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Covid-19 update Monday 20th April
Good morning from the UK. I am late today but with good reason, my wife has had a really tough time this weekend with mental health (she is on meds for OCD, anxiety and Bipolar Type 2). Lockdown is tough for us all, but believe me it’s harder still for those with pre-existing mental difficulties. It could be worse, one of her friends (who has been sectioned before for mental breakdowns) is having to manage her mental health whilst fulfilling her duties as an A&E (ER) doctor in Wales. How my wife’s friend does it I have no idea, the stories coming out of UK hospitals are deeply disturbing (this link is 2 weeks old). Anyway, onto supply chain; this morning I read an article from Forbes about the problems supply chain disruptions can cause. Here’s a lengthy quote: “Our firm recently polled executives at major corporations around the world to ask them about the operational risks they perceived to their supply chains, and the response strategies they had in place. The results were enlightening. Executives identified a broad range of risks (see chart below), from volatile commodity prices (which 43% considered a major challenge), to protectionism (31%), to piracy (just 7%). That executives identified such a broad range of risks told us that global supply disruption is indeed a top-of-mind issue for managers of global corporations. When we asked a subsequent question about the strategies in place to mitigate these risks (see chart below), we found no favorites. Rather executives were across the board, choosing a number of different approaches, but not necessarily those best suited to the operational risks they were facing: 33% of respondents indicated that they would make no changes to their supply chains, 20% intended to decrease the number of production locations, and 15% planned to increase the same; and a range of other options as well. Given the nature of the modern, global corporation and the complex supply network that has developed around it, it is unsurprising that executives have not aligned on a unified strategy to mitigate supply chain risk. No longer does a supply chain consist of a simple process from factory to warehouse to delivery (if indeed it ever did). Rather, as new sources of supply have arisen, new markets have opened, and companies have sought greater scale and specialization. Supply chains have evolved into a network of hundreds of suppliers, sub-contractors and distribution centers, adding tremendous complexity… ...I was recently at a conference of supply chain executives in the United States who told me that planning is dead – the best they could hope to do was respond to risks as they arose. Who has the time, and what is the benefit, of planning in a world of continuous change, demand-driven marketing, and intense pressure for instantaneous responses?... ...In an environment where changes in global supply chain can be as sudden as they are unscripted, companies have to arm themselves with both foresight and peripheral vision, an understanding of the long-term, and agility to deal with the short-term. More than ever, companies have to provision for multiple scenarios and they can only do that by engaging in a dynamic and multi-dimensional scenario-based strategic planning process.” ---------- I like the last two paragraphs of the article in particular. In case anyone wants to read the rest of the article, it’s dated May 2010 and written in reaction to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull and the chaos it caused to supply chains around the world. Plus ça change; it seems some boardrooms didn’t adjust their supply chains after that black swan event (maybe due to the cost and the resulting negative shareholder pushback). Link to the story.
Virus news in depth
Our Pandemic Summer: The fight against the coronavirus won’t be over when the U.S. reopens. Here’s how the nation must prepare itself. - The Atlantic has written a lengthy article about what the mid-long term looks like for the US in relation to getting back to normal after Covid-19. “I think people haven’t understood that this isn’t about the next couple of weeks,” said Michael Osterholm, an infectious-disease epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota. “This is about the next two years.” The article goes on to look at the pharmaceutical supply chain; “According to a University of Minnesota analysis, about 40 percent of the 156 drugs that are essential parts of critical care are becoming limited. Many of these depend on supply chains that involve China (where the pandemic began), Italy (the hardest-hit region in Europe), or India (which halted several exports)” … “Albuterol, the drug used in asthma inhalers, is scarce. Antibiotics, which control the secondary bacterial infections that afflict COVID-19 patients, are being depleted. Basic painkillers and sedatives, which are needed to keep patients on ventilators, are being exhausted. Hydroxychloroquine, the drug that Trump has repeatedly touted as a COVID-19 treatment despite a lack of good evidence, is running out, to the detriment of people with lupus and arthritis who depend on it. “It’s like everything we give to patients, we’re in short supply of,” said Esther Choo, an emergency physician at Oregon Health and Science University. “We’re now scrambling to find the backup medications, and we’ll run out of those too.”” (cont’d) If it turns out that, say, 20 percent of the U.S. has been infected, that would mean the coronavirus is more transmissible but less deadly than scientists think. It would also mean that a reasonable proportion of the country has some immunity. If that proportion could be slowly and safely raised to the level necessary for herd immunity—60 to 80 percent, depending on the virus’s transmissibility—the U.S. might not need to wait for a vaccine. However, if just 1 to 5 percent of the population has been infected—the range that many researchers think is likelier—that would mean “this is a truly devastating virus, and we have built up no real population immunity,” said Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist at Harvard. “Then we’re in dire straits in terms of how to move forward.” The article is lengthy and also discusses options for reopening the economy and society in the USA.
Virus news in brief
My usual sources are as normal The Guardian and CNN live blogs unless otherwise specified.
The price of US crude oil plunged almost 20%, to below $15, in early trading on Monday – its lowest point since 1999 – as stockpiles continued to build owing to a crash in demand caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Australia, three of Sydney’s beaches were cautiously reopened on Monday but only for exercise. “Activities such as sitting on the sand, sun-baking or gathering in groups will not be permitted,” said the local mayor Danny Said.
Video: the centre of Adelaide city in Australia (population circa 1.3m) is so deserted that this Kangaroo was spotted hopping through the heart of the business district: South Australia Police tweet
Problems building in Japan - an infections disease expert at Kyoto hospital has warned that Japan’s hospitals were struggling to deal with Covid-19 patients, adding that the government’s response to the recent rise in infections had been too slow. He said Japan’s initial approach – to identify and contain infection clusters – had worked well until major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka started reporting significant rises in cases from the second half of March. “Japan’s government should have changed strategy earlier,” Iwata said, referring to the shift to wider testing combined with social distancing. “There was a tremendous delay and that has caused huge problems,” he said. Hospitals initially designated to treat patients with the illness had become unable to deal with the growing number of cases, leaving other hospitals unprepared to fill the treatment gap. “If you aren’t prepared and your staff aren’t trained, you can’t just admit Covid-19 patients,” Iwata said. “Many hospitals are not ready to fight against Covid-19. That’s why there have been reports of ambulances going from one hospital to another” in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and other cities. He added: “We needed to change strategy immediately, but traditionally, Japan isn’t good at doing that. When we have a plan A we are poor at converting it into a plan B. Bureaucrats don’t like admitting that their original plan failed – that was the main shortcoming.”
The same infections disease expert is also querying whether holding the Olympics next year is realistic. “I don’t think the Olympics are likely to be held next year. People will be coming from hundreds of nations ... and although Japan might have the disease under control by next summer, I don’t think that will be the case everywhere.” Devi Sridhar, chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, said last week that hosting the event in just over a year’s time would be “very unrealistic” unless a vaccine became available. “If we do get a vaccine within the next year then actually I think that (the Olympics) is realistic,” Sridhar said, according to the BBC website. “The vaccine will be the game changer - an effective, affordable, available vaccine. If we don’t get a scientific breakthrough then I think that looks very unrealistic.” John Coates, the head of the IOC’s coordination commission, told reporters last week that it was still “too early to say” if the outbreak could further impact the Olympics, including forcing another delay or banning spectators.
Hong Kong authorities have reported zero new cases of Covid-19 today. The last time Hong Kong had no new cases was on 5 March. The city is currently under strict - but sometimes complicated- social distancing rules, including no more than four people gathering together. Bars, pubs and clubs, as well as gyms, game halls, and beauty parlours are closed.
Singapore has confirmed an additional 1,426 cases of Covid-19 infection, a record daily jump that took the city-state’s tally to 8,014. Its health ministry said the vast majority of the new cases were among migrant workers living in dormitories. As many as 90% of infections have reportedly been linked to these workers. Singapore’s number of deaths currently stands at 11. The latest rise means the city-state, which has a population of 5.6 million, has seen its total confirmed cases soar from 2,800 to more than 8,000 in the past seven days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
India has recorded its biggest single-day rise in coronavirus cases, the Associated Press reports. as the government eased one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. An additional 1,553 cases were reported over the past 24 hours, raising the total past 17,000. At least 543 people have died and epidemiologists forecast the peak may not be reached before June.
In Iran, where the outbreak has killed at least 5,000 people, some social distancing rules were relaxed last week and on Monday some major shopping centres and inner-city highways were reopened. Stores from high-end malls to the meandering alleyways of Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar opened their doors, the Associated Press reports, though the government limited their working hours until 6 pm. Restaurants, gyms and other locations remain closed.
Spain has reported 399 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, lower than Sunday’s figure of 410 and confirming the downward trend. A total of 20,852 people have died of the disease in Spain, with over 200,000 infected and more than 80,000 cured. Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez is expected to ask parliament tomorrow to extend the lockdown until 11 May.
French schools will begin to open next month at the planned end to the strict lockdown but the return to classes will be gradual, the prime minister Édouard Philippe has said. In an address last week, Emmanuel Macron announced nurseries, primary and secondary schools would open again on 11 May. The lockdown had led to fewer contacts bringing the contamination rate down to one contaminated person spreading the disease to 0.6 others. When the lockdown is lifted the authorities will be looking at keeping the rate at one person contaminating at the most one other, the PM added.
UK: There’s increasing anger at the (right wing) UK government in major newspapers at a lack of PPE for UK medical staff. Headlines include Guardian (left wing broadsheet): “Hospital leaders attack government as anger grows over PPE shortage”, Daily Mail (right wing tabloid): “Betrayal of our bravest: Hospitals run out of protective gowns TODAY a airlift of 400,000 replacements grounded. Now doctors face stark choice: save patients or themselves.”, Mirror (left wing tabloid) “Now lifesaving kit for NHS heroes doesn’t turn up”. The usually strongly supportive Daily Telegraph (right wing broadsheet) goes with “Two thirds of children fail to log on for lessons” but has a large picture of a protesting medical worker holding a sign “Protect healthcare workers”. Officials admitted on Sunday that PM Boris Johnson missed five emergency meetings in the early stages of the pandemic.
Violence and looting point to food crisis in S.Africa lockdown. France 24 has an article warning that with poor people running out of food due to no income as a result of the lockdown in South Africa, hundreds of angry people have fought running battles with the police, hurling rocks and setting up street barricades with burning tyres in Mitchells Plain over undelivered food parcels on Tuesday. Police fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse them. Social commentators fear such violent episodes could escalate. "There's a bunch of us at home getting fat and there's a bunch of people who really have nothing," said Julian May, director of the Centre of Excellence in Food Security, at the University of the Western Cape. "And it speaks a lot about the inequalities in South Africa (that) are likely to come out," said May. "As people are not getting food parcels or hear of other people getting parcels they are starting to react. And I don't think that's going to ease unless there's more rapid delivery of food to people in poor areas."South Africa is ranked one of the most unequal countries in the world.
US: Multiple governors have accused Donald Trump of making “delusional” and “dangerous” statements amid mounting tensions between the president and state leaders over coronavirus testing and pressure to roll back stay-at-home measures. The United States has by far the world’s largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 730,000 infections and over 39,600 deaths. Many state leaders have said they cannot embark on Trump’s recommended three-phrase programme to ease stay-at-home restrictions without a robust and widespread system of testing in place. The Guardian has more here or you can see Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan being interviewed about it here.
US: The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be an active one according to researchers at North Carolina State University, says a local CNBC affiliate. This continues a trend for many organizations who have issued tropical forecasts for the upcoming season. The NC State University team forecast calls for 18-22 named storms, 8-11 hurricanes, 3-5 majors (i.e. cat 3 or higher) with the Gulf of Mexico identified as particularly at risk. Colorado State University, Accuweather, the university of Arizona have all issued an above average forecasts for above average hurricane season. (
Personal note: If you are on the Eastern seaboard of the US and in a hurricane prone area, it would be a good idea to review your hurricane plans and supplies now, e.g do you have a generator and does it work, spare fuel, batteries, candles, do you have enough long life food already stored + cleaning products, do you have an alternative method of cooking food, what’s your evacuation plan, etc etc. See https://www.weather.gov/safety/hurricane-plan for help with this and note FEMA is already under a lot of strain due to the virus and would thus likely struggle with a major hurricane impact on the US seaboard - see also this USA Today article dated 6th April this year on that topic).
Anti lockdown protestors and medical staff have faced off in Denver (link).
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro joined a rally in the country's capital on Sunday, where protesters called for an end to quarantine measures and some urged military intervention to shut down Congress and the Supreme Court. Congress and the Supreme Court have supported social isolation measures imposed by governors. The President didn’t wear a mask and coughed several times while speaking to the crowd of a couple of hundred supporters in Brasilia. “(Everyone must) do whatever is necessary for the country to have the prominent place it deserves,” he said. “We will not negotiate anything.”
