Category: Politics
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The Free Tibet Protest (AKA The Olympic Torch Relay)
So I thought that I’d head down to see the Olympic Torch Relay – the multi-country tour of the Olympic torch as it wends it way towards Beijing for this summer’s Olympic Games. It was obvious from the outset that following recent increased violence inside Tibet, that this was also going to be used to…
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BBC iPlayer Now Streaming
The Beeb has updated the iPlayer to incorporate Flash streaming versions of programmes as well as the Windows XP only downloads previously available. This makes programme watching available to Mac and Linux users which is good news. It also means that I can link to a programme like last nights Can Gerry Robinson Fix The…
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The Perils of Email
On his newsblog, Nick Robinson links to the emails and letters sent between the NAO and HMRC. As Robinson says: The key thing we learn comes not from the detail but the tone of all the exchanges. They demonstrate little concern from either the NAO or HMRC about data protection. The NAO wants, it would…
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That Lost Database
I must admit that to a certain extent, I’m revelling in the discomfort that Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling are currently experiencing in regard to the appalling loss of personal data that the HMRC has been responsible for. However, I’m still somewhat disappointed that the press and media in general are concentrating more on the…
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Oop. Sorry. Lost It.
I really shouldn’t be surprised, but I am. HM Revenue and Customs has lost 25m Child Benefit records. They were sent on CDs by unrecorded delivery. They didn’t reach their destination. This, don’t forget, is the government that wants to build a national ID database. They simply cannot be trusted with our data. Aside from…
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Guardian on Usmanov
There’s a longish piece in this morning’s Guardian about Usmanov accompanied by a profile and the full text of an email exchange between him and The Guardian. He is once again denying involvement in some of the allegations he’s been accused of. Make your own mind up…
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It’s A Kind of Magic
There was an excellent long piece by Bad Science’s Ben Goldacre in yesterday’s Guardian about the perils of homeopathy. Not only is there no evidence that it works (mainly because it’s founded on nonsensical designs), but homeopathic practitioners have actually suggested using their remedies for such killer diseases as malaria and even AIDS. Don’t forget,…
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Cloud Cuckoo Land
Exactly which part of Cloud Cuckoo Land does Home Office minister Liam Byrne live in? He’s reported today as saying that Blair’s pointless, over-priced, Big Brotheresque ID Card scheme will become a “great British institution” on a par with the railways in the 19th Century. How exactly? The building of the railways brought great positive…
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Threat Level By Email System Unsafe?
I mentioned the other day that MI5 is now offering to send out threat levels via email. What I hadn’t realised until helpfully pointed out by Spy Blog, was the terribly unsafe system they were using. The BBC has the full story.
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Threat Level By Email
I noted the introduction of the UK’s very own threat level last year when MI5 introduced it. Almost immediately, the threat level jumped from “Severe” to “Critical”. A few days later it dropped back to “Severe” where it’s been ever since. Well now the BBC is reporting that MI5 is going to allow us to…
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Transport Prices
It’s a bit galling to read today that fare increases in train travel are drawing criticism. Yes they are awful, but come on, we’ve known about them for months. So moaning on the day they go up is pointless. Still I do have sympathy for tourists in London. Anybody from out of town is getting…
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CCTV Cameras OK – Microphones a Step Too Far
Oh the irony. Earlier this week Henry Porter presented a fine programme on More 4 (should have been on Channel 4) called Suspect Nation, examining not just ID cards, but the rash of CCTV cameras and other monitoring that’s going on. In particular, there’s the “function creep” where data’s captured and used more and more…