The Guardian World News

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• Nato to take lead role in Libya air campaign
• Budget boost for 'squeezed middle'
• Yemeni president warns of civil war
• 25% cut in foreign student numbers
• Eight killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza
• Japan nuclear firm missed checks
• Police seek guidance over cuts rally
• Clegg set to rein in NHS reforms
• Search begins for Wiltshire woman
• JJB Sports staves off collapse again
• China dismisses Google claims
• Polar bear Knut died of brain illness
• Otsuchi: the town that must rebuild without its leaders
• 'Hockney never answers my letters'
• Smiley is dead – a campaign begins
• US anger at World Service cash bid
• An unusual birthday treat
• Gove sets children 50-book challenge
• Why the NHS needs to be reformed
• Is there a state of the nation play?
• Why writers need good readers

Nato to take lead role in Libya air campaign Posted: 22 Mar 2011 06:42 PM PDT • Nato to assume day-to-day military command in Libya • Obama and Cameron: Substantial progress made Britain, France and the US have agreed that Nato will take over the military command of the no-fly zone over Libya in a move that represents a setback for Nicolas Sarkozy, who had hoped to diminish the role of the alliance. Barack Obama agreed in separate phone calls with Sarkozy and David Cameron that political oversight would be handed to a separate body made up of members of the coalition, including Arab countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which are outside Nato. The agreement, which will have to be put be to all 28 members of Nato, indicates the alliance is on course to resolve one of its most serious disagreements. The alliance had been starting to splinter as it tried to comply with Obama's demand that Washington be quickly relieved of command of the air campaign. The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi criticised the air strikes which he said breached the UN charter and were "by a bunch of fascists". In a televised address he promised victory over the coalition: "In the short term, we'll beat them, in the long term, we'll beat them." Sarkozy moved to portray the agreement as a Franco-American success. In a statement, the Élysée Palace said: "The two presidents have come to an agreement on the way to use the command structures of Nato to support the coalition." But the agreement represents a blow for Sarkozy, who had tried to persuade Britain to set up an Anglo-French command for all military operations in Libya. That idea was strongly resisted by Britain which said Nato was best placed to run the military operations. Obama, who spoke to Cameron and Sarkozy in separate phone calls during his tour of Latin America, agreed that: • Nato will assume the day-to-day military command of the no-fly zone, using the alliance's military structures. The operation could be run by Admiral James Stavridis, the US supreme allied commander in Europe, who works from the Nato's military headquarters in Mons, Belgium. • Political oversight will be provided by members of the coalition and not by Nato. Sarkozy will say this shows Nato is not in complete command, as it was in the bombing campaign against Serbian targets during the 1999 Kosovo campaign. In a traditional Nato-led operation, political control would be provided by the North Atlantic Council, the main political decision-making body of the alliance. The plan will be put to the council on Wednesday, which will hold its third meeting in as many days at ambassadorial level. All 28 members of Nato will have to agree on the proposal. Downing Street adopted a more cautious approach than the Élysée when it confirmed that Cameron and Obama had agreed that Nato should play a key role. A spokesman said: "The prime minister and the president agreed that good progress had been made in Nato on command and control of military operations, that Nato should play a key role in the command structure going forward, and that these arrangements now needed to be finalised." Diplomatic sources said progress on the new structures emerged as France and Turkey started to give ground. France softened its stance after Britain and the US agreed that the international coalition would have political oversight but that Nato would have to assume military control. London and Washington were supported by newer members of Nato, such as Romania and the Czech Republic, who said they could only support the campaign if it was run by Nato. A phone call between Obama and the Turkish prime minister Tayyip Recep Erdogan led to what was described as a more pragmatic approach. "Turkey has become more flexible in the last day or so," one diplomat said. Turkey, the third largest member of Nato, and which has a predominantly Muslim population, had highlighted tensions within the alliance when it launched a strong attack on France. Sarkozy had tried to reach out to the Muslim world by playing down Nato's role in Libya. Egemen Bagis, Turkey's Europe minister, accused the French president of exploiting Libya for his own electoral needs. Sarkozy has been the biggest opponent of Ankara's ambitions to join the European Union. "A European leader began his election campaign by organising a meeting that led to a process of air strikes against Libya. He acted before a Nato decision, and his act was based on his subjective evaluation of a UN resolution," said Bagis. The agreement came as William Hague, the foreign secretary, declared that the Arab spring is likely to be more significant than 9/11. Hague told the Times CEO Summit Africa: "We are only in the early stages of what is happening in north Africa and the Middle East. It is already set to overtake the 2008 financial crisis and 9/11 as the most important development of the early 21st century, and is likely to bring some degree of political change in all countries in the Arab world.""This is a historic shift of massive importance, presenting the international community as a whole with an immense opportunity. We believe that the international response to these events must be commensurately generous, bold and ambitious." The foreign secretary added that the international action against Libya – and the demands for freedom – meant that Robert Mugabe and other authoritarian leaders in Africa would eventually face justice. Hague said: "Governments that use violence to stop democratic development will not earn themselves respite forever. They will pay an increasingly high price for actions which they can no longer hide from the world with ease, and will find themselves on the wrong side of history. Governments that block the aspirations of their people, that steal or are corrupt, that oppress and torture or that deny freedom of expression and human rights should bear in mind that they will find it increasingly hard to escape the judgment of their own people, or where warranted, the reach of international law. The action we have taken in Libya, authorised by the United Nations Security Council, shows that the international community does take gross violations of human rights extremely seriously." The agreement on the military command of the no-fly zone came as key military British figures expressed dismay at No 10's handling of the conflict, suggesting the prime minister's office is subverting commanders conducting the operation. Officials resent the way No 10 appeared to undermine General Sir David Richards, the country's most senior military officer, who rejected ministers' claims that Gaddafi might be a legitimate target. Sources said that by identifying Gaddafi as a target, Britain laid itself open to the charge that "if you kill him, it was premeditated, and if you don't, you have failed". Additional reporting by Richard Norton-Taylor and Simon Tisdall Libya Muammar Gaddafi Nato Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East US foreign policy Barack Obama United States Germany France Europe Turkey David Cameron Foreign policy Nick Hopkins Nicholas Watt Ian Traynor guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Budget boost for 'squeezed middle' Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:30 PM PDT Despite rise in inflation and borrowing, chancellor to court medium earners in 'steady-as-she-goes' financial package George Osborne will seek to appeal to Britain's "squeezed middle" when he announces help for first-time buyers, motorists and 25 million income tax payers in a budget designed to tighten the Treasury's grip over public spending. Despite disappointing news for the public finances, the chancellor is expected to say that he has scope to raise the income tax personal allowance by £600 next year, fund a £250m shared equity scheme for new homes and defer the above-inflation increase in petrol duty due next month. But Osborne will balance tax giveaways with fresh tax-raising measures, a crackdown on tax avoidance and "special measures" for overspending Whitehall departments in what sources insisted would be a "steady-as-she-goes" package. The chancellor will outline a range of measures – including a shake-up of planning laws, deregulation of employment laws affecting small businesses, and the long-awaited plans for a green investment bank as the coalition government seeks to shift the focus of the economy from deficit reduction to boosting growth. Osborne will admit that the UK's growth prospects for 2011 have worsened since last autumn, with the independent Office for Budget Responsibility likely to pencil in an increase of around 1.8% in gross domestic product this year against the 2.1% it forecast last November. But the chancellor will signal his determination not to let the government's deficit reduction plans slip, with fresh controls designed to intensify pressure on ministers to rein in spending. Departments that fail to manage their budgets properly will be placed in special measures – akin to the Ofsted rating given to a failing school – with tough penalties. These could include fines for overspending or being forced to seek Treasury authorisation for larger spending decisions. City hopes that public borrowing for 2010-11 would come in £10bn below the £148bn forecast received a dent with news that the deficit in February topped £10bn – the highest for the month since modern records began in 1993. Meanwhile, inflation according to the consumer price index rose from 4% to a 28-month high of 4.4% last month, pushing up government spending on state benefits. Dearer food, fuel and clothing were the main factors behind last month's jump in inflation, which is now more than double the government's 2% target. The increase in the CPI measure of inflation was matched by a rise in the alternative yardstick of the cost of living, the retail prices index, which rose from 5.1% to 5.5% last month, its highest for 20 years. In a move that will please the Liberal Democrat wing of the coalition, Osborne will say that the income tax personal allowance, due to go up to £7,475 next month, will be raised by more than inflation from next year. The increase of around £600 – which comes on top of the £1,000 rise next month – will be worth an average of £45 a year for taxpayers earning up to £115,000 a year. The 550,000 taxpayers who earn more than £115,000 will lose £45 a year because they no longer have a personal allowance. Osborne will announce a joint scheme with the construction industry to help some of the potential first-time buyers currently frozen out of the housing market. First-time buyers with a household income of less than £60,000 a year who can put down a 5% deposit on a new home will be eligible for an equity loan worth up to 20% of the value of the property jointly funded by the government and housebuilders. The loan will be interest-free for five years and only be repayable when the house is sold. With most first-time buyers only able to secure mortgages worth 75% of a property's value, Osborne is expected to say his scheme will give some young people the chance to meet the exacting loan standards demanded by lenders in the wake of the financial crisis, lead to the building of 10,000 new homes and protect 40,000 jobs in the construction industry. The year long cabinet battle over Britain's ability to invest in the next generation of green infrastructure will be resolved when a green investment bank is established with access to up to £3bn of funds, and an ability to borrow from