Misplaced Pages

#622377

112-739: The paper was founded in 2003. In 2006 the Islington Tribune , along with its sister paper the Camden New Journal - broke the national story that Government minister Margaret Hodge had described the war in Iraq as British Prime Minister Tony Blair 's biggest mistake. The editor of the paper was subsequently interviewed on the BBC and Channel Four. The Islington Tribune is contributed to by Emily Finch and Calum Fraser. Former reporters include Kim Janssen and Andrew Walker, who works for

224-558: A stateless person is someone who is "not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law". Some stateless people are also refugees . However, not all refugees are stateless, and many people who are stateless have never crossed an international border . At the end of 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated 4.4 million people worldwide as either stateless or of undetermined nationality, 90,800 (+2%) more than at

336-419: A 'trigger ballot' to hold a full selection process to choose their parliamentary candidate for the next general election, rather than automatically reselecting Hodge. She said she wished to stand and was automatically included in an all woman shortlist. According to one local member, factors in the decision to hold a selection process included her age, the desire to have an MP who lives in the area and support for

448-435: A British mother, but he did not have British citizenship. The 1994 French film Tombés du ciel and the 2004 American film The Terminal are fictional stories inspired by his experiences. Countries that restrict multiple nationality often require immigrants who apply for naturalisation to obtain official documentation from their countries of origin proving that they are no longer citizens. In others, including Taiwan ,

560-561: A British politician and life peer , who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Barking from 1994 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party , she was previously Leader of Islington London Borough Council from 1982 to 1992. She has held a number of ministerial roles and served as chair of the Public Accounts Committee from 2010 to 2015. Hodge is the daughter of the co-founder of steel firm Stemcor and remains

672-525: A Canadian national, since jus sanguinis is only recognized for the first generation in Canada. If that child were born in India and neither parent had naturalized to Indian citizenship yet, then the child would be stateless, since India confers nationality only to children born to at least one Indian parent. Although most states allow the acquisition of nationality through parental descent irrespective of where

784-467: A Handbook on Protection of Stateless Persons. Stateless refugees covered by the 1951 convention should be treated in accordance with international refugee laws. As of September 1, 2015, 86 states were party to the 1954 convention, up from 65 when UNHCR launched its conventions campaign in 2011. On December 13, 1975, the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness entered into force. It provides

896-512: A Jew a Nazi and face little consequence." In contrast, a coalition of 36 international Jewish anti-Zionist groups signed a letter of opposition to the IHRA definition, calling it a "distorted definition of antisemitism to stifle criticism of Israel". Labour said all the examples were covered by other parts of the code. After the adoption of the new code, Hodge confronted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in parliament and called him "a fucking antisemite and

1008-759: A boarder. She went on to study at the London School of Economics , graduating in 1966 with a third-class honours degree in government studies. After working briefly on television political programmes, she began, but did not complete, a master's degree in philosophy at Bedford College, London . Hodge supported the CND Aldermaston Marches and protests over the Vietnam war . From 1966 to 1971, Hodge worked in market research at Unilever , and in PR at Weber Shandwick . From 1992 to 1994, she

1120-630: A boy. At the outset of World War II, the couple and their eldest daughter were rendered stateless , effectively stranded in the Kingdom of Egypt for the duration of the War. They decided to leave Egypt in 1948, concerned that antisemitism had increased in the Middle East during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War . The family moved to Orpington , Kent (present-day Greater London), where they started their family-owned steel- trading corporation, Stemcor . It

1232-614: A citizenship, to avoid Citizenship-based taxation practiced by the US, and to avoid Chinese censorship abroad as Chinese citizens living abroad have been subject to threats to their employment, education, pension, and business opportunities if they engage in expression critical of the Chinese government or its policies. Only states can have nationals, and people of non-state territories may be stateless. This includes for instance residents of occupied territories where statehood never emerged in

SECTION 10

#1732782409623

1344-507: A formal complaint with the Labour Party that Hodge's tweet was an "antisemitic attack" and sidelined him as a "second-class Jew". In 2004, Fathers 4 Justice campaigner Jonathan Stanesby handcuffed Hodge, stating he was arresting her for child abuse. Fathers 4 Justice targeted Hodge perceiving her as the "bogeywoman of family law , who doesn't even believe in equal parenting". Stanesby and collaborator Jason Hatch were acquitted of

1456-406: A lack of respect and impugning her integrity. In July 2019, Hodge shared with the media a clandestine photo of Corbyn meeting Charedi activist Shraga Stern. Hodge tweeted that "Having lunch & wondering why Corbyn wants to be seen talking to an anti-LGBT activist who doesn't represent the mainstream Jewish community yet chooses to sideline groups like Jewish Labour." Stern subsequently lodged

1568-467: A major shareholder. She was a councillor on Islington Council from 1973 to 1994, was chair of the Housing Committee, and then Council Leader from 1982 to 1992. Hodge later apologised for failing to ensure that allegations of serious child abuse in council-run homes were sufficiently investigated and for libelling a complainant. Hodge was elected to parliament in a 1994 by-election . She

