The text of an email that I sent to councillor John Leech regarding a potential upcoming inquiry in to the fixing of Libor. Thanks to the campaign team at 38 Degrees, I have joined many people in encouraging MPs to back a strong, broad and independent enquiry in to the banking industry as a whole.
If you want to write to your own MP, you can do it simply and easily by following this link. Feel free to copy and paste any or all of this text when writing your own email.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/banking-inquiry-teeth
"In light of the recent banking scandal(s) and with senior government figures calling for an inquiry in to the fixing of Libor, I am particularly concerned about how close the past and present governments are to the finance industry. The proportion of Conservative party funding to have come from this industry is of as much concern as the naive and fawning attitude displayed to the city by previous government figures (including some of the current shadow cabinet).
An inquiry is a positive step - and a real opportunity to see how deep the rot goes - or whether it is simply down to a few bad apples.
As unpalatable as it may be for the political community to see people potentially dragged through the mud, as some people have been by the Levenson Inquiry, it is of critical importance for the economic and political future of this country to know if the finance sector routinely abuses its position and wields undue influence over any of the political sphere.
To have an enquiry that could make solid recommendations about the issue in question is a positive step - to have a banking enquiry which could make the necessary recommendations to potentially avert another widespread crisis in the banking world like that of 2008 would be a rare and golden opportunity indeed.
I hope that you will do your part in calling for the suggested enquiry to be as independent as possible - both from government and from finance - and for its terms to be sufficiently broad to deal with what may transpire to be widespread manipulation and exploitation of loose regulations and cosy political relationships by what many politicians see as this nation's flagship industry.
Thank you for your time."
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
Monday, 16 January 2012
The following text is an email sent to the boss of Npower - our current gas and electricity supplier, in the wake of recent wholesale gas price falls which were, on the whole, not passed on to UK consumers.
If you wish to send your own email to your supplier, 38 Degrees will do it for you - just write your own text.
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/contact-a-boss
"
First of all, I would like to thank you for responding to public pressure and cutting your gas prices in response to recent wholesale gas price falls - such a gesture at this time of year is welcomed.
We are all at the mercy of wholesale fossil fuel prices - but it's very important for you as a company that you aren't seen to be profiting from other people's hardship. It seems fairly clear that many energy companies already profit from market volatility - with affiliate wholesale companies increasing their profits every time prices rise, and suppliers own costs being passed on to domestic fuel consumers. Furthermore, it does not go unnoticed that energy companies are slower (and meaner) in passing on any decrease in wholesale prices to their customers.
Trends in this market are certainly not going to be downward in the long-term, but if you argue that downward price trends can "leave a company at risk of selling energy at a loss if prices suddenly rise again", then I would suggest that you keep a close eye on just how much you are taking out of your customers pockets to cover your uncertainties over this period, and offer your loyal customers some form of rebate either at the end of the tax year - or even better, going in to the difficult winter months.
Otherwise, I would certainly back calls for a windfall tax on extra profits which your company makes from customers whose only real choice is between which group of shareholders benefit and who is able to pay the most to their employees and executives. Personally, I have always found your UK-based staff to be very helpful, and I am glad to continue to support them - but when management seem blissfully unconcerned about the plight of those who pay their wages, loyalty seems an increasingly one-sided bargain.
I understand that you are working hard to make your company successful - but what you may not really see is that many people just like you work very hard, and yet don't earn enough to properly heat their houses. Fuel poverty currently stands at around 18% of households in the UK (4 million in 2009) - and your actions directly influence these numbers; these people's lives. Especially in winter, a price reduction from your company can literally make the difference between life and death for struggling elderly and vulnerable people.
I can assure you that the first companies to offer their discounts have already caught my eye - and any one who comes out in a genuine show of loyalty and caring to their customers will certainly win my business as well as the support of many people around the country. As a loyal customer of several years, I hope that that company is yours.
