FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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FRIENDS’

GAZETTEY O U R V I T A L A L T E R N A T I V E

ISSN: 2053-4426

CLASH OVER MILK CLAIMA CLASH between an i n d u s t r y r e p -resentative and raw m i l k p r o d u c e r s erupted at a meeting in London this month.

The incident happened at a debate organised by the government’s Food Standards Agency attended by raw milk producers from all over the country.

The watchdog is currently mounting public consultation over the future of raw milk regulation which ends next week.

But at the meeting held at the Congress Centre in Russell Street, central London, Luisa Candido, nutrition and technical manager at Dairy UK rubbed other delegates up the wrong way.

Speaking from the podium she said: “Raw milk does pose a serious threat to human health. Even though hygiene practices can reduce the risk they cannot completely eliminate it.”

And she went on to claim: “The ban and restriction of raw milk sales have an effect on reducing the incidence of i l l n e s s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e consumption of raw drinking milk.”

H e r c o m m e n t s s p a r ke d a n immediate response from the floor

and chairman Julian Worricker was forced to intervene saying: “Let Luisa finish please.”

A member of the audience who didn’t give her name claimed Ms Candido was ignoring evidence about the safety of raw milk. “I find those comments you made scary and dangerous,” she said.

And she went on: “Simply because you choose not to research or to read the scientific evidence that is out there in humungus amounts does not mean there is not any scientific evidence [proving raw milk is safe].”

And another member of the audience from Germany said he didn’t like using the term “raw milk” but preferred to just say “milk” and “pasteurised milk”.

“I can’t understand why artificial

milk should be considered healthy while natural milk which has been drunk for thousands of years should pose a problem for health,” he said. Raw milk is another name for non-pasteurised or untreated milk. In the UK pasteurisation was introduced in the 50s when it was thought untreated or raw milk carried bovine tuberculosis which could be transferred to humans. The FSA consultation which

began in February has considered a number of options. The favoured way forward seems to be to ‘harmonise’ regulations across all parts of the UK, excluding Scotland where sales of non-pasteurised milk are banned, and that non-bovine raw milk such as goats’ and sheep’s milk should all be subject to the same safeguards.

These are basically that farmers can carry on selling un-pasteurised or raw milk directly to the public from their farms or at farmers’ markets and via the internet but not from vending machines or dispensers in shops.

Steve Wearne, head of policy at the FSA, said the agency’s preferred approach was to “seek to strike the right balance between allowing consumer choice and protecting public health.”

‘Scary and dangerous’ comments about raw milk spark irritation and shock at meeting

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

Dear Mr Fantasy, play us a tune. Something to make us all happy. Traffic 1967! 2

THINK you know your bhajias from your biryani; your korma from your kulfi?

If so, you could be in line for a massive £50 voucher at one of London’s top Indian restaurants.

For the highly-rated Masala Zone group has joined forces with Friends Gazette to give you the chance to tuck into their menu for free!

The veggie-friendly London-wide group was created by Camellia Panjabi who was born in Mumbai and studied economics at Cambridge.

Her book, 50 Great Curries of India is an Amazon best-seller.

Marketing manager, Joe Sripitana told FG: “The group is in the midst of refurbishing the restaurants to raise the decor standard up to match the food in order to appeal to a wider

range of clientele. We are happy to offer your readers an opportunity to win this voucher and experience ‘a real taste of India’ at Masala Zone.

“We offer genuine Indian food from the true sources – the gourmet homes and street stalls across India’s regions – prepared by skilled chefs from those regions.”

FG editor Stephen Ward said: “We are glad to be able to offer

readers this opportunity. “We are always pleased to work

with our partners who spot the value of  tapping into our engaged, diverse and rapidly growing readership.

“We are familiar with Masala Zone and it’s a favourite destination with many of our readers.”

Masala Zone branches can be found at Bayswater: 75 Bishops Bridge Road, W2 5BG Tel: 020 7221 0055. Camden Town: 25 Parkway, NW1 7PG Tel: 020

7267 4422. Covent Garden: 48 Floral Street, WC2E 9DA Tel: 020 7379 0101. Earls Court: 147 Earls Court Road, SW5 9RQ Tel: 020 7373 0220. Islington: 80 Upper Street, N1 0NU Tel: 020 7359 3399. Soho: 9 Marshall Street, W1F 7ER Tel: 020 7287 9966. Selfridges: Garden Cafe, 4th Floor, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, W1U 1AT.

