ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

ACOMSDave Community Journalist

Lockdown by Peter May – Book Review

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LockdownLockdown by Peter May
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book, Lockdown, was written in 2005 and ended up not being published initially as it was thought unbelievable. Fast forward to 2020 and Convid19 and suddenly we can see the human race, politicians and large businesses in the real world of today.

The story revolves around D I Jack MacNeil on his way out of policing, his small circle of supportive friends and his estranged family (sic what seems to be the norm for coppers according to many writers).

The book is well written, but for some reason, it feels like the book has been written in an early part of the century. It is not a noir book, but just the feel of the language moves me to feel it is almost the late 50s or early 60s.

The story develops nicely and finishes on a cliff hanger with a twist, which I will not give away.

It is definitely worthwhile obtaining a copy and reading Lockdown

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Safety First – Wear Something bright At Night

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IN 1967 as part of the campaign about road safety ‘The Wear Something Bright At Night’ was started.

 

 

To me an advert which has remained in my mind always.  However, the level of stupidity I see by pedestrians and cyclists on today’s road is almost beyond belief.  According to figures just released in June this year, … the annual average number of injured and killed while cycling between 2014-2018 is 53, which is 74 per cent greater than the 2004-2008 baseline average….[The Irish News]

But why am I in despair – firstly cyclists – last week as I was waiting or a bus on a main arterial road. I saw a car with driver pull up at the end of a side road at the double broken white line, check the road was clear and then having indicated pull out and turn right.  Meantime coming from the left came a cyclist, with high visibility leggings, a high visibility waist coast which was lying open, and therefore flowing back so you couldn’t see it.  Just as the cyclist came up to the road with the motorist halfway out, he (the cyclist) suddenly decided to turn right onto the side road without indication or warning.  In itself, not a major problem as the motorist was going one way and the cyclist the other, however, the cyclist broke the highway code in a number of ways:

  • Firstly not indicating his turn
  • Secondly deciding to skip behind the car turning right and therefore crossing the oncoming traffic lane, not turning into his lane for travel
  • Thirdly, he did not have a front headlight or red reflector on his bike – which the law states must have (…a white front light and red rear lights that must be lit at night. A bike is also required to have reflectors…) [Rule 60]

So gripe one; but this is not the end, because obviously there is this continuous unnatural hazard being caused to motorist and pedestrians when cyclists come up on the inside of motorists sat at lights and then cut across them, and then with pedestrians, the cyclists come flying down the footpath, no bell, no lights – a silent menace to everyone.

But pedestrians are equally irresponsible because the go out in the dark without anything white or bright and then complain when motorist says they couldn’t see them.

Over the last few years, there has been a campaign to get motorcar drivers to pay attention for motorcyclists and also to not drive in the blind spot of vans and lorries,  something which I commend and have not a problem with.

However, I now feel that the level of respect for the highway code and for recognising that our roads and footpaths are becoming very congested (more so that they everywhere) means that local government and the police need to re-evaluate their current strategies on road safety and target cyclists and pedestrians as well.

Bring back suitable campaigns, even some of the older ones –

LET’S ALL WEAR SOMETHING BRIGHT AT NIGHT

 

and be thoughtful to our fellow road and pavement users.

 

 

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A benign Ogre – Stop and Search in Northern Ireland

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An ogre can be someone who is frightening or a ‘man’ who eats people.

So why did this come into my mind having just read an article by the BBC on “What are my rights if I’m stopped and searched?”? We as human beings have a tendency to resort to literature characters who are not real to enable us to describe a situation we are currently in or have experienced.

Firstly, I have yet again to take the BBC to task for being England/Wales centric. The article is professionally written and researched, however, to dismiss Scotland and Northern Ireland with the lines:

…The laws in Scotland and Northern Ireland are different, but there are many similarities with those in England and Wales..
shows a total lack of understanding that each of these countries is unique as is its law. I will not endeavour to speak about Scottish law as I do not live there, however, the law in Northern Ireland is most definitely coloured by the 30+ years of the ‘troubles’. This has polarised a lot of the community in terms of accepting the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland).

