Latest entry
- Newsnight
- 14 Dec 07, 06:07 PM
Our recent film about Policy Exchange’s report “The Hijacking of British Islam” certainly has provoked an angry response from this influential think-tank. Policy Exchange is accusing us of bad faith and of concentrating on what they seem to be suggesting is the trifling matter of some of the documentary evidence used to underpin their findings. They say we’ve missed the main point, that extremist books were recovered in any case.
A quick reminder: In what Policy Exchange billed as the most comprehensive academic study of its kind, four teams of two researchers, not on Policy Exchange’s staff but working on their behalf, had visited 100 mosques and found that in a quarter of the locations they were able to buy or acquire extremist literature. Their report can be read here.
Continue reading "Richard Watson’s comment on the Policy Exchange row"
Recent entries
- Newsnight
- 14 Dec 07, 05:26 PM
Climate Change
“The climate in the climate conference is good,” Germany's environment minister told reporters in Bali, with typical Germanic wit.
But we think things may be hotting up there imminently. We're expecting a deal tonight and hoping it might be finalised by the time we go to air.
The sticking point at the summit so far has been the refusal by America and Canada to sign up to firm numerical targets to cut greenhouse gases. They say they merely operate in a different way - exceeding their own expectations instead of setting targets which they fail to meet.
So does that mean that no deal is possible? We'll be live in Bali, and will talk to the US state department to figure out where things go from here.
Basra
Any day soon British troops are due to hand over control of Basra to Iraqi forces - what have they achieved there?
We have an exclusive Newsnight poll showing what the people of Basra themselves feel about the British troops and their record over the last four years. An overwhelming majority say their presence has had a negative effect on the province.
We'll be talking to the pollster himself and asking how you gauge opinion in such a challenging environment. And we'll ask whether the British military has been a force for good in Southern Iraq.
Click here to view the full poll results (PDF file)
Markets
If the global central banks thought that a one-off cash injection of 50 billion pounds was going to ease the credit crunch, they may be a little disappointed. The markets have failed to perk up. Does that mean they need the same again, or that they're recognizing - from the size of the gesture - just how serious the situation is?
And in Newsnight Review
Kirsty Wark is joined by John Harris, Natalie Haynes and Sarfraz Manzoor to discuss:
Erotic espionage in the film Lust, Caution; Channel 4’s new series Make Me a Muslim; Stephen Fry’s Cinderella at the Old Vic; and the animated film Bee Movie.
Click here for more details
- Newsnight
- 14 Dec 07, 02:54 PM
Policy Exchange's statement is misleading in many ways and doesn't answer the simple question raised by Newsnight's film. Given that the Policy Exchange report was based on the testimony of the researchers who gathered the receipts, do they believe all the receipts are genuine?
Click here to read Richard Watson's comments on the Policy Exchange row
Click here to read the Policy Exchange statement on their website
Click here to read Peter Barron's blog entry, "Disastrous misjudgement?"
WATCH THE NEWSNIGHT REPORT
WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH POLICY EXCHANGE
- Newsnight
- 14 Dec 07, 10:49 AM
Today’s output editor is Dan Kelly – here’s his morning e-mail to the production team:
Road to Nowhere?
The Bali conference was supposed to produce a "Road Map" towards a global deal to cut greenhouse gases. A document is expected to be produced by tonight, but how effective will it be, and why is the American delegation so determined not to sign up to binding targets on cutting emissions for developed countries? Susan Watts and Roger Harrabin are on the case, and we have an interview planned with the State Department.
Climate talks 'heading to deal'
Basra
The handover of Basra province is due any day soon, and certainly before Christmas. Newsnight has an exclusive poll of the people of Basra - what do they think the British have achieved there, and what do they think the future holds? We need a strong interview/discussion off the back of this.
Basra handover to Iraq on Sunday
Other stories to look at include the drugs in US sport report, drugs in the army and the latest on Northern Rock.
