Suggestions from the leader of the UK's biggest union that workers could strike during the London Olympics have been condemned by political leaders.
Len McCluskey, of Unite, told the Guardian that civil disobedience could be timed to disrupt the 2012 Games.
A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron called the idea "unacceptable and unpatriotic". Labour has also criticised Mr McCluskey's comments.
However, union sources told the BBC there were no specific strike plans.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told the BBC: "People will just be gobsmacked, appalled, at Mr McCluskey's remarks.
"At a time when we can showcase to the world that we are positively and optimistically putting on this fantastic event, he wants to bring people out on the streets."
The Liberal Democrat leader said to "mess up the Olympics to prove a point" would be bad for the country and called on Labour leader Ed Miliband to "rein in" Mr McCluskey, whose union is Labour's largest donor.
And Mr Cameron also told MPs that Labour "need to condemn this utterly and start turning back the money" from Unite.
Conservative co-chairman Baroness Warsi agreed, calling the comments "an appalling display of naked self-interest".
"It is disgraceful for a trade union boss to be calling for mass disruption when the eyes of the world will be on Britain," she told the BBC.
'Right to protest'
Mr McCluskey had told the Guardian: "If the Olympics provide us with an opportunity, then that's exactly one that we should be looking at.
"The attacks that are being launched on public sector workers at the moment are so deep and ideological that the idea the world should arrive in London and have these wonderful Olympic Games as though everything is nice and rosy in the garden is unthinkable.
"Our very way of life is being attacked. By then this crazy Health and Social Care Bill may have been passed, so we are looking at the privatisation of our National Health Service.
"The unions, and the general community, have got every right to be out protesting."
Mr McCluskey said the purpose of protest was "to bring your grievances to the attention of as many people as possible".
However, Mr Miliband said: "Any threat to the Olympics is totally unacceptable and wrong.
"This is a celebration for the whole country and must not be disrupted."
Earlier, his deputy Harriet Harman had told the BBC it was inconceivable that union members would want to disrupt the Games.
Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said: "Of course unions seek fair reward for the extra work and long hours that will be required during what will be the busiest ever time for public transport and other public services, and not all such negotiations have been concluded.
"But of course unions want a Games of which we can all be proud."
BBC political correspondent Norman Smith said Unite insiders had played down the prospect of strikes, with one saying there was "nothing specific planned".
"They take the view Mr McCluskey was letting off steam at his frustrations with government policy but they are acutely aware [strike action] would be deeply unpopular and probably counter-productive," our correspondent added.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
London 2012
Olympic chiefs to monitor betting patterns to combat 'fixing'
Betting patterns will be monitored for any suspicious activity on a daily basis during the London Olympics.
British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said that plans will be in place to combat the threat of 'fixing' and illegal betting.
The Gambling Commission, police, government and Olympic officials will hold daily meetings during the Games.
"Betting exchanges will be monitored closely as there is the possibility of betting to lose," said Moynihan.
"Every morning there will be a meeting of the Gambling Commission, who will work with the Metropolitan police and (organisers) LOCOG, the border agency and International Olympic Committee (IOC) representatives on that working group to analyse any unexpected or significant movements in the markets."
Moynihan said that British athletes would be banned from any gambling activities during the Games.
Those who had made bets before their selection will be asked to declare their position to avoid any problems once the Games start.
IOC president Jacques Rogge has warned that illegal betting is as big a danger to the integrity of sport as performance-enhancing drugs.
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson agreed that the threat needs to be closely monitored.
"Up until this point, illegal betting has not been a huge problem at the Olympics," he said. "But it was difficult to monitor in Beijing, and this is a new threat and an evolving threat.
"The president of the IOC has identified it as a very serious threat. I think we are slightly waiting to see how this plays out in London 2012.''
Betfair, the world's largest betting exchange, said last month that it had agreed to share information with the IOC on potentially suspect gambling at the Olympics.
On a slow Abu Dhabi pitch, the tourists were indebted to Kevin Pietersen, only the second man to carry his bat through a completed T20 international innings.
He made an unbeaten 62 in their 129-6 - and was then supported by a superb display by England's bowlers.
With Pakistan needing six from the final ball, Jade Dernbach bowled Misbah-ul-Haq to seal the series win.
Added to the 4-0 one-day series victory, triumph in the shortest form of the game provides England with further comfort following their humiliating 3-0 whitewash in the Test matches.
And, in their last T20 match in Asia before the sqaud is chosen for September's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, Stuart Broad's men will draw confidence ahead of the defence of the trophy they won in 2010.
However, questions will remain over England's ability to make runs against quality spin bowling, with only Pietersen - aided by a late cameo from Samit Patel - able to cope with another magical display by Saeed Ajmal, who picked up 4-23.
Strong on the leg side early in his innings, the Surrey right-hander was forced to rein in his attacking instincts and bat with restraint as England faltered in the middle overs.
His only mistake came when he sent back Eoin Morgan after initially calling his partner through for a single, leaving the Dublin-born batsman short of his ground despite a despairing dive.
That ended another struggle for the left-hander, who should have been stumped and offered a chance that fell short of mid-off. He will now sweat on his place in the squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Morgan's exit came prior to a spell in which England went 33 balls without finding the boundary, during which time Ajmal removed Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler.
The shackles were broken by Patel, who launched Ajmal for a straight six and then, next ball, inside edged for four.
After he was stumped trying to repeat the dose, it was left to Pietersen to add late impetus by swinging Umar Gul's waist-high full toss for six off the final ball of the innings.
When Pakistan replied, England got the start they wanted, Jade Dernbach having Mohammad Hafeez caught and bowled but, with Pakistan needing little more than a run a ball, they were able to build slowly through Asad Shafiq and Awais Zia.
