Babak Belurs

Jumat, 07 Agustus 2020

Nicola Sturgeon's SNP leadership branded 'utterly corrupt' by Scottish indy ref campaigner - Express

Robin McAlpine, a prominent Scottish independence campaigner and director of the Common Weal think tank, launched a vicious assault on Scottish First Minister, accusing her of “blurting out utterly ridiculous bursts of unsupportable braggadocio”. He claimed the SNP headquarters was “utterly corrupt” and “has been for years”.

Writing for his blog, Mr McApline said: “It is I think finally possible to write in public what everyone has been saying in private; SNP HQ is utterly corrupt and has been for years.

“Everyone, in my experience, has been saying that SNP HQ is an utter disgrace for five years.

“HQ routinely (and remarkably openly) smears internal critics. It rigs things to favour preferred candidates.

“It simply ignores serious complaints if they’re about ‘the wrong person’.

“It is toxic and nasty, but people have believed they have no option but to stomach it.

“The real truth is that it doesn’t pretend to act for the party as a whole, but only for the leader and a small clique organised around her. It is a stain on Scotland’s democracy.”

“This is a real and present danger to Scotland’s democracy.

“But you shouldn’t despair, because while not all of it is temporary, one of the core reasons for all of this is that Sturgeon/Murrell won’t be around forever – perhaps not much longer, by the looks of things – and at this stage, almost anything would be better for our democracy.

“And there is nothing at all in the above which cannot be fixed – and fixed quickly – by a government actually keen on democracy.”

Mr McAlpine also questioned Ms Sturgeon’s approach to the coronavirus crisis, saying he was “dubious” Scotland is tackling the pandemic “better” than the UK.

He added: “Scotland is a country in which the first minister can blurt out utterly ridiculous bursts of unsupportable braggadocio with no consequences at all.

“This is a minor matter, but it tells the story. Right now, it is my belief that the Scottish Government’s point-blank refusal to put in place the pre-symptomatic randomised test and trace system Common Weal detailed, costed and called for four months ago is going to lead to substantial new lockdowns – if not another national lockdown.

“Every day Johnson is held to account for the failures of his test and trace system, and yet I’m dubious Scotland’s is actually better from what I can see. Up here, the first minister says she’s done it, so the journalists are satisfied.”

Ms Sturgeon previously told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show she was focused "100 percent on tackling COVID” when she was quizzed over her plans to drag Scotland out of the Union.

Express.co.uk has contacted the SNP for comment.

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2020-08-07 13:30:00Z
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Dorset beach-goers urged to 'head home' amid hot weather - BBC News

Beach-goers in Dorset are being urged to "head home" as resorts and car parks in some areas are already full.

A mobile app to aid social distancing is showing red along four areas of the coast - including at Sandbanks and Bournemouth West - meaning "avoid".

Police and the county's councils have urged people to "enjoy Dorset safely this weekend" ahead of expected high temperatures of 27C (80F).

Council officers, as well as police, are patrolling some seafronts.

A joint statement from emergency services, Dorset Council, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council and NHS, said "evidence gathered" over recent weeks had shown "people are using their common sense and are leaving places which feel too busy to be socially distanced from other people".

BCP Council recently launched an app to show potential visitors the "hot spots" along a seven-mile stretch between Poole Harbour and Highcliffe.

The authority said the app had already been downloaded more than 24,000 times, with a further 4,000 downloads expected over the weekend.

There have also been requests for it to be made available for other beaches across the UK.

In Sandbanks, where sun-seekers gathered in their droves last week, a "head home" sign was illuminated by about 10:30 BST on Friday alongside a "car park full" notice.

Dorset Council said it was "monitoring the situation closely" and had "robust plans in place to manage the anticipated high numbers of visitors".

It said its beaches were "filling up" but there had been no reported issues.

A spokeswoman said extra parking enforcement staff had been deployed to the coast, with Durdle Door car park expected to reach capacity.

"We will urge visitors to go elsewhere at that point," she added.

Clare Franklin, 45, has travelled from Tamworth, Staffordshire, with her 46-year-old partner Simon Paterson.

She said she did not believe people were doing anything wrong by visiting the beach.

"We've just walked the length of the beach from Bournemouth to Poole and everyone seems to be adhering to the rules," she said.

"I think sometimes the photos you see in the media can make it look a lot worse than it is."

