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

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

First hour: Weekly news review with Southmead Councillor Jenny Smith (Lab). The Jack Lopresti report: The Bristol Freemasons’ Provincial Yearbook Jack promised us 4 weeks ago has still not arrived. Bristol Freemasons’ Hall Summer Craft Fayre and open day takes place on Saturday 16th June. Jenny Smith has Labour’s opposition Health and Social Care portfolio for Bristol. Possible closure of Bristol City Council’s Elderly Peoples’ Homes. Is privatised ‘Homecare’ a suitable alternative to care homes for elderly people? Day centres are also under threat: for elderly; the disabled and mentally ill. Fascist Bristol? Some worrying facts are emerging about anti-democratic powers of Bristol’s new mayor who can pass the budget on a vote of only 1/3 of the councillors and choose cabinet members from their own party even if it is a minority party. This is not democracy and far less representative than the London mayor. Member of the former Slave Trade financiers, The Society of Merchant Venturers, George Ferguson, used to be a Liberal Democrat Councillor so how can he be an Independent mayoral candidate? On Britain’s fraught economy isn’t it better to default on unpayable debts or else to nationalise the banking system rather than dither? But these solutions seem to be taboo in the mainstream media. Government guaranteeing a certain amount of money for each individual bank account but rich people will lose everything over that amount. Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and other public sector unions on strike over pensions yesteday as a new public sector tax appears on their payslips as a deduction from their wages for the Treasury. We hear from Roger Thomas from PCS. Some public sector unions have withdrawn support from the Labour party but leader Ed Miliband is still trying to please a few ‘swing voters’, just like the two other main parties. People are coming to Bristol who cannot afford to live in London. Some individuals, particularly youngsters are becoming ‘Non-People’ due to being excluded from housing. Michael Meacher MP’s blog post points out that the 1000 richest in Sunday Times UK Rich List have increased their wealth by £155bn over the last 3 years. They could pay off the entire UK deficit tomorrow with £30bn to spare. Many at the poorest end of society in Southmead are feeling they can’t cope and small local shops are also being forced to close. First Bus withdrawing local bus services doesn’t help. In this year’s Westminster budget Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer and Bullingdon Club ‘Oik’ George Osborne gave Britain’s 40,000 millionaires £14,000 per week, that’s £3bn in tax dished out for lowering the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p.  Bristol’s 8.4% council house rent increase is way over inflation and impossible for many to pay. Simon from Somerset calls in to BBC Radio 5 live on Monday morning and explains some home truths about the financial situation, saying the government doesn’t really govern the country, it is governed by the City Of London and private bankers instead who decide what the government can and cannot afford. Government and people who are in debt are their slaves. Private bankers govern the world and the thing they are most afraid of is that our elected representatives should print their own money, they want to keep their private oligopoly on money. The US Greenback dollar notes under president Abraham Lincoln was government issued money and Lincoln won the American Civil war on the back of it. We in Britain could do the same today. What’s the point in voting if the private banks are pulling the strings? Information tribunal tells government to publish the NHS Risk Register but Health Secretary Andrew Lansley and the Cabinet veto the decision and refuse to publish it. Andy Coulson former editor & criminal phone hacking mastermind at the News of the World appears at the Leveson enquiry. After losing his job at the News of the World over phone hacking he became Director of Communications for Prime Minister David Cameron at No. 10 Downing Street. But Cameron did not ask him anything about why he left the News of the World if you can believe that! Coulson was SSC vetted by a private company not DV vetted as required, but nevertheless he had access to Top Secret files which is a serious breach of national security before he resigned in January 2011. Europe Day on Wednesday: UKIP leader Nigel Farrage predicts civil unrest and possibly even revolution in Europe and a rejection of the centralised EU by the European people, he owes no allegiance to the EU flag. New survey indicates 71% of UK public believe it’s time to renationalise the water industry and we on the programme agree that it’s a good place to start.
[audio: 201205111700]

Second hour: Latest book on the death of Princess Diana “Diana Inquest: Who Killed Princess Diana? by John Morgan” explains something called the Way Ahead Group (WAG) which met on on Wednesday 23rd July 1997 chaired by The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, may have ordered the assassination of Diana because William and Harry were about to go on an extended Holiday with Muslim Dodi Al Fayed. US Army running ‘Islam is the Enemy’ ‘Holy War’ course for their senior officers which includes nuclear attacks on Mecca and other Islamic holy cities. Enhanced Underpants bomb reappears with further entrapment of patsies by the FBI. But lawyer Kurt Haskell saw original underpants ‘bomber’ being ushered onto the plane without a passport. The real terrorists are inside the power structure. Russian armed forces are preparing for a potential world war, including PsyOps, this Summer. Alison Caldwell from Australian broadcaster ABC interviews David Nevin, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s lawyer, who says he cannot have a conversation with his client. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed allegedly ‘confessed’ to carrying out the 9/11 attacks after being waterboarded 183 times. Two massive bombs target Syrian government security police targets but were they planted by private military companies such as Blackwater, now renamed as “XE Services”. The Bilderberg Must Die For The World To Live, NATO zone royalty, bankers, media, biggest corporations and government finance people’s secret meeting takes place in three weeks in Virginia, USA next door to the National Reconnaisance Office (NRA) and down the road from the CIA. Occupy Bilderberg protest movement has already begun. Former US Secretary of State under Republican President Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger has a track record as one of the world’s worst ever war criminals and he is a key organiser of the Bilderberg Conferences.
Universal Credits, the new Bedroom Tax and the Benefit Cap. Changes to the Housing Benefit system with Will Stone from Avon & Bristol Law Centre. Benefit cap of £500 for couples and £350 for single people. Bristol City Council calculate that 500 families in the poorest parts of Bristol will be losing nearly £100 a week and may have to move into cheaper accommodation, be evicted or be forced to take a low-paid job. Employment and Support Allowance being re-assessed by private companies – appeals sytem in crisis but nearly 50% of appeals are being sucessful. Is this all a symptom of the de-industrialisation of Britain. Anna Bennet from solicitors Devonshires explains that bad debt levels for landlords are likely to double when the new Universal Credit comes in. Demonstration projects being run around the country to see if vulnerable people really can manage their finances effectively. 6,500 private tenants in Bristol face cuts of £15-25 a week in their housing benefit forcing many to be made homeless. ‘Poverty Hearing’ next Friday at 7:30pm by ‘Bristol Poverty Action’ at Bristol Council House next Friday. Contact your local advice centre or Avon & Bristol Law Centre at the bottom of Stokes Croft www.ablc.org.uk 0117 924 8662.
Travellers’ rights with Sean from Montpelier who does not like to live in a house. Sean was living in a coach in the 1980s which gave him a much greater sense of freedom. The world opened up for him and he could wake up in the morning and move on whenever he felt like it. They travelled in groups of  6-12 vehicles or in 2’s & 3’s or whatever was convenient. 1980s crackdown on the gypsy or traveller lifestyle. New Age Travellers, Hippy Travellers or just plain Travellers? Convoys of 50-100 vehicles travelling at the same time. Sean changed a one ton coach engine in a field. Conservative Thatcher government of the 1980s were afraid of the young people embracing a cuture of freedom, not being tied to a job or tied to an address as well as the entire free festival scene the Tories saw as a threat. All ended with Wiltshire police attacking travellers and destroying many of their vehicle homes at the Battle of the Beanfield on Saturday 1st June 1985.
Mormon Bishop Webb of Whitchurch, Bristol explains Mormonism in the run-up to the US presidential election and prospective Mormon Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Sceptical view of Mormonism by Peter Levenda in his book Sinister Forces.
[audio: 201205111800]