1680-401: A modern sense. Historically, there is considerable correlation between those who would meet the modern definition of statelessness and those the contemporary ruling classes of the extant states would have deemed to be mere barbarians . However, civilizations of this period more often distinguished between a subject and a slave as opposed to between a citizen and a subject. In many monarchies,

1792-459: A name still used on the website), which covers the entire City of Westminster , is also produced from the New Journal' s Camden Town office. Despite the name, it also includes Kensington and Chelsea in its coverage area. Margaret Hodge Margaret Eve Hodge, Baroness Hodge of Barking DBE PC ( née   Oppenheimer , formerly Watson ; born 8 September 1944), is

1904-606: A new Tesco supermarket as an example of new jobs being created in the area in face of the redundancies at the car manufacturing plant. On 27 June 2007, Hodge was reappointed Minister of State in the Department for Culture by new Prime Minister Gordon Brown . As Minister of State for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, she was quick to criticise Britain's foremost classical music festival, The Proms , for not being sufficiently inclusive, instead praising popular television shows such as Coronation Street . Following

2016-665: A number of standards regarding acquisition and loss of nationality, including automatic loss, renunciation, and deprivation of nationality. In 1974, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) requested that UNHCR undertake the functions established by the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. While the convention had only 37 state parties on January 1, 2011, 33 states pledged to accede to it at a ministerial event organized by UNHCR in December 2011. As of September 1, 2015,

2128-655: A petition to that effect; in February 1901 his application for Swiss citizenship was accepted). People who subscribe to Voluntaryist , Agorist , or some other philosophical, political, or religious beliefs may desire or seek statelessness. Many states do not allow citizens to renounce their nationality unless they acquire another. However, consular officials are unlikely to be familiar with the citizenship laws of all countries, so there may still be situations where renunciation leads to effective statelessness. Some may even desire statelessness to avoid future military duties by having

2240-634: A racist". The Party initiated a disciplinary investigation of the incident, with a spokesperson saying that "The rules of the Parliamentary Labour Party are quite clear, that colleagues have to treat each other with respect and not bring the party into disrepute and that is why action will be taken." The investigation was terminated following fears that MPs would resign had it continued. A Labour spokesperson said that Hodge "expressed regret" for her remarks: however, Hodge said that there were "no apologies, on either side". Hodge said that

2352-627: A result of administrative and practical problems, especially when they are from a group whose nationality is questioned. Individuals might be entitled to citizenship but unable to undertake the necessary procedural steps. They may be required to pay excessive fees for documentation proving nationality, to provide documentation that is not available to them, or to meet unrealistic deadlines; or they may face geographic or literacy barriers. In disruptive conflict or post-conflict situations, many people find that difficulties in completing simple administrative procedures are exacerbated. Such obstacles may affect

SECTION 20

#1732782409623

2464-448: A right to nationality, with special protections for certain groups, including stateless persons. In a historical sense, statelessness could reasonably be considered to be the default human condition that existed universally from the evolution of human species to the emergence of the first human civilizations. Historically in every inhabited region on Earth, prior the emergence of states as polities humans organized into tribal groups . In

2576-468: A stateless nation is the Kurds . The Kurdish population is estimated to be between 30 and 45 million, but they do not have a recognised sovereign state. Members of stateless nations are often not necessarily personally stateless as individuals, as they are frequently recognised as citizens of one or more recognized state(s). While statelessness in some form has existed continuously throughout human history,

2688-550: A year before. In September 2019, Hodge said "I'm not going to give up until Jeremy Corbyn ceases to be leader of the Labour Party." In July 2018, she accepted an invitation to become an honorary patron of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA). In the run up to the 2019 general election , CAA asked her to resign because she was standing as a Labour Party candidate; she did so but described their decision as "both astonishing and wounding", showing

2800-409: Is acquired automatically, the person is a national regardless of documentation status (although in practice, the person may face problems accessing certain rights and services because they are undocumented, not because they are stateless). If registration is required, then the person is not a national until that process has been completed. As a practical matter, the longer a person is undocumented,

2912-549: Is an ethnic group or nation that does not possess its own state . The term "stateless" implies that the group "should have" such a state (country). The term was coined in 1983 by the political scientist Jacques Leruez in his book L'Écosse, une nation sans État about the peculiar position of Scotland within the British state . It was later adopted and popularized by Scottish scholars such as David McCrone , Michael Keating and T. M. Devine . A notable contemporary example of

3024-501: Is listening to them" about their concerns over unemployment, high house prices and the housing of asylum seekers in the area. She said the Labour Party must promote "very, very strongly the benefits of the new, rich multi-racial society which is part of this part of London for me". There was widespread media coverage of her remarks, and Hodge was strongly criticised for giving the BNP publicity. The BNP went on to gain eleven council seats at

3136-519: Is now one of the world's largest privately held steel companies, with an annual turnover of over £6 billion in 2011. Hodge is a major shareholder , listing her holdings in the Parliamentary Register of Members' Interests. Stemcor was run by her brother, Ralph, until September 2013. When Hodge was 10 years old, in 1954, her mother died of stomach cancer . Hodge attended Bromley High School , followed by Oxford High School as