April 2015. Green groups will be disappointed about the deferral of borrowing powers, but pleased at the higher than expected interim funding. The battle over the bank was resolved on Sunday and the outcome reflects a wider political struggle to ensure plans in the budget to ease pressure on the squeezed middle, including freezing planned fuel duty rises, does not strip the coalition of its green credentials. Ministers admit the deferral of the bank's borrowing powers to 2015-16 reflects Treasury determination to ensure net debt as a percentage of GDP is falling by 2015-16. But they also argue that decisions on the next big wave of green investment projects, including offshore wind farms, do not need to be made until after 2015. In a negotiating success for Chris Huhne, the energy secretary, the bank will be given access to £1bn of funds from 2012-13, as opposed to the earlier plan to wait until 2013-4. The bank will also be given access from 2012-13 to £775m from the asset sales from HS1, the superfast rail track between London and the Channel tunnel. In addition the bank will have access to £1bn from the sales from 2013-14 from Urenco, the company that makes enriched uranium from nuclear power. The government owns a third of Urenco jointly with the Dutch government and German energy companies RWE and E.On. The Treasury has given a guarantee that if the income from the sale of Urenco is not forthcoming, the green bank will have access to other funds. Budget 2011 George Osborne Conservatives Tax and spending Budget Property Family finances Motoring Borrowing & debt Inflation Larry Elliott Patrick Wintour Polly Curtis guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Yemeni president warns of civil war Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:57 AM PDT Sana'a protests agitate for Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign as he accuses defecting generals of trying to stage a coup Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has accused defecting generals of trying to stage a coup against him, saying the country would descend into a bloody civil war if he were forced to step down. "Those trying to wrest power through coups should know that this is impossible," Saleh said in a defiant speech on television on Tuesday. "The fatherland will be made unstable, there will be war, a bloody civil war. They should carefully reflect on this." Saleh, who has been president of Yemen for 32 years, is under mounting pressure to step down following seven weeks of anti-government protests and defections among the ruling elite. He announced on Tuesday that he would accept a proposal for an early departure from office, in January 2012, though it remained unclear when or how a transfer of power would take place. Previously he had offered to leave only by 2013. The Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), Yemen's opposition coalition, said they would accept nothing short of immediate resignation. "The opposition rejects the offer, as the coming hours will be decisive," said opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri. Scenes of jubilation among protesters at Sana'a University quickly dissolved into anger and frustration as news of Saleh's speech spread. Demonstrators have been living in tents on the campus for the past five weeks demanding the president's resignation. Tribesmen from Yemen's eastern desert province of Marib set fire to a towering pile of placards bearing pictures of the president on hearing that he would not be stepping down. "Like our brothers in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, we have one simple request – that the president steps down now. If he doesn't I think there will bloodshed," said Mahmud Saeed, 21, who was dousing the smouldering heap of wood with petrol. Saleh's defiance was unexpected. The fate of the embattled president now looks to be sealed as high-level officials, including senior army commander Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, abandon him and throw their support behind the protesters. Seventeen foreign diplomats, including the Yemeni ambassador to the UK, also resigned on Monday. Saleh suffered a further setback when Abdel-Malik Mansour, Yemen's representative to the Arab League, told Al Arabiya television he was backing the protesters. Abdul-Rahman al-Iryani, the minister of water and environment, who was dismissed with the remainder of the cabinet on Sunday, also said he was joining "the revolutionaries". In his letter of resignation on Tuesday, Iryani said: "It is becoming ridiculous that every member of the regime is now joining the revolution, when in fact they should surrender themselves to the revolution for trial for crimes that they committed against the people or looked the other way while these crimes were perpetrated on the people. Also, they should pledge not to occupy any public office in the future." Military units appeared to have taken sides in the capital, with the Republican Guard protecting the palace of the president and soldiers from the 1st Armored Division under Ali Mohsen protecting the throngs of protesters in Sana'a. Late on Monday Yemen's defence minister, Mohammad Nasser Ali, set the scene for possible military confrontation between the two, saying the army would back Saleh against any coup attempt. Analysts are worried that if a political agreement is not reached soon a violent military showdown will ensue. "The situation we face at the moment is untenable," said Abdulghani Iryani, a political analyst. "With two army factions facing off in the capital the risk of a spark is huge. "Saleh has started waving the threat of a civil war in the hope that it will buy him enough time to make an honourable exit. In reality, he has days left before things turn very violent here." Clashes broke out on Tuesday between the Republican Guard, an elite force led by the president's son, Ahmed, and Yemen's regular army, in the southern city of Mukalla. Two soldiers died. Yemen is under a 30-day state of emergency called by Saleh following a sniper attack by plain-clothed government loyalists last Friday, which left 52 protesters dead in the capital and caused even the president's own tribe to demand his resignation. The United States has long viewed Yemen as a key partner in the fight against al-Qaida, yet Barack Obama has called for a "peaceful transition" in the country; it is not exactly clear what that would entail given that there is no obvious successor to Saleh. Analysts warn that the important issues in Yemen go far beyond that of Saleh's departure from the presidency. "What's at stake in Yemen is not just the risk that the country's unity could disintegrate, but the very real danger that Islamist extremists, like al-Qaida, will take advantage of Yemen's divisions to turn it into a veritable sanctuary for international terrorists," said Harry Sterling, a former Canadian diplomat, who worked in Yemen. Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Tom Finn guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

25% cut in foreign student numbers Posted: 22 Mar 2011 05:05 PM PDT Government to close fake colleges, bar students with poor English skills and bring in new rules on staying after courses end The home secretary, Theresa May, has unveiled the coalition's compromise package on the student visa system and claimed it would curb numbers by more than 25%, with up to 80,000 fewer coming to Britain each year. May claimed that new restrictions on the ability of overseas students to stay on and work for up to two years on graduation would reduce numbers by a further 20,000. The home secretary said the curb was needed not only to tackle abuse but to meet the government's target of reducing annual net migration to below 100,000 a year: "The most significant migrant route to Britain is the student route. And so we must take action here too," she saidon Tuesday, adding that together with their dependants, students accounted for two-thirds of all visas issued to non-EU migrants last year. The final package to come into force from April involves tighter rules on the accreditation of private colleges that can sponsor overseas students; tougher English language requirements; tighter rules on students working part-time; restrictions on which students can bring dependants with them; maximum time limits of between three and five years on the length of courses; and changes to the post-study work route. It is understood that Whitehall negotiations over the final detail of the delayed package went on until late on Monday, with May giving way on some key details. Liberal Democrat sources said that Nick Clegg and Vince Cable had successfully battled to prevent the Tories imposing an arbitrary cap on student migration and had forced the Home Office to change "potentially devastating" plans. "Nick and Vince were absolutely adamant about this," said a senior Liberal Democrat source. "The last thing we need to be doing when we are encouraging growth is to pull the rug out from under the feet of our great universities. The draconian restrictions originally planned by the Home Office would have been a slap in the face for British colleges, universities and businesses. This is a victory for reason over prejudice." The universities, English-language schools and the National Union of Students acknowledged that the government had responded to their concerns in its final package. Universities UK said the proposals would allow the £5bn annual contribution by international students in tuition fees and off-campus spending to continue. But the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, claimed May was simply restricting student visas in one area while allowing them to rise in a separate short-term student visitor category which does not count towards the net migration target. "Isn't the real truth that this policy is not about youth unemployment or bogus courses, it is about hitting higher education because you can't meet your promise to cut migration to tens of thousands over the course of this parliament?" The issues which the Liberal Democrats claimed progress on included: • Pathway courses: proposals to bar overseas students coming to further education colleges to learn English before going to university or public school have been dropped as long the main course provider sponsors the student directly. • Post-study work route: a possible option was to abolish or cap the ability of students to seek work for two years on graduation from university. Now graduates who have the offer of a graduate-level skilled job paying at least £20,000 a year will be able to stay on to work. However a cap on these numbers will be kept in reserve if they start to rise sharply. The numbers of "switchers" will not count to the overall limit on net migration. • Increased English-language requirement: the standard is to be raised to intermediate proficiency as defined by the secure English language test, but universities will be exempted from this requirement and be able to impose their own test. The bulk of the 70,000 to 80,000 reduction in the 262,000 student visas issued each year is expected to come from the changes in accrediting private colleges in the higher and further education sector. Currently only 113 out of the 700-odd such colleges enjoy "highly trusted sponsor" status with the Home Office. A new licensing system will determine the fate of the 600 other colleges who rely on overseas students. Universities UK said the final package would allow British universities to remain at the forefront of international student recruitment. However the English-language schools warned that a new loophole could be opened up through the extended student visitor visa which allows people to come for up to 11 months and does not count to the overall figures on net migration. International students Higher education Students Immigration and asylum Theresa May Alan Travis guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Eight killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Posted: 22 Mar 2011 04:33 PM PDT Civilians among victims, including three from the same family At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured after Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. The dead included four civilians who were killed when a tank shell was fired at a Gaza City suburb. It is believed three members of the same family were killed. There