About the SKWAWKBOX

The SKWAWKBOX is owned and run by Steve Walker.

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George Orwell said that in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. The blog hopes to provide some revolutionary truth to counteract the double-speak that politicians and ‘leaders’ use to try to fool people, to get us to acquiesce or co-operate in things we would reject if we knew what they really meant. The best antidote for bad or deliberately misleading information is good information – so if you think what you read here is good information, please spread the word.

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153 comments

  1. I have copied your blog – and the video, to the Guardian and other papers, SWAWKBOX fully acknowledged. Daily Mirror too focussed on another story…interestingly the Guardian already had that clip of Nutall being in two places at once – it was in their football archive but hadn’t picked up on the contradiction, – so well done!!
    https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2017/feb/10/paul-nuttall-reacts-to-hillsborough-inquest-verdict-archive-video

  2. I am the UK’s leading court precedent/authority on vexatious decisions ref GIA/3037/2011 Dransfield v ICO .
    I believe the ICO are in meltdown are a Tory Gatekeeper. The ICO are on record that CHILDESEX ABUSE IS NOT in the Public Interest or Serious Purpose.That has been recently supported by Police Chief Nick Bailey who appears to be showing a Fig Leaf to Padeophiles.
    I also believe that a previous ICO Decision Notice which upheld a Surrey Police vexatious decision has now compromised the current Child Sex Scandal Inquiry.
    Over the past 6/8 weeks three Gov Ministry’s have relied upon the Dransfield Vexatious BS to apply section 14/1 Vexatious . They are
    1.Home Office
    2.MOD
    3.Ministy of Justice

    In a nutshell the ICO are turning a wilful blind eye to the abuse of section 14/1 Vexatious Exemption as a Get out of Jail freecard scapegoat.

  3. Steve please get in touch as soon as possible, hot news of more Tory corruption, relating to Gloucestershire County Council, judgment has been made that they must publicly disclose information that is in the public interest, that which campaigners have been denied since the start of this particular contract. It is detailed but I have an email with links that give yo the picture, scullduggery awarding a contract and misinforming the people of Gloucestershire, secret documents released thinking they were redacted, were accidentally sent out by the council, which proved that they misinformed people.

    Really hot stuff, hope you can get mileage on it and the press feel obliged to pick it up and run with it. There is a local paper article (within the email) explaining the councils dilemma about them being forced to make information public, even though by mistake they have already done that.

    Next Wednesday campaigners will be attending the CC meeting and ask questions relating to this contract.

      1. In this aggressive internet age, I can see why you would not want to make yourself a public target. You are not the same as an anonymous troll, because you have built a reputation that you damage at risk to you. Also many people know who you are.

      2. Thank you Steve, I depend on your judgement and helpful reportage on current matters. As a lifelong socialist [the left wing sort…] I find your comments invaluable.
        WTF is Starmer doing ? [No need to answer that] I resigned my membership of the LP because Starmer called the people who pulled down Colstans statue ‘lawless’. I thought it was a wonderful,vital and splendid moment.
        Yrs., in solidarity, Kim.
        Aged 72 Glastonbury.

  4. I now have prima facie evidence that Balfour Beatty/London legacy AND the HSE colluded to cover up a construction death on the Olympic Stadium in June 2015. Can Skwawkbox assist me to expose these soundrels please.
    Geoff Stansfield will verify my source

  5. Keep up the good work. I would like to get in touch could you possibly drop me an email at the supplied address I can respond to? Thanks

      1. Hi I am having all sorts of problems trying to like comments. I just get directed to WordPress who seem to be selling website set ups, I can’t see how to register with you. Can you advise?
        Ps I have donated.

      2. Hey SB….I’m having the same problem posting BTL, with posts not appearing. Not sure if it’s a WordPress glitch. I’m a socialist and monthly subscriber to SB – Can you sort this glitch out please? Thanks.

  6. Can’t find your email address so am doing this as a comment:
    Last night, observing the count at the council elections, a Labour colleague told me that the government, AKA May, is pressuring the CPS not to do anything about the MPs under scrutiny for false election expenses until after the General Election. Have you got any news on this?
    And Skwarwkbox is great – keep telling everyone to read your stuff. Many, many thanks.
    Lesley

  7. You do a great job and i am a strong supporter but you’ve scored a huge own goal with your article about DWP sanctioning ESA claims for a year for not finding work after two years. I can categorically tell you that there is no such legislation, policy or guidance. I don’t know who told you the info but I suspect someone who wants to panic and scare disabled claimants. It’s certainly done that! Without one element of truth in it. There are 7 other factual errors in it apart from the sanctioning info. If your author can substantiate the sanctions info with any link to relevant legislation I will donate £100 to you immediately.