Answers should be emailed to friendsgazette@gmail.com and marked ‘quiz’ in the subject area.

The winner will be selected at random from correct answers.

The judges’ decision is final. Closing date is TODAY!

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THE QUIZ• Who created Masala

Zone?• Which restaurant is the

Masala Zone flagship?• What is the meaning of

‘masala’?• There are plenty of

veggie dishes on offer at Masala Zone; name two.

• What is a kulfi? A spicy dip, a type of bread or an Indian ice cream?

answers to:friendsgazette@gmail.com

subject: quiz

Puppet on a string - the enchanting decor at

Masala Zone’s flagship restaurant in Floral Street,

Covent Garden

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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ISSN: 2053-4426

Ukip is set to clinch victory in next month’s Euro elections thanks to the support of British Asians.

The United Kingdom Independence Party led by the charismatic Nigel Farage has already passed the Tories a n d t h e l a n g u i s h i n g L i b e r a l Democrats and is snapping at the heels of the Labour party according to pre-election opinion polls.

And despite claims that it has a racist agenda the party is garnering much needed votes from British A s i a n s , m a ny o f w h o m a r e

disenchanted with Labour their previous natural home.

One of the main reasons Asians are supporting the party is its stance on open-door European immigration, which it opposes, and the fact that it wants out of the European Union.

Ronnie Singh, chairman of Sikh division of Ukip, has been quoted as saying: “My grandfather ki l led Japanese in the war so I could vote Ukip and stop Bulgarians stealing my Polish window cleaner’s job and stop Britain converting to Pakistan.”

And referring to the last Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten - adored by Brit ish- loving Indians - S ingh

repor tedly added: “ I had my Mountbatten moment when Nigel Farage shook my hand during a visit to the Sikh temple in Gravesend, Kent.

“It proved definitively that those who say the Ukip are in any way xenophob ic , are noth ing but complete bounders. Nigel loves a curry as much as any Sikh in Britain, make no mistake about it.”

But Dr Robert Ford, of Manchester University, has pointed out that Ukip's true motive is to win over white voters.

“Those who like its policies but are reluctant to back a party that has accusations of racism swirling around it.

“The racist charge carries a significant sting," he is reported as saying.

“There is a large population of voters, not just ethnic minority voters, who will rule out parties if they consider them to be agents of intolerance might be one way of putting it.

“So Ukip have a strong desire to make sure they aren't seen in those terms.”

The European elections are set for May 22nd.

The European Parliament is made up of 766 members elected across its 28 member states.

The UK has 73 members. Germany has 99, the largest number of MEPs.

Elections are held every five years.

British Asians set to boost Ukip Euro vote

Nigel Farage, who snubbed a Westminister bid this week, in the European Parliament.

WIN FREE TICKETS TO VEGFEST BASHEIGHT free tickets for the VegFestUK event in Bristol this month are up for grabs for lucky FG readers.

We’ve scooped six passes for the event (23rd-25th May) and another two just for the Saturday gig.

All you have to do is send in your name to friendsgazette@gmail.com and say which day you’d like to go and whether you prefer the event or the gig.

Closing date for entries is Monday, May 12th. One prize per entry.Winning names will be drawn at random. Judges decision is final.

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

True friendship is when you walk into their house and your wi-fi connects automatically. (Annon - internet probably)!! 4

AS THOUSANDS of followers of Gurinder Singh’s Radha Soami group converged on a holiday resort in the Costa del Sol this month one Spanish newspaper gave the event in-depth coverage.

El Mundo, a leading national, carried the story with a picture of cars parked outside the centre in Alhaurin de la Torre, Malaga, which it calls a ‘temple’ and a headline which reads ‘An Indian guru draws thousands of people a c r o s s Europe’.

A n d a sub-heading d r a w s attention to t h e f a c t that the use of mobiles, c a m e r a s and note-taking is prohibited during the group’s ‘meditation events’.

‘En los actos y jornadas de meditación se prohíbe el uso de móviles, cámaras y tomar notas’, the paper's strap line reads.

