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BIG BROTHER IS
LISTENING
“Hundreds of benefit fraudsters
have been caught out by lie-detector
technology. More than 370 people
were identified fiddling their benefits
in Lambeth, South London. As part
of the pilot project, Lambeth Council
staff phoned 2,000 residents and used
Voice Risk Analysis, which picks up
tiny changes in the voice that show a
person is lying. Benefit staff then made
further checks to see if claims needed
investigation. A total of 638 people
were investigated and 377 were caught
lying and had their benifits stopped or
decreased.” (Times, 21 April)
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AN EXPENSIVE TIPLE
“While the global credit crunch has
forced many consumers to rein in
spending, one Beijing-based billionaire
has splashed out a record $500,000
on 27 bottles of red wine, Londonbased
Antique Wine Company said
on Saturday. The anonymous Chinese
entrepreneur bought a mix of vintages
of Romanee Conti, a Burgundy wine
and considered to be among the world’s
most exclusive with only 450 cases
produced each year. The client bought
12 bottles of Romanee Conti 1978, two
bottles of the 1961, 1966, 1996 and
2003 and single bottles of the 1981,
1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2001 and
2002. “It is the highest price that has
ever been achieved for a single lot,”
Managing Director Stephen Williams
of the London-based Antique Wine
Company told Reuters on Saturday.
“I don’t think he has bought this as an
investment -- he has bought it to drink,”
he added. “The fine wine industry is
completely immune from the global
credit crunch.” (Yahoo News, 19 April)
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HEATHROW HOMELESS
“Each night, scores of London’s homeless
men and women take advantage
of modern travel delays by posing as
stranded passengers in order to sleep
in a warm, safe place. ... Those contacted
included a man sleeping under
his coat, another conspicously hiding
behind an open newspaper, and a
woman clutching a duty free bag, who
insisted she was waiting for a flight,
only to whisper when police were out
of earshot, “I can’t afford electricity. It’s
warm here. Please let me stay.” (Times,
21 April)
100 YEARS OF POVERTY
The columnist Richard Morrison on
pensions “The old-age pension is 100
years old. When Asquith introduced it
in 1908, it was five shillings a week - a
sum that was regarded as shamefully
low by progressives in his party. But if
even that paltry figure had kept pace
with the growth in Britain’s GDP, the
state pension should now be £161
a week. The actual figure? £90.70p.
Some progress.” (Times, 30 April)
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| UK
Branches & contacts |
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International
contacts |
London
Central
London branch*
2nd Weds.
6.30pm. The Shakespeare's Head, 64-68
Kingsway, Holborn. (Nearest tube:
Holborn.) Tel: Tristan 0207 6223811
Enfield
and Haringey branch*
2nd & 4th Monday. 8pm. Angel
Community
Centre, Raynham Rd, NI8. Corres:
17 Dorset Road, N22 7SL.
South
London branch
1st Tues.
7.00pm. Head Office. 52 Clapham High
St, SW4 7UN. Tel: 020 7622 3811
West
London branch
1st & 3rd Tues.
8pm, Chiswick Town Hall,
Heathfield Terrace (Corner Sutton Court Rd),
W4. Corres: 51 Gayford Road,
London W12 9BY
Pimlico
C. Trinder, 24 Greenwood Ct,
155 Cambridge Street, SW1 4VQ.
Tel: 020 7834 8186
Midlands
West Midlands branch
Meets every
two months on a Sunday afternoon (see
meetings page for details. Tel: Tony
Gluck 01242 235615
Northeast
Northeast
branch
Contact: Brian Barry,
86 Edgmond Ct, Ryhope, Sunderland
SR2 0DY. Tel: 0191 521 0690.
Northwest
Lancaster
branch
P. Shannon, 10
Green Street, Lancaster LA1 1DZ. Tel:
01524 382380
Manchester
branch
Paul Bennett, 6
Burleigh Mews, Hardy Lane, M21 7LB.
Tel: 0161 860 7189
Manchester
Branch website
Bolton
Tel: H.McLaughlin.
Tel: 01204 844589
Cumbria
. Brendan Cummings, 19 Queen St, Millom, Cumbria LA18 4BG
Carlisle
Robert Whitfield.
tel: 07906 373975
Rochdale
Tel: R. Chadwick. 01706
522365
Southeast
Manchester
Enquiries:
Blanche Preston, 68 Fountains Road,
M32 9PH
Yorkshire
Hull
Keith Scholey, 12 Regina Crescent,
Victoria Ave, HU5 3EA. Tel: 01482 444651
Skipton
. R Cooper, 1 Caxton Garth,
Threshfield, Skipton BD23 5EZ.
