Battered Brown put to the test by twin hurdles
By George Parker and Andrew Taylor
Published: June 11 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 11 2008 03:00
Gordon Brown faces a two-pronged test of his battered authority this week, starting with today’s cliff-hanger vote on extending pre-trial detention of terrorist suspects.
Downing Street admitted yesterday that the vote could be lost and that there was “more work to be done” to contain a Labour rebellion against plans to allow suspects to be held for 42 days.
The prime minister says the extension is vital to national security, but insists a Commons defeat would not amount to a vote of no-confidence in his leadership.
The Muslim Council of Britain appealed to Labour MPs to reject the measure, which it said would be counterproductive, damage community relations and undermine the UK’s moral authority around the world.
The outcome of the vote could lie in the hands of nine Democratic Unionist MPs, who are demanding concessions to bolster Northern Ireland’s economy in exchange for their support, and a handful of wavering Labour rebels.
However, several Labour MPs were standing firm in their opposition, including Michael Wood, who said: “Nothing they could say would change my mind.”
Some backbenchers may support the government because party whips have in effect turned the issue into a vote of confidence in the prime minister. “But that works both ways,” said Graham Stringer, who had not decided his vote.
The second challenge to Mr Brown’s leadership involves the prospect of imminent fuel shortages across Britain if 500 tanker drivers go ahead with a four-day strike due to start on Friday.
The prime minister yesterday urged consumers not to panic buy fuel ahead of any action by Shell drivers, but his spokesman admitted “millions of lives and livelihoods” could be affected.
Ministers have activated the first stage of a series of contingency measures that could include emergency rationing and the use of army drivers if picketing seriously disrupted supplies.
Talks between the tanker drivers and their employers – Hoyer UK and Suckling Transport – are due to take place today.
Unite, the drivers’ union, has sought to turn up the heat on Shell, which it blames for putting pressure on the hauliers to cut costs and keep wages down.
Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: “Only Shell sets the terms of this contract and only it can solve this dispute. This is one of the most profitable companies on earth and it now needs to provide the financial flexibility to avert this dispute.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
MORE DETAILS:
A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
