KHOODEELAAR! evidential question to Boris Johnson: Is Boris merely, opportunistically faking a No to Bechtel? And has Boris already caved in to Bechtel on the alleged contract?
[To be continued]
The following piece is taken from EVENING STANDARD
Page 35 1st edition
London Friday 27 March 2009
At cross-purposes over choosing a Crossrail builder
Peter Bill
EVENING STANDARD
Page 35 1st edition
London Friday 27 March 2009
-A well-stifled row has broken out between the builders of Crossrail and Transport for London, over who is in overall charge. TfL, which is chaired by Mayor Boris Johnson, was asked earlier this month to approve two huge contracts.
The first was for the job of becoming Crossrail's Project Programme Partner. Crossrail bosses recommended that the £100 million job to supervise the builders be given to a US-dominated trio. TfL said fine, give the job to AECOM, CH2M Hill and Nichols Group.
But the recommendation by Crossrail bosses on who should get the job of actually building the central section of the 118-kilometre line was not accepted for "technical reasons", says TfL in full coy mode. There are four firms in the running - including giants Bechtel of the US and Laing O'Rourke of the UK.
It's not known who Crossrail recommended. But Boris apparently baulked at the idea of immediately giving the whole show over to the Yanks by appointing Bechtel.
Laing O'Rourke is lobbying for more weight to be given to the "Britishness" of the bids when they come up for reconsideration in a few weeks. This is all a bit tricky because, under European rules, you are not supposed to favour one bid over another on national grounds.
But both Crossrail and TfL have been spooked by the rows that have erupted across Britain over the employment of non-British subcontract labour. Crossrail can't obviously dictate the nationality of the workers who, they stress, will be "overwhelmingly" British.
However, just suppose Laing O'Rourke were to be appointed. It would obviously be in a better position to employ Brits drawn from its 31,000-strong workforce than those awful Americans ever could. This should at least be taken into account, should it not Boris? Laing O'Rourke yesterday proudly announced it was to hire 1000 new apprentices.
33rd year AADHIKAR
0225 GMT Thursday 06 June 2013
AADHIKAR Media Foundation Editor © Muhammad Haque
Founding News Editor
Shah M Azizul Haque
AADHIKAR Media Foundation established with the publication of AADHIKAR the weekly on Monday 19 December 1980 from London E1 UK.
Friday, March 27, 2009
KHOODEELAAR! evidential action archive: When we compared Christine Gilbert to her successor in post in Tower Hamlets
KHOODEELAAR! evidential action archive: When we compared Christine Gilbert to her successor in post in Tower Hamlets
[To be continued]
Thursday, 9 August 2007
Shadwell ward by-election derails Crossrail hole plot-backer against the East End of London!
By©Muhammad Haque
0140 Hrs GMT
London Friday 10 August 2007
Shadwell in the East London inner city borough of Tower Hamlets is still under the overall influence of a very Blaired operation at the corruptly-controlled Tower Hamlets Council
But the East London Council ward witnessed a minor signal failure on Thursday 9 August 2007.
The result of the signal failure was that a vehicle, an agent, a tout for Big Business was derailed.
At least for the time being.
Michael Keith, the Blairing candidate, was defeated by under 100 votes. A fact that the Blairing propaganda operatives were seeking to use as some sort of evidence that the defeat was not convincing enough proof that the Blairing assault was rejected by the people who made up the active electors in Shadwell.
The idea that a majority of 97 in a poll of counted votes totalling under 4000 votes in a Council ward did not amount to a ‘victory’ is not credible at all. Yet that is exactly what the Blairing propaganda operatives were being asked to say about the defeat of Michael Keith at Shadwell.
That Keith the Blairing Candidate has been dealt a blow in Shadwell on two occasions [two elections] in a row must not be used by his ‘opponents’ to gloat at all.
The Tower Hamlets Council still remains in the grip of the operatives who have been carrying out the same agenda, supporting the same attacks on the public provisions as Michael Keith did.
No doubt his derailment will be a temporary relief to the ‘party’ organisation – or what there is of the Bethnal Green and Bow MP George Galloway’s ‘RESPECT’ ‘party’.