Tel: 01756 752621
South
South/SouthEast
Southwest
South
West branch.
Meets every two
months on a Saturday afternoon
(see meetings page for details)
Ray Carr,
Flat 1, 99 Princess Road, Branksome,
Poole BH12 1BQ. Tel: 01202 257556.
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Bristol
Shane Roberts, 86 High Street,
Bristol BS5 6DN.
Tel: 0117 9511199
Canterbury
Rob Cox,
4 Stanhope Road,
Deal,
Kent, CT14 6AB
Luton
Nick White,
59 Heywood Drive,
LU2 7LP
Redruth
Harry Sowden,
5 Clarence Villas,
Redruth,
Cornwall, TR15 1PB.
Tel: 01209 219293
East
Anglia
East
Anglia branch
meets every two
months on a Saturday afternoon
(see meetings page for details).
David Porter, Eastholme,
Bush Drive,
Eccles-on-Sea, NR12 0SF.
Tel: 01692 582533.
Richard Headicar,
42 Woodcote, Firs Rd,
Hethersett,
NR9 3JD.
Tel: 01603 814343.
Richard Layton,
23 Nottingham Rd,
Clacton, CO15 5PG.
Tel: 01255 814047.
Cambridge
Andrew Westley, 10
Marksby Close, Duxford, Cambridge
CB2 4RS.
Tel: 07890343044
Northern Ireland
Newtownabbey
Nigel NcCullough. Tel:
028 90852062
Scotland
Edinburgh
branch.1st Thur. 8-9pm.
The Quaker Hall,
Victoria Terrace
(above Victoria Street),
Edinburgh.
J. Moir. Tel: 0131 440 0995
Branch
website:
Glasgow
branch
. 3rd Wednesday of
each month at 8pm in
Community Central Halls,
304 Maryhill Road, Glasgow.
Richard Donnelly,
112 Napiershall Street,
Glasgow G20 6HT.
Tel: 0141 5794109.
Glasgow
Branch website
Ayrshire
D. Trainer, 21 Manse Street,
Salcoats, KA21 5AA. Tel: 01294
469994. E-mail:
Dundee
Ian Ratcliffe, 16 Birkhall Ave,
Wormit, Newport-on-Tay, DD6 8PX.
Tel: 01328 541643
West
Lothian
. 2nd and 4th Weds in
month, 7.30-9.30. Lanthorn Community Centre,
Kennilworth Rise, Dedridge,
Livingston. Corres: Matt
Culbert,
53 Falcon Brae,
Ladywell, Livingston,
West Lothian,
EH5 6UW.
Tel: 01506 462359
Wales
Swansea
branch
. 2nd Mon, 7.30pm,
Unitarian Church, High Street. Corres:
Geoffrey Williams,
19 Baptist Well Street,
Waun Wen,
Swansea SA1 6FB.
Tel: 01792 643624
Cardiff
and District
. John James, 67
Romilly Park Road,
Barry CF62 6RR.
Tel: 01446 405636 |
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Africa
Kenya
. Patrick Ndege, PO Box 56428,
Nairobi.
Swaziland
. Mandla Ntshakala, PO Box
981, Manzini.
Zambia.
Marxian Education Group, PO
Box 22265, Kitwe.
Asia
India
. World Socialist Group, Vill
Gobardhanpur. PO Amral, Dist.
Bankura, 722122
Japan
. Michael. Email:
worldsocialismjapan@hotmail.com.
Europe
Denmark
. Graham Taylor, Ryslingvej
18, 8270 Højbjerg.
Italy
Gian Maria Freddi
Casella Postale n. 28
c/o Ag. PT VR 17
37131 Verona
gm.freddi@libero.it
Germany
. Norbert. E-mail:
weltsozialismus@gmx.net
Norway
. Robert Stafford. E-mail:
hallblithe@yahoo.com
Companion Parties overseas
World
Socialist Party of Australia.
P. O. Box 1266 North Richmond
3121, Victoria, Australia.. Email:
commonownership@yahoo.com.au
Socialist
Party of Canada/Parti
Socialiste du
Canada
. Box 4280,
Victoria B.C. V8X 3X8 Canada. E-mail:
SPC@iname.com
World
Socialist Party (New Zealand)
P.O. Box 1929, Auckland, NI, New Zealand.
World
Socialist Party of the United States
P.O. Box 440247,
Boston, MA 02144 USA.
E-mail: wspboston@covad.net
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