 

Stop & Search - A benign OgreA crowd - A benign Ogre

Now back to Stop and Search in Northern Ireland, let us do a comparison on stop and search figures:

Stop and Search Comparison

CountryYearPopulationStatistics of people stoppedRatio as per population
England & Wales291856.1m (approx)380,00019 people stopped per every 2810
Northern Ireland20181.88m (approx)28,11628 people stopped per every 2288

So, what are your rights if you are ‘Stopped and Searched’ in Northern Ireland?

According to Northern Ireland Direct, and here I will quoted directly…

Who can stop and search you?

Any police officer can stop and search you. If they are not in uniform they must identify themselves before the search takes place. The stop and search action doesn’t mean you’re under arrest or that you’ve done something wrong.
The reasons police can stop and search you
The police can stop and search you:
• if there has been serious violence or disorder in the area
• if police are looking for a suspect who fits your description
• if police have reasonable grounds to suspect you’re carrying drugs, a weapon or stolen property
• in countering terrorism

What happens in a stop and search?

If you’re stopped and searched:
• you must stay for all of the search
• police must make sure the search time is as short as possible
• the search must take place where you were stopped or nearby, unless moving you would protect your privacy
Before a search, a police officer must tell you the grounds for the search, what they’re looking for, their name (except where the stop and search is to do with terrorism) and the station they’re attached to.
If you’re in a public place, you’ll be asked to remove your coat or jacket and any headgear or gloves worn unless the search is to do with terrorism or when police believe you’re using clothes to hide your identity. They can ask you to empty your pockets and open any baggage to help the search….(https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/stop-and-search)

But there is more to be considered; what personal information am I obliged to give the officer?

According to the Citizenship Foundation, this is what you should think about:

…: I do not have to give my name or address to the police
It Depends. You only have to if the police suspect you have committed (or are about to commit) an arrestable offence.
You don’t have to answer a police officer’s questions, but someone who refuses to give their name and address may be arrested if the police officer reasonably believes they have committed an offence. You have the right not to answer any more questions until you have received legal advice from a solicitor.
In Northern Ireland, a person has an obligation to give their name and address and DOB under certain circumstance, together with the answers to some questions, under section 21 of the Justice and Security Act. Consider

Q: If you’ve not done anything wrong, do you think refusing to say your name makes you look suspicious?
Q: Do you think it’s worth having this right if enforcing it means that you could be suspected of committing an offence…

(https://smartlaw.org.uk/wordpress//content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2017/04/Police-powers-teachers-notes-v2.pdf)

Now consider in April 1993 the Editor of upstart (a local gay publication) stated exactly the same thing, but with the addition of reminding people if they are in doubt then give the minimum information you have to ask to see a solicitor – for Northern Ireland at this time this was really relevant for gay men, as various purges were taking place (the latest at that time being in Belvior Park) and people’s lives were being destroyed.

We all have a right to support the police forces in their given legal duty, but remember they like us are human and can make mistakes.

 

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Conversion Therapy – Rethink Finally

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The Growing Movement to Ban Conversion Therapy

 

 

Earlier this month I wrote an article (Gay Conversion Therapy – Government Cop Out) reflecting back on how long we have been raising this issue and why was the government dragging its feet over putting in place measure to stop young LGBTQ people from being mentally tortured?

I reflected back on Dr Paul Miller, on Stormont’s intransigence, and how the Westminster bullies (those in a position of power and trust) seemed to feel that LGBTQ people do not count and do not need to be protected.

So I welcome that the Northern Ireland Executive is going to take the lead and develop a strategy across a number of Departments to have legislation put in place to place a ban on reparative or conversion therapy by private operations.

As I said in my previous article, conversion therapy is nothing short of ‘brain washing’, the LGBTQ community and the people in it do not need to be converted, they need to be made to feel equal within society in all aspects! 

Raising Equality (US) - Openclipart

 

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Ulster Museum

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Ulster MuseumUlster MuseumUlster Museum - Outside Sculpture

 

Dear Sir or Madam

I was an avid user of the museum before the lock-down, and in particular, the art galleries, and have really enjoyed the exhibitions over the last three years since my return from Spain, where I had been living for a year.

