I see that after several telephone calls from Bignews Margate to the Electoral Commission, KCC etc that video "Guide for First Time Voters" has now been withdrawn from KCC Kent TV.
The point at issue, was the fact that the video was suggesting that in up coming elections, there was only one vote per ballot paper, which is true for many but not in some electoral divisions if there are two candidates not one. I understand that in the euro election you do only have one vote but please check I'm no expert and neither its seems is 4 star KCC.
See previous post. I HOPE KCC DO SOMETHING TO ADVERTISE THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE GIVEN OUT INFORMATION WHICH MAY HAVE A SERIOUS EFFECT ON THE OUTCOME OF ANY TIGHT WIN IN KENT'S COUNTY ELECTIONS.
At the Kent TV board meeting in December 2008 the following was the last item of the meeting:
ReplyDelete"It was agreed that the next meeting with be focused on marketing both in income generation and also raising the profile of Kent TV. It was also agreed that the Board will discuss how to cover the elections next year."
No date of the next meeting was given and I cannot find any minutes of a meeting this year. I wonder if this meeting will be held after the elections, Kent TV being outside the normal OFCOM election regulations.
Tony,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip on this, I called the Kent TV newsdesk direct as well - and I am having a pop at kent TV, quite openly and directly for poor quality, lazy reporting, and a totally misleading slice of information about the forthcoming elections.
Police closing in on deal for spy in the sky
ReplyDeleteKent police are at an “advanced stage” on talks to put spy planes in the skies over the county.
That’s the claim from defence contractor BAE Systems. A spokesman said: “There have been some trials going on around the UK, and it’s fair to say talks with the police forces interested are at an advanced stage.”
The spy planes are called UAVs or ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’. The small flying machines are commonplace over the world’s warzones and some of them are even armed and able to deliver lethal force over wide areas.
But now their power could be turned on civilians, and as wars between countries with money to spend start to dry up, the developers are looking for new markets – potentially worth up to £5 billion in the next decade.
Police forces are starting to show an interest in utilising the drones over the skies of Britain, and Kent is at the forefront of the controversial development.
While they may have been successful in combating the Taliban, it remains to be seen how they can be used to protect the public in residential and rural areas.
Possible applications being suggested are they could be used to track muggers, spot stolen vehicles, and catch illegal immigrants out at sea.
Essentially, anything visual a camera-equipped helicopter can do, a UAV will be able to match. They are controlled remotely by operators on the ground.
On-board cameras are powerful and the UAVs can currently stay in the air for around 20 hours - much longer than a manned helicopter crew ever could.
Police chiefs in Kent and Essex, plus senior officials from BAE have teamed up to create what is called the South Coast Partnership.
Favourite to be used over Kent is the Herti – or ‘high endurance rapid technology insertion’ vehicle.
Sounding like something from a sci-fi movie, it is suggested Herti aircraft could even spot crimes automatically and then guide ground forces to the villains.
It is reported the UK business could be worth around £300 million a year for BAE.
David Kershaw, business development director of autonomous systems and future capability at BAE Systems said: “We think we can capitalise on opportunities in the sector.
“We believe the way to go is to build from the military market, then go into the security market and finally capitalise on the civil market."
It set up a global Unmanned Aircraft Systems team 12 months ago to provide a ‘one-stop’ service for customers.
A spokesman said: “BAE Systems is the industry leader in autonomous systems and is developing and adapting this technology for a wide range of land, sea and air platforms.
“At a time when budgetary pressure on resources and new and emerging threats add to the challenges faced by personnel already dealing with everyday incidents and events, there could not be a better time to introduce autonomous technology to the civil arena.
“In the future, an operator will simply upload a mission plan to the autonomous vehicle, send it safely on its way in civil airspace and then take action based on the information output produced by the system and its sensors.”
The Civil Aviation Authority will be involved to give permission to fly the UAVs near airports.
It had been hoped Herti would be developed for civilian applications in time for the 2012 Olympic Games on Kent’s border, but Kent police have cast doubt on that.
A force spokesman said: “We are still in talks, but it is unlikely to be in the air before the Olympics. There is a lot to be ironed out over possible air space conflicts.”
There have been strong objections to the move. Shami Chakrabarti, the director of human rights group, Liberty, said: “It’s a grave step in any democracy to use military surveillance methods against your own peacetime population.
“Where is the lawful authority for this policy? When was the parliamentary debate?
"A paradigm shift in privacy protection can’t be left to cosy little deals between big business and local police.”
KOS