But that relief must be extended into action by the WHOLE community to defend the community against a 'local' Council I which has on the face of it the ‘mandate’ of the electorate and which is abusing that mandate to destroy the very important and life-saving and life enhancing infrastructure needed by the community.
What I told a satellite TV news recorder in a one minute statement during the afternoon [Thursday 9 August 2007] outside the Bigland Street polling station was that the best candidate to deserve the peoples’ votes on the day would be the one who would defend the community’s rights and who would speak up for the community upon their election and throughout the period of their being a councillor..
Can Harun Miah, the new councillor for Shadwell, live up to that standard that I articulated ?
For the prevention of the attacks in the local community will not be made possible by the indulgent disarray within the RESPECT group of occurs or by its version within what they ca the ‘RESPECT” party!
The prevention of the attacks on the East End being carried out via Tower Hamlets Council will be the test.
To make the derailment permanent, lessons must be learnt immediately.
Those lessons must be based on what was witnessed in the middle of the afternoon in the Bigland Street polling station.
As I had asked a Metropolitan Police officer within minutes of Carole Swords arrest, 'Was it necessary to arrest Carole?'
I have already reported the Police officer's response.
But other people who also witnessed the arrest as I did, have raised questions including the role of the Tower Hamlets electoral returning officer.
They are of the view that Martin Smith who is the Council's chief executive and is by that fact the returning officer, must be asked to explain the heavy handed behaviour of the police towards Carole Swords.
Analogous to that would be the type of behaviour that was prevalent when Christine Gilbert was in post as chief executive.
[To be continued]
[To be continued]
Thursday, 9 August 2007
Shadwell ward by-election derails Crossrail hole plot-backer against the East End of London!
By©Muhammad Haque
0140 Hrs GMT
London Friday 10 August 2007
Shadwell in the East London inner city borough of Tower Hamlets is still under the overall influence of a very Blaired operation at the corruptly-controlled Tower Hamlets Council
But the East London Council ward witnessed a minor signal failure on Thursday 9 August 2007.
The result of the signal failure was that a vehicle, an agent, a tout for Big Business was derailed.
At least for the time being.
Michael Keith, the Blairing candidate, was defeated by under 100 votes. A fact that the Blairing propaganda operatives were seeking to use as some sort of evidence that the defeat was not convincing enough proof that the Blairing assault was rejected by the people who made up the active electors in Shadwell.
The idea that a majority of 97 in a poll of counted votes totalling under 4000 votes in a Council ward did not amount to a ‘victory’ is not credible at all. Yet that is exactly what the Blairing propaganda operatives were being asked to say about the defeat of Michael Keith at Shadwell.
That Keith the Blairing Candidate has been dealt a blow in Shadwell on two occasions [two elections] in a row must not be used by his ‘opponents’ to gloat at all.
The Tower Hamlets Council still remains in the grip of the operatives who have been carrying out the same agenda, supporting the same attacks on the public provisions as Michael Keith did.
No doubt his derailment will be a temporary relief to the ‘party’ organisation – or what there is of the Bethnal Green and Bow MP George Galloway’s ‘RESPECT’ ‘party’.
But that relief must be extended into action by the WHOLE community to defend the community against a 'local' Council I which has on the face of it the ‘mandate’ of the electorate and which is abusing that mandate to destroy the very important and life-saving and life enhancing infrastructure needed by the community.
What I told a satellite TV news recorder in a one minute statement during the afternoon [Thursday 9 August 2007] outside the Bigland Street polling station was that the best candidate to deserve the peoples’ votes on the day would be the one who would defend the community’s rights and who would speak up for the community upon their election and throughout the period of their being a councillor..
Can Harun Miah, the new councillor for Shadwell, live up to that standard that I articulated ?
For the prevention of the attacks in the local community will not be made possible by the indulgent disarray within the RESPECT group of occurs or by its version within what they ca the ‘RESPECT” party!
The prevention of the attacks on the East End being carried out via Tower Hamlets Council will be the test.
