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Diary: we will heed the voice of the people, said the PM. Will he? Depends on the people Diary: we will heed the voice of the people, said the PM. Will he? Depends on the people
(6 months later)
• It was billed as a giant leap for democracy. Collect 100,000 signatures on an e-petition and the result, ministers said, could be the debating of your chosen issue on the floor of the Commons. Sounds great. If only life was that straightforward. It is proving anything but for the actor Ricky Tomlinson and others involved in trying to get to the bottom of the "Shrewsbury 24" campaign. You will recall these were the people, including Tomlinson, who were arrested four decades ago after taking part in a strike. In January Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, told surviving members of the 24 that documents relating to the case would be withheld for another 10 years. The ban will not be reviewed until 2021. The petition, which needs 100,000 signatures by 27 June, seeks to lift that veil of secrecy. A Commons debate would certainly help. But it is proving harder to reach the 100,000 than it should be, because well-wishers keep trying to lend support, only to find that their signatures have not been registered. Whitehall admits that at least 1,595 have completed the form on the website, but not had their signatures added. There could be a variety of reasons, an official says, all technical, but the result is the same. The Shrewsbury campaign has effectively been hamstrung. Whitehall says 28,000 people have clicked on "the sign this petition" page but yesterday the e-petition itself boasted just 17,285 registered signatures. Injustice heaped upon injustice. What to do? Extend the deadline, perhaps. Give the Shrewsbury campaign a fighting chance.• It was billed as a giant leap for democracy. Collect 100,000 signatures on an e-petition and the result, ministers said, could be the debating of your chosen issue on the floor of the Commons. Sounds great. If only life was that straightforward. It is proving anything but for the actor Ricky Tomlinson and others involved in trying to get to the bottom of the "Shrewsbury 24" campaign. You will recall these were the people, including Tomlinson, who were arrested four decades ago after taking part in a strike. In January Chris Grayling, the justice secretary, told surviving members of the 24 that documents relating to the case would be withheld for another 10 years. The ban will not be reviewed until 2021. The petition, which needs 100,000 signatures by 27 June, seeks to lift that veil of secrecy. A Commons debate would certainly help. But it is proving harder to reach the 100,000 than it should be, because well-wishers keep trying to lend support, only to find that their signatures have not been registered. Whitehall admits that at least 1,595 have completed the form on the website, but not had their signatures added. There could be a variety of reasons, an official says, all technical, but the result is the same. The Shrewsbury campaign has effectively been hamstrung. Whitehall says 28,000 people have clicked on "the sign this petition" page but yesterday the e-petition itself boasted just 17,285 registered signatures. Injustice heaped upon injustice. What to do? Extend the deadline, perhaps. Give the Shrewsbury campaign a fighting chance.
• A triumph that Comic Relief raised a record £75m this year in the midst of a downturn. No wonder Big Dave has taken to banging on again about his "big society". But there isn't the harmony that there should be at the BBC. It only took one careless skit by Zoe Ball about "midgets" to cause a good deal of anger and soul searching. "Dear Comic Relief," writes Kiruna Stamell in an open letter that is being widely circulated within the corporation, particularly among members of the BBC's disabled staff forum. "Tonight I saw a side of you that was shallow and ignorant. I saw offensive gags and skits that merely objectified and dehumanised people with dwarfism. Tonight, we were dehumanised and ridiculed for sport and to inflate the egos of celebrities. All dressed up as an act of charity, for children they pity today but feel happy to call 'midgets' tomorrow. People with dwarfism were made to be less than human on Comic Relief tonight. Where was the positive and empowering representation of difference on the BBC this evening? Where was the hope for a child with dwarfism watching? I have worked for the BBC in both production and as an actress, and tonight you let me down massively." No offence intended, a spokeswoman told us. There never is. Except when Frankie Boyle is on, of course.• A triumph that Comic Relief raised a record £75m this year in the midst of a downturn. No wonder Big Dave has taken to banging on again about his "big society". But there isn't the harmony that there should be at the BBC. It only took one careless skit by Zoe Ball about "midgets" to cause a good deal of anger and soul searching. "Dear Comic Relief," writes Kiruna Stamell in an open letter that is being widely circulated within the corporation, particularly among members of the BBC's disabled staff forum. "Tonight I saw a side of you that was shallow and ignorant. I saw offensive gags and skits that merely objectified and dehumanised people with dwarfism. Tonight, we were dehumanised and ridiculed for sport and to inflate the egos of celebrities. All dressed up as an act of charity, for children they pity today but feel happy to call 'midgets' tomorrow. People with dwarfism were made to be less than human on Comic Relief tonight. Where was the positive and empowering representation of difference on the BBC this evening? Where was the hope for a child with dwarfism watching? I have worked for the BBC in both production and as an actress, and tonight you let me down massively." No offence intended, a spokeswoman told us. There never is. Except when Frankie Boyle is on, of course.
• As the dust settles on the all-party Leveson deal, meanwhile, we learn that the historic day in parliament signified not the end of the affair or even the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning. The anti-Leveson forces grow angrier by the day. One can perhaps gauge the level of general distress from the claims of two tabloid champions who pitched up for a debate at City University. Brian Flynn, investigations editor at the Sun, complained that in the post-Leveson era journalists are "being frogmarched to a police state". And then there was the Wolfman. Neil Wallis, former editor of the People, former deputy editor of the News of the World. No man for ambiguities. This is "the end of journalism", he said.• As the dust settles on the all-party Leveson deal, meanwhile, we learn that the historic day in parliament signified not the end of the affair or even the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning. The anti-Leveson forces grow angrier by the day. One can perhaps gauge the level of general distress from the claims of two tabloid champions who pitched up for a debate at City University. Brian Flynn, investigations editor at the Sun, complained that in the post-Leveson era journalists are "being frogmarched to a police state". And then there was the Wolfman. Neil Wallis, former editor of the People, former deputy editor of the News of the World. No man for ambiguities. This is "the end of journalism", he said.
• And he might be right. Witness communities secretary Eric Pickles lunching with lobby journalists on Tuesday. "Make sure your copy [article] is in early," he warned them. "We will do our best to mark it later."• And he might be right. Witness communities secretary Eric Pickles lunching with lobby journalists on Tuesday. "Make sure your copy [article] is in early," he warned them. "We will do our best to mark it later."
• Finally, via ebay, Wimbledon studios is making three TV drama sets available. One, a replica of the House of Commons; a second for use as a courtroom; the third set, a 2,000 square foot prison. Loads of bids so far, totalling £123,000. Perfect for that biopic of Chris Huhne.• Finally, via ebay, Wimbledon studios is making three TV drama sets available. One, a replica of the House of Commons; a second for use as a courtroom; the third set, a 2,000 square foot prison. Loads of bids so far, totalling £123,000. Perfect for that biopic of Chris Huhne.
Twitter: @hugh_muirTwitter: @hugh_muir
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