I was wondering though if it would be feasible to plan ahead and have some exhibitions to cover the areas of:

  • Chinese paintings – maybe something to rival the ‘Masterpieces of Chinese Painting: 700-1900 put on at the V&A
  • An exhibition of Henri Matisse and some of his contemporaries
  • An exhibition of Leonora Carrington’s work,
  • Willy Conor’s work based around the book Conor’s Attic, published by Ormeau Books

It is difficult to suggest areas which might be explored, as I have no idea what the current breadth of paintings and other artistic artefacts are held by the museum and its contemporary institutions which you could borrow from.

I am also very conscious of the terrible burden that the COVID 19 virus both in terms of finances and staffing, has had on institutions like yourselves.

I look forward to hearing from you in due time.

 

Yours faithfully

Dave

 

Reply:

 

Today I received a lovely reply from the Ulster Museum.

 

…

Dear Mr McFarlane

Thank you for your interest and enquiry about future exhibitions. I have copied a number of colleagues into this reply so that your ideas and suggestions can be brought to their attention. If you would like to know more about the art collection at the Ulster Museum you can explore the Art UK website. Unfortunately as I am working remotely I can’t send you a link to this site on this email however I will try to send it separately.

With best wishes

Anne

 

…

 

What made this very satisfactory is that I made my first visit to the museum since ‘lock-down’.  It was a surreal experience in that I had to book my visit first online, then on arrival, I had to queue to have my ticket validated and have the route explained as everything is one-way.

Obviously the standing exhibits have not changed, and whilst I did stop at one or two, I moved quickly on to see the art exhibitions which are always my main interest points.

 

In the main gallery, there is an exhibit of Ursula Burke ‘A False Dawn’ which is on display carried over from lock-down.  Ursula’s work explores abuses of power in the social and political realms of the West (National Museums NI) The main room consists of busts and other individual pieces on separate stands. For me, it was interesting to look at the pieces and in particular the faces of what was white males and compare against that of the one black man’s head – the difference in the facial expression does stop you in your tracks and make you think.

There was another wonderful exhibition on art which had been produced before the realm of posters, postcards, television etc as a means of educating people about exotic places.  Two striking pieces are those of Susanna Drury (fl.1733 – 1770) which she had painted of the Giant’s Causeway.  It is even more poignant as the museum has pointed out that little is know about her.

 

East Prospect of the Giant's Causeway (c.1739)

National Museums NI
East Prospect of the Giant’s Causeway (c.1739)
There was another exhibit and also the main standing one – but you need to visit and look for yourself.

 

 

The Law is the Law

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The law is the law, or is it?   According to our Prime Minister it only applies to him when it serves his needs!

I have just read ‘The Secret Barrister’s’ article “Justice League” which was published The Guardian’s Review Magazine pages 6-9 Saturday 22 August 2020.

Law - it needs to be balanced
The Law – it needs to be balanced

This is a large mouthful to say, and even to write, but it is necessary to refer to this article and draw your attention to it, as for many of us the law and parliament are inseparable!  However, they are not; according to the Judges and Parliament, …The ultimate decision remains with Parliament and not the judiciary. Ultimately, the judiciary does no more, or less, under the 1998 Act than carry out its constitutional function of interpreting and applying the law enacted by Parliament. They only have such power as Parliament gave them in the Human Rights Act 1998.

The Attorney General is the link in the chain who provides guidance to parliament and the judiciary – however, a former Attorney General, Lord Mayhew of Twysden, said:

…the Attorney General has a duty to ensure that the Queen’s ministers who act in her name, or purport to act in her name, do act lawfully because it is his duty to help to secure the rule of law, the principal requirement of which is that the government itself acts lawfully.”

In his article, the Secret Barrister refers to how part of the government and also the new media seems to think that the judiciary has attempted to interfere with parliamentary actions and decision.  This is a complete fallacy, for parliament to work successfully, in order to maintain parliamentary sovereignty, be some legal limit… and that is what the judiciary provide.  Judicial review is not, as politicians would have the public believe, a tool by which judges overrule a political decision that they disagree with.  The questions that the courts decide are those of lawfulness, applying common law principles developed over centuries.

The Secret Barrister sums up by saying …if we lose judicial independence, we lose the rule of law.  The day a judge makes a binding decision affecting the rights and liberties of one of us, not on the legal and factual merits, but with a nervous glance to the press and public galleries, or with a  beady eye on political favour or punishment, is the day that the decay in our democracy turns terminal….