- Newsnight
- 13 Dec 07, 05:28 PM
We're devoting almost all our programme tonight to Boozenight.
This is not an attempt to put you off your Christmas cheer. Most of us in the Newsnight office like a glass or two. Or three. Or more. And that's where the problem comes.
Many of us have been shocked how our own drinking consumption appears to mount up. Shocked too at the state of our streets on a Friday and Saturday night.
And surprised at the findings of our opinion poll, specially commissioned for the programme, which demonstrates clearly that as a nation we are worried about booze - indeed we think it more harmful to our society than heroin or cocaine, and a majority of us want the drinking age raised to 21.
It's all very interesting, provocative and disturbing, and it kicks off with the award winning film maker Paul Watson going back to the four alcoholics he filmed seeking treatment in hospital. What has happened to them in their difficult journey - they hoped - towards sobriety?
All week we've been debating many of the issues concerning the country over alcohol - click here to join those debates or leave your comments below.
- Peter Barron
- 13 Dec 07, 10:28 AM
Last night on Newsnight, Dean Godson of the think tank Policy Exchange accused me personally (watch it here) of making a "disastrous editorial misjudgement" and of "appalling stewardship of Newsnight". I think I should respond to that.
Mr Godson was responding to Richard Watson's investigation (watch it here) into Policy Exchange's recent report - entitled "The Hijacking of British Islam" - which accused several leading mosques of selling extremist literature.
In October Newsnight had been due to run an exclusive report on the findings and Policy Exchange had given us the receipts to corroborate their claim that a quarter of the 100 mosques their researchers had visited were selling hate literature.
On the planned day of broadcast our reporter Richard Watson came to me and said he had a problem. He had put the claim and shown a receipt to one of the mosques mentioned in the report - The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in London. They had immediately denied selling the book and said the receipt was not theirs.
We decided to look at the rest of the receipts and quickly identified five of the 25 which looked suspicious. They appeared to have been created on a home computer, rather than printed professionally as you would expect. The printed names and addresses of some of the mosques contained simple errors and two of the receipts purportedly from different mosques appeared to have been written by the same hand.
I spoke to Policy Exchange to try to clear up these discrepancies but in the end I decided not to run the report. This is not because I "bottled" it as Mr Godson suggests, but because I did not have the necessary level of confidence in the evidence presented.
In the days that followed we focused further on the five receipts about which we had concerns and eventually asked a forensic scientist to analyse them. This is what we found.
1. In all five cases the mosques involved said the receipts did not belong to them.
2. The expert analysis showed that all five had been printed on an inkjet printer - suggesting they were created on a PC.
3. The analysis found "strong evidence" that two of the receipts were written by the same person.
4. The analysis found that one of the receipts had been written out while resting on another receipt said to be from a mosque 40 miles away.
Mr Godson says he stands by his report 100%. I also stand by our report 100%. I don't think we can both be right.
- Newsnight
- 12 Dec 07, 05:10 PM
We're leading tonight's programme with a special Newsnight investigation.
In October the influential think tank, the Policy Exchange, produced a report which hit the headlines. They investigated 100 mosques around Britain and claimed that 25 of them were disseminating extremist literature.
Newsnight had been working on a detailed film based on this report but, as we were checking the evidence which underpinned the findings, we began to find some discrepancies which gave us cause for concern.
All will be revealed on the programme.
ROBINSON AND THE NHS
You may remember management guru Gerry Robinson's mission to "Save the NHS".
A year ago he was called in to Rotherham District General Hospital - and his findings were reported in a BBC TWO documentary.
The hospital faced an uncertain future, was struggling to cope with long-waiting lists, staff morale was low and there was a culture of mistrust between consultants and managers.
A year on, Gerry Robinson returns to Rotherham - and finds that much has changed for the better.
But he's now concerned that much of the good work could be undone by changes in government policy.
Is he right to be worried? He'll go head-to-head with David Nicholson, the Chief Executive of the NHS, on the programme tonight.
