Transparency - theme of the day....

Should we pity Eirian Walsh Atkins (EWA) who resigned from her job on Friday having been caught tweeting about Unlock Democracy (UD), a leftish leaning campaign group seeking, inter alia, greater transparency in the lobbying industry (to which they belong)? EWA wished that UD would die and offered to help them along. The problem was that EWA's job was as head of constitutional policy in the Cabinet Office, a position that sits on the front line of government policy making just where it meets the lobbying world.

Unlike many lobbyists who have a cosy relationship with government departments, UD encourages people to write to their MPs (lobbying) and raise issues of constitutional import. UD is not well funded, although Joseph Rowntree Foundation money has come their way in the past, but is very active.

The following 2 links provide details:

http://www.spinwatch.org/blogs-mainmenu-29/tamasin-cave-mainmenu-107/5479-government-lobbying-reforms-in-disarray

http://unlockdemocracy.org.uk/blog/entry/whitehalls-cosy-relationship-with-the-lobbying-industry-needs-to-die

Sadly I cannot link to the Times as I won't pay cash to a Murdoch newspaper.

Getting their ACTA together?

So the UK, along with 21 other EU nations, has signed up to the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. At the same time the rapporteur (the MEP designated to bring the matter to the European Parliament) has resigned.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16757142

The BBC highlights key issues raised by Kader Arif, a French politician and Member of the European Parliament for the south-west of France. He is a member of the Socialist Party, which is part of the Party of European Socialists, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade. M. Arif is indignant about the lack of transparency in the process and is quoted as follows:

I condemn the whole process which led to the signature of this agreement: no consultation of the civil society, lack of transparency since the beginning of negotiations, repeated delays of the signature of the text without any explanation given, reject of Parliament's recommendations as given in several resolutions of our assembly.

M. Arif, when referring to resolutions can point to this amongst others:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2011:308E:0088:0089:EN:PDF

This resolution was made in 2010, but not published until 2011. The details are as follows:

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas negotiations concerning the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) are ongoing,

B. whereas Parliament’s co-decision role in commercial matters and its access to negotiation documents are guaranteed by the Lisbon Treaty,

1. Takes the view that the proposed agreement should not indirectly impose harmonisation of EU
copyright, patent or trademark law, and that the principle of subsidiarity should be respected;

2. Declares that the Commission should immediately make all documents related to the ongoing
negotiations publicly available;

3. Takes the view that the proposed agreement should not force limitations upon judicial due process or weaken fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and the right to privacy;

4. Stresses that economic and innovation risks must be evaluated prior to introducing criminal sanctions where civil measures are already in place;

5. Takes the view that internet service providers should not bear liability for the data they transmit or host through their services to an extent that would necessitate prior surveillance or filtering of such data;

6. Points out that any measure aimed at strengthening powers of cross-border inspection and seizure of goods should not harm global access to legal, affordable and safe medicines;

7. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the signatories, to the Commission, the Council and the parliaments of the Member States.

Could the fact that the treaty is not just about the EU, bit covers the following other countries have anything to do with it?

Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Mexican States, the Kingdom of Morocco, New Zealand, the Republic of Singapore, the Swiss Confederation and the United States of America

So, given that, as a member state, the UK was aware of this resolution and others like it, why did we sign?

There will be a debate in the European Parliament in June. I hope readers make their MEPs aware of the issues surrounding ACTA and push for a vote against it.

Happy New Year

I suppose I ought to say a Happy New Year to my small coterie of irregular followers, or my irregular coterie of small followers.

I'm not anticipating any personal involvement in elections as a candidate this year - the incumbent in Witney seems unminded to change tack and I don't see his Lib Dem acolytes, unwilling though they might be, jumping ship in a hurry.

There are no local elections in Carterton this year so I don't have to concern myself with that. I suspect that the developments planned to the west of Carterton will proceed despite the objections of most people I know; certainly the pressure is on to get the plans sorted before any incumbent councillor has to fight an election based on the issues.