    1. I was asked by a campaigner to put out an urgent bulletin about the DWP sanction and checked it with 3 long-term DWP employees who confirmed it was correct. They were wrong, which says a lot about the state of Universal Credit and the government’s incompetence. Soon as better information was available, it was published.

  8. Can you give me a link to an article you wrote about JC having no PLP staff? I am in a discussion on FB about the validity of your site.! This does ring bells. I also remember your (?) correction of thius

  9. Steve an important issue for Cheltenham A&E has cropped up, clearly a case of downgrading, or put more succinctly downsizing:

    GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S A&E CRISIS

    FOR CAMPAIGNING USE

    Following all the conjecture about possible changes to the Accident and Emergency Unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, on the morning of October 19th the NHS issued notification that the department had been reduced in capability to a minor injury unit for all patients with bone related injuries, such as breaks or fractures, with immediate effect. It is stated that this arrangement is to run for a five month trial period!

    That means that from now on the unit can accept self-presenting orthopaedic injuries – meaning those that are able to reach the department on foot or by car. They are assessed, stabilised with plaster or sling etc., and referred to a fracture clinic. But if the patient’s condition is more serious the ambulance service will be called to take them to for treatment at the Gloucester Royal A&E. It has been acknowledged by NHS management that Cheltenham General Hospital no longer has the staff capability to manage A&E patients that existed hitherto.

    Despite NHS assurances to the contrary, the A&E service at Cheltenham has been downgraded. What up until four years ago was a fully-functioning unit is closed twelve hours out of twenty-four, to 999Ambulances; has a limited capability when it is open, and otherwise at night only runs a minor injuries unit, manned by minor injury unit staff rather than designated emergency personnel.

    Residents of Stroud will remember a similar pattern of events a little closer to home. We still have a minor injuries unit – of sorts – at our local hospital, but for how much longer? We will all be affected by the developments taking place a few miles to the north of us.

    Staff from within the service, report the following:

    1. Between Gloucester and Cheltenham Hospitals the total number of resuscitation beds has been reduced by two, and some of the X-ray and other facilities that would normally be part of a functional A&E unit have been lost. This is adding pressure to the already overstretched A&E Unit at Gloucester.

    2. Many of the staff at Gloucester A&E reported to us, that right up until the time the downgrading at Cheltenham took place, they had not been informed of any changes.

    3. Following the A&E changes, emergency orthopaedic patients from the Cheltenham catchment area, both within and beyond the county border, who would normally have been taken to Cheltenham A&E, will have to be taken to Gloucester, adding to the strain on Gloucester A&E.

    4. Staff at Cheltenham A&E have stated they believe that the “five month trial period” is not be trusted. They recall the temporary night closure to 999 ambulances that came in four years ago, to allow time for staffing levels to be sorted out. The staff situation was resolved, but somehow the night closure remained. Many are of the opinion that the current changes will remain in place until sometime towards the end of next year, when the unit is rumoured to be scheduled for complete closure.

    The changes at Cheltenham will produce a series of knock-on consequences for all Gloucestershire. As things have stood until now, bed-space at Gloucester has been filled to capacity by 999 ambulances from across the entire county due to the night closure at Cheltenham. During the mornings most 999 incoming patients have therefore been transferred to Cheltenham to equalise the bed-state.

    But now there is the added pressure of 999 orthopaedic patients being diverted past Cheltenham and directly to the Gloucester A&E. Once triage and initial treatment has taken place there is the problem of where they are to go subsequently and who can move them. Even although two wards at Gloucester Hospital have been emptied of elective orthopaedic cases to Cheltenham, can Gloucester A&E and its wards cope? No extra build or investment has taken place in order to take on Cheltenham’s patients.

    Where is the bed-space for these patients? Are there sufficient Acute Hospital Beds in the county, even taking into account the much reduced capacity of Community Beds? Has the 999 ambulance service, already under severe pressure, the capacity to transfer them? Especially when due to government cut-backs, 999 calls have to be stacked to be answered by the remaining ambulances.

    With the further loss of facilities at Cheltenham, will the county’s NHS physically be able to cope with the volume of patients requiring a real Accident and Emergency Department? Can the existing network of reduced Cottage Hospitals with Minor Injuries Units and the reduced privatised Out of Hours Doctors’ Service be expected to cope with a growing demand?

    In Gloucestershire we have lost around twenty-seven hospitals since 1977, and the demise of the service is accelerating. It’s hard to argue with the idea that this is a deliberate strategy to place the entire Nations health care in private hands. This affects everyone. Those of us lucky enough to still have local or cottage hospitals may find they are on borrowed time. We need to campaign hard and long about this.