3248-487: The 2015 Labour Party leadership election , she nominated Liz Kendall . In June 2016, together with Ann Coffey , Hodge called for a motion of no confidence in party leader Jeremy Corbyn . The following month, she supported Owen Smith in the 2016 Labour leadership election . In July 2018, the National Executive Committee (NEC) adopted a code of conduct on antisemitism which was based on

3360-554: The Evening Standard resumed reporting allegations of abuse in the Islington Care Homes. Its initial report was slated by Hodge as a "sensationalist piece of gutter journalism", although she has since apologised, claiming that her officials had given her false information. In 1995, the "White Report" into sexual abuse in Islington Care Homes confirmed that the council had failed to adequately investigate

3472-562: The 2006 election out of a total of 51, making them the second-largest party. It was reported that Labour activists accused Hodge of generating hundreds of extra votes for the BNP, and that local members began to privately discuss the possibility of a move to deselect her. The GMB wrote to Hodge in May 2006, demanding her resignation. Writing in The Observer on 20 May 2007 Hodge argued that established families should take priority in

Islington Tribune - Misplaced Pages Continue

3584-815: The American Convention on Human Rights , the European Convention on Nationality , and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child ; and is implicit in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . Many states define their body of citizens based on ethnicity , leading to the exclusion of large groups. This violates international laws against discrimination. The United Nations Committee on

3696-683: The Cabinet reshuffle of 3 October 2008, it was announced that Hodge was "temporarily leaving Government on compassionate grounds of family illness and will return to Government in the Spring". While she was absent from the Government, she was temporarily replaced as Minister of State by Barbara Follett . Hodge was reappointed Minister of State responsible for Culture and Tourism on 22 September 2009. In January 2010, Hodge announced that Royal Parks , which manages Richmond Park and Bushy Park in

3808-556: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women prohibits sex-based discrimination in the conferral of nationality. An important measure to prevent statelessness at birth bestows nationality to children born in a territory who would otherwise be stateless. This norm is stipulated in the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness ; appears in several regional human rights treaties, including

3920-620: The Crimean peninsula ( Armenians , Crimean Tatars , Germans , and Greeks ) who were deported en masse at the close of World War II. Another success has been the naturalization of Tajik refugees in Kyrgyzstan , as well as campaigns that have enabled 300,000 Tamils to acquire Sri Lankan citizenship. UNHCR also helped the Czech Republic reduce the large number of stateless persons created when it separated from Slovakia . At

4032-580: The Gauls immediately following the Gallic Wars , or the Israelites under Babylonian captivity ). However, there was a major difference between captive and subject populations in contrast to those living outside the boundaries of cohesive states – while both could be considered stateless, the latter typically only needed to adhere to local tribal customs whereas the former were not only expected to obey

4144-887: The House of Commons as a backbencher for the rest of her career in the House of Commons. After stepping down as an MP, she was appointed a member of the House of Lords . Hodge was born on 8 September 1944 in Alexandria , Egypt , to Jewish refugee parents Hans Oppenheimer (1908–1985), and his wife Lisbeth ( née Hollitscher). Hans Oppenheimer left Stuttgart in Germany during the 1930s to join his uncle's metals business based in Cairo and Alexandria , where he met fellow émigrée, Austrian-born Lisbeth Hollitscher. Married in 1936, Hans and Lisbeth went on to have five children: four girls and

4256-451: The IHRA 's working definition while omitting or modifying examples of antisemitism, including defining how criticism of Israel can be antisemitic. Hodge subsequently said that Labour's refusal to adopt the full set of unamended examples for disciplinary purposes "make the party a hostile environment for Jews. It chose to entrench antisemitism ... This means that in 2018 a party member can call

4368-494: The International Refugee Organization —the predecessor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)—was in the process of being dissolved, the convention was adopted without the protocol addressing statelessness. The International Law Commission , at its fifth session in 1953, produced both a Draft Convention on the Elimination of Future Statelessness and a Draft Convention on

4480-517: The Labour Party leadership , following the sudden death of John Smith from a heart attack. In 2017, she had a majority of 21,608. On 2 December 2021 she announced she would not be standing at the next general election, and she ceased to be an MP in June 2024. Hodge was appointed Junior Minister for Disabled People in 1998 and was promoted Minister for Universities at the new Department for Education and Skills in 2001, in which capacity she piloted

4592-571: The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames among others, was to be allowed to charge car drivers £2 per visit. This announcement sparked protests in South London and was opposed by local politicians including Conservative Zac Goldsmith , Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable and Baroness Kramer . Hodge once called for British-born families to have priority on council house waiting lists over immigrants. This comment received praise from

Islington Tribune - Misplaced Pages Continue

4704-592: The Nobel Peace Prize in 1938. Nansen passports , designed in 1922 by founder Fridtjof Nansen , were internationally recognized identity cards issued to stateless refugees . In 1942, they were honored by governments in 52 countries. Many Jews became stateless before and during the Holocaust , because the Nuremberg laws of 1935 stripped them of their German citizenship. The United Nations (UN)