The article goes on to describe the guru, who once lived and worked in Spain and who speaks fluent Spanish, as: ‘El hombre que lleva dos décadas enseñando el Sant Mat, el camino de los santos,’ which translates as ‘The man who has for two decades taught Sant Mat, the way of the saints.’ Meanwhile the Indian press has focused on Indian politicians trying to gain access to ‘deras’ in a naked bid to get “an assured win” in the general election currently under way.

Punjab's 9,000 deras (spiritual centres) make rich pickings for vote-hungry politicians, particularly those seeking the votes of untouchables or ‘dalits’, the majority of dera followers.

India Today reports: “Punjab is a land of gurus who take on an important role during elections when politicians come seeking their blessings and votes.

“For politicians in Punjab, the campaigning is not just limited to

m o l l a h s (priests) and v i l l a g e s o f t h e i r constituency, i t a l s o i n c l u d e s paying visits to ‘deras’ for an “assured win.” A n d t h e p a p e r c o n t i n u e s :

“Dera, which also means a seat or a sect, is a place from where a particular religious guru originated.

“According to an estimate, there are over 9,000 deras in Punjab.

“Though many Sikhs frown upon deras, a sizeable chunk of dera followers are dalit Sikhs and dalit Hindus (untouchables).

“In fact, Punjab dalits have their own deras, which are home to over sixty different sects.

“Namdhari sect, Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, Dera Sacha Sauda (Sirsa Haryana), Radha Swami Satsang, Dera Sachkhand Ballan, Dera Baba Rumi Wala and Bhainiarawala Dera are some of the prominent deras in the state. The number of dera followers is in crores (hundreds of thousands).”

Spanish event is covered in national press

Summer probe into death of volunteerAN INQUEST into the death of a volunteer injured at a Bedfordshire spiritual centre is set to continue on July 30th.

Amrik Blaggan, 57, of Broad Street, Kidbrooke, south east London, suffered severe head injuries in an incident at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas India UK headquarters in Haynes Park on Friday, April 4th.

He was attended by helicopter ambulance (Magpas Helimedix) and then taken to Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge where he died on Sunday, April 6th, the day after his birthday.

The helicopter arrived at the scene at 12.26pm on the Friday with doctor Jon B irks and paramedic Keir Rutherford.

T h e t e a m w h o f l ew t h e Helimedix to the scene was pilot Richard Eastwood and crew m e m b e r A d a m B r i g h t . A n ambulance crew, a rapid response paramedic and Beds police were also present.

The inquest opened on April 11th at the Bedford Coroners Court in Woburn Street, Ampthill, before being adjourned to the summer.

The Magpas helicopter

A visit by a popular guru in a holiday ‘Costa’ and vote-hungry politicians visiting spiritual centres in the Punjab spark reports in the Spanish and Indian newspapers

Cour

tesy E

l Mun

do

‘Cars parked outside the ‘temple’ in Alhaurin de la Torre’ - El Mundo

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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FRIENDLYFEEDBACKfriendsgazette@gmail.com

FRIENDLYCOMMENT

Raw deal for the UK’s milk lovers

PICTURE the scene.It’s a warm summer morning, or

a cold winter one or any other one for that matter.

You venture down to the local grocery store to pick up some milk for your coffee, tea, hot chocolate or even just to drink on its own.

You prefer the ‘raw’ version; the un-pasteurised kind.

You’ve heard of its health giving properties - asthma, eczema, allergies of every sort, even unwanted growths on the neck and other parts of the body miraculously disappear, you’ve heard, when raw milk is imbibed.

Not that you or your friends suffer from any of these conditions. You just like to eat and drink naturally - away from chemicals, genetic modification and other interference with ‘God’s own’ creation.

And there, stacked in the cooler, is shelf upon shelf of ‘raw milk’, brought in from local farms - unpasteurised, un-homogenised, un-sterilised - un-adulterated!

You help yourself and tuck in.There’s only one problem. It’s

not the UK - anywhere in Europe, sure, but just not here!

And now it seems regulators may crack down on non-bovine milk too!

Why? Why, in this country do we run scared of blinkered scientists who want to limit choice?

Why does the mainland respect freedom of choice the way we in the UK just can’t?