Yours sincerely
Blah Yadda
"
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Kick it out - Homophobia
In the wake of recent high-profile cases of racism in the football world, this article by Daniel Storey on Football365.com is a welcome one. It's not the first time I have read suggestions to encourage more openness about homosexuality in football, in F365 articles as well as in the mailbox - which I think is great. I can't really picture the Sun or the Mail printing a back page story with "Kick homophobia out of football" or a call to our "Brave gay footballers" to come out of the closet (or even a light-hearted transfer story headed: "I'm too sexy for this shirt"). At one time, I would have considered it more likely that the red-tops would print a front page splash of "Player X in homosexual shocker! National outrage! Won't somebody please think of the children?". However, I think that in fairness, media attitudes to homosexuality have improved considerably. That said, sport seems to lag behind the rest of our culture in this respect, to the point where ne'er the twain shall meet - in a sort of perverse version of the US army's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy.
As I said when Ricky Martin came out - against the considered counsel of his advisors - it's a good day for him, and for the industry, but I don't expect him to be booking any dates in Jamaica, or in one of the ten countries where (theoretically at least) the punishment for homosexuality is death; nor one of the six where a gay man can receive life in prison for unrepentant sodomy. This type of institutionalised discrimination could well factor in to any homosexual footballer's decision, as it would potentially put a crimp on any international career. Countries with race-based Arpartheid-like laws are thankfully few and far between nowadays.
One possible reason for English football's relatively strong stance on racism is that around 25%* of players in the Football League are black - raising the profile of black people to a greater extent than any other walk of life other than perhaps music (only ~4% of the UK population are of 'black' ethnic origin). Nowadays, it seems to be a nationwide passive consensus that racism is a worse crime of discrimination than any other (and perhaps rightly so, given the relatively recent history of slavery and numerous systematic attempts at genocide). Sexism, homophobia, discrimination against the disabled and even class divisions (probably in that order) are more often forgiven. For example, rightly or wrongly, Keys and Gray are still working in the industry, whereas Ron Atkinson is not - despite some evidence perhaps pointing to the possibility that the Sky pair's sexism was part of a culture of actual discrimination, where Atkinson's track record with players from ethnic minorities speaks for itself, even to the point where a number of black former players came out to speak in his defence. Homosexuality is not such a visible trait; black players cannot hide the colour of their skin, and so the issue is much more to the fore.
One final thought is that it's much harder (or much less comfortable at least) to educate young children about homosexuality. This is the group for whom footballers are supposedly role models, but also the group with the most pliable and accepting minds. If a child grows up without realising that calling people 'bender' or using 'gay' as an everyday term is negative behaviour, then it's much less likely to be stamped out in later life. Unfortunately, I think we have some way to go before our education system provides enough support for young minds to come to the right conclusion of how relevant it is to your goal-scoring ability whether you like boys or girls (or both). But it's good that some true football fans find it sad that people can't be themselves off the pitch.
___________________________________________________
* I haven't verified that, but I have read it.
One final thought is that it's much harder (or much less comfortable at least) to educate young children about homosexuality. This is the group for whom footballers are supposedly role models, but also the group with the most pliable and accepting minds. If a child grows up without realising that calling people 'bender' or using 'gay' as an everyday term is negative behaviour, then it's much less likely to be stamped out in later life. Unfortunately, I think we have some way to go before our education system provides enough support for young minds to come to the right conclusion of how relevant it is to your goal-scoring ability whether you like boys or girls (or both). But it's good that some true football fans find it sad that people can't be themselves off the pitch.
___________________________________________________
* I haven't verified that, but I have read it.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Robin Hood Tax
Having recently moved to John Leech MP (Lib Dem)'s Withington constituency, I hope to be as impressed by his level of engagement with his constituents as I was with that of Kate Green (Labour, MP for Stretford and Urmston).
Today, encouraged by Robin Hood Tax, I wrote him the following letter:
I would like to raise the issue of a Tobin Tax (financial transaction tax or 'Robin Hood Tax') on private banking institutions. Following the banking crisis, and the disbursement of public funds to banks, to shore up those which were judged 'too big to fail', risky financial practices have continued behind closed doors and beyond public scrutiny (and often beyond public comprehension).
