and his cronies at the Shields Gazette pretend to the people - via vacuous photo opportunities, etc - that he is regularly here, and is an active MP. In fact, tax-funded Labour Party workers do most of Mr Miliband's 'constituency work' for him.

* He likes to call himself (and his ideas) 'progressive', but when you actually look at his record - his support for imperialistic wars, his fostering of the Thatcherite economic agenda, etc - he seems very 'reactionary' - or 'anti-progress(ive)'

* As an MP, taken all in all, his record suggests he represents Westminster (Village) in South Shields, not (the people of the town of) South Shields in Westminster.

[A Foot-Note On Naming. In the last election, when Nader Naderi was Independent candidate and I was his agent, we forced oursleves, even in private conversations, to refer to Millipede as 'Mr' Miliband rather than merely 'Miliband'. This seemed to 'humanize' someone we disliked and who angered us hugely. We did it in an attempt to make our criticisms of him and his policies more 'constructive'/'rational'. When we just called him 'Miliband' we tended only to pour out abuse. (On election night itself Nader even found the good grace to actually call Mr Miliband 'David'!)]
« Last Edit: September 08, 2009, 01:34:17 PM by Phil Talbot »

Phil Talbot

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Re: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2010, 02:22:13 PM »
South Shields MP David Miliband 'Denies Everything' (and disgraces the real values of the town he pretends to 'represent') ... Again ... and Again ... and Again ... and ...

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate-uk/2010/02/10/torture-ruling-a-victory-for-free-speech/

Torture ruling a victory for free speech
By: Padraig Reidy

-Padraig Reidy is news editor at Britain’s Index on Censorship an organisation promoting freedom of expression. The opinions expressed are his own.-

The Court of Appeal’s decision on Wednesday to release material relating to the torture of “war on terror” detainee Binyam Mohamed is undoubtedly an embarrassment for David Miliband, the Foreign Office and the government.

The redacted evidence, itself a mere seven paragraphs, revealed reports that Mohamed, who has never been charged with any terror offence, was shackled during interrogation, subjected to sleep deprivation and suffered severe mental stress.

The paragraphs did not reveal any evidence of direct British intelligence involvement in torture, though the judges made it clear in the last paragraph: “The treatment reported, if had been administered on behalf of the United Kingdom, would clearly have been in breach of the undertakings given by the United Kingdom in 1972. Although it is not necessary for us to categorise the treatment reported, it could readily be contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of BM by the United States authorities.”

So one can understand the Foreign office’s attempts to cover up the evidence: but at a time when Barack Obama’s White House has revealed far more disturbing details of the treatment of renditioned prisones than the ones contained in these paragraphs, it seems disingenuous for Milliband to claim, as he did, that the publication of these paragraphs would endanger U.S.-UK intelligence sharing.

Miliband’s lawyers even went so far as to have a paragraph redacted from the Court of Appeal judgement at the last minute, in a scrabbling effort to defend the reputation of the security services.

So was there a motive beyond this? Embarrassment? Shame? Simple control freakery? Possibly a combination of the three. Both Miliband and his Conservative shadow, William Hague, have spun the judgement as upholding the “control principle” on intelligence sharing. This suggests that there would not be any significant difference in approach to secrecy by any future Conservative government. Meanwhile, Miliband has ruled out a public inquiry into Mohamed’s case — unsurprising when one considers the lengths to which the government went to conceal seven tiny morsels of information.

Of interest, however, to Index on Censorship and civil libertarians is this line from the judgement: “[In] principle, a real risk of serious damage to national security, of whatever degree, should not automatically trump a public interest in open justice…”

Encouragingly, (and unusually) an English court has committed to free expression and exchange of information as a principle. Our politicians understandably recoil from the free flow of information (God knows it did them no favours in the recent expenses scandal), but now their hand has been forced yet again, isn’t it time that all the UK’s parties started taking free expression to their hearts? The revulsion at attempts to cover up torture, the disgust at the refusal to be open about expenses, and the popular clamour for reform of the libel laws should demonstrate to UK legislators that whoever commits to free speech and free information this Spring will win not just kudos, but votes.

Phil Talbot

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Re: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2010, 03:54:11 PM »
http://www.jarrowandhebburngazette.com/latest-news/Leaks-cast-doubt-on-MP39s.6651305.jp

Leaks cast doubt on MP's island remark

Published Date: 06 December 2010
SOUTH Shields MP David Miliband is at the centre of the latest revelation to come from whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.

