FINN (COM) Daily Record for 08 October

Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)

By J. Brock (FINN)

The annual Sea and Marine Cadet Inspection took place at T/S ENDURANCE on Wednesday, 08 October 2003 beginning at 1900. Nearly all the Cadets, 40 in number, turned up in their best uniforms and with parents, friends and relatives to see what they have achieved over the past year.

Inspection began with the arrival of H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce and then the inspecting Officer. This was followed by Colours and then prayers lead by the Rev Ken Newton of the Seamen’s Mission.

An inspection team, that came from the UK, consisted of the chief inspected, CDR Binns RN, Area Officer for the Southern Area, LCDR Blaker, RNR, the District Officer, LCDR Dorricott, RNR, the Assistant District Officer and Maj. Weobly, RMR, a Training Officer. Also in attendance was CPO Keith Reddick, O. C. T/S ENDURANCE and H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce.

Firstly, the inspection of each cadet took place. CDR Binns did the inspecting and chatted with each cadet. Following on was H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce, AC Terri Sue Clifford and CPO Reddick.

After a short interval the Cadets demonstrated their skills. Evolution No. 1. was the Cook Steward Demonstration where serviettes were folded into crowns, cones and roses. There was audience participation in this event, where several parents had a go at making roses from serviettes. A communications demonstration was the main function of Evolution No. 2. Where the scenario was an injured tourist at an area near Teal Inlet. Evolution 3. The Jackstay Demonstration, saw cadets using a series of pulleys and ropes to get a bucket from one side of a river to the other.

Following on was a fun event of the evening when the Sea Cadets sent their Training Officer off to Camp to look at the Penguins. Each Cadet gave him something to help him along his way. By the end of the process, Maj. Weobley had accumulated 40 items. Evening Colours followed on at 2030 and this was followed by the presentation of certificates and awards.

The following certificates and awards were presented by H. E. the Governor Mr. Pearce:

Good Conduct Award:

OC Reece Clifford, AC Terri Sue Clifford, AC Elizabeth Newton, OC Robert George, and OC Drew Robertson. (OC is an Ordinary Cadet, AC is an Able Cadet, LC is a Leading Cadet.)

R. Stores Class 3:

AC Elizabeth Newton, OC Reece Clifford, LC Chris Ormond, and AC Terri Sue Clifford.

Electrical Class 3:

OC Robert George

Electrical Class 2:

OC Dion Betts, OC Shane Mitchell

Cook Class 3:

AC Clynt Short

Cook/Steward Class 3:

OC Christian Minto

Communications Class 3:

AC Dion Robertson, OC Adrian Webster, AC Tanzie Bonner,

Marine Engineering Class 3:

OC Drew Robertson, OC Mark Courtney, OC Tom Elsby

To finish the evening, the Inspecting Officer, CDR Binns RN, thanked everyone and said he really enjoyed this Royal Naval Inspection. "Its good to see that this Sea Cadet tradition is being carried out exactly as it would be in the UK." He said. "You are doing wonderfully well considering that we have access to things that you don’t have." He added that T/S ENDURANCE is doing better than a lot of the units in the UK.

"I hope it won’t be too long before some of you can come to the UK and take part in some Sea Cadet training. We are going to try and arrange that." he continued.

CDR Binns RN praised the unit and the wonderful effort put forward by a few dedicated staff members and he put in a plug for volunteers. He also recognised the founding members and those who worked to put the buildings together. And, he recognised the efforts of parents and friends who worked together to raise money to pay for things like insurance.

The evening ended at 2045.

By J. Brock (FINN)

In the United Kingdom It’s been a custom for many years to choose the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet annually. Staff at the TS Endurance, the Falklands Sea and Marine Cadet Unit, have decided that it would be a good idea for the Falklands. Though we don’t have a Lord Lieutenant, we do have a Governor.

The choice of this Sea or Marine Cadet will take place as soon as it is agreed precisely what the arrangements will be.

According to H. E. the Governor, Mr Pearce, "the Governor’s Cadet will take on a particular range of special duties, probably assisting at a number of the special ceremonies which happen during the course of the year."

