In 'post truth' just what is Putin up to? Luke Harding sheds some light at the Byline Festival.

At a recent Byline Insider event in London, Luke Harding, a Royal correspondent then foreign correspondent for the Guardian, spoke to Byline's Peter Jukes, giving highlights on what to expect at the Byline Festival in the 'Post-truth' discussion.

Harding has lived in Berlin, Delhi and Moscow covering wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya 'surfing George W Bush's illegal wars; "I was the war and death guy for a long time," he concludes, lightly.

Harding was dispatched to Moscow in 2007 reporting over what proved to be a very tense time for investigative journalists and their sources.

"Why did you get thrown out of Russia in 2011?" asks Jukes.

"Because I annoyed them."

"How did you annoy them?"

"By pursuing the Alexander Litvinenko case, and also by writing about Putin's money."

Unknown intruders had harassed Harding and his family in Moscow, in bizarre ways recounted in his book 'Mafia State'. They unlocked and opened the window of his child's empty bedroom. They left a book about sex beside the bed he shared with his wife. The couple assumed their accommodation was bugged.

In 2007, Harding recalls: "Critics of Putin were meeting mysterious ends, and I arrived when this was accelerating." His personal experience of this began with a surprising email from British Airways that went something like: "Dear Mr Harding, we are sorry to inform you the plane you flew on to Moscow was contaminated with radioactive polonium-"

Litvinenko's poisoners had left an embarrassing trail of radioactive readings on everything they touched. Harding's new book 'A Very Expensive Poison' tells more of the evidence that emerged from the Litvinenko Inquiry, 2014-2016, which concluded that the ex-FSB whistle blower surely was poisoned by his contacts Kovtun & Lugovoy, and that Putin most likely ordered it.

Only when Putin annexed Crimea in March 2014 did Theresa May launch the Litvinenko inquiry.

Two weeks before Harding's talk I asked him about the satirised relationship between Putin and Donald Trump. Harding agreed Trump's team have 'definitely been drinking some of the Putin kool-aid'.

Trump is, and always has been, a source of gaffs. Putin is the former head of the FSB. Trump, meanwhile, has verbally attacked the agencies that work for him. Harding shakes his head at Byline's audience: "What a stupid thing to do!"

To get a better sense of Trump's bizarre contradicting statements, Harding points to Peter Pomerantsev's 'Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia', an outstanding memoir of recent journalism.

Pomerantsev worked for Russian entertainment channel TNT at around the same time that Harding was in Moscow. His book cartwheels through a world where prosecutions were staged to seize business assets, gangsters made movies, the leaders of sects were elevated to TV stars.

One of Pomerantsev's colleagues gamely went undercover into such a sect but suffered crushing withdrawal when he came out. His employers made him seek medical help. He said: "I just can't find my way back to myself".  Pomerantsev wrote bitterly of this sect's rise into entertainment media. Suffering as entertainment: 'All the tears and conflicts make for great TV'.

Ten years on, and with a former reality TV star as US President. Journalists now grapple with a chronic blurring of news and entertainment; the world that Pomerantsev remembers in 'Nothing is True' seems only to have grown.

Join the discussion at Byline Festival where both Luke Harding and Pomerantsev sit on a 'Post-Truth' panel discussing the many facets and issues from Snowden to Putin.

Byline Festival 2-4th June 2017 at Pippingford Park.

Alex Varley-Winter

Standing 50ft tall for Gender Equality, its everyones fight; Catherine Mayer is a Keynote Speaker at the Byline Festival

Imagine a day, just one day, where women stopped doing their work in the entire country.
Housewives, teachers, clerks, industrial workers, professionals all stopped work.

Well it actually happened in Iceland 1975, when women stopped working for a day- with the support of the men in their lives- to prove how much women’s contributions were integral and vital to the Icelandic way of life.
Icelandic men “suddenly saw the breadth and scope of women’s contribution and since they have also understood the fight for gender equality is their fight too.” Says Catherine Mayer, award winning journalist, best-selling author and former editor of TIME magazine.

