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blech + politics   260

Stella Creasy: 'You can see a perfect storm coming' | Politics | The Guardian
"The Labour MP for Walthamstow has made a name by campaigning against payday loans – an example of her traditional approach to fighting for the dispossessed, she says."
labour  walthamstow  uk  stellacreasy  politics  from instapaper
6 weeks ago by blech
John Lanchester · Marx at 193 | LRB
"It’s hard not to conclude from these selected sentences that Marx was extraordinarily prescient. He really did have the most astonishing insight into the nature and trajectory and direction of capitalism." A look at what he got right, what he got wrong, and how the world ended up. Good stuff.
lrb  marx  marxism  johnlanchester  capitalism  economics  politics 
7 weeks ago by blech
Osborne's budget contains a vicious attack on the regions | guardian.co.uk
Karel Williams: "this was a budget against the north and west, with a vicious and undisclosed regional agenda which has attracted almost no attention – even though output per head in the disadvantaged regions is less than half that in London. And doesn't the failure of coalition backbenches, and Labour, to raise this economic issue, tell us a lot about present-day politics? After the decline of mass parties with strong regional bases, Westminster politics is today all about metropolitan cliques pitching to southern swing voters."
uk  politics  budget  region  economics  from instapaper
9 weeks ago by blech
Roads privatisation: are we going round in circles? | guardian.co.uk
Joe Moran: "I think we've been here before, skirting the issue of road pricing and using the notion we are 'falling behind' to push privatisation." A longer view.
uk  roads  privatisation  politics  traffic  planning  guardian  comment  from instapaper
9 weeks ago by blech
Will Self reviews Owen Hatherley on architecture | LRB
"Hatherley is ostensibly a critic in the mode of Reyner Banham: freewheeling, spinning out ideas, theories and evaluations that may have their origin in the stony core of the built environment, but which spread to encompass most other aesthetic realms as well. Aesthetic but in Hatherley’s case also political: for it is the great strength of his writing – as well as its besetting weakness – that he aims for an explicitly politicised critique." Full of fancy words, and sympathetic yet still Self is scathing. It's worth a read, anyway.
architecture  criticism  politics  culture  review  lrb  willself  owenhatherley  from instapaper
9 weeks ago by blech
The Unwelcome Mat | NYTimes.com
Mark Vanhoenacker, on the experience of arriving in the US. "Tourism promotion is common sense. But we might reconsider the wisdom of requiring travelers to subsidize it in exchange for a grilling about their sexual health and genocidal activities." "Americans may be surprised by the conclusions of a 2006 survey by the U.S. Travel Association, which found that foreign travelers were more afraid of United States immigration officials than of terrorism or crime."
us  travel  tourism  nytimes  commentary  politics  from instapaper
10 weeks ago by blech
Why 2012 Is the Republicans Last Chance | New York Magazine
"Republicans are worried this election could be their last chance to stop history. This is fear talking. But not paranoia." On demographics, politics, and a strategy that bets it all on 2012's elections.
us  politics  culture  demographics  via:@hitherto  from instapaper
11 weeks ago by blech
A Case Study In How Infographics Can Bend The Truth | Co.Design
How you slice the x dimension of a graph of, say, tax take can massively change the way people perceive the result. (I'm tempted to suggest that the only good way to do it is income deciles, but there's probably a case when there's a reason not to do that.)
design  graphics  infographics  politics  economics  via:@tomcoates  from instapaper
11 weeks ago by blech
Andrew Cockburn · Drones, baby, drones | LRB
"After the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, predicted to take place by 2014, America’s wars will be handed over to drones." This article takes a good, hard look at what that actually means (and what may have been overpromised). Sadly, it's subscriber only.
lrb  drones  war  us  politics  pentagon  from instapaper
12 weeks ago by blech
Lost in space? Cuts to NASA threaten innovation, diplomacy | PBS
Janet Vertesi on NASA's 2012 funding and its implications. "In each case, NASA initially acted as a partner, only to leave ESA scrambling to make up the costs. This about-face is not only poor diplomacy, it is damaging to America’s long-term interests in space and on the ground."