Let’s stand up for our rights! Tell the Food Standards Agency and/or your local MP you want to be treated as a grown up and don’t need the nanny state deciding what’s ‘good’ for you! ED

ISSN: 2053-4426

Published by Stephen Ward Publications, London, England.

HI STEVE,I hope you’re well!I've been enjoying the FG as ever.

Keep up the good work.Would you like to include an

article on Jonny VelÓn (my artist name) and the start of my crowd funding campaign?

I will be using Kickstarter, a crowdfunding company, to raise funds for my first studio album that I am recording this summer.

A short article in FG highlighting my cause may help me hugely and would no doubt be of interest to your readers, especially those into new music and helping artists.

My funding campaign starts May 1st and is only for 30 days so the below copy and attached photo would need to go to press May issue please!

What do you think, is this possible?

By all means adjust my copy as you see fit.

Warm wishes,

JonBristol

Well done, Jon.I’ll be happy to include your article in the April issue.After all, it’s what FG is here for.

Best of luck!(see story p10.)ED

I will be making a claim after reading FGAFTER reading the FG about claiming compensation (Fear over rights to justice: FG March) I will be taking legal advice hoping I can win my case.

I was hurt in an accident at a traffic light which was not working.

Luckily there was a witness coming the other way and they have said they are willing to help me fight my corner.

I have hurt my shoulder and hip and I feel it wouldn’t have hap-pened if the light was working properly.

Thanks again for encouraging me to take this step.

Name withheld for legal reasonsLondon

Informative and enjoyableTHANK you, Steve [for the FG].

Informative and enjoyable.Be well.

Vivienne CarlsonWinchmore Hill

COMMENT

It’s what we’re here for, Jon . . .

THREE inaccuracies occurred in the ‘Camera, Lights, Action’ article on page 10 of last month’s FG.Nigel Lesmoir-Gordon’s name should have had a hyphen.Mark Stevens should have been Mark Stevenson.And the character ‘John’ was not a mathematical genius as stated in the article but a budding author.Susie, another character, is the maths genius.We apologise for the errors.FG aims to be accurate, fair and balanced in all reports. If we get anything wrong we are keen to put things right as soon as possible.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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NEWS

Nazi orchestra was a ‘cultural plunderer’THE CO-FOUNDER of an organisation fighting for the restitution of art looted by Nazis has s l a m m e d ‘ c u l t u r a l plunderers’ of the era.

The criticism comes as the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra has this month written to possible heirs of the owner of an unnamed masterpiece by French artist Paul Signac.

T h e p a i n t i n g h a s b e e n languishing in storage vaults at the Austrian cultural giant and has only just come to light.

The orchestra which purged Jewish members and became a propaganda handmaiden to the Third Reich has pleaded ignorance about this artwork until now.

Marc Masurovsky, an historian and co-founder of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project, said: “It’s always the same story. ‘We didn’t know. We didn’t know where to look. What to do?’

“How many times do intelligent people have to act like simpletons, especially in a country like Austria, where so much loot from France was laundered and which produced so many agents of cultural plunder?”

T h e p a i n t i n g shows a sailing ship moored in a harbour a n d d a t e s f ro m 1883.

It was stolen by a German military secret police official from a member of the French resistance at the beginning of the Second World War.

It was handed over to the orchestra

by Hitler’s henchmen as a thank you for performing in occupied France in 1940.

After more than 73 years the orchestra sent out letters to the owner’s heirs this month telling them the painting had been found.

President, Clemens Hellsberg, told the International New York Times: “We

are thrilled that this property from Vienna will be transferred to France and to the right persons. It was a l w a y s a k n o w l e d g e a n d a responsibility. It was really a moral

problem.” He said efforts to find the rightful owners began in 1999 after Vienna city council issued an edict that the city’s museums, libraries, archives and collections should check their stock with a view to identifying any ‘questionable’ items. The orchestra took on a law firm to help. And he added: “Now tha t we have the information everything seems logical and easy, but we went down many, many wrong ways.” Mr Masurovsky commented:

“Certainly such pleas of ignorance d o n ’ t s a y m u c h a b o u t t h e sophistication of the law firm that represents the Philharmonic and nor does it say anything good at all about the willingness of the management of the Philharmonic to find out who the true owner of the painting was.”

by Stephen Ward

The unnamed painting by Paul Signac

Marc Masurovsky

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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SAINSBURY’S own brand of organic sultanas have been pulled from supermarket shelves nationwide after tests found the product contained salmonella. The item is popular across all diets especially vegetarian and vegan ones featuring organic items.

