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Archives for June 2009

Panorama's week that was - 21-29 June

The crisis in Iran shows no sign of abating, two weeks on from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election on 12 June.

When Jane Corbin made her film for Panorama shortly before the election, the focus was on US President Barack Obama's relationship with the Ayatollah. Just two weeks on and the focus has turned to Obama and Ahmadinejad. The US President has responded to Ahmadinejad's criticism of the US for condemning Iranian violence against protesters. Obama is accusing Iran's president of trying to deflect attention from himself at this time of civil unrest.

As the deadly clashes between police and protestors look set to continue, the question being asked now is

has unveiled plans to save £15.5m over the next three years, which is likely to include cuts to staff employed by the council who provide care of the elderly. As Panorama found in its recent film about the strained state of care, Britain's Homecare Scandal, privatisation of homecare services for the elderly can risk the quality of care.

In making the programme, a Panorama reporter went undercover to reveal the problems with the Carewatch Care Service provider in York.

John Kinsella, regional organiser of the trade union Unison, explains: "We are amazed that the council is going down this line given the findings of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Panorama programme recently. Staff employed by City of York Council to provide care services do so to the highest standard. Providing good value for money and maintaining direct provision is in the best interest of the community in York."

But Council leader Andrew Waller said that while more savings may become necessary after the next General Election, he stressed that the council would not compromise on the quality of services.

Other stories back in the news

Jockey Darren Williams has been from racing for three months, following an inquiry by the British Horseracing Authority.

It comes a year on from the Panorama programme, , which sparked the inquiry.

Paul Kenyon's film revealed the abuses that the betting process was open to, and how hundreds of thousands of pounds could be made from betting on horses to lose.

Woolworths announced it is making a comeback as an internet business. The ex-High Street giant will live on, albeit online, six months after it went into administration.

In April, Panorama followed five former Woolworths employees, as they faced the uncertainty and stress of unemployment in Life After Woolies.

It has been 10 years since Scottish devolution, a decade that has included many highs and lows, as Andrew Black for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland news website .

A new ´óÏó´«Ã½ Scotland survey has revealed that 41% of people in Scotland believe devolution is a good thing while 46% of people felt it made no difference at all.

In Panorama revisits the issues facing the Scots and interviews the key players who could hold the country's fate in their hands. ´óÏó´«Ã½ One, Monday 29 June at 8.30pm.

Devolution, evolution...revolution?

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Eamonn Walsh | 16:39 UK time, Friday, 26 June 2009

That Panorama felt compelled to cover Scottish devolution twice inside of 18 months in 1974 and 1975 showed what a huge political issue it was.

That it took until May 1999 for a devolved to actually sit shows what a difficult subject it remained.

And that the debate over the possible next step in the process - full independence for Scotland - remains as shows how sticky an issue it remains. As Panorama's 2009 take on the 'Scottish question' concludes it's not a decision that can be ducked forever.

Even since the formalised the relationship between England and Scotland by creating one parliament at Westminster tensions in the union have been evident. Activists and organisations almost immediately began agitating for the return of a Scottish parliament.

The campaigning remained low-level until the early 1970s when the discovery of huge reserves of oil under the North Sea reignited the debate.

The (SNP) grew in strength, making political capital about the ownership of the oil. At a stroke, the discovery of oil made the Westminster subsidy to Scotland - upon which the Scottish economy depended - irrelevant. It was at this time that Panorama first investigated the subject and you can watch an abridged version of that film here:


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The SNP won 30% of the vote in Scotland in the and began to force the agenda on devolved power. Publicly, the three major parties in the UK all supported a referendum on the question. So much so that devolution seemed a given in the very near future when Panorama revisited the subject in November 1975:


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Privately though, support was divided and perhaps that helped contribute to the lack of a sufficient 'yes' vote in the referendum of March 1979.

