Two and a half years ago, the fledgling romance between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats was hitting the rocks.

They were bickering about a runway. Having ditched Labour's plans to expand Heathrow, the pressure was back on ministers to consider growing it again, or if not Heathrow, then another airport in the South East.
Business leaders were queuing up to tell them the country was haemorrhaging billions in lost trade because of a lack of connections to hot economies such as  China and India.
In the end, they asked someone independent for a bit of counselling.
Academic and business expert Sir Howard Davies set up a commission to look at the options and was told to report back with a favourite but not until after the general election.
Problem brushed under the carpet.
Until now. Sir Howard is going to name a winner within weeks.
Then, the new government must decide whether to go along with him.
There has been lots of arguing over the costs and benefits of the possible options. The data below comes from the Airports Commission.
The Heathrow schemes create the most jobs and make the most money for the country.
But the Gatwick scheme is better for the local environment, and it should be easier to deliver politically and financially. You pays your money, you takes your choice.
The Airports Commission says it would all make planeloads of cash for the UK, although it does advise some caution over the figures. It says:
They would also generate lots of new jobs by 2050:
They might be private deals, but we all pick up some of the tab.
Bigger airports mean more passengers, and they've all got to get there on wider roads, better train services and so on.
Heathrow's third runway scheme involves putting part of the M25 in a tunnel, for example, which isn't cheap.
The commission says:
Then there are fares.
To pay for all the work, the airports will charge the airlines significantly more to land.
It's assumed those airlines will pass on some of that extra expense, although it's impossible to say by how much ticket prices might rise.
Both Heathrow schemes say that, as the decades roll by, fewer people will be disturbed by noise because planes are getting quieter and they will be higher as they approach.
The new runways are also a bit further away from London.
Currently, about 760,000 people are affected by Heathrow noise.
And even if the airport is expanded, that figure could drop by 100,000 or so by 2050.
But that would still leave 20 times more people affected by a swollen Heathrow than would be affected by an expanded Gatwick.
This would, of course, be little consolation to those living in nice rural areas on the approach to the West Sussex airport.
Most local airport pollution doesn't come from the aircraft engines - it's from all the cars, trucks, buses and trains that feed the place, plus the airport's own vehicles.
Anyway, Sir Howard says Heathrow's schemes will exceed EU pollutant limits at a few local spots during peak hours.
Heathrow always point out that they are near Britain's busiest bit of motorway anyway and most local pollution is nothing to do with them.
Gatwick is fine, locally.
If the Lib Dems had still been sharing power, there would have been volcanic tension over the issue, especially if the commission picked Heathrow.
Most Lib Dems are against airport expansion.
But, of course, they are not sharing power any more.
There are still plenty of Tories with strong views, though.
London's Mayor, Boris Johnson, who is also the newly elected MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, is promising to lie in front of the bulldozers if Heathrow gets the go-ahead.
And Richmond MP Zac Goldsmith told me that he'd still resign and force a by-election if the government picked a west London scheme.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening has campaigned against Heathrow expansion in the past, so it's a given she'd be against it again.
Other big hitters, such as Home Secretary Theresa May in Maidenhead, have constituencies under Heathrow's flight path.
I keep being told that the Chancellor, George Osborne, is pro-Heathrow, but I've never heard him actually say it.
Mr Goldsmith told me he had asked him directly and got a non-committal reply.
But would anyone in the cabinet actually resign over the issue? I'm not sure. Not if there is a guarantee of some kind of respite from the noise.
Expect lots of local opposition whichever scheme is picked, though.
Right now, Heathrow is favourite among the majority of industry types I talk to, but no-one actually knows for sure.
Sir Howard has always said that his job is to pick how we'll all fly in the future, and he pointed out in an earlier report that all of the recent growth has been in the low-cost sector.
That led plenty of people to think that Gatwick was the favourite because it's home to so many low-cost flights.
But a few months ago, Britain's biggest cheap-ticket airline, Easyjet, said it wanted a bigger Heathrow.
My gut instinct, and it's just that, tells me that could be significant.
I'm so sorry, but there's a long way to go yet. The Davies decision is just a recommendation.
After the report, the government is likely to make some kind of statement, but it's not clear yet whether that will commit in principle to Sir Howard's recommendation or just be a "thank you, and we'll let you know". If they fail to give even a hint of their plans, it'll annoy a lot of people.
It's thought ministers will then need to run their own consultation, just a short one, maybe a few weeks, to hedge against legal challenges.
It's worth noting that Mr Osborne has been dropping heavy hints that he wants to get on with it as soon as possible, but it could still be months before we get an official decision.
But even if the politicians race it through as quickly as they can, the legal challenges fail and the next government sticks with the plan, no scheme will be open for another decade.


Mourners have been told to remove any tributes from a graveyard that are not touching head stones.

North Devon Council said people were breaking rules by spreading photographs, messages, lights and other items down the length of graves.
The authority, which runs Bear Street cemetery in Barnstaple, said it made it difficult to cut the grass and to reopen graves to bury relatives.
People laying tributes have described the council as "dictators".
For more on this story, and other news
Relatives have been given a 90-day deadline to remove the items.
Some people have already made the changes. However, 27 families have not yet cleared the graves.
Peter Hull has been told to remove the flowers from his brother-in-law's grave.
"For my wife it's very upsetting, for me it is more annoying that a council do not want to listen," he said.
"We live in a world of democracy but they're making me feel like they're dictators."
North Devon Council said it had tried to deal "sympathetically and tactfully" with the families.
Mark Drummond, from the authority, said most of the graves were for two burials.
With the tributes, he said it was "almost impossible to be able to get a digger in to actually reopen the grave."


The company which revived the British Steel brand says it is on track to return to profit this financial year after being sold by India's Tata Steel.

Investment firm Greybull Capital bought Tata's Long Products Europe division in Scunthorpe for Â£1 in April.
Executive chairman Roland Junck said: "We have... returned the business to profitability in our first 100 days as an independent company.
"These results are testament to the hard work of our employees."
He said the company had completed the first stage of its turnaround plan which includes efficiency and cost-cutting measures, 270 new employees and a Â£50m capital investment.
The firm, with 4,800 employees, produces more than 2.8m tonnes of steel every year and has been working with new and existing customers, including Caterpillar, Toyota and Network Rail.
As well as its steelworks in Scunthorpe it has sites in Teesside, Workington and York.
"The transformation of our business will make sure we maintain the pace of growth and move forward as an outward-looking profit-making business," Mr Junck said.
"But while our future remains firmly in our hands, the UK steel industry still faces many challenges."
The industry was at a disadvantage compared with European rivals and Britain's decision to leave the European Union had not made things any easier, he said.
"There are differences which handicap the UK in terms of business rates, energy prices. If I had this plant in Germany we'd be in a much better condition."


Lord Janner misled an inquiry when asked about his contact with convicted child abuser Frank Beck, documents obtained by the BBC suggest.

They show he told the 1992 Kirkwood Inquiry into child abuse he had almost no dealings with Beck from 1976-86.
But residents and staff of children's homes, a former police officer and a former council official have told the BBC the men were associates.
Lord Janner died in December. His family have denied claims against him.
Beck, a care home manager and prominent social worker, was convicted of prolific child abuse in 1991 and died in prison.
In January, an inquiry by retired judge Sir Richard Henriques into the allegations against Lord Janner concluded that there was an "abundance of evidence" that he and Beck knew each other.
Police and prosecutors believe Lord Janner, a veteran Leicester MP, used his relationship with Beck to get access to children in the city's care home system.
Lord Janner died in December last year, days after a judge had ruled his dementia made him unfit to stand trial for 22 counts of alleged child sexual abuse against nine complainants.
A "trial of the facts" had been planned to resolve whether the alleged incidents had taken place, without bringing a verdict of guilt or innocence, but this was cancelled after Lord Janner's death.
The documents, released to the BBC after a series of Freedom of Information requests, are from the files of the inquiry ordered by the government in 1992 to investigate child abuse in Leicestershire care homes in the wake of the Beck case.
Its chairman Andrew Kirkwood QC questioned Greville Janner - later Lord Janner - on 19 June 1992.
Both the transcript of this hearing and Lord Janner's statement to the inquiry have been released to the BBC in redacted form.
The transcript reveals Mr Kirkwood examined Lord Janner about the period between 1976 and 1986, when Beck resigned from Leicestershire social services.
"Your contacts with Mr Beck would have been to what extent?" he asked.
Lord Janner replied: "Nil", except on one occasion when he said Beck might have answered a phone call.
But this year's Henriques report concluded: "There was considerable evidence... that [Lord] Janner was a regular visitor to children's homes and that he had a number of dealings with Beck.
"All of this would have been supporting evidence discrediting [Lord] Janner and, thus, supporting the prosecution case."
A former police officer has described to the BBC seeing Lord Janner in Beck's office in the late 1970s.
Eight former children's home residents and staff say he visited their homes, and a former council official said Beck claimed support from Lord Janner when confronted about his treatment of children.
The Kirkwood documents detail the inquiry's attempts to examine an allegation against Lord Janner, dating back to the 1970s, that he sexually abused a boy from a care home whom he had "befriended".
The boy, as an adult in his 30s, reported the allegations to the police in 1991. They were then made public by Frank Beck at his trial that year.
These documents set out for the first time Lord Janner's detailed defence against the claims.
During the Kirkwood Inquiry hearing, Lord Janner discussed taking the boy on official visits as an MP, on a short business trip to Scotland, and swimming at the Leicester Holiday Inn hotel.
He also put the boy up in his house in London, and the pair swam in a pool belonging to one of Lord Janner's friends.
Both in his statement and cross-examination, Lord Janner strongly denied sexually abusing the boy and insisted he always asked for permission from care home staff before taking him on trips.
He said the director of Leicestershire Social Services, Dorothy Edwards, was "very positive about it and encouraged me to continue".
In his statement, he said he had intended to help the boy improve his future prospects: "A sensible, genuine and kindly effort by me."
He denied taking the boy to a friend's wedding in London.
But the Henriques report revealed that police uncovered film of the boy at the event.
The recent Leicestershire Police investigation, Operation Enamel, also gathered evidence from 32 witnesses supporting the boy's claim that he was abused by Lord Janner, including 12 dealing with events at the Holiday Inn.
The 1992 documents released to the BBC also reveal that, following his questioning by the inquiry, Lord Janner asked chairman Andrew Kirkwood if he could tell the media waiting outside that he had not been asked about allegations of child abuse against him.
Andrew Kirkwood replied: "Of course, Mr Janner."
Lord Janner left the hearing and told a BBC camera crew: "I have the chairman's permission to tell you that there was questioning about the social services and their operation, and none whatever concerning the allegations made against me."
The documents show this was not true, and the revelation that the real substance of the inquiry's questioning was withheld from the media will further fuel allegations of a cover-up.
Lord Janner was not prosecuted at the time and he rubbished the child abuse claims in the House of Commons.
He also refused to answer police questions.
The Kirkwood files will be crucial evidence for the national child abuse inquiry, chaired by Justice Lowell Goddard, which will examine the Janner case, including whether the inquiry wrongly left out allegations against Lord Janner in its final report.
Liz Dux, from the law firm Slater and Gordon who represents 16 alleged victims of Lord Janner, said the new evidence showed how "crucial" the Goddard Inquiry would be.
"All of my clients will be giving their personal testimonies before the inquiry and much of their evidence will contradict what Lord Janner said to the Kirkwood Inquiry," she said.
Leicestershire County Council said it was "fully committed to co-operating with the Goddard Inquiry".
"We worked closely with the police on aspects of their investigation that related to historic abuse involving former county council children's homes in the 1970s and 1980s," a council spokesman said.
"Since that period, the council has introduced a series of safeguards and procedures to strengthen the protection of children."