The day that this happens is the day that the government becomes omnipotent and Big Brother becomes the order of the day.

The government must remain accountable, and the judiciary must remain independent from government.

Gay Conversion Therapy – Government Cop Out

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In June 2013, I wrote a short piece on Dr Paul Miller MD DMH MRC Psych as he had hit the headlines due to his ability to ‘cure’ gays through ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’.  Also, his close connections to ex-Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Iris Robinson.

Why am I re-raising this again you may ask; well I was reading some old Hansards’ and came across a report on Dr Miller talking to a

NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE FOR HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY

where he was talking about suicide and in particular with young men.  He also made reference to his Christian beliefs in this report.  He outlined all his experience and qualifications – which  to a layman seem to be very exhaustive.

Now back to today, Dr Miller is Consultant Psychiatrist and Psychogeriatrician. Clinical Lead and Responsible Officer at Mirabilis Health which is based in Glengormley.  A recent report (Announced Care Inspection Report 27 March 2017) from The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority found no issues with the establishment and the 12 patients who submitted questionnaire responses indicated that the service is well managed.

Now the therapy system that Dr Miller uses is:

EMDR therapy is broken down into eight different phases, so you’ll need to attend multiple sessions. Treatment usually takes about 12 separate sessions.

Phase 1: History and treatment planning

Your therapist will first review your history and decide where you are in the treatment process. This evaluation phase also includes talking about your trauma and identifying potential traumatic memories to treat specifically.

Phase 2: Preparation

Your therapist will then help you learn several different ways to cope with the emotional or psychological stress you’re experiencing.

Stress management techniques such as deep breathing and mindfulness may be used.

Phase 3: Assessment

During the third phase of EMDR treatment, your therapist will identify the specific memories that will be targeted and all the associated components (such as the physical sensations that are stimulated when you concentrate on an event) for each target memory.

Phases 4-7: Treatment

Your therapist will then begin using EMDR therapy techniques to treat your targeted memories. During these sessions, you will be asked to focus on a negative thought, memory, or image.

Your therapist will simultaneously have you do specific eye movements. The bilateral stimulation may also include taps or other movements mixed in, depending on your case.

After the bilateral stimulation, your therapist will ask you to let your mind go blank and notice the thoughts and feelings you’re having spontaneously. After you identify these thoughts, your therapist may have you refocus on that traumatic memory, or move on to another.

If you become distressed, your therapist will help bring you back to the present before moving on to another traumatic memory. Over time, the distress over particular thoughts, images, or memories should start to fade.

Phase 8: Evaluation

In the final phase, you’ll be asked to evaluate your progress after these sessions. Your therapist will do the same.

I am not saying EMDR is not successful, EMDR therapy has proven to be very effective in the treatment of PTSD for instance, however as being gay is not a medical condition, and possibly using it as a form of Gay Conversion treatment of ‘gays’ it would seem more like a version of brainwashing.

Brainwashing - Gay Conversion Therapy

Now the LGBT community has been fighting for gay conversion therapy to be banned in the UK.  Indeed in 2018, then-prime minister Theresa May’s LGBT action plan said the government would bring forward proposals to “end the practice of conversion therapy” as a priority; however the current Conservative equalities minister Kemi Badenoch says the so-called therapy is a ‘very complex issue’ and the department was unable to produce a timetable for any legislation or forthcoming consultation.

Westminster and Gay Conversion Therapy
Conservative Government Cop Out

Research

Belfast psychiatrist Miller to face cash dealings probe – Headline from 18 April 2013

The ‘gay cure’ experiments that were written out of scientific history

Treatments of homosexuality in Britain since the 1950s—an oral history: the experience of patients

Conversion Therapy

The cruel, dangerous reality of gay conversion therapy

Gay Conversion Therapy’s Disturbing 19th-Century Origins

I tried gay conversion therapy and it was my own horror film

UK government hasn’t banned gay conversion therapy two years after pledge to end practice

EMDR Therapy: What You Need to Know

Surveillance Camera Statistics: Which City has the Most CCTV Cameras?

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Source: Surveillance Camera Statistics: Which City has the Most CCTV Cameras?

Surveillance cameras proliferance does not equate to less crime, so says this report.