Supply chain news in depth
Susceptibilities of Solar Energy Supply Chains - The Global policy journal has written a detailed review of the supply chain disruption faced by the solar panel industry here. Whilst manufacturing was significantly reduced from January to March in China (down 13.5%) and is now almost fully recovered, its reliance on materials from around the world mean the supply chain is exposed in other parts. China has the majority market share in the mining or processing of most minerals used in solar panels, such as: silicon, aluminum, selenium, tellurium, arsenic, cadmium, and gallium. However, China still depends on many other countries to complete their solar panels, such as Peru for copper, Saudi Arabian oil for energy, and Japan for silicon wafers. In mid-March, Chinese owned mining company MMG Ltd reduced operations at its Peruvian copper mine after Peru declared a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus. Due to the damaged mining link in the supply chain, an initial spike in solar module price is expected due to shortages of materials for solar wafers and module glass, affecting the solar industry for months to come. Kangping Chen, the CEO of the top solar module supplier in the world, JinkoSolar, stated that around 400-500MW of Q1 2020 shipments are likely to be postponed to Q2 2020. The 500 MW postponement is approximately 14% of JinkoSolar’s 3.6GW quarterly solar panels production last year. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) stated that “before the pandemic hit, the solar industry was poised to set a record for deployment in 2020,” with solar installers being America’s fastest growing profession. A new SEIA survey now suggests cancellation rates for residential solar systems in the US are now at 19%, with postponement rates hitting upwards of 50% in some areas. Illinois adjusts on the fly to meet medical supply needs in a coronavirus ‘Wild West’ - The Chicago Sun Times details a story from about two weeks ago where Illinois officials tracked down a supply of 1.5 million potentially life-saving N95 respirator masks in China through a middleman in the Chicago area and negotiated a deal to buy them. One day before they were expecting to complete the purchase, they got a call in the morning from the supplier informing them he had to get a check to the bank by 2 p.m. that day, or the deal was off. Other bidders had surfaced. Realizing there was no way the supplier could get to Springfield and back by the deadline, Illinois assistant comptroller Ellen Andres jumped in her car and raced north on I-55 with a check for $3,469,600. That’s just a taste of the “Wild West” world of emergency procurement taking place over the past several weeks as the state fights for equipment and supplies to protect frontline workers and patients in the battle against COVID-19. Most of that work is being performed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration through a rapid-procurement strike team, pulling together procurement specialists from around state government under the auspices of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. As Pritzker has made clear at his daily briefings, it’s an effort made all the more difficult by the absence of a strong, coordinated White House response. That’s left Illinois competing against other states, foreign nations and even our own federal government for the same materials. They’re all looking for what we have come to know as PPE or personal protective equipment — masks, gloves, gowns and face shields — plus coronavirus testing kits and swabs and, most prized of all, ventilators to help those most seriously ill keep breathing. SWABS, STAT! Inside the Maine factory racing to supply America with virus test swabs. - If you’ve ever used a home DNA kit, opened wide and said “ahh,” or measured the depth of a knife wound in a stabbing victim, chances are you’ve used a device made by Puritan Medical Products Co, says Bloomberg. And if you’re tested for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, it’s quite likely that the swab used to collect a sample from inside your nose will have been made by Puritan, too. Located in Guilford, Maine (population 1,521), Puritan is one of two companies that make essentially all of the swabs used for coronavirus testing. (The other, Copan Diagnostics Inc., is in Italy, an epicenter of the deadly virus.) (Cont’d) “Swabs could be a weak link in broadening testing,” former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted on March 16. That was four days after Puritan first started getting calls from the U.S. government, according to Timothy Templet, executive vice president for global sales, who entered the conversations himself shortly thereafter. “I’ve been on the phone since Saturday with many government organizations—Health and Human Services, FDA, working groups—just trying to provide accurate information regarding the ability to produce as many swabs for the country as we possibly can,” he says. The federal government, however, doesn’t buy directly from Puritan. Instead it helps coordinate with Puritan and other medical suppliers and distributors to get the swabs where they need to go. “We are ramping up to produce and wrap a million swabs a week that we need to put into the supply chain across the U.S.,” Templet says. His problem? Not enough machines or labour to meet demand. **In Pursuit of PPE (**Or if you prefer, “how I managed to buy some PPE on the American black market for my hospital”)- The New England Journal of Medicine is not something I often read (Actually I’ve never read it before in my life) but this article caught my eye: As a chief physician executive, I rarely get involved in my health system’s supply-chain activities. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed that. Protecting our caregivers is essential so that these talented professionals can safely provide compassionate care to our patients. Yet we continue to be stymied by a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the cavalry does not appear to be coming. Deals, some bizarre and convoluted, and many involving large sums of money, have dissolved at the last minute when we were outbid or outmuscled, sometimes by the federal government. Then we got lucky, but getting the supplies was not easy. (Cont’d) A lead came from an acquaintance of a friend of a team member. After several hours of vetting, we grew confident of the broker’s professional pedigree and the potential to secure a large shipment of three-ply face masks and N95 respirators. The latter were KN95 respirators, N95s that were made in China. We received samples to confirm that they could be successfully fit-tested. Despite having cleared this hurdle, we remained concerned that the samples might not be representative of the bulk of the products that we would be buying. Having acquired the requisite funds — more than five times the amount we would normally pay for a similar shipment, but still less than what was being requested by other brokers — we set the plan in motion. Three members of the supply-chain team and a fit tester were flown to a small airport near an industrial warehouse in the mid-Atlantic region. I arrived by car to make the final call on whether to execute the deal. Two semi-trailer trucks, cleverly marked as food-service vehicles, met us at the warehouse. When fully loaded, the trucks would take two distinct routes back to Massachusetts to minimize the chances that their contents would be detained or redirected. (Cont’d) Hours before our planned departure, we were told to expect only a quarter of our original order. We went anyway, since we desperately needed any supplies we could get. Upon arrival, we were jubilant to see pallets of KN95 respirators and face masks being unloaded. We opened several boxes, examined their contents, and hoped that this random sample would be representative of the entire shipment. Before we could send the funds by wire transfer, two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrived, showed their badges, and started questioning me. No, this shipment was not headed for resale or the black market. The agents checked my credentials, and I tried to convince them that the shipment of PPE was bound for hospitals. After receiving my assurances and hearing about our health system’s urgent needs, the agents let the boxes of equipment be released and loaded into the trucks. But I was soon shocked to learn that the Department of Homeland Security was still considering redirecting our PPE. Only some quick calls leading to intervention by our congressional representative prevented its seizure. I remained nervous and worried on the long drive back, feelings that did not abate until midnight, when I received the call that the PPE shipment was secured at our warehouse.
Supply chain news in brief
Some people have been querying why farmers are being forced to dump food whilst at the same time there’s difficulty elsewhere in supplying food banks or supermarkets fast enough. The reason is that b2b (business to business) supply chains are set up very differently to b2c (Business to consumer) supply chains and it’s harder than you’d initially think to rapidly switch from one to the other; effectively they’re having to adjust on the fly on a day by day basis. Civileats.com has a good explanation of why it’s hard to change things around quickly and what firms are doing to try to reroute food to where it’s most needed.
The UN states in a press release (here) that cereal supplies are plentiful at the moment and prices remain low - at least for now. Given the highly globalized nature of food production and supply, commodities need to move from the world’s ‘breadbaskets’ to where they are consumed – and COVID-19-related containment measures are starting to make this more challenging. “Disruptions are so far minimal; food supply is adequate, and markets are relatively stable,” said WFP Senior Spokesperson, Elizabeth Byrs, noting that global cereal stocks are at comfortable levels and the outlook for wheat and other staple crops is positive for the rest of this year. “But we may soon expect to see disruptions in food supply chains”, she said, explaining that if big importers lose confidence in the reliable flow of basic food commodities, panic buying could ensue, driving prices up. For low-income countries, the consequences could be devastating, with long-term repercussions, with coping strategies coming at the expense of such essential services as health and education.
Honeywell has announced that its Rhode Island facility is starting to produce masks. Normally it would take 9 months to set up a production line; they managed it in 5 weeks. See here for a PR from them.
UK government stockpiles containing protective equipment for healthcare workers in the event of a pandemic fell in value by almost 40% over the past six years, the Guardian has found. Analysis of official financial data suggests £325m was wiped off the value of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) emergency stockpile, reducing it from £831m in 2013 under the Conservative-led coalition government to £506m by March last year. The finding is likely to raise further questions for the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who faced criticism over the weekend after urging healthcare workers not to “overuse” personal protective equipment (PPE). More on that here.
Amazon is tweaking its algorithms to get you to buy less not more; Business Standard reports that Amazon is trying to get you to reduce your purchase of non essential products to help it keep up with shipping of the more essential products. Normal promotions have been stopped, prime day is postponed, it doesn’t tell you any more what other people have bought. The article goes on to point out that it isn’t just Amazon doing this; Expedia expects its advertising spend to drop by more than 80% this year.
Budget airline Indigo (fabulous name for an airline) is the latest to start doing cargo only flights with its passenger airlines (Stat Times link)
Good news section
Deserted Thai beaches lure rare turtles to build most nests in 20 years - Thailand has found the largest number of nests of rare leatherback sea turtles in two decades on beaches bereft of tourists because of the coronavirus pandemic, environmentalists say. In Thailand, with 2,765 infections and 47 deaths, travel curbs ranging from a ban on international flights to an appeal to citizens to stay home have brought a collapse in tourist numbers, but freed up the beaches for wildlife. The 11 turtle nests authorities have found since last November were the highest number in 20 years, said Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, the director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center. “This is a very good sign for us because many areas for spawning have been destroyed by humans,” he told Reuters. No such nests had been found for the previous five years. Leatherbacks are the world’s largest sea turtles. They are considered endangered in Thailand, and listed as a vulnerable species globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They lay their eggs in dark and quiet areas, scarce when tourists thronged the beaches. People have also been known to dig into their nests and steal eggs. (link) Minnesota trooper's roadside gesture during traffic stop brings doctor to tears - A state trooper pulled over a doctor for speeding on an east-central Minnesota interstate, told her she should know better and sent her on her way grateful for receiving only a warning and not a ticket. The trooper also gave her a fistful of coveted N95 medical masks that were issued for his protection from the deadly coronavirus pandemic. “I burst into tears,” Dr. Sarosh Ashraf Janjua, a Boston native and cardiologist, wrote in a detailed Facebook account of the traffic stop on March 21 along Interstate 35 in North Branch as she traveled from work in Duluth for a break in Minneapolis. “I think he teared up a little as well before wishing me well and walking away.” Janjua also saw the masks handed to her as having value beyond their role in stemming the virus’ spread. “This complete stranger, who owed me nothing and is more on the front lines than I am, shared his precious masks with me, without my even asking,” she wrote. “The veil of civilization may be thin, but not all that lies behind it is savage. We are going to be OK.” (Star Tribune link)
First, China explicitly rejects the norm of not interfering in another state's domestic affairs and believes its interests should be promoted wherever they may be. Second, China uses a range of tactics - from legitimate diplomacy to more covert and often illegal deployment of agents of influence and operations - to sway decision makers or public opinion leaders. As countries want to keep diplomatic relations with Beijing on an even keel, they can end up overlooking or downplaying the subtler manipulation, he said. Third, the aim of its influence operations is not just to direct behavior, but to condition behaviour. He said: "China doesn't just want you to comply with its wishes, it wants you to... do what it wants without being told."
Other government use these legitimate diplomacy and other legal methods to influence, and many use illegal and covert methods. While China just doesn't just target diaspora populations, diaspora communities with recent Chinese immigrants or were a high % of overseas Chinese still use language media are particularly attractive targets. Chinese interference and influencing operations is a hot button issue in Australia but Canada and New Zealand as well. In /Australia and /Canada, topics regarding Chinese interference have reached top 20 post in the last month, for New Zealand its top 5. All three countries have large ethnic Chinese population. In terms of share of the population, ethnic Chinese in Australia, Canada and New Zealand make up 5.6% (2018), 5.1% (2017) and 4.2% (2013) of the respective. population. Asians make up 16%, 18% and 15% of their respective populations. In contrast, Chinese make up 1.5% of the US population, in the uK its 0.7% population. Outside Greater China, only Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand where ethnic Chinese make up a larger % of the population. Furthermore, most of Chinese in the three Anglo-Saxon counters have arrived in the last 30 years, in contrast to 100-140 years for Singapore and Malaysia. Furthermore, the three Anglo Saxon societies are open with regards to first generation immigrants participating in politics. There are MP in all three countries who immigrated in their twenties or thirties. In contrast, in the US all foreign born Representatives in the House are 1.5 generation, meaning they arrived in the country as children, with the oldest being 16 when she arrived, Americans have accent discrimination, meaning they want someone to sound American to present them These countries are worried about if a MP is Chinese spy, because of his suspected links to Chinese military intelligence (which he didn't disclose when applying for residency), not whether he was a member of the Young Pioneers.. This is one reason why, some want New Zealand kicked out of the Five Eyes. .In the last month alone there have been at least three separate issues regarding Chinese interference.
I believe Australia's increasing hostility toward China is driven largely by fear of Chinese interference and influence in domestic affairs as well as Chinese competition in Australia's Pacific backyard.
