This is the blog of Ant Miller, senior research manager and dilettante geek at large at the BBC.
I wail moan and cuss about the challenges and fun to be found here.
These are my personal opinions, and not those of my employer. Or anyone else here for that matter.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Guardian vs Carter-Ruck and Trafigura Over Parliamentary Questions

Very very quickly posting this in order to join in with the mass bypassing of what appears to be a vile and heinous miss application of legal restraints over parliamentary reporting. I sincerely hope that Rusbridger and co crucify the shits of Carter-Ruck on appeal (and that the judge involved takes a goodly chunk of gardening leave too, ideally slopping around in this mess).

So what is that the Guradian have been gagged from saying?

(292409) 61 N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.

With thanks to Nevali, Bill Thompson, and slightly grudgingly to Guido Fawkes.

And hoping like hell that every news channel in the country, online and otherwise, covers this like a virulent rash!

EDIT- After having this up live for two years I am now blocking comments on this post.  This is due to concerted attacks by Chinese spammers, either in an effort to counter any allegations against Trafigura or just homing in on a post for commercial ends.  I figure the former.  Well screw you, and screw your paymansters.  You're grubbing away at a pointless effort, and the people paying you are abject fucking scum.  One day you'll get democracy, a free press, the liberties to see the people screwing the worlds people and environment to make a yuan out of your desire to have the shiny toys you think make me and the rest of the west happy.  You can no longer comment on this post.  It's mine.  I've decided that I'll close it.  Don't like that?  Don't like the denial of liberty I'm imposing?  Sorry, perhaps you should vote or protest or something about that.  Perhaps even overthrow the government.  Trust me, it's about time.

1 comment:

lauraO said...

38 Degrees are currently running a campaign on this. Take action now by emailing your MP and asking them to take a stand. Take action now, it only takes 2 mins. Go to:

38degrees.org.uk/stop-the-gag