John Hemming's Web Log

This image: Looks at the NPV of the tuition payments for graduates in each percentile of income. The assumption is that the government pays the universities a fee of £7,500 for each year of study. Labour's proposal is for the government to pay no more than £6,000 per year to universities through this scheme. This will, however, not affect the lower income percentiles and only probably the top four percentiles.

This is one of a number of stories relating to the Slovak Government talking to the UK Government about the children. It seems that they are talking about 89 cases. That could be 89 children or 89 cases (a case can involve more than 1 child). I am talking to people from a number of other governments, not just the Slovak Republic. There are also the cases which affect English people which, of course, should be treated exactly the same way. This and This are two more stores in Slovak. This is the same story in Italian.

This is a French TV programme about forced adoption in England. This is an article about the issue by the TV journalist.

I understand that there have been two protests in Rome. This more general one about the actions in Italy and also smaller one about the UK that I don't have further details about.

Slovak TV on Demonstration RTI Radio

This post by Martin Lewis highlights the fact that the student finance system is not like a proper debt. Comparing it to a mortgage. If you don't pay the mortgage then someone comes round an repossesse your house. You need to pay the mortgage whatever your income is. For student finance you don't need to pay if you don't earn over £21,000 and bailiffs don't come around and repossess your brain if you don't pay. Instead the government says after 30 years that you don't even have to pay the contribution. It is not a debt. It is actually a contingent liability. I have not concentrated on the question of what money the government pays the universities (aka Tuition Fees) I have concentrated on what graduates pay the government (the graduate contribution, but also aka Tuition Fees). According to the IFS for 29% of Students (those with lower earnings) the payments by graduates are less than under the old system. This is the "fairer alternative"...

Click here for the video of the speech.

This is a report of the Slovakian case in court yesterday. There are many English grandparents squeezed out of their childrens lives by the obsession with adoption. Hopefully this case will improve the situation for English grandparents.

This is a picture of the protest in Bratislava outside the British Embassy today. I have edited the photo to keep Surrey County Council happy as they have complained about my blog. I have asked them what is wrong with my blog and they have not yet told me. It remains, however, that permission to appeal was granted today. It is important to remember that the law must be the same for all citizens. Hence if Slovak citizens win appeals in the English courts then so should English people. I was pleased that the family who went to court today are committed to fighting for everyone whatever race, religion or nationality. We met on the House of Commons Terrace.

This comment piece by Ted Jeory compares the cover up in Hillsborough to the day to day cover ups in the family courts. This article by Christopher Booker looks at how a foreign country is concerned about what happens in the English and Welsh Family Courts. We should really be able to sort these things out on the basis of complaints raised by victims of the system in the UK. However, if it really takes getting a coalition of countries together to demand change in the UK then so be it.

Uploaded 11/9/12.

Sadly the cover-up over Hillsborough is not unique. We have many signs of cover ups that have not yet been dealt with. I shall list some of them. 1. A US journalist has been banned from the UK because she wanted to investigate and report on Haut de la Garenne (see an EDM I tabled yesterday). Link now here see comments. 2. Babies were made to breathe carbon monoxide at a concentration that is lethal (over time) for adults and the investigation called it an "inert gas".  3. The general cover ups in the family courts where malpractise by psychologists is ignored and the HPC often refuses to investigate. This has resulted in a foreign country asking for help to deal with a case affecting one of their citizens. None of this is acceptable. We need to get much better as a country at looking properly at issues and not just trusting the assurances of people in suits that everything is ok and we shouldn't worry. some more on Leah goodman's case: Her TV...

This is another story in the Slovak Media. I spoke also to an American Pastor who dealt with one of the Slovak cases. He shares my concern as to what the English state did to the children.

This is a speech by Andrew Macfarlane in which there are elements with which I agree. (not all of it). These are two other speeches from the same event. Naomi Angell (someone who doesn't know the stats because she talks about a big increase in the numbers of adoptions from care.) and Martin Narey (I haven't watched his video as I expect the usual nonsense that he speaks).

Pontes v Portugal K.A.B. v. Spain 59819/08

The Slovak Republic has recently expressed concern that children in England who are children of Slovak Citizens have been adopted "without relevant reasons". This page on the Slovak Justice Ministry website gives the official position. This page on the TV station JOJ gives details of some of their reports about this. These are other stories in the Slovak media: http://www.sme.sk/c/6501407/v-britanii-beru-deti-aj-slovenskym-rodicom.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdicthcY_ck http://udalosti.noviny.sk/pochybne-adopcie-deti/23-08-2012/slovaci-zverili-dieta-babke-anglicania-jej-ho-aj-tak-vzali.html http://humenne.korzar.sme.sk/c/6504138/rodinu-ktorej-vzal-anglicky-sud-deti-si-v-brekove-vazia.html http://krimi.noviny.sk/cierna-kronika/19-08-2012/vymyvanie-mozgov-odobrate-deti-conkovcov-zabudaju-na-minulost.html http://www.justice.gov.sk/Stranky/aktualitadetail.aspx?announcementID=1631 Google gives a translation as: ==========================================...