AUSTRALIA-CHINA STUCK WITH EACH OTHER ECONOMICALLY
CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AS I mentioned in a previous post, Contemporary China's Quest for Rejuvenation and the Century of Humiliation, I stress the importance of the Chinese government in controlling, making people believe and use their narrative. The Chinese government propotagates the notion that China was the dominant power in Asia, that it was non-expansionist and peaceful power. Chinese diplomats trained in China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) according to a Western professor who taught at CFAU
A peaceful world player, who, although powerful in the past, had never viciously conquered or invaded others. The example of the Ming dynasty maritime explorer Zheng He (1371-1433) regularly featured in the discussion. China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU)
"China doesn't just want you to comply with its wishes, it wants you to... do what it wants without being told" A key tactic is present the target with oversimplified narratives, "forcing false choices on you and making you choose between them", he said. For example, "America is the past and China is the future, so get on the right track", or that being close to the US makes it difficult to have a close economic relationship with China, he said.
PLAYING THE MAN In the article, CONTRASTING CHINA’S AND RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE OPERATIONS, the author Peter Mattis, argues while the Russian excel at Set Piece Operations, the Chinese interference operations heavily involve "Playing the Man"
The Chinese, however, seem to focus on individuals rather than effects, on shaping the personal context rather than operational tricks. It is person-to-person relationships that carry the weight of Chinese information operations. Many of China’s first-generation diplomats and negotiators — including Zhou Enlai, Wu Xiuquan, Li Kenong, Xiong Xianghui, Liao Chengzhi, and many others — worked for some time as intelligence officers. For example, Li Kenong was Beijing’s chief negotiator at the Panmunjom talks with the United Nations during the Korean War and a vice foreign minister. His party career, however, began in intelligence where he was one of the “Three Heroes of the Dragon’s Lair” and rose to become a deputy director of the party’s intelligence service.
How the author cautions this aren't perfect distinctions, and both system use a variety of methods, and China is using some methods in relation to Taiwan. as the Russians did Ukraine. I suspect the Chinese "play the man" stems for two reasons, By focusing on individuals, all you have to worry about is human psychology and base instinct (like money and sex. To conduct a broad Russian style influencing operation require understanding Western society. The second reason for this individualized approach mirror relations between states in Imperial China. Relations between China and her neighbors were couched in personal terms between sovereign and sovereign, but more importantly her long involvement with the Steppe nomads. For much of the last 1000 years, the biggest threat to China was a charismatic leader uniting and organizing the steppe nomads into invading China. This happened twice, with Genghis Khan and Nurhaci, the founder and ruler of the Manchus. Chinese interference operations in Australia, involves "Playing the Man" hundreds if not thousands of times. They target academics, politicians, business people, and prominent members of society. If you do this enough and long enough, you will end up with hundred of times across various level of society you will end up with hundreds prominent influencers, and if China's spy agency, State Security Ministry does it, assets. The State Security Ministry, plays more of support role, than the FSB/KGB in Russia. The supposed Chinese hacking of Australia National University (ANU) , help in their efforts "Play the Man"
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AND THE UNITED FRONT
When dealing with officials in the Chinese government, one must remember at the end you are dealing with members of the Communist Party. China is a party state. While non-party members were common in the Chinese bureaucracy in the 1950s, now they are exceedingly rare It would be safe to say all Chinese diplomats are party members. One would expect the primary bureaucracy China deals with the outside world would be less ideological, and that might have been the case in the past. However, the reality now is because they are dealing with foreigners, there has to be greater ideologization. Here is an article written by Merriden Varrall who taught International Relations and International Development at the China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) in Beijing from 2009-2010. Here are the main points from the article:
Us and Them Attitude (Foreigners)
US 'hypocritical', Japan 'aggressive'
Correct ideas is one of the most valued attributes in the students
Overseas study seen as liability
The author sees the CPC desire for loyalty among diplomats, increasing the number of undiplomatic behavior among Chinese diplomats as we saw during the Kimberley Process in Western Australia in 2017. incidents in Europe, Chinese diplomats praising Chinese students groups for attacking Hong Kong protestors in Australia and New Zealand and suspected involvement in protesting a speech by Uighur Activist in Canada. This type behavior isn't approaching the behavior of Chinese diplomats of 60s yet, where Chinese diplomats attacked British police. There is another factor which will increase the intensity of China's interference and influencing operations, most influencing efforts will be brought under the UFWD (United Front Work Department), the main influencing body, Most interference operations occurring prior to 2018 was amateurish and lacked coordination, because many UWFD had to work with other departments. The UWFD is an organizations found in China int the 1930s to win over non-Communist Party members to the Communist cause. They are responsible for managing influential elites and community groups inside and outside China. Among these groups include religious groups, ethnic minorities, Hong Kong-Taiwan-Macau and overseas Chinese. In the UFWD there is little division between internal and external operations This is For example, Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OACO) used to be under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, now its under the UWFD. However, its effectiveness even with the reorganization is not certain, given they are using the same people they were using before.
HOW SERIOUS IS THE INTERFERENCE?
In this section I will list incidents and events of Chinese interference and influence that are substantive and others which aren't or classified. POLITICAL In early September, referencing the ASIO Director General, Duncan Lewis, the Guardian wrote
Australia’s outgoing spy chief says malevolent state espionage and foreign interference poses an “existential threat” to Australia in a way that extremist terrorism does not. Duncan Lewis, the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, will retire this month after a five-year term, handing over to Signals Directorate boss Mike Burgess. He told a Lowy Institute forum on Wednesday night that of the three major “vectors” threatening Australia’s security – espionage and foreign interference; terrorism; and cybersecurity – the interference of hostile state actors posed the most serious threat.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) was reported last year to have identified about 10 political candidates at state and local government elections whom it believes have close ties to Chinese intelligence service
The China affiliated donors are suspected of donating AUD 5 Million to the main parties.
To be honest, only the Gladys Liu and Sam Dastyari scandal were/are a concern. In the Gladys Liu's case its a witch hunt, not because she is Chinese, because Labor wants revenge because the Coalition did the same for Dastyari. Secondly, the Australian media focused on association with organizations like Guangdong provincial branch of the China Overseas Exchange Association the Australia Jiangmen General Commercial Association were linked with Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO). The OCAO only came under the United Front in 2018. Her mistake wasn't her association with such organizations, but failure to disclose it during preselection. Its understandable given that these organizations were seen as harmless 5 years ago, when they weren't directly under the control of UFWD, Thirdly, the Chinese media doesn't help China by defending Liu when she couldn't respond to simple questions from reporters. It gives the impression that China is backing Liu. If Sam Dastyari and Gladys Liu had committed these acts today in Australia, they would most likely face criminal charges based on the new legislation passed in 2018. UNIVERSITIES The Education Minister, Dan Tehan, Australia will setup new university foreign interference task force that will consist of four working groups To prevent and respond to cyber security incidents; to protect intellectual property and research; to ensure collaboration with foreign entities is transparent and does not harm Australian interests; and to foster “a positive security culture” Here are several concerns and incidents that precipitated this
The Minister will do a survey of students asking them about freedom of speech at universities. The issue has been reinvigorated by concerns China is stifling pro-Hong Kong democracy rallies in Australia [Physical interference in the rallies is most likely illegal]
Chinese interference in Australian universities is the issue that has the most impact on Australia and your average Australians. Its going to be the more difficult to resolve given the dependency of Australian universities on Chinese students. CHINESE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY This is the area where the Chinese Government has the most influence over. It comes in four forms.
The pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong (Phoenix TV, TVB and Mingpao) and Taiwan is often overlooked by people, but its just as important, because it captures non-Mainland Chinese and Mainland Chinese who don't like watching China's state media. For example, Sing Tao Group in Hong Kong, a pro-Beijing publication, has its main newspaper in Hong Kong, but also has editions in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Sydney, New York, San Francisco, LA. London. TVB supplies much of the content for TVB Australia, except for the news
China uses its influence in order to get its narrative across to Chinese living overseas. The bulk of the influence comes from its control of syndicated content and ownership of the media. Outside of Taiwan and Singapore, much of Chinese language media is pro-Beijing, so its not unique to Australia. When I say Pro-Beijing, there are different levels. A news channel getting all of its content from CGTN is just repeating the CPC line. With the pro-Beijing outside Mainland China like TVB its more gray. In areas the unity of China and their stance on the Hong Kong protest they adhere to Beijing's line, but differ in other areas.
Illegal for a person to knowingly engage in covert conduct or deception on behalf of a “foreign principal” (which is defined to include any foreign government, foreign political organization, or related entities or persons) with the intention of influencing an Australian political process, the exercise of a vote or prejudicing national security.
Illegal to attempt to influence a target in relation to any political process or exercise of an Australian democratic right (which the legislation leaves undefined) on behalf of or in collaboration with a foreign principal if this foreign connection is not disclosed to the target. (It is not necessary that the agent “have in mind a particular foreign principal” when engaging in the conduct )
For the above offenses the maximum penalty is 20 years if conduct is intentional, 15 years if done recklessly. National security is defined not only as the defense of the country but also its “political, military or economic relations” with other countries. The registration scheme is as follows
A person who undertakes any general political lobbying or any kind of communications activity for the purpose of political influence on behalf of a foreign principal—that includes any foreign political organization—must register with the government within 14 days.
THe punishment for failing to do so is 2-5 years in imprisonment. This scheme is modeled on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). While FARA states agents as any non-US person, Australia defines it as foreign governments and political organizations but unlike FARA there are no exemption for those already registered as lobbyist. The Australian government intention claim its prophylactic, or in my opinion to scare people so they won't associate with said organizations. The Australian legislation has no provision to tackle the dissemination of false information on social media, but its most likely because the Australian government believes it has no clout with those companies.
And says that Australia could benefit if she work for her own "interest" to mediate between China and the US. This follows through with what Bilahari Kausikan "China doesn't just want you to comply with its wishes, it wants you to... do what it wants without being told."
China goes on these offensive that last can last months or even years, when smaller countries displease her. In recent years, Japan, South Korea and Singapore have displeased them. In the case of Japan, relations with China, alternate between freezes and warming. If the society is as paranoia and racist as Australia as the Chinese media thinks, why is China racing to influence every Chinese community organization in Australia, donating millions to Australian politicians and political parties through its proxies. If You known you are putting your head in the hornet's nest why do it? Among three countries Australia, Canada and New Zealand, Australia is the most paranoid.
First, China explicitly rejects the norm of not interfering in another state's domestic affairs and believes its interests should be promoted wherever they may be. Second, China uses a range of tactics - from legitimate diplomacy to more covert and often illegal deployment of agents of influence and operations - to sway decision makers or public opinion leaders. As countries want to keep diplomatic relations with Beijing on an even keel, they can end up overlooking or downplaying the subtler manipulation, he said. Third, the aim of its influence operations is not just to direct behavior, but to condition behaviour. He said: "China doesn't just want you to comply with its wishes, it wants you to... do what it wants without being told."
Other government use these legitimate diplomacy and other legal methods to influence, and many use illegal and covert methods. While China just doesn't just target diaspora populations, diaspora communities with recent Chinese immigrants or were a high % of overseas Chinese still use language media are particularly attractive targets. Chinese interference and influencing operations is a hot button issue in Australia but Canada and New Zealand as well. In /Australia and /Canada, topics regarding Chinese interference have reached top 20 post in the last month, for New Zealand its top 5. All three countries have large ethnic Chinese population. In terms of share of the population, ethnic Chinese in Australia, Canada and New Zealand make up 5.6% (2018), 5.1% (2017) and 4.2% (2013) of the respective. population. Asians make up 16%, 18% and 15% of their respective populations. In contrast, Chinese make up 1.5% of the US population, in the uK its 0.7% population. Outside Greater China, only Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand where ethnic Chinese make up a larger % of the population. Furthermore, most of Chinese in the three Anglo-Saxon counters have arrived in the last 30 years, in contrast to 100-140 years for Singapore and Malaysia. Furthermore, the three Anglo Saxon societies are open with regards to first generation immigrants participating in politics. There are MP in all three countries who immigrated in their twenties or thirties. In contrast, in the US all foreign born Representatives in the House are 1.5 generation, meaning they arrived in the country as children, with the oldest being 16 when she arrived, Americans have accent discrimination, meaning they want someone to sound American to present them These countries are worried about if a MP is Chinese spy, because of his suspected links to Chinese military intelligence (which he didn't disclose when applying for residency), not whether he was a member of the Young Pioneers.. This is one reason why, some want New Zealand kicked out of the Five Eyes. .In the last month alone there have been at least three separate issues regarding Chinese interference.
I believe Australia's increasing hostility toward China is driven largely by fear of Chinese interference and influence in domestic affairs as well as Chinese competition in Australia's Pacific backyard.
AUSTRALIA-CHINA STUCK WITH EACH OTHER ECONOMICALLY
CONTROLLING THE NARRATIVE AS I mentioned in a previous post, Contemporary China's Quest for Rejuvenation and the Century of Humiliation, I stress the importance of the Chinese government in controlling, making people believe and use their narrative. The Chinese government propotagates the notion that China was the dominant power in Asia, that it was non-expansionist and peaceful power. Chinese diplomats trained in China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) according to a Western professor who taught at CFAU
A peaceful world player, who, although powerful in the past, had never viciously conquered or invaded others. The example of the Ming dynasty maritime explorer Zheng He (1371-1433) regularly featured in the discussion. China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU)
"China doesn't just want you to comply with its wishes, it wants you to... do what it wants without being told" A key tactic is present the target with oversimplified narratives, "forcing false choices on you and making you choose between them", he said. For example, "America is the past and China is the future, so get on the right track", or that being close to the US makes it difficult to have a close economic relationship with China, he said.