nasa  funding  politics  space  exploration  robotics  via:@maximolly 
12 weeks ago by blech
Why the Left Gets Neoliberalism Wrong: It’s the Feudalism | Corey Robin
"These critics often ignore [...] what Thatcher said in that famous [...[ quote: 'Who is society? There is no such thing! There are individual men and women and there are families…'
"It’s that last phrase (“and there are families”) that’s crucial." "[Neoliberals] see individuals embedded in social institutions like the church or the family or schools—all institutions, it should be said, that are hierarchical and undemocratic."
democracy  neoliberalism  conservatives  politics  heirarchy 
february 2012 by blech
Poll: Americans Ambivalent on Abortion | Christianity Today
June 2011: "Most Americans said that “pro-choice” described them somewhat or very well (70 percent). At the same time, nearly the same percentage said the same about being “pro-life” (66 percent). This overlap between those who feel comfortable with pro-choice and pro-life labels exists among all major demographic groups."
us  abortion  politics  christianity  from instapaper
february 2012 by blech
California Dreamin' | MetaFilter
In the comments on a post about the removal of state(-level) funding for library services across California, this is a deservedly well-circulated comment about libraries and their role in providing internet access.
metafilter  libraries  internet  access  digitaldivide  politics  culture  california  us 
february 2012 by blech
The Doom Loop: Equity and Banking | LRB
Andrew Haldane with one of those LRB articles that's both depressing and enlightening, with a look at the historic shifts in bank financing and regulation (especially the changes in holding of liabilities) with the result of "popular protests on Wall Street and in the City of London", "a response not just to the fact that the world is poorer, as pre-crisis riches have turned to rags, but to the way these riches were privatised, while the rags are being socialised."
lrb  banking  finance  politics  from instapaper
february 2012 by blech
Half Baked: The Trouble With Cupcake Feminism | The Quietus
"Twee and retro have been seeping into feminism for a couple decades now, gaining potency. It’s all about cute dresses, felten rosettes from Etsy, knitting, kittens, vintage lamps shaped like owls, Lesley Gore. And yes - a lot of cupcakes." This reminds me of a phrase coined by Ken MacLeod in The Star Fraction: "femininism". Anyway, possibly worth a look.
feminism  cupcakes  femininism  gender  politics  culture 
february 2012 by blech
Their So-Called Journalism, or What I Saw at the Women’s Mags | Tooth and Claw
"I contacted a friend of a friend, a smart and lovely editor at a high-profile women’s magazine that from time to time runs articles about strong women doing worthwhile work. Her reply was quick, honest, and upsetting: The magazine couldn’t tackle the palm oil issue head on, because half its advertisers were beauty companies guilty of destroying the very same forests."
politics  economics  business  journalism  truth  from instapaper
february 2012 by blech
Tory AM: Most Londoners don't use public transport | Adam Bienkov
'"It is a fact is it not that relatively few Londoners use London transport in any way. Most people don't use London transport with any sense of regularity."' 'Transport for London's statistics show that the majority of trips are made by private transport although the majority of "journey stages" are made by public transport'
london  transport  politics 
february 2012 by blech
United States Code: Title 36,301. National anthem | LII / Legal Information Institute
"I think US Code 36, Subtitle 1, Part A, Chapter 3, Section 301 B.1.C covers it" (http://twitter.com/arhayward/status/166556532199272448)
us  flag  law  patriotism  politics  twitter/capture  via:@arhayward 
february 2012 by blech
Mitt Romney’s misfire on the national anthem | The Washington Post
"the U.S. Flag Code says that the hand should go over the heart during the anthem."
us  flag  patriotism  law  mittromney  politics  twitter/capture 
february 2012 by blech
One Town's War on Gay Teens | Rolling Stone
"In Michele Bachmann's home district, evangelicals have created an extreme anti-gay climate. After a rash of suicides, the kids are fighting back." This is depressing.
us  rights  politics  homophobia  religion  rollingstone  from instapaper
february 2012 by blech
India tells Britain: We don't want your aid | Telegraph
'Pranab Mukherjee and other Indian ministers tried to terminate Britain’s aid to their booming country last year - but relented after the British begged them to keep taking the money.' 'Last week India rejected the British-built Typhoon jet as preferred candidate for a £6.3 billion warplane deal, despite the Development Secretary, Andrew Mitchell, saying that Britain’s aid to Delhi was partly “about seeking to sell Typhoon.”'