Ten-man MK Dons suffered a fourth straight loss for the first time since December 2009 as Leeds moved into 10th.

The hosts dominated the opening half an hour with Rob Hall, Carl Baker and Josh Murphy all shooting wide.
But it was Leeds who went ahead when Baker brought down Charlie Taylor with Chris Wood converting the penalty, before Taylor made it 2-0.
Samir Carruthers was shown a late red card for a tackle on Stuart Dallas after Simon Church had cut the lead.
Hall had the first notable chance for MK Dons when he smartly beat two Leeds defenders before striking off target.
Murphy, on loan from Norwich, then had two carbon-copy chances for the Dons when he cut inside from the left-wing and curled just wide when attempting to find the far corner of Marco Silvestri's net, before the Leeds goalkeeper denied the same player at the near post.
Karl Robinson's side then had their best chance to go ahead as Hall's shot was tipped onto the woodwork by Silverstri but Sam Gallagher somehow smashed the rebound over.
That miss was to prove costly as Leeds immediately went down the other end and won a penalty when Baker clumsily brought down Taylor and Wood sent David Martin the wrong way to score his fourth goal in six games.
Taylor's run and shot then doubled Leeds' advantage, before MK Dons saw their own appeals for a penalty for handball waved away by referee David Webb.
A low-key second half was sparked into life when Church converted the dangerous Murphy's cross for his first goal for the club.
Despite Carruthers' dismissal, it was the hosts who pushed for an equaliser at the end, but Leeds held firm for their second Championship win of the season.
MK Dons manager Karl Robinson: "The refereeing was atrocious.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We've played here and we've been the better team. Someone has to say something.
"He should have to tell you why he sent Samir Carruthers off. Then two and-a-half minutes later (Luke) Murphy has a scissor challenge on the 'D', and there's no booking, and it's his eighth challenge of the game.
"We ask for consistency, and integrity, which they give us all the time, but the performance was way below par today I think from the referee."
Leeds United manager Uwe Rosler: "I felt the way we managed the first 15-20 minutes of the second half was very impressive. We went for another goal and we could have easily scored another goal in that period.
"Then the panic button came into play, even with a man more.
"All credit to MK Dons, they made some tactical changes, they put Carl Baker in the right-back position, and he put ball after ball in our box. We found it difficult to get the ball down and play, and use our man advantage.
"You need to find a way to win, even when you're not playing over 90 minutes prettily, and that's what we did."


Originally released in 1964, Stanley Kubrick's biting satire of Cold War politics is now regarded as one of the greatest film comedies ever made.

Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb boasts not one, but three performances by Peter Sellers as different characters including the title character.
In Kubrick's film we know very little about the mysterious, wheelchair-bound 'director of weapons research and development'.
But a newly-discovered work finally reveals just who this enigmatic scientist really was.
The 8,000-word story, Some Notes on the Character of Strangelove Including Strangelove's Theory, was discovered by David George as he was going through his family's archive.
His father, Peter, wrote the original novel on which the film was based.
Published in 1958, Two Hours to Doom (known as Red Alert in the United States) was a sober tale exploring the global threat of nuclear annihilation.
It caught the attention of Kubrick, who had just finished shooting Lolita, also starring Peter Sellers.
He wrote to George suggesting they turn the book into a movie.
"It was a three page, handwritten letter," recalls David George.
"It said: 'Hello, my name is Stanley Kubrick, you may have heard of me.  I've directed some films like Spartacus and Paths of Glory'.
"I've come across your book and I'd like to make a film about this subject. Yours is the first one that really fits the bill and really comes near to what I'm after.
"It smacks of sincerity and the technical aspects of it all: the planes, the bombs, the tonnage'.
"And, of course, being Kubrick that was that.  The project just started rolling very, very quickly."
By this time, Peter George was already a bestselling novelist, known for his spy thrillers and murder mysteries.
Born in Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taff, he had served as an RAF pilot and navigator during World War Two.
His military experience would later shape his career as an author, lending his work an unerring level of detail and precision about the mechanics of warfare.
Inevitably, this fed in to the film.
According to Sellers' biographer Adrian Rigelsford, the filmmakers' vision was often too close for comfort.
"They very much got into trouble with the military authorities because they got too much information right," he said.
"They had guesswork that was so accurate they had the Ministry of Defence land on them like a tonne of bricks.
"For example, the plane that Major Kong is flying, they had no real idea what one looked like, they just guessed and they got it 100% accurate."
During the early stages of adapting Two Hours To Doom for the screen, Kubrick and George opted for a shift in tone.
The starkness of the source material was replaced by black comedy.  It was during this process that the character of Dr Strangelove was born.
Although George's novel contains elements that also appear in the film, such as the war room and the doomsday machine, the titular scientist does not feature at all.
In fact, it is easy to forget that the character of Dr Strangelove, as memorable as he is, enjoys relatively little screen time in the final cut of the movie.
His motives and history are unclear, a purposely cryptic and tenebrous presence.
However, it seems George had provided a whole back story for the character.
None of the details made their way into the shooting script, but it all helped to flesh out the role of Dr Strangelove and may have provided Sellers with the foundations on which to base his characterisation.
For 50 years, that story remained unseen and unpublished, but that is about to change.
Cardiff-based publishers Candy Jar Books will bring out George's 'new' Dr Strangelove tale later this year.
Shaun Russell from the company believes it is cause for excitement.
"No-one, anywhere in the world, has really seen this before," he said.
"It's essentially Dr Strangelove: The early years. It's how he became Dr Strangelove, and how he developed the theories you see in the film.
"He's a lecturer at university, unhappy with his life and very unhappy about his relationship with women.
"So this story has a woman coming into his life and throwing everything up in the air.
"Then, because of something that happens with the female characters, he sits down and thinks 'how can I plan the end of the world?'"
The story will be published alongside George's novelisation of the movie, which he wrote to accompany the film's release in 1964.
Many of his books have been out of print for years and his son hopes the discovery of a new Dr Strangelove tale will spark renewed interest in his father's work.
"My quest in life has been to put him back where he needs to be," David George said.
"So Dr Strangelove is the entry point and the jumping off point, to be able to give people these really rather good books to read."
Kubrick's film gained four Academy Award nominations, including one for Peter George as co-writer of the screenplay, along with the director and comic novelist Terry Southern.
George killed himself just two years after the film's release, for reasons that have never fully been understood.
The return of Dr Strangelove marks the first in a planned series of re-issues that will eventually see the entirety of the Welsh author's back catalogue in print for the first time in decades.


Michael Carberry helped Perth Scorchers beat Kevin Pietersen's Melbourne Stars by 18 runs at the Waca and reach the Australian Big Bash League final.

Former England batsman Carberry hit 50 off 36 balls as Perth made 144-7 despite a maiden in the final over.
Pietersen, who fired a stunning six with a switch hit, and Luke Wright both made 31 but the visiting side were all out for 126 in the final over.
Perth will play Brett Lee's Sydney Sixers in Wednesday's final.
That match in Canberra will be the Australia paceman's final competitive game before his retirement.
There were boos ringing out from a vociferous home contingent when their tailender Andrew Tye swung and missed at six nearly identical slower deliveries from Clint McKay at the end of the Perth innings.
Pietersen looked to be guiding his team to victory but with 57 needed from 32 balls became the fifth wicket to fall when he advanced down the pitch to paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile and edged to the wicketkeeper.
Tye atoned for his batting with superb slower balls of his own to return 4-15 from his four overs and take Perth through to their fourth successive final as the Stars, who had won five matches in a row in this campaign, lost their fourth BBL semi-final.
On Saturday, Australia T20 left-hander Nic Maddison inspired the Sydney Sixers to a comprehensive 87-run win over the Adelaide Strikers in the first semi-final, with seven fours and five sixes in his 85 from 48 balls.
Sydney made 181-4 after choosing to bat and then dismissed Adelaide for 94 inside 15 overs, with burly left-arm seamer Doug Bollinger taking 3-21 and Sean Abbott claiming 2-14.
The Sixers also have former England opener Michael Lumb, and Carberry's former Hampshire team-mate, in their side.