He continued, "I have to dress up in my uniform, my feathers and the whole lot and the Governor’s Cadet will have an opportunity to dress up in his or her uniform and come and provide some assistance on these occasions."

Governor Pearce happens to have some experience of this particular institution because before he came to the Falkland Islands, he was in Malta as the High Commissioner and he had a High Commissioner’s Cadet appointed each year.

Malta is an independent country but it does have a group of Sea Cadets. It’s about the only independent country in the world that has Sea Cadets to the Royal Navy. There we instituted a High Commissioner’s Sea Cadet each year.

"This is a new institution," said Mr. Pearce. "I hope it will be a special honour to be chosen and I look forward to working with the first choice."

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Tories to send asylum seekers 'far away'

17.55PM BST, 7 Oct 2003

The Tories have unveiled plans to immediately send all asylum seekers to a "far offshore processing centre".

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, the shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin said he expected that the deterrent effect of such a system would produce a "vast immediate reduction" in asylum claims.

He said that the overhauled asylum system would save enough money to pay for an additional 40,000 police officers on the streets of Britain.

However, The Refugee Council said Mr Letwin's proposals were "unlawful, inhumane and ridiculous".

Deputy chief executive Margaret Lally said: "We would doubt very much whether these proposals would be either lawful or workable.

"The idea of exiling those already fleeing their own countries is both inhumane and ridiculous."

In his keynote speech to the conference, Mr Letwin said he wanted to "reclaim the streets" from criminals by giving voters the power to elect an American-style sheriff to run the local police.

Outlining his plans to remove much control of policing from the hands of the Home Secretary, he said: "We are going to give people a real say on the policing of their neighbourhoods.

"We will remove, by law, the Home Secretary's power over local policing.

"We will give every Chief Constable a cast-iron legal guarantee of operational independence. And we will put each local police force under the direct, democratic control of local people."

Mr Letwin vowed that a Tory government would boost police numbers in a bid to emulate the success of New York in cutting crime.

"We must put the police back on our streets. That is why the Conservative Party is committed to having 40,000 more police officers than there were at the beginning of this year."

Also in Blackpool, Tories joined in giving three cheers for Norfolk farmer Tony Martin, who shot and killed a burglar.

The cheers were led by IT consultant Tim Metcalfe, who won an ovation at the party conference when he called for the return of hanging.

Mr Metcalfe, from Weetwood, Leeds, said: "Let us show the country that we really do mean business on crime by showing our support for Tony Martin ..."

Party activists joined enthusiastically in shouting "hip, hip hooray" in backing for the convicted farmer, who was released recently from prison.

In his speech, during the law and order debate, Mr Metcalfe, who hopes to become an MP at the next election, said: "Make prison a genuine punishment, bring back solitary confinement, take away their TVs and snooker tables and let them earn privileges.

"Bring back birching for young tearaways that terrorise council estates and vandalise graveyards, castrate paedophiles and bring back hanging."

Meanwhile, the Tories have become "too defensive" and lacking in "confidence and coherence", according to the party's controversial former chief executive Barry Legg.

Mr Legg, who quit when the role was abolished in May after just three months in the post, said the electorate found it difficult to relate to the party because "all too often" it had no point of view.

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MS: I haven’t heard of the speech but I understand what you say, this idea of offshore processing sounds like a bad idea from our point of view. I really can’t see why we would want to have asylum seekers here just because the United Kingdom doesn’t want them. The difficulty is, if you get people here, on what basis do they come, what status do they have when they arrive, what happens, in particular, if they are not suitable. Where do you send them to? We have had difficulties in the past with people who have arrived here and we haven’t been able to move them on for one reason or another. We have to be careful about that in such a small society.

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"A" Press: 08 October 2003

There has, however, been several days of police corruption stories. It all began last Friday, October 3rd, when Giacomino, the Head of the Federal Police, was sacked for corruption (giving major contracts to companies he was associated with). This was an amusing affair as he was away in Europe on high profile police business at the time and had to abandon this trip and return with his tail between his legs. His replacement was announced today, and will be a man called Eduardo Prados.
Just a day after Giacomino's dismissal, many of the most senior members of the Buenos Aires police were fingered for dismissal too - including the second and third in command. Estimate vary as to how many will finally go. Last Sunday, La Nacion said it would be 24 men, while Clarin thought it might be 12. Today Clarin said that about a dozen are now likely to face charges for corruption! But perhaps as many as forty may go altogether.

