Blow for the rights of house ushers
Saturday, 5 January 2008
Noise from the chaotic scenes recently that marked the signing of the European Union's charter of fundamental rights continue to reverberate around the European parliament. Members of the Strasbourg assembly queued up last month to denounce the riotous chanting of "referendum" by eurosceptics during the signing ceremony. Graham Watson, the Liberal leader, called them "hooligans". Meanwhile, many party leaders rallied to the defence of the ushers, the frock-coated gents who are supposed to keep order in the house. That has become more difficult with the rise in far-right groups and the rabble-rousing UK Independence party. "Members voiced overwhelming support for the ushers of the house with a loud round of applause just ahead of voting time," a parliamentary spokesman said on Thursday, with senior MEPs saying the ushers were subjected to "insults and violence". Hans-Gert Pöttering, the speaker, is under pressure to act. Those identified could be disciplined, he said. He recalled the day when Ian Paisley, the fiery Northern Irish protestant minister, abused the visiting pope and was dragged out. "That is possible for one person but when there are 10 it is difficult," he said. Perhaps the most upset was the far left. The French Communists and others had planned their own bang-drumming demonstration against the charter, which they consider too weak on workers' rights, but had to swiftly abort it for fear of association with the far right.
Friend in need
Burma's ruling military junta has few friends willing to defend vigorously its actions in public forums. Even China - which has shielded the regime from tough action in the UN Security Council - has issued cautious calls for change to avoid being seen internationally as defending Burma's status quo. But the Burmese generals seem to have found a vocal new champion in Hun Sen, Cambodia's long-time strong man. Hun Sen, Cambodia's prime minister, recently called economic sanctions against the regime futile, warning they would do nothing to bring change. This week, he slammed a new UN human rights report that found that at least 31 people had been killed in the Burmese military's brutal crackdown on peaceful protests last September, and that 74 people were still missing, while 650 remained in custody. A wily former Khmer Rouge fighter who has ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for two decades, Hun Sen declared that Burma had been "moving smoothly ahead", and that the UN report would "disturb" Burma's own reforms. Instead, he said the UN should "leave them some space to work". Hun Sen, whose own government is frequently criticised for human rights abuses, has long had prickly relations with the UN and recently spurned a UN special human rights envoy visiting Cambodia. Yet, unlike the Burmese generals, Hun Sen has managed to ensure a strong flow of international aid to his own tiny country, which is growing fast. Burma's ruling generals may be hoping to learn a few tricks from their new best friend.
Divine intervention
Anyone who gets too close to Poland's government of the day tends quickly to run into trouble after a change of command, as the liberal Civic Platform's recent victory is already demonstrating. The latest to feel the wind of change is Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, the charismatic rightwing priest who runs a popular radio and TV station that is closely allied with the Kaczynski twins. Just after the October defeat of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the former prime minister, Rydzyk's organisation got 15m zlotys to look for geothermal springs in Torun, the central Polish city that is the capital of his media empire. That grant is now being closely examined and Donald Tusk, the prime minister, says if any bureaucrats acted improperly they could face charges. Rydzyk accuses the new government of trying to destroy his Radio Maryja network and is threatening to call his supporters - mostly elderly women - out on to the street.
Fast track
Observer hates to talk up its own book, but the FT's conference arm is turning itself into a bit of a talent spotter. A year after Andrew Witty, head of pharmaceuticals in Europe for GlaxoSmithKline, spoke at its annual pharmaceuticals and biotechnology meeting in 2006, he won the race to succeed Jean-Pierre Garnier as chief executive of the UK-based drugmaker.
Now, within days of his appearance at the 2007 conference, Angus Russell, the chief financial officer of Shire, has been promoted to chief executive, with Matt Emmens staying on as non-executive chairman. Given the slow pace of drug development, such personnel changes are moving at the speed of light. It doesn't always work out so well. Peter Chambre, chief executive of Cambridge Antibody Technologies when he spoke at the 2005 conference, has now left since the takeover by AstraZeneca, as has Michael Ashton, who was then in charge of SkyePharma.
Office block
Central bankers are very much back in fashion these days. But even the most rigorous guardians of sound money can sometimes get it wrong. The German press has hardly been able to contain its delight over the revelation that the Bundesbank - long a by-word for smart money management - has taken a hit in the east German property market. Branch offices it built in the east that are now being offloaded as part of a rationalisation scheme are being sold at a loss. Some press reports put the total losses at close to €100m. The Bundesbank is not commenting.
Friend in need
Burma's ruling military junta has few friends willing to defend vigorously its actions in public forums. Even China - which has shielded the regime from tough action in the UN Security Council - has issued cautious calls for change to avoid being seen internationally as defending Burma's status quo. But the Burmese generals seem to have found a vocal new champion in Hun Sen, Cambodia's long-time strong man. Hun Sen, Cambodia's prime minister, recently called economic sanctions against the regime futile, warning they would do nothing to bring change. This week, he slammed a new UN human rights report that found that at least 31 people had been killed in the Burmese military's brutal crackdown on peaceful protests last September, and that 74 people were still missing, while 650 remained in custody. A wily former Khmer Rouge fighter who has ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for two decades, Hun Sen declared that Burma had been "moving smoothly ahead", and that the UN report would "disturb" Burma's own reforms. Instead, he said the UN should "leave them some space to work". Hun Sen, whose own government is frequently criticised for human rights abuses, has long had prickly relations with the UN and recently spurned a UN special human rights envoy visiting Cambodia. Yet, unlike the Burmese generals, Hun Sen has managed to ensure a strong flow of international aid to his own tiny country, which is growing fast. Burma's ruling generals may be hoping to learn a few tricks from their new best friend.
Divine intervention
Anyone who gets too close to Poland's government of the day tends quickly to run into trouble after a change of command, as the liberal Civic Platform's recent victory is already demonstrating. The latest to feel the wind of change is Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, the charismatic rightwing priest who runs a popular radio and TV station that is closely allied with the Kaczynski twins. Just after the October defeat of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the former prime minister, Rydzyk's organisation got 15m zlotys to look for geothermal springs in Torun, the central Polish city that is the capital of his media empire. That grant is now being closely examined and Donald Tusk, the prime minister, says if any bureaucrats acted improperly they could face charges. Rydzyk accuses the new government of trying to destroy his Radio Maryja network and is threatening to call his supporters - mostly elderly women - out on to the street.
Fast track
Observer hates to talk up its own book, but the FT's conference arm is turning itself into a bit of a talent spotter. A year after Andrew Witty, head of pharmaceuticals in Europe for GlaxoSmithKline, spoke at its annual pharmaceuticals and biotechnology meeting in 2006, he won the race to succeed Jean-Pierre Garnier as chief executive of the UK-based drugmaker.
Now, within days of his appearance at the 2007 conference, Angus Russell, the chief financial officer of Shire, has been promoted to chief executive, with Matt Emmens staying on as non-executive chairman. Given the slow pace of drug development, such personnel changes are moving at the speed of light. It doesn't always work out so well. Peter Chambre, chief executive of Cambridge Antibody Technologies when he spoke at the 2005 conference, has now left since the takeover by AstraZeneca, as has Michael Ashton, who was then in charge of SkyePharma.
Office block
Central bankers are very much back in fashion these days. But even the most rigorous guardians of sound money can sometimes get it wrong. The German press has hardly been able to contain its delight over the revelation that the Bundesbank - long a by-word for smart money management - has taken a hit in the east German property market. Branch offices it built in the east that are now being offloaded as part of a rationalisation scheme are being sold at a loss. Some press reports put the total losses at close to €100m. The Bundesbank is not commenting.