However, after Graeme Swann trapped Zia lbw, the pressure applied by England's bowlers told when Shafiq was run out attempting a second by Buttler's accurate throw from the deep.
Still, Pakistan were able to make steady progress and needed only 17 when Broad began the penultimate over of the series.
The accuracy of the England skipper would prove crucial as, after two dots, Umar Akmal holed out to mid-off.
That brought Shahid Afridi to the crease but the only runs Broad conceded came when Bairstow let Misbah's slog through his legs for four at long on.
With 13 required off the final over, victory was still not entirely out of Pakistan's reach.
But when Misbah, who found the boundary only twice in his 32-ball stay, was asked to clear the ropes from the final ball, he could not match the brilliant Pietersen.
He made an unbeaten 62 in their 129-6 - and was then supported by a superb display by England's bowlers.
With Pakistan needing six from the final ball, Jade Dernbach bowled Misbah-ul-Haq to seal the series win.
Added to the 4-0 one-day series victory, triumph in the shortest form of the game provides England with further comfort following their humiliating 3-0 whitewash in the Test matches.
And, in their last T20 match in Asia before the sqaud is chosen for September's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, Stuart Broad's men will draw confidence ahead of the defence of the trophy they won in 2010.
However, questions will remain over England's ability to make runs against quality spin bowling, with only Pietersen - aided by a late cameo from Samit Patel - able to cope with another magical display by Saeed Ajmal, who picked up 4-23.
Strong on the leg side early in his innings, the Surrey right-hander was forced to rein in his attacking instincts and bat with restraint as England faltered in the middle overs.
His only mistake came when he sent back Eoin Morgan after initially calling his partner through for a single, leaving the Dublin-born batsman short of his ground despite a despairing dive.
That ended another struggle for the left-hander, who should have been stumped and offered a chance that fell short of mid-off. He will now sweat on his place in the squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Morgan's exit came prior to a spell in which England went 33 balls without finding the boundary, during which time Ajmal removed Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler.
The shackles were broken by Patel, who launched Ajmal for a straight six and then, next ball, inside edged for four.
After he was stumped trying to repeat the dose, it was left to Pietersen to add late impetus by swinging Umar Gul's waist-high full toss for six off the final ball of the innings.
When Pakistan replied, England got the start they wanted, Jade Dernbach having Mohammad Hafeez caught and bowled but, with Pakistan needing little more than a run a ball, they were able to build slowly through Asad Shafiq and Awais Zia.
However, after Graeme Swann trapped Zia lbw, the pressure applied by England's bowlers told when Shafiq was run out attempting a second by Buttler's accurate throw from the deep.
Still, Pakistan were able to make steady progress and needed only 17 when Broad began the penultimate over of the series.
The accuracy of the England skipper would prove crucial as, after two dots, Umar Akmal holed out to mid-off.
That brought Shahid Afridi to the crease but the only runs Broad conceded came when Bairstow let Misbah's slog through his legs for four at long on.
With 13 required off the final over, victory was still not entirely out of Pakistan's reach.
But when Misbah, who found the boundary only twice in his 32-ball stay, was asked to clear the ropes from the final ball, he could not match the brilliant Pietersen.
Friday, February 17, 2012
DOHAWorld number one Victoria Azarenka swept into the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open with a swift demolition of Romanian Simona Halep on Thursday as Lucie Safarova claimed another top scalp.
Belarusian Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, won 10 games in a row on the way to beating the 63rd-ranked Halep 6-3, 6-1, while Safarova, who had knocked out the second seed Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday, sent former US and French Open champion and 14th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova packing with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory.
Kuznetsova was the 12th of the 16 seeds in the 64-player draw to crash out of the event over the first four days.
Halep produced only brief moments of brilliance to secure a break in either set, but that was not enough to quell Azarenka, who stepped up her game after trailing 3-1 in the first set and raced to victory thereafter.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska fought back from a break down to advance to the last eight with a 7-5, 6-1 win over the USA's Varvara Lepchenko.
Radwanska, the world number six and fourth seed in Qatar, was too strong for the Uzbek-born Lepchenko who is yet to win a WTA title after turning pro as a 15-year-old way back in 2001.
Meanwhile, Australian third seed Samantha Stosur ousted the Czech Republic's Petra Cetkovska 6-3, 6-2, but Israeli Shahar Peer's quest for a first title in the Middle East ended prematurely.
Peer, whose participation in events in the Gulf has often generated a furore, was beaten 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 by the USA's Christina McHale. (AFP)
Belarusian Azarenka, the Australian Open champion, won 10 games in a row on the way to beating the 63rd-ranked Halep 6-3, 6-1, while Safarova, who had knocked out the second seed Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday, sent former US and French Open champion and 14th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova packing with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 victory.
Kuznetsova was the 12th of the 16 seeds in the 64-player draw to crash out of the event over the first four days.
Halep produced only brief moments of brilliance to secure a break in either set, but that was not enough to quell Azarenka, who stepped up her game after trailing 3-1 in the first set and raced to victory thereafter.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska fought back from a break down to advance to the last eight with a 7-5, 6-1 win over the USA's Varvara Lepchenko.
Radwanska, the world number six and fourth seed in Qatar, was too strong for the Uzbek-born Lepchenko who is yet to win a WTA title after turning pro as a 15-year-old way back in 2001.
Meanwhile, Australian third seed Samantha Stosur ousted the Czech Republic's Petra Cetkovska 6-3, 6-2, but Israeli Shahar Peer's quest for a first title in the Middle East ended prematurely.
Peer, whose participation in events in the Gulf has often generated a furore, was beaten 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 by the USA's Christina McHale. (AFP)
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