One of the things I despise most about parts of the British press is the way they assume that their readership has the memory of a goldfish. This means that they are free to make outrageous claims on the flimsiest of evidence on one day and then take the story in a completely different direction… Continue reading Changing Your Story
Tag: terrorism
42 Days is Dead
It’s a strange world when you have to rely on the House of Lords to throw out ridiculous legislation from a Labour government. But that’s exactly what happened yesterday as the Lords voted against the government’s proposals for 42-day detention of suspected terrorists. Pretty much everyone in the country now agrees that the proposals were… Continue reading 42 Days is Dead
Surveillance
The Metropolitan Police have started a new counter-terrorism campaign which encourages people to report any suspicious activity that they see. Suspicious activity like owning too many mobile phones and taking photographs. I’m particularly puzzled by the poster about photography. It asks you to report people taking photos of CCTV cameras. Surely if you have a… Continue reading Surveillance
V For Vendetta
So I should write something about V For Vendetta, if only to say how much I disagree with Peter Bradshaw’s review. The graphic novel that the film is based on is one of my favourites, so I’m probably a bit biased and you should bear that in mind when reading my comments. Having said that,… Continue reading V For Vendetta
Tony Blair – Protector of Liberties
According to Tony Blair writing in yesterday’s Observer he doesn’t destroy liberties, he protects them. The whole article is riddled with half-truths and reinterpretations of history. Luckily enough Blairwatch have produced a point by point deconstruction of what Blair wrote.
Patriotism – The New Chauvinism
George Monbiot on form as ever in today’s Guardian. Out of the bombings a national consensus has emerged: what we need in Britain is a renewed sense of patriotism. The rightwing papers have been making their usual noises about old maids and warm beer, but in the past 10 days they’ve been joined by Jonathan… Continue reading Patriotism – The New Chauvinism