were unconfirmed reports of a fifth victim. Four people were killed when an Israeli aircraft fired at a car in another suburb of Gaza City. It was claimed the passengers were Islamic Jihad militants. Within an hour, a rocket was fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. Tension has been mounting in the area since two members of Hamas were killed in an airstrike last week, after sporadic firing from Gaza into Israel. On Saturday, 50 mortar shells were fired from Gaza into Israel causing several injuries. On Monday evening, an airstrike injured 18 people. The Israeli army said it had been an attack on a tunnel that could be used to smuggle terrorists into Israel. Attacks on Gaza continued from tanks and the air throughout Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Israeli army said that she regretted the civilian deaths but the army had been targeting mortar fire coming from a residential area. Since the end of the 2009 war, Hamas and Israel have maintained an uneasy ceasefire, characterised by sporadic airstrikes and rocket fire claimed by smaller militant groups. Saturday was the first time that Hamas claimed responsibility for an attack on Israel from Gaza. After the killing in Gaza City, Ismail Radwan, a spokesman for Hamas, said: "The brutal crime of today will not pass without a response by the resistance." Gaza Israel Palestinian territories Middle East Conal Urquhart guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Japan nuclear firm missed checks Posted: 22 Mar 2011 06:42 AM PDT Documents show operator failed to carry out mandatory checks at Fukushima Daiichi and allowed fuel rods to pile up The power plant at the centre of the biggest civilian nuclear crisis in Japan's history contained far more spent fuel rods than it was designed to store, while its technicians repeatedly failed to carry out mandatory safety checks, according to documents from the reactor's operator. The risk that used fuel rods present to efforts to avert disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was underlined on Tuesday when nuclear safety officials said the No 2 reactor's storage pool had heated to around boiling point, raising the risk of a leakage of radioactive steam. "We cannot leave this alone and we must take care of it as quickly as possible," Hidehiko Nishiyama, of the nuclear and industrial safety agency, said. According to documents from Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the company repeatedly missed safety checks over a 10-year period up to two weeks before the 11 March disaster, and allowed uranium fuel rods to pile up inside the 40-year-old facility. When the plant was struck by a huge earthquake and tsunami, its reactors, designed by US scientists 50 years ago, contained the equivalent of almost six years of highly radioactive uranium fuel produced by the facility, according to a presentation Tepco gave to the International Atomic Energy Agency and later posted on the company's website. The revelations will add to pressure on Tepco to explain why, under its cost-cutting chief executive Masataka Shimizu, it opted to save money by storing the spent fuel on site rather than invest in safer storage options. The firm already faces scrutiny over why it waited so long to pump seawater into the stricken reactors and, according to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper last week, turned down US offers of help to cool the reactors shortly after the disaster. Critics of Japan's nuclear power programme say the industry's patchy safety record and close ties to regulating authorities will have to change if it is to regain public trust. "I've long thought the whole system is a mess," Taro Kono, a Liberal Democratic party MP, told Reuters. "We have to go through our whole nuclear strategy after this. "Now, no one is going to accept nuclear waste in their backyards. You can have an earthquake and have radioactive material under your house. We're going to have a real debate on this." Kono wants to see the government lead a fundamental reform of the industry's structure, which he says has encouraged collusion between plant operators and the people who are supposed to regulate them. Reports said safety lapses at the plant continued up to two weeks before the tsunami disabled cooling systems in its reactors and sparked the biggest nuclear power emergency the world has seen since Chernobyl in 1986. One month before the tsunami, government regulators approved a Tepco request to prolong the life of one of its six reactors by another decade, despite warnings that its backup power generator contained stress cracks, making them more vulnerable to water damage. Weeks later, Tepco admitted it had failed to inspect 33 pieces of equipment inside the plant's cooling systems, including water pumps, according to the nuclear safety agency's website. Regulators have been accused of uncritically backing industry moves to prolong the life of ageing nuclear power plants such as Fukushima Daiichi amid mounting local opposition to the construction of new facilities. A regulatory committee reviewing the reactor's stay of execution said maintenance management was "inadequate", and the quality of inspection "insufficient," according to reports. When disaster struck earlier this month, the plant contained almost 4,000 uranium fuel assemblies kept in pools of circulating water – the equivalent of more than three times the amount of radioactive material usually kept in the active cores of the plant's reactors. The drop-in water levels in some of those pools after the tsunami has caused fuel rods to overheat, raising the risk of a full meltdown and the release of dangerous levels of radioactivity into the atmosphere. Tepco workers, troops and firefighters have been working around the clock to keep the storage pools replenished by dumping water from helicopters and via high-pressure hoses from the ground. The No 4 reactor, which suffered two explosions last week, contained 548 fuel assemblies cooling in a water pool on its upper floor. Japanese plans to store radioactive nuclear fuel after it has been used have made little headway. A medium-term storage site in Mutsu, northern Japan, is not due to open until next year, and the construction of an enrichment and reprocessing plant in Rokkasho has been hit by technical glitches and other delays. Japan Japan disaster Nuclear power Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Police seek guidance over cuts rally Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:13 AM PDT Met keen to avoid repeat of battles at student protest as 4,500 assigned officers to be monitored by human rights group Frontline police awaiting deployment to Saturday's demonstration against government cuts have appealed for clear instructions about what to do in the event of disorder. Peter Smyth, chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, told the Guardian that operations – which have degenerated into pitched battles between demonstrators and the police – have been hampered by ambiguity as orders are relayed down the chain of command. About 4,500 police officers are being assigned to the demonstration, which is expected to be the biggest mass protest the UK has seen since the march against the war in Iraq in 2003. Off-duty officers are also expected to join the march to protest about planned cuts of 20% to police budgets. "If you are the officer and the order comes down to clear the streets, that can mean going up to people and saying: 'Excuse me, it is time to go, and can you move along please'. Or it can mean a baton charge. Sometimes that is not clear," Smyth said. "Officers need to be given clear instructions about what is expected of them. That is a problem, and senior officers have been a bit guilty of issuing ambiguous orders." On the Guardian Focus podcast, Smyth said that officers are hoping for better this time. The Met was particularly stung by criticism after rioters at last November's student march were permitted to cause damage and invade Conservative party headquarters at Millbank. "The Met says it has listened. Clearly Millbank was a complete disaster for the Met. They underestimated the protest and weren't ready when violence broke out. I think this time they will be ready, and I'm really hoping it will be a peaceful protest," he said. Smyth said some members will attend the demonstration while off duty. "There will be a number of police officers joining the march so we have a bit of a common cause with the TUC on this one," he said. The federation has previously voiced concern for its members when violence breaks out. In January, an editorial in its magazine, Metline, demanded immediate answers to "some pretty fundamental" questions. "Does the requirement to facilitate peaceful protest override the police's duty to prevent disorder? How many police officers are allowed to be injured before those who are left are deployed with the correct protective equipment? How much criminal damage is acceptable before the police are allowed to act?" The editorial called for those in charge to set an example. "It is time for the leadership of the police service to shove their heads above the parapet and start leading; telling those officers who will be policing these protests whether to stand back and keep their fingers crossed or come forward and ensure that the law is upheld." Assistant commissioner Lynne Owens, responsible for public order policing at Scotland Yard, said officers from the Met and those seconded from forces in the home counties will have a full day's briefing. "Our expectation is that they come expecting to police a peaceful protest, but if we have to intervene against violence I am confident that officers will do that. There is an expectation that they will use force if they have to, and it will be the minimum force required to meet our lawful aims." She said officers will be fully aware of what is expected. "I am very confident that because of the planning and conversations we have had, [all], down to the constable on the ground, will be very clear about expectations on the day." The police operation is to be scrutinised at close quarters by the human rights group Liberty, whose officials have been allowed to sit in with police and TUC representatives during the weeks of planning. Liberty will also line the route with 100 legal observers and will have access to the police control room. During the march itself Liberty says the agreement will allow it to better fulfil the monitoring function, but the move has attracted criticism. Activists within the Network for Police Monitoring accuse Liberty of undermining its own independence. The network plans to deploy its own group of trained legal advisers to monitor events and provide advice to demonstrators on the day. Police Protest Tax and spending Anti-war movement Cuts and closures Budget Hugh Muir guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Clegg set to rein in NHS reforms Posted: 22 Mar 2011 04:47 PM PDT Liberal Democrat leader to push for changes to health and social care bill Nick Clegg told a meeting of his MPs in Westminster on Tuesdayyesterday that he would now be "taking the lead" within government to rein in its programme of reform for the NHS. The Liberal Democrat leader said he was determined to ensure changes were made to the health and social care bill, the clearest sign that he will personally negotiate with the health secretary, Andrew Lansley. A senior party source said that the Lib Dem leader had decided to "front up" the issue with the Conservatives. Lansley's reforms to the NHS – handing over a majority of the healthcare budget to GPs for commissioning, and scrapping primary care trusts – have been opposed by some Conservative MPs and the British Medical Association, and 10 days ago Lib Dems voted at their spring party conference to ensure modifications were made to the bill. Then it was suggested that even though the Lib Dems had registered their discontent, there was little their leader would be able to do within government. Now Clegg's aides say he will push for alterations to the bill, including beefing up the governance and accountability while minimising the financial risk of the new GP consortiums, and having some limits on the types of new private providers that can come into the system. Clegg's closest colleagues – his parliamentary adviser Norman Lamb and the chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander – have been newly charged with liasing with their backbench MPs and the wider party, to secure policy modifications. There is speculation that Clegg's opposition to the bill would delay it until beyond the Easter recess as officials work behind the scenes to reformulate a bill to the tastes of the Lib Dems. However a source said Tuesday that it might not be necessary to delay the bill with changes being tabled in the House of Lords stage instead. Clegg addressed his MPs hours after Lansley went before the commons health select committee to explain the progress of the bill. He surprised some MPs when he admitted they were "still thinking through" what would happen should one of the newly empowered GP consortia go bust. Lansley said: "The responsibility lies with the NHS commissioning board. To identify and then intervene – they will have powers to take over responsibility or ask another hospital to take over." But he said there was still a debate about what would be the "trigger" for the NHS commissioning board to step in. In an overture to those concerned about the reforms, and in a nod to the parliamentary push back from Clegg's team, Lansley said there would be "opportunities to clarify, if not improve, the bill as it goes through parliament." Lansley insisted that the bill was compatible with EU law and that he was supported by legal advice. But when pressed five times by Labour MP Valerie Vaz to publish the exact legal advice, he appeared to refuse. The level of confusion was such that the committee's chair Stephen Dorrell asked for a note of clarification on the issues of competition. He also admitted that the government had not yet worked out the role of Monitor, the regulatory body that ensures fair play between GP consortia. The Tory MP for Totnes, and a GP, Sarah Wollaston suggested that without clear legislated restrictions the "public interest" of Monitor was "clearly open to interpretation". Lansley committed to sending a written explanation on the regulatory body. Lansley said the current debate was turning on an incorrect sum and that the size of the budget being handed to GPs was not £80bn as has been accepted but £60bn, owing to elements within the budget being redirected to areas like public health and regional specialised services which will not be channelled through GP consortia. Nick Clegg NHS Health Andrew Lansley GPs Liberal Democrats Conservatives Liberal-Conservative coalition Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Search begins for Wiltshire woman Posted: 22 Mar 2011 01:22 PM PDT Around 400 volunteers have been helping police as they comb Savernake Forest looking for 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan Hundreds of volunteers have worked alongside police officers and rescue teams to search thick woodland in Wiltshire for missing woman Sian O'Callaghan. Around 400 people helped comb Savernake Forest for traces of the 22-year-old office administrator, including scores who turned up in two coaches, and at one point the police had to ask the public to stay away because they could not cope with more help. A reward of £20,000 was offered by an anonymous donor for anyone who can help find O'Callaghan. Police in Swindon warned people not to walk alone if they could help it. O'Callaghan disappeared after leaving Suju nightclub in Swindon at about 2.50am on Saturday to walk the half mile home to the flat she shared with her boyfriend, Kevin Reape. Analysis of O'Callaghan's mobile phone records suggests that 32 minutes after she left the club her phone was somewhere in the 4,500-acre Savernake Forest, near Marlborough. Police say the journey there could only have been made in a vehicle and they have been searching the forest since the weekend. After it became clear that scores of people wanted to help comb the forest, police began organising members of the public to look for O'Callaghan herself, her phone, handbag or any other item that could be connected to her or her disappearance. Among those joining the search was labourer James McMurray, 20, from Swindon. "I just wanted to do my bit," he said. "Nobody deserves to go through that and I'm doing my bit for the community." Mikey Jack, 19, who plays football with Kevin Reape, said: "Kevin's a great lad and he doesn't deserve this and my thoughts are with him and his family. He's a strong lad and I think he's hurting a lot." Police officers also scoured the side of the A346 road between Swindon and Marlborough. They are particularly keen to find O'Callaghan's missing phone. Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, who is leading the inquiry, said: "We know that Sian had an LG E900 Optimus mobile phone with her on the night of her disappearance and I'd like to hear from anyone who finds a phone of this description." Police released CCTV footage of O'Callaghan leaving the club – the last known sighting. Fulcher said he wanted to hear from people who were close to Suju at the time she left the club and anyone who saw vehicles at beauty spots between Swindon and Savernake between 3am and 4am on Saturday. He added: "I'd also like to take this opportunity to remind people to think about their personal safety and take basic measures such as always making sure someone knows where you are going and what time you will be home, stay with friends and try not to walk alone." One 28-year-old woman came forward to report that two men tried to coax her into a car in Swindon at 10.15pm on Saturday night. "It was pretty scary and shook me up a bit but I didn't think much of it until Sian disappeared," she said. Police are also examining social network sites, including Facebook, used by O'Callaghan and her friends. A spokesman said: "The investigation is very wide reaching and the comments and information on all sites, including social networking, are being considered."Among the other people joining the search, college student Tizanne Gregory, 17, from Market Lavington, Wiltshire, said: "My cousin was at school with her and my mum knows the family. It is horrible not knowing where she is. My sister lives near Suju in Old Town and you don't think something would happen there and I am a bit worried." Maz Wakefield, 27, a friend of Sian's best friend, Holly Jackson, came to give her support despite being on crutches. She said: "I'd just be sat at home if I wasn't here and you want to do everything you possibly can. I'm really surprised about how many have turned out to help, I just hope it can make the difference." Steven Morris guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

JJB Sports staves off collapse again Posted: 22 Mar 2011 01:40 PM PDT JJB Sports has agreed a deal under which landlords are expected to forfeit around £60m in rent Shares in JJB Sports surged by as much as 48% on Tuesday after its landlords agreed to forfeit up to £60m in rent in an attempt to prevent the collapse of the retailer. Initially, the company voluntary arrangement (CVA) will save all 6,100 jobs at the sports chain, but as many as 2,000 positions could go over the next two years under JJB's deal with landlords, which include Hammerson and Peel Holdings. Under the deal, the Wigan-based retailer will close 43 stores by April 2012, with the option of shutting a further 46 over the following 12 months, leaving a minimum of 160 stores. The landlords will cut rents on the 89 "compromised stores" before any closures, in return for a performance-related "clawback" payment of £2.5m to £7.5m. JJB will pay rates to the landlords on the outlets it has vacated until replacement tenants are found. Meanwhile, the landlords have agreed to accept payments on all outlets on a monthly rather than a quarterly basis. The landlords have signed leases of 10-20 years, having judged they would be better off in the long term signing the deal than allowing JJB to collapse and looking for new tenants. KPMG, which advised on the restructuring, calculated that the deal would give landlords between 24.6p (equivalent to £30m) and 29.2p in the pound on the rents of those stores which close, compared with just 1.1p if JJB went into administration. It argues that the landlords are not forfeiting anything like £60m – the approximate extra amount they would have received had JJB paid the full rent on the 89 stores – because, without the agreement, the retailer would collapse and the landlords would be entitled to next to nothing. However, analysts were sceptical about the longer-term outlook for JJB. Nick Bubb, analyst at Arden Partners, said: "JJB will stagger along, but it is only delaying the inevitable. In a year's time, there will probably be another CVA." He added: "Consumers just aren't that bothered that JJB exists, although suppliers obviously are. It's astonishing that the core shareholders are prepared to keep throwing good money after bad." JJB previously agreed a CVA in 2008, when it ditched 140 stores, and has raised £131.5m in two equity fundraisings in the past 18 months. Last week JJB proposed a rescue plan to raise a further £65m from shareholders to refurbish its stores. The revamp of about 150 stores will be based on a successful trial of six new-look stores aimed at keen amateurs and sporting families. JJB chairman Mike McTighe said he is "confident" the turnaround plan will work. The need for a deal became imperative this year when merger talks with JD Sports fell through. JD Sports blamed the breakdown of negotiations on the unwillingness of JJB management to give it access to commercial information that could have paved the way for a bid. JJB has been struggling in recent years, with several changes of management since former head Chris Ronnie overstretched the balance sheet through a series of acquisitions that left it struggling with debt. It has also suffered from weak sales. Like-for-like sales dived by 15.7% in the six weeks to 19 December, more than trebling pre-tax losses for the period to £68.5m. KPMG declined to comment on the likely scale of job losses at JJB over the next two years as a result of the deal. Today, shareholders voted in favour of JJB's CVA agreement and backed a proposal by the retailer to delist from the London Stock Exchange and relocate to the Alternative Investment Market (Aim). This alternative exchange typically lists smaller companies and has cheaper compliance costs. JJB's shares rose as much as 48% before falling to end the day 11.5% higher at 29.0p. The shares were trading at more than 255p last April. JJB Sports Retail industry Tom Bawden guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