You can see the full Gerry Robinson documentary at 9pm tonight on BBC TWO.
POLICE ACTION
And we'll have reaction to the Police Federation's call for the Home Secretary to resign over the police pay deal.
- Newsnight
- 12 Dec 07, 12:01 PM
Today's output editor is Liz Gibbons. Here's her morning e-mail to the production team.
We have an investigation Richard Watson and Nick Menzies have been working on about Muslim extremism. More details later.
Gerry Robinson is still trying to save the NHS - an update of his documentary goes out tonight at 9pm on BBC2. Gerry Robinson is coming on to discuss his latest findings with the Chief Exec of the NHS, David Nicholson.
That leaves us room for one or two other stories - what do you fancy?
Brown's new Afghan policy? Police pay - could we find out who the disgruntled ministers are?
It's Brown's last PMQs of the year too.
- Newsnight
- 12 Dec 07, 11:36 AM
The third in our series of debates this week ahead of Thursday's special programme, Boozenight:
Doctors have warned of an alarming rise in the number of patients they are seeing with alcohol-related diseases.
We spend more on treating drug-related illness than we do alcohol. But the NHS nevertheless spends a huge amount of money in this area.
Is it time to cut back or do we need to spend more? Should the NHS be paying to treat people with alcohol-related conditions at all? Should the drinks industry play a part in this treatment?
And does a patient in need of a liver transplant because of alcohol abuse deserve to get one?
The third in our series of extracts from Rain In My Heart is now online. Click here for more details
- Newsnight
- 11 Dec 07, 05:50 PM
Return To Baghdad
Tonight we have a fascinating film from Mark Urban about the dramatic changes brought to one area of South Baghdad by the recent US troop "surge”. Seven months after his first visit, Mark Urban returns to Doura with the 30 men of 2nd Platoon, 12th Infantry of the US Army.
Where once there was chaos and frequent killings, now a degree of normality has been restored. Mark goes on patrol, sees the sectarian peace walls, speaks to Sunnis and Shias, and considers whether the security gains brought by the "surge" can be sustained. We also hear from the troops on the ground as they end their 15 month tour of duty. Was the loss of their comrades in arms worth the relative peace now secured in Doura?
Climate Change
As the climate talks in Bali stutter forwards, the EU is stressing that any future deal on climate change will fail unless it is seen to be fair. The new polluters India and China object to the current system of measuring emissions on a countrywide basis because they say it disguises the fact that their emissions per person are comparatively low. In the case of India, one twentieth the level of the average American.
Many delegates say that per capita emissions should become part of any final deal, so what are the facts? We have a series of films from around the world, and an interview with the environment secretary Hilary Benn, live from Bali.
Algerian Attack
We'll also look at who was behind today's terror attack in Algeria - just how big a threat is Al Queda in North Africa?
- Newsnight
- 11 Dec 07, 10:54 AM
Today’s output editor is Dan Kelly – here’s his morning e-mail to the production team.
Good morning.
Seven months after his first visit, Mark Urban returns to al-Doura with US 2nd Platoon. After "the surge" of troops in Baghdad the change in al-Doura has been dramatic. Mark goes on patrol, sees the sectarian peace walls, speaks to Sunnis and Shias, and considers whether the security gains brought by the surge policy can be sustained.
We have a film from Roger Harrabin about the per capita emissions of developed and developing world countries. We have a live interview with the Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, and we hope to have a wider discussion about the chances of success at the conference.
We need to keep an eye on Afghanistan, too...
- Newsnight
- 11 Dec 07, 10:25 AM
We continue our series of daily debates on alcohol, ahead of Thursday’s special programme, Boozenight.
Today we want to focus on whether the government has got it right with drinking legislation. Consider three areas:
24 hour licensing, which is now just over two years old. Has this brought us any closer to the drinking culture of our continental cousins, or merely aggravated the already high incidents of binge drinking and anti-social behaviour?