A teenager has died after he was stabbed in north-east London.

Paramedics found the 17-year-old when they were called to High Street, Walthamstow, shortly after 23:30 BST on Sunday.
He was taken to hospital but died. He is the ninth teenager to be fatally stabbed or shot in London this year.
The Met Police said the victim was walking along the road with friends when they were approached by two men on bikes at the junction of Buxton Road.
The teenager was stabbed during an altercation.
Det Ch Insp Matt Bonner added: "At this stage we are investigating whether the two suspects left the area on bicycles. If you were in the area last night and saw anything that may help us, or you have information that will assist, please get in touch."
Officers are awaiting formal identification, but next of kin have been informed. No arrests have been made.
The victim was the sixth teenager to have died this year from stab wounds, while the other three teenagers were shot.
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw said there had been 29 fatal stabbings in London this year, including the six teenagers, compared to 23 by this time in 2016.
The latest victim was the second to be fatally stabbed in the city in 48 hours, with the incident coming after the death of a 23-year-old man, who was found unconscious by police in Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, west London, early on Saturday.
Last week, the Met Police launched the latest phase in its campaign to crack down on knife crime.
During the week, 393 arrests were made as part of Operation Sceptre, including 73 for possession of an offensive weapon/knife and 144 stop and search arrests.
The Met Police said the taskforce had been created to tackle an increase in knife crime across London, with about 100 officers deployed to knife crime hotspots.
According to official statistics released last month, knife crime in London increased by 24% in the year up to April, with 12,074 recorded offences.
Knife crime that resulted in an injury also increased, with a rise of 21% to 4,415 recorded incidents.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, said carrying knives on London's streets would not be tolerated.
He said: "My message today is clear: if you carry a knife in London, we will catch you and arrest you."


English hospitals face being "named and shamed" for not screening patients for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk, NHS medical director Sir Bruce Keogh has said.

NHS trusts are required to screen 90% of hospital patients.
But fewer than half manage this says the NHS, which warns 25,000 people die each year from hospital-acquired DVT.
One assessed just one in four patients and another barely one in 10. Sir Bruce said this was "absolutely disgraceful".
"In the sort of NHS that I want to work in and be treated in, I don't think that level of practice is acceptable."
DVT involves blood clotting in the legs and can be fatal if a clot breaks off and travels in the blood up to the lungs and causes a blockage, known as a pulmonary embolism.
Since April 2010, trusts in England have faced losing up to 0.3% of their income for failing to meet the guidelines. Some have already lost money. And there will continue to be financial consequences for trusts who do not meet the target, Sir Bruce Keogh told BBC Radio 4's Face the Facts.
He also says he will name the worst performers if they continue to do badly.
Giselle Dye's mother Giska was admitted to Worthing Hospital in Sussex in January following a fall and with suspected internal bleeding. She was not assessed for DVT, which killed her.
"To my mind it's such a simple procedure they should be able to get this right," said Giselle. "If they had done the risk assessment they might have been able to make sure my mother's legs were elevated."
"My mother was left sitting in a chair. The carer took a photograph the day before she died and her legs from the knee down were dark purple. Your legs don't go dark purple unless you have been sitting for a very long time without moving."
Western Sussex Hospitals Trust, which runs Worthing Hospital, has apologised for not assessing Mrs Dye and for other shortcomings in the care provided.
But director of nursing and patient safety Cathy Stone said: "I am unable to talk directly about Mrs Dye's case but it is important to remember that treatment for VTE (vein thromboembolism) is not always appropriate."
The trust is now assessing 93% of patients and is aiming higher.
Risk factors for DVT include being immobile or bed-ridden for a long time and undergoing extensive surgery.
Preventative measures include blood-thinning drugs and compression stockings. But medication may not be appropriate in cases of internal bleeding or poor circulation.
Keeping patients mobile and hydrated is also important.
"Preventative treatment does reduce almost to zero the incidence of DVT," said John Black, the outgoing president of the Royal College of Surgeons.
"This is the number one clinical priority for me and my colleagues," said Sir Bruce.
"Some 25,000 people die a year from something that is preventable. The same sort of number which die from stroke and other major conditions which are far less preventable.
"Of course this is fairly early on in this initiative but we need to be firm about those that are failing to improve."
Radio 4's Face the Facts investigates DVT screening at 1230 BST on Wednesday 13 July, repeated at 2100 BST on Sunday 17 July, in the first of a new series of investigations.


Serious questions about two of the founders of a project to build a barrage across the Severn estuary have been raised by a BBC investigation.

The largest shareholder in Hafren Power has previously been declared bankrupt three times during a lengthy business career.
Another businessman has been declared bankrupt twice but said it should not detract from the project's legitimacy.
Backers claim the £25bn barrage could generate 5% of Britain's electricity.
Hafren Power wants to build an 11 mile (17.7km) barrage between Lavernock Point near Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, and Brean near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
Richard Bazley - the largest shareholder in Hafren Power - was declared bankrupt in 1977, 1994 and 2005.
Mr Bazley, described by Hafren Power as its founder and "the visionary" behind the barrage, describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur".
He declined to be interviewed but Hafren Power chief executive Tony Pryor denied Mr Bazley's background undermined the credibility of the project.
Another founder Idwal Stedman, who sits on Hafren Power's regional committee, has been declared bankrupt twice: in 1994 while working as an architect and in 2006 while working as an antiques dealer.
Although Hafren Power describes Mr Stedman as having run "a highly regarded architecture firm," he is currently barred from calling himself an architect.
He was struck off by the Architects Registration Board last year after complaints about unpaid bills.
The board removed him from the register for "conduct that is fundamentally incompatible with continuing to be an architect".
Mr Stedman has also been the subject of seven separate county court judgements totalling more than £20,000 between 2009 and 2011.
He told BBC Wales in a statement: "Richard Bazley and I originated the idea of a privately funded barrage seven years ago and have worked tirelessly since because we recognised the enormous value of the economic regeneration and clean energy. Without us, there would be no proposal.
"Today the project is maturing and growing, led by a new team of outside business talent. We are still involved and are shareholders.
"Past bankruptcies or mistakes, unconnected to the project, are of course painful for everyone involved. But they should not detract from the legitimacy of the barrage and its importance to Wales and the West of England."
Supporters of the barrage say the privately-financed project could generate up to 5% of Britain's energy needs by using more than 1,000 turbines and tidal power.
But the project cannot go ahead without UK government support. Ministers say they want to see more detailed proposals before they allocate parliamentary time for a bill to allow the project to go ahead.
Neath Labour MP Peter Hain resigned from the shadow cabinet to campaign for the barrage. He declined to comment.
Supporters say the scheme would be financed by sovereign wealth funds and not require taxpayers' cash.
A similar project was rejected by the UK government in 2010 on grounds of cost, but Hafren Power says the revised barrage would overcome that issue and also be more environmentally friendly.
Backers say a barrage would create jobs and help tackle climate change, but opponents warn it would harm the local environment and endanger wildlife.


The Cypriot media mirror the island's political division, with the Turkish-controlled zone in the north operating its own press and broadcasters.

State-run radio and TV compete with private operators, and relays of Greek and Turkish stations are on air across the island.
Freedom of speech is generally respected and a vibrant private press often criticises the authorities, says US-based Freedom House.
There were more than 656,000 internet users by June 2012 (Internetworldstats.com). Access is unrestricted, says Freedom House.


Ireland wing Keith Earls is a doubt for Saturday's Six Nations game against England because of a tight groin.

The Munster man was unable to take part in squad training on Monday or Tuesday but has not yet been ruled out of the match at the Aviva Stadium.
"We're giving him a bit of time," said scrum coach Greg Feek, who indicated that Earls should be able to take a full part in training on Thursday.
Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray are both set to be fit for the Dublin encounter.
Both Irish half-backs trained on Tuesday, despite picking up injuries in the 22-9 defeat by Wales in Cardiff on Friday.
Scrum-half Murray sustained a shoulder injury while fly-half Sexton suffered a head knock but was not concussed.
Sexton was taken off for a head injury assessment and returned after clearing the medical tests.
Flanker Tommy O'Donnell sat out Tuesday's session with some quad tightness but, like Earls, is likely to return to action on Thursday.
Wing Tommy Bowe has been ruled out of the match with England after suffering a suspected broken leg against Wales.
Ireland's hopes of a third Six Nations title in four years were ended at the Principality Stadium last weekend.
Joe Schmidt's team stayed in second spot but eight points behind England, who are aiming for back-to-back Grand Slams.


EU foreign ministers have agreed to restrict exports of inflatable boats and outboard motors to Libya in a drive to curb the smuggling of migrants.

