Friday Drivetime

BCfm’s weekly politics show presented by Tony Gosling

At five: discussing the big stories in Bristol, Britain and around the world
After six: straight talking and investigative reports with Martin Summers and Marina Morris

For all the shows back to Easter 2009 visit the Friday Drivetime archive page.

First hour: News review with former Conservative Minister in the 1990s Major government Neil Hamilton (UKIP). Bank of England’s King Mervyn announces £50bn new Quantitive Easing but is QE3 an injection of yet more economic poison robbing private pensions? Prime Minister David Cameron fails to answer questions from Labour leader Ed Miliband as they argue over the NHS at Prime Minister’s Questions. Common Market and powers transferred to European Union and Brussels. Neil Hamilton’s two big libel actions 1. vs. BBC Panorama Maggie’s Militant Tendency episode (1984) and 2. vs. The Guardian’s Cash For Questions story (1996). Will the Health and Social Care bill proviso for ‘Any Willing Provider’ lead to privatisation of the NHS? Is there anything that should not be privatised? Should we be cutting police, armed forces and public spending generally. Are banks or government responsible for financial crisis? Welsh assembly discusses banning smoking in cars when children are exposed to passive smoking. Secular society takes Bideford town council to court and local authorities prohibited by law from saying prayers.
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Second hour: European Commissioner for Employment and Social affairs. László Andor on the Greek/Euro crisis & his advice for Council of Europe. First anniversary of Libyan insurgency. UK based Libyan student, born in the same town as Colonel Gaddafi, Sirte, describes what has become of his home country and Western mainstream media lies. Nearly 10,000 political prisoners, torture is rife. Fulvio Grimaldi’s Bloody Arab Spring film about NATOs destruction in Libya. Implications for Syria, leaked Arab League report damning of Western media. Despite being a wealthy Conservative heartland with lots of council tax reciepts North Somerset council services are falling apart. Failing to maintain roads, switching off streetlights at night while floodlighting their council offices. Cameron’s Defence Secretary, North Somerset MP Liam Fox, was sacked for travelling everywhere with a man who had no security clearance called Adam Werrity. How many more Werrities are still out there holding hands with Secretaries of State? Somerset businessman Julian Parry discusses North Somerset council waste contract fraud and alleged sharp practice at the Weston-Super-Mare Tropicana, the council swimming attraction which is now being sold off to developers.
[audio: 201202101800]