uk  india  aid  politics  defence  trade  twitter  ifttt  via:@bruces 
february 2012 by blech
Romney and Gingrich Pull Songs After Complaints | NYTimes.com
‘"Strike another two songs from the Republican playlist: “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor, and “Wavin’ Flag,” by the Somali-born musician K’naan. “When you think about every iconic song that has emotional resonance for millions and millions of Americans, in almost every instance, Republican candidates can’t use the song because the artist is not supportive,” said Steve Schmidt.’
nytimes  music  politics  soundtrack  anthems  eyeofthetiger  republicans  us  licensing  copyright  from instapaper
february 2012 by blech
Will we be all right in the end? Europe’s Crisis | LRB 5 January 2012
David Runciman on politics, democracy, the EU, and various other topics. "Keynes readily accepted that democracies were far better at renewing themselves than the supposedly more efficient dictatorships. He just wished they wouldn’t try to do it when they were struggling to stop the world descending into chaos."
lrb  davidrunciman  politics  democracy  technocracy  europe  election  from instapaper
january 2012 by blech
Republicans: we don't need no regulation | The Guardian
"What we saw is something unique in the history of American social movements: a mass conversion to free-market theory as a response to hard times. Before this recession, people who had been cheated by bankers almost never took that occasion to demand that bankers be freed from "red tape" and the scrutiny of the law." An extract from Pity The Billionaire by Thomas Frank.
guardian  book  excerpt  us  politics  republican  economics  regulation  business  from instapaper
january 2012 by blech
My Guantánamo Nightmare | NYTimes.com
"It was only after the United States Supreme Court ordered the government to defend its actions before a federal judge that I was finally able to clear my name and be with them again."
nytimes  us  politics  guantánamo  from instapaper
january 2012 by blech
My dying friend found kindness to be the rule, not the exception | The Observer
Henry Porter in the Observer on the care Gilbert Adair received from the NHS in his final year.
nhs  health  healthcare  uk  politics  death  via:@joemoransblog  from instapaper
december 2011 by blech
California train's travel-time mandate adds to soaring cost | latimes.com
"The ballot measure for the project required that the L.A.-to-San Francisco trip take no more than two hours, 40 minutes. Achieving that would mean building more viaducts and tunnels, which are costly."
us  california  railway  latimes  engineering  politics  via:gpe 
december 2011 by blech
Britain is ruled by the banks, for the banks | The Guardian
Aditya Chakrabortty: "Both the evidence and the voters are against investment bankers. So why do the politicians cling on to them? Part of the answer is financial. ... the City now provides half of all Tory party funds. That is up from just 25% only five years ago." "Running this government are two sons of bankers. Cameron's father was a stockbroker, Clegg's is still chairman of United Trust Bank."

(Side note: the picture is of Canary Wharf, part of the City-as-finance but not City-as-geography or City-as-government. It's arguably more photogenic, though.)
uk  business  cityoflondon  finance  politics  banks  europe  davidcameron  guardian 
december 2011 by blech
Osborne's autumn statement Britain worse than the 1970s | The Guardian
"What Britain is living through now is worse than the decade that gave us the three-day week and winter of discontent."
uk  politics  economics  austerity  1970s  guardian 
november 2011 by blech
29/11/11 - A turning point in British history | BBC News
"Plan A then was based on three, linked, wrong premises: that Britain could quickly switch to a private, export led model; that the economy is bigger than it actually is; and that consumption could survive the inflation surge imported by the Bank of England."
uk  news  austerity  politics  economics  bbcnews  paulmason 
november 2011 by blech
Supreme Court To Hear HIV-Positive Pilot's Privacy Case | NPR
"The joint operation, dubbed Operation Safe Pilot, fed in the names of 45,000 pilots in Northern California, cross-referenced them with the names of those who got any Social Security benefits, and came up with some 3,200 violators." Apparently this is probably but not certainly illegal in the US. I assume the UK's Data Protection Act would forbid this, but I'm not sure. One to watch.
privacy  database  politics  medicine  information  data  npr  crossreferencing 
november 2011 by blech
Free museum entry is a treasure too precious to lose | The Guardian
Charlotte Higgins in the Guardian on free museum entry for national museums, the route to it, and regional museums too.
uk  politics  museum  education  chrissmith  via:@paulpod  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
Back to the glory days of Northern Rock | Tim Harford
"This is surely the stupidest imaginable way to stimulate house building." On the UK government and its attempts to kickstart the housing market.