4816-560: The Parliamentary Standards Committee found that Hodge had breached the MPs' code of conduct. The code states MPs should use public resources only "in support of parliamentary duties". The committee ruled that, because the review had been commissioned by an outside body, it had not been carried out as part of Hodge's parliamentary activities. The committee recommended that Hodge apologise to the House of Commons for

4928-511: The Privy Council consenting to the position being remunerated. Hitherto, this role had always been a voluntary position. Hodge describes herself as a secular Jew, but that her religious background is "what defines me". Hodge married Andrew Watson in 1968; the couple had one son and a daughter, Lizzi Watson, a BBC journalist who was appointed deputy editor of the 6 pm and 10 pm BBC News in February 2018. They divorced in 1978 and in

5040-631: The United Arab Emirates , Kuwait , Qatar , Iraq , Syria , Lebanon , and Thailand . Some stateless people have received widespread public attention in airports due to their status as ports of entry . One famous case is that of Mehran Karimi Nasseri , who lived in Charles de Gaulle Airport in France for approximately 18 years after he was denied entry to the country. His Iranian passport and UN refugee documents had been stolen. He had

5152-677: The United Kingdom . In April 2015, The Times reported that Hodge had benefited from the closure in 2011 of a Liechtenstein foundation which held shares in Stemcor, using the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility , a legal means of returning undisclosed assets to the UK with reduced penalties. Hodge gained 96,000 shares worth £1,500,000 as a result. Hodge said she had played no part in administering or establishing

5264-621: The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted. It provided both a right to asylum (Article 14) and a right to nationality (Article 15). The declaration also expressly prohibited arbitrary deprivation of nationality, which had affected many of the wartime refugees. In 1949, the International Law Commission put "Nationality, including statelessness", on its list of topics of international law provisionally selected for codification. In 1950, at

5376-704: The nanny state but I call it a force for good". Hodge identifies as a Zionist . On 17 November 2006, it was reported by the Islington Tribune that Hodge described the Iraq War as a "big mistake in foreign affairs". This report, relayed by BBC News , appeared to cast doubt on Hodge's confidence in Tony Blair 's foreign policy since 1998. A Downing Street spokesperson responded by pointing out that "Margaret Hodge voted for military action in Iraq. Since then, she has always spoken in favour of it." In

5488-1026: The Americas; Bangkok , Thailand , for Asia and the Pacific; Almaty , Kazakhstan , for Central Asia; Brussels , Belgium , for Europe; and Amman , Jordan , for the Middle East and North Africa. In 2004, ExCom instructed UNHCR to pay particular attention to situations of protracted statelessness and to explore, in cooperation with states, measures that would ameliorate and end these situations. In 2006, it provided UNHCR with more specific guidance on how to implement its mandate. The Conclusion on Identification, Prevention and Reduction of Statelessness and Protection of Stateless Persons requires UNHCR to work with governments, other UN agencies, and civil society to address statelessness. UNHCR's activities are currently categorized as identification, prevention, reduction, and protection. UNHCR has achieved some success with campaigns to prevent and reduce statelessness among peoples in

5600-470: The BBC, as well as former Camden New Journal deputy editor Andrew Johnson. Peter Gruner, an award-winning environment journalist who previously worked for the Evening Standard , worked for the title until 2015. The Camden New Journal , Islington Tribune , West End Extra , and The Review are all publications of New Journal Enterprises. The Westminster Extra (formerly the West End Extra ,

5712-682: The Barking seat at the 2010 general election . In spite of the union's position, Hodge was the Labour candidate and was returned as the Member of Parliament, doubling her majority, whilst Griffin finished in third place behind the Conservatives . The BNP lost all their council seats in the 2010 election . On 10 June 2010 Hodge was elected by MPs to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee in

SECTION 50

#1732782409623

5824-560: The Conservative government's imposition of spending restrictions on councils, setting no council rate . As with other councils, the district auditor ordered Islington to set a legal rate, which it complied with hours before the deadline. Hodge and the council were often portrayed as part of the " loony left " by some newspapers. In 1994 Hodge was disqualified as a councillor after not attending council meetings for over six months; Hodge stated she had not been active out of respect for

5936-436: The Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated on October 1, 2014, that the "deprivation of citizenship on the basis of race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin is a breach of States' obligations to ensure non-discriminatory enjoyment of the right to nationality". In some cases, statelessness is a consequence of state succession . Some people become stateless when their state of nationality ceases to exist, or when

6048-481: The Family Policy Unit, and general responsibility for child welfare. In 2005, Hodge was moved to become Minister of State for Work . On 17 June 2005, she was criticised for saying that former employees of MG Rover would be able to obtain jobs at Tesco , a local supermarket. Later, she claimed that this was not what she meant, rather that she had empathy for those losing their jobs, and was pointing to

6160-526: The IHRA's Working Definition. In June 2019, Hodge condemned the reinstatement to Labour of Chris Williamson who was investigated for comments he made on antisemitism in the Labour Party. In July 2019, Hodge called for a new and entirely independent system to handle antisemitism disciplinary proceedings in the Labour party as, she said, political interference has corrupted the current system. The party rejected her claim as unfounded. She also stated that matters had only become worse since she confronted Corbyn