To make the derailment permanent, lessons must be learnt immediately.
Those lessons must be based on what was witnessed in the middle of the afternoon in the Bigland Street polling station.
As I had asked a Metropolitan Police officer within minutes of Carole Swords arrest, 'Was it necessary to arrest Carole?'
I have already reported the Police officer's response.
But other people who also witnessed the arrest as I did, have raised questions including the role of the Tower Hamlets electoral returning officer.
They are of the view that Martin Smith who is the Council's chief executive and is by that fact the returning officer, must be asked to explain the heavy handed behaviour of the police towards Carole Swords.
Analogous to that would be the type of behaviour that was prevalent when Christine Gilbert was in post as chief executive.
[To be continued]
KHOODEELAAR! evidential dissection of the latest instance of crass propaganda for ‘CRASSrail’ by one of the Big Business agenda-peddling web sites.
1758 [1755] [1750] Hrs GMT London Friday 27 March 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! evidential dissection of the latest instance of crass propaganda for ‘CRASSrail’ by one of the Big Business agenda-peddling web sites... They keep doing it. They are lying when they put the word ‘Crossrail’ where the word ‘train’ or railway’ or ‘rail’ should be used. This is not a careless act on their part. This is a deliberately corrupt act. They have been doing this on every aspect of the crassly conceived scam. They have been even trying to replace the word ‘transport’ by the word ‘Crossrail’. [To be continued]
Growth talks for Crossrail
Planning, 27 March 2009
Transport secretary Geoff Hoon visited Ebbsfleet and Dartford in Kent last week to discuss extending Crossrail services to the Thames Gateway area.
The government is working with councils and local stakeholders to safeguard a route in north Kent. Bringing Crossrail to the area would give regeneration plans a substantial boost, according to Kent Thameside Regeneration Partnership chairman Kevin Lynes.
During the visit, Hoon also viewed plans for two domestic rail platforms at Ebbsfleet station and an extended 9,000-space park-and-ride facility, which are both set to open in December.
Inspecting the progress of the work, he said: "Ebbsfleet has successfully served high- speed international rail for some time and I am delighted that passengers on domestic services travelling to London and the South East coast are to benefit from faster journey times."
Lynes added: "The secretary of state has seen how the high-speed rail link is already bringing tremendous focus to Kent Thameside. We aim to deliver more than 25,000 homes and 50,000 jobs over the next 20 years.
"Joining up Dartford with Crossrail will be an added boost for the regeneration of the north Kent area by establishing a direct rail link between Ebbsfleet, Docklands, the City of London and Heathrow," he insisted.
"This will be an added incentive in persuading businesses to locate to Kent Thameside and create additional job opportunities for local people."
KHOODEELAAR! evidential dissection of the latest instance of crass propaganda for ‘CRASSrail’ by one of the Big Business agenda-peddling web sites... They keep doing it. They are lying when they put the word ‘Crossrail’ where the word ‘train’ or railway’ or ‘rail’ should be used. This is not a careless act on their part. This is a deliberately corrupt act. They have been doing this on every aspect of the crassly conceived scam. They have been even trying to replace the word ‘transport’ by the word ‘Crossrail’. [To be continued]
Growth talks for Crossrail
Planning, 27 March 2009
Transport secretary Geoff Hoon visited Ebbsfleet and Dartford in Kent last week to discuss extending Crossrail services to the Thames Gateway area.
The government is working with councils and local stakeholders to safeguard a route in north Kent. Bringing Crossrail to the area would give regeneration plans a substantial boost, according to Kent Thameside Regeneration Partnership chairman Kevin Lynes.
During the visit, Hoon also viewed plans for two domestic rail platforms at Ebbsfleet station and an extended 9,000-space park-and-ride facility, which are both set to open in December.
Inspecting the progress of the work, he said: "Ebbsfleet has successfully served high- speed international rail for some time and I am delighted that passengers on domestic services travelling to London and the South East coast are to benefit from faster journey times."
