John Hemming's Web Log

This link is to her weblog. The Guardian has also published an article written by Helen Pidd about the issue. In essence an American journalist has been banned from the Common Travel Area (which includes the UK and Jersey). It appears that the reason is to prevent her investigating Haut de la Garenne and the associated issues. If this was happening in another country there would be outrage, but the fact that it is happening here doesn't seem to cause any concerns. Odd really.

This judgment (today) shows how depressing the system is in terms of how it looks after children. Children have been made statutory orphans and then just left in that state. In fact the government could if it could be bothered track how many children are in that state through the SSDA903 return, but hasn't been bothered to do so. It is a mistake to think there is anything substantially different in a placement order from a freeing order. Both separate children from their family networks (and often their siblings) without actually ensuring there is an alternative. Anyone who looks objectively at the system has to conclude that it is depressingly bad.

I have read the Snoopers Charter. It tends to concentrate on the administrative processes rather than the key question as to what records can in practise be kept. Web browsers work in two main ways. These can be distinguished in the URL. Eg http://www.theyworkforyou.com is insecure. https://www.twitter.com is secure. If, for example, you try to use twitter in an insecure manner it automatically switches to a secure link. The data that passes between two insecure web links can be tracked by anyone who has access to any of the networks that the data passes on. There are programs such as packet sniffers that are created to do this. Obviously the Internet Service Provider (ISP) can do this. However, data that transfers in a secure manner cannot be tracked. The secure system is called SSL Secure Sockets Layer. The way it works is that a system called asymmetric key encryption is used to exchange a session encryption key between client and server. The server first passes o...

TB is a nasty disease that can only be transferred by close contact with people. The policy of the health service has been to only offer vaccination to people who have family contacts with areas with high levels of TB. That is because the vaccination itself is not something people would like. I have for some time argued that there is a risk of a disease vector at school and that schools which have a high proportion of children who qualify for the vaccination should offer it to all of the children at that school. The sad death of Alina Sarag (who was at a school which is (just) in my constituency, but who lived outside the constituency) makes it clear that there is a risk of a disease vector at school. That is why we need to consider this particular category. I argued this before she was infected.

Given the choice between taking a cure to deal with the hangover following a binge on debt and simply getting drunk to conceal the hangover the greeks have (marginally) decided to go for the cure. That is best for the Greeks. I think it is also best for the rest of the world.

This story in the Sunday Express relates to the proposals by a local authority to remove a baby at birth. ( note that there are a number of errors in the Sunday Express Article see below ) Removing a baby at birth is a really draconian thing to do. It has to be based upon a real and urgent threat to the baby. Removing the baby is often harmful to the baby. Hence it has to be a very serious threat. In the linked case the local authorities concerns are as I said in the House of Commons on Wednesday: Hansard has the full debate. My relevant section is: Ms Toni McLeod, who lives with her family in Durham, is thinking of going to Ireland because she is pregnant. It is a difficult situation. She was a supporter of the English Defence League. I hate the EDL. Three of my children are mixed-race, and I protest against the EDL. Toni McLeod says that she is not racially prejudiced, but that children were taken from her partly because of her membership of the EDL. It was “felt that con...

I am somewhat confused as to what the government think they can achieve trying to get emails and web traffic tracked. The whole idea of the Secure Sockets Layer protocol is to prevent "man in the middle" attacks from being able to find out what is being said. Hence if someone sends email using SSL through an email server hosted abroad then the only thing the government could have tracked is that someone has sent one or more emails. The government would not know to whom, how many emails in the session or from whom, nor would the government be able to find out anything further. Indeed if people use onion routing then the government wouldn't even be able to find out which hosts are being used. It is important to remember that the English courts have removed children from at least one person in part for their political views. (in a secret court of course) Hence it is a sensible precaution for everyone in the country to have all their communications encrypted. That, t...

The issue as to the UK's relationship with the other countries in Europe is being discussed publicly again. It is worth displaying the following image again: This is the current structure for the various European Bodies. It is now recognised that the Eurozone requires a banking union. I think it is also clear that the UK will not be part of this. It may be that the Eurozone moves further, but the situation is so volatile at the moment that it cannot be clear. What should, however, be clear is that the UK should not aim to be part of the core Eurozone countries. If there were to be such a proposal then the law now is that the UK would have to hold a referendum. My own view is that there will become a time when there is merit in having a referendum as to what the relationship should be between the UK and other European Countries. There will only be a limited range. I don't think there is anyone suggesting that we should not be part of the Council of Europe. It is, h...

I hadn't really prepared for this, but when I looked at the clouds I went back to sleep. To be fair, however, nothing was as good as these images . I don't normally bother about the details of the structure of the sun although it is, of course, very important to life on earth. In 1999 we went to Cornwall to see the eclipse of the sun (Lunar) and indeed it was very cloudy, it got very dark and then light again. Still quite a nice trip though. The Venusian Transit and associated geometry is an interesting part of history. Some of the astronomers took real efforts to measure the transit. Worth a look at on the net.