Project Merlin's ambition of a ring-fence (or 'firewall') between commercial operations and high-street operations is a welcome initiative to reduce risk in the banking sector, but in my considered opinion, Project Merlin will not be implemented soon enough, nor will it go far enough to prevent the problem of 'too big to fail' and nor does it fully address the high-risk trading methods still being practised by banks in their often irresponsible search for profit.
A Tobin tax of 0.05% would, in all probability, contribute billions of pounds to the UK treasury's coffers, from institutions who often pay very little in direct taxation due to complex relationships with off-shore entities as well as tax avoidance schemes of various natures. This could be used to support the UK's 'green bank', to hedge against future bank failure (in schemes similar to the EFSF) or to contribute directly to vital front-line services such as the NHS which are currently being cut - in no small part due to the recession created by the credit crunch and banking crisis.
While it is true that the Tobin tax may well cause some harm to the financial sector (a significant tranche of Britain's economic activity), this harm will be specifically targeted at those trading high volumes in the most short-term and volatile markets. This is another up-side of this particular form of tax, as financial institutions would be encouraged to seek more long-term and stable investments for their portfolios (and by proxy for ordinary people's pension funds and savings), rather than engaging in such potentially harmful trades as 'short-selling' (vigorously criticised by US President Barack Obama). The potential negative effects on our economy are, in most projections, far outweighed by the increased stability in the financial sector, and most significantly by the vast revenues which such a tax would bring to the public purse.
Compared to the estimated £14,000 for every British Taxpayer which was paid to bail out the banks, a Tobin Tax is likely to have a vastly less significant effect on our economy than the bank bail-out, even without factoring in the huge amounts of tax revenue. The tax will also go a long way to preventing the types of risky financial practice which have caused so much damage to our pensions, savings and our economy at large.
South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, France and Germany all support a Tobin Tax. These countries would use the money raised to fund vital advances in sustainable development, to help reduce poverty and to tackle climate change. As you may well know, many ordinary British voters are behind this scheme, and have registered their support in various ways, including at RobinHoodTax
It’s wrong that the UK is finding obstacles instead of taking the lead. Will you please write to the Prime Minister and ask him to stop blocking the Robin Hood Tax at a European level? Will you vote for such a tax if the issue is raised in parliament?
A short video, which you may have seen, featuring Bill Nighy is available on youtube, and presents a strong case (though a less in depth one than presented above). A link to the video on ITV News's youtube channel, is here
Thank you for your time.
Feel free to copy and paste this to your MP - or to go to https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/robin-hood-email-your-MP to automatically find out who your MP is and email them.
I would like to raise the issue of a Tobin Tax (financial transaction tax or 'Robin Hood Tax') on private banking institutions. Following the banking crisis, and the disbursement of public funds to banks, to shore up those which were judged 'too big to fail', risky financial practices have continued behind closed doors and beyond public scrutiny (and often beyond public comprehension).
Project Merlin's ambition of a ring-fence (or 'firewall') between commercial operations and high-street operations is a welcome initiative to reduce risk in the banking sector, but in my considered opinion, Project Merlin will not be implemented soon enough, nor will it go far enough to prevent the problem of 'too big to fail' and nor does it fully address the high-risk trading methods still being practised by banks in their often irresponsible search for profit.
A Tobin tax of 0.05% would, in all probability, contribute billions of pounds to the UK treasury's coffers, from institutions who often pay very little in direct taxation due to complex relationships with off-shore entities as well as tax avoidance schemes of various natures. This could be used to support the UK's 'green bank', to hedge against future bank failure (in schemes similar to the EFSF) or to contribute directly to vital front-line services such as the NHS which are currently being cut - in no small part due to the recession created by the credit crunch and banking crisis.