The restrictions will not apply to legitimate Libyan businesses, such as fishing crews, an EU statement said.
It is not clear how the EU will check that such exports do not end up in the wrong hands in the lawless country.
Meanwhile Luxembourg has warned that EU funds may be helping to drive migrants into Libyan "concentration camps".
Many migrants exploited by people-smuggling gangs in Libya have suffered brutality, including sexual abuse. The country is plagued by violence and lawlessness.
More than 88,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Italy so far this year, and more than a quarter of them arrived in June alone.
The numbers are higher than in the first half of last year.
Responding to an Italian plea for help, the EU has been helping to train Libyan coastguards.
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said "we have financed these coastguards and it's right," but that migrants were being brought back to Libya "to these camps we've seen pictures of".
"Those are sometimes concentration camps, camps where people are raped, where there is no law."
Italy has EU backing for a code of conduct that would regulate non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in rescuing migrants off the Libyan coast. Critics accuse NGOs of encouraging departures of migrants from Libya.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said 5,000 migrants had returned home voluntarily from Libya this year under EU-funded schemes, more than double the number in the whole of last year.
The EU export restrictions will apply when there are "reasonable grounds" to suspect that people smugglers are the end users. Boats and motors in transit to Libya via the EU will also be restricted.
Separately on Monday, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said conditions were not right to push through a bill giving citizenship to the children of immigrants.
The law would make some 800,000 people citizens and has already taken years to reach the upper house, or Senate.
Right-wing parties hailed the prime minister's delay but migrant groups said they were bitterly disappointed.
Mr Gentiloni called the bill on citizenship "just", but said he had run out of time and was putting it back until autumn.
Many of the new arrivals have come through Sicily, and when a local prefect on the island sent 50 migrants to a hotel in the village of Sinagra at the weekend, dozens of local mayors began a protest outside.
They argued that the facilities were insufficient and the number was far higher than the government's agreement with local authorities to aim for 2.5 migrants per 1,000 of population. "We aren't racist, or against migrants but the distribution has to to be fair," said local mayor Vincenzo Lionetto Civa.
By Julian Miglierini, BBC News, Rome
For the normally meek Paolo Gentiloni, the U-turn on this bill that would have extended citizenship rights to the children of long-term immigrants has been quite dramatic - but not entirely surprising.
It had become obvious that a Senate debate would have sparked an internal conflict within his coalition.
It has also revealed how, in Italy's current political climate, anything related to the issue of migration can become politically toxic.
With migrant arrivals solidly above last year's numbers, the right-wing Northern League and populist Five Star Movement have stepped up anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Many European countries already grant citizenship to the children of migrants born on their territory, although the terms vary considerably.
Italy's centre-left-led coalition is planning to offer citizenship to children either born in Italy or those who arrive before they are 12 and spend five years in formal education.
The controversial "ius soli" (right of soil) has taken years to reach Italy's upper house of parliament and when it arrived in the Senate it became the focus of thousands of amendments aimed at halting its path.
It is currently difficult for immigrants to obtain Italian citizenship without an Italian parent.
However, the number of people becoming Italian citizens has risen - 201,501 acquired Italian citizenship in 2016 alone.
Right-wing Northern League leader Matteo Salvini said more than 7,000 migrants had arrived in southern Italy this weekend alone, adding that the Sicilian mayors' protest was proof that people had had enough.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.


Abergavenny's Bailey Park pool was a popular place for families to go until it closed in 1996.

18 July 2016 Last updated at 07:10 BST
There was a large adult bath, a smaller, shallower and squarer bath used by children, and a paddling pool as well as a slide at one end and a set of diving boards at the other.
Ten years after it closed it was filled in.
Here is some archive footage from Forgotten Abergavenny taken at a 1960s swimming competition, where swimming skills were not the only ones tested.


There "will not be a hard border" on the island of Ireland in the wake of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, the taoiseach (prime minister) has said.

Enda Kenny was speaking at a specially convened meeting of the British-Irish Council (BIC) to discuss the implications of Brexit on Friday.
He said: "We do not want to see a European border internally on the island of Ireland.
"There will not be a hard border from Dundalk to Derry."
The Common Travel Area allows people to move between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without passport checks.
But Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister said on Friday that he could not see how that arrangement could continue after a Brexit.
"The economic implications for us in a withdrawal from the European Union are very profound, costing us over a period of ten years anything in the region of Â£7-8bn and possibly even more," Mr McGuinness told a press conference.
"There is alarm in the north of Ireland among the business community, among the community and voluntary sector, among our universities, among our agri-food industry and there is grave concern about the prospect that whatever is said about the common travel area being protected.
"It's very difficult to see how it can be protected in the aftermath of the debate that was held mostly in England around the whole issue of immigration and which effectively won that vote for the racists within UKIP and the loony, right-wing of the Tory party."
First Minister Arlene Foster said suggestions there could be a poll on Irish unity following the UK vote to leave the European Union were "not helpful".
"There have then been denials from MicheÃ¡l Martin and people like that to say that actually they weren't calling for a border poll, they were just thinking about it in a different context," she said.
"That's all very well at summer schools and whatever - I have to deal with reality, I have to be prepared for the people of Northern Ireland moving forward in this new era."
Mr Kenny said the Irish government would play an important role in the Brexit negotiations and would "make the strongest presentation for continued support for Northern Ireland".
"I will argue that very strongly at the European Council," he added.
Earlier this week, he said Brexit talks would need to consider the possibility of a referendum on reuniting Ireland.
But on Friday, he said a poll "is not going to arise now or in the medium term, or may not arise for a very long time, if ever."


Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted to work "constructively" with Theresa May when she becomes the new prime minister.

Mrs May will replace David Cameron as both PM and Tory leader after he takes part in his final PMQs on Wednesday.
Ms Sturgeon congratulated the 59-year-old and wished her well "in a difficult and demanding job".
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson also congratulated Mrs May on her new role.
She said she would give her "full support" at a time when the country "needed certainty".
Mrs May will take over from Mr Cameron who tendered his resignation in the wake of the EU referendum result.
The UK electorate voted by 52% to 48% to end the country's membership of the EU.
In Scotland, voters decided by 62% to 38% to remain in Europe.
After Mrs May was confirmed as the next PM, Ms Sturgeon said: "I congratulate Theresa May on her success, and wish her well in what will be a difficult and demanding job.
"I am determined to work with her constructively wherever possible on issues of common interest and concern.
"Top of those is the issue of our continued place in the European Union, and I expect early engagement with the incoming prime minister on that subject as we look to maintain Scotland's EU status, in line with the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland."
Ms Sturgeon added: "As part of her pitch to her Conservative colleagues earlier today, Ms May made clear that she would be pressing ahead with plans to leave the EU - as such, it is vital that Scotland is involved and consulted at every step of the way.
"But that involvement does not mean we accept that Scotland should leave the EU. On the contrary.
"I have made clear that I intend to pursue every possible avenue to secure Scotland's continued place in Europe and in the world's biggest single market, and that all options must be on the table in order to achieve that. That is something I reiterate today to the incoming prime minister."
MSP Ms Davidson, who had backed Mrs May to become Tory leader, said the country needed "certainty and stability going forward".
She added: "In Mrs May we will have a prime minister who has the experience, the judgement and the leadership to start that job from day one."
"The dignified manner of Andrea Leadsom's withdrawal today allows for that transition to be as swift and smooth as possible."
Scottish Labour also offered its congratulations to Mrs May.
However, MSP Jackie Baillie said the new PM needed to show "with her actions" that this government would deliver for working people across Scotland.


A new head of children's services has been appointed at Sandwell Council following a damning report from Ofsted.

Councillor Bob Badham resigned on Wednesday, soon after Helen Smith, Director of Children's Services, following the release of the report.
Ofsted inspectors found the department to be "inadequate" and failing vulnerable children in the area.
Councillor Simon Hackett has taken over from Mr Badham and said he was determined to improve the service.
"I see it as a challenge and something we can turn around. Like everyone else, a few days ago I read the report and frankly it was awful," he said.
During an inspection in February Ofsted found families of vulnerable children were insufficiently supported by the council and in some cases were at risk of "significant harm".
The local authority said it was aware of failings in the department and was taking action to improve performance.
It said 70 extra social workers had been taken on last year and it was improving relations between staff and the police.
The council said it had also started to work with a private sector partner, iMPOWER to improve services.
Mr Hackett said he was planning to spend time in each part of the department, looking at it from the perspective of a child or young person.
It is not the first time the council has been criticised by Ofsted over the service.
Sandwell Children's Services was judged to be "inadequate" in 2009, but following an inspection in January 2012 it was found to have improved and was rated "adequate".


The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has nominated its deputy chairman, Khairat al-Shatir, as its candidate for the presidential elections in May.

The choice of Mr Shatir, the group's financier, reverses a pledge made earlier by the group's leaders not to contest the election.
It will raise concerns among liberals and the military that the Brotherhood could become too powerful.
Correspondents say its ties with the ruling council have steadily worsened.
There had been much speculation about whether it would opt to field a candidate following the party's legislative election success in November.
The movement's political arm then won around a third of the vote, and nearly half the seats in the first parliamentary election since the fall of Hosni Mubarak last year.
Mahmoud Hussein, the group's deputy leader, said it had decided to field a candidate following "attempts to abort the revolution". Only a few days remain before the close of nominations.
Challenge
The announcement ends months of speculation about who the Muslim Brotherhood would throw its weight behind, says the BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo.
By Yolande KnellBBC News, Cairo
Before Egypt's uprising, Khairat al-Shatir spent 12 years behind bars because of his association with the Muslim Brotherhood. Yet he managed to maintain a multimillion-dollar business empire, care for his 10 children and uphold his commitment to political Islam.
Since he was released from jail last year, the influence of Mr Shatir has increased so that many suggest he is more powerful than the Brotherhood's general guide.
As deputy leader, the 62-year-old took key strategic decisions concerning the formation of a political party and is said to have led negotiations with the ruling military. He has been the public face of the Brotherhood to visiting foreign officials and investors.
While Mr Shatir has been at pains to express his group's commitment to democracy, free markets and minority rights, he has also said that the recent elections show Egyptians' commitment to an Islamic state.
Mr Shatir, a wealthy businessman, has long been a senior member of the Islamist group and its main financier.
He spent 12 years in prison because of his connection with the Brotherhood, which was previously banned. He was released only after last year's uprising.
In an official statement, the Muslim Brotherhood said it had reversed its decision not to contest the presidency to overcome risks to Egypt's revolution and the transfer from military to civilian rule.
The Brotherhood already dominates Egypt's newly elected parliament and the panel set up to draft the new constitution.
But it complains that its attempts to form a new cabinet have been blocked and there have been threats to dissolve parliament.
The ruling military council has been in conflict with the Brotherhood over the appointment of cabinet ministers.
The Brotherhood argues presidential candidates from the ousted government could present a further challenge.


Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley has won the latest round of a legal fight with Rangers over a merchandise deal.

The Ibrox club ripped up its contract with Mr Ashley after it was alleged Rangers only received about 7p in every Â£1 spent on club products.
Mr Ashley claimed the deal, struck with former Rangers chief executive Charles Green, was wrongly terminated.
He took his case to the High Court in London where it has been agreed his litigation can continue.
Deputy High Court judge Richard Millett issued a written ruling after hearing competing arguments.
The judge gave no date for the next hearing.
In May, Rangers' directors said they were going to rip up contracts held with a merchandise company, Rangers Retail, which they ran with a Sports Direct firm.
Rangers chairman Dave King, who took control nearly two years ago, and other directors were unhappy with the arrangement.
William McCormick QC, who led the Rangers legal team, told Judge Millett supporters were also upset.
He said fans became angry after learning the club only got about 7p of every Â£1 spent and had staged a merchandise boycott.
Mr McCormick said fans thought Mr Ashley, who owns Newcastle United FC, pocketed too much of their money.
He said there was a widespread view that no "self-respecting" Rangers supporter wore a replica shirt.


A Muslim convert with schizophrenia tried to travel to Somalia to join an Islamist terror group days after release from a mental health unit.

Trevor Mulindwa, 21, was arrested in a prayer room at Heathrow Airport before he could leave for Mogadishu on 17 September last year, a court has heard.
The convicted cocaine dealer had been released on licence from Springfield Hospital in south London.
He was sentenced to six years by a judge at Kingston Crown Court.
Mulindwa, from Halliwell Close, Mitcham, south London, was convicted of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist at a trial last month.
The court heard he was arrested in the prayer room of Terminal Three.
He was attempting to fly out to join al-Shabab nine days after being released from the hospital where he spent just over 12 months of a 27-month sentence for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
While in the hospital he radicalised himself after circumventing restrictions on his internet access to view jihadist material, the court heard.
He also asked Muslim staff which mosques he should attend to become an "extremist".
Judge Peter Lodder QC said it was an unusual and serious case.
He said: "It is now clear that while in Springfield you underwent a period of intense self-radicalisation in which you repeatedly accessed, despite restrictions and close supervision, websites containing jihadi material - principally relating to al-Shabab activity in Somalia and Kenya - and films that glorified terrorism when you were prohibited from doing so.
"Furthermore you asked Muslim staff... about which mosques you could go to to become an extremist and you expressed an interest in becoming a suicide bomber."
He added: "Willing, radicalised recruits with British passports who offer themselves to callous and sinister organisations such as al-Shabab constitute a serious threat to the security of this country."
The court heard a psychiatric report found Mulindwa had a "low IQ and (was) vulnerable to exploitation".
Judge Lodder said the case would be referred to the parole board after Mulindwa had served half of the six-year prison sentence, and it would be up to them to decide when he was suitable for release on licence.
Defence barrister Julian Winship said that Mulindwa was being treated for his mental health problems and had stopped believing in Islam.


The chancellor is likely to find it impossible to balance the books in the years ahead without increasing taxes or cutting spending, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned.

The OBR said the public finances were "on an unsustainable path".
It blamed increased spending on the NHS and state pensions in particular, which is likely to grow faster than the economy as a whole, it said.
And public sector debt could increase from 82% of GDP to 234% by 2066-67.
That is based on an estimate that public sector borrowing would rise from 0.7% of GDP in 2021-22 to 16.6% by 2066-67.
The estimates came in its latest fiscal sustainability report.
Rather than moving into surplus, the budget deficit is also likely to get worse, the OBR said, rising from 0.7% of GDP in 2021-22, to 1.8% by the end of the next parliament.
The previous chancellor, George Osborne, had planned to balance the books by the end of this parliament.
However his successor, Philip Hammond, extended that deadline.
In the Autumn Statement he said he expected the deficit to be 2% of GDP by 2020-21, allowing him an extra Â£56bn of borrowing.


An inmate attacked a prison officer after "demanding" a new TV in his cell.

The prisoner was returning from exercise at HMP Oakwood near Wolverhampton when he threatened the officer, HM Prison Service said.
He was ordered back to his cell but as he returned, he attacked the officer causing him to fall onto railings and "take a blow to the head".
He was taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs and a black eye. G4S, which runs the jail, said he is now at home.
Updates on this and more stories from Birmingham and the Black Country
The prisoner was restrained and put in segregation pending adjudication, HM Prison Service said.
Staffordshire Police was also informed following the incident last Thursday.
HMP Oakwood is managed privately by G4S and opened in 2012.
It is one of the largest prisons in England and Wales, providing places for up to 1,605 Category C male prisoners.
In a statement, John McLaughlin, director of the jail, said: "A prisoner attacked a member of our team last week and we have already stripped them of their privileges and we are looking at other possible sanctions, including additional days added to their sentence.
"There is no place for violence or aggression at Oakwood."


South Korean firm Hyundai paid a ransom of $190,000 (£118,000) to free six workers kidnapped last month, Nigerian police say.

Bayelsa state police say they learned of the ransom after capturing members of the criminal gang believed responsible.
Hyundai Heavy Industries has not commented on the reports.
The BBC's Habiba Adamu, in Abuja, says it is rare for anyone to acknowledge ransoms paid to kidnappers in Nigeria.
The kidnapping of foreigners and wealthy Nigerians is common in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, and has become a lucrative trade for criminals.
Gunmen kidnapped the four South Korean and two Nigerian workers after storming a passenger boat on 17 December.
They were released days later but South Korean officials declined to say whether they had paid a ransom.
Bayelsa state police commissioner Kingsley Omire said most of the suspected kidnappers were later arrested, including the leader.
He told the police that a payment of 30m naira ($190,000) had been made, with each gang member getting 3m, Mr Omire told BBC Hausa.
The man is said to have later escaped from custody.
"The police did not know a ransom was paid before the release," the state police chief said.
He said that paying ransoms would only encourage more kidnapping and urged people to instead contact the police, saying they have freed several hostages.
The mother of Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was kidnapped in December and held for five days before being freed.
It is not clear whether a ransom was paid, or whether the motive was criminal or political.


A West Yorkshire teenager is believed to have become Britain's youngest ever suicide bomber after reportedly blowing himself up in Iraq.

Talha Asmal, 17, was one of four suicide bombers who attacked security forces near an oil refinery south of Baiji, The Guardian has reported.
Isis social media reports said Asmal, going by the name of Abu Yusuf al-Britani, had taken part in the attack.
His family said they were "devastated" at the news.
Asmal, from Dewsbury, would be Britain's youngest known suicide bomber. Another West Yorkshire teenager, Hasib Hussein, was almost 19 when he blew himself up on a London bus in the 7 July 2005 attacks.
A statement issued by Asmal's family said: "Talha was a loving, kind, caring and affable teenager.
"He never harboured any ill will against anybody nor did he ever exhibit any violent, extreme or radical views of any kind.
"Talha's tender years and naivety were it seems however exploited by persons unknown who, hiding behind the anonymity of the world wide web, targeted and befriended Talha and engaged in a process of deliberate and calculated grooming of him.
"Whilst there it appears that Talha fell under the spell of individuals who continued to prey on his innocence and vulnerability to the point where if the press reports are accurate he was ordered to his death by so-called Isis handlers and leaders too cowardly to do their own dirty work.
"We are all naturally utterly devastated and heartbroken by the unspeakable tragedy that now appears to have befallen us."
West Yorkshire Police said: "The police have been made aware of media reports with regard to the death of a British National in Iraq.
"The identity of the person who has reportedly died has not been confirmed at this time and we are unable to comment further."
Asmal travelled to Syria with fellow Dewsbury teenager Hassan Munshi.
Munshi's brother, Hammaad Munshi, was arrested in 2006 at the age of 16 after police found a guide to making napalm on his computer.
He became the youngest person to be convicted under the Terrorism Act.
At least 700 people from the UK have travelled to support or fight for jihadist organisations in Syria and Iraq, British police say. A BBC News database tracks those who have died, been convicted of offences relating to the conflict or are still in the region.


World number two Rory McIlroy says anything short of victory would be disappointing as he prepares to defend his Dubai Desert Classic title.

Media playback is not supported on this device
McIlroy is going for his third career win at the tournament, having also won it for his maiden Tour win in 2009.
"I have some great memories and I get a lot of support here," said McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman will face some stiff competition from the likes of former Dubai resident Henrik Stenson, who won the Desert Classic in 2007.
Martin Kaymer, Louis Oosthuizen and Graeme McDowell are also in the field at the Emirates Club.
"Leaving any tournament without a win is sort of disappointing, but you try to put a positive spin on it," said McIlroy, who is a combined 81 under par for his last six appearances in this event.
"I think golfers, that is what we usually do. We are disappointed for a bit and then we try to put positive spins on it, and the nice thing is there's always a next week in golf.
"I'm sort of going for three in a row in Dubai with winning here last year and then winning the DP World Tour Championship at the end of last season, so it seems to bring out my best golf.
"There are a couple of little things that I took from Abu Dhabi (where he finished third) and worked on last week.
"So hopefully you will see my game just a little bit sharper and I will be trying to win for the third time to join Ernie Els as the only people to win three times."


Unionists have expressed "disgust" at a planned homecoming celebration for a man who police suspect was involved in the 1982 Hyde Park bomb.

