I'll Bet You Weren't Expecting This

What? You ask.

The answer is a bouquet for Nick Clegg MP.  I am no supporter of the Ludicrous Democrats, or even democracy itself; I believe in minimum government - the less the better, hence my dislike/distrust of the super-layer at Brussels.

I have posted numerous times here about the government's plans to snoop on electronic communications; here's an example; search under "Big Brother" or "surveillance" for more.

However it seems that Clegg has put a spoke in the government's wheel on this business, so at least we are spared this awful business for a while.  I suppose if the socialists get in in 2015 we'll have it all again; socialists (actually like the Lib Dems) love ordering us about and interfering in our lives; telling us ridiculous lies about "global warming" "wind farms" and "passive smoking"; trying to make us eat disgusting vegetables and ride bloody bicycles etc.

I was born far too late.

Until the next time.

Big Brother Lives - More Internet Stuff

BBC News today carries the story that the Big Brother bill is still alive although it is to be re-drafted.

A simple search on this blog using the words "Big Brother" will reveal that I am distinctly disapproving of this project, which has been under consideration for some time.  Indeed as I have remarked before, I consider that there is already more than enough government.  Also, this will be an expensive project - doubly so since the British government has a long history of very expensive failures in connexion with Information Technology, usually reported at length by Private Eye.  Recent examples include the splendid telephones cock-up at the BBC and Fujitsu's farcical performance at the NHS.

And we are supposed to be able to trust these people with our data? There have been too many cases of government officials leaving laptops in cars or even simply losing them.

Terrifying I think, although as with almost everything, there is a small silver lining: apparently Liberal Democratic leader Nick Clegg is opposed to the scheme; finally something on which he and I can agree - and something which will serve to justify his existence.

Until the next time

Big Brother Again

Looking back through this blog just now, I was surprised how long it has been since I ranted about "Big Brother."  Here are some links to earlier posts:

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As regulars here will know, I am horrified by the ever-expanding size of GOVERNMENT.  There is far too much of it as far as I am concerned and indeed tho' it claims to be "democratic" of course it is nothing of the sort (although "democracy" has never appealed very much to me - reasons supplied on request).  My father used to say that there is only democracy at the moment one writes an X against the name of one's chosen candidate; after that forget it for five years. He was damn' right.

Returning to the theme mentioned above, I see that the great nosey-parker bill project is still alive.  This is profoundly depressing, given the innumerable examples of secret material being found on second-hand cameras, lap-tops and so on.  And the government is to be trusted with all our personal stuff? Ha-ha.

With any luck I shall be dead before I shall have to think twice about writing about enjoying smoking - the buggers would come down on me like the proverbial ton of bricks.

Until the next time

Fucking Typical EU Bullshit

I really do not like Marmite, let alone its Australian analogue "Vegemite"; I would much rather spread my toast with proper beefy Bovril.

However, all this is beside the point: the Danes who have hitherto in my opinion been quite robust in other politically-incorrect areas appear to be wanting to ban the sticky stuff.

This REALLY pisses me off: all the time, bloody governments assume the god-damned right to interfere in individuals' personal lives.

FUCK OFF - all of you (governments)!

Until the next time.

Spot the Similarity (If there is one)

Source

I hope that you had a peaceful and plentiful Christmas, faced as you all you are with what is shaping up to be an austere 2011 (except of course for the bankers amongst you whose bonuses I understand, will be robust).

I see that in England, nine suspects have been remanded in custody charged with conspiring to cause explosions. All well and good; I hope that they are thrown out of the country if guilty.

However, the BBC report contains a paragraph which did shock me deeply:

Five of the defendants are also facing a third charge of possessing documents and records containing information likely to be of use to terrorists.

What were these "documents" I wonder? A life story of Guy Fawkes? A map of London? I find it incredible that anyone in a so-called free country (which of course it isn't) can be charged with the "possession of documents" unless of course the documents in question were stolen, in which case they would be charged with "stealing documents" wouldn't they?

So the English are now having to be careful what they read?

Meanwhile the New York Times reports:

"Allegations against them, the police said, included downloading and researching material from the Internet."

That of course changes everything: researching material from the Internet? Whatever next?

To me this is as disgraceful as the sham trial in Russia of Mikhail Khordokovsky on what are apparently trumped-up embezzlement charges. That one really stinks I think.

Here's an extract from a Daily Telegraph analysis:

"At times too during the trial it seemed like the defence would win. Several high profile figures, including a former Putin trade minister who is head of the Russia's largest state-owned bank, testified to Mr Khodorkovsky's and Mr Lebedev's innocence. They were also absolved by their auditors, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In the end, the semblance of true process was, as an American diplomat wrote in a leaked embassy cable last November, like putting "lipstick on a pig". The political reality is that powerful people are determined to keep Mr Khodorkovsky behind bars. This is partly because they fear a challenge to the redistribution of assets that followed Mr Khodorkovsky's downfall. More generally though, Mr Khodorkovsky's incarceration has become harder to overturn as it has become a central part of the narrative of Mr Putin's political career."

Big Government...

Grrr!

Until the next time

Sarah Strikes Again

Politics can be very confusing: on the one hand I would like to see far less government here in western Europe, and this is part of the platform of the American "Tea Party" for the USA, and on the other hand I find the Tea Party very disturbing indeed, as I recall sentiments similar to those of the Party being expressed some time ago (and recently!) by Sarah Palin, the deeply worrying ex-governor of the State of Alaska. I have mentioned her before...

Today however, she has hit the jackpot. Former president George W. Bush was mocked for his verbal gaffes, but Miss Palin is in an altogether different league:

The gaffe was reported in the Daily Telegraph today.

Meanwhile on the Tea Party site (link above) it says that "Lasse Hanson is sad about Sarah Palin's unfortunate slip of the tongue supporting North Korea."

Not as sad as I am I suspect!

I did not feel inclined to register with the Tea Party to find out what Miss Hanson had to say, but as I suggested at the beginning of this piece I really do not like Big Government (= Big Brother) so perhaps I should register and at least have a look around.

Until the next time

More Smoking (Not actually)

I have never visited Spain, as indeed I have not visited many countries in Europe - and none at all in the rest of the world, unfortunately.

Since 2007 when so many countries enacted absurd anti-smoking (and anti-smoker) legistlation, Spain had become attractive since its government decided that bars could declare themselves either "smoking" or "non-smoking" a fair solution I thought in the face of hysterical anti-smoking lobbies.

Now Spain has dropped well down the list since, as the Daily Telegraph reported last week, it has decided that smoking in public places is to be banned, bringing the country into line with other oppressive regimes like the United Kingdom and France. It was pleasant, now that the weather has turned very cold to visit my favourite frontier bar yesterday morning, to be greeted with a warm and welcoming fug as I walked in!

Those who are critical of, or resent my stance on this subject, or those who believe all the propaganda, would do well to visit Frank Davis's Live Journal. His articles are very readable and appeal very much to me as an opponent of "Big Government." Mr Davis has performed some exhaustive research which makes fascinating reading and clearly shows how data have been manipulated to provide the "correct" results - exactly as have data concerning so-called global warming. Here

Until the next time.