While it is true that the Tobin tax may well cause some harm to the financial sector (a significant tranche of Britain's economic activity), this harm will be specifically targeted at those trading high volumes in the most short-term and volatile markets. This is another up-side of this particular form of tax, as financial institutions would be encouraged to seek more long-term and stable investments for their portfolios (and by proxy for ordinary people's pension funds and savings), rather than engaging in such potentially harmful trades as 'short-selling' (vigorously criticised by US President Barack Obama). The potential negative effects on our economy are, in most projections, far outweighed by the increased stability in the financial sector, and most significantly by the vast revenues which such a tax would bring to the public purse.
Compared to the estimated £14,000 for every British Taxpayer which was paid to bail out the banks, a Tobin Tax is likely to have a vastly less significant effect on our economy than the bank bail-out, even without factoring in the huge amounts of tax revenue. The tax will also go a long way to preventing the types of risky financial practice which have caused so much damage to our pensions, savings and our economy at large.
South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, France and Germany all support a Tobin Tax. These countries would use the money raised to fund vital advances in sustainable development, to help reduce poverty and to tackle climate change. As you may well know, many ordinary British voters are behind this scheme, and have registered their support in various ways, including at RobinHoodTax
It’s wrong that the UK is finding obstacles instead of taking the lead. Will you please write to the Prime Minister and ask him to stop blocking the Robin Hood Tax at a European level? Will you vote for such a tax if the issue is raised in parliament?
A short video, which you may have seen, featuring Bill Nighy is available on youtube, and presents a strong case (though a less in depth one than presented above). A link to the video on ITV News's youtube channel, is here
Thank you for your time.
Feel free to copy and paste this to your MP - or to go to https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/robin-hood-email-your-MP to automatically find out who your MP is and email them.
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Ham for Heroes
I bought a packet of ham at the shops yesterday, and when I came to open the packet this morning, I found it was 'endorsed by Help for Heroes' - and all of the company's [Red Lion Foods] post-tax profits go to UK armed forces charities. In many ways, I think that this is a fantastic example of corporate behaviour, and that our society would be unrecognizably improved if more businesses did it (although British Farmers may disagree with Red Lion's use of foreign pork). On the other hand, why have we had this recent wave of media-led eulogising about the armed forces? 'Help for Heroes'? I don't think so.
First of all, let me make this very clear - I am not a hero - and nor would I ever claim to be. Second of all, if our government is going to pay people a pittance to fight and die on foreign soil (or sand), then the very least they can do is to equip them properly, and to look after them when they suffer injuries and trauma in the course of their day-to-day work. But now that's out of the way...
I really oppose this implication that soldiers are heroes by definition. I know there are soldiers who who are heroes, but just signing up does not suddenly make you heroic - it doesn't even necessarily make you a good person.
I know that there are many people out there who hold up nurses, firemen and even teachers as examples of 'everyday heroes', but I don't think there are enough of them. In many respects, anyone who choses a life of public service - especially at this time of cutbacks in pensions and salaries is doing a good deed. To me, there's a case that most public servants - even bin men - are more heroic than soldiers.
Bin men? Yes, bin men. "How is it heroic to collect other people's rubbish?" well, firstly: would you do it? For the paltry wage that bin men receive? Secondly, and most significantly: "How is it heroic to kill people for money?" because that's what regular soldiers do. It wouldn't be such a tough job if they hit each other with foam pugil sticks, and went home bruised but content after a hard day's work. Soldiers are paid killers. The fact of being a soldier is not particularly heroic in my eyes. As I said, some are heroes, but not just by virtue of being a soldier.
For me, a real hero is someone who gets out of bed and says 'you know what, I'm not concerned with my own gain today, I am going to put my energy in to helping other people'. That's heroism - not doing your job, but doing more, and sacrificing yourself to help people.
For those reasons, I see people who volunteer to join the army when their country (and family) is under threat as a different matter - that in itself is an act of heroism, but there's a big difference between your family being under threat, and your way of life being under threat. Our way of life is to consume prodigiously - and we fight wars to preserve our ability to do so - and for the ability of 'our' private companies to profit from it - but we are not under any military threat, and our soldiers are not sent to war in order to help people or protect their human rights - even though that is something that they may do in the course of their duties. Regardless of what the government say, the army is deployed to protect and secure our interests - and that rarely ever includes the well-being of foreign citizens.