6272-567: The Public Accounts Committee. She was succeeded as Chair in June 2015 by Meg Hillier . Hodge has since written a book about her time as chair of the Public Accounts Committee entitled Called to Account . In September 2016, London Mayor Sadiq Khan asked Hodge to review the Garden Bridge project . Hodge was tasked with determining whether value for money was achieved from the taxpayers' £60 million contribution to

6384-602: The Reduction of Future Statelessness. ECOSOC approved both drafts. In 1954, the UN adopted the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons . This convention provided a definition of a stateless person (which has since become part of customary international law , according to the International Law Commission) and set out a number of rights that stateless persons should enjoy. The convention thus became

6496-670: The UNGA asked UNHCR to broaden its activities concerning statelessness to include all states. In 1996, UNHCR was asked by the UNGA to actively promote accessions to the 1954 and 1961 conventions, as well as to provide interested states with technical and advisory services pertaining to the preparation and implementation of nationality legislation. An internal evaluation released in 2001 suggested that UNHCR had done little to exercise its mandate on statelessness. Only two individuals were tasked with overseeing work in that area at UNHCR headquarters, though some field officers had been trained to address

6608-462: The ability of individuals to complete procedures such as birth registration, fundamental to the prevention of statelessness in children. Whilst birth registration alone does not confer citizenship on a child, the documentation of place of birth and parentage is instrumental in proving the link between an individual and a state for the acquisition of nationality. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimated in 2013 that 230 million children under

6720-517: The absence of written laws, people living in tribal settings were typically expected to adhere to tribal customs and owed allegiance to their tribe and/or tribal leaders. As states began to form, a distinction developed between those who had some form of legal attachment to a more complex polity recognized to be a state in contrast to those who did not. The latter, often living in tribes and in regions not yet organized into and/or conquered by more powerful states, would widely be considered to be stateless in

6832-488: The abuse that he alleged he had suffered. Liz Davies simultaneously went public regarding the concerns she had previously raised while working for the council. Following a media campaign by several national newspapers calling for Hodge to resign from her new post, she wrote to Panton, apologising for referring to him as "an extremely disturbed person" in an earlier letter to the Chairman of the BBC Gavyn Davies , which had been broadcast on Radio 4 's Today programme. This

SECTION 60

#1732782409623

6944-413: The age of 5 have not been registered. Not holding proof of nationality—being " undocumented "—is not the same as being stateless, but the lack of identity documents such as a birth certificate can lead to statelessness. Millions of people live, or have lived, their entire lives with no documents, without their nationality ever being questioned. Two factors are of particular importance: If nationality

7056-463: The allegations, claiming that its doctrinaire interpretation of equal opportunities created a climate of fear at being labelled homophobic . In 2003, following Hodge's appointment as Minister for Children , Panton went public with his allegations that he had been the subject of abuse in Islington Council care and that, although he had repeatedly raised the matter, he had been ignored. He identified Hodge's complacency as ultimately responsible for

7168-427: The allocation of social housing over new economic migrants , stating that "We should look at policies where the legitimate sense of entitlement felt by the indigenous family overrides the legitimate need demonstrated by the new migrants." Her comments were condemned by the Refugee Council and other representative bodies. In November 2009, the Leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin , announced that he intended to contest

7280-428: The basis for an international protection regime for stateless persons. However, to ensure that the rights enumerated in the convention are protected, states need to be able to identify stateless individuals. Seven years later, in 1961—only one year after the 1954 convention entered into force—the UN adopted the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness . In 2014, following a series of expert meetings, UNHCR issued

7392-451: The beginning of 2006, the UNHCR reported that it had records of 2.4 million stateless persons, and estimated that there were 11 million worldwide. By the end of 2014, UNHCR had identified close to 3.5 million stateless persons in 77 countries and estimated the total number worldwide to be more than 10 million. UNHCR does not report refugee populations in its statelessness statistics to avoid double counting , which would affect

7504-414: The behest of ECOSOC, that item was given priority, and ECOSOC appointed an ad hoc Committee on Refugees and Stateless People to draft a convention. A treaty on refugees was prepared with a draft protocol addressing the status of stateless persons. The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees was adopted on July 28, 1951. As of January 2005, it had attracted the signatures of 145 state parties. Since

7616-442: The breach on a point of order. Hodge subsequently apologised and said "I carried out this inquiry in good faith and in the public interest. "I think all MPs would benefit from greater clarity in the rules governing the use of offices." Hodge later repaid £2.97, which represented the cost of House of Commons stationery, after the committee's report found that she should not have used Parliamentary resources for her review. In response to

7728-492: The bridge, as well as investigating whether transparency standards were met by public bodies. Hodge's review was published in April 2017. Hodge recommended that 'It would be better for the taxpayer to accept the financial loss of cancelling the project than to risk the potential uncertain additional costs to the public purse if the project proceeds.' The report found that decisions on the Garden Bridge were driven more by electoral cycles than value for taxpayers' money, and that there