Mayer is keen to repeat the example in the UK on Women’s Day no less, but, she concedes that Iceland is a much smaller country than ours, so it may be harder to take place.
However the Women’s Equality Party have a 'women not working day' planned for 2018 to coincide with the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918; an act that enabled the vote to women over 30 who owned qualifying property and all men over 21.

Most agree, in today’s political climate with ‘grabbing pussy’, Diane Abbott's revelations on what it’s like to be a female MP and Brexit anti migrant rhetoric, it is imperative now perhaps more than ever, to stand up for equal rights.

Improving rights for women therefore become paramount to making a fair and just society.

Catherine Mayer went a few steps further than simple agreement; at the Women of the World festival at London’s South bank in 2015 she set up a political party to push forward the agenda, teaming up with sharp witted comedian Sandi Toksvig the two created the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) it currently boasts 73 branches and 65,000 members and registered supporters.

Mayer is the ‘less funny’, her words not mine, at the Byline Festival press launch with decisive passion when she describes the lack of women standing for election in the ‘metro elections’ on May 4th of this year.
She explains that in the 6 regions electing a mayor a total of 30 candidates are standing, of which only 5 of those are women, one of them from the WEP: Tabitha Morton.

Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly four of those women, Mayer says, are not in a seat they’re likely to win though there is great hope in front runner Sue Jeffries, in Tees Valley.

Mayer's style may not be of a natural comedienne but she still manages to encourage you to laugh whilst you balk at the injustice and gain insight from her about the state of equality in the world today.

The WEP primary campaign is for gender equality of which Mayer says;

“When women fulfil their potential, everyone benefits. Equality means better politics, a more vibrant economy, a workforce that draws on the talents of the whole population and a society at ease with itself.”

Despite having “women” in the title of the party, the founders are clear that equality includes everyone; equality for women isn't just a women's issue.

Hear Catherine Mayer’s understated wit as a keynote speaker at the Byline festival; “It’s a pleasure to be invited to a festival that’s not only a talking shop, but is a seed bed for activism.”
Add your own perspective to the undoubtedly lively discussion and debate about equality for all, what we need to know and just how do we get there?

Byline Festival 2-4th June Pippingford Park

Hina Pandya

8th March International Women’s day this year Mayer releases her new book ‘Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman’

Injustice, duplicity, police & media corruption: discussion of The Daniel Morgan Murder at Byline Festival

The incredibly horrific and disturbing murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan happened in March 1987. Despite campaigning for the past 29 years’ justice has eluded his close and grieving family to this day.

Morgan was found in a pub car park with an axe imbedded in his skull, bludgeoned three times. Careful taping around the axe’s handle suggested planning eliminating any chance to slip off target. With only his watch missing, his wallet and a £1000 of cash remained on his person meant robbery could be ruled out as motive.

Morgan was said to be uncovering police corruption as part of his work at his company, Southern Investigations at the time.

What followed were complexities and inconsistencies.

All covered in meticulous detail in an entirely crowdfunded 10-part podcast, originating from independent journalism site Byline.com, by investigative journalist Peter Jukes working closely with Alastair Morgan; the victim’s brother.

Police who were involved to investigate the murder, were revealed to be murder suspects; those who were close, couldn’t be trusted, and those in positions of authority and power were exploitative.
The many layers stemming from this murder and beyond are mired in police corruption, media corruption and consistent failings of the judiciary.

Investigation after investigation failed, five in all; one conducted in secret.
Detective Superintendent David Cook, with whom the Morgan family had expressed confidence, led one inquiry declaring "one of the worst-kept secrets in south-east London" stating "a whole cabal of people" knew the identity of at least some of those involved.

Morgan founded Southern Investigations with Jonathan Rees. They hired Sid Fillery.

