Broken Bonds

The Holocaust Memorial Day was commemorated last week. The Guardian included interviews with six of the dwindling number of survivors living in the UK. Each told a deeply traumatic story of personal tragedy amid unspeakable wickedness. But in each case they emerged from their horrors into the unending relief of the predicatable safety of a routine existence.

Sabina Miller (pictured) lived an almost feral existence in the forests of Northern Poland in the early 1940s but soon after the war settled in Hampstead London, raised a family and lived a comfortable life. On her reception into English society, this remarkable lady said, "For the first two or three years I was still apprehensive to tell people I was Jewish. I fell in love with this country because what I got was kindness and acceptance." Here is a great example of our common humanity as a country to protect the persecuted- it should be a source of immense pride to us.

It was once but we seem to have regressed into an altogether more selfish and pernicious view of the needy and vulnerable who come to our shores for sanctuary. Or laws and institutions reflect this hardening of hearts.

A more modern version of Britain's treatment of an asylum seeker is Carmen Quiroga. She arrived with her children from Bolivia in 2002 and despite prima facie evidence of persecution and torture had her claim for asylum refused. Like a huge proportion of similar cases, she was successful in gaining a hearing for judicial review.

However, with a legal case still pending she and her family were arrested illegally, forced from their home and incarcerated in Oakington detention centre. The staff there routinely abused Mrs Quiroga, food and medicine were denied her children and twice they attempt to deport this family.

During one interrogation, she was struck by a guard for failing to keep eye contact. This assualt, for merely showing defiance in the face of oppressive bullying, was carried out in front of her children.

Within two years they had all been issued with passports and citizenship but had to wait eight years for any offer of compensation for this unforgivable brutality from the British state. She'll be waiting a while lot longer for any apology.

Just Not Satisfied

England captain, John Terry, was awarded 'Dad of the Year' a couple of months ago. It would seem only the sporting accolade of leading England is under threat of being rescinded following the murky details of his adulterous affair revealed in the Sun yesterday.

Like many millionaire footballers with a hugely puffed up view of their own importance, Terry thought flashing his fat wallet at the lawyers could make all the media coverage go away. He first ensured his lover, Vannessa Perroncel, was silenced under a confidentiality agreement.

His lawyers' attempt at combining their legalese with Terry's crude West London parlance, resulted in this rather clinical wording. "As a result of my dealings with you there has been speculation of a relationship with you. Whilst I do not make any admission as to the truth or otherwise of such speculation, I do not want such speculation to be disclosed. "

What JT wants, he expects to get, so instructed his lawyers to take out a super-injunction order preventing any articles appearing in the media and even any reporting of the existence of the order. Thankfully, the judge, Justice Tugendhat, thought the arguments for simply protecting Terry's privacy were not proportionate owing to the "fact of the relationship". In other words the Sun had the simple justification of it being a true story.

The lawyers also incurred his Honour's wrath by not even notifying the media about the order which meant the judge, "had not the benefit of arguments in opposition." In refusing the maintainence of the order he added with some irony, " I am not satisfied." Terry with £6m wages a year, a beautiful wife and the pissest of easy jobs in the world could not have put it better.

His lawyers may have had more success if they had followed the example of a Premiership manager who was caught visiting a brothel last month. They argued for defamation not privacy and the press still not dare publish although his identity can revealed in searching for about five seconds in any football chatroom.

But so much for the media's self-congratulation about busting the order. They are also guilty of failing to condemn these incredibly wealthy and arrogant half-wits filling the Premiership. The tone of most coverage implies their celebrity status gifts them additional value as people - disgraceful behaviour, even domestic violence, is labelled mildly as an, "indiscretion".

Here's a perfect example of how the collusion between footballers and the media obscures their utter selfishness and limitless apathy over the lot of the general public. A couple of years ago, all players were universally praised for "digging deep" for nurses. The campaign was for all Premiership players to give only one day's wages to the noble cause.

Far fewer papers covered the outcome which showed precious few fulfilling their widely publicised pledges. Although some clubs like Fulham and West Ham paid in full, Chelsea, led by their "inspirational" captain Terry, gave nothing at all.

Aussie Rules

Traditionally, it has been the Conservative Party which has cast an eye to matters Australian for inspiration at election time. Lynton Crosby, master strategist and good buddy to old PM John Howard, has been summoned from Down Under more than once to advise Tories about campaigning.

Senior Labour figures have been looking even further back into the Antipodean past, pondering how the ‘Mighty’ Bob Hawke (pictured) managed to win three landslides for Labour in the 1980s. However it is not the official election strategists who are looking for lessons to learn but the arch anti-Brown plotters.

Bob Hawke gained the leadership for Labour in February 1982 just a month before the General Election where he thumped the incumbent Malcolm Fraser with his superior communications skills, known locally as being a “bloody good bloke”. The rejuvenation of the party following the very late defenestration of the dullard Bill Hayden is preying on minds of key Brown haters such as Charles Clarke.

It was all too much for Geoff ‘Mogadon’ Hoon and Patricia ‘Pat’ Hewitt this week when they issued a letter on Wednesday inviting MPs to get in a huddle and count the number of dissenters. It would not be hard to find 100 if they could be persuaded to be honest for a moment; that would have been enough to maim Brown’s premiership.

But they figured without the constitution of the party which requires a drawn out contest and a special conference. Only Brown’s resignation could kick start a quick election. Hardly a likely prospect from this Great Political Limpet.

There was one other fundamental difference: Hawke was stratospherically ahead of all other candidates; whereas Labour has no outstanding alternative. Hawke’s appeal was multi-layered, he was a good knockabout Parliamentarian and moderate ex-union leader aligning him perfectly with the central tenet of Aussie philosophy – every bloke (and Sheila) "deserves a fair go.” His electoral hopes were hugely enhanced by the revelation he briefly held the world record for sinking a yard of ale. Let’s face it, three pints of ice-cold lager in eleven seconds is really going some for any cobber.

And there’s no doubt that accolade gave him more cred with the public than David Milliband ever could with his banana.