PLAYING THE MAN In the article, CONTRASTING CHINA’S AND RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE OPERATIONS, the author Peter Mattis, argues while the Russian excel at Set Piece Operations, the Chinese interference operations heavily involve "Playing the Man"
The Chinese, however, seem to focus on individuals rather than effects, on shaping the personal context rather than operational tricks. It is person-to-person relationships that carry the weight of Chinese information operations. Many of China’s first-generation diplomats and negotiators — including Zhou Enlai, Wu Xiuquan, Li Kenong, Xiong Xianghui, Liao Chengzhi, and many others — worked for some time as intelligence officers. For example, Li Kenong was Beijing’s chief negotiator at the Panmunjom talks with the United Nations during the Korean War and a vice foreign minister. His party career, however, began in intelligence where he was one of the “Three Heroes of the Dragon’s Lair” and rose to become a deputy director of the party’s intelligence service.
How the author cautions this aren't perfect distinctions, and both system use a variety of methods, and China is using some methods in relation to Taiwan. as the Russians did Ukraine. I suspect the Chinese "play the man" stems for two reasons, By focusing on individuals, all you have to worry about is human psychology and base instinct (like money and sex. To conduct a broad Russian style influencing operation require understanding Western society. The second reason for this individualized approach mirror relations between states in Imperial China. Relations between China and her neighbors were couched in personal terms between sovereign and sovereign, but more importantly her long involvement with the Steppe nomads. For much of the last 1000 years, the biggest threat to China was a charismatic leader uniting and organizing the steppe nomads into invading China. This happened twice, with Genghis Khan and Nurhaci, the founder and ruler of the Manchus. Chinese interference operations in Australia, involves "Playing the Man" hundreds if not thousands of times. They target academics, politicians, business people, and prominent members of society. If you do this enough and long enough, you will end up with hundred of times across various level of society you will end up with hundreds prominent influencers, and if China's spy agency, State Security Ministry does it, assets. The State Security Ministry, plays more of support role, than the FSB/KGB in Russia. The supposed Chinese hacking of Australia National University (ANU) , help in their efforts "Play the Man"
CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AND THE UNITED FRONT
When dealing with officials in the Chinese government, one must remember at the end you are dealing with members of the Communist Party. China is a party state. While non-party members were common in the Chinese bureaucracy in the 1950s, now they are exceedingly rare It would be safe to say all Chinese diplomats are party members. One would expect the primary bureaucracy China deals with the outside world would be less ideological, and that might have been the case in the past. However, the reality now is because they are dealing with foreigners, there has to be greater ideologization. Here is an article written by Merriden Varrall who taught International Relations and International Development at the China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) in Beijing from 2009-2010. Here are the main points from the article:
Us and Them Attitude (Foreigners)
US 'hypocritical', Japan 'aggressive'
Correct ideas is one of the most valued attributes in the students
Overseas study seen as liability
The author sees the CPC desire for loyalty among diplomats, increasing the number of undiplomatic behavior among Chinese diplomats as we saw during the Kimberley Process in Western Australia in 2017. incidents in Europe, Chinese diplomats praising Chinese students groups for attacking Hong Kong protestors in Australia and New Zealand and suspected involvement in protesting a speech by Uighur Activist in Canada. This type behavior isn't approaching the behavior of Chinese diplomats of 60s yet, where Chinese diplomats attacked British police. There is another factor which will increase the intensity of China's interference and influencing operations, most influencing efforts will be brought under the UFWD (United Front Work Department), the main influencing body, Most interference operations occurring prior to 2018 was amateurish and lacked coordination, because many UWFD had to work with other departments. The UWFD is an organizations found in China int the 1930s to win over non-Communist Party members to the Communist cause. They are responsible for managing influential elites and community groups inside and outside China. Among these groups include religious groups, ethnic minorities, Hong Kong-Taiwan-Macau and overseas Chinese. In the UFWD there is little division between internal and external operations This is For example, Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OACO) used to be under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, now its under the UWFD. However, its effectiveness even with the reorganization is not certain, given they are using the same people they were using before.
HOW SERIOUS IS THE INTERFERENCE?
In this section I will list incidents and events of Chinese interference and influence that are substantive and others which aren't or classified. POLITICAL In early September, referencing the ASIO Director General, Duncan Lewis, the Guardian wrote
Australia’s outgoing spy chief says malevolent state espionage and foreign interference poses an “existential threat” to Australia in a way that extremist terrorism does not. Duncan Lewis, the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, will retire this month after a five-year term, handing over to Signals Directorate boss Mike Burgess. He told a Lowy Institute forum on Wednesday night that of the three major “vectors” threatening Australia’s security – espionage and foreign interference; terrorism; and cybersecurity – the interference of hostile state actors posed the most serious threat.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) was reported last year to have identified about 10 political candidates at state and local government elections whom it believes have close ties to Chinese intelligence service
The China affiliated donors are suspected of donating AUD 5 Million to the main parties.
To be honest, only the Gladys Liu and Sam Dastyari scandal were/are a concern. In the Gladys Liu's case its a witch hunt, not because she is Chinese, because Labor wants revenge because the Coalition did the same for Dastyari. Secondly, the Australian media focused on association with organizations like Guangdong provincial branch of the China Overseas Exchange Association the Australia Jiangmen General Commercial Association were linked with Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO). The OCAO only came under the United Front in 2018. Her mistake wasn't her association with such organizations, but failure to disclose it during preselection. Its understandable given that these organizations were seen as harmless 5 years ago, when they weren't directly under the control of UFWD, Thirdly, the Chinese media doesn't help China by defending Liu when she couldn't respond to simple questions from reporters. It gives the impression that China is backing Liu. If Sam Dastyari and Gladys Liu had committed these acts today in Australia, they would most likely face criminal charges based on the new legislation passed in 2018. UNIVERSITIES The Education Minister, Dan Tehan, Australia will setup new university foreign interference task force that will consist of four working groups To prevent and respond to cyber security incidents; to protect intellectual property and research; to ensure collaboration with foreign entities is transparent and does not harm Australian interests; and to foster “a positive security culture” Here are several concerns and incidents that precipitated this
The Minister will do a survey of students asking them about freedom of speech at universities. The issue has been reinvigorated by concerns China is stifling pro-Hong Kong democracy rallies in Australia [Physical interference in the rallies is most likely illegal]
Chinese interference in Australian universities is the issue that has the most impact on Australia and your average Australians. Its going to be the more difficult to resolve given the dependency of Australian universities on Chinese students. CHINESE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY This is the area where the Chinese Government has the most influence over. It comes in four forms.
The pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong (Phoenix TV, TVB and Mingpao) and Taiwan is often overlooked by people, but its just as important, because it captures non-Mainland Chinese and Mainland Chinese who don't like watching China's state media. For example, Sing Tao Group in Hong Kong, a pro-Beijing publication, has its main newspaper in Hong Kong, but also has editions in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Sydney, New York, San Francisco, LA. London. TVB supplies much of the content for TVB Australia, except for the news
China uses its influence in order to get its narrative across to Chinese living overseas. The bulk of the influence comes from its control of syndicated content and ownership of the media. Outside of Taiwan and Singapore, much of Chinese language media is pro-Beijing, so its not unique to Australia. When I say Pro-Beijing, there are different levels. A news channel getting all of its content from CGTN is just repeating the CPC line. With the pro-Beijing outside Mainland China like TVB its more gray. In areas the unity of China and their stance on the Hong Kong protest they adhere to Beijing's line, but differ in other areas. According to Professor John Fitzgerald, who served as Representative of The Ford Foundation in Beijing
Illegal for a person to knowingly engage in covert conduct or deception on behalf of a “foreign principal” (which is defined to include any foreign government, foreign political organization, or related entities or persons) with the intention of influencing an Australian political process, the exercise of a vote or prejudicing national security.
Illegal to attempt to influence a target in relation to any political process or exercise of an Australian democratic right (which the legislation leaves undefined) on behalf of or in collaboration with a foreign principal if this foreign connection is not disclosed to the target. (It is not necessary that the agent “have in mind a particular foreign principal” when engaging in the conduct )
For the above offenses the maximum penalty is 20 years if conduct is intentional, 15 years if done recklessly. National security is defined not only as the defense of the country but also its “political, military or economic relations” with other countries. The registration scheme is as follows
A person who undertakes any general political lobbying or any kind of communications activity for the purpose of political influence on behalf of a foreign principal—that includes any foreign political organization—must register with the government within 14 days.
THe punishment for failing to do so is 2-5 years in imprisonment. This scheme is modeled on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). While FARA states agents as any non-US person, Australia defines it as foreign governments and political organizations but unlike FARA there are no exemption for those already registered as lobbyist. The Australian government intention claim its prophylactic, or in my opinion to scare people so they won't associate with said organizations. The Australian legislation has no provision to tackle the dissemination of false information on social media, but its most likely because the Australian government believes it has no clout with those companies.
In the under streets of California “Cassandra we’ve been wandering around these sewers for hours.” Del complains. “Why can’t we just ask Sonya for permission to raid the studio?” “Because this is cool as fuck Del.” Cassandra replies. “Besides, I think I’ve found the right manhole.” “Cassandra, I’m literally on S5, this could’ve been easier.” “SSSSSSSSSHHHH DEL!” Cassandra shushes the Queen. “I think we’re here.” 4:30 pm SGT Singapore Back at Singapore, Erathelle is relieved that the challenge isn’t another acting one. [ERATHELLE CONFESSIONAL]: Thank fuck it wasn’t an acting challenge, I was ready to neck myself. Erathelle looks around her. “So, where is Old Changi Hospital?” Erathelle asks the camera. The camera nods at her. “What the fuck does that mean?” The camera nods at her again. “Fuck it I’m getting a cab.” Back on the plane, Skarlet sits by herself waiting for Kitty who’s attempting to console Alexa. [SKARLET CONFESSIONAL]: I didn’t mean to say that to Alexa but in some ways I kinda did. Kitty arrives back looking pissed at Skarlet. “She isn’t answering the door Skarlet, I’m very worried.” Kitty plops down next to Skarlet. “Oh she’ll be fine.” Skarlet replies. “She isn’t that big of a pussy, look what she did on Drag Survivor.” “She better hurry up because there’s a long line for the bathroom and I gotta piss like a bitch.” Kitty grabs her crotch watching the line of people. Suddenly, the flight attendant approaches Skarlet and Kitty. “Ma’am I’m afraid I have some news about your friend.” She begins. “I may have to show you so please follow me.” The two girls follow the flight attendant down the aisle to the jammed opened bathroom. “OH MY GOD!” Skarlet screams. In the bathroom they find Alexa’s body on the toilet. Her body kneeling on the ground with her head jammed inside the toilet as blood scatter all over the floor. “How the fuck did this happen?” “We don’t know.” The flight attendant replies. Meanwhile on the other plane, Annie, Elle and Sardonyx are unaware of the events that happened on the flight before them. “Ladies and gentlemen.” An announcement begins. “Due to an unfortunate event on the previous flight, all terminals on Changi Airport will be possibly shut down as police will be sweeping the plane. Our flight will be rerouted and may be delayed for a certain amount of time. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for flying Cass St. Cass airlines.” “Ooft.” Elle begins. “Whose plane is that?” “Skarlet, Alexa and Kitty.” Annie replies. “I bet one of them is dead.” “Don’t joke about that Annie!” Elle slaps the Queen on the face. “We don’t want to have a death.” “Elle, that means there’s less competition and we’ll be closer to the crown.” Sardonyx chimes in. “Oh in that case, I hope its Skarlet. That bitch has a fierce track record.” Meanwhile at the airport, Tish is accompanying a very drunk Anita on her flight. “Tishany guess what I smuggled up my ass.” Anita begins. “Oh God Anita please don’t tell me you’re a drug mule.” Tish horrifyingly replies. “Oh God I wish I was loose enough for that, I smuggled a bottle of wine! Look I’ve already drunk half off it.” “Anita you’re already super drunk!” Tish replies trying to snatch the bottle of wine from her hands. “Tishany stop you used to be so much fun, remember our alone times on S1 remastered?” Anita runs her fingers down Tish’s chest. “Anita don’t remind me about that.” Tish blushes. “That was a long long time ago.” “It wasn’t that long ago Tish Anne.” Anita seductively replies. “We can do it on the airport bathroom you know or may be on the plane so we can join the mile high club.” “Passengers for flight 420 to Singapore we are now boarding please head to the gate.” An announcement breaks their conversation. [TISH CONFESSIONAL]: Oh thank god for that. 5:30 pm SGT Old Changi Hospital, Singapore. Erathelle stands in front of the gates of the hospital, looking at the hospital. [ERATHELLE CONFESSIONAL]: I saw a lot of Anita’s on the drive here, I knew that bitch wasn’t as special as she thought. “Are we allowed to enter the hospital?” Erathelle asks one of the producers. “Yes Doll.” One of them replies. “We got permission from the Singaporean government.” “Then, what is that “Keep Out!” sign over there?” Erathelle points at the sign. “Oh don’t worry about that sweetie, look we’ve opened the gates for you just go in!” “I- I-” Erathelle hesitates. “I think I’ll wait for another contestant, I don’t want to go there alone at night. “Too late.” The producer pushes Erathelle into the property and slams the gate shut. “Good luck, we’ll see you in the morning!” Meanwhile at the airport, Skarlet and Kitty are being questioned by a police officer. “So you’re telling me that your friend Skarlet is the reason why your friend killed herself on the plane?” The police officer asks. “Yep.” Kitty replies. “All her fault.” “Now wait a minute.” Skarlet butts in. “You can’t really blame me for that, it’s not like you have any evidence.” “Actually.” He begins. “We have security tapes from the airplane that tell us otherwise.” “Fuck.” Skarlet whispers under her breathe, she leans over the table, grabbing the police officers gun and shoots him on the shoulder. “Skarlet what the fu-” “Quick Kitty run!” Skarlet grabs Kitty by the hand as they run out of the airport. “There’s the yellow marker box!” Skarlet points at it. “Fuck we won’t have enough time to watch it, they’re already following us!” An army of police and police dogs chase after them as they scream in Malay. “Kitty quick press the button of the marker box!” Kitty presses the button. “Hello Ladies!” Cassandra pops up on the screen. “Goddammit Cassandra we don’t have time!” Skarlet and Kitty worryingly watch the recorded message waiting for Cassandra to reveal the location of their challenge. “We’ll be heading down to Old Changi Hospita-” “OLD CHANGI HOSPITAL.” Skarlet screams. “Look Kitty there’s a sign pointing us to the right direction RUN FOR IT!” The girls run as fast as they can as the police dogs run closer and closer towards them. Meanwhile on the other plane, Annie, Sardonyx and Elle have all managed to arrive on time at Changi Airport. “I really wanna know what happened on the other flight.” Elle looks at all the police and soldiers wandering around the airport. “Elle I don’t think nows the OH MY GOSH ITS A DOG!” Sardonyx runs towards the police dogs who lunge back at her knocking her down to the ground. “These aren’t fucking dogs.” Sardonyx screams. “They’re Tigers!” “Sardonyx, their police dogs they aren’t for playing.” Annie shakes her head in disappointment as Elle films the whole thing on her phone. “Someone help me!” Sardonyx begs trying to rip apart the police dogs from her. “They’re ruining all my good clothes.” “Sardonyx you’ve been wearing the same outfit since the start of the competition.” Annie replies. “Yeah, if I wear more outfits, that means I’ll be using up water to wash wasting our planets water!” “Sardonyx you have China to do that for you.” Meanwhile on another plane headed for Singapore, Tish tries to stop a rowdy Anita from drinking any more Alcohol. “Anita you’re going to get us kicked out of this plane with this drinking.” Tish explains to her. “No waAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAaAy Tish.” Anita replies. “This is Singapore airlines, they know who I am.” “Anita.” Tish shakes her head. “This is Cass St. Cass airlines and you aren’t Nick Young from Crazy Rich Asians.” “YeEeEeEs I Am” Anita replies, she looks at a passing by Flight attendant and yells at her. “Hey, HEY HEY! You know who I am right?” “Um sorry.” The flight attendant replies. “I don’t know any Thai ladyboys.” 7:00 pm SGT Old Changi Hospital, Singapore Erathelle has spent the hour and a half wandering around the dark empty hallways of the hospital collecting materials for her look, hoping to survive the night. She makes sure her steps are light enough that no entity can hear. “Please Please Please spare me.” Erathelle whispers to herself. “ERAAAAAAAAAATHELLE” A faint wispy voice echoes around her. “Who’s that?” Erathelle looks around her. “Mummy loves you Eraaaaaaaaaaathelle.” “Please tell me this is a joke.” Erathelle whispers to herself. Out of the Blue, a very aged Fantasia Four appears in front of her, her thick gray hair falling down her shoulders covering her hospital gown. “Mummy is so glad to see you back home Erathelle,” The ghost of Fantasia Four whispers. Terrified, Erathelle drops her materials and runs for the hills screaming at the top of her lungs. “Where are you going my baby?” The ghost of Fantasia Four chases after her, “Come to mummy’s arms Era!” Erathelle runs inside the room next to her and slams the door shut. She heavily breathes, exhausted from the chase. Unfortunately for her, the ghost of Fantasia Four floats through the door. “Era my baby, you’re in the nursery where I birthed you! Look around.” Erathelle looks around the room to see endless rows of cribs filled with creepy porcelain baby dolls. “Mummy has been raising your siblings here. Children, you’re sister is home.” In unison, the dolls all get up from their cribs slowly before turning their heads at Erathelle. “SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISTER” They whisper together. The dolls climb out of their cribs marching towards the Queen. Terrified, Erathelle tries to open the door but it seems to be locked. “COME ON COME ON COME ON!” She screams. She continues to turn the door knob but nothing seems to be working. “Dammit Dammit Dammit. Jesus please help me.” Erathelle tries again with tears in her eyes as all hope seems to be lost. “There’s no escape big sister.” The dolls march towards her smiling. “Welcome home.” Without thinking, Erathelle screams and throws herself out of the window next to the door landing on the hallway. She wipes away all the glass and begins to run. Meanwhile just outside of the hospital, Kitty and Skarlet can be seen running around the corner. “FUCK FUCK SKARLET THE DOGS ARE RIPPING MY SKIRT!” Kitty screams. “THIS KITTY HATES DOGS!” “DON’T WORRY KITTY WE’RE NEARLY THERE!” Skarlet screams back. “LOOK THERE’S THE GATES, FUCK THEY’RE CLOSED SHUT!” As Skarlet says this, the gates magically swing open by themselves. “SKARLET WHAT THE FUCK I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD GO IN THERE.” Kitty screams as the dogs get closer and closer towards her. “BESIDES THE DOGS ARE CENTIMETERS TOWARDS US, LETS GIVE UP NOW!” “NO!” Skarlet screams. “WE ARE GOING IN THERE, NOW WE ARE GOING TO JUMP INSIDE AT THE COUNT OF 3.” “1.” . . . . . . “2.” . . . . . “3!” Both girls leap as high as they can landing inside the property, the gates automatically shut blocking out the Police and their dogs. “You are going to die in there!” One of the policemen yell. “May God be on your side.” “Well Kitty.” Skarlet looks at her. “I guess we’re going inside the building.” Meanwhile at the airport, Elle, Annie and Sardonyx have all watched the video message on the yellow marker box and are reading up what they can about Old Changi Hospital. “Well this is fun.” Elle looks at her phone. “Apparently they used to torture people during the war in there.” “The war against vaccines?” Sardonyx asks. “What.” Elle looks at her. “Sardy no, World War 2.” “Oh.” Sardonyx replies. “I hope this hospital won’t force me to get vaccinated.” “Sardonyx vaccines are good for you.” Elle explains to her. “They’re the reason why so many people are alive today.” “People were still alive during the Black Plague and they didn’t have vaccines.” Sardonyx sassily replies. “Thats because half the population died.” Elle argues back. “I don’t see any statistics about that claim Elle so thats invalid.” “Where are your statistics about vaccines being bad?” Elle asks her. “Now you’re just antagonizing me and bullying me because I’m anti-vaxx Elle!” Sardonyx begins to cry. “I’ve googled these facts for years Elle how dare you question my my research!” Elle rolls her eyes. “Annie have you got us a cab yet?” She looks around to see Annie secretly entering a cab by herself. “Uhhhhhhhhhhh Yeah! Hop in guys.” Meanwhile on the plane headed towards Singapore, Anita decides its time to reveal to Tish her deepest darkest secret. “TiSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsSsh.” she begins. “PrOoOoOomise yOoOoU won’t tell AnNnNnyOone about this.” “Umm sure.” Tish replies. “Remember in Episode 1 when Kitty claimed I was sleeping with the judges on Second Chance to get high placements?” “Ummm yeah.” “Well it wasn’t me, it was Marianna so there you go. Don’t tell anyone.” “Anita that secret wasn’t even about you at a-” “SSSSSSSSSHHHH” Anita puts her finger on Tish’s mouth. “Don’t tell anyone.” Anita throws up all over Tish’s shirt. “Oops let me lick that up.” “Anita NO!” Tish pulls Anita away from her. “You’re not a dog.” “Yes I am I’m a bitch.” 8:00 pm SGT Old Changi Hospital, Singapore Erathelle, still wandering around the hallways alone, has regathered all her materials and holds it close to her chest. “Wh-wh-where am I s-s-supposed to sew all of this together?” Erathelle asks the camera. The cameraman points towards the day room. “Th-thanks.” Erathelle replies, looking around for Fantasia Four’s ghost to reappear. Erathelle opens the door and is surprised to see a well lit room filled with sewing machines and other materials, the room holds a large TV showcasing the latest episode of RDR5 and large mirrors on the walls for the girls to get ready in. “Why didn’t y’all send me here earlier instead of wandering around those damn hallways.” Erathelle whispers to herself. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hospital Skarlet and Kitty both wander the empty dark hallways together trembling in fear. “Now Kitty.” Skarlet begins. “The most important thing to do is to not get separated from each other.” The two girls cling together in fear as they walk around the empty hallways when a young child strikes Skarlet’s attention. “Wait a minute is that a kid?” Skarlet looks at its direction. “Skarlet no, remember what you said don’t separate!” Kitty replies. The dark haired child swiftly runs like the speed of light across the hallway. “It is a kid!” Skarlet replies. “Hey wait for us!” Skarlet runs after the kid. “Skarlet no no no come back here!” Kitty chases after her. “Hey little girl where are you?!?” Skarlet yells looking around. She sees the child in the corner burying her face in her dirty hospital gown. “Whats wrong my love?” Skarlet bends down so she’s next to the child. “We’ll get you out of here.” The child immediately lifts its head at Skarlet, her eye sockets are hollow and her teeth are razor sharp like razor blades. “You’re going to HELL” It screams in a demonic voice. Kitty runs around the dark hallways looking for her friend. “SKARLET WHERE ARE YOU?” Kitty screams. Suddenly a loud blood-curdling scream can be heard from across the hallway, sending chills down Kitty’s spine. “Oh my god they got Skarlet.” her eyes widen in fear. [KITTY CONFESSIONAL]: Well the bitch is dead. Meanwhile at another side of the Hospital, Annie, Elle and Sardonyx all wander around the rooms together collecting materials for the challenge. “This isn’t as bad as I thought.” Annie begins while she grabs some blankets from a dusty old bed. “I thought we were going to die in the first 10 seconds.” “I know!” Elle pipes in as she grabs as many IV bags as she can. “This is so much fun, I feel like I’m on a field trip.” “Um, hate to break it to you guys but whats that?” Sardonyx points at the other side of the room. “What do you mean?” Elle asks her. “Thats the wash room.” “Yeah but one of the bathtubs is filled to the brim with what looks like blood.” Sardonyx points at the tub. “I think we should leave this room.” “Sardonyx don’t be such a pussy, come on lets go take a look!” Annie pulls Sardonyx and Elle with her. “Annie I think Sardonyx is right, we should leave this room.” Elle replies. “Come on this is obviously staged!” Annie exclaims. “Look at this bathtub, this is clearly fake blood or even pomegranate juice.” Annie wanders around the tub. “They’re trying to scare us you guys, this is all a fucking joke. Look, I’m going to stick my finger in the tub and we’ll see what happens.” “Annie I guess you’re right. Cassandra likes to scare us shitless all the time.” Elle begins to loosen up. The second Annie dips her finger in the tub, a large pale faced soldier appears from the tub grabbing the Queen by the chest and pulling her down with her back into the blood filled tub. “ANNIE OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!” Sardonyx screams. The blood inside the bathtub begins to drain away revealing the empty tub. “Oh my gosh where did she go?” Sardonyx rummages through the tub. “SHE’S GONE!” “Sardonyx we need to get the fuck out of here, RUN!” Meanwhile at the gates of the Hospital, Tish is wondering whether it’s a good idea to leave Anita alone in such a dark scary place under her condition. “Are you sure I can’t go in with her?” Tish asks the producer. “She’s still very intoxicated, from the time I was with her she had 62 standard drinks so I think I should be with her just in case.” “Sorry Sir.” The producer says as he pushes Anita away form Tish’s arms. “You’re not a contestant but you are welcome to join in next season, now off you go Anita, go get your outfit ready.” As the producer slams the gates shut, Anita immediately passes out on the ground. “Well that was quick.” In an unlocated Studio in California Cassandra and Del have wandered around the underbelly of Los Angeles California for hours and have finally arrived at their destination: directly underneath the studio of RDR. The girls quietly wander around the empty studio at the dead of night looking for their culprit, slowly but surely they inch around the studio, guns on their hands and sets of knives strapped around their bodies waiting for their villain to show up. As they arrive inside the werkroom, Cassandra begins to tear up, reminiscing of her days on S3. “Oh I remember this place Del.” Cassandra sniffles. “I wore a red latex jumpsuit as my entrance look and the rest was history and look where I am now, my own season, a finalist on Second Chance and now an All Stars hopeful. Who would’ve thought S3 Cass would be where she is today.” “Cassandra that's all great but we have to focus on the chall-” “Oh look! That's where I wrote my mirror message.” Cassandra struts towards the mirrors. “I remember being so pissed at being eliminated that I robbed some of the girl’s stuff, Lucy couldn’t survive after I stole her blowtorch and her clown white, no more fire ruveals for that girl.” “Cassandra thats cute and all b-” “Oh and these are the couches where I used to sit alone everyday.” Cassandra sits at the exact spot she used to on S3. “I was so alone and so depressed on S3 because I couldn’t make friends. So I used to sit here and watch all the girls interact and have fun while I wrote my shitty submissions, I must’ve done something right because I made top 6.” “Love you Cass but you gotta foc-” “You know I still regret that, I wish I talked more on S3. I missed out on so much stuff, so much drama I didn’t know about, friendships that were formed, T that was spilled. When all the S3 girls appear and reminisce about S3 I can’t relate to them, its like I wasn’t there or as if I was an early out even though I made it farther than fan favorites like Fantasia, Christina and Rain. Elle wasn’t as active but everyone adored her while I was just there.” As Cassandra continues to reminisce, a large stage light appears on top of the staircase where Bianca pops out to announce the challenges, Alex and Desdemona can be seen wearing matching white crop tops and mini skirts with a large red letter “R.” “Prepare for trouble.” Alex begins “And make it double.” Desdemona continues. “To protect the world from devastation.” Al “To unite all peoples within our nation.” “To denounce the evils of truth and love.” “To extend our reach to the stars above.” “Dessie.” “Alex.” “Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!” “Surrender now, or prepare to fight!” “Wow how cute.” Del applauds. “Encore! Encore!” “Well, well, well isn’t it little old Cas-” Before Alex can continue, Cassandra shoots him in the head. “Cassandra what the fuck!” Desdemona screams. “We’ve just started our reign of terror.” “Its Alex she’s a wild cunt so its fine.” Cassandra tucks her gun away. “As for you Desdemona my rogue alt, my stunning queen, I’ll let you free this time.” “Cassandra why are you letting her go?” Del whispers to her ear. “We already have her within reach.” “Yes but we need a good villain for season 2.” She replies. As Desdemona escapes through the back door, Cassandra and Del inspect Alex’s body. “So should we clean it up or leave it?” Del asks. “Leave it. Sonya will have a lovely surprise in the morning, now we have a show to run so be better leave.” Cassandra responds. As they leave the room, Alex’s dead body begins to smile. ************************************************************************************************************* The lights at the makeshift runway on the Hospital’s Emergency Room light up revealing Cassandra, wearing a Hospital Gown which shows off