Muammar Qaddafi had threatened to nationalise Lybia's oil industry. Of course, that may be a co-incidence at a time when peak oil may already have passed and oil companies are making record profits. It's no secret that Saddam Hussein kicked out the major oil companies and nationalised Iraq's oil industry, before being subjected to sanctions and subsequently abusing the Oil-for-Food Programme. And it may also be a coincidence that the regime in Afghanistan refused to allow the construction of a certain pipeline - before our heroes invaded, that is - although the Taliban are still a spanner in the works as far as that project goes. Good thing we are working hard to bring our Heroes home, eh?
So Red Lion Foods - why not give some of those profits to real heroes: our teachers, firemen, nurses and even our bin men - or better still, be a hero and give ham to the needy, the homeless and the hungry.
Monday, 11 July 2011
News
A few unconnected things this week:
I quit Facebook, so I haven't been splurging an endless torrent of random guff on to the internet with all the quality control of a cow's rear end. It's been good. I kind of miss FB, but the only thing I can put my finger on is the ease of contacting people, and the organising of events, so I don't know whether that's really a price worth paying for all the hours (literally) that I spent on there.
Beech Road Festival was great, we (Electromotive) played a decent set, although it was a bit earlier in the afternoon that we had hoped. The only other gig we have lined up at the moment is Wizzafest, so hopefully we will get some new songs written in time to do some autumnal showmanry.
I went to see John Butler Trio last Thursday. It was pretty good - for what my mate described as 'Kings of Leon honky wigga rock'. If you want to know what I thought, my review is here.
Finally, what the hell is with Star Trek since they re-invented it in the '80s? I just realised, when watching the beginning of Star Trek Generations that there are practically no 'normal' black or women characters in the series(es). Not a great legacy for the show whose original was highly praised for its inclusion of Uhura, and broke controversial ground by featuring the first televised inter-racial kiss.
Most black men since 1994's The Next Generation have been aliens, usually with weird make up. Geordi wears a weird visor that makes him look like some designer's wet dream of the sunglasses of the future - the only exception being the Sisko family in Deep Space 9. There are few 'normal' women either - Tasha Yar, Dr Crusher and Captain Janeway are the exceptions here, but again, the series didn't seem to be able to include many women without giving them psychic powers or funny make-up although the same certainly doesn't apply to white men. That's pretty screwed-up, right there - especially for the utopian, enlightened society or the 24th century :D
I quit Facebook, so I haven't been splurging an endless torrent of random guff on to the internet with all the quality control of a cow's rear end. It's been good. I kind of miss FB, but the only thing I can put my finger on is the ease of contacting people, and the organising of events, so I don't know whether that's really a price worth paying for all the hours (literally) that I spent on there.
Beech Road Festival was great, we (Electromotive) played a decent set, although it was a bit earlier in the afternoon that we had hoped. The only other gig we have lined up at the moment is Wizzafest, so hopefully we will get some new songs written in time to do some autumnal showmanry.
I went to see John Butler Trio last Thursday. It was pretty good - for what my mate described as 'Kings of Leon honky wigga rock'. If you want to know what I thought, my review is here.
Finally, what the hell is with Star Trek since they re-invented it in the '80s? I just realised, when watching the beginning of Star Trek Generations that there are practically no 'normal' black or women characters in the series(es). Not a great legacy for the show whose original was highly praised for its inclusion of Uhura, and broke controversial ground by featuring the first televised inter-racial kiss.