    End of public statement of NHS camapaigners.

    Also please compare this article with the statements above, which we now have documentary evidence although in draft form from our local ambulance service, that downgrading is in fact happening and the staff statements are true.

    http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/health/nhs-responds-rumours-cheltenham-general-589823

    I would like to confirm that we have documents from SWASFT south west ambulance service, and this extract from an email confirms what we have stated above, all denied by NHS trust.

    From this time onwards only patients who comply with the MIU criteria for Orthopaedics should be taken to CGH by ambulance. The current process for 20.00 to 08.00 will now extend to 24hrs at CGH.
    Crews are welcome to call ahead to discuss patients if they feel they could do with some advice. However, I must insist that crews use the recorded line (01202 894 003) or their radios when calling, so as to capture any discussions had to help protect our crews from any misunderstandings we get from the GHFT staff. We still get right care feedback now about CGH being closed to SWASFT overnight, when they’re not closed to us – it is just limited to agreed criteria. I fear the same may happen here – so please promote the recorded line or use of radios to make phone calls to external organistations.

    Kind regards

    Glossary: CGH is Cheltenham General Hospital
    SWASFT, South West Ambulance Service

    The reference relating to 20.00 to 08.00 is highly pertinent as this refers to the fact that emergency services were closed anyway between those hours, due to previous arrangement of operating on half day in Gloucester and half day in Cheltenham due to staff shortages. Now extended to 24 hour closure for A&E in Cheltenham. In short the A&E in Cheltenham will not accept emergency ambulances requiring orthopaedic treatment but will have to go straight to Gloucester.

    Please note the last piece of information above is highly confidential and specifically for your reference. Should you want to quote or reference to it, please apply the usual a spokesperson or ambulance service source said.

    What this says is that the NHS Trust is actually downgrading the A&E in Cheltenham, whilst claiming it is a temporary measure. That will then transfer all real emergencies on to Gloucester Royal A&E creating an already impossible situation much worse, queues of ambulances and people in corridors already exist.

    Hope you can make some sense of this, but due to more under-funding
    and the Trust being put in special measures for a large deficit. Things can only get worse.

  10. Urgent : From Rosie Brocklehurst in Hastings

    Skwawkbox editors -can you pic this up please:

    Labour Councillors have alerted members to local army veterans concerns that a loical Tory candidate in marginal St Helen’s Ward is claiming to have been a serving Para2 veteran, and isn’t.

    Dear Hastings & Rye Labour Party member,

    There’s an issue which has just emerged with the Conservative candidate for St Helen’s ward, in the Hastings Council elections that take place tomorrow.

    Conservative candidate Matt Lynch has been challenged by local veterans to prove that his claims of 14 years military service, including in the Falklands War, are true. Lynch made the BBC South East News headlines last night when local forces veteran Steven Flynn told the BBC that despite expensive enquiries, he could find no record of Lynch ever having served.

    You can see the BBC story here:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-43967715

    The Conservative Party has suspended him from the party, but it’s too late to change the ballot papers so he will still appear as the Conservative Party candidate.

    St Helen’s is a marginal ward, which currently has one Labour and one Tory councillor. Both seats are up for grabs tomorrow, so please make sure you make as many people as possible aware of this, especially if they live in St Helen’s ward. Share it on social media too. We’ve got a good chance of wining both seats in St Helen’s, do help if you can!

  11. Can’t seem to get a comment up on your threads. No abuse, a firm Corbyn supporter, and yet every time I comment it just disappears. Can you advise?

  12. Have you heard the rumours about Chukka Umunna setting up a group – apparently called Reform – with the backing of some big money? It, again apparently, intends to stay underground until after the next GE, hoping for enough to get re-elected so that they can form a significant breakaway group, with LibDems, disaffected Left Wing Tories (if such a thing exists…) to hold the balance of power in any coalition that Labour has to gather. I’ve heard a lot of slightly diffuse such rumours, but this one comes from within his constituency, where a real battle for the heart of Labour is going on, Blairites having a stranglehold over the CLP reins, and indulging in some really dirty tricks to keep the Corbyn supporters out.

  13. Steve: every time I post a comment it just disappears, could you you explain please and remedy if possible.

  14. Steve this is a request : would you consider uploading the segment from Newsnight last night of Barnaby Raines’ which was so good, And even better – his speech on the Support Corbyn virtual rally this evening?
    Thanks
    Paul

  15. Can I set up to have your daily updates sent automatically to my email address ?

  16. The link to “when its witness who had corroborated the claim admitted under oath that he had lied all along” in the latest Assange detail appears to havebeen corrupted.

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