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 Labour Councillor for St George West Peter Hammond. Discussion with Peter on why he had to stand down as Labour leader, how Labour have managed to influence the Bristol City Council’s annual budget e.g. getting extra money for Speedwell Pool and Community Transport.  Latest on the criminal bankers including clip from Russia Today’s ‘The Keiser Report’ about a class action in the US brought against Libor fraud banks – case dismissed by US judge;  HBOS malfesance story today too with mild ‘slapped wrists’ for multi-billion pound fraudsters; Can work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith really live on £53 a week including bills? The Queen gets a £5 million pay rise as the ‘Civil List’ is replaced by the ‘Sovereign Grant’ – is Queen Elizabeth the real Vile Product Of Welfare UK as quoted from this week’s Daily Mail Headline? Owen Jones and Ruth Porter on Channel 4 news discuss this ‘Philpott’ welfare debate – DFS in Bristol get 1200 applicants for 9 jobs, Costa Coffee in Nottingham get 1700 applications for 8 jobs, Joseph Roundtree Foundation report that the UK has 6.5 million people looking for full time work that does not exist – Iceland has increased welfare benefits because that helps the economy to grow in a crisis; staggering leaks of confidential documents reveal secrets of the rich tax evaders who hide cash offshore (mainly from the British Virgin Islands) –estimated at £21 trillion;  Trident  – costs £100 billion for about 25 years – clip of Bruce Kent, veteran CND campaigner on being spied on by Cathy Massiter, discussion about Peter Hammond being blacklisted by the Economic League and Bruce Kent and CND being spied on; documentary all about this from the 1980s as part of Channel 4’s 20/20 Vision Series with Hugo Young; Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE)s £10.5 million mis-selling (fraud) Ofgem fine; wheels coming off the wagon as North Somerset Council stop enforcing parking offences – a symptom of ‘private affluence and public squalor’; Unite the Union air the prospect of a 2013 general strike.
[audio: 201304051700]

Second hour: North Korea threatens nuclear attack on USA, but did William Waldegrave, Ken Clarke, David Cameron and other senior Tories collude in supplying these ex-South African nuclear weapons onto the black market? Peer admits MI6 officer Daphne Park arranged the assassination of Congo’s first independent leader Patrice Lumumba; massive increase in heroin trafficking from Afghanistan – one million deaths from heroin now estimated since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan by NATO, the US and UK. Martin explains how, why and when the CIA and MI6 began to be major drug smugglers and reccomends two websites CIAdrugs and NarcoNews. Anne Lemon teaches in Clevedon and is on the National Executive of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) who had their annual conference over Easter. She explains the union’s view on Free Schools, Academy Schools and the new National Curriculum and tells us about a mayday rally taking place next month in Castle Park which is organised by local Trades Unionists. SMART METERS – Big Brother or helpful technology? we are joined by David Saunders of Bristol Power and Mike Mitcham of the Stop Smart Meters campaign.  – Who is president Bashar Al Assad of Syria’s English wife Asma? She is not heard from on British mainstream media but seems to come across as an intelligent and compassionate stateswoman
[audio: 201304051800]
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