For me, the most worrying thing about today’s revelations about events surrounding the shooting of Jean Charles Menezes in Stockwell tube station is not the news that the police made a cock-up that day.
Although the incompetence isn’t good (and let’s not forget, an innocent man died), what worries me more is that the [...]
This short editorial piece from the BBC hits the nail on the head about why our town centres sometimes seem to descend into chaos at closing time.
Transport systems virtually shut down, forcing thousands to queue for a handful of late-night buses and minicabs with inevitable disputes and fights; while young people bursting with beer [...]
In this Guardian comment piece about national ID cards, Muriel Gray takes issue with the oft-repeated statement “if you’re innocent you have nothing to hide”. “Not simply an outrageously stupid statement, but also plain wrong.”
Sony BMG has introduced a new copy protection scheme which makes copying a CD to MP3, well, more trouble than it’s worth.
My preferred means of buying music is to buy a CD, rip it to MP3, enjoy having the CD and packaging available on the shelf, while using the MP3 as the normal way [...]
This Flash animation illustrates how things could go if the march towards a database state (i.e. national ID cards) goes unabated. At the end it links to the American Civil Liberties Union, but for a UK-centric view of things, go to NO2ID.
(Thanks PFH for the link)
This europhobe points out that Warwick and Leamington (among other constituencies), had all the UKIP voters voted Tory instead, the Tories could have won.
So, thank God for the UKIP. This is a reminder that the next election is going to be scary. I might even be tempted into campaigning… (but don’t hold your breath)
Yesterday we received a mailshot from James Plaskitt, our erstwhile MP and now parliamentary candidate.
“Dear Resident,” it begins, “The election has been called and the stakes couldn’t be higher.”
Reasonable enough. For the next bit, they shift the intensity up a bit, by switching to a bold font:
“Here in Warwick & Leamington it’s a straight [...]
I finally got around to watching If… Drugs were Legal last night. It was a strange mix of talking heads holding various opinions, and a mockumentary set in the future (urban grime, glasses whose arms don’t reach your ears, odd haircuts).
The mockumentary seemed to undermine what the pro-legalisation people were proposing. They would [...]
Ian’s posted some thoughts about the Iraqi “road to democracy“.
Of course, it’s plain to see that democracy isn’t the be all and end all of ideal government, the problem being that the pesky electorate is incapable of making the right decision.
It’s plain to see that the ideal government is a benign dictatorship run by [...]
I decided to watch Jerry Springer: The Opera before proffering an opinion. In a way, it’s a shame I waited, because in all honesty I didn’t think it was all that good (as a big fan of Stewart Lee, I was expecting great things), but really whether it was any good or not has [...]