Friday, June 24, 2005
Keith Vaz and Tesco
Some more detailed news that deserves its own post: Keith Vaz has been rounding on supermarkets, particularly Tesco in a debate on supermarkets that featured calls for there to be a 'Shopwatch' style industry regulator.
Mr Vaz's comment in full, from They Work For You:
Covered in Yesterday in Parliament from the Guardian.
More on Tesco:
Tesco from Wikipedia, BoycottTesco.com, Is Tesco taking over? from the BBC, Supermarket Sweep Up, Tesco takes £1 in every three we spend at supermarkets from the Telegraph, Environmentalists target Tesco's from the BBC, Euromayday: Precari@s take over Hackney Tesco Supermarket from Indymedia, Tesco growth must be checked from Friends of the Earth, 'Illegal' rainforest furniture prompts WWF to ditch Tesco partnership (2003), Corporate Watch's Tesco articles.
Mr Vaz's comment in full, from They Work For You:
To use the Minister's analogy, if he has a dog, it sometimes needs to be put on a lead. Companies such as Tesco are behaving like pit bull terriers. Tesco controls the market, has done huge damage to our high streets, and is forcing suppliers to reduce their margins. That costs jobs. I know that my right hon. Friend is an extremely decent and hard-working Minister, but he cannot just sit back and allow that kind of dominance to continue in a free market.Read the full debate here, from They Work For You.
Covered in Yesterday in Parliament from the Guardian.
More on Tesco:
Tesco from Wikipedia, BoycottTesco.com, Is Tesco taking over? from the BBC, Supermarket Sweep Up, Tesco takes £1 in every three we spend at supermarkets from the Telegraph, Environmentalists target Tesco's from the BBC, Euromayday: Precari@s take over Hackney Tesco Supermarket from Indymedia, Tesco growth must be checked from Friends of the Earth, 'Illegal' rainforest furniture prompts WWF to ditch Tesco partnership (2003), Corporate Watch's Tesco articles.
Keith Vaz news
National news first...
Trial by jury? Leave it to lawyers - and a seminar by Simon Hoggart in the Guardian relates the debate about jury trials for fraud (read Vaz's contribution and the full debate here, from They Work For You) and included this on our Keith...
And some news stories culled from the Leicester Mercury...
College bid withdrawn: Campaigning MP Keith Vaz has welcomed the decision by head teacher Nick Goffin this week to withdraw a bid to build a £17 million sixth-form college between Soar Valley College and Rushey Mead.
I wrote about the Gateway move a while ago. But the article is more about the residents of Rushey Mead celebrating that they blocked the plan, rather than about what is in everyones best interests.
Possible cancer link to powerlines studied: The Government has commissioned a study into the possible link between high-voltage power lines and childhood leukaemia. Ministers made the announcement after being quizzed in Parliament by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz.
A related EDM and the full discussion from They Work For You.
Two more pieces on travellers: Park plan given backing: People are backing plans to build a park on a patch of land to stop travellers moving on to it.
Residents celebrating as travellers move on: A neighbourhood invaded by travellers is celebrating after the illegal camp moved on.
The travellers first arrived on wasteland near Sandhills Avenue, Hamilton, eight months ago to the dismay of people living nearby.
In a show of people power in April, a group of 50 residents marched on the site with Leicester East MP Keith Vaz to confront their unwelcome neighbours.
Bold is my own emphasis. I went to visit this particular site at Easter. It was barely visible from the road. The nearest house was on the other side of the road. There were no houses at all on the same side of the road and when I went there were about 8 vehicles there. It is a wasteland and it was hardly an invasion. Where have they moved on to? Which neighbourhood inherits the dismay? I'm not sure that marching about in groups and confronting people is the approach an MP should take.
Plus: MPs backing Pride march and a letter, We don't want to be Europeans.
Trial by jury? Leave it to lawyers - and a seminar by Simon Hoggart in the Guardian relates the debate about jury trials for fraud (read Vaz's contribution and the full debate here, from They Work For You) and included this on our Keith...
Keith Vaz asked if it was right that a fundamental principle of justice should be removed because of - a seminar? We reflected that things had come to a dangerous stage when our ancient liberties were being defended by, of all people, the Vaz of Vaz.The man Vaz has also been putting his weight behind calls for more black artists in the Live8 gig: Finally... Live8 buckle under pressure and include black artists, from Black Information Link.
And some news stories culled from the Leicester Mercury...
College bid withdrawn: Campaigning MP Keith Vaz has welcomed the decision by head teacher Nick Goffin this week to withdraw a bid to build a £17 million sixth-form college between Soar Valley College and Rushey Mead.
I wrote about the Gateway move a while ago. But the article is more about the residents of Rushey Mead celebrating that they blocked the plan, rather than about what is in everyones best interests.
Possible cancer link to powerlines studied: The Government has commissioned a study into the possible link between high-voltage power lines and childhood leukaemia. Ministers made the announcement after being quizzed in Parliament by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz.
A related EDM and the full discussion from They Work For You.
Two more pieces on travellers: Park plan given backing: People are backing plans to build a park on a patch of land to stop travellers moving on to it.
Residents celebrating as travellers move on: A neighbourhood invaded by travellers is celebrating after the illegal camp moved on.
The travellers first arrived on wasteland near Sandhills Avenue, Hamilton, eight months ago to the dismay of people living nearby.
In a show of people power in April, a group of 50 residents marched on the site with Leicester East MP Keith Vaz to confront their unwelcome neighbours.
Bold is my own emphasis. I went to visit this particular site at Easter. It was barely visible from the road. The nearest house was on the other side of the road. There were no houses at all on the same side of the road and when I went there were about 8 vehicles there. It is a wasteland and it was hardly an invasion. Where have they moved on to? Which neighbourhood inherits the dismay? I'm not sure that marching about in groups and confronting people is the approach an MP should take.
Plus: MPs backing Pride march and a letter, We don't want to be Europeans.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Keith Vaz new round up
A few little bits for your enjoyment:
Problems about a dangerous road near Belgrave schools: 'Act before it is too late' and Parents hit out at 'traffic chaos'.
Also Parents urge head to leave. Both our Vaz and Patricia Hewitt are involved. Abbey school was covered some time ago about their failure to provide rooms for Gujarati lessons.
And of course the European Constitution has been rejected by both France and the Netherlands.
Problems about a dangerous road near Belgrave schools: 'Act before it is too late' and Parents hit out at 'traffic chaos'.
Also Parents urge head to leave. Both our Vaz and Patricia Hewitt are involved. Abbey school was covered some time ago about their failure to provide rooms for Gujarati lessons.
And of course the European Constitution has been rejected by both France and the Netherlands.