A couple of months later, the new Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher swept into power and the issue moved into the background. The Scots often claimed they were marginalised by successive Tory governments and New Labour made hay with this in 1997 - making devolution a central part of their .

Though supporters of the union hoped devolution would soothe the nationalist call for full independence, in some respects it has had the opposite effect.
has perhaps strengthened the nationalists' hand for the battles ahead. Battles that all involved hope will not rage on for a further 300 years.

Panorama: Moonwalking and muck-raking

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Eamonn Walsh | 17:49 UK time, Wednesday, 24 June 2009

The language of space exploration still resonates 40 years on: , and of course the much-argued over, . But much of that early optimism has since been extinguished.

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, American and Soviet rivalry over the mastery of space had been simmering since the late 1950s. US President John F that the United States should commit itself to sending a man to the moon and returning him safely to earth by the end of the decade upped the stakes considerably. The space race was on.

Though the Soviets achieved many space firsts - like the first man in space in in 1961 and indeed the first woman in in in 1963 - they were narrowly beaten by the United States when Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission became the first men to set foot on the moon on 20 July 1969.

Given the huge scale and ambition of space exploration, it was no surprise that Panorama had covered the development of the throughout the 1960s.

Sometimes the films just touched on the latest advances but on other occasions, and true to form, Panorama was the fly in the ointment.

Indeed, on the very day that the UK was waking up to the news that man had landed on the moon, Panorama ran a report on the around the Kennedy Space Center in Florida who argued that the billions of dollars would have been better spent on feeding the starving millions. You can watch that report at the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s latest archive collection.

In December 1968, Panorama was on less controversial ground. The programme gained unique access to Nasa just a few days before the launch of - whose crew became the first men to travel to the far side of the moon. Panorama was also fortunate enough to follow Nasa advisor Tom Paine as he supervised the launch of the second . The success of these missions paved the way for the moon landings the following year. You can watch an abridged vesion of that film here:

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Though the US returned to the moon several times, the excitement and optimism of that first time was never matched. The early successes of the rekindled some public enthusiasm - but age, tragedies and economics have withered the public sentiment. The space shuttle programme has come to the end of its life and its replacement programme - known as Constellation and due around 2016 - has been .

Though its reputation has been tarnished over the years, space travel still has the power to humble and to move, as James May's recent flight to the edges of the earth's atmosphere showed. Maybe the 40th anniversary will once again show the post-war space programme and the moon landings as one of man's finest achievements.

Panorama's week that was - 16 - 21 June


Iran remains in crisis following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election on 12 June - with intense and violent demonstrations on the streets of Tehran from supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi. They are collectively demanding to know what happened to their votes.

On Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei banned protests, prompting street violence in which at least 10 people died.

Protesters are continuing to the Ayatollah, as well as Iran's Revolutionary Guards - an elite armed force that has vowed to crack down on new street protests.

Severe reporting restrictions have been placed on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and other foreign media, with the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s permanent correspondent in Iran, Jon Leyne, being asked to leave the country.

Last Tuesday, the Guardian Council - the country's supreme legislative body - announced it would recount votes in areas where results were contested - but Mr Mousavi and his supporters want the election re-run. The Ayatollah has backed the disputed election results.

On the eve of the election, Jane Corbin went to Iran to report on the signs that a possible shift in attitude was taking place amongst the people - a change that could lead to a new political chapter for the nation.

If you missed the programme, "Obama and the Ayatollah", watch it here.

Sir Allen Stanford surrendered himself to the FBI last Thursday and is now in custody, charged with an worth £6bn.

His arrest comes just a month after Panorama's John Sweeney reported on the Texan billionaire who ran Stanford International Bank from the Caribbean island of Antigua - a bank which at one point attracted Mexican drug money.

If you missed it, watch Panorama's The Six Billion Dollar Man.

MPs' expenses were made public last Thursday,
more than a month after the scandal first broke - but many of the details have been blacked out, with officials citing "security" or "privacy" reasons.