uk  politics  housing  economics  via:@jamesholloway  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
Poll Shows Fox News Viewers Less Informed on News | Slate
"After controlling for factors like partisanship, education, and other demographic factors, the pollsters found that Fox New viewers were 18 points less likely to know that the revolt was successful than their non-active news consuming counterparts."
slate  poll  politics  media  foxnews  information  knowledge  via:daringfireball 
november 2011 by blech
A Point of View: In praise of wind turbines | BBC News
"The countryside is often a man-made landscape, not a natural idyll, and wind turbines are just part of that tradition, writes Will Self." A good read.
bbc  news  comment  willself  countryside  uk  environment  energy  politics  landscape  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
Why doesn't Britain make things any more? | The Guardian
"In the past 30 years, the UK's manufacturing sector has shrunk by two-thirds, the greatest de-industrialisation of any major nation. It was done in the name of economic modernisation – but what has replaced it?"
guardian  business  politics  industrialisation  manufacturing  uk  via:everyone  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
The 1% are the best destroyers of wealth the world has ever seen | The Guardian
George Monbiot on scathing form. "Our common treasury in the last 30 years has been captured by industrial psychopaths. That's why we're nearly bankrupt." "Reading their work, it seems to me that if you have psychopathic tendencies and are born to a poor family, you're likely to go to prison. If you have psychopathic tendencies and are born to a rich family, you're likely to go to business school."
guardian  monbiot  economics  politics  business  comment  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
The signals to motorists are setting a dangerous course | The Guardian
Peter Wilby in the Guardian on cars, fatalities, and the coalition Government's messages to motorists.
guardian  cars  motoring  politics  uk  comment 
november 2011 by blech
Il Pleut. Greece has poured vinegar on the G20's frites | BBC News
"All the stories on the news are merging into one big story." - Paul Mason on the g20 SuperCannes
bbc  news  eurozone  comment  politics  via:moleitau  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
Death row, Herzog and the man who maintained his innocence | guardian.co.uk
"Michael Perry, the man at the centre of Herzog's new film on the death penalty, was executed in Texas for a crime he says he didn't commit. Joanna Walters interviewed him before he died."
guardian  us  politics  deathpenalty  crime  texas  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
V for Vendetta mask is a symbol of festive citizenship | guardian.co.uk
"For many observers, the V for Vendetta mask has nothing to do with a Jacobean conspirator or a modern comic-book slash movie. It is just a very strange mask. It has taken on a life of its own, and its meaning is not fixed by its origins."
guardian  vforvendetta  guyfawkes  anonymous  politics  culture  signs  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
This unaccountable Corporation is ripe for protest | The Guardian
George Monbiot on the Corporation of the City of London.
guardian  politics  uk  london  cityoflondon  economics  from instapaper
november 2011 by blech
The protesters seem more adult than politicians and plutocrats | Andrew Rawnsley | Comment is free | The Observer
via @emmaquinn and @Glinner: :Wonderful piece on the #occupy movement/s by @andrewrawnsley - Last paragraph says it all".
observer  comment  occupywallstreet  politics  economics  from instapaper
october 2011 by blech
Why euphemism is integral to modern warfare | BBC News
Will Self on fine form on Radio 4's A Point Of View.
bbc  comment  willself  defence  war  economics  politics  from instapaper
october 2011 by blech
Business case for HS2 rail link questioned | guardian.co.uk
"the Queen is reported to be worried about the proposed [HS2] route, with Prince Andrew said to have raised the issue with Treasury officials last year on account of his mother's concern that passing trains would upset her horses at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, which hosts the Royal Show." Maybe Charles isn't that unlike Elizabeth after all.
railway  uk  monarchy  politics  from delicious
july 2011 by blech
BBC - Newsnight: Paul Mason: I re-fight World War Two and lose
A fascinating piece taking Hearts of Iron III - a simulation of the Second World War - as its starting point and leaping from that into a look at how the simplistic narrative we've built of the run up to that conflict is hiding a lot of the story. Well worth a read.
politics  history  worldwartwo  1930s  bbc  games  from delicious
july 2011 by blech
The American suburbs are a giant Ponzi scheme | Grist
"our own history -- let alone a tour of other parts of the world -- reveals a different reality. