A corrupt senior Crown prosecutor who pocketed cash to use his position to discontinue a case had spiralling debts of almost £1 million, a jury has heard.
Sarfraz Ibrahim, 51, of Cyncoed, Cardiff, South Wales, admitted corruption and related charges on Monday, on the eve of his trial.
As Gwent Crown Prosecution Service trials unit chief he had the power to stop a case in its tracks by recommending no further action.
He admitted charges of corruption, attempting to pervert the course of justice and misconduct in public office. His pleas mean Ibrahim has admitted pocketing £20,000 to ensure the case of a man he believed to be guilty was discontinued.
Funny that, eh? Might be something to bear in mind next time these fuckers make a curious judgement call.
... there is a right and a wrong way to cut the deficit. It would be right to cut spending by addressing the structural causes of the deficit - i.e. public sector inefficiency and the UK's unwillingness to cut its pensions and health entitlements. It would be wrong to leave the shape of public services and welfare unchanged, but limit their costs temporarily – “salami slice” – with public sector pay freezes for instance.
Today George Osborne opted for the slice: a two year freeze in public sector pay (rather than linking pay with performance), a three year freeze in child benefit (rather than withdrawing it from middle and high earners), a slightly lower rate of increase of benefits and a slightly lower rate of increase of tax thresholds. The general sense was that his ambitions for government were similar to that of the last administration. That sense was reinforced by his last two measures. Increasing the state pension in line with earnings suggests that Britons should look first to the government for support in retirement (as well as increasing the cost of already unaffordable pension commitments). Increasing benefits for people on low incomes with children suggests that redistribution is still the right answer to poverty, as against other ideas such as education reform.
Just a quick word to the JD troll.
Why don't you ever come to my site? Is it ever since I told you I track your movements and have your motherfucking IP address noted down?
You fucking spotty, no-bird fucking pussy arsed little hidey-hole bitch. You come here, knowing you'll be undetected, spitting out your 'couldnt be arsed to go to college/lectures today' boredom trolls.
Go fuck your mother up her brown stained chocolate starfish, you fucking deadbeat motherfucking loser.
Fucking bitch.
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@obotheclown and on that note, I'll bid you mad, loony AnCap arse goodnight. Goodnight.
DO you usually discount your opponents by telling everyone they have mental health issues?
@obotheclown and on that note, I'll bid you mad, loony AnCap arse goodnight. Goodnight.
Why do you assume I disagree with much of your libertarian politics?
@obotheclown i think you severely doubt your own position, this is why you act the big johnny big bollocks on your site. I pity you.
-- The Master of Cognitive Dissonance
ITV is said to be about to pay Christine Bleakley more than £3 million over several years to present various television shows, while the BBC is proudly letting it be known that it wouldn’t be bargained up by Ms. Bleakley and her agent. She wouldn’t get a penny more than £450,000 a year they said. And then when she couldn’t make her mind up after a week or so they withdrew her offer with a flourish.
It is more evidence of how weird life is in Britain at the moment that the corporation’s bosses think that this episode is proof they are watching the pennies. That they only went to almost half a million pounds is supposed to show they have learned the lessons from the Ross affair. Look, they brief, we grasp that as the state broadcaster (funded by a compulsory levy) we must tighten our belt… by offering Ms. Bleakley £450,000.
Take, for example, the shortage of oil skimming ships in the Gulf. There’s a whole flotilla of them on offer from a variety of European sources. They cannot, however, be used.
For there is this thing called the Jones Act. It started out, in the 20s (think that’s right) as a way to support the US Merchant Marine. It is now simply a support for the US Seamen’s unions.
What it says is that only US owned and crewed ships may operate in US coastal waters.
Thus those European owned and crewed ones may not: however much they might be needed, however much good they might do.
Of course, it is possible for the US Government to provide a waiver. Bush’s lot managed it within two days of Katrina for example. Obama’s lot has not: indeed, for political reasons probably cannot, given the way in which the Democratic Party relies upon union support.
But blogs are, on the whole, amateur affairs, offering plenty of subjective opinion and the occasional interesting fact, spun in a particular direction. The USP of any newspaper worth the name is journalism.
Tam Fry, spokesman from the National Obesity Forum, said: "The overweight passenger should really be offered the next flight which has spare seats available, or be upgraded to a wider seat.
For a comment to be published I must be satisfied that:
[snip of perfectly reasonable criteria]
6. It is not questioning the fundamental tenets on which this blog is based.
This last point is important. Those who wish to argue that tax havens / secrecy jurisdictions are good things may do so, but not here. Likewise those promoting neoliberal economics may do so, but not here: propagating the delusion that an economy can be accurately modeled using counterfactual propositions about its nature is not something I wish to partake in, and will not allow.
I would stress: agreement with me is not a condition of a comment being accepted, but disagreement must be reasoned and be offered within the framework of understanding that this blog seeks to promote.
Was the end of the reign of mass terror in the Soviet Union just a lucky break caused by the death of one man responsible for nearly all Soviet executions: Vasili Mikhailovich Blokhin?
Could it be that the end of the Soviet Union itself was a lucky break — in the form of the Soviet healthcare system ending the life of Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov?
The Soviet Union produced the most effective and successful propaganda machine in the history of mankind. Mikhail Suslov was that machine, and that machine was Mikhail Suslov.
Probably his greatest work was what I call the "Suslov Maneuver." Facing the possibility of being accused of an atrocity, or facing any form of an ideological attack, one should immediately accuse the opponent of precisely that atrocity or ideological failure. For example, if the deaths of Korolov and Suslov seem to suggest some problems with the Soviet healthcare system, and some idiot American wants to bring that up, the best way to approach this is to immediately issue a statement condemning the inhumanity and failure of the American healthcare system.
In one of the most entertaining examples of the Suslov Maneuver, immediately upon invading Afghanistan in 1979, the Soviets issued a statement condemning Western intervention in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Suslov was such a master of propaganda that the Western politicians seemed like rank amateurs in any ideological confrontations with him. The most effective counter to Suslov came not from any professional ideologues but from popular jokes about communism. Those jokes conveyed much greater wisdom and understanding of the situation than all the pronouncements of all the Western political scientists put together.
The Dutch women are believed to have acquired match tickets from some guy who got them from a man who sat next to a bloke in a pub who was in the queue at Heathrow behind Robbie Earle's cousin's friend's chiropractor's mechanic.
I wasn't asserting a legal argument, Obo, I was simply remonstrating with you about the fact you know full well someone is causing mischief and silly nonsense and you won't lift a finger against it. All the while, the harmless nobody who does "looks like you, obo" causes you to have a heart attack ten times a year.
I'm not actually that bothered about him, it's your annoying arrogance in failing to reply to my polite request. Several times.
It took until the fifth time of asking that I ended up losing my rag.
Push comes to shove, I aint that bothered about that bloke. He comes on here, a shit useless site that lays host to your piss poor entries and the random witterings of a small club of usual hangers on, and it's all of little consequence.
As I say, it is more your reaction to my polite request to a small irritation that annoyed me. That, and your fake, bullshit 'my site my rules' freedom of speech argument, which was infuriatingly disengenuous.
A final point, if you think we're tht pathetic, why do you engage with us? Why bother? You got major fucking issues, pal. Major problems. I feel sorry for you. The hate, the lack of soul. Depressing.
oh, and...
"Yeah, because I won't do your every whim, I'm spiteful and vengeful. That's me."
No, you fucking stupid cunt, you're spiteful and vengeful, not for refusing to do my whim, but for writing revenge articles like this, and constantly back biting and attacking us for having a view or raising a point you don't like.
THAT makes you spiteful.
Old Holborn and your nasty little details signposting episode is enough proof of that, surely.
You evil little shit.
Such as who? When?
What rubbish.
Oh, and Obo, I take it that if I were to post a little too much for your liking, and stuff you didn't like, you'd resist the urge to ban me?
Or is it all the way full circle back to your site, your rules, so I may well find myself censored or blocked?
I wonder.
One rule for some, one rule for others, but never any consistent principles.
You are no libertarian, mate. You are all about feeding yourself and your ego. There is no freedom of speech for you.
@obotheclown do you really think that argument works? do you think ppl have the right to stel identities, commit fraud, deceive, break law?
@obotheclown someone posting under my name has stolen my identity and is deceiving others by pretending to be me. It's not fair or right.
@obotheclown and it can lead to deception and possible libel. You know the implications. There's no free speech argument here ffs!!
@obotheclown you're a fucking wind up merchant, mate. You know I'm right, you're just laughing at me here. What the fuck is wrong with you?
*sigh* quiet from obo, i guess he's bust writing a spiteful, revenge article on me. The fucking pointless cunt.
"The heir to the throne seems to possess the ability to surround himself—perhaps by some mysterious ultramagnetic force?—with every moon-faced spoon-bender, shrub-flatterer, and water-diviner within range."
Maverick Meerkat will drop the Mono-based F-Spot image organiser in favour of Shotwell, reducing the number of Mono-based apps in a default Ubuntu install to just one.
Change is afoot. Ubuntu developers have already said that Chromium will be the default browser in the Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) 10.10 release and now news is in that Shotwell will be the default image organiser in Maverick Meerkat.
It is now going to be stopped entirely, with a review set to create a much more slimmed down version of the vetting scheme.
I am always in favour of justice, but it has to work both ways. We have released hundreds of IRA terrorists, many guilty of the most appalling atrocities and we have done it all in the name of the peace process and reconciliation. Should we, and the republican community, not view this in the same light?
And if not, should we not hold full inquiries into Lisburn, Omagh and Enniskillen? Should we not bring to justice those guilty of those atrocities?
I hope that the families of the thirteen who were killed will be satisfied with a verdict by the Saville Inquiry of 'unlawful killing'. And I would hope that republican politicians in Northern Ireland will see the sense of leaving it at that.
But I have my doubts.
The reaction of McGuinness and Adams - as well as loyalist politicians - today will tell us a lot about the real depth of reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
All civil servants (state and county and town) will be told to re-apply for the jobs within 12 months and salaries offered will be slashed by 25% across the board. Pensions will be commercial "money-plan" types, there will no longer be a final salary scheme.
So you knew tax rises, spending cuts, pay freezes and benefit cuts were on their way. Stand by for cuts in pensions for public sector workers.
The OBR report estimates that the cost of public sector pensions will increase in real terms by 20% every year - that's equivalent to the cost doubling over 5 years.
Nick Clegg describes this as unfair and unaffordable.
I'm told that we'll hear soon the name of the person chosen to chair an independent review of public sector pensions.
Ministers are clearly preparing the way for higher pension contributions and possibly, in the longer term, scheme closures.
Obo
Are you going to do anything about the sock puppet troll who pretends to be me on here?
You seem to act against the "looks like you, obo" troll, but not this one.
I take it this is a personal slight against me, your failure to screen this nonsense.
Let’s recap the important figures, shall we?
Number of people who voted after being given the chance to peruse the parties’ manifestos: 29,691,380.
Number of voters who voted after being given the chance to peruse the coalition agreement: 0.
So remind me why the colaition agreement is “more important” than the manifestos? Ah, yes, of course! The New Politics…
Judge Ted Stewart has ruled for Novell and against SCO. Novell's claim for declaratory judgment is granted; SCO's claims for specific performance and breach of the implied covenant of good fair and fair dealings are denied. Also SCO's motion for judgment as a matter of law or for a new trial: denied. Novell is entitled to waive, at its sole discretion, claims against IBM, Sequent and other SVRX licensees.CASE CLOSED!
Maybe I should say cases closed. The door has slammed shut on the SCO litigation machine. The judge writes in the Memorandum Decision and Order about SCOsource, "Finally, while SCO's witnesses testified that the copyrights were 'required' for SCO to run its SCOsource licensing program, this was not something that SCO ever acquired from Novell." He totally got it. He noticed Darl McBride admitted that SCO didn't need the copyrights. It couldn't be any better if I'd written it myself.
Was the jury misled or confused? Not at all, the judge writes: "The jury could have rejected the testimony of SCO's witnesses for a number of reasons, including their lack of involvement in drafting the APA, the fact that there was little testimony on any actual discussions concerning the transfer of copyrights, or that many of the witnesses had a financial interest in the litigation."
"The Clerk of the Court is directed to close this case forthwith," Stewart writes in the final judgment. I believe that means SCO v. IBM is essentially over now, unless IBM wishes to pursue its counterclaims.
The problem:
‘…certainly when you are in crisis - and there is not much hierarchy or organic links between the main players and the main institutions’
The solution:
‘We are working in order to have some crisis cabinet because we are a lot of players in the field…’
And the ‘informal structure’ is likely to include:
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barros
Head of the European Central Bank Jean-Claude Trichet
And, of course, President Van Rompuy himself.
More like a huge difference. By testing various game-playing scenarios using punishment, communication and a mixture of communication and punishment, researchers found that communicating and having a credible punishment to avoid "free riders", everybody wins and "over-harvesting" is avoided.In his famous 1968 article in the journal Science, Garrett Hardin illustrated his notion of the “tragedy of the commons” by suggesting, “Picture a pasture open to all. It is to be expected that each herdsman will try to keep as many cattle as possible on the commons. But of course, argues Hardin, all other herdsmen will have the same goal. The result is overgrazing which destroys the nurturing pasture and starves all the cows. “Therein is the tragedy,” asserts Hardin. “Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all.” Only centuries of “tribal wars, poaching, and disease” kept the tragedy at bay.
Hardin’s tragedy is based on the logic of ruin embodied in the game theory concept of a prisoner’s dilemma. In prisoner’s dilemma two prisoners are questioned separately and if neither confesses then both will go free. However, if one confesses, he will receive a lesser sentence than the other who remains silent. If both confess, then both are severely punished. The prisoners’ optimal strategy is to remain silent and both go free. However, not knowing what the other will do, the best individual strategy is to confess, which results in the worst outcome, punishment for both prisoners.
Hardin overlooked the fact that herdsmen are not like isolated prisoners; they can talk to each other. And as economics Nobelist Elinor Ostrom and her colleagues make clear in a recent Science article, “Lab Experiments for the Study of Social-Ecological Systems,” talking makes a big difference.
I spend my money in a proper greengrocers, at the little coffee van in the square (£2.20 for two coffees, a danish pastry and 2 chocolate biscuits for the kids – eat my shorts, Starbucks!) at a real butchers, a proper cheese shop and a delicatessen that stocks various salamis and the world’s best pork crackling.
The bakers I used to go to went bust last year and Ainsleys followed recently – leaving me with the Chav’s choice of Greggs. The cake and ingredients stall in the market went next, followed by fast-food horror show ‘Swift Chick’ (a great loss to the local salmonella industry!) And then the card shop. And the travel agent. Tony’s Textiles seems to have gone west. The bed and furniture shop has long been whitewashed over and the row of fishmongers and butchers in the market place has been steadily decimated over the last 5 years.There’s a whole street where one or two traders are clinging on by their fingernails amongst a swathe of empty shop fronts and To Let signs.
It’s little wonder why. If I went to ASDA like a normal person I’d be sheltered from the elements, be able to park for free and have a trolley at my convenience as opposed to a rucksack and a buggy that topples over as soon as I put my bag o’ spuds on it.
I can’t even kid myself that the places I like are much cheaper. I know sometimes they are, but I’m sure that most of the time I could get more or less the same goods for a bit less at some hypermarket or other. But, meh. I’m fighting a one-man rearguard action against every innovation since 1983. So sue me.
I’m rambling. The nub of my gist is this: why, other than ballwashing levels of incompetence and general nutsackery, do the council continue to levy parking charges? When the town is so clearly dying on its feet and shoppers are, one presumes, staying away in their droves why extract £2 here and there from those that do want to support the town?
It’s not just the £2. It’s the fact that the machines don’t give change. That they don’t take cards or notes. Before you set off to do your shopping you have a little rigmarole of going through pockets, purses and drawers trying to find the requisite change, or stop somewhere on the way to buy a bottle of pop you don’t want – just to get 2 pound coins. All with kids chattering in your ear and depositing shit in their pants. Hassle.
As Joel Spolsky pointed out, it’s the accumulation of minor gripes and niggles that is the difference between a bad day and a good day and therefore another weight in the balance against the survival of the town centre traders.
It's exactly this kind of mental deficiency that gives us Labour-voting ballbags bleating about Keynesian economics at a central government scale.
So it is not just a case of immigrant workers coming here, it is also about exporting jobs over there. The minimum wage has had considerable effects here, a minimum wage across the EU will remove many of the reasons for the migration of labour and the migration of jobs.