Figures show that a total of 182 MPs from all parties have repaid £478,616 since the crisis began in May.

´óÏó´«Ã½ News Online have collated some of the
that people have spotted and emailed the ´óÏó´«Ã½ about, and also has a search tool for

On Friday, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ learned that Scotland Yard has decided to launch an by its economic and specialist crime command into the alleged misuse of expenses.

At the end of May, Panorama responded to the public's anger at the scandal by looking into other areas of MPs' working lives in Is Your MP Working for You?


Last Monday's privacy programme, The Death of Kiss and Tell,
featured a scathing attack on the paparazzi from singer Pete Doherty.

This received a lot of attention on a host of celebrity gossip websites across the globe, which is indicative of the level of intrigue surrounding the thoughts of someone who effectively feeds the paparazzi machine.

In an entirely separate issue of press freedom, a Belfast court has upheld a journalist's right to keep her

Police had ordered Suzanne Breen, northern editor of the Sunday Tribune, to hand over information on the Real IRA - but the court ruled her right to life outweighed public interest in the prevention of crime.

Panorama reporter John Ware was among a handful of senior journalists who have covered the Troubles who were called upon to give evidence in support of Suzanne Breen. John's recent analysis from Northern Ireland is available


Pakistani troops have been involved in fierce fighting against the Taliban in the Swat Valley, a part of on its north-west border with Afghanistan, for the last two months. It was announced last week that the Pakistani was nearing its end.

That optimism is questioned by Panorama's John Sweeney in his

John gained rare access to the frontlines of what US President Barack Obama described as "the most dangerous place on earth".

On his visit to Swat, John followed Pakistan's long and complicated relationship with the Taliban - which had taken almost total control of this area.

Battle of Swat Valley, ´óÏó´«Ã½ One, Monday 22 June at 8.30pm or on ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer.


Panorama's week that was -- 9 - 15 June


Iran has dominated the news since we broadcast our programme Obama and the Ayatollah last Monday.

Jane Corbin's report featured scenes of devotion for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and it was no surprise to find that the nation voted in record numbers last Friday.

Ahmadinejad's re-election was announced on Saturday, prompting vast numbers of Mousavi supporters to take to the streets in protest. There were also immediate calls from the three opposition candidates for the election to be annulled and re-run, with claims that millions of ballots had gone missing.

Protests continued on Monday, with several people reported to have been killed, and on Tuesday the Guardian Council - the country's supreme legislative body - announced it will recount votes in areas where results are contested.


On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he will back the creation of a Palestinian state - as long as it is completely demilitarised and that it accepts Israel as a Jewish state.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen gave his of this landmark development for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ News website, in which he explains that pressure from US President Obama, whose view that the only chance of Middle Eastern peace lies with the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, appears to be working.

In February this year, Jeremy Bowen reported for Panorama on the Israeli military offensive that bombarded Gaza for 22 days, killing 1,300 Palestinians.
If you missed Gaza: Out of the Ruins you can watch it on our website.


A report from the London School of Economics has said that granting amnesty to long-term illegal immigrants in the UK could add up to £3bn to the economy, which would raise spending on welfare services and housing.

The report was commissioned by London Mayor Boris Johnson. He said: "This new report has introduced some long overdue facts, hard evidence and academic rigour into a debate which has far too often been dominated by myth, anecdote and hearsay."

There are about 618,000 people living illegally in the UK of which 442,000 are in London. In Paul Kenyon followed one of the most dangerous illegal immigration routes into Europe, used by thousands of migrants seeking a better life.

A year later, Panorama caught up with some of the migrants he met, to find out if life in Europe had lived up to their

Paul Kenyon was so moved by what he discovered when he first researched the topic for Panorama's Destination Europe in 2007 that he decided to write a book about the struggle of one African migrant trying to reach Europe. Read about Paul's reasons for writing this very personal story called I am Justice - A Journey ouf of Africa.