I'm continuing my studies at Birkbeck College in London and, as I've borrowed a lot of money to take a LLM, the focus is on completing those in style.

I'll be observing the odd election if I can squeeze it in, but there is no knowing, until the invites to bid come out, whether I will be available on the correct dates. I'm off to Kazakhstan in a few days as a short-term observer, but that will have minimum effect on my studies. The opportunity to go to Russia to observe the Presidential elections has just come up again, but I can't afford the time. That's a pity as I would love to return to Russia having spent a joyous few days in Moscow and Ekaterinburg during Putin's first election. I was selected in 2007 to observe the Parliamentary elections, but failed to get into the country when all of the observers' visa applications were rejected (in my case twice)! Turkmenistan, which has elections this year, is also likely to be a no go because of timing considerations, but perhaps I'll get back to Belarus for a third time if the UK sends observers to the Parliamentary elections there. Minsk is one of my favourite foreign capitals.

Now to finish my essays before term starts!

Continuing the theme

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/8969555/Egypt-10000-march-in-protest-at-woman-dragged-half-naked-through-street.html

Over 10,000 Egyptian women have demonstrated to protest the police violence against women. With clear images of an unfortunate Egyptian woman being dragged half naked and beaten unconscious by the police going viral across the world, it is unsurprising that there has been a protest in Egypt. I don't suppose much was happening outside the Egyptian Embassy in London, but I'm sure a reader will point out that UK feminists, having got over their pudenda fetish, are supporting those who fight real oppression.

There are some very brave young women out there!

Yet again our pathetic feminists are put to shame. Whilst 'feminists' in London obsess about the state of other women's pudenda, brave young women (braver by far) risk their liberty for others. The FEMEN movement, a politically active body based in Ukraine, takes public risks that could end in manhandling and sexual assault by the police.

Today 3 very brave young women demonstrated topless outside the KGB headquarters in Minsk (yes, it is still called the KGB, Committee of State Security, in Belarus). They were calling for freedom for the political prisoners who have been held since the demonstrations 12 months ago following the deeply flawed Belarusian Presidential elections.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUQfSIBKsS8&feature=player_embedded

These women know they risk being manhandled and sexually humiliated by the Belarusian security services, but for them freedom is more important than designer vaginas (I still can't believe how pathetic our feminists are). The laws in Belarus, a socialist paradise, are harsh and opposition political activists can find themselves in prison just for holding meetings or being a Presidential candidate (seriously, this time last year more Presidential candidates were in prison than out). Because people in our country know little about Belarus they don't really care, but we have a virtual dictatorship in Europe and oppression is the order of the day. I know because I've been a witness to things that we would be appalled by in this country. I have many Belarusian friends and I feel for them. Belarus borders 3 EU states - Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - and yet most UK subjects seemingly can't find it on a map.

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Pointless ladies

It is interesting reading up on the courageous women who fight for freedom across the world. It makes you think of the Pankhursts, Ottoline Morrell, Virginia Woolf, Lady Astor. Maggie and so many others, pushing the bounds and making it easier for their future sisters in spirit. Sadly we see fewer giants amongst women walking the current feminist street. The feminists have so many things to protest about, even now, but what do they pick as their target? Designer vaginas, that's what.

http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2011/dec/08/muff-march-designer-vagina-surgery?fb_ref=U-vTcIjhQDj9MU4oxgIy1LZQ-CFCONX01FRS-34x7qXXX&fb_source=other_multiline&fb_action_types=news.reads"

The 'Muff March against 'designer vagina' surgery' must be the most pointless demonstration ever. feminists demanding women don't exercise choice. No protests against breast enhancement, no protests against Botox, no protests against hairstyles or fancy dresses designed to make women more attractive to men, but protests against cosmetic surgery in the nether regions.

