KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! Our review of the year 2009 is now additionally enhanced by the echoing of our dissection by a back-handed piece in the Murdoched SUN

1845 GMT

London

Saturday

26 December 2009

Editor © Muhammad Haque

We publish the following texts from the web site of the 'SUN', the Rupert Murdioch-ed SUN, published from an address not far from the Brick Lane, Whitechapel, Bethnal Green ‘south’ and Stepney London E1 area that the Khoodeelaar! Campaign has been defending for the past SIX years against the Big Biz agenda Crossrail holes scam attacks:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2784885/Gordon-Browns-roadshow-rent-a-crowd.html

By TOM NEWTON DUNN
Political Editor

Published: Today

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GORDON Brown's roadshows about "Britishness" are such a flop that the Government is PAYING people to turn up, it can be revealed.

Just TEN ordinary members of the public have gone to the eight debates held so far.

So desperate civil servants have paid 455 people between £75 and £85 each to be "an invited member of the public" - adding up to more than £35,000.

The roadshows were launched with great fanfare by Mr Brown when he became PM in 2007. The idea was to collect ideas for a new "Statement of Values" and "Bill of Rights and Responsibilities".

The first debate, hosted by Justice Secretary Jack Straw in Leicester two years ago, attracted 21 local councillors - but NONE came to the latest two events in Gateshead and Birmingham last month.

Even Chief Whip Nick Brown pulled out of the Gateshead event, leaving it without a ministerial host. The events have so far cost an estimated £1million.

Shadow justice minister Eleanor Laing, who forced the Ministry of Justice to reveal the figures, said: "The public has spoken: Gordon Brown's Britishness roadshow is a colossal waste of money."

But Justice Minister Michael Wills, who runs the events, last night said they were about "an important issue".

t.newtondunn@the-sun.co.uk

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2784885/Gordon-Browns-roadshow-rent-a-crowd.html#ixzz0aozoJxAJ