her bare ass as she walks. “Ladies and Gentlemen . . . and the undead wherever the fuck you are, welcome to the stage of the Amazing Drag Race!” Cassandra begins. “You know, you love her, You want her to win Reddit’s Rising Stars and Reddit’s Drag Race Season 5 its Del O’Ryan.” Del waves to the empty room mysteriously filled with applause. “She’s the Queen of the Forest and the robbed Queen of Dragula, its Diana Forest!” Diana looks around the room wondering where all the applause is coming from. “She’s the Queen Mother of the sub who everyone loves and adores, its Angie Apathy!” Angie waves at the roaring applause. “And Finally, she’s your Reddit’s Rising Stars hostess, S1 remastered winner and the Queen who will crown me on Miss Spice, Its Tish Hughes!” As Tish begins to wave, the room goes silent. “This week, the Queens were tasked in creating a runway look from materials they can find from this Hospital, shall we take a look?” Submissions:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GDQxUHmw_5OMezLyBD-jiogFGRR7TZJD24XzFax3htQ/edit?usp=sharing “Sardonyx, due to your lack of a submission this week, you are in the bottom my dear, you may head to the back of the stage.” “Lets start with Alexa.” Cassandra looks around the room. “Alexa? Guess she’s dead.” “Let’s move on to Annie.” Cassandra is met with silence. “Oh, she’s dead too?” Cassandra crosses her name out of the list. “What about Skarlet, is Skarlet here?” She’s met again with silence. Cassandra looks at her list. “Okay Anita? Ah. Thank God we have one alive.” Cass: I loved how you incorporated the era that Old Changi Hospital is from and the really made sure we had our herstory for it. You used a lot of materials that I loved and was really happy to see, especially those blood vials as buttons. You were very in the period BUT I have to agree with Angie about the makeup, it was too modern and really contrasted your look. I wasn’t a big fan of the hair either only because I’m not the biggest fan of bobs, I would’ve liked to see something maybe a little longer or a little sleek for the look. Overall, I think you had a good strong look BUT it was a bit too simple for me, it still fell under the Anita brand but it had to be one of the weaker looks on your portfolio. I know that you can do a lot better than this so I’m hoping to see something bigger from you in the upcoming design challenges happening. Del: “Hi Anita. I think you did the best job of embracing the materials this week: you went in on specifics and finishings and had many different details without getting repititious. You really seemed like the kind of creature rumoured to reside in the Old Changi Hospital. Where you could have improved, is that I think you had great construction descriptions but very little descriptions of the end product. A little bit more framing and big picture details would have helped this look make some more sense - as it stands it was a little bit death by details. The textural elements were fun, but it was hard to see the juxtaposition without an overall description of the look.” Diana: So Antia, I just need to say I love this look, I think you really nailed the “telling a story” type of look. The concept is, albeit a bit simple and predictable, was nailed so well. Just like Elle, your look utilised the materials very well and used that to create a look that worked well. Even without the story, I loved the whole look, the blouse is giving me major latex fetish fashion vibes and I’m fucking here for it. My biggest gripe is the buttons tho, I’m confused on how these work, If they where vials they would poke out weirdly far or am I missing something? Also if they were tied vertically they wouldn’t look like buttons, so I don’t really know. But overall a great showing Angie: You weren’t required to give us more of a narrative, but I appreciate the fact that you went a bit more ambitious by including one. The hair, voluminous sleeves and midi length skirt are all period correct for your stated goal of 1930’s style, and it was nice to see plastic used in something other than retrofuturist/Judy Jetson hooker sort of concepts. The make up was not my favorite, as while it did give me ghost/undead, it was a bit too modern and early 00s horror movie in contrast to the rest of the look. Plus the makeup of the 30’s period with its thin brows and soft sooty eyes could be easily taken to the haute spooky realm at which you excel, and it kind of felt like a missed opportunity. I love the play on textures in your garment, the tubing as boning in the top, the woven layer to add more contrast to the skirt, the blood pressure cuffs as belt. Given the materials at hand kind of limited your color choices, relying on texture to add visual interest was smart. In a look filled with a lot of interesting uses of materials in the details, the buttons were the only one I can point to as not being quite as successful as your other accessory and trim choices. I would have preferred a pussy bow at the neckline, or the blood vial buttons, rather than both buttons and bows stacked atop one another. Gauze is a soft somewhat floppy material, and putting that volume on top of the slightly oversized blood vial buttons and close to a heavy sleeve was a touch too bulky in an otherwise elegant silhouette. “Moving on we have Erathelle!” Cass: You completely knocked it out of the park compared to the rest of these girls. Your look was out of this world, I loved the silhouette, I loved how you made first and foremost, a mermaid gown because you know I fucking love those and you elevated it in a way that I didn’t know I needed to see. I’m also obsessed with the texture of this outfit, I love the materials you used to create it, it was very creative and really made use of the materials you had around you because I felt like some of the other girls lacked a bit in that context. However, I don’t think you really needed that reveal that you prepared, it was okay but it was better to leave it out, I would’ve loved to have seen just a bit more skin but I don’t think you truly needed to show it off in this outfit so thats forgivable. Overall, this was another strong week for Erathelle and the girls who really wanna win this competition better watch out. Del: “Hi Era. Another outstanding job this week. If someone wants to know what you are like as a queen, I would direct them here. I feel this is a great description of your style. I think your construction was well thought out and realistic, but still zany and different. I’m not sure how you created the image in your submission, but it was a huge boon. The image supported your writing, especially in the more bizarre details such as the turban’s shape. I’m not sure why you decided to build the garment as a mermaid gown and not the more traditional baggy pants, but it was part of what made the look so memorable to me. One criticism: I feel like the brain-popping reveal was a little undercooked. I feel something extra was definitely needed, but it came across as you throwing a balloon of goop on the look and calling it a day.” Diana: I’m going to say this the best I can… Fucking stunning. I love it. This is definitely the most couture high fashion eleganza take on this challenge and god it’s amazing. I think the silhouette is stunning as well as your mug, you definitely nailed the part of turning trash into a work of fashionable art. The only issue I have is that you could have gone more in-depth with construction and your reveal felt a bit unessicary, but girl. Fucking stun Angie: This is definitely the most ambitious garment for this week, in terms of silhouette. I think you did a very good job adapting the materials at hand to bend to the will of your very couture idea, though I would have appreciated a little more detail in terms of the construction section, given the elaborate garment. The make up is absolutely stunning, and you used your tendency toward the verbose to make sure we got a good look at the enormous amount of textures and drapery in the gown. Using pillows as the support structure for the enormity of the sleeve was my personal favorite of a design that was full of really standout repurposes of the mess of junk provided. Given the look was so strong, the bloody brain reveal felt like an anticlimax, and I really could have done without it, and was digging the more haunting and serpentine vibe of your presentation before the campier gore moment. “We have Elle!” Cass: Loved this look from you this week, I thought it was a lot different and unexpected from what we're expecting from you in regards to your style and aesthetic and I thought it was a step up. I loved how you embraced the materials such as the IV Bags which is something no other girl would've thought of doing and you really went into detail about your construction of the jacket which I really appreciated a lot. However, I wish you didn't tell us about the gag early on because you hyped it up at the start and it didn't deliver to our expectations in the end so I wished you kept quiet. A lot of the judges have mentioned that it was a bit pedestrian with the whole rocker vibe which I agree with, it was teeter tottering on pedestrian and on the safe side but I think overall it was still a good look. Del: “Hi Elle. I loved your take this week. Rockabilly vampire was something I never expected to see. Real out of the park stuff. Great to see. As far as execution I think you did a great job of making everything cohesive, and I really enjoyed the use of the IV bags in the garment. I have three negative critiques. Firstly, I think you could have described the silhouette a little more. The fine details about the jacket and the headpieces and detailing were great, but I would have loved some more general details about the rest of the look. Secondly, I think the way you set up the gag was a little clunky. I think you could have talked about the IV lines in the jacket in a little less detail: I feel it got in the way of the story you were trying to tell. Lastly, I would have prefered you had not spoiled the gag at the beginning of the look. Feel free to take a little more creative license and be a bit less literal. If you had described yourself as holding to IV bags, and squeezing them causing blood to spurt from the jacket, and after that described the details/construction it would have been stronger. Overall: great concept and one I didn’t expect from you, not as quite good execution as I am used to seeing from you - but still really solid, carefully thought out work.” Diana: Hey Elle! So firstly I want to say how well you have utilised the materials in the challenge, you really went out of your way to use the materials in the most intresting way. I enjoy how much of the look is clear plastic and I think it’s an interesting take on the theme of rockabilly, it definitely felt fresh. However, the silhouette of your look is very pedestrian and your vampire theme felt tacked on, it didn’t work together and there was no real reason for those things to be combined. I felt like your look and wig were one thing and your makeup and presentation was another, I wish you went all in with one of your themes instead of just one. Also please give me the win on RDR this week xoxo. Angie: I absolutely love the biker style jacket, and your careful step by step details of both your construction and your reveal/gag show your experience with this style of challenge.The idea of the Eastern take on motorcycle/greaser culture is a fresh one, and the hair, shades and use of needles for decorative purposes both got your conceptual idea across very well and were fantastic uses of the materials available. Where this lost steam for me was the sudden switch to a vampire idea, which seemed shoehorned in to make the rather cool transparent to red blood bag stunt possible. I would have liked to see a few more little clever visual details to tie the two ideas(vampire vs biker) together, even in the most campy thinly plotted “Lost Boys” kind of way. A lick of lips and a hint of fang in the facial description, red details in the crisp white of the boot that are revealed to be blood in the latter half of the submission’s transition. The jokey presentation and saving all of the vampire aspects to the last 2 paragraphs read as disjointed. “Last but not least, we have Kitty!” Cass: I know that Design and aesthetics isn't your strongest points but I have to applaud you for trying and submitting this week unlike SOME girls (jk no shade love y'all.). You slayed the storytelling for me, it hyped me up for the look but the look was a little, well flat. I wanted you to go all out and crazy-er with the look. I also wished you went into more detail, I'm not gonna repeat what the other judges have said here as they made some really good pointers and I want you to read it and apply it to any upcoming design challenge. Del: “Kitty! I enjoyed the character that you sold this week - I think your abandoned mother played with the theme quite well. As far as the look itself, it was very simple. Repurposing scrubs to make a dress is sort of first base as far as a construction challenge goes and I think you could have pushed for something more original in terms of the look itself.” Diana: Hey kitty, so I want to say. I like your story idea and the concept of your look, I just think you could have nailed it more. The look is very simple and for a sewing challenge, I would expect something a bit more out there, as a wish gown doesn’t scream transformative. You only used a tiny bit of the materials as well, this is unconventional materials, push it further girl. Your mug also could have used more work, I want to know how your face is painted and eyes + lips don’t make a face. Angie: I think your base concept was a very solid idea, as a column style wedding dress is not an impossible construction given your hospital setting/materials, and marriage and family gone wrong has a lot of potential for pathos and horror in the presentation. However, this feels more like a sketch than a fully fleshed out idea. The construction details are sparse, the garment description is a bit terse, and we never find out why your bride is now an eternally pregnant ghost. Did she lose the baby? Abortion gone wrong? Suicide before a shotgun wedding? I liked the direction your garment was headed, as well as your character presentation, and both caught my attention. I just wish you had taken more time to show me the concept and look you created, and given me a bit more meaty description to help me better visualize your concept and look. “Ladies I’ve made my decision” . . “Kitty, you are safe. You may step to the back of the stage.” Kitty clasps her hands together, thanking the judges and leaves the stage. “Elle Crimson” . . “You are also safe, you may head to the back of the stage.” Elle thanks the judges, except for Tish and leaves the stage. “Erathelle, your look this week had us hungry for more.” “Anita your look was simple, sweet but psycho.” . . . . . . . . . . . “Erathelle condragulations you are the winner of this week’s challenge.” [ERATHELLE CONFESSIONAL]: *cackles*
Hello there! These are my policies to make Britain Great Again! But beware! These policies are unsuitable for anyone left of the spectrum who can't handle conservative/right wing ideas (just look at the outcry on Scotland or rather SNP as it should be called found out the hard way!) Read at your own risk! You have been warned! The Economy
Replace VAT with a Local Sales Tax, set by the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties with freedom to vary the rate according to their spending needs
Lower income and corporation taxes by 5% to allow subnational bodies to have their own local rates, also look into devolving corporation tax to the home nations and local councils to make a more competitive Britain
Decentralise the UK economy by moving civil service jobs out of London and encourage and set up new financial districts in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow to with the goal for these cities to rival London
Rename the Bank of England to the Bank of the United Kingdom (Bank UK)
Replace English, Scottish, Northern Irish and UK territorial banknotes with a single UK currency banknote like we have with coins with its introduction set after the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Reintroduce the £1 note into circulation
Foreign Affairs and Defence
Support the existence of the Commonwealth of Nations, and will work for closer ties with the member states of the Commonwealth, while also being open to any application from countries who share the values of the Commonwealth for membership