A spokesman for the company said: “We are recalling sainsbury’s SO Organic Sultanas (500g packs) because low levels of salmonella were found during routine testing.

“Food safety is our top priority so we immediately took this product off display and, as a precautionary measure, we are asking customers who have bought these sultanas to return them to their nearest Sainsbury’s store where they will receive a full refund.

“We apologise to customers for any concern and inconvenience this causes.”

UK food watchdog the Food Standards Authority said: “Sainsbury’s is recalling all date codes of SO Organic Sultanas on a precautionary basis because salmonella has been found

during routine testing.“If you have bought this product, do

not eat it. Instead, return it to the store where you bought it for a full refund.”

According to the Public Health England website while anybody can be affected by the bug young children and the elderly and people with weak immune systems are at the greatest risk from salmonella poisoning.

“ Symptoms i nc l ude wa ter y diarrhoea, stomach cramps and sometimes vomiting and fever,” it says.

No other Sainsbury’s products are known to be affected.

Sainsbury’s pull salmonella sultanas after ‘routine’ tests

NEWS INVESTIGATION

PROPERTY show queen and long-time veggie, Jasmine Harman has turned vegan - FG can reveal. The lithe A Place In The Sun

presenter, who has convinced numerous couples to choose France over England as home, told Steve Ward: “The French do great salads. If you like goat’s cheese you’re OK. My staple was goat’s cheese salad. Sometimes I had it twice a day.”

Jasmine, who is married to cameraman Jon Boast and who recently gave birth to daughter Joy, will now be scouring Britain for vegan items.

Reason? She has switched with co-presenter Jonnie Irwin to cover the UK end of the show so she can spend more time with her family over here.

NO HARMAN IT!

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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Indian Catholics snap up UK monastery

INDIAN Catholics have snapped up an ancient former monastery and begun developing it into a retreat centre.

St Augustine’s Abbey, in Ramsgate Kent where Chr i s t i an i t y was reputedly first preached in England,

has already been the venue of an inaugural mass attended by top UK and Indian Catholic clergy as well as hundreds of Catholic Indians.

Now the Vincentian Fathers group which follow a charismatic form of worship want to turn it into a regular UK retreat centre working hand-in-hand with its ‘headquarters’ in

Moorangor, Kerala, south India. Speaking on the Divine Retreat Centre UK website Rev Fr Augustine Valooran said: “We are grateful to every one of you for your prayerful encouragement and financial support.” The abbey was one of the Benedictine monasteries in Britain forming the English province of the international Benedictine congregation of Subiaco, Italy. The abbey was founded as a result of the invitation from Bishop Thomas Grant, the first Bishop of Southwark, to the Italian abbot Dom Pietro Casaretto, to send monks from St Benedict’s own monastery at Subiaco to undertake a mission at Ramsgate. By 1856 a Gothic church by the famous Gothic revivalist architect Augustus Welby Pugin was built on the site and donated to the

diocese of Southwark.According to the its website the

Divine Retreat Centre is “the largest Catholic retreat centre in the world.

“Since 1990, over 10 million pilgrims from all over the world have attended retreats here. Weekly retreats in seven languages are held non-stop every week of the year.”

special FG report

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONSIs an article wrong or unclear?

Get your specs out and tell us about itFriends’ Gazette

is keen to keep stories fair, balanced and accurateemail: friendsgazette@gmail.comPlease put ‘c&c’ in the subject areaThanks - from us and our readers!

Inaugural mass at St Augustine’s monastery

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

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FEATURE

TRANSCENDENTAL meditator and FG friend Jonny VelÓn is looking for support in making his debut studio album this summer.

Jonny is a singer and songwriter based in Bristol, England.

He writes songs about beauty and magic, love and loss, conflict and struggle, man and nature, the sublime and the everyday.

Inspired by many of the great British and American popular songwriters, his music also comes from his classical piano training and his love of jazz, world and classical music.

