Iran clerics declare election invalid and condemn crackdown – Times Online

It seems even thought state repression of the opposition movement is getting worse there appears to be a storm facing the supreme leader and his pal Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – is this the beginning of the end?

Martin Fletcher in THE TIMES: “Iran’s biggest group of clerics has declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election to be illegitimate and condemned the subsequent crackdown.

The statement by the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qom is an act of defiance against the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has made clear he will tolerate no further challenges to Mr Ahmadinejad’s “victory” over Mir Hossein Mousavi.

“It’s a clerical mutiny,” said one Iranian analyst. “This is the first time ever you have all these big clerics openly challenging the leader’s decision.” Another, in Tehran, said: “We are seeing the birth of a new political front.”

Professor Ali Ansari, head of Iranian Studies at St Andrews University, said: “It’s highly significant. It shows this is nowhere near resolved…”more

Iran clerics declare election invalid and condemn crackdown – Times Online .

Police fear far-right terror attack.

Vigilance is needed with regard to the threat posed by the lunatic fringe of extreme right terror groups.

Vikram Dodd in the THE GUARDIAN: “Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command fears the extreme right will stage a deadly terrorist attack in Britain to try to stoke racial tensions, the Guardian has learned.

Senior officers fear the attack will be a “spectacular” that is designed to kill people. The counter-terrorism unit has moved officers to beef up its monitoring of the extreme right's potential to stage attacks…”more

via Police fear far-right terror attack UK news guardian.co.uk
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End public pay excess, say Tories

So the Tories now are keen supporters of envy. The politics of envy is a core value to modern Conservatism. It’s rather a puzzle though as we all know, without doubt that public sector workers are made up of people on low pay Would Bullingdon boy, George Osborne want to give up his well paid jobs in order to become a care assistant or road sweeper? Public sector pay by and large has been held down over the years. Alistair Darling’s call for a public sector pay freeze, his leap into popularism and Tory feeling’s of envy and jealousy should not be supported by Labour politicians. George Osborne should not deceive the general public; there has been no “age of excess” in public sector pay, some Tory friends in the City have made fortunes in this recession and continue to do so. I am all in favour of focussing pay increases for low paid public sector workers but perhaps senior well paid executives who probably vote Tory anyway could face a freeze.

BBC NEWS: “A Tory government would end the “age of excess” in public sector pay, shadow chancellor George Osborne has said.

He told the BBC pay should reflect economic conditions and the Conservatives would change the “culture of Whitehall” to save money.

Meanwhile, a pressure group's report suggests more than 1,000 council bosses earn six-figure salaries.

The government said this justified its plans to make councils publish the pay packages of 2,500 top earners.

A report by the Taxpayers' Alliance suggests those earning £100,000 or more rose by 27% in a year – with at least 16 people being paid more than Prime Minister Gordon Brown…”more

via BBC NEWS | Politics | End public pay excess, say Tories.