Lynes added: "The secretary of state has seen how the high-speed rail link is already bringing tremendous focus to Kent Thameside. We aim to deliver more than 25,000 homes and 50,000 jobs over the next 20 years.
"Joining up Dartford with Crossrail will be an added boost for the regeneration of the north Kent area by establishing a direct rail link between Ebbsfleet, Docklands, the City of London and Heathrow," he insisted.
"This will be an added incentive in persuading businesses to locate to Kent Thameside and create additional job opportunities for local people."
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD UK Gordon BROWN SO! That Big Business-craved Crossrail that he peddled typifies Brown's follies...
1325 [0955] Hrs GMT London Friday 27 March 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD UK Gordon BROWN SO! That the stunt for Big Business agenda-setters craving UK public money under covers of Crossrail that he had aided Ken Livingstone to stage at a location in ‘the Canary Wharf’ was sure to come back to haunt him..
We told Brown this in October 2007. We again told him the same in April 2008. On BOTH those occasions, Brown was appeasing Livingstone. We diagnosed Brown’s ‘reason’ for appeasing Livingstone as being linked with Brown’s concern for ’stability’ [remember that word - in the vocabulary that Brown is fond of using] in the face of Livingstone’s sub-racist manouvres and propaganda against the collective Scotland ‘gravy train’ ‘at the expense’ of London…
We told Brown that he should ignore Livingstone and spell out the truth on the economy. And on the ‘Union’. And on the true state of society in London that Livingstone had corrupted into the poor state it was in.
And it still is in… Brown failed to pay heed to our advice. Instead, Brown persisted in indulging Livingstone and as a part of that ’strategy’ of ignorance, he praised Canary Wharf, too.. To the skies. In the state of fantasy that Brown was in, he cared little for sense or substance, so long as he got to pose with Ken Livingstone..
Livingstone had become ‘the real source of Brown’s problems within the Blairing environment’. Brown had to keep Livingstone ‘happy’…
Brown was wrong on that. He in fact bought Livingstone’s propaganda on himself and so Brown caved in. He committed to find £Billions of public money to fund the Big Business CRASSrail that Livingstone was touting for as part of HIS pact with Big Business agenda-pushers and their stooges and tools in the City of London…
For his part, Livingstone got the ‘BIG DEAL’ that he could then dangle all over the place as part of his ’re-election’ bid….’In appeasing Ken Livingstone and in prioritising Livingstone’s egotistic demands above listening to those who spoke sense about London - including Rod Eddington -
Brown confounded his problems. For he also praised the City of London.
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD BROWN that ALL three tokens of his praise were heading for the holes of their own making..Ken Livingstone, Canary Wharf and City of London… We advised Brown to avoid a hole that he would be sinking in too.. We said to him to scrap the Crossrail hole agenda and avoid the big hole….
Brown paid no attention….
KHOODEELAAR! No to “Big Business Crossrail hole scam” CAMPAIGN TOLD BROWN SO! In saying this again today, Friday 27 March 2009, we also note the fact that Canary Wharf ‘the company’ as ‘different’ from the ‘place’ is admitting that it is in a £multiBillion hole of its own…
We note that Brown has not spoken a single sentence of praise for the City of London for months… that Ken Livingstone has totally relapsed into a state of infantile irresponsibility that now threatens to dwarf some of his most callous acts of the past 40 years of careeristic misdemeanours in the name of the people of London….Livingstone has just publicly confirmed that he does not care for ethics or morality, let alone accountability..
He will say and do anything at all to get back to t he d ays of glory and power… in the name of the people of London no matter how damaging his behaviour in office has been for the cause of the people of London…
Livingstone has AGAIN threatened to stand as an ‘independent’ candidate for the same post… We have news for Livingstone: It may be that the ‘powers’ and the PURSE that go with the ‘mayor of London’ [the pair of 'mates' that Livingstone really misses and has been experiencing the most pain as he battles with the withdrawal symptoms] may themselves come to be withdrawn or may vanish…..