Despite being put on Daniel’s murder case, Detective Sid Fillery did not disclose that he, himself, had been working with Rees and Morgan. Although he testified that he removed himself four days after he realised it was a conflict of interest, the officer in charge said he was the one who removed Fillery.
Efforts were made to blacken Morgan’s character; he’d had an affair with a client or that Colombian drug dealers were involved, consequently discredited by Cook.

Arrested for the murder less than a month later, Fillery was released without charge, citing depression he left the Met on a full pension a year later, astonishingly revealing at Daniel Morgan’s inquest when questioned Fillery had now joined Southern Investigations and now working with Jonathan Rees. Only this month Sid Fillery has been awarded damages from the Met police by a court.

The deception continues over the years incorporating corrupt police working with News Media organisations.
Rees being found in 2011 to be earning £150k per year from the News of the World, for sourcing illegally obtained information on the rich and famous.

Although successfully prosecuted Rees was hired again by Andy Coulson.

Rees simply contacted his network of corrupt police officers to share confidential information leading to publication in the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror. Rees had also extended himself to commission burglaries on request from journalists. Southern also now having dealings with Mahzer Mahmood; the 'Fake Sheikh' teaching him and sharing corrupt sources.

The Daniel Morgan murder and all that is related to it is now the subject of a Home Office inquiry;  Theresa May, the then Home Secretary stated in 2013 there would be "no likelihood of any successful prosecutions being brought in the foreseeable future" adding that the independent panel would "shine a light" on the circumstances of his murder and the handling of the case.
 

The Daniel Morgan murder raises serious concerns about the influence and power of some media giants who operate with those willing to deals for a price.

How trustworthy are the police? With the IP Bill passed and the data they are legally allowed to capture on journalists and the public in general, what does this say about the security of rights and freedoms?

As for the media where and how are they getting their sources; sometimes it’s not ethical; it’s not legal, so what can we do about it?

Indeed, Alastair Morgan says “Journalism is in crisis; what disturbs me today is that much journalism does not have the public interest at heart. we need to talk seriously about this and work to improve this situation.”

This vital crowdfunded piece of detailed investigative journalism describes injustice, corruption and murder. Publishing it with independent funding it has sparked attention and awareness continuing at the Byline festival.

Come hear unmissable diverse, compelling and revealing discussion of the case integrating the policing and media implication with Peter Jukes, Alastair Morgan, Rob Beckley, the former deputy head of the College of Policing and author of police corruption book ‘Untouchables’ Laurie Flynn.

Byline Festival is 2-4th June 2017 Pippingford Park.

Hina Pandya
*Jukes and Morgan are currently in the process of finalising a co-authored book.

Surveillance, privacy, data & the protection of Journalists' sources: Lauri Love opens the discussion at Byline Festival

After the revelations from Edward Snowden made clear absolutely anyone’s privacy and security on the internet is not at all guaranteed, and that government agencies will circumvent laws to enable them to do this, undermining a fundamental principle of democracy and the UN Human Rights charter.

Privacy and the mining of big data is of concern to Lauri Love.

Love is a lovely warm caring person, when you meet him, he is also incredibly clever and articulate.

So clever the US want the UK authorities to extradite him for prosecution so what did he do wrong?
Lauri Love allegedly used a “security flaw to gain admin access to the servers... and he used the elevated privileges to steal confidential data.” from US government databases.
He was arrested in 2013 but released with no charge. Instead he’d been served by the National Crime Agency a RIPA notice- Section 49 to decrypt the technology, to which the judge found unnecessary in 2016.

Since then the US applied for him to be extradited to stand trial in three different states for the alleged crimes, the wait for the trials alone could mean years behind bars.

Despite Amber Rudd, the Home secretary approving his extradition, many MP’s signed in support for Lauri Love to stand trial here in the UK, which has happened before for alleged crimes against the US, they stated; “A young man with Asperger’s syndrome has affected his mental health, and it has been said he may very likely kill himself.”