Big Brother Surveillance

But what made me go looking at these statistics?  The Sunday Mirror on the 2nd Aug 2020 has a smallish report by Matthew Davies stuck on the bottom of page 14 – ’19 billion cars a year caught on cops’TV’.  This report stated that ‘cops’ are snapping motorists with road cameras at a record rate of 610 per second, that the number of cars pictured by a network of CCTV devices annually has doubled in five years, up to 19.2 billion in 2019-2020 from 11 billion in 2014-15.

But are all these drivers breaking the law?  It would seem not, and privacy watchdogs have warned the technology could be used to film innocent people who are not breaking any laws.

This is nothing new or startling, but what is startling is the volume of pictures being taken, and that there is very little oversight into how long these pictures are kept, who is taking them, and if they even should be taken!

An interesting fact that came out during my research is that the vast majority of CCTV cameras are not operated by government bodies, but by private individuals or companies, especially to monitor the interiors of shops and businesses.  According to the 2011 Freedom of Information Act request, the total number of local government operated CCTV cameras was around 52,000 over the entirety of the UK. (Wikipedia -Mass Surveillance In The UK).

Surveillance

Further reading:

The Lost Children

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Who are the lost children? I read again with no little horror the story published in The Observer ‘The Long Walk to Europe’.  The facts given do not bring home the pain and loss that the children have suffered – the loss of homes due to war, the building depression and finally the journey to try and find a refuge of safety.

Caroline Brother’s fictional account about two brothers escaping the turmoil of war and a country in turmoil is no less real, but does bring home the plight of ‘The Lost Children’.

The Lost Children - Hinterland

On the 26 June, I watched a history programme about the USA, and how so much of its history has been re-written to suit political purposes (as indeed in so many other countries).  However, what I really found interesting was the cameo about the Statue of Liberty.  How it was in another guise meant for the Middle East, and because the cost was extortionate, it was redesigned for the West – the USA.

But whilst it initially started its career in the USA as a political reminder to the USA of France’s involvement in the USA’s independence, by the writing of one poem (…The New Colossus …) with the phrase 

… “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”… Emma Lazarus

which then ended up on a plaque beneath the statue and became symbolic for refugees looking for freedom, fleeing tyranny, and looking for freedom – this statue was their first sight of the land of freedom (USA) Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York City, New York, U.S.

The Lost Children - Statue of LIberty

You may think this a detail, but it is not.  The youths fleeing the warzones in the Middle East and elsewhere are looking for a place of refuge, and with so many countries having economic problems (and now Corona Virus as well) and being under financial constraints, the doors to refugees are being shut.

Repeated governments from so many countries profess ‘that they are doing everything they can’, but fundamentally leaving so much of the work to charities, who depend on private individuals’ generosity, is not dealing with the problem.  And in all humanity, you cannot send these children back because what is there for them to go back to?

The Lost Children - Hinterland

We need a coherent, global policy that enables these disposed to be housed, educated, integrated and along with the youth in our own countries they deserve a fair and developed hope of work.

Further reading:

Statistics

YouTube documentary

Invisible Manipulators of Your Mind

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Source: Invisible Manipulators of Your Mind

When I read this article, I had to go back and read it again – ‘Invisible Manipulators of Your Mind’ when read properly shows that both government and big business are out to control us – does this not reflect back to ‘1984’ by George Orwell

Invisible Manipulators

“…“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
― George Orwell, 1984…”

Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky have thoroughly detailed how to go about controlling people through ‘hudges’ and not surprisingly the big names in the digital world have listened, understood and applied it  ( Jeff Bezos (the founder of Amazon), Larry Page (Google), Sergey Brin (Google), Nathan Myhrvold (Microsoft), Sean Parker (Facebook), Elon Musk (SpaceX, Tesla), Evan Williams (Twitter), and Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia).)

But it doesn’t stop there, there is every indication that President Trump’s election team have also applied the theory to his electioneering mechanism – and it seems to have worked!

Invisible Manipulators

We in the UK have also seen some of the applications with the  ‘Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data breach which occurred in early 2018 when millions of Facebook users’ personal data was harvested without consent by Cambridge Analytica to be predominantly used for political advertising’ (Wikipedia).

Is it not time that the human race realised what is happening and took a stand and stopped the erosion of human rights, our rights, and make an effort to clean up politics and business?

Invisible Manipulators

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