You have read it here first…We say a small word of advice to Boris Johnson: Scrap Crossrail lunacy and quit talking irresponsibly……
[To be continued]
OMEFINANCE
ECONOMICS
UK economy slows sharper than expected as construction slumps
Britain's economy slowed even more sharply than expected in the last three months of 2008 as construction output plunged, official data showed on Friday.
By Telegraph Staff
Last Updated: 12:18PM GMT 27 Mar 2009
GDP contracted by 1.6pc in the fourth quarter of 2008, revised down from a contraction of 1.5pc, the Office for National Statistics reported. The quarterly fall of 1.6pc was the sharpest decline since 1980.
Construction output tumbled 4.9pc over the quarter, revised down from a fall of 1.1pc. The ONS said this was due to survey data replacing a forecast.
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British economy shrinks 0.5pc in third quarter
The decline is the biggest quarterly fall in construction output since the fourth quarter on 1980.
Output of the production industries fell 4.5pc compared with a fall of 1.8pc in the previous quarter, driven by the marked decline in manufacturing output.
Cuts in interest rates and a general reluctance to spend as the recession deepens saw the household saving ratio jump to 4.8pc between October and December, the highest since the start of 2006, from 1.7pc in the previous quarter.
There was also evidence that firms ran down inventories even more aggressively that previously thought - by more than £4bn after a build-up of £1bn in Q3.
Britain is mired in recession for the first time since 1991. The generally-used technical definition of a recession is two quarters running of negative economic growth.
On an annual basis, British GDP sank by 2pc during the fourth quarter compared with the October-December period in 2007. The ONS had originally estimated contraction of 1.9pc.
The ONS also confirmed that the economy grew by 0.7pc in 2008, the slowest annual rate since 1992 and a dramatic slowdown after 3pc expansion in 2007.
Separate figures showed Britain's current account deficit narrowed to £7.641bn in the fourth quarter of 2008 from an upwardly revised deficit of £8.162bn in the third quarter.
Sterling fell against the euro on Friday as it continued to suffer the fallout from Thursday's weak retail sales figures. High street sales plunged by 1.9pc during February, taking annual growth down to just 0.4 percent, its weakest since 1995
Following that theme, John Lewis - the department store group whose sales are often seen as a barometer of British retail spending - reported on Friday sales dropped by 12.6pc in the week to March 21.
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD UK Gordon BROWN SO! That the stunt for Big Business agenda-setters craving UK public money under covers of Crossrail that he had aided Ken Livingstone to stage at a location in ‘the Canary Wharf’ was sure to come back to haunt him..
We told Brown this in October 2007. We again told him the same in April 2008. On BOTH those occasions, Brown was appeasing Livingstone. We diagnosed Brown’s ‘reason’ for appeasing Livingstone as being linked with Brown’s concern for ’stability’ [remember that word - in the vocabulary that Brown is fond of using] in the face of Livingstone’s sub-racist manouvres and propaganda against the collective Scotland ‘gravy train’ ‘at the expense’ of London…
We told Brown that he should ignore Livingstone and spell out the truth on the economy. And on the ‘Union’. And on the true state of society in London that Livingstone had corrupted into the poor state it was in.
And it still is in… Brown failed to pay heed to our advice. Instead, Brown persisted in indulging Livingstone and as a part of that ’strategy’ of ignorance, he praised Canary Wharf, too.. To the skies. In the state of fantasy that Brown was in, he cared little for sense or substance, so long as he got to pose with Ken Livingstone..
Livingstone had become ‘the real source of Brown’s problems within the Blairing environment’. Brown had to keep Livingstone ‘happy’…
Brown was wrong on that. He in fact bought Livingstone’s propaganda on himself and so Brown caved in. He committed to find £Billions of public money to fund the Big Business CRASSrail that Livingstone was touting for as part of HIS pact with Big Business agenda-pushers and their stooges and tools in the City of London…
For his part, Livingstone got the ‘BIG DEAL’ that he could then dangle all over the place as part of his ’re-election’ bid….’In appeasing Ken Livingstone and in prioritising Livingstone’s egotistic demands above listening to those who spoke sense about London - including Rod Eddington -
Brown confounded his problems. For he also praised the City of London.