John Downey denied killing four soldiers in the IRA attack but the case against him collapsed when the court heard of a secret government scheme.
He was one of 187 people who received letters assuring them they did not face arrest and prosecution for IRA crimes.
His supporters have planned a "welcome home dance" in a County Donegal pub.
Both the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) have condemned those involved in organising the event, which is due to take place on Saturday night.
UUP MLA Danny Kinahan, who knew one of the Hyde Park victims personally, said he was "appalled".
"My reaction to these reports of a homecoming party is one of utter disgust," the South Antim MLA said.
"This is almost literally dancing on the graves of those who were blown apart, whilst on ceremonial duties," Mr Kinahan added.
The UUP MLA served in the Household Cavalry with Lt Anthony Daly, who was one of those killed in the Hyde Park attack.
The pair were close friends, and Mr Kinahan was best man at Lt Daly's wedding a month before the bombing.
The MLA said the homecoming was in "incredibly bad taste" and added that those responsible for it were "rubbing salt into the emotional wounds of the family and friends of those who died on that terrible day in 1982".
TUV leader Jim Allister said: "This ghoulish celebration will sicken people across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK."
A representative from the County Donegal pub said the event had been booked very recently and they were "delighted to get the business" at a quiet time of year.
Mr Downey, 62, who was convicted of IRA membership in the 1970s, had denied murdering the soldiers and conspiring to cause an explosion.
The case against him collapsed after it was revealed during private hearings that Mr Downey was one of 187 Irish republicans who had received letters of assurance from the British authorities that they did not face prosecution.
The letters were an attempt to resolve the long-running issue of On the Runs, escaped prisoners or those who feared arrest for paramilitary crimes committed in the UK before the Good Friday peace agreement of 1998.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson had threatened to resign over the revelations unless the government set up a judicial inquiry into the On the Runs scheme.
On Thursday, Mr Robinson confirmed he would stay in his post after Prime Minister David Cameron appointed a judge to lead a review of the scheme.
The judge is expected to complete a report by the end of May.


An interesting test of the strength among Labour MPs is due next Tuesday, as at least three former Labour shadow cabinet members seek a new role in select committee land.

Normally elections to fill vacancies in select committees and the parliamentary Labour party's ruling body, the Parliamentary committee, would be pretty routine affairs - but not at the moment. Now, almost any random election is translated into a grudge match between the new leadership and its supporters, and heavy-hitters among the anti-Corbyn refuseniks, who have conspicuously not taken posts on the Labour front bench.
I don't know if the candidacies of the likes of Chuka Umunna to Home Affairs, Rachel Reeves for the Treasury committee and Mary Creagh for Environmental Audit amount to a slate, or whether a group of individuals are separately seeking new roles. But the outcome will show if their parliamentary colleagues sympathise with their decision to leave the front bench, (or perhaps want to deliver a swipe at their leader) or whether they regard them as out of touch grandees with a sense of entitlement.  And it may provide an early guide to the internal balance of the 2015 PLP.
Ordinary select committee members are elected from within their party groups (as opposed to committee chairs who're elected by all MPs) and the promotion of large numbers of Labour MPs to the Corbyn front bench means there are quite a few vacancies available.
For the record they are: Communities and Local Government, 1 place, Defence, 1, Culture, Media and Sport, 1 (and because the Labour MPs remaining on this committee are all male, only women can be nominated), Energy and Climate Change, 3, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 1 (another women only seat), Environmental Audit, 2, Health, 3, Home Affairs, 2, Justice, 3, Science and Technology, 2, Treasury, 1, Work and Pensions, 1, Women and Equalities, 1, Public Accounts, 3 and Petitions, 2.
In addition there are two vacancies on the crucial Parliamentary committee, following the return of Emily Thornberry and the departure of David Anderson. The committee holds regular meetings with the leader and its responsibilities include protecting the rights of backbenchers, so - to pluck an example from the air - any sweeping disciplinary action against MPs who defied the party whip would have to be backed by the committee.
Former shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves' pitch for the Treasury committee is: "I hope that this experience makes me well qualified to take on the government on their programme of austerity, deep cuts and regressive policies that disproportionately hit working families, the most vulnerable and women.  I also believe that my experience in challenging government ministers in the chamber and on the media during budgets and pre-budget reports in the last parliament will mean I am well qualified to challenge them on the Comprehensive Spending Review, cuts to tax credits and departmental spending cuts in excess of 25% - which we all know will have a devastating impact on public services including schools, social care, policing and local authority spending."
In an email to colleagues, former shadow BIS Secretary, Chuka Umunna, mentions his work as chair of the London Gangs Forum and speaks of the "need a far more sane and rational debate on immigration."
"We cannot as a party duck addressing this issue.  I do not believe we should give any quarter or pander to the likes of UKIP (as Theresa May did in her Tory Party Conference speech the other week) who seek to use this issue to sow the seeds of division and set different groups against each other.  What I do believe is we need to do far more to help support those who come to our shores in integrating into the communities where they settle which I do not believe the Government is doing.  I will not hesitate in calling the Government out on these issues if elected to the Committee."
Nominations for the various posts close on Friday and the ballot will be held next Tuesday (October 20th) and the results will emerge that evening. And for the real anoraks, there will also be elections for the chairs and vice-chairs of backbench departmental committees - who as I noted in an earlier post are allowed, under the PLP's standing orders, to speak, on occasion from the despatch box. Nominations for those posts will close at 3.00pm on Friday, October 30th- and a vote will be held, if the elections are contested, on Wednesday, November 4th.


Radio Times is asking radio listeners to vote for the presenter they think has the best voice.

The weekly listings magazine has come up with separate selections of 20 men and 20 women from which to chose.
Contenders come from across the radio industry and include famous names such as Radio 4's Jenni Murray and Heart's former Spice Girl Emma Bunton.
Radio Times's Jane Anderson said they wanted to know who on radio created a "thrill" or "buzz" for listeners.
"The rules are simple," said Anderson, who is the publication's radio editor.
"We're not looking for the cleverest presenter, the most ground-breaking reporter or a relentlessly accurate weather forecaster.
"We want you to tell us who creates that thrill, that buzz or that sense all is well in the world when you hear them speak.
"Which radio voice can't you resist? Read the shortlist and allow the voices to linger inside your head.
"And then pick your favourite three men and three women in order of how much you love them."
A panel of experts - including Radio 2's Jeremy Vine and Radio 4's Eddie Mair, John Humphrys and Sue MacGregor - drew up the shortlist.
They were not allowed to vote for themselves but some have nonetheless been shortlisted.
Radio Times has given each competitor's vocal chords a description.
Woman's Hour host Murray, 65, has a voice described as "velvety... and simply very, very easy to listen to".
The Today programme's host Mishal Husain, 43, is said to have  an "authoritative voice" which is "easy on the ear" because of its "elegant timbre".
Bunton, who presents Heart's breakfast show, has a voice imbued with "an infectious happiness".
While Leona Graham from Absolute is said to have "husky, sultry tones" which "have even led to her voice being mistaken for that of a man".
Among the men on the list, there is Radio 4's Test Match Special commentator Henry Blofeld whose voice is described as "plummy as jam".
Of LBC's Steve Allen, Radio Times asks: "Is there a more mischievous voice on the air today?"
A similar poll among listeners was run by Radio Times 14 years ago, with Radio 2's Terry Wogan, who died on 31 January, being chosen as the winning male and Radio 4's Charlotte Green the favourite among the women.
This time,  voting will be open until 4 April with the winning male and female presenters announce in an issue of the Radio Times two or three weeks later.


Wigan won a scrappy, error-strewn tussle with Huddersfield to keep alive their hopes of a top-four finish in the Super League Super 8s.

Anthony Gelling cancelled out Jermaine McGillvary's try for Warriors, before Liam Farrell's score put them ahead.
The second half saw both sides cough up good ball, but Sam Powell's penalty goals gave Wigan an eight-point lead.
Sam Tomkins' last-second score added insult to injury for the Giants, who ran out of time.
Only points difference separated the two teams before kick-off, meaning the game had a feel of a shootout to stay involved in the top four race.
Defeat means the Giants are eighth, five points behind Wakefield in fourth, but there are surely too many teams in the mix for them to make up the difference.
The filthy conditions and some sterling defence helped keep the scoring down, as both teams ran aground on huge efforts around the goal line.
Wigan had just enough execution to break Giants down, notably through Sam Powell who came off the bench to have a big impact for the Challenge Cup finalists.
Wigan head coach Shaun Wane:
"Our defence was miles better. You have to remember Huddersfield have been flying, beating teams and scoring lots of points.
"They have some great attacking players in their team, so to defend that way was great. They were difficult conditions. Our attack at times was good, the score could have easily been 30 points if Joe Burgess had caught the ball a few times.
"It's been a really tough week for everybody and it will be another one this week."
Huddersfield head coach Rick Stone:
"I think the opposition were a bit better to be honest. They were a bit hungrier and keener.
"We had our chances, we were closest enough if we were good enough. We needed to execute a bit better.
"We threw enough bullets at them, but they defended pretty well on their goal line and they were a little bit more intense than us and had more desire in their carries and defence."
Wigan Warriors:  Tomkins, Davies, Gelling, Gildart, Burgess, Williams, Leuluai, Nuuausala, Mcilorum, Sutton, Bateman, Farrell, O'Loughlin
Replacements: Clubb, Isa, Powell, Tautai
Huddersfield Giants: Rankin, McGillvary, Mellor, Turner, McIntosh, Gaskell, Brough, Ikahihifo, Leeming, Wakeman, Hinchcliffe, Ta'ai, Clough
Replacements: Smith, Dickinson, O'Brien, Lawrence
Referee: Phil Bentham


World number one Novak Djokovic suffered a surprise 6-4 6-4 defeat against 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the Shanghai Masters semi-final.