The impending appeal is in the spring, with possible further appeals to the UK’s supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.

Love meanwhile stands for the rights for people to have the right to get on with their lives and their data should not be arbitrarily interfered with.
But the recently approved Intelligence Powers Bill allows for ‘equipment interference’ which includes the hacking of personal devices, for passwords, emails, photographs, diaries, contacts – everything you hold on your computer, phone or tablet.

Challenge to this action has layers and laborious, and doesn’t necessarily result in the cessation after a data capture has begun; it will usually be post the event, so sensitive data will have already been seen and gathered.

The new IPBill laws threaten democracy and freedom of speech, and the freedom of press, as these infringe a journalists’ ability to protect sources and with the new Trump administration raises even more concerns, after journalists were arrested covering the inauguration protests. These journalists had charges hanging over them, for simply doing their jobs as reporters, many of them freelance.
Big data, surveillance and privacy issues will all be vigorously discussed at the Byline Festival with Lauri intended to be a keynote speaker.

Speaking about the Intelligence Powers Bill Love says “you should be able to store your own data securely and not have your rights infringed. We can't have a free society under the rule of law under a system like that."

Moreover Love makes clear that the people who are best able to help us to encrypt our devices should not be criminalised, ironically as Snowden revealed, many of these people would be those working at GCHQ and the NSA.

Hina Pandya

*The Byline festival takes place 2-4th June at Pippingford Park in East Sussex.

The reality of Women's rights today and the Women's March: Discussion at Byline Festival

Together we rise. Women's rights, are human rights.

One woman in 5 is raped
and 1 in 3 suffers physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, these are shocking statistics, no doubt and primary reasons for the Woman’s March on January 21st 2017.

Although it feels like we are bombarded with statistics every day on mainstream ‘click bait’ sites and many of those in the know are aware that these statistics have been this way for years if not decades, the lesser known facts of women who struggle silently are women of colour.

Research has shown women of colour are most likely to be the carers of the chronically ill, the elderly and the disabled. This no doubt affects their ability to earn, and with equal pay still in debate it is useful to know that 50% of women are the main earner in their household, 82% of those women are parents.

More shocking it will be women of colour who experience violence or sexual assault at the hands of the police and law enforcement and ‘more likely’ in a prison environment, so it is highly concerning that the rate of women of colour in the US incarcerated has increased by 700% since 1980, many of these women also have children.
Women who are black, indigenous or transgender are more likely to be trafficked, kidnapped or murdered.

The Byline Festival, the first of its kind intended to break the silence on some of these truths and will have Catherine Mayer attending, she is the co-founder with Sandi Toksvig, comedian, of the political Women’s Equality Party. Set up in 2015 their primary campaign for gender equality, stating Equality for women isn't a women's issue.
“When women fulfil their potential, everyone benefits. Equality means better politics, a more vibrant economy, a workforce that draws on the talents of the whole population and a society at ease with itself.”

Despite having “women” in the title of the party, the founders are clear that equality includes everyone, so effectually all are welcome, just like they were at the Women’s March.

It is vitally important in today’s political climate more than ever to stand up for the rights of women, equality and a fair economy.
All subjects of importance, they merit discussion and action, Emma Watson’s famous speech of “he for she” mean too that the men of our society are not only important to the debate but also integral for it’s change and growth.
From Tom Watson, to Frances Barber, the debates will ensue on the vital subjects that make our societies thrive and the issues that matter, women’s rights being part of the tapestry of them all, pointing us into the right direction of solutions, and actually hearing why in 100 years of getting the vote, do we still need to march to ensure the rights that women aren’t raped, trafficked, beaten, kidnapped or murdered, or simply just to attain equal pay.

*The Byline Festival takes place 2-4th June at Pippingford Park in East Sussex.
Hina Pandya