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD BROWN that ALL three tokens of his praise were heading for the holes of their own making..Ken Livingstone, Canary Wharf and City of London… We advised Brown to avoid a hole that he would be sinking in too.. We said to him to scrap the Crossrail hole agenda and avoid the big hole….
Brown paid no attention….
KHOODEELAAR! No to “Big Business Crossrail hole scam” CAMPAIGN TOLD BROWN SO! In saying this again today, Friday 27 March 2009, we also note the fact that Canary Wharf ‘the company’ as ‘different’ from the ‘place’ is admitting that it is in a £multiBillion hole of its own…
We note that Brown has not spoken a single sentence of praise for the City of London for months… that Ken Livingstone has totally relapsed into a state of infantile irresponsibility that now threatens to dwarf some of his most callous acts of the past 40 years of careeristic misdemeanours in the name of the people of London….Livingstone has just publicly confirmed that he does not care for ethics or morality, let alone accountability..
He will say and do anything at all to get back to t he d ays of glory and power… in the name of the people of London no matter how damaging his behaviour in office has been for the cause of the people of London…
Livingstone has AGAIN threatened to stand as an ‘independent’ candidate for the same post… We have news for Livingstone: It may be that the ‘powers’ and the PURSE that go with the ‘mayor of London’ [the pair of 'mates' that Livingstone really misses and has been experiencing the most pain as he battles with the withdrawal symptoms] may themselves come to be withdrawn or may vanish…..
You have read it here first…We say a small word of advice to Boris Johnson: Scrap Crossrail lunacy and quit talking irresponsibly……
[To be continued]
OMEFINANCE
ECONOMICS
UK economy slows sharper than expected as construction slumps
Britain's economy slowed even more sharply than expected in the last three months of 2008 as construction output plunged, official data showed on Friday.
By Telegraph Staff
Last Updated: 12:18PM GMT 27 Mar 2009
GDP contracted by 1.6pc in the fourth quarter of 2008, revised down from a contraction of 1.5pc, the Office for National Statistics reported. The quarterly fall of 1.6pc was the sharpest decline since 1980.
Construction output tumbled 4.9pc over the quarter, revised down from a fall of 1.1pc. The ONS said this was due to survey data replacing a forecast.
Related Articles
G20 an opportunity to 'repair and reform' financial system
Interest rates could increase 'with vigour'
UK household spending falls at fastest rate since 1991
US economy shrank at fastest rate since 1982
Sharp drop in business investment points to slower UK growth
British economy shrinks 0.5pc in third quarter
The decline is the biggest quarterly fall in construction output since the fourth quarter on 1980.
Output of the production industries fell 4.5pc compared with a fall of 1.8pc in the previous quarter, driven by the marked decline in manufacturing output.
Cuts in interest rates and a general reluctance to spend as the recession deepens saw the household saving ratio jump to 4.8pc between October and December, the highest since the start of 2006, from 1.7pc in the previous quarter.
There was also evidence that firms ran down inventories even more aggressively that previously thought - by more than £4bn after a build-up of £1bn in Q3.
Britain is mired in recession for the first time since 1991. The generally-used technical definition of a recession is two quarters running of negative economic growth.
On an annual basis, British GDP sank by 2pc during the fourth quarter compared with the October-December period in 2007. The ONS had originally estimated contraction of 1.9pc.
The ONS also confirmed that the economy grew by 0.7pc in 2008, the slowest annual rate since 1992 and a dramatic slowdown after 3pc expansion in 2007.
Separate figures showed Britain's current account deficit narrowed to £7.641bn in the fourth quarter of 2008 from an upwardly revised deficit of £8.162bn in the third quarter.
Sterling fell against the euro on Friday as it continued to suffer the fallout from Thursday's weak retail sales figures. High street sales plunged by 1.9pc during February, taking annual growth down to just 0.4 percent, its weakest since 1995
Following that theme, John Lewis - the department store group whose sales are often seen as a barometer of British retail spending - reported on Friday sales dropped by 12.6pc in the week to March 21.