The Labour party seems to be in search of an identity and a policy agenda. About time too. Here are some suggestions for a manifesto, all of which look like common sense.
Repeal all the coalition's NHS legislation and start all over again. Impose effective regulation of privatised utilities, capping their profits and prices. Take the railways back into public ownership as the franchises end. Abandon PFI and find ways of terminating the existing contracts. Stop privatising. It is only "efficient" at maximising profit for private vested interests. Cap rents in the private sector and begin a substantial social housing programme. Make the living wage mandatory, thereby transferring costs from the public purse to the firms who are currently subsidised by the taxpayer. Stop persecuting the unemployed and disabled, and sack Atos.
Clean out the Augean stables of HMRC, start collecting taxes from the rich and shift taxation from basic income and everyday consumption towards property. Abandon Trident and new aircraft carriers, and convert shipyards and nuclear weapons facilities to producing green energy technologies. Stop fracking. Invest in home insulation, which will reduce demand for gas and electricity and create jobs. Mount a full investigation into the illicit activities of the police and special branch, especially as directed against innocent activists. Ban lobbying and remove private interests from direct influence on government. Implement Leveson.
These are modest proposals, and should win votes. But it would be good to see a political party proposing policies because they are the right thing to do. John Walton Lancaster
George Galloway's former aide and Metropolitan police counter-terrorism officer appear in court
The former parliamentary secretary of George Galloway and a Metropolitan police officer have appeared in court charged with offences related to misconduct in public office.
Aisha Ali-Khan, 33, of Keighley, West Yorkshire, who worked with the Bradford West Respect MP, faces accusations of encouraging misconduct in a public office and encouraging the obtaining of personal data without consent on or about 24 August 2012.
Detective Inspector Afiz Khan, 46, who also gave a Keighley address, is based within the Met specialist operations unit, but is suspended. He is charged with two counts of misconduct in a public office and four counts of data protection offences between May and September last year.
One of the charges relates to an allegation that Khan, who worked for the Met's counter-terrorism SO15 unit, disclosed restricted information relating to the arrest of Anjem Choudary – a radical Muslim cleric – to Ali-Kahn, who is thought to be his wife and was employed by Galloway at the time. Choudary was not charged with any offence.
Other charges Khan faces relate to an allegation that he obtained personal data relating to various members of the Respect party by accessing Ali-Khan's email, and that he disclosed to Ali-Khan personal data relating to, amongst others, Kevin Barron, the Labour MP for Rother Valley in South Yorkshire.
Both appeared before a deputy senior district judge, Emma Arbuthnot, sitting at Westminster magistrates' court on Wednesday and were granted unconditional bail to appear at Southwark crown court on 28 August.
The arrests followed an investigation by the Directorate of Professional Standards into a complaint from a member of the public with regard to the actions of the officer.
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