China dismisses Google claims Posted: 22 Mar 2011 08:50 AM PDT Chinese authorities say Google's claims that they are to blame for technical problems with the Gmail are 'unacceptable' China has dismissed Google's allegation that Beijing is hampering access to its email service as "unacceptable". The internet provider said it believed government blocks were responsible for technical problems using Gmail from China. The problems arose amid a tightening of internet controls that has made it increasingly difficult to use several popular virtual private networks. VPNs allow people to access material hosted overseas even if it is blocked by the Chinese government. The new restrictions appear to be part of a security clampdown sparked by anonymous online calls for a "jasmine revolution" akin to the recent uprisings in the Middle East. Those messages were posted on an overseas website, but scores of Chinese activists and dissidents have been questioned, harassed and in some cases detained by the authorities for weeks. A Google spokesman told the Guardian this week: "Relating to Google, there is no [technical] issue on our side. We have checked extensively. This is a government blockage carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail." Users have reported frequent problems with basic tasks such as sending and searching emails or opening their address books. But Jiang Yu, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, told a regular news conference: "This is an unacceptable accusation." She declined to comment further. The ministry of commerce and ministry of industry and information technology did not respond to faxed questions. This month WiTopia, one of the most popular VPNs, asked users to report problems via email rather than its live support service because of an "extraordinary volume [of issues] from China shenanigans". The architect of the online censorship system had previously said it was "lagging behind" in a battle against VPNs and that further tightening was needed. "It's grim. The reality is they can shut off all access if they want to," said Bill Bishop, a Beijing-based internet specialist. He added: "You are heading into a two-internet world." One Beijing-based industry source - who, like many, did not want to be identified in connection with the subject - said he hoped controls might ease in time. He pointed out that in the past sites such as Wikipedia had become available after having been blocked for years and suggested that blocks might be a temporary measure to encourage Chinese users to switch to local alternatives. Many users are largely oblivious to the tightening of restrictions, preferring to use domestic email and social media services. But a growing number of activists and dissidents have embraced services such as Twitter, which is blocked and available only with the use of a VPN or other censorship-evasion technology. Richard Buangan, spokesman for the US embassy in Beijing, said: "As part of our ongoing dialogue with China, we have emphasised to the Chinese government our view on the importance of an open internet. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. "The United States believes that freedom of expression, including on the internet, is a universal right that should be available to all people, whether they are in the United States, China or any other nation." Google angered the Chinese government when it announced last year that it was no longer willing to censor search results in the country and moved its Chinese search service to Hong Kong. It cited increased censorship and a cyberattack which it said appeared to have targeted human rights activists. Separately, Google reported this month that it had seen "some highly targeted and apparently politically motivated attacks against our users", exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser. It did not identify the subjects, but journalists in China reported suspicious messages from users such as "moli hua" - Chinese for "jasmine" - at the same time. Greg Walton, of cyber intelligence company MetaLab Asia, who analysed those messages, said users were invited to click on links that led to malware hosted on a Hong Kong server. It was apparently designed to download Gmail cookies and email them to several addresses, enabling access to the targets' Gmail accounts. One piece of malware appears to have been designed to connect the target computer to a command and control server in Heilongjiang, northern China. Chinese officials have repeatedly said their laws ban hacking and that the country is itself a victim of cyber-attacks. China Google Gmail Email Search engines Internet Social media Twitter Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Polar bear Knut died of brain illness Posted: 22 Mar 2011 08:29 AM PDT Postmortem on four-year-old polar bear who collapsed and died showed 'significant changes to the brain' Brain problems apparently caused the early death of Knut, Germany's four-year-old celebrity polar bear, Berlin zoo has said. Initial findings from a postmortem performed by an institute in the German capital showed "significant changes to the brain, which can be viewed as a reason for the polar bear's sudden death", the zoo said in a statement. Pathologists found no changes to any other organs, the zoo said, adding that it would take several days to produce a final result. Further planned tests include bacteriological and histological, or tissue, examinations. Knut died on Saturday in front of visitors at the zoo, turning around several times and then falling into the water in his enclosure. Polar bears usually live 15 to 20 years in the wild and longer in captivity. Knut, who was born in December 2006 at the zoo, rose to celebrity status as a cub. He was rejected by his mother at birth, along with his twin brother, who only survived a couple of days. He attracted attention when his main keeper, Thomas Doerflein, camped out at the zoo to give Knut his bottle every two hours. Knut went on to appear on magazine covers, in a film and on mountains of merchandise. Doerflein died in 2008 of a heart attack. Knut Animals Germany guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Otsuchi: the town that must rebuild without its leaders Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:43 AM PDT Mayor and local officials among thousands dead or missing after earthquake, tsunami and fires devastate town in Iwata prefecture Koki Kato's last official act as mayor was to set up a command centre for Otsuchi's disaster response team, outdoors, in front of the town hall and facing the sea. The mayor in his usual hands-on style was helping workers haul out tables and chairs for the outdoor HQ when Japan's tsunami struck. "All of us scattered to escape," said Kansei Sawadate, a local government official who was at the meeting. They all made it back into the town hall building – including the mayor. But then, to Sawadate's horror and disbelief, the waters surged as high as the clock face on the second floor. "The people who went up on the roof were saved, and the people who stayed on the second floor were washed away," he said. Sawadate and the 21 other local government officials who made it to the roof were rescued the next morning by a military helicopter. Kato's body turned up nine days later, nearly a kilometre away. At least eight other officials are known to have died and about 20 are still missing. Now the question facing survivors is: can the town rebuild without its leaders? "I have to say that without the mayor it might be difficult to rebuild. We might lag behind unless someone from the outside comes to lead us," said Yamazaki Seigo, who is connected to Kato by marriage. There's some suggestion of a time lag already. Further up the coast from Otsuchi, at Miyako, the clean-up is underway, with piles of neatly tied rubbish sacks stacked up along the beached ferry boats, houses and cars washed up by the tsunami. There, officials at one shelter say they have been overwhelmed by donations of winter coats and instant noodles, which the evacuees cannot cook without boiling water. In Miyako, the homeless have been invited to apply for housing in government flats. Moving day for the first 180 apartments is 2 April, according to the neatly typed notices that went up in government shelters. That degree of organisation is beyond Otsuchi for now. At the town's acting headquarters – high up on a hill above the government building – the bulletin boards are still given over to people searching for the missing. By Tuesday afternoon, it still was not clear to Sawadate whether bodies identified in the town hall on 13 March had been removed. Otsuchi was all but wiped out by the tsunami, which tore through a 10-metre high reinforced concrete sea wall, washing away one bridge entirely, and damaging another. The shell of the town hall is still standing, but its contents – including the town's records – are gone. To compound matters, the pitifully few buildings still standing after the earthquake and the tsunami burned down after cooking gas tanks exploded. The fires burned for days, because there was no functioning fire department. About 460 people were killed and 970 remain missing out of a town of 16,000. About a third of the population of Otsuchi is now homeless and people say they could use a leader. "I don't know where we would start," said Sachiko Mocomochi, a physiotherapist. "The town is completely gone. It really hurts to look at it." Kato was a popular figure in Otsuchi. He did a long stint on the city council before deciding to run for mayor four years ago. He was elected by a wide margin, casting himself as a leader for the everyman. Locals said he would have easily won re-election at next month's polls. On the day of the earthquake, he had responded in typical fashion. When the tremors subsided, he ordered staff out of the building until engineers could survey for structural damage. Then he started hauling furniture outside for an emergency command centre which he planned to run from a tent in front of the building. Road signs at the entrance of Otsuchi warn travellers that the town is a known tsunami flood zone. But the last major tsunami warning, after last year's earthquake in Chile, produced a storm surge of barely a metre. "Even with the warnings about a huge tsunami, nobody ever imagined this could hit us," said Akihiro Goto, who works in the town's transport department. Now that the unimaginable has happened, the people of Otsuchi are struggling to envisage a future in the town. Rebuilding after devastation on such a grand scale was always going to be difficult. Like much of this part of Japan, Otsuchi was an ageing town, with a shrinking job market. Sawadate, who worked to attract new industry to the town, said he was worried that young people, and poorer families whose homes were closer to the coast, would migrate. He said the authorities would need to help people to buy land further inland. "Then they might stay," he said, but he sounded a little doubtful. For other government workers sorting through the wreckage at the toll hall on Tuesday, that thought is unthinkable. "The death of the mayor will have a big effect on the reconstruction effort," said Goto. "Everyone is responding. I am sure we will make it somehow." Japan disaster Japan Suzanne Goldenberg guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

'Hockney never answers my letters' Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:00 PM PDT What's it like to run an art gallery in Roubaix, France's poorest town? Bruno Gaudichon, director of La Piscine, a museum of art and industry set in an old bath-house, reveals all How did you get started? When I was a boy, I wanted to be an archaeologist – digging up all those hoards of hidden treasure. Then later, a wonderful modern-art professor in Poitiers, where I was a student, introduced me to les beaux-arts [fine arts] and that was it. Now I've been at it so long, I'm a dinosaur. Is there such a thing as French art? There is French culture, but I'm not sure there is anything so specific as French art. Is Picasso, who was Spanish but worked in France, French art? Or Chagall, who was Russian but worked in France and America? How are the arts funded in France? Most museums like La Piscine are funded mainly by public money – in our case, local money – but in recent years we have had to go further afield to regional and departmental authorities for things like temporary exhibitions, and to look for patrons. Of course, we never have enough money to realise all our dreams, but we have enough to work with, and recent tax incentives making donations more attractive means patrons are easier to find. How receptive are the general public to what you do? Very receptive. Roubaix has a population of 100,000, who are not natural museum visitors, but last year we had 230,000 visits. We do a lot to attract local people like workshops for youngsters, and they appreciate it. What's the biggest threat to your area of the arts? As always, money. Every year budgets get smaller, and the economic crisis hasn't helped. Our town, Roubaix, continues to support us, but I know other towns where the budgets have completely collapsed. Also the government has threatened to change the rule that any work of art acquired by a public collection cannot be sold. There were real fears that museums that were in difficulty would sell off their works. The proposal has been abandoned for the moment, but it's still a threat. What's the standard of arts media coverage and criticism in France? Very good. It can be hard to get a critic out of Paris, but on the whole, the level of criticism in the many specialist arts publications we have in France is excellent. What's the biggest misconception about the arts in your country? Although people are better informed than they were, I think they have difficulty understanding contemporary art. They look at a Picasso and think: "My child could have done that." If someone was visiting your country and could only see one thing, what would it be? Apart from La Piscine! Impossible to pick one thing. I could say go and see Mont Saint-Michel which is magnificent, but you cannot sum up the culture of a country from one thing. And if you could, it