Kidnappings are reported to have gone up to an average of about one a day - although there were six in one day reported on October 2nd! Crime in central Buenos Aires has gone up too. I have seen hints in two articles that the police might be turning a blind eye to some of this, and one article said ex-policemen had given information to kidnappers to actually help them. This is probably behind the current move by the Kirchner administration to purge the police.

In other news today, about 16 military criminals from the "Dirty War" are likely to be indicted for trial. Also, Judge Moline O'Connor is finally likely to be removed from the Supreme Court today after an impeachment process that has been going on for weeks. He was a Menem crony, and the second to be forced out, as the new Kirchner government tailors the Supreme Court to its liking.

Also, today, Argentina's corruption index, as measured by an international group called Transparency International, was reported to have gone up to 92 in the world out of a total of 132 countries. Least corrupt was Finland, followed Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand, most corrupt at 132 were Nigeria, Bangla Desh and Haiti. Argentina is on a par with countries like: Albania, Ethiopia, Gambia, Zambia and Tanzania. The assessment was, however, made before the Kirchner Government took office in May.
Economically, Argentina is undoubtedly improving now, but the major economic story remains the attempts by the Kirchner government to get the holders of 94 billion dollars worth of defaulted bonds to accept just 25% of their face value. Bond holders are resisting this. There have been a couple of misery reports too. La Nacion's headline last Monday was that there were 1.2 million old folk without pensions, either because of unemployment or because they had worked in the black economy. There was another story then saying that 4 out of every 10 children are still undernourished because of the economic crisis. Pickets caused chaos a few days ago too blocking streets etc., but they don't seem to be very active now. There are little more than a bunch of pests looking for handouts.

MINEFIELD EXPLOSIONS:

There will be two explosions using Red-fire, of P4B anti personnel mines on Thursday between 1100 and 1200. JSEOD say the controlled explosions will take place in Minefield No. 60.

COURT NEWS:

Military Fire Section Corporal Goodfellow, pleaded guilty today to taking a bicycle without the owner’s consent and riding it whilst under the influence of alcohol. Crown prosecutor, Ros Cheek, told the court that a mobile Police patrol saw Mr. Goodfellow riding a bike erratically and without lights on H. Jones Road at 0246 on Sunday morning. When stopped by the Police, he threw the bicycle by the side of the road and admitted it wasn’t his. Police noticed his speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol. A roadside breath test produced a reading of 62 micro-grams. And, there was another test at the Police Station.

Mr. Goodfellow said that he had been drinking in Stanley Pubs, moved on to the trough and eventually to a private party in East Stanley. On his way back to Hillside Camp he got lost and tried to make his way home. Mr. Goodfellow apologised unreservedly to the Court for his actions, saying he was near the end of a 10 month tour and had been at his own leaving party. He said he had deeply regretted what he had done and that his actions would have a detrimental effect on his career.

Senior Magistrate, Nick Sanders said it was not the worse case in the world but people’s property had to be protected. Mr. Goodfellow was fined a total of £220.00, including £70.00 Court costs and had his licence endorsed.

Also, in Court today, three cases were adjourned for connected driving offences. The trial will be on November the 4th

In an unconnected case, Daniel Praedas Morales of the CFL Pioneer pled guilty of driving a vehicle without insurance. He was fined £250.00 with £70.00 costs and had his licence endorsed.

SOFT TOYS WANTED:

If you are doing some spring cleaning this week, why not give your unwanted toys to a good cause. Anya Cofre from the Charity shop is looking for donations of cuddly toys to help raise money for the Cancer Support and Awareness Trust. To mark the breast cancer awareness month, she will be selling the toys along with ribbon badges at the West Store on Saturday from 1000. If you can help, call her on 21857.