Speaking to FG last year about his meditation practice Jonny said:

“There is a physical and mental reassurance that TM gives - at its best it feels like the whole universe is holding me like a mother holds her new born baby.”

His band has been playing shows this last year and gaining fans of their exact and moving arrangements of his songs.

Now he is looking to the larger music-loving public, FG readers included!, to help him achieve his dream of a fully-realised studio album.

And in return for help in the making of this record, Jonny is offering exlusive rewards such as free copies of the album, signed memorabilia and even VIP recording studio visits during the making of the record.

The 30-day crowd-funding campaign starts May 1st and will run for 30 days only, during which supporters can donate to the project if they wish and sign up to the cause.

“The end result will be a unique and arresting record that will, in a way, have been made as much by the new community formed and my band,” Jonny told FG. 

For more information about Jonny VelÓn, his music and how to join the album project, go to www.jonnyvelon.com

To find out more about transcendental meditation click here.

Help Jonny; get arrested!

Facts about crowd funding

In the past five years the crowd funding industry has grown by an estimated 1,000% – according to industry analysts.

While, at the same time, the scheme has provided around $10 billion in funding to startups and small businesses.

The crowd funding industry’s expected to grow by an additional 92% this year.Pictured left and below Jonny Velon in the studio and on stage.

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

True friendship is when you walk into their house and your wi-fi connects automatically. (Annon - internet probably)!! 10

Get away to bonnie Scotland!

Rennaldburnself-catering farmhouse

Rennaldburn is a 17th century farmhouse which sleeps seven to eight.

We also rent individual rooms ~ and can provide a veggie or vegan breakfast if

requested the previous day.

We are Buddhists and revere all life - so we do not take hunters or anglers.

Best rates. Reductions for FG readers.Find us on: www.gonebeyond.co.uk

Eskdalemuir, Langholm. Tel: 01387 373277

FG NEWS! 30 APRIL 2014

True friendship is when you walk into their house and your wi-fi connects automatically. (Annon - internet probably)!! 11

Depuis le 2 Avril, Manuel Valls est officiellement le nouveau Premier Ministre. Encore un jour plus tôt et l'on aurait cru au Poisson d'Avril.

Mais non, c'est bien vrai, Jean-Marc Ayrault fait ses bagages et retourne dans sa ville de Nantes. Manuel Valls, lui, est à présent le «deuxième homme» de la France, si l'on peut appeler ça ainsi. Mais cette décision prise par le Président de la République François Hollande est-t-elle judicieuse ? Va-t-elle être bénéfique pour les étudiants ? Pour les retraités ? Pour la France ?

L'ancien ministre de l'Intérieur veut économiser de l'argent en supprimant les aides au logements des étudiants ou encore diminuer les régimes de retraite. Plus de 13 millions de personnes sont concernés

par le gel des pensions, un chiffre considérable. Cette méthode permettrait à la France de renflouer les caisses, mais à quel prix ? Rendre

les retraités en besoin permanent ou encore voir des étudiants obligés de travailler pour pouvoir manger ?

Les ministres élus vont-ils s'en sortir avec les multiples fonctions qu'ils contiennent ? Et le Premier Ministre, n'a-t-il pas des idées contraires à son Parti ?

Des étudiants non-boursiers, les parents n'ayant pas de difficultés salariales, doivent déjà travailler pour pouvoir subvenir à leur besoins car les parents ne leur donnent pas d'argent. Ils galèrent à trouver un boulot entre les emplois du temps chargés des écoles et les devoirs. Déjà, ce facteur est affligeant.

Alors, en plus, il faudrait que les bourses des enfants en difficulté de

part les revenus des parents soient enlevés ? C'est assez incompréhensible quand l'on imagine où cela pourrait mener. Il y aurait des difficultés à trouver du travail, tous les étudiants courant après, il n'y aurait pas assez de place pour tout le monde, compte tenu du chômage qu'il y a en France. Alors, imaginez.

Continuons ainsi, verriez-vous des retraités qui ont travaillés toute leur vie pour pouvoir se payer une petite maison, être diminuer de leurs retraites ? C'est inimaginable à penser.

Valls veut trouver des solutions mais ces solutions ne sont pas adéquates pour rêver d'un monde sans pauvreté. Il y a déjà assez de chômeurs, de SDF et de pauvreté en France pour en rajouter.

