Some scary abuse-of-power stuff here… The Private Police State Nope, it’s nothing to do with protesting in Parliament Square or marching through Westminster or taking photos of police snipers. It’s about transgressing the arbitrary social code of a bunch of third-party train ticket inspectors. I hadn’t been aware of Rail Enforcement Officers until a couple [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Politics'
The rise of the glorified security stooge
July 27th, 2010 · No Comments · Photography, Politics, Public Transport
Tags:civil liberties·pcso·plastic plod·rail enforcement officer·reo·trains
Ban the berk (-ah)
July 23rd, 2010 · No Comments · Politics
This all seems pretty simple to me… you can’t start banning items of clothing. The burqa and niqab are clearly far more controversial and symbolically loaded than the average pair of socks or woolly sweater, but the wholesale ban of any garment would set a scary precedent. It would also completely miss the point. The [...]
The end of cheap booze?
June 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Consumer, Food/Drink, Politics
I can’t claim to have any revolutionary suggestions for combatting our supposed descent into alcoholic oblivion, but I’m not sure that minimum unit pricing is the answer. Using price controls to affect people’s behaviour is going to be unpredictable when the perception of the product differs so radically from person to person, social group to [...]
Tags:alcohol·drinking·unit price
So yeah, our electoral system is shite, isn’t it?
May 8th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Politics
Well, we told you so, didn’t we? It’s been screamingly obvious for years, but no one really worried about it because we were all so wound up in the constant tit-for-tat battle to get rid of YOUR LOT and vote in OUR LOT. And then we saw the futility of that and thought we’d like [...]
But despite all that…
May 6th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Politics
… I hope, as the very first (always Sunderland!) result comes in, that you voted. I don’t even care who you voted for, or whether you voted tactically or laid your ideologies bare upon the ballot paper. In this election, more than any other in recent memory, the point is that you voted. I voted [...]
Tags:ge2010·general election
Tip of the suburban iceberg?
May 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Politics
The Philippa Stroud story has received a fair bit of attention on the social networks, despite barely being touched by the mainstream media. It grabbed my attention particularly because she’s standing in Sutton & Cheam. A town where I lived until recently (and still make regular use of) could gain a constituency MP with some [...]
Tags:centre for social justice·election 2010·philippa stroud
The Clegg Effect – the Hatemail bites back
April 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Politics
From this… Don’t mention the war. Grow up. (Nick Clegg, Guardian 2002) … to this… Clegg in Nazi slur on UK (Phil Space, Daily Mail 2010) It’s barely worth noting that the Daily Mail (or any other tabloid) would take a perfectly well-reasoned and uncontroversial article and twist it into something completely hysterical and fictional. [...]
Tags:daily mail·morons·nick clegg
Not taking the hint
April 18th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Politics
So when the leader of the traditionally distant third party pulls off an impressive performance, clearly finding a voice that impresses a disillusioned and jaded public, what do the other two parties do? Raise their game? Re-examine their own policies and PR approach? Eliminate flaws and inconsistencies in their own claims? Get down to grassroots [...]
So who voted NO?
April 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Politics
So that’s it… the Digital Economy Bill has now progressed through the Commons, not looking quite as scary as it might have done, but still a disastrous chunk of misinformed nonsense. Without any debate, even the few merciful modifications wouldn’t have happened, but imagine what could have been achieved with proper debate! With that in [...]
Kill the Bill!
April 7th, 2010 · No Comments · Politics
The debate over the Digital Economy Bill is turning out to be one of the most shamefully undemocratic episodes of this government. No, actually I mean “… of this parliament”, because the Tories are equally culpable, and even the LibDems only came to their senses recently. It’s hardly surprising that people are losing both interest [...]
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