Political Affairs Brief a Daily Summary of Political Events Affecting the Jewish Community
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
23 November 2009 Political Affairs Brief A daily summary of political events affecting the Jewish Community Scottish Council of Jewish Communities SCoJeC Contents Home Affairs Relevant Legislation Community Relations Other Relevant Information Israel Consultations Your feedback is important! Please help us to make Political Affairs Brief meet your needs by completing the short questionnaire at http://tinyurl.com/y9y8vs6 Home Affairs UK Parliamentary Question Michael Savage Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United States radio host Mr Michael Savage has been banned from entering the United Kingdom; and, if so, why. [HL6210] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): As was announced by the former Home Secretary in the press release of 5 May 2009, Michael Savage was excluded from the United Kingdom as he was considered to be engaging in unacceptable behaviour by seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to inter- community violence. This exclusion remains in place. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldhansrd/text/91119w0001.htm#0911 1942000018 UK Ministerial Statement Primary Schools The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls): Following the announcement in the Queen's speech yesterday about our intention to introduce a new primary national curriculum from September 2011, I am today publishing the details of what the primary curriculum will look like and announcing improved accountability arrangements for primary schools from 2010. 1 Primary Curriculum The new national curriculum has been developed following an independent review of the primary curriculum by Sir Jim Rose. In January 2008, I asked Sir Jim to carry out the review, the first in 10 years, to update the primary curriculum and ensure that it is the very best it can be to meet the needs of all children in the 21st century. … … the new primary national curriculum will be organised into six broad areas of learning, rather than the current subjects with less detailed programmes of learning to allow greater focus on strengthening literacy and numeracy skills and more time to study essential knowledge and skills in depth. … understanding English, communication and languages; mathematical understanding; understanding the arts; historical, geographical and social understanding; understanding physical development, health and wellbeing; scientific and technological understanding. While RE is not part of the statutory national curriculum it is no less important and we will be publishing an illustrative programme of learning alongside new non-statutory guidance in January. … To read the full statement see http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm091119/wmstext/91119 m0001.htm#09111944000018 Home Office How the police can help you and your community … We’ll be running television, radio, press and online adverts as part of the next phase of our policing pledge campaign. The pledge lets you know what you can expect from your local police force. We’ll be focusing on two particular aspects of the pledge, which research has shown people are not as aware of. They are: that neighbourhood policing teams spends 80 per cent of their time on the beat in your local area that you can make an appointment to see your local police about non-emergency problems at a time that suits you, and within 48 hours Research has found that over half of the public think they would have to wait more than 48 hours for an appointment with a police officer to discuss a non emergency matter, and only three per cent of people think that their local police spend more than 75 per cent of their time on the beat in their area. … We’re also putting this information in a new crime and justice section on the Directgov website. The new section will include a facility to look up your local neighbourhood policing team, victim support services and nearest court, find crime statistics for your area, and nominate projects for offenders doing community payback to work on. To read the full press release see http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news/how-police-can-help-you Department of Health Legal issues relevant to non-heartbeating organ donation http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/d h_108827.pdf TOP 2 Community Relations Home Office Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Security speech at the LGA preventing violent extremism conference … There are claims, for example, that Prevent stigmatises Muslim communities. Of course it does not, but we must do more than simply say that. Each of us must set out how Prevent seeks to benefit the whole community. This is why there are people and groups from many faiths and communities supporting and participating in Prevent. However it is a fact that the most significant threat to Britain’s security comes from Al Qa'ida-influenced violent extremism. And like other terrorist organisations through history this group will seek to recruit from a particular ethnic or faith group – in this case Muslims. That is why it would be wrong of us not to focus our efforts on supporting and building resilience in Muslim communities in particular. As these are the communities most at risk from Al Q'ida’s efforts to recruit and radicalise. Others claim that Prevent doesn’t stigmatise, but in fact unfairly benefits Muslim communities. That community groups and organisations will only be able to get funding if they are working within the Prevent programme. Such claims confuse Prevent and community cohesion. We are clear that Prevent is about stopping terrorism. Whilst cohesive communities will help reduce the threat from terrorism, even the most cohesive communities can contain vulnerable individuals and groups at risk of being drawn into violent extremism. … To read the full transcript see http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/Speeches/dave-hanson-speech-lga TOP Israel United Nations Palestinian children mark 20th year of UN rights treaty with video testimony Tens of thousands of Palestinian refugee children in United Nations schools in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria have been clicking away with flip cams to create the region’s first ever online video yearbook to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. … Each student is recording a 30-second message. … The segments show the youngsters outlining their hopes in various situations – in the classroom or library, sitting by the roadside, kicking a soccer ball. … To read the full press release see http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33026&Cr=palestin&Cr1 = Potential Israeli settler violence threatens 250,000 Palestinians Nearly 250,000 Palestinians in 83 communities on the West Bank are at risk of heightened violence in so-called “price tag” revenge attacks that Israeli settlers may launch against a large-scale attempt by Israel to evacuate outposts it considers illegal, a United Nations report warned today. “While most ‘price tag’ incidents recorded to date… resulted in Palestinian injuries and in significant property damage, the level of settler mobilization observed so far, appears to be relatively limited,” it noted, referring to the settler strategy of exacting a “price” from Palestinians in response to Israeli attempts to dismantle outposts the authorities themselves have not authorized. 3 “However, considering the limited scope of the removal operations implemented so far by the Israeli authorities, the level of violence that could be expected following a relatively large dismantlement operation is significantly higher,” the monthly report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs added … It cited Israel’s “inadequate level of law enforcement” despite its responsibility under international law, as the occupying power, to ensure public order and safety in the occupied territory, the lack of adequate accountability for settler violence, and the frequent failure of Israeli security forces to intervene and stop the attacks in real time, including to arrest suspects on the spot. … To read the full press release see http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33003&Cr=palestin&Cr1 = Israeli Settler Violence and the Evacuation Of Outposts http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settler_violence_fact_sheet_2009_11_15_e nglish.pdf TOP Relevant Legislation ** New or updated UK Parliament ** Children, Schools and Families Bill http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/childrenschoolsandfamilies.html Presentation and First Reading (Standing Order No. 57) Secretary Ed Balls, supported by the Prime Minister, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Secretary Straw, Secretary Andy Burnham, Mr. Secretary Denham, Mr. Secretary Hain, Mr. Vernon Coaker, Bridget Prentice and Ms Diana R. Johnson, presented a Bill to make provision about pupil and parent guarantees, home-school agreements, parental satisfaction surveys, children with disabilities or special educational needs, school and other education, governing bodies' powers and school teachers' qualifications; to make provision amending the Education Acts; to make provision about local safeguarding children boards and youth justice; and to make provision about publication of information relating to family proceedings. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmhansrd/cm091119/debtext/91119- 0003.htm#09111936000007 ** Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/constitutionalreformandgovernance.html