Most black men since 1994's The Next Generation have been aliens, usually with weird make up. Geordi wears a weird visor that makes him look like some designer's wet dream of the sunglasses of the future - the only exception being the Sisko family in Deep Space 9. There are few 'normal' women either - Tasha Yar, Dr Crusher and Captain Janeway are the exceptions here, but again, the series didn't seem to be able to include many women without giving them psychic powers or funny make-up although the same certainly doesn't apply to white men. That's pretty screwed-up, right there - especially for the utopian, enlightened society or the 24th century :D
Friday, 10 June 2011
Slutwalk
This evening, Manchester city centre will host a 'Slutwalk'. There has been some pretty ridiculous commentary about the phenomenon - but I am personally quite firmly behind the movement.
This Newsnight debate on the topic ended up missing the point somewhat and some of the debate was ridiculous. Conservative MP Louise Bagshaw claimed that the marches are "lionising promiscuity", which isn't the aim of anyone I know of; she suggested that promiscuity per se is damaging to physical health - which it simply isn't; she even started labelling people based on how they dress - and suggesting that exhibitionist dress is somehow 'harmful'. The main failing of the piece and the debate, for me, was the focus on the fact that some commentators have claimed that, for them, Slutwalking is 'about re-claiming the word slut'.
Trying to move the debate in to the field of semantics - making the whole thing about the word 'slut' is disingenuous, and it's another move to avoid talking about and dealing with the problem. I don't particularly mind if women move to reclaim the word 'slut' in the same way that I don't mind that young Black Americans have attempted to 'reclaim' the word 'nigger'. It is not something that I think has worked or will ever work - but I have also never been on the end of either slur, so I have no idea how hurtful it is. While reclaiming the word 'slut' may be a goal of some, I don't think that it is the main reason why people are turning out in numbers to demonstrate.
In the Newsnight debate, Bagshaw's most ridiculous moment came when she railed against 'sexual aggressiveness' among women, as if Slutwalking were somehow encouraging women to go out and rape men. But that is what Slutwalking is really about - rape. Not by women on men - that accounts for only 2-3% of rape - but the rape of women by men. I don't think that anybody who is marching today would disagree that they are marching for many of the same reasons that are behind the Reclaim the Night movement. Slutwalking was sparked by a Canadian policeman's comments, directing women to alter their dress in order to protect them from rape, just as Britain's Reclaim the Night marches grew out of police attitudes towards women in Yorkshire at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper.
I think the Slutwalk movement is really about institutional attitudes to rape - and most significantly of all, about (not) blaming rape victims for rape. There is a lack of understanding from police and other authorities about how to deal with the crime, and how to treat victims and potential victims of crime, and there is an unwillingness to discuss this problem in mainstream society, as well as in mainstream media. The very fact that Newsnight - usually one of Britain's best news programmes - tried their best to side-step talking about what's really wrong is very indicative.
Britain's conviction rate for rape is less than 6%, and although there is a suggested minimum sentence of 5 years, many rapists serve considerably less time than that. In my opinion, rape is probably the most injurious crime to the victim - and don't some people know it. Evidence has emerged that rape is being used as a weapon of war in Lybia and was one of many brutal tools widely used by the secret police in Egypt. I see no reason why rapists shouldn't be looking at similar sentences to people who commit manslaughter or attempted murder.
For many years, I was part of a group who regularly attended nights at a club called 'Rock World' - where many people dressed somewhat provocatively (there was enough fishnet there to catch a whale - and all its bones might just have gone in to making all the corsetry on show). In that setting, I never once heard of an incident of sexual violence, but I was shocked today, when I realised that, in the 'real world', where people dress conservatively, and stick to well-lit streets, I know at least three girls who have been raped - I may well know more who have never talked about it with me. None of these incidents were otherwise violent, and two were by people the victim knew very well. None were reported to the police. Unfortunately, that is all fairly typical. Considering that in my whole life, of all the people I have known well, only three have died, and only five have had cancer, that is a seriously disturbing balance.
There are many reasons why rape goes unreported, and there are also many misconceptions about rape; for example, somebody could have told our Canadian police officer friend that the majority of female rape victims are wearing jeans at the time of their assault. Slutwalking is a good opportunity to bring to people's attention that many of their ideas about rape and many of the ways that society seeks to deal with it are wrong - and it's an opportunity I am glad to take. Now, where did I leave my fishnets?