Work with international community to have a two-state solution to the Israel/Palestine and support Israel’s right to exist while refusing recognition of the Palestine state until they are fully democratic and committed to peaceful ways to resolving the conflict
Recognise the Republic of Somaliland as a sovereign state and encourage the international community support its recognition
Commit to spend 2% GDP on defence and increase annually by 0.5% provided GDP continues to rise
Withdrawal from European Court of Human Rights
Open internment camps in British Overseas Territories including a camp in the British Antarctic Territory for extraordinarily dangerous people operated by the military
Seperate the Specialist Operations directorate from the London Metropolitan Police Service to its own agency H.M Specialist Operations (H.M.S.O) with responsibility for the protection of the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Whitehall, Buckingham Palace, the senior members of the British Royal Family, members of The Cabinet, other ministerial members of Her Majesty's Government and the Parliaments and administrations of the Home Nations, while moving responsibility of co-ordinating and leading on UK-wide national counter-terrorism matters to the National Crime Agency allowing the Met to focus on general policing in the Greater London region
Give the citizens of Gibraltar and the Crown dependencies a referendum on becoming fully British, and having representation in the Houses of Parliament including their own MPs in the lower house and representation in the upper house
International Trade
Support and negotiate the purposed CANZUK Group consisting of the Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom which sees cooperation between the four nations on free trade, foreign policy, constitutional affairs and freedom of movement
Join EFTA, allowing us access to the four freedoms of the EU while allowing us the freedom to seek other trade deals with foreign countries, put in place restrictions on freedom of movement and if possible seek to negotiate further restrictions such as proof of proficiency in the English language
Seek to join NAFTA, allowing us access to Canadian, American, Mexican markets once its future is secure and the CPTPP trade agreement, a signed, but not-yet ratified, trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam giving us access to their markets once ratified
Support and negotiate the creation of the Commonwealth Free Trade Association, which will massively boost trade between Commonwealth nations
Recommission the Royal Yacht Britannia used to sign new trade deals and privately funded via donations at no tax payers expense
Health
Set up a commission to look into reforming the NHS into a social insurance model of universal healthcare for citizens which subsidises most healthcare costs as opposed to an outdated health service with different NHS plans available for citizens as well as specific plans for children, students, the disabled and the retired
Introduce a flat NHS levy of 2% of income for additional funding of the NHS with opt outs available for individuals who use private insurance
Encourage strong competition in free market healthcare to drive up standards and encourage more Britons to opt for private health insurance
No NHS funding for abortions unless a victim of rape, the baby is life threatening to the mother or foetal abnormalities. Illegal after 24 weeks unless life threatening, or foetal abnormalities occur
Allow foreign nationals with legal rights to work in the UK to have full access to NHS treatment provided they pay the 2% NHS levy
Education
Introduce a Tuition Fee Equality bill to have UK universities charge all UK students the same rate for tuition fees as a resident of any other EU country, regardless of which part of the UK they are from
Replace tuition fees with a flat graduate tax. This will be done by setting up a 'Higher Education Agency' which will fund higher education in England in which all UK graduates who graduated from English universities earning above £25,000 would pay into through a flat 5% levy on their annual income and also donations of other bodies. Seek to link this agency to its Scottish counterpart SAAS and Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts to make fee collecting easier for students who study in other parts of the UK
Reintroduce maintenance grants for poor students undertaking higher education
Scrap UCAS to allow universities and colleges to have their own systems of processing applications and admissions
Merge all English examination boards into a new single ‘National Education Authority’, an executive non-departmental public body responsible for accrediting educational awards, overseeing the national curriculum and recommendation of salaries, holiday and school hours while leaving the choice to schools and local councils themselves, also set up separate singles exam boards for Wales and Northern Ireland while maintaining the SQA in Scotland
Allow teachers at the primary stage the freedom to teach in areas they have specialist knowledge of and on news and current affairs
Require primary and secondary schools to teach all pupils two modern languages from Year 1 including Mandrian and one of French, German or Spanish
Require all secondary schools to have Accounting, Economics, Engineering and Psychology available at GCSE and A-level
Introduce new military schools for pupils between the ages of 12 and 17 who have committed serious crimes and/or have been expelled from state schools three times were they can learn military trades
Encourage new schools to enter the education market and compete for pupils provided they are granted a license by the local council
Allow state schools and councils to have more control over their pupil and staffing rolls and salaries to compete for teachers across the UK and around the world, with recommendations set up by administrations of the home nations and salary regulations set out by local governments
History classes at primary and secondary to have a bigger emphasis on British history including Anglo Saxon Kingdoms, the English Civil War, Scottish Wars of Independence, history of the Monarchy, Union of Crowns, Act of the Union, Irish Wars of Independence, Northern Ireland Troubles
Introduce Modern Studies as a compulsory subject in secondary school, a subject historically taught in Scottish schools which seeks to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of contemporary political and social issues in local, UK and international contexts
Require all school pupils to pledge allegiance to Queen and Country at the start of school: “I pledge allegiance to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I will respect our rights and freedoms. I will uphold our democratic values. I will observe our laws faithfully and fulfil my duties as a British citizen, for Queen and Country. So help me God.” The home nations can also have their own respective pledge of allegiances, for example in Texas were pupils pledge allegiance to the US and to the state of Texas
Require all schools to fly the Union Jack. Classrooms, P.E halls, cafeterias should also have a Union Jack and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
Immigration
Negotiate freedom of movement of people between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK as part of the CANZUK trade bloc under terms equivalent to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement between Australia and New Zealand
Reform immigration from the EU by stopping ‘free movement’ migration from new EU member countries for seven years, require all EU migrants to prove they have sufficient funds, health insurance and suitable housing, deport EU migrants who remain economically inactive after three months and have an emergency brake on welfare payments to EU nationals
Require all EU/ECC/Swiss/CANZUK migrants to register at their local council within three months of entering the UK and if they intend to work their claim will be assessed and will be processed within six months. During this time, they can reside in the UK provided they can prove they have sufficient funds, health insurance and suitable housing. If permission is granted they will be issued with a Temporary Residence ID Card (TRC). Only after five years of legal and continuous residence will EU/EEA/Swiss citizens automatically acquire the right to permanent residence and be given a Permanent Residence ID Card (PRC)
Introduce regional points-based immigration system for immigration from countries outside the EU and CANZUK
Negotiate visa agreements for freer movement of labour in trade deals with the United States of America, South Africa, Israel, Singapore and Hong Kong
Allow administrations of the Home Nations to sponsor visas for migrants to work in their respective parts of the UK
Remove students from official migration statistics
Require migrants to have proof of high fluency in reading, writing, speaking and listening of the English language before immigrating to the UK
Allow international graduates from UK universities with masters or PHD to stay in UK for six months to find work
Migrants to UK to make tax and national insurance contributions for five years and gain UK citizenship before eligible for benefits
No visas for foreign criminals
Migrants, including EU and CANZUK migrants who commit crimes resulting in prison will have their visa revoked and be detained until they are deported
Media
Abolish the license fee
Privatisation of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Channel Four Television Corporation (Channel 4) and S4C Authority (S4C) to the highest bidders
Mandate Ofcom to create new licenses for channel 1 and channel 2, awarded to the highest bidders
Change BBFC film ratings to U, PG, 12A, 16A and 18A
End the Watershed for TV and replace with a TV ratings system regulated by Ofcom with ratings the same as the new proposed BBFC ratings
Allow political campaign advertising on TV and radio during the election season with the regulation of equitable airtime for all candidates on each broadcast network. Six hours of prime programming should be available for the purchase by all parties
Mandate the provision of televised leaders’ debates in general elections based on rules produced by Ofcom relating to structure and balance, and allowing for the empty-chairing of party leaders who refuse to attend
Culture
Amendment to smoking ban to give pubs and clubs choice of opening “smoking rooms”
Increase the driving age and age of concent to 18
Legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational use subjected to a duty of 10% in regards to recreational use, also set up a commission looking at the legislation of class B and C drugs for similar purposes
End the Challenge 25 procedure
Ban wearing of the niqab and the burqa in public places
Establish a legal commission to draw up proposals to disband sharia councils
Reverse the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 by allowing the four breeds to be allowed in the UK, take a deed not breed approach to badly behaved dogs and other animals
Make the Early May Bank Holiday a public holiday known as Great Britain day celebrating the 1707 Act of the Union were the union between England and Scotland took effect on 1st May 1707
Make the saints days public holidays in their respective parts of the UK including St George's Day 23rd April for England, St David's Day 1st March for Wales, St Patrick's Day 17th March for Northern Ireland and continue with St Andrew's Day 30th November being a holiday for Scotland
Public holidays for Robert Burns Day on 25th January, Victory in Europe Day on 8th May and replace the Late May Spring bank holiday with a public holiday on The Queen's Official Birthday on the second Monday of June
Have ‘Rule Britannia’ as the UK national anthem and introduce ‘Jerusalem’ as the national anthem for England, ‘Danny Boy’ as the national anthem for Northern Ireland, ‘Flower of Scotland’ as the national anthem for Scotland and ‘Land of My Fathers’ as the national anthem of Wales whilst ‘God Save The Queen’ becomes an anthem for The Crown and the Commonwealth Realms
Sport
Promote the establishment and school participation in county school sport leagues across the UK in football, rugby, cricket, basketball, hockey, netball, American football and any other sports where there is a local or national demand
Submit a combined UK bid to host the 2030 or 2034 FIFA World Cup, also work in cooperation with the Football Association, Scottish Football Association, Football Association of Wales, Irish Football Association and football clubs to expand and rebuild football stadiums across the UK to make them more modern and technologically advanced for the 21st century (think the stadiums in the USA like AT&T Stadium Dallas, US Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta) to help with the bid
Constitutional Affairs
Introduce a new Act of the Union to act as a codified UK Constitution which reforms the UK political structure into a federation between the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (and the Crown Dependencies and Gibralter if they one day decide to become fully British) setting out the powers reserved to the federal level and a new British Bill of Rights to replace the existing Human Rights Act 1998 with a constitutional convention tasked with this made up of representatives of the political parties, academia, civic society and members of the public from all four nations
Require amendments to the new codified constitution to pass a referendum requiring a double majority of voters in the UK
Amend the Fixed Terms Parliament Act with general elections held every four years instead of five years
Change the House of Commons voting system to AV Plus
Reduce the number of MPs in the House of Commons to 400 by halving the number of MPs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the Commons giving a total of 300 constituency members and adding 100 regional top up PR members elected from NUTS1 regional constituencies
Reform the House of Lords to an elected 150-member Senate of the United Kingdom. One half of the house elected at every general election with elected Senators serving eight-year terms. Members elected from NUTS1 regional constituencies under Semi Open Party List PR in Great Britain and STV in Northern Ireland
Repeal the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1939 to increase the checks and balances on the House of Commons
Require bills put through UK Parliament that aren't in a reserved area to require a double majority pass in the Senate, meaning a majority in the Senate and Senators of all four nations of the UK
Introduce an Open Primaries to require political parties to widen their selection process to include every local voter for local candidates and political party leaders
Introduce the Right of Recall to allow voters to sack their local MP. If 20% of an MP’s constituents demand it, within a period of eight weeks, a recall ballot will be triggered
Introduce Confirmation Hearings that will require Commons Select Committees to vote to approve the appointment of any new minister, senior civil servant or senior diplomat before they get the job. They will also have the power to veto such appointments. The same rules will apply to senior appointments to quangos and inspection bodies
Make the Deputy Prime Minister a permanent role in Government who by right of office would be the First Secretary of State and will become Prime Minister if the Prime Minister is temporarily or permanently incapacitated
Introduce a Prime Ministerial line of succession
Rename all Government departments to Government Ministries (such as ‘Ministry of Health’) with exception of the Treasury, the Foreign Office and the Home Office
Reform the Supreme Court to have three judges from each nation of the UK making up the court who will be appointed by the Prime Minister on advice of four independent commissions for each nation responsible for recommending appointments to the court. The Court will be the last resort of all civil and constitutional matters in the UK
Welfare
Set up a commission to look into introducing a USA style food stamps system of welfare
Devolve all welfare benefits to all the Home Nations that are currently devolved to Scotland which include: Personal Independence Payments, Carer's Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Winter Fuel Payments, Cold Weather Payments, Severe Disablement Allowance, Industrial Injuries Disability Benefits, Funeral Expenses Payments, Sure Start Maternity Grant and Discretionary Housing Payments.