would be sad. In your country, which of the arts is the most neglected? Sculpture. We put on one exhibition of sculpture a year, and unless it's by someone well known, nobody comes. There is a definite hierarchy in the beaux-arts, with painting at the top. Who's your tip for the top? A magnificent painter called Marc Ronet, who is now in his 70s, is causing a bit of a stir and has, in the last two years, started to get noticed. To you, what one thing sums up British culture? Tate Modern is extraordinary – it doesn't have the biggest or best collection in the world, but it's an intelligent mix of things and is full of surprises. For me, a very important thing about British culture is the lack of hierarchy. Everything is equal – sculpture, painting, decorative arts, ceramics – and that idea is exotic to us. What British artists do you admire? The Bloomsbury group: Roger Fry, Virginia Woolf and her artist sister Vanessa Bell. Also Walter Sickert. More recently, I would say David Hockney. I would love to arrange an exhibition of Hockney's swimming pool pictures in La Piscine – but he never answers my letters! Tell us a joke. Picasso goes into a restaurant and at the end of the meal, the owner says he is so honoured the great artist has eaten there, dinner is on the house. But he adds: "Do you think you could just sign one of our menus?" Picasso signs the menu and gives it back, but the restaurant owner says: "Oh, please could you just add a little drawing?" Picasso replies: "I will pay for the dinner, but don't expect me to pay for the restaurant." Art Kim Willsher guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Smiley is dead – a campaign begins Posted: 22 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PDT Smiley Culture's relatives intend to fight all the way - with the help of Lee Jasper There was anger, there were tears and it was standing room only in the Karibu Centre. Not everyone knew Smiley Culture, the reggae artist who died last week during a police operation to arrest him at his home, but everyone knew his music. And it wasn't just the music. It was also the fact that he fused reggae with a diction and landscape that was unmistakably British. Anglo/West Indian fusion is unremarkable now, particularly on the radio. Many say Smiley did it first. Now he is dead, in questionable circumstances. The authorities say Smiley, who faced drugs charges, stabbed himself through the heart while officers conducting a fresh drugs search were in another room. His relatives insist that is highly unlikely. They intend to fight this all the way and they'll have help. Hello again Lee Jasper. Remember Lee Jasper? He was a streetwise race activist, then equalities director during Ken Livingstone's London mayoralty. He was hurried from office by hotly contested allegations – personal and professional – relentlessly pursued by the Evening Standard. He withdrew into journalism, blogging and community activism. Smiley's relatives contacted Jasper, and he chaired that community meeting at the Karibu. It looked like something out of the 1980s I told him the following morning. But surely things are different now; black officers, black investigators on the police complaints body; all the things you campaigned for. Why are we back to this? "There was small-scale, incremental progress," he concedes. "We don't have the horror of black men being murdered and the police doing nothing. But it's a mixed bag. Look at the deaths in custody; look at stop and search, up by 70%." You really can't trust the system, Jasper says. Not without community pressure to keep it honest – it's likely to be a three- to five-year battle. "But Smiley's relatives are extraordinary in their strength and dignity. They are certainly not naive." So here comes a campaign, similar to those before, but boosted now by social media. Stand by for leaflets, meetings, the poignancy of a funeral. Testimony in favour of Smiley Culture; headlines spun against. And expect to hear quite a bit more from Lee Jasper. Race issues Hugh Muir guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

US anger at World Service cash bid Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:45 AM PDT Application for state department funding to combat censorship in countries such as China and Iran is greeted with derision • BBC World Service to sign funding deal with US An application by the BBC World Service Trust for US government funding to help combat censorship in countries such as China and Iran has met with a furious response in America. Some figures within rival US international broadcasters such as Voice of America are said to be "deeply angry" that, at a time when the Congress is embroiled in a delicate budgetary standoff with the Obama administration, the World Service Trust is hoping to receive US tax dollars. One Washington source said that the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the US government agency which distributes about $760m of public money annually to five US international broadcasters, should receive the funding and not the BBC World Service Trust. "We are deeply angry here in the States. The Voice of America is the US government's international broadcaster and needs support," the source added. "This is coming at a time when the US government is cutting funding for the BBG as well as National Public Radio and people are angry that money is going to the BBC World Service Trust. "The sums which the trust is now seeking are puny but it's the symbolism that's important. Americans are trying to conserve resources and our money is going to something which supports the work of a foreign broadcaster – it's infuriating." The US state department said no decision had yet been taken on the BBC World Service Trust's proposal for funding – believed to be a low six figure sum – for anti-jamming technology. Courtney Austrian, office director, policy planning and public diplomacy at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said: "To clarify the situation, earlier this month the BBC World Service Trust, along with many other organisations, was invited to submit a proposal for funding in the area of internet freedom to the state department. "This invitation was extended based upon a statement of interest the World Service Trust had previously submitted. We have not yet received a full proposal from any organisation and no funding decisions have yet been made." A spokeswoman for the BBG, which funds America's five international broadcasters – Voice of America, Radio & TV Marti, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and Middle East Broadcasting Networks – declined to be drawn on the row. "Competition for funds from the state department is ongoing," she said. News of the BBC's application for the grant from the US state department to develop anti–jamming technology in repressive countries such as Iran and China, revealed by the Guardian, has also met with a critical response in America. Under the heading "Your tax dollars funding a second left wing radio network: the BBC", Thomas Lifson wrote on the American Thinker blog: "The BBC has a problem with political bias at least as bad as that of NPR. But that is no obstacle to shipping money, borrowed from China, to yet another left wing network. Don't worry: we'll just let our children pay for it when the Chinese come to collect." A diary item on the New York Magazine's website added: "Just wait til the anti-NPR brigade gets wind that U.S. funds are going to foreigners." However, BBC World Service sources insisted that American money will be going to the World Service Trust – which is the corporation's international charity – and not to the World Service, the international broadcaster. "It is quite reasonable that project by project work by the trust could apply for state department and US funding," said a BBC World Service Trust source. The BBC World Service Trust has previously received $4.5m in US international development funding for an ongoing media and development project in Nigeria and is bidding for another $293,000 for similar work in Burma. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook. BBC World Service US politics BBC US television industry Digital media Television industry United States Press freedom Radio industry Internet Ben Dowell guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

An unusual birthday treat Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:35 AM PDT On a run with the Kenyan military, Adharanand Finn experiences unexpected psychological challenges As birthday treats go, it's an unusual one. I leave the house at 7am and head up the pot-holed road out of Nairobi and into Ngong. There, near the top of a hill, I pull off the road and follow a dirt track into a field. The wind is blowing hard as I come to a halt on the grass and step out of the car. Weathered military tents flap rhythmically along one side of the field. In front of the tents, about thirty men and women in running kit stand in lines listening as a man with a stick under his arm paces back and forth and talks to them in Kiswahili. I'm 37 years old today. And to celebrate, I've come for a morning run with the Kenyan Air Force. The lined-up personnel all turn to watch me as I walk across the grass to where a few plastic chairs have been left under a tree. One of the men breaks rank to come over to see me. I guess there needs to be some kind of security check in a military camp. The other people, I presume, are supposed to be standing to attention, but they're all smiling at me. The lines are not even straight. I tell the man I was invited to run by one of the coaches, Benjamin Mbusya. It seems to be a good enough explanation, as he smiles, says "Karibu" (welcome) and returns to his line. The Kenyan armed forces employ athletes to live and train at various camps like this, mostly up here in the Ngong Hills – I pass two more on my way to the Air Force camp. The runners have to undergo some basic military training, and occasionally have to don uniform for a parade, but otherwise they live as full-time athletes with the freedom to come and go largely as they please. It's a very loose arrangement and I find it hard to pin down exactly how it works. Nancy Langat, the Olympic 1500m champion, for example, is a member of this very camp, but she's not here now. I can't imagine she spends too much time here, to be honest. Unlike the camps in Iten, which are full of distance runners, this camp includes athletes from every event, from the high jump and shot put, to the sprints and hurdles. The military invests in the athletes in order to do well in the national championships, where it hopes to beat its arch rivals, the police and the prisons service. At the recent national cross country championships, the armed forces were outshone by the police, who named some of the best runners in the world, including both winners, Geoffrey Mutai and Linet Masai, among their ranks. I'm teamed up with a group of eight men for this morning's one-hour forest run. Coach Benjamin orders one of the athletes to stick with me if I start to drop behind, which is reassuring. The run starts off at a gentle pace. "Poli, poli," (slowly, slowly) they say. Falsely buoyed by my recent run with the Nairobi Hash House Harriers, where I was easily one of the fastest runners in the group, I set off at the front. For one mad moment I even contemplate pushing the pace on, before my rational self steps in to point out that I'm running with the Kenyan military here. The Hash House Harriers it is not. For the first half an hour or so, I push along happily in the group, up and down the hills, enjoying the sense of movement, the feeling of being part of a group, a tribe of steely warriors making our way purposefully across field and glade. We follow dirt tracks that meander up to the top of the hills. Up here the landscape resembles a huge British allotment, with small plots of cultivated land and wooden huts dotted everywhere. Except that the huts are people's houses. After about half an hour, however, as the pace gradually, almost imperceptibly, increases, I begin to drift back. Up a particularly steep hill, my legs grow suddenly weary. Once the momentum of the group is lost, I find it harder to push myself on. The man who was ordered to stay with me eases down to my pace, along with another runner. Knowing that they will stay with me no matter how slow I go is not good