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 leader of the Conservative group on Bristol City Council and councillor for Stoke Bishop Peter Abraham. Last week’s local elections; Nationally the Tories lost 10 local authorities & 273 seats, UKIP picking up much of their vote due to policies on Europe and immigration; cuts and economics – national debt has nearly doubled since Coalition government was elected in 2010.  A clip of Jane Taylor from UNITE at last Saturday’s May Day Trades Union ‘Workers’ Day’ Rally in Castle Park, Jane proposes more council house building to kick-start the economy and provided much needed housing.  Bristol Mayor opens new office space – but according to local housing campaigner Tony Crofts’ website ‘Speak Truth To Power‘ we already have 2 million sq. ft., equivalent to 60 acres, of empty office space in Bristol;  The Queen’s Speech  – influence or power? She owns more land than anyone on the planet but still got an extra £5 million pay rise in 2013 – What was NOT in the Queen’s Speech was a register of lobbyists, promised by Cameron before and after the general election, discussed; Privatisation of the probation service, national press has come to Bristol to ask why as we have some of the best rates of curbing re-offending; Police said not to be involved in Jimmy Savile case –  vox pop by Marina Morris about who is to blame for the Jimmy Savile fiasco, BBC, police or Savile himself? On the release of today’s internal report by West Yorkshire police about cosy ‘Friday morning club’ breakfast meetings between their officers and Britain’s worst ever paedophile, Jimmy Savile. The report said 76 crimes involving 68 victims relating to Savile had been committed in the West Yorkshire area, but added that none of the offences had been reported before the former DJ’s death in October 2011. The report also revealed the youngest of those victims was five years old at the time and eight others were aged nine or younger. Victims’ lawyer brands temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ingrid Lee’s report as ‘pathetic’ too. Martin reminds us that Savile spent over a decade of New Year’s Eves at Chequers with Margaret Thatcher.
[audio: 201305101700]
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Second hour: Filton and Bradley Stoke MP’s December 2012 trip to Saudi Arabia and UK/Saudi arms deals discussed with author of The Shadow World, Inside The Global Arms Trade, Andrew Feinstein. Corruption, the Serious Fraud Squad, ‘National Security’, and politicians paid huge sums as conduits. Al Yamamah and SangCom UK/Saudi arms deals’ bribery investigations dropped by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) with Chancellor George Osborne, incredibly, able to veto SFO investigations. Freemason & Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke Jack Lopresti had an expenses paid trip to Saudi Arabia in December 2012, what might his role be as a UK Saudi arms deal breaker? BBC4 changing the name from ‘Exile, A Myth Unearthed’ to ‘Jerusalem An Archeological Mystery Story’ by Israeli born filmmaker Ilan Ziv, then dropping his film about the myth of Jewish ‘right to return altogether after lobbying from the Israeli government and the Zionist lobby within the BBC; we hear from the banned station Press TV and they cover clashes this week at the Al Aqsa Mosque which is allegedly on a site venerated by Jews too which the Israeli army want to take over even though it it the third most sacred site in Islam; Russian SS300 anti aircraft SAM missiles being sold to Syrian government after Israeli jets or artillery bombed or shelled Syria this week, a provocation that clearly violates international law and could lead to war between the two states; UK and US ‘look the other way’ not condemning Israel. Adam Kokesh, a 31-year-old former United States Marine who has long spoken out against military intervention in Iraq and other controversial issues, is planning what he calls an “Open Carry March on Washington” to “put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated & cower in submission to tyranny.” So will there be an armed protest march to Washington to mark Independence Day on 4th July? Minot Missile Base in North Dakota got a D grade inspection report with insubordination rife and launch codes possibly going astray or compromised… so 17 military ICBM launch officers have been sacked. Can Britain feed itself? with Somerset farmer, former National Farmers Union (NFU) rep for Somerset and the man behind Puxton Park, Derek Mead. Derek, along with all dairy farmers, has suffered after the 1980s demise of the Milk Marketing Board which guaranteed a minimum price for milk. Discussing why he left the National Farmers’ Union because it represents the interests of supermarkets and the food industry not farmers. Before that, helped set up Farmers For Action which blockaded supermarket distribution depots. The cartel-like power of Supermarkets to use milk as a ‘loss-leader’ impoverishing farmers, EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies, the plight of small farmers, farmers’ relations with Somerset walkers and we ask: can Britain still feed itself or are we too reliant on imports? US photographer and author of Solving 9/11, Chris Bollyn, gets into a scrape with Bilderberg security back in Belgium in 2000 after daring to ask questions of some of the participants and taking a picture of George Soros with Carl Bildt.
[audio: 201305101800]
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