Parlons aussi du rôle qu'ont a joué les ministres. Des Ministres réduits et remplis de fonction comme Najat Vallaud-Belkacem qui s'occupe des Droits des Femmes, de la ville, de la jeunesse et des sports, ou encore Stéphane Le Foll qui est porte parole du gouvernement, ministre de l'Agriculture, de l'Agroalimentaire et de la forêt. Quatre fonctions à lui seul. Et pour finir, Valérie Fourneyron, ministre d’État au Commerce, à

l'Artisanat, à l’Économie sociale et solidaire.

Quand le verdict des ministres a était lu, toutes les télévisions françaises se sont empressés de dire combien il était compliqué d'avoir plusieurs fonctions et comment cela serait-il possible de s'en sortir ?

Depuis l'affaire des Roms, un autre problème inquiète les Français. Manuel Valls serait assez catégorique et négatif envers les immigrations et les sans-papiers quand l'on voit sa réaction face à l'affaire Léonarda. 16

Manuel Valls est sur un volcan

FEATURE!

Manuel Valls croit être sur un nuage, mais il est sur un volcan. C'est ce qu'affirme Christophe Barbier, directeur du journal l'Express.

par Victor Donadei

Des étudiants et des retraités en risque pour

la France?

Les fonctions des ministres : trop chargé ?

Manuel Valls et son penchement vers la

droite :

Manuel Valls

FEATURE! 30 APRIL 2014

True friendship is when you walk into their house and your wi-fi connects automatically. (Annon - internet probably)!! 12

AS a group, refugee professionals are likely to have higher levels of qualifications and marketable skills than the UK population, and yet, according to Greater London Authority, more than 70% of the refugees in London are out of work.

Transitions London is a social enterprise dedicated to getting refugee professionals into jobs befitting their qualifications and skills.

Managing director Sheila Heard describes the typical reception a refugee might face in the UK.

A refugee, or ‘forced migrant’, will arrive in the UK after facing ‘reasonable fear of persecution’ in their own country, and then have to claim asylum, explains Ms.Heard.

Transitions’ candidates largely come from Syria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, North and South Sudan and Zimbabwe, with the numbers from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan having climbed noticeably since Transitions was started in 2011.

Most have graduate qualifications, in the fields of Engineering, Finance and International Development. Transitions has had candidates previously employed by

international NGO’s and companies such as Oxfam, Bechtel and also the UN. (Ms.Heard estimates that, for whatever reasons, over 90% of them are male.)

While most of the world’s refugees are located in less developed countries, ‘people do target Britain,’ she says,

‘because they feel they’re going to be treated properly, or they hope they are…’. A common misconception, she adds, is that refugees actually want to come to the UK at all.‘They’re here because they have to be, but for most people, the only thing they want to do is to go back... The motivation isn’t to settle. The motivation is to be safe.’ Obtaining asylum in the UK is an extremely difficult and complicated process, and most people’s claims are rejected; in fact, according to the Refugee Council, in 2010 only 25% of the people who claimed Asylum achieved it.

While a forced migrant is always ‘refugee’ in the literal sense of the word, while the Home Office is processing their request, they haven’t yet qualified for the legal status ‘refugee’ - they are, instead, an Asylum seeker.

This means that under UK law, they have very few rights beyond their basic human rights. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work, and, having no recourse to public funds, can’t apply for benefits, claim jobseekers allowance, or live

Transitions London is a community interest company tasked with finding work for refugees and asylum seekers in London. Managing director and founder, Sheila Heard, talks to FG’s Sophie Shao

Seeking refuge

Sheila Heard

FEATURE! 30 APRIL 2014

True friendship is when you walk into their house and your wi-fi connects automatically. (Annon - internet probably)!! 13

in council housing, and many of the services designed to help asylum seekers have been shut down, notably legal services. ‘The right services just aren’t there.’ Ms.Heard states.

Both refugees and asylum seekers are also invisible under the important piece of legislation, the 2010 Equality Act, which lists a number of protected characteristics such as gender, sexuality, religion etc.

Many employers channel large amounts of money every year into building diverse, pluralistic workforces, using the Equality Act as guidelines, and so refugees not being mentioned in the Act means that employers aren’t even aware of this cavity in their workforce. ‘It’s outrageous.’