Sam Rogers, from Poole, said she also felt most people were respecting social distancing rules but was worried about litter.

The mother-of-three said her children had picked up 210 beer bottle tops from the beach last week.

"Since lockdown everyone has been holidaying at home so much more - and the busyness at the beach is stoked by the tabloids saying how much of a scorcher it's going to be."

Dorset Police said there had been no reported incidents relating to the weather, but urged visitors to take their litter home with them.

A spokeswoman added: "As part of our usual summer policing plans, we have extra patrols and resources on throughout the summer."

The Met Office said Dorset, as well as other areas of the south and south-west of England, would likely experience a heatwave "early next week".

At the scene: Toby Wadey, BBC South

It's deja vu here at Sandbanks - another scorching Friday, another packed beach.

The roads were again jammed with beach-going motorists, feverishly scrambling to get a space as the car parks swelled with sun-seekers.

But there's no doubting the influx of visitors hasn't yet reached the peak of recent weeks, with the council deploying traffic marshals and signs to tell the public to "go home" from early in the day.

In any other year the hoards of people might all seem quite unremarkable, but just six weeks ago BCP Council declared a "major incident" because of the crowds.

There's no doubt that, with an abundance of fluorescent jacket-wearing council staff out in force, officials are feeling cautious and it may be some time before a visit to the beach is the same again.

In Bournemouth, a major incident was declared on 25 June because of the crowds.

At the time police reported fights, overnight camping and three men were stabbed in an attack near Bournemouth pier.

Cars were left abandoned on verges as visitors struggled to park and the beaches were strewn with litter.

BCP Council now has powers to clamp or tow away vehicles parked illegally.

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2020-08-07 12:49:38Z
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Keeley Bunker: Wesley Streete jailed for rape and murder - BBC News

A man convicted of raping and murdering his friend on the way home from celebrating her birthday has been jailed for a minimum of 29 years.

Wesley Streete, 20, raped Keeley Bunker and dumped her body in a brook in Wigginton Park, Tamworth, in September 2019, hiding her under branches.

Ms Bunker had earlier been to a concert to celebrate turning 20 and "trusted" the killer to walk her home.

Streete received a mandatory life sentence at Stafford Crown Court.

The former warehouse packer, previously of St Austell Close, Tamworth, was also found guilty of two other counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault against three other victims.

Streete repeatedly lied about what had happened to the would-be classroom assistant after they returned to Tamworth following a night out at Snobs nightclub in Birmingham.

Sentencing Streete, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said the killer formed a "carefully crafted" scheme of falsehoods following his crime, tailored to fit the evidence.

Prior to leaving for home, Ms Bunker had told a female friend: "I've got Wes, he'll walk me back. It'll be fine."

Streete, who once had a football scholarship to play for Lichfield and Tamworth, initially told police he had left her to walk home alone.

He then changed his account at least four times before his trial, and in court claimed he had accidentally killed her during sex.

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The judge told Streete that, on the way back to Ms Bunker's house, he was "satisfied you persuaded Keeley to divert to the rugby club, probably on the pretext of going for a smoke".

He said: "What took place in Wigginton Park is you proceeded to rape Keeley Bunker, in the course of which you murdered her by throttling her, in all probability by placing her in a choke-hold for sufficient period of time to kill her".

The judge stated the choke-hold would have been "minutes, rather than seconds".

"When you had finished with her you decided to hide Keeley's now lifeless body by depositing it in the brook, covering it up with branches.

"You then walked back to your home, went to bed and slept."

Ms Bunker's uncle, Jason Brown, found her partially-submerged body during a massive search effort involving family, friends and police.

After Streete's conviction, Debbie Watkins, Ms Bunker's mother, said she had been "robbed" of her "precious and beautiful" daughter.

Ms Bunker's sister described her sibling as "one of the most vibrant, caring and beautiful souls this earth has ever seen".

The judge said not only had she "lost the opportunity of fulfilling her life ambition, helping to educate young children", her family had "lost the company of their beloved daughter, sister and niece".

He said the starting point for Streete's sentence would be a minimum of 30 years, but reduced the tariff to 29 years and 46 days, allowing for time already served.

The judge told Streete: "You may never be released as that will only occur if and when the Parole Board is satisfied it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that you should be confined.

"Even if you are released, you will remain on licence and subject to recall for life."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

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2020-08-07 12:21:55Z
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