Tonnight's Manchester Slutwalk will begin congregating outside the Town Hall at 6.30pm, when BBC cameras will be filming live for Northwest Tonight.
This Newsnight debate on the topic ended up missing the point somewhat and some of the debate was ridiculous. Conservative MP Louise Bagshaw claimed that the marches are "lionising promiscuity", which isn't the aim of anyone I know of; she suggested that promiscuity per se is damaging to physical health - which it simply isn't; she even started labelling people based on how they dress - and suggesting that exhibitionist dress is somehow 'harmful'. The main failing of the piece and the debate, for me, was the focus on the fact that some commentators have claimed that, for them, Slutwalking is 'about re-claiming the word slut'.
Trying to move the debate in to the field of semantics - making the whole thing about the word 'slut' is disingenuous, and it's another move to avoid talking about and dealing with the problem. I don't particularly mind if women move to reclaim the word 'slut' in the same way that I don't mind that young Black Americans have attempted to 'reclaim' the word 'nigger'. It is not something that I think has worked or will ever work - but I have also never been on the end of either slur, so I have no idea how hurtful it is. While reclaiming the word 'slut' may be a goal of some, I don't think that it is the main reason why people are turning out in numbers to demonstrate.
In the Newsnight debate, Bagshaw's most ridiculous moment came when she railed against 'sexual aggressiveness' among women, as if Slutwalking were somehow encouraging women to go out and rape men. But that is what Slutwalking is really about - rape. Not by women on men - that accounts for only 2-3% of rape - but the rape of women by men. I don't think that anybody who is marching today would disagree that they are marching for many of the same reasons that are behind the Reclaim the Night movement. Slutwalking was sparked by a Canadian policeman's comments, directing women to alter their dress in order to protect them from rape, just as Britain's Reclaim the Night marches grew out of police attitudes towards women in Yorkshire at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper.
I think the Slutwalk movement is really about institutional attitudes to rape - and most significantly of all, about (not) blaming rape victims for rape. There is a lack of understanding from police and other authorities about how to deal with the crime, and how to treat victims and potential victims of crime, and there is an unwillingness to discuss this problem in mainstream society, as well as in mainstream media. The very fact that Newsnight - usually one of Britain's best news programmes - tried their best to side-step talking about what's really wrong is very indicative.
Britain's conviction rate for rape is less than 6%, and although there is a suggested minimum sentence of 5 years, many rapists serve considerably less time than that. In my opinion, rape is probably the most injurious crime to the victim - and don't some people know it. Evidence has emerged that rape is being used as a weapon of war in Lybia and was one of many brutal tools widely used by the secret police in Egypt. I see no reason why rapists shouldn't be looking at similar sentences to people who commit manslaughter or attempted murder.
For many years, I was part of a group who regularly attended nights at a club called 'Rock World' - where many people dressed somewhat provocatively (there was enough fishnet there to catch a whale - and all its bones might just have gone in to making all the corsetry on show). In that setting, I never once heard of an incident of sexual violence, but I was shocked today, when I realised that, in the 'real world', where people dress conservatively, and stick to well-lit streets, I know at least three girls who have been raped - I may well know more who have never talked about it with me. None of these incidents were otherwise violent, and two were by people the victim knew very well. None were reported to the police. Unfortunately, that is all fairly typical. Considering that in my whole life, of all the people I have known well, only three have died, and only five have had cancer, that is a seriously disturbing balance.
There are many reasons why rape goes unreported, and there are also many misconceptions about rape; for example, somebody could have told our Canadian police officer friend that the majority of female rape victims are wearing jeans at the time of their assault. Slutwalking is a good opportunity to bring to people's attention that many of their ideas about rape and many of the ways that society seeks to deal with it are wrong - and it's an opportunity I am glad to take. Now, where did I leave my fishnets?
Tonnight's Manchester Slutwalk will begin congregating outside the Town Hall at 6.30pm, when BBC cameras will be filming live for Northwest Tonight.
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