Consider also whether the minimum drinking age is still appropriate? In an effort to tackle teenage drinking, should the age be raised from 18 to 21, perhaps? Or should it be lowered?
And what of advertising? Should there be a threshold of, say, 9pm before we see alcohol being advertised on TV, or should it go the way of tobacco and be banned entirely?
Is it time to change the law?
You can now watch the second in our series of extracts from Rain In My Heart, Vanda’s story. Click here for more details.
- Newsnight
- 10 Dec 07, 05:27 PM
Afghanistan
The symbolically important town of Musa Qala has been recaptured from the Taliban by Afghan troops with a lot of support from the US and British forces. Two British soldiers have been killed in the fighting and hundreds of civilians have fled the area. The Prime Minister, who was in Kabul today, promised to follow up victory with economic assistance for an area that currently provides half the world's heroin. We'll have the latest from Mark Urban on how Musa Qala was taken and whether it can be held.
Basra
Meanwhile on a visit to Basra yesterday Gordon Brown confirmed that the province will be handed over to the Iraqis within a fortnight. But what deals had to be struck with local Shiite militias to enable the pullout to take place? Mark has been speaking to General Bill Rollo, the highest ranking British soldier in the Iraq theatre. So is he saying it'll all be over by Christmas? Well, not quite.
Conrad Black
The erstwhile press baron will likely be sentenced to between six and a half and eight years in jail, he was told by a US judge today. But in an interview for Newsnight, recorded last week from his Palm Beach mansion Conrad Black was still protesting his innocence. He also told us that if he was sent to jail that wouldn't be the end of his battle to clear his name. We'll bring you that interview tonight.
Kosovo
Kosovan Albanians and Kosovan Serbs are not quite at daggers drawn yet but relations are at their worst ebb since NATO bombed Slobodan Milošević out of power back in 1999. Today was supposed to be the deadline by which a deal on the final status of Kosovo was agreed with the UN. No deal has been reached so what will happen now? Allan Little has been to Kosovo to find out if the troubled province can ever peacefully become a nation. And we'll interview David Miliband who has been in Brussels trying to hammer out the European Union stance on the way forward.
And in what many here think is the music event of the year for middle-aged headbangers, Led Zeppelin will be playing their first proper concert for 19 years. We're hoping to playout from there.
- Newsnight
- 10 Dec 07, 11:26 AM
Britain’s love/hate relationship with alcohol has led to many headlines over the past 12 months. 24-hour licensing has been a reality in England and Wales for two years now, binge drinking stories are often in the news, and doctors have been alarmed by the rise in the number of cases of alcohol-related illnesses.
With 15 drinking days to go until Christmas, Newsnight is making ready for Boozenight. In Thursday’s programme, we’ll debate many of the issues that have been shaping our perception of the nation’s relationship with alcohol.
But we start the discussion today. Each day we’d like to address a different area of debate online…
Continue reading "The price is right?"
- Newsnight
- 10 Dec 07, 10:00 AM
Good morning. Carol Rubra is today’s output editor – here’s her morning e-mail to the production team.
Let's talk about what we should lead on today?
Kosovo
The nominal deadline for international mediators to decide future status of Kosovo passed today. So what happens next? Alan Little has done a piece for us on the uncharted waters Kosovo is now entering. I'm bidding for a Foreign Office interview off the back.
Time up for Kosovo status talks
UBS
UBS have announced £5 billion of write-downs as a result of the sub prime mortgage crisis in the US. This is one of the largest write-downs of any global bank. Are there more to come?
UBS posts fresh $10bn write-down
Conrad Black
We have an "end of year" interview with Conrad Black, recorded last week. He's due to be sentenced today.
Conrad Black awaiting sentence
General Rollo
Gordon Brown has said that the British will handover control of Basra within two weeks. Mark Urban has been speaking to General Rollo about the deals they struck before pulling out of Basra Palace. What about a discussion on whether the British are right to withdraw from Basra, whatever the cost?
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