This is a story about Estonia. Which puts a more positive viewpoint on balancing government finances. Those doctors threatening to strike need to explain why they should be exempt from the effects of the financial crisis.

here is the text of the debate. I was pleased to hear my right hon. Friend’s speech, and to read his Committee’s report, but there are areas where we are still getting things badly wrong, and perhaps the direction of Government policy is making things worse rather than better. I declare an interest. I am involved in Justice for Families, which looks at public family law in the English and Welsh jurisdiction, although people from outside that jurisdiction also contact us. Parents are involved, not surprisingly, but we are also contacted by teenagers who are trapped in the care system and want to escape, but cannot find a way of doing so. Recently, I worked with a number of care leavers to form an organisation called Care Leavers Voice. People tend to think of care leavers as those in their teens or 20s, but I am talking about professional people in their 40s and 50s. Having perhaps the best perspective of what it is like to be a child in care, and having gone on to have a profession...

Five people playing one guitar. Unsurprisingly over 100m views. The original of the song (200m views) An unusual concept of a parody on a cover. Not a guitar or any instrument A med school version of the 5 people on one guitar thing (probably best they don't go for a singing career) One person playing two guitars An odd variation on the video (not a particulary good cover though) With some interesting vocals, but still not as good as the original

Today SS Great Britain was floated in neon-green jelly and Facebook Floated at a really silly sum of money . Now I must admit I think Google with their operating system etc is a really strong business model, but the above two seem absurd.

I have come 6th in the ballot for Private Members Bill.  I do not need to decide as to which subject my PMB should address is until Mid June. Much that it is quite likely that I will be looking at judicial secrecy and the accountability of the state as a subject for a Private Members Bill.  However, this is not guaranteed.  However, if anyone wishes an alternative proposal to be considered could they please send me up to two pages of proposal.   This should be sent to the House of Commons on paper.

We have a number of patterns of behaviours of governments.   The expropriation recently by Argentina of a Spanish company's holding in YPF is one example of governments not following the law of contract.  If Greece votes to try to renegotiate their deal with the Eurozone I expect them  to have an unstructured bankruptcy.   The question, of course, is what happens after that.  I cannot see the Eurozone simply saying "don't worry we don't want repaying". Clearly the Eurozone cannot accept a further renegotiation as if they do then everything starts to unravel. The Irish government's banking reorganisation involves a number of repudiations of contract.   Some of the effects on small holders of debt have been quite extreme - although they would argue that they fall within the debt contracts. If Greece tries, for example, to set up a New Drachma and refuse to pay their debts to the Eurozone (in Euros) then I don't think they can remain in the EU as they wil...

CONSTITUENCY and Ward Leader Mayor Percent Leader Mayor EDGBASTON 11732 10128 53.70% 46.30% Bartley Green 2708 2010 57.40% 42.60% Edgbaston 2251 2492 47.50% 52.50% Harborne 3369 3008 52.80% 47.20% Quinton 3404 2618 56.50% 43.50% ERDINGTON 9224 7067 56.60% 43.40% Erdington 2594 1880 58.00% 42.00% Kingstanding 2195 1730 55.90% 44.10% Stockland Green 2346 1897 55.30% 44.70% Tyburn 2089 1560 57.20% 42.80% HALL GREEN 14733 10669 58.00% 42.00% Hall Green 3846 2368 61.90% 38.10% Moseley and Kings Heath 3448 3279 51.30% 48.70% Sparkbrook 3233 2386 57.50% 42.50% Springfield 4206 2636 61.50% 38.50% HODGE HILL 1329...

This story in the Sunday Express has details of how thousands of children leave care for an unknown reason every year. What concerns me is that there is no proper independent auditing of what happens to the children. Given that hundreds of younger children are simply lost to the system each year I don't think this is acceptable. Independent auditors are used to track where the money is, but not what has happened to the children. To that extent improving the SSDA903 return is a useful first step that the government should take, but it is not in itself sufficient. There needs to be some system whereby there is in independent audit of what happens to the children. The child protection system is chocabloc with conflicts of interest whereby people who are responsible for the care of children are also responsible for ensuring that the care is adequate. That systemic problem lies behind the inaction relating to the abuse of chidlren in care.

I was one of the co-chairs of the No campaign in Birmingham. I won't reiterate the detailed arguments against a Directly Elected Mayor (DEM). All of that information is available on the No to a power freak website. Initially it was thought that the "yes" campaign would have an easy victory. However, on the day, of the 10 referenda mandated by central government, 9 went against a DEM. Only Bristol Voted YES. Birmingham was 57.8% against. The sequence was Sheffield 65, Coventry 63.6, Leeds 63.3, Wakefield 62, Newcastle 62, Birmingham 57.8, Nottingham 57.5, Bradford 55.1, Manchester 53.2, Bristol 46.7. I have ignored Doncaster (62% for retaining the DEM). That is because the Doncaster result was one where it was really about Labour trying to get rid of the incumbent English Democrat DEM. There are a number of interesting aspects of this. The Bristol vote was an isolated vote when there were not also local elections. However, if you look at the turnout in Bristo...

The Times have published a letter I wrote to them about Expert Witnesses and family court proceedings today. It is behind the paywall so I will copy it here: Sir, Andrew Christie is right in seeing the low quality of expert evidence as being a problem. However, the experts are already appointed by the parties jointly to a case. This results in them acting as the hired guns of the local authorities because of the inequality of arms that arises from the imbalance of power in the cases. A simple way of reducing cost would be to remove the guardian ad litem and simply commission an independent social worker report. This would substantially reduce the legal costs and improve the quality of decision-making at the same time (as research recently published by Dr Julia Brophy shows). What, however, is crucial is to allow wider scrutiny of the quality of expert opinions. It is still contempt of court for me as an MP to refer an expert to a regulator. The idea that family court experts themselv...