Support the continuation of the bedroom tax
Encourage the use of private retirement savings plans by making earnings, directly put into a pensions savings account, tax-exempt and not considered as part of the individual’s income for taxation purposes
Aim to give guide dogs to all UK citizens who are blind
Maintain limit of child tax credits to two children except in cases of triplets or any larger multiple birth in the first birth, or any multiple birth in the second birth
No welfare benefits for non-UK citizens
Introduce a Ministry of Veterans Affairs which seeks to provide veterans of the H.M armed forces with better healthcare services at medical centres and outpatient clinics located throughout the country; several non-healthcare benefits including disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance; and provides burial and memorial benefits to eligible veterans and family members
The Monarchy
Have the UK Parliament to set an annual fixed budget for the monarchy - including an annual salary for the Queen and other members of the royal household who conduct royal duties which will be managed and reported on by a government minister
All security costs of the institution of the Monarchy to be made transparent and accountable. All costs of royal visits around the country to be incorporated into the monarchy's budget and not local authorities
All members of the royal household to be required to follow the same tax laws and rules as all other public bodies and private individuals by law, not by volunteering
Transfer the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall into public ownership, with all revenue going to the Treasury
Insure the Monarch and Royal household remains fully independent from the government and politics
Publish the 'Black spider memos' made by the Prince of Wales to the public
England and Local Government
Introduce a 250-member English Parliament (elected via STV) for English domestic affairs such as law, education, health and similar matters not reserved to the UK federal level with England only ministerial and non-ministerial departments devolved such as the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Education
Have all metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties have a directly elected Mayor and Assembly/Council with powers of police and crime (whose jurisdiction is congruent with a police force area), fire and rescue (whose jurisdiction is congruent with a fire and rescue area), infrastructure, housing, local taxation, economic development, franchising of local bus and rail services, power to increase the minimum wage and policy and regulations towards hunting, alcohol, tobacco, bars, clubs and weapons
Policies regarding school admissions policies, hospital cleanliness, speed bumps, council workers’ wages solved by local authorities not Whitehall
Allow councils to raise the remainder of their budgets by whatever means their electorates approve with options for additional top-up revenue would be fees and charges for services, a local income tax, a property-based levy, a local business rate or nothing at all. Administrations of the federal government and the home nations can give extra funds to deprived councils
Law and Order
Replace Police and Crime Commissioners with Sheriffs, with real powers to direct the local police force priorities, responsibility for supervising prosecutions and punishments, appointing and dismissing Chief Constables, set their own targets for their force, make their own Policing Plans, control their own budgets, have the power to order and drop prosecutions and supervising sentence criminals
There will be local offender management services set up who will be accountable to the Sheriff and acting on instructions of the Sheriff having responsibility for purchasing space in prisons and other ‘disposals’ with regards to local wishes, Criminals shall serve their sentences whether in prison or not, under the authority of the Sheriff whether in prison or not
Elected Sheriffs will also have the power to set local sentencing guidelines for their jurisdiction. An area where the Mayor’s jurisdiction is congruent with a police force area (such as London and Manchester) the Mayor shall exercise the functions of the Sheriff
Reconstitute the Crown Prosecution Service to a set of local Crown Prosecution Offices which will be answerable to the Sheriff for their success in securing convictions
Begin process of bringing police and fire forces in line with metropolitan and non-metropolitan local government boundaries, including local police forces for each of England's 48 ceremonial counties
The High Courts of Justice in England to be the court of last resort for criminal law in England
Introduce a system of first and second-degree murder in England
Allow English courts to issue death sentences to criminals found guilty of acts of murder, terrorism and child sex offenses provided a unanimous verdict of guilt is agreed by a jury
Life sentences mean life, only paroles for very exceptional circumstances
Allow judges to vanish criminals from the county the criminal commited their crime in (e.g vanished from Cornwall)
Triple the maximum prison sentences for crimes with Sheriffs having the power to increase the minimum sentences for crimes within their jurisdiction
Introduce three strikes law system for violent crimes in which if a criminal is found guilty of committing a violent crime for the third time the criminal is given a life sentence without parole
Tougher approach to gangs, including treating them as terrorist groups and allow judges to issue full life sentences for criminals who are members of gangs
Have all police officers wearing duty belts that consist of a handgun, a Taser, an expandable baton, pepper spray, a set of handcuffs, ammunition magazines, gloves, torch and a two-way radio
Invest more money and power into the National Crime Agency, including expanding its number of officers and staff and extending its policing powers with the creation of a ninth NCA command on terrorism which would focus on the co-ordination and leading on UK-wide national counter-terrorism matters transferred from the London Met. Create a new larger main HQ for the NCA in London as well as regional hubs for each of the other regions of the UK
Take a tougher approach to sex offenses carried out by young people, notably at university campuses and holiday resorts abroad (such as Zante). Have the NCA (and local police forces) carry out an operation focusing on the matter with perpetrators facing full force of the law at home
Zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable ‘cultural’ practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM)
Lifetime bans for owning animals for individuals who have been convicted of animal cruelty
Relax laws on firearm ownership by allowing the sale of handguns, rifles and shotguns to consumers who have a license which is gained after passing a successful background check, sales also subjected to a 10% firearms duty included in the price as well as LST and gun must be registered to a non-ministerial ‘Firearms Licensing Agency’
Transport
Continue with HS2 and extend project to Northern England and Scotland
Scrap monopolies on long-distance railways
Devolve franchising of local rail and bus services to cities and counties with the option of renationalisation available
Energy
Support development of shale gas in land where appropriate
Scotland
Scrap Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue and have new local police and fire forces for Argyll and West Dunbartonshire, Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Fife, Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow, Highland and Islands, Lanarkshire, Grampian, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde, Tayside, and the Lothians and Scottish Borders
Allow the Scottish Parliament to reintroduce capital punishment for certain crimes
Introduce directly elected Provosts (known as Mayors in England and Wales) for each local authority unit in Scotland with a local council to scrutinise the work of the Provost and the power to pass and block the Provost's proposals
Support the building of a new modern 75,000-80,000-capacity stadium with a retractable roof to replace both Hampden and Murrayfield as the home of international football and rugby matches in Scotland with facilities to host events such as the Champions League final, world title boxing fights and motor racing events which currently cannot be held in Scotland as Hampden and Murrayfield are not big enough nor have the right facilities required to host such events
Abolish the Scottish Catholic Education Service
Support the abolishment of 'NAB' internal assessments for subjects in Scottish schools to free up class time
Scrap National 1-4 courses in schools and have a single National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE) with all school pupils required to take at least six NCSE exams including English, one of Mathematics or Lifeskills Mathematics and one Science subject
Reform how examinations are graded to better value the success and ability of pupils including the introduction of an ‘A’ grade. Reforms to NCSE, Higher and Advanced Higher gradings as followed: A 85-100%, A 70-84%, B 60-69%, C 50-59%, D 45-49%, E 40-44%, F 0-39%
Wales
Set up a separate legal jurisdiction for Wales. Wales will oversee its own criminal law, policing, prosecution, public order, courts, prisons and probation, the Royal prerogative of mercy, drug classification, weapon and explosives
Create a new High Court of Wales to act as the final resort for criminal law in Wales
Allow the Welsh Parliament to reintroduce capital punishment for certain crimes
Northern Ireland
The Royal Courts of Justice for Northern Ireland to be the last resort for criminal law in Northern Ireland
Maintain and respect the Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland’s unofficial constitution
Work with Northern Ireland parties to insure the Assembly is running 24/7 and only have direct Westminster rule as a last resort
No funding for religiously biased schools in Northern Ireland and ensure all state-run schools are secular in nature
Allow the Northern Ireland Assembly to reintroduce capital punishment for certain crimes
This is the government I think will be best fit to implement the policies: Cabinet
Boris Johnson - Prime Minister
John Redwood - Deputy Prime MinisteFirst Secretary of State
Andrea Leadsom - Chancellor of the Exchequer
Dr Liam Fox - Foreign Secretary
Sajid Javid - Home Secretary
Michael Gove - Exiting the EU Secretary, Minister for Europe
Andrew Rosindell - Leader of the House of Commons/Constitutional Reform Minister
William Hague - Leader of the House of Lords/Lord Privy Seal
Penny Mordaunt - Defence Secretary
Iain Duncan Smith - Justice Secretary/Lord Chancellor
Priti Patel - Health Secretary
Dominic Raab - International Trade Secretary/President of Board of Trade
Mark Field - Business Secretary
Nick Boles - Education Secretary
Esther McVey - Work & Pensions Secretary
George Eustice - Envrionment Secretary
Zac Goldsmith - Transport Secretary
Nadhim Zahawi - Communities, Housing, Local Government Secretary
David Mundell - Scotland Secretary
Alun Cairns - Wales Secretary
Theresa Villiers - Northern Ireland Secretary
Ben Wallace - Veterans Affairs Secretary
Jo Johnson - Internaional Development Secretary
Adam Afriyie - Culture, Digital, Media, Sport Secretary
Kwasi Kwarteng - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
James Cleverly - Conservative Party Chairman, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
John Whittingdale - Chief Whip
Annabel Goldie - Lords Whip
Geoffrey Cox QC - Attorney General
David Davies (MP for Monmouth) - Immigration Minister
You can make a difference to your loved ones and the community. As a police officer, you are the reason Singapore stays safe and secure. Join us for a fulfilling career with great advancement opportunities. TRAINING . Your career will begin with a 6-month residential training programme. You will undergo a well-structured curriculum that Pre-enlistees, who cannot choose whether they go into the SAF, police or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), have to pick at least two choices from each category, or 14 choices in all. However, people from Cyprus, Malta and Republic of Ireland can join after residing at least 5 years in the UK. Fun Fact – The British army chose Red colour for their jackets because red dye was Singapore Police Force. Home Team Career Centre SPF Recruitment Division. 178 Neil Road Singapore 088889. Hotline: 6636-6429 or 6636-6430 Fax: 6636-6431 Email: [email protected] Facebook page. If you are found suitable for regular service in any of the uniformed Services before your enlistment, you will serve your regular service in lieu of your full-time National Service. You can sign on Singapore Police Force (SPF) | Home. Skip to main. A Singapore Government Agency Website. One Map will be undergoing scheduled maintenance and will not be available on 11 Feb 2021, 01:00AM to 06:00AM. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Who We Are. Mission and Vision; Values; Pledges; Organisation Structure. Organisational Chart; Staff Departments; Specialist Staff Departments Males who have been granted Singapore PR; Singapore Police Force (SPF) or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). In addition, the type and duration of the basic training programmes for each posting may vary according to your child’s Physical Employment Status (PES), Pre-Enlistee Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) results and Body Mass Index (BMI). Generally, most people are Singapore Police Force Block J, 3 Ladyhill Road, Singapore 258672 Tel: (65) 6838 1764/5 Fax: (65) 734 0531 Website : www.spinet.gov.sg . Bringing in Foreign Domestic Workers . There are two ways to bring in a foreign domestic worker: On your own application; or; Through a maid agency. All applications must be submitted to the Work Permit Department in the Ministry of Manpower. Please note the Today, about 15,000 applicants compete for 400 slots annually, from which 100 are reserved for the Singapore Police Force (SPF). Think you have what it takes to join this elite force? Here’s If you wish to check the spent status of your criminal record, you may do so by logging in with your SingPass on the Singapore Police Force’s E-Services Portal > Enquiry > Police Matters > Status of Check Rendered Spent. You will then be able to check if your criminal record is eligible to be spent. This is carried out for 2 years and can be served either in the armed forces or in the police force. Singaporean men are subject to this law until the age of 40. Note that if you apply for PR status as a student, you have to register for the NS when you reach the age of 16.5.
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