for my motivation. On previous runs, the thought that I may end up lost has pushed me on, but here I'm free to give in to my legs' demands, and slow down. I can't quite decide, as I run, whether I'm being pathetic, or whether I've already been heroic for keeping up this long. The two runners next to me are finding the new pace very easy. This may be the military, but they're very good natured about my slow running. There is no "beasting" or shouting, or even any real encouragement to go faster. "Just enjoy it," one says to me when I apologise for slowing down. These really aren't soldiers. As I don't have a watch, I try asking them, between gasps, how far we have left to run. "This is the last hill," says one, as we make our way through a herd of goats blocking the path. "Nearly there." It's amazing, sometimes, how psychological running is. Suddenly my legs feel light and frisky again. Once we get past the goats, I pick up the pace to the top of the hill and start stretching out along the gradual downhill slope on the other side. They match me stride for stride, of course, relieved to be moving again. The main group is actually not that far ahead. "Perhaps I can catch them," I think, opening out my stride. It feels great. The last hill is done. It's lovely downhill all the rest of the way. Although they call it a forest run, it is only now, for the first time, that we actually head into any forest. The path winds around from one side to the other, occasionally rising up a little short hill. At each turn I keep thinking we must be about to finish, but we don't. "Five more minutes," says one of the runners, sensing that I'm starting to slow again. Five minutes? That's more than I was expecting. But I've slowed them down enough. I can manage. Finally the finish comes in sight. The other runners are standing around stretching. I make a vague attempt at a sprint, and then we're done. Hand shakes all around. The others are smiling. I'm panting. But it's done. Another run survived. I leave them eating mangoes for breakfast back at the camp as I return to Nairobi, where my wife and children have prepared a big chocolate cake for my birthday. • The book Running with the Kenyans by Adharanand Finn will be published in 2012 Running Fitness Adharanand Finn guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Gove sets children 50-book challenge Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:46 AM PDT Michael Gove's remark that children should be reading 50 books a year is called into question by authors from Philip Pullman to children's laureate Anthony Browne Education secretary Michael Gove has suggested that children as young as 11 should be reading 50 books a year – and that leading children's authors should recommend them. Following a tour he made of America's independently-run, state-funded charter schools – including the Infinity Charter School in Harlem, which set its pupils a "50-book challenge" over the course of a year – Gove said that schools in the UK needed to "raise the bar" on children's reading: "Recently, I asked to see what students were reading at GCSE," Gove said. "I discovered that something like 80-90% were just reading one or two novels – and overwhelmingly it was the case that it included Of Mice and Men. We should be saying that our children should be reading 50 books a year, not just one or two for GCSE." The education secretary's remarks follow a December report that showed British teenagers slumping from 17th to 25th place in an international league table for reading standards. But children's laureate Anthony Browne has said Gove's aims are at odds with the library closures happening under his government's watch. He declared himself "surprised" at Gove's comments, "given that the government is cutting library budgets, and that programmes giving free books to children, such as Bookstart, are also being cut." "It's always good to hear that the importance of children's reading is recognised – but rather than setting an arbitrary number of books that children ought to read, I feel it's the quality of children's reading experiences that really matter," Browne said. "Pleasure, engagement and enjoyment of books is what counts – not simply meeting targets." Browne's views were echoed by others'. Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of children's novels Cosmic and Millions, said that while Gove's instincts were right, the government's wider actions were "militating against what Gove wants – like closing libraries, which is just a disaster." Alan Garner, author of children's classic The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, meanwhile, questioned the advisability of turning books into numbers. "Is any number a useful guide?" he asked. "The important aim should be a reading that is wide and deep rather than numerical. In my own primary school years I read everything I could find, which amounted to at least four books a week and as many comics as possible. The Beano and The Dandy were equal with Tarzan of the Apes, Enid Blyton, HG Wells, Kipling, wildlife books, fairy tales, encyclopaedias. This resulted, painlessly, in a large vocabulary, an awareness of differences of style, the absorption of grammar and syntax and an ability to spell." Philip Pullman, author of the prizewinning His Dark Materials trilogy, agreed - and added a further caveat. "I'm all in favour of children reading books, of course, the more the merrier," he said. "What I'm wary of is that people will start saying that quality is more important than quantity. When it comes to reading books, children should be allowed – and encouraged – to read as much rubbish as they want to. But that can only happen when there are plenty of good books as well as rubbish all around them. Where are they going to get these 50 books a year from?" Meanwhile, Miranda McKearney, chief executive of the Reading Agency, which runs an annual Summer Reading Challenge in which children are encouraged to read six library books over the holiday, expressed concern over the execution of Gove's ambition. "So often the discussion about how to inspire children to read focuses just on schools, but libraries, and families, have a key role to play," she said. "We won't crack the problems unless we build a more systemic approach." Michael Gove Young people Children Children and teenagers Children's laureate Benedicte Page guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Why the NHS needs to be reformed Posted: 22 Mar 2011 08:29 AM PDT Changing the way the health service operates is essential, argues former minister Lord Warner in a new book At a time when Labour may think it has the government on the ropes over its planned NHS shakeup, the party's leadership is unlikely to welcome a book being launched next week by Lord Warner, the former health minister under Tony Blair, on why the health service should embrace market-based reform. But Warner has never been one to hold back on speaking his mind. In 2009, when Gordon Brown was pushing through policy of free personal care at home, Warner branded it a "cruel deception". Last month, as a member of the Dilnot commission on long-term care funding, he appeared to jump the gun on the commission's conclusions by declaring that any compulsory form of care insurance would not "fit the public mood music". Now the former civil servant, social services director and Youth Justice Board chair is returning to the NHS debate with some typically trenchant reflections on what he thinks should be done to secure the service for the future. While the government could succeed where Labour lost its nerve on reform, he thinks, the plans before parliament need some serious underpinning to work. "Simply increasing the influence of clinicians without changing the way the NHS does its business will not deliver desired change," Warner concludes in the book, A Suitable Case for Treatment – the NHS and Reform. "Without a more robust financial, economic and performance architecture, greater devolution and clinician power could produce financial meltdown …" It is clear from the book that Warner was frustrated by much of his ministerial experience, from 2003 to 2006, particularly after becoming minister of state in 2005 and taking responsibility for NHS delivery and subsequently reform. He acknowledges that Labour "saved" the service, but laments the "serious mistakes" he believes it made in failing to achieve effective commissioning of healthcare, allowing an excessive expansion of the workforce, thus worsening productivity, and ducking the challenge of replacing seriously underperforming and unsustainable hospitals and other care providers. It is the latter that he regards as the acid test of the coalition's plans, much of which he admits he supports. "Having given people a reasonable chance to remedy their defects," he says, "you have to be able then to remove them and let some new players come in. Whether they are from the NHS, social enterprise or the private sector, I don't think I care. "But one of the things I do care about, which is one of the reasons for writing the book, is just allowing failure to carry on, taking taxpayers' money and giving lousy services to the public. And many of those lousy services are in the poorer areas: the sharp-elbowed middle classes usually find some way to cope with the problem." He wants to see evidence that the coalition is serious about penalising failure. He wants also a tougher financial management regime for the new-look NHS and intends to table an amendment to the reform legislation in the Lords, proposing a financial management standards board sitting within the NHS commissioning board and drawing on outside expertise. Appalling management "No one else in the world would be running an £80bn or £100bn business based on the kind of appalling financial management we have in the NHS," he says. "It's a very curious state of affairs to be expending that amount of public money on something where, on the whole, we don't know the costs of goods and services and we certainly don't know the different costs between different providers. "I find it difficult to see how you can have any kind of market of proper competition if you don't have, in the public arena, a financial management system which delivers more and better information about the costs of goods and services." Warner thinks the jury is out on whether GP-led commissioning will work as the coalition hopes. To do so, he says, it will need far better data collection and analysis than primary care trusts ever had and, above all, a willingness and capacity to "reign in" the acute hospital sector and switch resources into community health services and social care. The acute sector, he argues, is clinging to a model of care that is wholly outdated for the ageing population. "Stacking significant numbers of 85- to 90-year-olds, largely women, in the medical wards of acute hospitals doesn't seem to me an appropriate clinical business response for this day and age," he says. Urging a big shift towards more care of older people in nursing homes, which is far cheaper and away from the threat of hospital-acquired infections, he adds: "Many more could be in single rooms in nursing homes, being nursed and managed more safely than on bayed wards in hospitals." Among other items on the Warner wish-list are a fresh and strategic approach to managing the NHS estate, making far better use of its land, buildings and facilities, and an end to national pay bargaining to allow flexibility in local labour markets. Such ideas, he accepts, clash with what he sees as the innately introspective nature of the NHS – "a major problem" – and an unwillingness among much of its leadership to approach it as a business. He likens the NHS mindset to that of local government leaders in the 1970s and early 1980s. "They were forced, brutally, by Thatcher to start looking outside for some of the solutions to their problems. It's not about handing stuff over lock, stock and barrel to the private sector; it's actually getting on your bike and going to look at how other businesses do their business." As a minister, he recalls, he was repeatedly told that things he was suggesting were "not the NHS way". "Well," he says, "it's about time they were." But Warner is not confident. "Bringing about NHS change," he reflects in the conclusion to his book, "becomes like a first world war battle, capturing a few yards at a time – often with casualties – and then along comes a new general who beats a retreat. As the coalition government tries to take the Blair reforms to their logical conclusion, history suggests they may have the same experience." • A Suitable Case for Treatment, by Lord [Norman] Warner, is published by Grosvenor House at £16. NHS Health Doctors Nursing David Brindle guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Is there a state of the nation play? Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:40 AM PDT The sheer variety of British new writing means that refracting plays through the prism of national identity, as Aleks Sierz's new book does, feels blinkered Pick a play – any play written in the last decade – and the chances are Aleks Sierz could offer an interpretation about how it refracts national identity. Mike Bartlett's Cock would be a portrait of an uncertain, indecisive Britain, endlessly caught between two possible futures. Ghost Stories? Why, the crippling paranoia born of a fragmented society, in which everyone is ultimately alone. And the Rain Falls Down? What could be more British than obsession with the weather? I'm being facetious, of course. Only one of those examples (Cock) comes from Sierz's new – and broadly enjoyable – book, Rewriting the Nation: British Theatre Today, a survey of the last 10 years of new writing in the UK. In it, Sierz attempts a working definition of new writing, assesses the health of our new writing culture and pulls together a composite picture of contemporary Britain. It's a neat reflection of theatre's uncanny capacity to echo and encapsulate its surrounding society. Often overly neat. Reading Rewriting the Nation, I found myself nagged by the very concept it examines. What, I kept thinking, makes a play a state of the nation play? How does it mark itself out as such? Watching Cock at the Royal Court last year, it never once occurred to me that Ben Whishaw's John might be "a metaphor for a nation unsure of itself". Undoubtedly it tackles sexuality, but it also seemed concerned with generations. Yet if age felt important, why not nationality? After all, I thought of these people as British – sometimes, particularly so – and yet that seems to be secondary, if not irrelevant. Sometimes there's no room for doubt, if only because the title of a play doesn't allow for it. A nation can be a play's constant or protagonist, as in Richard Bean's England People Very Nice, which focused satirically on waves of immigration into the East End of London, or else its pivot. By placing Englishmen abroad, DC Moore's The Empire highlights their Englishness, just as Roy Williams does with the England match of Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads. Other plays are draped in national iconography: Jerusalem, set on St George's Day, bombards us with English symbols from the off, beginning with a St George's cross and Hubert Parry's stirring setting of William Blake. Elsewhere, however, it's harder to discern. Setting can, but doesn't necessarily, confer state of the nation status. How crucial is Leeds to Blasted or London to Earthquakes in London? I suspect both could be broadly the same play if set elsewhere, but their stress on setting forces location – and with it, national identity – into the crosshairs. Likewise, while institutions inevitably reflect the society that created and continues to shape them, they can also function as metaphors or microcosms of that society. Michael Billington suggested that Nina Raine's Tiger Country showed the state of the NHS without reaching beyond to the state of the nation, as does Peter Nichols's The National Health. I read Mogadishu in terms of its wider political implications, but not John Donnelly's The Knowledge, even though both are set in schools. Family structures and organisations can exact a similar multiplicity. It seems a cop out to say so, but there's no way out bar subjective perception. Whether you see a character as a particular individual or representative, as English or simply as human, depends on the angle of approach. That said, though there aren't strict parameters that identify a state-of-the-nation play, to refract everything through the prism of national identity, as Sierz does, feels singularly blinkered. Theatre Matt Trueman guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Why writers need good readers Posted: 22 Mar 2011 04:27 AM PDT Even the disappointment and loneliness of starting out as a writer doesn't have to be terrible – if you can find a reader you can trust I'm lying down, Best Beloveds. This is as close as I get to a hobby. Over the weekend I attempted to establish sleeping as a further leisure activity, but I'm afraid that the vast list of things I have to do before most days break – or, indeed, I myself break – made that impossible. So lying down and working – it's almost as good as a rest. Not that I am complaining about being in work. Being in work is a good thing. Being in work when you are self-employed and me – and your employer is therefore almost as mentally sturdy as Charlie Sheen – is a less good thing. Not that I'm in any way chemically enhanced, or unhanced – I can forget why I've ended up in the kitchen again and am holding a single shoe without any assistance from prescribed or clandestinely imported substances. When I shake my head my brain thumps against its sides like a neatly parcelled corpse in the boot of a slewing car. Meanwhile, I have been asked to write a little about the typist's progress from hoping-to-be-published-anywhere-at-all-ever to dear-God-shoot-me-just-in-the-shin-then-I'll-get-a-day-off. This is, of course, both a happy progression and something that should be much better organised in my case. Here, I'll try and look at what we might call the very early days. The awful and wonderful early days. So, to begin at the beginning. My own experience of starting out was haphazard and almost certain to fail. I didn't really intend to write, I was simply living in a tiny, cold bedsit with no other ways of being constructive. (And if your only way to prove yourself useful is by producing a steady trickle of maimed and ugly short stories, you should probably take a good look at yourself.) I joined a writer's group and then remembered that I don't like groups. I sent off stories without really researching my target magazines who duly returned my efforts, often accompanied only by a scribble on a square of paper slightly larger than a commemorative stamp. I had occasional successes, and an encouraging letter of rejection, or – dear God – an acceptance, or – good heavens – not just a free copy of "Quentin's Quarterly Gallimaufry", but a check for 20 quid, could light up my month. I was more often disappointed than not, but I was also learning that I cared about this. I cared so much that I would start again after every sad envelope flopped in, write something else, forget that it hurt to be knocked back. I was writing by hand with later multicoloured corrections as nervousness and tinkering racked up rewrites. There weren't really any personal computers about (imagine that). A bit of planning before I'd started and then stepping back for an overview would have helped me much more than altering things blindly and investing affection, rather than criticism. As it was, I ended up with page after page of Jackson Pollocked nonsense. I didn't know any better. I wanted advice, but I was afraid that someone well-informed would simply tell me I shouldn't bother because I was incurably dreadful. I felt lonely and pointless and hungry. If you're at that stage now then you have my sympathy – it's horrible. And it's worse now: opportunities to get involved with tutoring, or reviewing, or workshops are evaporating; the publishing landscape is ever-shrinking as are advances; there are fewer magazines out there and fewer anthologies; there are fewer places for new books in bookshop chains. And, yes, it may be that you don't ever get published and reach anyone's shelves. You may be a risk that someone would have taken 10 years ago, while today you seem unaffordable. You may be a good writer, but unlucky. There may be a day when you fold that set of ambitions away and set your mind to something else. We have to consider this. But if you haven't given up yet, I can say – and I think I am being honest about this – that even this initial grind needn't turn out to be 100% horrible. Really. It needn't. When everything about writing is a slog and you seem to be getting nowhere, your lack of pressing demands from numerous admirers does mean you have the time to sit back and consider why you're putting all this effort into what appears to be an unrewarding relationship. You're flinging out the best love letters you can, you're breaking your heart and no one's answering, but on you go regardless – why? If your answer is that you love what you're doing and couldn't abandon it without being someone other than yourself, then you probably have to keep slogging. The certainty that you have to write can be a pain in the neck, but it's also a great, firm truth to build around – the shysters and manipulators and compromise-peddlers won't be able to shake you, if you fasten yourself to that. And if you are eventually successful and your work as an author does take off in one direction or another it's not unlikely that there will be other times when, for other reasons, you come to doubt if the effort is worth it, or if you're suited to it. Your experience in those first, hard times will be there for you then. If you've not had enough money and not had enough support (or any support), if people have thought you were crazy and yet you've kept on and tried to learn your craft and taken notes and practised observation and made horrible mistakes and pondered giving up and listened and puzzled and fretted and wasted your time and woken at three in the morning being shaken by the best idea you've ever met and fought sentences for days until they've actually rolled over and let you win, then you already, deeply, know that you're a writer. You already know that you kept writing, even when you had no reason to. You already know that it calls in you, that it's a good thing, a life-changing thing and that you'd be foolish to ignore it. Way back when I was at my beginning I summoned up the courage to find my local writer in tesidence – we had one, funded by the Scottish Arts Council – and he read my material while I felt nauseous. Then he showed me how to make cocoa. Thinking back on it, making cocoa is probably all he could think of to do with someone who was clearly a ball of pure tension and liable to cry, if not faint, at any moment. I've been in his position since and it's hard to be correctly tender and correctly firm with someone who's just handed you an armful of their dreams – cocoa might not be a bad distraction. Someone who has fully committed to their work, pressed everything they can into word after word – because half-measures won't cut it – they will have more than a little interest in what you think of the results. I sat and pondered my gradually cooling mug while he talked me through the two or three stories I'd handed over and was factual about their flaws and kicked the crap out of one of the endings – I still remember – and generally bludgeoned me. It was sore by the time we'd finished, but it was wonderful, too. Here was a writer who was talking to me as if I were a writer. I wasn't a good writer – what I'd done was full of flaws and holes and silliness – but somebody qualified had read my work and thought it had enough merit to deserve close examination. I left knowing how to make cocoa – I still use his method – and feeling bruised. But I also knew it was all right. Somehow, it was going to be all right. I would start again, and I would rewrite. So Dear Readers, I wish you the very best attentions of a reader you can trust. Quite possibly this won't be all 38 variously deluded members of your workshop, or your partner, or a secretly embittered relative, or a stranger on a bus, or anyone you have to pay. You'll need somebody who cares about writing, who wants to help, quite possibly who wants to pass along the help they received when they were starting out. I wish you a Good Reader. Onwards. Fiction AL Kennedy guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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