"Keep your mitts off our muffs!" "I love my vagina!" "You've put my chuff in a huff!" These are some of the slogans of the Muff March taking place along London's Harley Street Saturday morning. Its aim? To raise awareness of the increase in gynaecological cosmetic surgery – both on the NHS and in private clinics. The march, which has more than 300 supporters on Facebook, is organised by campaigning group UK Feminista and performance artists The Muffia, who dress up in nude bodysuits decorated with lavish pubic hair.

At its most modest, the Muff March is against the pornography-influenced obsession with removing pubic hair. But it's also about protesting against the sort of surgery that makes you cross your legs. Typical procedures on offer include labiaplasty (trimming or removing the labia) and vaginal rejuvenation (tightening – usually referred to by "designer vagina").

In the US this industry is worth $6.8m (£4.4m). In the UK the latest figures come from a 2009 report in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. It revealed that in 2008 the number of operations increased by 70% compared with the previous year: 1,118 labiaplasty operations on the NHS. (There were 669 in 2007 and 404 in 2006.) And that's just the NHS. The Harley Medical Group reported over 5,000 inquiries about cosmetic gynaecology last year, 65% for labial reduction.

Professor Linda Cardozo of King's College London recently warned of the risks of labiaplasty: permanent scarring, infections, bleeding and irritation. "The private sector is not recorded, audited or regulated. At least if you have it on the NHS you have to go through your GP and that's a gatekeeper." (Although one anonymous blogger writes on the NHS website: "I have flaps of skin everywhere and the whole thing is a total mess. I will never be able to be intimate again.")

I recently heard of a woman GP very concerned by the number of girls in their mid-teens coming to her worried about what their genitals looked like: she thought it was becoming an issue largely because of the fashion for shaving off pubic hair, which made them more self-conscious. Of course, there are rare cases where there is an underlying medical reason for this surgery, but they are just that, extremely rare. A doctor who has treated women seeking labiaplasty told me: "When you examine them, they are completely normal."

Some experts suggest this is a new form of body dysmorphic disorder. Others see it as a depressing but logical extension of the pornification of our culture. As it becomes more acceptable for young people to watch porn (where a "standardised" genital appearance is encouraged and many of the women have no pubic hair), so young women having their first sexual experiences are being measuring – and measuring themselves – against this weird porn "norm". As one woman who has sought surgery says: "I browsed through one of my brother's Playboys to see what the girls looked like. Some seemed to have very small or almost no labia." In a world where not even your labia can ever be pretty enough, it's time to fight back. Forward march, muffs!

Since when has it been the business of anyone what other consenting adults do with their bits. It's not as if the surgery is done in the bush with a sharpened stone, as happens in some cultures.

It is interesting that nobody is having demonstrations against penis extensions. I suppose the left could hardly protest about that could they?

"Keep your mitts off our muffs"?

I could never walk down the street carrying a placard saying, "Nurses, keep your hands off my willy." My heart wouldn't be in it.

Veena Malik - another brave lady

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16102926

It is amazing, isn't it, that young women who want to make their own decisions in life are pilloried and have to defend their actions?

Veena Malik is a well known Pakistani Muslim. She has taken part in a photo shoot, although she denies the published image is the one that was taken. Her image is on December's FHM magazine. It shows a beautiful young woman discreetly covered. Veena says she was in control and is suing because of the adjustments made in the photo, which is fair enough, but she admits to a topless shoot that is more discreet than the Sun's page 3 and is more tasteful than much of what has been in the Star and the Sport. For this her own father has called for her to be punished (by whom, for what and in what way?). Some father?

As women obtain more rights around the world - nearly every country allows them to vote, most countries allow them to make their own decisions on divorce, many countries allow them to have the final say on abortion - there are still men, and purportedly moral women, who seek to decide whether an individual might be photographed without some of her clothes. Veena Malik is an adult. She can make her own decisions. She does not need to be treated like a child, as some of her co-religionists seem to think. Their morality is a personal one and should not be enforced against a woman who harms nobody by her actions.

I just hope western feminists are rallying to Veena's side and defending her right to do as she pleases in a male dominated society. Some hope.