Spaniard Agut, 28, had lost all five previous meetings with the Serb, 29.
But the world number 19 took the first set in 42 minutes with his first break point and broke three times in the next to triumph in an hour and 47 minutes.
Britain's Andy Murray plays world number 32 Gilles Simon of France in the second semi-final on Saturday.
Djokovic, a three-time winner of the event, was aiming to reach his 10th final of the season but could make little headway against Bautista Agut's intrepid, athletic baseline tactics.
The Serb failed to take the two break-point chances he was able to create in the opening set and it was his opponent who seized the opportunity, prompting Djokovic to smash his racquet beyond repair.
Djokovic had committed 37 unforced errors before beating world number 110 Mischa Zverev in the previous round, and was soon a point away from a 5-2 deficit in the second set against Bautista Agut.
He held off three match points as the Spaniard's serve showed signs of tension, but made further mistakes when serving to level at 5-5 - with 29 unforced errors in total during the contest - as his opponent secured a place in a Masters final for the first time.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.


A woman has been airlifted to hospital after falling 40ft (12m) while walking in Snowdonia.

She suffered suspected spinal injuries at Crib y Ddysgl, near Snowdon, according to a spokesman for Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.
A Coastguard rescue helicopter winched the woman off the mountain and flew her to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.
The incident on Saturday at about 14:00 BST.


A woman who lost control of her car on a motorway causing a fatal eight-car pile-up has been found guilty of causing a man's death.

Christy George, 38, of Nottingham, hit a lorry which crashed into the central reservation between junctions 21a and 22 of the M1 in Leicestershire.
Leicester Crown Court heard she deleted a record of phone calls made during her journey in November 2014.
George, a nurse, will be sentenced on 15 July.
The court has heard George's Skoda hit a lorry which crashed through to the northbound carriageway, spilling its load of beer barrels and hitting a BMW travelling in the opposite direction.
The collision closed the road for 18 hours, a jury was told.
The BMW driver, Murray Simpson, from London, died in the crash, while another driver - Liese Bowers-Straw - broke her neck in two places and suffered brain and head injuries.
George, who was driving to a Coventry hospital to work a night shift, had denied causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice, but was found guilty of all charges after a trial.
Leicestershire Police said during her journey, George made phone calls to a friend and her husband.
The court heard the calls George made involved unlocking and pressing icons on her iPhone to connect the calls, but she said she spoke and listened through a hands-free speaker system.
She said the use of her phone was a "one-off incident" which does not represent her usual driving habits.
"We're pleased that the jury has found Christy George guilty and we hope it acts as a deterrent to other road users," Det Con Pete Davies said.
"Murray Simpson's partner and family have lost a loved one and while no amount of punishment will help them move on...we hope the fact that someone has been prosecuted for their actions will show them that justice has been done."


A row has broken out over a claim by Tory minister and Leave campaigner Priti Patel that leaving the EU would "save" Britain's curry houses.

Ms Patel said the government's "biased" immigration policy prevented talented chefs from outside the EU from being able to come to the UK to work.
But Labour MP Keith Vaz, who backs Remain, accused Ms Patel of using EU migration as a "scapegoat".
It was "divide and rule politics of the worst kind", he said.
The UK votes on whether to stay in or leave the European Union in a referendum on 23 June.
Immigration is one of the key battlegrounds in the campaign, which has less than six weeks to go.
In an interview with the Evening Standard newspaper, Ms Patel claimed that the UK's curry restaurants were being denied high-quality chefs because of the caps on the number of non-EU workers able to come to the UK.
"This means that we cannot bring in the talents and the skills we need to support our economy.
"By voting to leave we can take back control of our immigration policies, save our curry houses and join the rest of the world," she said.
Conservative MP and EU exit campaigner Paul Scully, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group for the British Curry Catering Industry, has made the same point.
In a Commons debate in October 2015, Mr Scully said if the UK left the EU "things such as the curry industry - bringing curry chefs over - might benefit".
Responding to Ms Patel's comments, Mr Vaz, who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said: "The problems facing Britain's curry houses could easily be solved by lowering the salary requirement for chefs recruited from abroad.
"But Priti Patel has failed to address this issue and is now conveniently using EU migration as a scapegoat. This is divide and rule politics of the worst kind."
He added: "The Leave campaign are determined to play people off against each other, but the hugely damaging impact of leaving the single market would be felt by us all no matter our background.
"We should have no truck with those who try to divide our society and wreck our economy."


Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams has revealed she was bullied online by students at her school - because of her acting career.

The 17-year-old says she would sit in her bedroom crying and her brother would ask why she was so grumpy.
"I was the one person that got an opportunity first," she says.
"I was told, 'They're just jealous' but that doesn't make me feel any better. It still hurts, they're still doing it."
She says because she felt she couldn't tell anyone what was happening at the time, her mood was put down to being a teenager.
"I just felt like, 'Yeah I am a teenager,' but actually there's something really, really wrong and not being able to reach out," she explains.
"I remember being sat on the train right next to my mum and scrolling through messages and messages and messages.
"My heart just dropped and you get that lump in your throat and you're trying not to cry."
The bullying finally stopped when she deleted her online profiles and left school.
Maisie, who plays Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, says that isn't the answer in most cases, but she says she did it because her career was really beginning to take-off.
"Don't say anything or post anything on the internet that you wouldn't say or do in person," she says.
"I thought that the popular girls at school meant that the whole world hated me.
"I've now got one best friend from school and we both decided to leave that popularity contest behind."
You can hear more from Maisie on Radio 1 Stories: Anti-Social Media on Tuesday night at 21:00 GMT.
Radio 1 has linked up with YouthNet to host an hour of live advice on how to deal with online bullying between 10-11pm every night (Mon-Thurs) and there's help at BBC Advice.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


Retailer American Apparel has been granted a restraining order against the company's founder and former boss, Dov Charney.

The Delaware court order temporarily restrains Mr Charney from breaking a previous agreement, the firm said.
It prevents him from making any negative statements in the press about the company and from trying to get board members removed.
He was ousted last year after an investigation into alleged misconduct.
It followed a series of sexual harassment claims made by former employees.
American Apparel has already sued Mr Charney in May for breaking the agreement.
"Mr. Charney is temporarily restrained from directly or indirectly seeking the removal of any member of the Company's board of directors, including by instigating, encouraging, acting in concert with or assisting any third party in seeking to do so," the company's statement said.
He is "temporarily restrained from making or causing to be made to any third party (including by press release or other statement to the press or media) any statement that disparages or negatively reflects on the Company or its current, former or future employees, officers or directors," it continued.
Mr Charney's lawyer Stephen Brauerman said that his client intended to "fully comply" with the order.
"The Court's order is preliminary and based on pleadings we have not had an opportunity... fully to challenge at this stage", he said.
Canadian-born Mr Charney founded American Apparel in 1998 with a $10,000 loan from his father.
The firm rose to prominence in the mid-2000s for its "hipster chic" clothing, which is all made in America.


The public inquiry into the Grenfell fire disaster is beginning its formal work.

But there have already been weeks of passionate debate about what it should cover and who should run it.
Why does such passion surround what looks, on the surface, like a dry official procedure?
That is partly because of dispute and uncertainty about what a public inquiry does.
Firstly, it is not a court of law and it is meant to be independent.
However the government decides whether to hold an inquiry in the first place, appoints its head, and has to agree what it is going to cover.
Inquiries can then make recommendations about how things should change but governments do not have to accept them.
And the history of public inquiries tells us something more.
They are about people, not just procedure, so they reveal all kinds of conflicts in our fast-changing society over things like government secrecy, deference, and the power of professions.
Dame Janet Smith - a High Court judge - chaired the inquiry into the GP and serial killer Harold Shipman.
She told me what happened just after she was appointed and was told her terms of reference.
That is the procedure - which has just been agreed for the Grenfell inquiry - which sets out what an inquiry is going to cover.
The government wanted her to focus on organisational failures that had allowed Shipman to act undetected.
But his trial had only covered a fraction of his crimes.
Dame Janet sensed that the families of Shipman's victims wanted most to find out what had happened to their dead relatives.
"They were very anxious that I should investigate who Shipman had actually killed," she said.
"The government did not want me to do that. They only wanted me to look at the systems that had failed."
So after the Lord Chancellor had dictated the terms of reference to her, she decided she needed to re-jig it a bit.
"I put in a section that was capable of being extendedâ€¦ but didn't explicitly say so," Dame Janet said.
She later told the Lord Chancellor that she wanted to investigate all the deaths.
"I said my terms of reference do seem to make that a possibility," she told me.
"They were so anxious to get an inquiry underway I think they would have agreed to more or less anything."
There were highly emotional moments in the Shipman inquiry as tragic individual stories were told.
"There were occasions when I had to put my head down because I was having difficulty controlling my face," Dame Janet admitted.
"But the formality of the occasion helps you and them get over it."
She knew her approach was going to double the cost and the length of time for the inquiry, "but it was the right thing to do".
So how effective was her inquiry overall?
Dame Janet made several clear recommendations for change in public policy covering areas such as death certificates and drugs monitoring.
But then politics came back into play and the government had to decide how far it would respond.
Ministers came and went, and three different departments were involved.
"It was hopeless, like herding cats," Dame Janet recalled.
Limited implementation of her recommendations after so much work was "a great disappointment".
Victims and their families have played a growing role in public inquiries.
Some see inquiries becoming more like the truth and reconciliation commission seen in South Africa after apartheid, allowing voices to be heard, and stories to be told in an official setting.
Sir Paul Jenkins, who was the Treasury Solicitor, the government's top legal official, between 2006 and 2014, said he had experienced in inquiries a sense of "a healing process, giving the victims giving the survivors a voice so they can be heard, listened to, understood".
Politicians, he believes, can see value in this as a safety valve when feelings are running high.
By contrast, when an inquiry is seen to have ignored those most affected, it can fuel a politically powerful sense of injustice.
The Saville inquiry into Bloody Sunday - the killing in 1972 of 13 civilians by the army in Londonderry - was the second inquiry into that event.
The first, by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Widgery, soon after the event, was widely seen as a whitewash.
Saville, said Sir Paul, "had to deal with the legacy of the bad inquiry so if he had been anything other than obsessed with the detailâ€¦ it wouldn't have been of any value at all."
"It was bound to take a very long time," he added.
"The good legacy," he explained, "is it led to David Cameron standing up and saying sorry - when something has gone wrong and the state is at fault that is how inquiries should end up."
"The bad thing is - [now] in ministers' minds all inquiries take 12 years and cost Â£200m."
Worries about cost and length are part of a growing frustration within government about public inquiries.
Politicians take the initiative in setting them up, and decide how far to implement their recommendations.
But the independent way in which they are conducted makes politicians nervous.
A new law on inquiries in 2005 gave governments more powers to restrict what inquiries can do.
Dame Janet Smith said that when she pointed out to civil servants that the law's provisions allowed a government department to interfere in an inquiry, they replied: "Oh we don't think we'll ever need to use them."
"They wanted to get a little bit more control," she argues.
"But they shouldn't have control - the inquiry should be wholly independent of government."
The Grenfell inquiry is likely to be prolonged, emotional and constantly in dispute.
It will be a major challenge for it to match, in its investigation and reporting, the depth of anger about what happened in that terrible fire.
And it will be the next chapter in the turbulent history of how Britain has inquired into many of its worst moments, exposing a society and its underlying tensions as it works out why things sometimes go so wrong.


Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to return to Turkey from a foreign tour as mass protests against his government's policies continue.

Demonstrators have been rallying in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities for a week, with many calling for the three-term prime minister to quit.
A police officer died on Thursday after falling off a bridge in Adana province the previous day, reports said.
Three other people have been killed and thousands injured in the unrest.
The protests mushroomed after police cracked down on activists defending an Istanbul park from developers.
Mr Erdogan has called the protests undemocratic but his deputy apologised for police violence and met representatives of the protesters from Istanbul's Taksim Square.
In the Black Sea port of Rize, a large crowd of government supporters attacked a smaller group of young people who were holding a protest on Wednesday. Police had to step in to protect them.
It appears to be the first clash between rival groups since the unrest began.
Before leaving for his tour of North Africa on Monday, Mr Erdogan had predicted the protests would be over by the time he returned.
But on the eve of his return, police in the capital Ankara used tear gas and water cannon on protesters who had erected barricades and set them on fire. Rioting was also reported in the city of Tunceli.
The deputy leader of Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), Huseyin Celik, went on TV to urge supporters not to flock to the airport to welcome Mr Erdogan back.
"The prime minister does not need a show of power," he said.
Protest representatives who met Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Wednesday presented demand which included the dismissal of police chiefs, a ban on the use of tear gas, the release of detained protesters, the sacking of Istanbul's governor, and the scrapping of the plans for the redevelopment of Gezi Park.
The plan to redevelop the park, which is part of Taksim Square, is the issue that sparked the protests.
Red dress of protest
Plans for Gezi Park in detail
Media round on 'arrogant' PM
Chaos and camaraderie
Alternative views
"The powers-that-be continue to counter with violence, pressure and prohibitionist policies... demands which are being expressed in a peaceful and democratic manner," a spokesman for the activists said after the meeting.
In Istanbul, thousands of striking workers joined the demonstrations on Wednesday. They held banners addressed to Mr Erdogan reading:  "This nation will not bow to you!" and "Taksim Square is everywhere!"
The protests continued into the night but no violence was reported in Istanbul.
In a gesture that correspondents said showed solidarity between different groups of protesters, secularist demonstrators in Taksim Square joined devout Muslims for prayers on a traditional Turkish feast day on Wednesday.
"Oh great Lord, heed the calls of the demonstrators who have been resisting in this square," an imam proclaimed.
Many demonstrators, who oppose the policies of Mr Erdogan's Islamist-rooted party, refrained from drinking alcohol in respect of religious sensitivities.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that a third person had died as a result of the unrest. Ethem Sarisuluk, 26, was wounded in the head during clashes in Ankara, the Turkish Medical Association told reporters.
Abdullah Comert, 22, received a fatal head wound in the southern city of Antakya on Monday while Mehmet Ayvalitas, 20, was hit and killed by a car in Istanbul on Sunday.
Initial reports had said Mr Comert was killed by a bullet but this was corrected after a post-mortem examination.
Then on Thursday, the Hurriyet newspaper reported that a police commissioner had died in hospital of his injuries after falling off a bridge while chasing protesters in Adana province on Wednesday.
In the coastal city of Izmir, protesters demanded the release of about 30 people arrested for posting "misinformation" on Twitter.
Relatives said those detained - young men and women, mostly in their early 20s - had posted as few as two tweets informing protesters of the location of police activity and roadblocks in the city. They feared they would be charged with criminal incitement.
The prime minister has called the micro-blogging site a "menace" used to spread "lies".
Demonstrators accuse Mr Erdogan's government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.
Mr Erdogan has said the demonstrations are organised by "extremists".
The AKP has governed Turkey since 2002, winning a series of election victories.


A trip to Siberia in next season's European Challenge Cup will hold no fears for Newport Gwent Dragons, says head coach Kingsley Jones.

Dragons will become the first Welsh team to face Russian club Enisei STM.
Jones was head coach of Russia's national team between 2011 and 2014 and is not daunted by the trip.
"Travelling over to Siberia is exciting for us and a bit of a challenge and a new adventure for the players," Jones said.
"It's something we have to be ready for. We've got no fears of going there. I know the players, the coaches as well as anyone could.
"They're a good side, they'll be committed but we fancy our chances. The challenge is to perform on such a long journey.
Enisei-STM made history during the 2015-16 season as the the first Russian team to take part in European competition.
In last season's Challenge Cup, Pro12 champions Connacht beat Enisei 31-14 in Siberia while Newcastle Falcons lost 24-7 in a game that was switched to Sochi.
Dragons were beaten semi-finalists in the previous two seasons of the European Challenge Cup.
Brive and Worcester are also in the group alongside the team from Siberia, where temperatures can reach -7.2 degrees celsius in the winter.
Jones is hoping they will play Enisei away in December or January so the game can be moved to Sochi, where the weather is a little warmer.
"Sochi is a lot better than Wales in December and January," Jones said.
"I think a difficult fixture would be October/November. If you play them first up then they're likely to play that in Siberia and it can be very, very cold."


Tate Modern has unveiled its new extension, a pyramid-like tower housing cavernous gallery spaces, ahead of its official opening.

The 200ft (65m) structure, boasting panoramic views of London, is part of a £260m revamp of the world-famous art museum.
It is being billed as the UK's most important new cultural building since the British Library.
More than half of the solo displays are dedicated to women artists.
At Tuesday's launch event, Frances Morris, Tate Modern's new director, promised a weekend of "discovery and celebration" when the new building opens to the public on Friday.
"As we have been building the new Tate Modern, the curators... have been building the collection," she said. "You will find more international art, more art by women and great new installations."
She added the representation of women artists had "substantially increased".
"There was a huge deficit in our collecting prior to 2000 - when we opened 17% of the art on display was by women.
"Now 50% of the solo rooms are works by women such as Phyllida Barlow and Louise Bourgeois."
The new 10-storey building, known as the Switch House, includes three new gallery levels and a panoramic roof terrace.
It allows 60% more artworks from the Tate collection to go on show.
Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota expressed delight that the building work had been completed during a period of recession.
"Our aim is to be local, global, to have relationships with communities close to us and those across the world," he said.
The project was undertaken by architects Herzog & de Meuron, who transformed the derelict Bankside Power Station into Tate Modern in 2000.
The new Switch House rises almost 65 metres to the south of Tate Modern's huge Turbine Hall.
The windows and the viewing terrace appear as "cuts" in the surface which is clad with 336,000 bricks that mirror the look of the original building.
The tower is built above the former power station's subterranean oil tanks which were converted into performance spaces in time for the 2012 Olympics.
The new Tate Modern is bold, both in its physical form and its curatorial hang.
The original building played a part in transforming the public's opinion of modern art;  the contents of the new building is asking audiences to take an even greater leap of faith.
It's filled with art they've probably never seen from artists they've probably never heard of - and there's hardly a painting to be found.
It's a bold move by the Tate, but, in my view, an entirely appropriate one.
The old story of modern art which is dominated by white western males is being turned on its head with a new narrative that shows how artists of all types from across the globe have contributed and are contributing to the story of modern contemporary art.
Yes, there are a few misses, but they're far outweighed by the hits - and the way the works have been hung together in thematic galleries is both intelligent and illuminating.
Plans for the project were initially approved in 2007 because the gallery space, designed for two million visitors each year, was attracting five million. Building work began in 2010.
Tate chairman Lord Browne described the gallery's £260m revamp as the largest cultural fundraising campaign ever launched in the UK.
"A building that was once London's beating heart is now its cultural cathedral," he said at Tuesday's launch.
Significant donations have come from the government (£50m), the Greater London Authority, Southwark Council and private foundations and individuals.
Sadiq Khan, the new mayor of London, said the new Tate Modern would add to the capital's "huge cultural pull".
The Tate Modern relaunch is accompanied by a complete rehang of the gallery's artworks which will showcase more than 300 artists from about 50 countries.
Works by Mark Rothko, Agnes Martin and Joseph Beuys are joined by new acquisitions by Meschac Gaba, Sheela Gowda and Cildo Meireles.
A huge sculpture of a tree by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei stands in the centre of the Turbine Hall.
Some 3,000 school children from across the UK will be the first members of the public to see the new Tate Modern at a special preview on Thursday.
Later this year Tate will launch Tate Exchange, an "open experiment" occupying an entire floor of the new Switch House building, that will enable 50 invited organisations from the across the UK to display their work.