The Golden Strawberry

This from Liberal Conspiracy cheered me up slightly:

The ICM poll shows that whilst 36% of those asked think people who may be guilty of a terrorist offence should be held in detention for up to six week, or 42 days, before they are charged or released, 32% say it should be up to four weeks, 13% up to two weeks, 10% up to one week and 6% up to four days.

Significantly, when told that six weeks in custody is equivalent to the prison sentence which someone might serve if found guilty of an offence such as burglary or assault quite a few people change their minds. Of those who said terrorist suspects should be held for up to six weeks before being charged or released, more than a third (35%) changed their minds when told this and agreed it is not right to hold someone who may be innocent for so long.

I really don't understand why this law is going through. It doesn't make us any safer from a possible terrorist attack. The only possible motives were to 1) look tough on terror and 2) do something that is popular with voters. 2) would appear now to be false, which leaves looking tough on terror. But with other issues (food prices, the economy, etc etc etc) on people's minds, looking tough on terror is the last thing that should be on Labour's minds.

I have let my membership of the Labour Party lapse, partly because of the 10p tax debacle, but also because of this needless, ridiculous legislation. It doesn't help that we have an incompetent Home Secretary to try to pass it, as well as Tony McNulty, who again seems vacuous and cannot fail to come across as annoying on whatever political show he is interviewed on. It would help if he bothered answering the questions put to him (not that that's anything novel in a politician).

Whether or not I should renew my membership, I really do not know. Expect some agonising soul-searching across this blog over the next few months.

Cory

Sorry for the lack of posts, there has been a distinct lack of inspiration recently. I hope to regain it soon though, but working full-time for a few weeks may put paid to that. We will see...

Cory

Is there any connection between these two stories I wonder?

Ashes of man who designed Pringles packaging found in crisp can.

and Kurt Cobain's ashes stolen.

It is incredible, in this era of 24-hour news coverage, that places like Guantánamo Bay and the goings-on there are not reported in the newspapers every single day. Instead, we hear stories like this in the Guardian:

"A British resident facing the death penalty at Guantánamo Bay has made a desperate plea for Gordon Brown to end his six-year ordeal and bring him home.

Binyam Mohammed, the only remaining Guantánamo inmate with the automatic right to British residency, has written to the prime minister pleading with him to use his influence with the US president, George Bush, to stop a US military court sending him to his death."

Although this story made the front page of the Independent, according to Politics Home there are precisely no column inches dedicated to this story in the Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian (although only on their website) and the Daily Mail. No other tabloid saw fit to cover this story. Instead, the front page of the Sun website at the moment says that Naomi Campbell may face jail. Strewth.

I wonder if Gordon Brown will send Binyam a personal phone call, like he has to some of the other people who write to him:

"Dark days call for direct measures, which perhaps explains why Gordon Brown has taken to cold-calling members of the public who write him letters of complaint.

Although the majority of queries and complaints written to the prime minister get a polite, generic letter in reply, as many as two dozen people a week get a personal telephone call from Brown, according to sources close to Downing Street."

I doubt it somehow.

It's nice to end posts on a cheerful note, so here is an anecdote (which may or may not be true) from the latter article which I enjoyed:

"The prime minister apparently made one of his first calls at what was for him the start of his working day. 'Brown made a phone call at 6am, without thinking,' a Labour source told PR Week. 'Luckily the person he called was a shift worker, so he was awake.'"

Cory

Expect to see headlines like "Labour: Gordon Brown support slumps to its lowest since polling began" in newspapers often over the next few months. Political news could well become like the weather reports that say this is "the hottest February since records began", or whatever.

Still, there is a crumb of comfort in the article:

"It is the lowest level of support for Labour since pollsters Gallup first asked people to declare their voting intention in 1943, a few months before the Battle of El Alamein."

Two years later, in 1945, Labour won a landslide. We can dream, can't we?

Cory

Once again, I have returned from my self-imposed exile. I have finished exams, huzzah!

I return with encouraging news - there is something more incompetent than the Labour government. It doesn't appear to be of this world though:

"The crew of the international space station have been left with almost nowhere to go - because their only toilet is broken."

Hmmm....

Cory

I have exams coming up and internet problems from home. Posting may therefore be a bit sporadic in the next couple of weeks. I'll be back though...honest...

Cory

The protests surrounding China hosting the Olympic games and the Olympic torch have been a "good thing" - they have at least increased awareness of China's appalling human rights record.

Still, it does help to know a bit of history, as without it we are unaware of our place in, well, humanity. Take this photo from a pro-Tibet/anti-China rally in the US:

 

For those who don't quite grasp the irony, you might want to have a look at Wikipedia's entry for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. There are many good reasons why China shouldn't be hosting the Olympics (which doesn't mean they should be boycotted) but that isn't one of them.

Cory

Via The Drink Soaked Trots

Whilst working late yesterday, I was watching BBC News 24's coverage of the primary elections. There was footage of Hillary Clinton shaking hands with her supporters, and smiling that far-too-fake smile; the one that looks as though she's a guppy fish that's just been told that it's won the lottery.

The reporter said something to the effect of, "Hillary Clinton looks very upbeat here. Maybe she thinks she can still win this nomination".

Of course she does. Despite the fact that the numbers are against her. Anyone who thinks they can be named after Sir Edmund Hillary despite being born six years before anyone had heard of him, or who says she was shot at by snipers in Bosnia when she was actually greeted by small children is obviously self-delusioned. Despite it being virtually impossible for her to win the popular vote for the nomination, Hillary still obviously believes she can win. And it doesn't matter if she drags her party down with her.

Cory

This is superb:

'A British satirist has translated 15 of Shakespeare's classic plays into chav speak.

Martin Bauam's updated version of Hamlet reveals: "Dere was somefing minging in de State of Denmark."...

Mr Baum's other titles include Macbeff, Much Ado About Sod All, De 'Appy Bitches of Windsor, De Taming of de Bitch, Two Geezas Of Verona and All's Sweet That Ends Sweet, Innit...

Mr Baum's version of Romeo and Juliet sets the scene for the star-crossed lovers with: "Verona was de turf of de feuding Montagues and de Capulet families.

"And coz they was always brawling and stuff, de prince of Verona told them to cool it or else they was gonna get well mashed if they carried on larging it with each other." '

Maybe Gordon Brown could quote some of this to try and get the 'common touch'.

Cory