Ms.Heard says. ‘I don’t know how it happened.’ All of these factors, combined with the social stigma attached to asylum seekers (much of which stems, says Ms.Heard, from anti-immigrant campaigns conducted within the media during the early 2000’s) means that asylum seekers are, almost by definition it seems, unemployed, unemployable and often homeless. ‘It wouldn’t even go through most people’s heads here that refugees or asylum seekers could be highly skilled.’

If a person does achieve Refugee status, they gain full access to education, employment, housing and other public services.

However, Ms.Heard adds, this only lasts for five years, after which a refugee must apply for ‘indefinite leave to

remain’ if they want to stay in the UK. Again, it can take a long time for the Home Office to

process an application, up to a year in some cases, and also requires the applicant to hand in all of their identification, including their travel documents and refugee status card, leaving them stranded without any official identification.

Before that, however, despite their new-found rights, even the most qualified refugees will struggle to find employment. Widespread misunderstanding of what asylum seekers and refugees actually are leaves them highly vulnerable to unconscious, and plain old conscious bias, Ms.Heard says.

While Transitions London can only take on candidates with Level 2 English or above, any kind of broken English can make potential employers hesitant, and the situation becomes increasingly difficult as the unemployment gap on their CV gets wider.

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Unable to find professional work, JobCenter Plus nowadays directs refugees into applying for entry level jobs, rather than assisting them with guidance and work experience to return to their professions, as they might do with other clients.

Ms.Heard describes the case of Transitions candidate Elfateh Ahmed, who had to leave his home in Afghanistan after being persecuted for working with the UN to rebuild city infrastructure.

Ahmed, a highly qualified civil engineer, applied to Transitions London, and was subsequently found a three week training course on tunneling safety with Crossrail, the precise kind of opportunity for which the JobCenter receives taxpayers money to finance.

The job center, however, unwilling to pay for Ahmed to go on a course which could have lead to future employment, forced him to decline the offer, and take up full time work in a Halal butchers shop, where he now works.

The job center has no policies or staff training or targets related to refugees. ‘There’s no supervision, it’s completely off the radar. The refugee council aren’t doing anything. Nobody’s doing anything.’

What the UK needs, Ms.Heard says, are better settlement services - ‘It doesn’t need to be such a traumatic experience,

just finding somewhere to live and work.’ However, ultimately, it seems that the most important thing is raising awareness of the realities of being a refugee or Asylum seeker in the UK.

The little-challenged mentality about immigration in this country is that ‘we’ (a country of many second or third generation migrants and European cross-breeds) are ‘letting them in’.

However, few people have any idea what that really means - that having refugee status doesn’t grant any kind of special treatment, or some kind of fast-track priority ticket for employment.

Token gestures such as ‘Refugee Week’, which celebrates the contributions of refugees to our society, and celebrates ‘Britain’s tradition of welcome’, could actually prove destructive in the long term, by bolstering this idea that by ‘letting them in’, we’re doing more than enough, hitting our humanitarian quota for the year, without promoting any thought for ‘What now?’

Sophie Shao

Ce sont les lois, il faut respecter ces lois» en a jugé le Ministre de l'Intérieur à cette époque. Manuel Valls a viré Léonarda de son école et de la France.

Puis François Hollande a essayé d'être plus fin en disant qu'elle était autorisée à revenir en France seulement si elle venait seule, sans sa famille.

Le Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples (MRAP) a porté plainte envers Valls pour provocation à la haine, la violence et la discrimination raciste.

Le 24 Septembre, Manuel Valls avait déclaré au micro de France Inter que les Roms avaient vocation à retourner en Bulgarie et en Roumanie, et avait ajouté «J'aide les Français contre ces populations, ces populations contre les Français.».

Le gouvernement Valls va-t-il changer quelque chose ? Va-t-il être plus constructif et efficace que le gouvernement Ayrault I et Ayrault II ? Va-t-il économiser sans avoir besoin à supprimer des choses primordiales pour les retraités comme pour les étudiants ?

Réponse dans trois ans.

13

Victor Donadai is a regular FG contributor. He is a journalism student in Toulouse.

Christophe Barbier,

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