With corruption and fraud endemic in South Africa, whistleblowers have played a pivotal role in bringing wrongdoing to light. Despite their invaluable role to society, in most cases their own outcomes are harrowing and devastating. Mandy Weiner’s new book The Whistleblowers shares their stories. The following is an extract.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is looking to make popular concessions in a bid to win back support for his beleaguered Labour government after its drubbing in last week’s local elections. Labour ministers and backbenchers continued to voice support for the prime minister despite the worst local election results for the party in 40 years.
Britain’s Labour Party suffered its worst local election defeat on record and lost control of London on Friday, forcing Prime Minister Gordon Brown to rethink his strategy to avoid losing the next national poll. Conservative Boris Johnson, a journalist-turned-lawmaker prone to gaffes, wrested the prized post of London mayor from Labour’s maverick Ken Livingstone.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his popularity plunging and his reputation for economic competence under fire, faced his first electoral test on Thursday since taking over from Tony Blair in June. The local council seats up for grabs in England and Wales, alongside a high-profile clash to pick the next mayor of London, were last contested in 2004.
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/ 27 February 2008
Protesters scaled the roof of Britain’s Parliament in a major security breach on Wednesday and threatened further direct action against government plans to expand London’s Heathrow airport. Environmental protesters from the ”Plane Stupid” group scaled the Houses of Parliament.
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/ 10 February 2008
A blaze that ripped through London’s trendy Camden Market area, destroying shops, bars and homes, has been brought under control, firefighters said on Sunday. One hundred firefighters tackled the blaze that broke out Saturday night, forcing police to evacuate bars and clubs packed with young revellers.
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/ 10 January 2008
Britain gave the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations on Thursday, setting no limits on nuclear expansion and adding momentum to atomic energy’s worldwide renaissance. Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government argues Britain must build new nuclear plants to help meet its climate-change goals.
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/ 3 September 2007
Millions of commuters in London endured travel chaos on Tuesday as a 72-hour strike by Tube maintenance workers closed most of the network. As the strike entered its second day, Transport for London said the disruption was ”severe and unacceptable”, with trains suspended on all but three of the 12 lines.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Tuesday held private talks in London with former South African president Nelson Mandela, whom he hailed as ”the greatest and most courageous leader of our generation.” The meeting in Downing Street preceded the planned inauguration on Wednesday of a large statue of Mandela in London’s Parliament Square.