A cable from the Foreign Office to the US embassy in 2009, while Mr Miliband was Foreign Secretary, assures the US that establishing a marine park around the Indian Ocean military airbase of Diego Garcia would prevent the return of its original inhabitants.

The confidential assurance, which was printed in a national newspaper over the weekend, appears to contradict public comments by the then Foreign Secretary that the creation of the environmental haven would have no impact on any of the 2,000 Chagos islanders who wished to return.

The Islanders, who were described in the correspondence as "Man Fridays", were evicted in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the US airbase,

They are now fighting a legal battle in the European Court of Human Rights to be allowed to return.

Mr Miliband was unavailable for comment.

Phil Talbot

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Re: 'Greens slam callous Miliband'
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2011, 03:14:14 PM »
Wor minging War monger (seldom seen in SSh for jaw jaw with the locals) MP seems ever up for Private Profit Hire ... and when the price is right (4 more right-wing sell outs of radical principles) ... there is always another new job for Mr Magoo, the 'visionary' Former British Foreign Secretary ...

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/local-news/another_job_for_david_miliband_1_3168681

Published on Friday 11 March 2011 12:00


SOUTH Shields MP David Miliband has landed a job as a senior global adviser.


The former foreign secretary will join Oxford Analytica (OA).

Mr Miliband, 45, will work with Nader Mousavizadeh, OA’s chief executive, the firm said in a statement.

The advisory company’s clients include Bank of America Corp, as well as the UK, Saudi Arabian and French governments.

Mr Miliband said: “There has never been a greater need for independent and considered analysis of the complex drivers of global events.”

Since losing the Labour leadership fight, Mr Miliband has also been appointed as non-executive vice-chairman of Sunderland AFC to help promote the club on the world stage, where he receives an annual salary in the region of £50,000.


(Of course the London-based £50,000 +  for 6 days' work a year Sunderland director is really an Arsenal fan - and follows the habit of the London team manager of not seeing foul play he doesn't want to be widely noticed.)

+

http://www.oxan.com/About/Media/News/NaderMousavizadehCEO.aspx

A former Goldman Sachs investment banker and UN official, Nader Mousavizadeh adds geostrategic advisory expertise to industry-leading global strategic analysis.
Tuesday, 7 September, 2010

Oxford Analytica, the leading global strategic analysis and advisory firm, today announced the appointment of Nader Mousavizadeh as Chief Executive Officer. Mr Mousavizadeh was previously the founder and Managing Director of Archipelago Partners, a geostrategic advisory firm focused on providing strategic advice to corporations and governments in emerging markets.

Prior to establishing Archipelago Partners, Mr Mousavizadeh was an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, working in the Financial Industries M&A group in New York, and latterly based in Europe with a number of global client relationships. Previously he was Special Assistant to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan from 1997-2003 and a UN Political Officer in Bosnia- Herzegovina in 1996.

Oxford Analytica was founded in 1975 by Dr David Young to draw on the knowledge and intellectual capital of Oxford and other universities and research institutions around the world to provide business and government leaders with authoritative analysis of the political and economic impact of global events.

Oxford Analytica has since developed an international reputation as the industry standard for strategic intelligence on geopolitical, macroeconomic and social developments worldwide and provides this service to over 50 governments and 150 ‘Fortune 500’ companies and financial institutions.

Dr David Young, Founder and Chairman of Oxford Analytica, said, “We are delighted to welcome Nader, with his knowledge and breadth of international diplomatic and business experience, as our new CEO. We are proud of our 35- year record of providing unique analysis of the global political and economic drivers behind significant events. Under his leadership, we will grow the importance of our analysis and advice to our established corporate, investor and governmental client base as they look to capitalise on the many opportunities that exist, especially in emerging markets.”

“Global macro political and economic insight is more important than ever to investors as well as business and political leaders around the world." Mr Mousavizadeh said. “As a leading provider of proprietary and independent macro analysis, Oxford Analytica has served as a unique source of strategic intelligence to its public and private clients. Going forward, we will serve our global client base as both analysts and advisors – understanding that our geostrategic expertise can be as valuable during a transaction, negotiation, or investment as it is in its preparation.”

Geopolitical analysis for investors and corporations that helps to identify the bigger macro issues – whether regulatory, political or sovereign - in M&A transactions is becoming more important as new markets open up around the world. “We are at a tipping point in emerging and frontier markets and Oxford Analytica’s unique insights into macro political and economic factors can turn risks into opportunities for our global client base through our analytical and advisory services,” Mr Mousavizadeh said.



« Last Edit: March 15, 2011, 03:23:58 PM by Phil Talbot »