7840-414: The care of Islington Council. Correspondence between Hodge and the then Director of Social Work indicates that Hodge declined a request for extra investigative resources. Instead, the Cofie–Davies investigation was dismissed by council officials in May 1990 after the police declared they had found insufficient evidence of abuse; despite this, the two social workers continued their enquiries. In 1992,

7952-433: The causes of "stateless births". At birth, nationality is usually acquired through one of two modes, although many nations recognize both modes today: A person who does not have either parent eligible to pass nationality by jus sanguinis is "born stateless", if born in a state which does not recognize jus soli . For instance, a child born outside Canada to two Canadian parents who were also born outside Canada would not be

8064-522: The charge of false imprisonment which they successfully defended as a reasonable form of political protest. In June 2019, the TSSA conference passed a motion criticising Hodge for "endorsing tactical voting, including voting for candidates other than Labour" in the 2019 European Parliament election , pointing out that this was a breach of party rules and should result in automatic removal of membership. On 28 September 2019, Barking Labour members voted in

8176-903: The child is born, some do not allow female citizens to confer nationality to their children. As of 2022, women in 24 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, are limited when passing their nationality onto their offspring. This can result in statelessness when the father is stateless, unknown, or otherwise unable to confer nationality to the child born in a foreign country without unrestricted birthright citizenship. Beginning around 2003, there have been changes in favor of sex neutrality in nationality laws in some nations, including reforms in Algeria , Morocco , and Senegal that may inform change elsewhere. For example, Algeria amended its nationality code in 2005 to grant Algerian nationality to children born in or outside Algeria to an Algerian mother or father. Moreover,

8288-483: The complaints of paedophile victims. In 1985, Demetrios Panton wrote to Islington Council to complain about abuse suffered while in Council care during the 1970s and 1980s. Panton received an official response in 1989, in which the Council denied all responsibility. In 1990, Liz Davies, a senior social worker employed by the borough, with her manager, David Cofie, raised concerns about sexual abuse of children under

8400-441: The concept of citizenship as something distinct from that of a subject did not exist – people under a monarch's rule who were considered subjects typically enjoyed more rights than a slave, and would presumably not have been considered "stateless" by the monarch. But even slaves in a monarchical state were often considered to have a legal status more desirable, at least from the perspective of the ruler, compared to those living outside

8512-585: The continuation of a large new housing programme. There was a change of emphasis to the refurbishment of sound older buildings ( e.g. Charteris Road , Alexander Road areas), in response to a paper published by the Islington Housing Action Group. The Islington Labour Party was badly affected by the defection of members and elected representatives to the Social Democratic Party . In the 1978 council election she

8624-475: The controversial Higher Education Act 2004 , remaining in post until 2003, when she became the inaugural Children's Minister . She was sworn into the Privy Council on 22 June 2003. In 2003, Hodge was appointed to the newly created high-profile role of Children's minister, which included responsibility for Special Education, Early Years Education and Childcare, the Young People's Unit, teenage pregnancy,

8736-688: The documentation must be provided prior to the granting of citizenship. During the period between the cancellation of the prior citizenship and the granting of the new citizenship by naturalization, the applicant may be officially stateless. In two cases in Taiwan, Pakistani immigrants applied for naturalization and renounced their Pakistani citizenship. In the interim, the decisions to permit their naturalization as citizens of Taiwan were reversed, leaving them stateless. As of 30 April 2017 , Australia had 37 stateless people in onshore detention, who had been detained for an average of 2 years and 106 days and

8848-480: The emergence of the concept of citizenship in the Greco-Roman world , the status of slaves and inhabitants of conquered territories during Classical antiquity became in some ways analogous to contemporary statelessness. In antiquity, such "statelessness" affected captive and subject populations denied full citizenship, including those enslaved (e.g., conquered populations excluded from Roman citizenship , such as

8960-468: The end of 2021. The status of a person who might be stateless ultimately depends on the viewpoint of the state with respect to the individual or a group of people. In some cases, the state makes its view clear and explicit; in others, its viewpoint is harder to discern. In those cases, one may need to rely on prima facie evidence of the view of the state, which in turn may give rise to a presumption of statelessness. Conflicting nationality laws are one of

9072-580: The far-right political party the BNP and led to calls for Hodge to resign. However, her comments would be defended by her colleagues. In April 2006, Hodge commented in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph that eight out of ten white working class voters in her constituency might be tempted to vote for the British National Party (BNP) at the May 2006 local elections because "no one else

9184-564: The field. As part of an overhaul of UNHCR's budget structure in 2010, the budget dedicated to statelessness increased from approximately US$ 12 million in 2009 to $ 69.5 million in 2015. In addition to regular staff in regional and country offices, UNHCR has regional statelessness officers in Dakar , Senegal , for West Africa; Nairobi , Kenya , for the Horn of Africa ; Pretoria , South Africa, for Southern Africa; San José , Costa Rica, for

