SusanGaszczak

The BBC are reporting today that a new database of fired employees will be launched later this month. This database will allow companies to access past employment records and find out if you have been dismissed for a ‘crime' you may not have not been charged with or let alone found guilty of.

This is a disaster for our rights. The database does not need to contain actual proven crime. If businesses want to check employee's criminal record they can do this through CRB checks. Even though that is not infallible as one resident in my local village already knows (see article pasted below). This is not an isolated case, see here for another.

This database though is designed to screen out people who have had minor lapses in their sense of judgement, and is open to widespread abuse. Whilst I do not want to see businesses stolen from, people should not be labelled because of one unproven incident. It could be as minor as making a personal call.

From The Express on Sunday - 04/06/2006
By Ted Jeory
A CLEANER has been sacked from Yarl's Wood detention centre after the Home Office confused her with a criminal.
Melanie Dudley, 35, has not been in trouble with police but her bosses accused her of concealing past convictions.
The mother-of-two was sacked on the spot by cleaning contractor Aramark and escorted out of the detention centre in Bedfordshire, which houses suspected illegal immigrants.

She was told by letter from the Home Office: "At question 33 of the questionnaire you have clearly indicated that you have no criminal record. However, when checking police records information came to light that a person using your name and details as an alias had been convicted of several offences between 1999 and 2002.

"As a result of this it was decided that security clearances could not be granted as it was thought that you had not displayed the necessary standards of honesty and integrity required for a security clearance."

Mrs Dudley, from Shortstown, Beds, later discovered that her identity had been confused with a Scottish criminal with a string of 30 convictions who had the same date of birth and full name as Mrs Dudley.

Since being sacked in February she has not been able to find a job as she claims employers are put off hiring her due to the way she was forced to leave Yarl's Wood.

Now Mrs Dudley and her family could lose their house as they have fallen behind on mortgage repayments and action has been launched to repossess their home.

The Home Office told her she should contact the police to clarify the situation.
But a check at the Criminal Records Bureau showed she has no convictions or cautions. She said: "All I want is to be able to get on with my life and provide for my family. I am not even after compensation. If they gave me the money I would have earned since I was sacked I would be happy with that but I would settle with an apology from the Home Office."

A spokesman for the Home Office said it cannot comment on individual cases.
In 2002 a group of inmates escaped from Yarl's Wood, one of Europe's largest immigrant detention centres, after starting a fire. The blaze, which cost taxpayers an estimated £38million, followed a riot by detainees unhappy at conditions.

At least three people were injured before 75 firemen and 100 police moved into the former Ministry of Defence base.
The riot was said to have started after Nigerian asylum seeker Eunice Edozieh, 56, became hysterical when she was refused entry to a chapel in an all-male area of the centre. She later tried to sue for more than £50,000 from the Home Office and Group4, which ran the centre, claiming her human rights were breached.

Mar 2007 - Gordon knows in less than 4 months he will be Prime Minister - he announces most of next years budget in airy-fairy terms. It seems like good news.

Sept 2007 - Will he? Won't he? No, he bottled the election. Things started to go wrong - his 'good news' future budget though is still waiting to impact on the country.

Mar 2008 - Darling implements Brown's budget announcements - if the 'bottled' election had happened, we would have had to live through the con for the next 5 years.

Mid April 2008 - Labour back benchers suddenly realise the change in the 10p tax rate will affect the most poor. They change their minds. Brown and Darling find a peace keeping package, yet another con.

Apr 2008 - The pay cheques hit home. Labour voters see the impact their government has had on personal income up and down the country.

May 2008 - Labour come third in the local elections. Did they not see it coming? Or did they think they would be at the beginning of their next 5 year term?

This time last year I had just done an interview for Three Counties radio, talking about the disgrace of electronic counting. In Bedford we had Mayoral elections. The Borough council, in its wisdom, decided to take part in the trials for electronic counting. It created the most boring count I have ever been at.

It also created the longest count we started at 10am and finished sometime after 2am - looks like London are doing the same 'sentence' this year!

PS At the count? We left and went to the pub last year!

As I head off to bed after a long polling day I thought I would reflect on the day. It was lovely start to the day. After spending the first part of the day in South West Herts, the urgent call I knew would come came, and off I went to help us gain the third Lib Dem controlled authority in Hertfordshire! Such a lovely success.

It is a credit to St Albans Lib Dems that we now have full control. We can now make many clearer decisions in Saint Albans, as we have done in recent years in Watford and for a very long time in Three Rivers. You just have to look at the Council tax decrease in Three Rivers - it is a council that delivers for the residents and tax payers.

I also have to reflect on the fantastic result we have had nationally so far. The feeling amongst party members was we were going to be a much smaller group of councillors throughout the country - this is not the case. Checking the BBC website I see we are up 11 councillors. Not the heady heights of 2004 but a real gain considering the negative reviews we gave ourselves on Lib Dem Voice!

A sad loss in Herts, Nigel Quinton who has fought long and hard to save the local hospital in Welwyn Hatfield. But also some fantastic new district councillors in St Albans - Chris White, Allan Witherick, Fred Wartenberg and Roger Axworthy. Two are County Councillors but now serving on the District as well.

 I was also glad to see people like Clare Body re-elected in North Herts alongside Lee Downie.

Tomorrow will see what the rest of our results will bring, I am sure they will be as positive as today - not that the national press will notice...

Last months tax £49.65

This months tax £65.60

This is my main income individually and WOW does it hurt! At least my self employed work will not give me that pain until next year!

I just hope people voting next week will look closely at their payslips!