The boyfriend of Baby P's mother is to against his convictions for the role he played in the boy's death and the rape of a two-year-old girl.

The 32-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed last month for life with a minimum term of 10 years for the rape. He was also given a 12-year sentence for his role in Baby Peter's death in Haringey, north London, in 2007.
The attorney general has confirmed the sentences, which were reviewed, will not be referred for appeal.

Following the convictions last month, Panorama's ongoing investigation into what happened to the little boy who can now be known as Peter revealed the missed opportunities to save the toddler. Watch Baby P - The Whole Truth?
here.

We also spoke to Peter's grandmother about what she saw in the months leading up to her grandson's death, which is also available on our

And you can also watch a video of about the moment they found Peter, and their attempts to resuscitate him.

Panorama's week that was - 1-8 June

Last week proved very damaging for both Gordon Brown and the Labour party. A month after the expenses scandal first rocked Westminster, he lost five ministers through resignation and had to come up with a 'make-or-break' cabinet reshuffle hours before the UK went to the polls to vote in European elections.

You can read all the results of the 2009 Elections but in short, support for Labour has plummeted to a historic low, while the Conservatives managed to increase their share of the vote.

The fact they have done this appears to show that they have been less badly affected by the expenses scandal than Labour.

The UK Independence Party's significant gains mean they now have the same number of MEPs as Labour, while the British National Party has its first two seats in the European Parliament.

Alarming as this may be for some, analysis shows that the reason for the BNP's gains is down to a collapse in the Labour vote, rather than any huge surge in support for the right-wing party. But we can't avoid the fact that the overall political landscape of Europe is moving towards the right.

Despite these results, the low number of voters show that for the most part, people are not feeling a massive desire to change the status quo. Perhaps this is down to the disillusionment that people feel with all politicians?

In response to the public's anger at the expenses scandal, Panorama looked into other areas of MPs' working lives in Is Your MP Working for You?

While Europe was focused very much on itself, the USA and the Middle East were focusing on their relationship with one another.

In a landmark speech from Cairo, US President Barack Obama called for a new beginning in US relations with the Muslim world.

But before he spoke, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had delivered his own speech, in which he said that the US was still "deeply hated" in the

Iran's presidential elections take place on Friday, and the election is not just about who becomes the next president - it will also shape Iran's future relationship with the West.

Panorama's Jane Corbin went to Iran to look at how the nation might vote, and to ask whether Barack Obama's recent plea for greater understanding will be heeded.

If you missed Monday's programme, "Obama and the Ayatollah", watch it here.

A judge has found Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt responsible for the 1998 which killed 29 people and injured 200. Mr Justice Morgan made the ruling at the High Court in Belfast after a landmark civil action case brought by some of the families of the victims.

Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were also found liable for the attack while Seamus McKenna was cleared. The relatives have been awarded more than £1.6m in damages.

In September 2008, seven years after his award-winning programme Panorama reporter John Ware revisited the subject in

John gives his latest analysis of Monday's judgement

There has been a huge wave of pension closures this past decade, but over the last year the situation has worsened for those hoping to retire because the stock market - which many pensions are based on - has lost so much of its value.
Barclays, BP and supermarket chain Morrisons have announced they are to join the long list of companies to downgrade their final salary pensions.
Panorama first asked the question, in November 2002, and in March this year reported on Britain's long-running pensions and savings time bomb in

If you missed the programme you can watch it again here.

The MMR debate is back in the news, with calls growing for compulsory MMR vaccinations for children attending school and nursery.

Last Tuesday, the Welsh health minister Edwina Hart said she was exploring options for compulsory vaccination in response to the largest measles outbreak in Wales in the last 20 years. And on Thursday, the public health expert Sir Sandy Macara gave his backing to compulsory vaccines.

Uptake of the MMR vaccine fell sharply after controversial research wrongly linked it to a raised risk of autism.