9296-598: The fifth round of voting using the single transferable vote system. According to Peter Riddell , under Hodge's leadership, the PAC has held civil servants to account using procedure contrary to established practice. Gus O'Donnell , then head of the civil service , accused her of presiding over a "theatrical exercise in public humiliation", while Alan Duncan accused her of being "abusive and bullying" towards Rona Fairhead . The Oppenheimers' family company, Stemcor , which had been founded by Hodge's father, Hans Oppenheimer,

9408-569: The findings of the Parliamentary Standards Committee's investigation, Andrew Boff said the committee's findings left "a sour taste", and claimed that he found it 'hard to believe [Hodge] was unaware of the rules." At a keynote speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research on 26 November 2004, Hodge defended the concept of greater state regulation of individuals' choices, asserting only that "some may call it

9520-461: The first place, has ceased to exist and/or is largely unrecognized. Examples include the Western Sahara region. People who are recognized to be citizens by the government of an unrecognized country may not consider themselves stateless, but nevertheless may be widely regarded as such especially if other countries refuse to honor passports issued by an unrecognized state. A stateless nation

9632-408: The frontiers in tribal settings who were typically regarded as barbarians. Depending on the circumstances, a monarch seeking to conquer a frontier region would seek to either subjugate or enslave the inhabitants, but either would impart on the conquered population a change from stateless barbarian to some form of legal status in which allegiance and/or obedience to the ruler could be expected. With

9744-454: The greater the likelihood that they will end up in a situation where no state recognizes them as a national. In rare cases, individuals may become stateless upon renouncing their citizenship (e.g., "world citizen" Garry Davis and, from 1896 to 1901, Albert Einstein , who, in January 1896, at the age of 16, was released from his Württemberg citizenship after, with his father's help, filing

9856-522: The international community has only been concerned with its eradication since the middle of the 20th century. In 1954, the United Nations adopted the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons , which provides a framework for the protection of stateless people. Seven years later, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness . In addition, a range of regional and international human rights treaties guarantee

9968-548: The issue. The evaluation also noted that there was no dedicated budget line. Concerned organisations such as the Open Society Justice Initiative and Refugees International have called for UNHCR to dedicate more human and financial resources to statelessness. In 2006, a statelessness unit (now a statelessness section) was established in Geneva , and staffing has increased both in headquarters and in

10080-513: The latter having been separated from that identity and subsumed into an underclass ). Statelessness also used to characterize the Romani people , whose traditional nomadic lifestyles meant that they traveled across lands claimed by others. The Nansen International Office for Refugees was an international organization of the League of Nations in charge of refugees from 1930 to 1939. It received

10192-655: The laws of the state they were living in, but were often subjected to laws not imposed on and punishments not inflicted on full citizens. Among the more widely-known examples of this was the Romans' frequent use of crucifixion to punish Roman subjects, considered to be a highly degrading form of capital punishment that could not legally be inflicted on Roman citizens. Some characteristics of statelessness could be observed among apostates and slaves in Islamic society (the former shunned for rejecting their religious birth identity,

10304-522: The need of every person to have a nationality, and seeks to clarify the rights and responsibilities of states in ensuring individual access to a nationality. Some of the largest populations of stateless persons are found in Algeria , Bangladesh , Bhutan , Cambodia , Côte d'Ivoire , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Dominican Republic , Estonia , India , Kenya , Latvia , Malaysia , Mauritania , Myanmar , Nepal , Brunei , Saudi Arabia , Bahrain ,

10416-479: The new council leadership. The end of Hodge's service on Islington Council , prior to her entering Parliament, was marred by the emergence of serious child abuse allegations concerning Council-run children's homes in Islington. She has apologised several times since the emergence of the scandal in the 1980s that directly linked her council tenure with what she admitted in 2014 was "shameful naivety" in ignoring

10528-505: The number of state parties had increased to 64. States bound by the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child are obligated to ensure that every child acquires a nationality. The convention requires states to implement this provision in particular where the child would otherwise be stateless, and in a manner that is in the best interests of the child. Starting in 1994, the UNHCR Executive Committee (ExCom) and

10640-465: The period Hodge was leader. This prompted Hodge to issue a further apology stating "our naivety was shameful". The investigation failed to reach any firm conclusions. Hodge served as the Labour MP for Barking after winning the by-election on 9 June 1994 following the death of Jo Richardson . Whilst still a new MP, she endorsed the candidature of Tony Blair , a former Islington neighbour, for

10752-454: The primary international framework for the protection of stateless persons and the reduction of statelessness, there are also regional instruments of great importance. The 1997 European Convention on Nationality , for example, has contributed to protecting the rights of stateless persons and provides standards for reducing statelessness in the Council of Europe region. That document emphasizes

10864-487: The principles of accountability and local democracy. On Monday 28 October 2019, Hodge was reselected. After standing down as an MP, Hodge was nominated for a life peerage in the 2024 Dissolution Honours . She was created Baroness Hodge of Barking, of Great Massingham in the County of Norfolk , on 14 August 2024. Since November 2018, Hodge has been Chair of Council at Royal Holloway, University of London , following

