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: Tonight’s guest United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) councillor on Bradley Stoke Town Council Ben Walker defected from the Conservatives to UKIP about a year ago and Conservative councillor at Bradley Stoke Keir Gravil resigned this week. Discussion on BAe Systems’ closure of Bristol’s historic Filton airfield and the continuing failure of developers to get planning permission from South Gloucestershire Council to build housing on the old runway. The ‘Big Four’ ‘financial services’ firms KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte & Ernst & Young all subject of Competition Commission (CC)’s investigation into price fixing and fraud. CC have missed two deadlines already for delivering their report on these four powerful companies who signed off insolvent bank’s accounts as healthy in the run-up to the 2008 crash. Discussed with Old Labour Oxford economist Martin Summers. A ‘volunteer’ from KPMG, Matt Payne, has been recruited as advisor to mayor Ferguson. Horse meat being passed off as beef scandal: Horsemeat found at Bradley Stoke meat firm Greencore labelled as beef for human consumption this morning. Environment Secretary Owen Patterson reports to the House of Commons; Stephen Williams in PMQs asks question about Christian Aid event around tax evasion, profit reporting and transparency – only with doubtful political will it ever happen; Gareth Thomas in PMQs: 4000 fewer police on London’s streets after the first two years of the Coalition government; Stephen Powell in PMQs on the millionaires tax cut in April he asks Cameron directly whether he benefited personally from this tax break but Prime Minister David Cameron refuses to answer. What does this tell us about the present political class who seem to be running the country in their own personal interest; Is it good in the modern NHS when a patient dies because it frees up a bed? Former NHS Chief Executive Gary Walker from Lincolnshire NHS Trust and gagging clauses, NHS culture needs to change, general discussion on gagging clauses including those imposed by the BBC and by Bristol City Council’s head of legal services Stephen McNamara on sacked Avon Coroner Paul Forrest; Bristol Port boss David Ord is a Conservative donor and denies directly lobbying the PM against building the Severn barrage; voxpop by Marina Morris on the newly introduced law allowing gay marriage, many Bristolians asked don’t think it’s a good idea.
[audio: 201302151700]
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Second hour: A round up of the weeks international news with Martin Summers. a court case about 9/11 is coming in Horsham, Sussex on Monday 25th February where Anthony Rooke of Christians for 9/11 Truth is suing the BBC for aiding and abetting terrorism under Section 15 Article 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000; North Korea conducts underground nuclear test this week so where did they get their nuclear weapons? Could it be lost plutonium or enriched uranium or even complete warheads from Russia or the NATO countries? Martin explains that the Conservative party may have been involved in a secret fundraising deal to illegally sell nuclear weapons back in the early 1990s and reminds us that Central TV investigative journalist Roger Cook was offered former Soviet SS20 warheads on the black market. Syrian rebels may now be training to attack Britain says Tory Foreign Secretary William Hague at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) but Martin Summers is doubtful and asks why would they when they want to oust Assad & Britain has helped train them & supply them with weapons? Severe water shortage brewing in the middle east according to US satellite surveys by NASA. Will Stone from Avon and Bristol Law Centre about a disabled client of his Dan Glue who was bullied by French company employed by the Department of Work and Pensions ATOS, who were paid £112.4m of public money to carry out 738,000 assessments in the last two years. The bedroom tax will lead to evictions as people are unable to pay their rent, Will advises them to come to Avon & Bristol or another law centre as they may be able to stop evictions. Stupidity of evicting people from a cheap two bedroom home into a non-existent one-bedroom home that may not exist and be more expensive. Zaki Dogliani, a student deputy editor news section of the student magazine Epigram, discusses the magazine and some stories he has recently covered including the marketisation of the University. Miko Peled, who wrote the book ‘A General’s Son’, explodes myths of the state of Israel including fake Biblical excuses for building illegal settlements and double standards over the ‘right to return’.  Interview with Steve Jolly from www.no-cctv.org.uk about new principle of “surveillance by consent” that the recently published “Surveillance Cameras Code of Practice” now up for consultation. New Argus drone which has an ultra-high resolution camera for putting entire domestic cities under permanent surveillance. BBC on strike on monday over compulsory redundancies as these are unnecessary and used by management to sack people for political reasons.
[audio: 201302151800]
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