Back in 2002, award-winning Panorama reporter Sarah Barclay sorted the fact from the fiction about the triple jab and asked what the Government should do to avert a measles epidemic in


Panorama's week that was - 25 May to 1 June

Last week, with the MPs' expenses uproar dominating the news, Panorama looked beyond the scandal to other areas of politicians' working lives. In Is Your MP Working for You?
Shelley Jofre reported on the other avenues available to MPs to bring in money, either for themselves or their families, without technically breaking any rules.

But the expenses scandal is just the beginning of a new wave of scrutiny at Westminster. Three weeks on, the story appears to have moved on to the perhaps more enduring debate over what it all means for the UK's political landscape, particularly as the financial crisis continues.

As European elections draw closer, many people are commentating on whether the degree of public anger felt about expenses, combined with the credit crunch, will change the electorate's views so much that we could see a populist backlash. Speaking on the Today programme, Historian Niall Ferguson explained how the we've witnessed will be even more powerful because it has coincided with the biggest financial crisis in recent history.

Significantly, Ferguson explains the way in which political upheaval has historically followed on from financial shock, typically benefitting nationalistic parties of the far right.
Back in 2001, Panorama reported on the British National Party's claims it has renounced its past associations with racism, violence and Nazi ideology. In , we revealed, through the testimony of insiders, a very different take on the organisation.

On Saturday, Pakistani troops drove Taliban rebels out of Mingora, the main city in the Swat valley - an area that has seen over the past few months, starting with a new and intense criticism of the Taliban from the Pakistani public, and culminating with military action.

In Britain's Terror Heartland, Jane Corbin made the hazardous journey to the frontlines to report on the Pakistan government's renewed commitment to fighting militants on its border with Afghanistan.


Last week, the widow of Kevin Brendan McDaid, the Catholic father of four who was beaten to death by a sectarian gang in Coleraine, against retaliation, saying that her husband would not have wanted it. He was attacked and beaten by a loyalist mob close to his home last Sunday.

Just over a year ago, Declan Lawn returned to Northern Ireland to see how much things have changed 10 years on from the Good Friday Agreement. His conclusion, a decade on, is that life is .

Also from Northern Ireland, the five main teachers' unions have called on politicians to work together to come up with ways to reduce the stress levels on pupils while protecting the curriculum.

The unions want urgent meetings with the education minister and the assembly's education committee amid claims that some schools are considering being forced to abandon the curriculum to focus on the tests.

Vivian White reported on the pressure that primary school children were facing from exams in

On a similar note, musician and ex-teacher Sting gave a at the Hay Literary festival for an end to the scaling down of music lessons for school children.

Casting an eye on CCTV

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Eamonn Walsh | 15:08 UK time, Monday, 1 June 2009

It's a familiar story. Take any journey outside your home and your movements and your image will be recorded many times on CCTV.

The authorities claim cameras make society safer - helping solve crime and stop anti-social behaviour. In return, civil liberties groups claim but much to erode privacy.

It was generally with crime prevention in mind that in the UK but today it is employed in almost any way you can think of.

is currently investigating the across the UK.

This ubiquity is, of course, at the centre of the debate. Our acceptance of the presence of CCTV in our public spaces is the danger, say groups and . Others claim if you have nothing to hide then what's the problem?

However, now the battleground is changing. Campaigners' fears are no longer restricted to concerns over the monitoring of our physical movements, but about the monitoring of our online movements too. The blogging community is a powerful lobby to such an extent that - an organisation not know for making public comment - felt compelled recently to issue a it was creating a system to allow surveillance of all internet and telephone use in Britain.

Mention of GCHQ conjures up images of spying, eavesdropping and of course, the Cold War. It was in this climate in 1964 that Panorama looked at the issue as this abridged version shows.

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Today's heated debate over the use of cameras and other surveillance techniques in everyday life is not reflected back in 1964's programme, even though civilian use was mentioned. This is perhaps not surprising, given the limited availability of the very basic technology - and limited use - at the time.

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