10976-425: The prospect of an investigation had made her think about "what it felt like to be a Jew in Germany in the 30s ", a remark described by Jewish journalist, Matthew Norman, as "deranged hyperbole", "absurd" and "grotesque" and by David Baddiel as "bollocks". In March 2019, Hodge made a secret recording of a meeting she had with Corbyn. The recording was later passed to The Sunday Times which published extracts. In

11088-430: The recording, Corbyn said that some evidence of complaints was being mislaid, ignored or not used, which was why he had asked Lord Falconer to review the process. Corbyn later wrote to Hodge to convey his disappointment at what he considered "to be a total breach of trust and privacy". In the same month, she proposed that the party close down constituencies that passed motions critical of individual investigations or of

11200-473: The risk of prosecution for Britons moving undeclared assets back to the UK. Coverage focused on the apparent hypocrisy in her condemnation of the use of tax havens. The Times reported that 75% of the shares in the family trust had previously been held in Panama, which Hodge had previously criticised for its financial secrecy and use as a tax haven . Hodge issued a statement that she had always fully declared

11312-490: The same year she married Henry Hodge (later Sir Henry), by whom she had two more daughters. He was a solicitor who was appointed as a High Court Judge in 2004. He died in 2009. In 2015 there was considerable controversy about her benefiting, to the tune of £1.5 million, from assets repatriated from a Liechtenstein family trust in 2011 using the Liechtenstein disclosure facility , that reduced penalties and removed

11424-427: The scheme. She explained: "All I could do as a shareholder in a company not run by me, and over which I had no influence or control, was to ensure that any shares I held were above board and that I paid all relevant taxes in full. Every time I received any benefit from the company this happened." Shortly after Labour's defeat at the 2015 general election , it emerged that Hodge would not be standing for re-election to

11536-586: The shareholding, never had a management role in the company, and had received assurances that the company always paid the appropriate tax. Hodge was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1978 Birthday Honours while a member of Islington Council. She was promoted to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2015 Dissolution Honours for political service. Statelessness In international law ,

11648-748: The territory on which they live comes under the control of another state. This was the case after the Soviet Union had disintegrated in 1991 , and also in the cases of Yugoslavia , East Pakistan and Ethiopia . According to the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs , the Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession is the only treaty that aims to reduce this problem. Seven states have joined it. People may also become stateless as

11760-624: The total number of "persons of concern". Stateless refugees are counted as refugees, not as stateless. For the same reason, Palestinian refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are not reported in the UNHCR statelessness table. Instead, they are referred to elsewhere in UNHCR's statistical reporting. While the two UN conventions on statelessness constitute

11872-660: Was a senior consultant at Price Waterhouse . Hodge was first elected as a Councillor for the London Borough of Islington at a by-election in 1973, representing the Barnsbury ward. She became chair of the Housing Committee in 1975. This was an important post in a local authority which had one of the worst set of housing statistics in London during a period when London boroughs were required to be housing providers and managers. Hodge's tenure as Housing Chairman oversaw

11984-419: Was appointed Junior Minister for Disabled People in 1998 and promoted to Minister for Universities in 2001, subsequently becoming the first Children's Minister in 2003, joining the Privy Council . In 2005, Hodge became Minister of State for Work . Hodge served as Minister of State for Culture and Tourism from 2007 to 2008 and 2009 until Labour was defeated at the 2010 general election . She remained in

12096-410: Was elected to Thornhill ward, before representing Barnsbury again at the 1982 election , and moving to Sussex ward at the 1986 election . After Labour won all but one of the council seats in the 1982 council election on a strong left-wing manifesto, Hodge became Council Leader, a post she held until 1992. In 1984 Hodge was a public leader of Islington participating in the rate-capping rebellion to

12208-566: Was not an open, fair and competitive process around two procurements. In response, the BBC's transport correspondent, Tom Edwards, reported that 'I can't remember reading a report so damning of a transport project.' In June 2017, Andrew Boff , a Conservative member of the London Assembly, criticised Margaret Hodge's report on the Garden Bridge, and claimed that she broke Parliamentary rules during her research. In December 2017,

12320-428: Was run by her brother, Ralph, until September 2013. In November 2012, Helia Ebrahimi, The Daily Telegraph ' s City Correspondent, raised the issue of Hodge's suitability as chair of the Public Accounts Committee, reporting that her family's company "pays just 0.01pc tax on £2.1bn of business generated in the UK". This led to an investigation into the tax arrangements of a number of American companies operating in

12432-558: Was set up in 1945, immediately after the end of World War II . From its inception, the UN had to deal with the mass atrocities of the war, including the huge refugee populations across Europe. To address the nationality and legal status of these refugees, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) requested that the UN Secretary-General carry out a study of statelessness in 1948. In 1948,

12544-634: Was subsequently brought to the floor of the House of Commons in Prime Minister's Questions by opposition leader Michael Howard . A formal apology to Panton was made in the High Court on 19 November 2003 by Lady Hodge's barrister together with a financial settlement of £30,000. In April 2014, Education Secretary Michael Gove instigated investigations into 21 children's homes nationally, where new evidence suggested Jimmy Savile might have abused young people, including one in Islington during

#622377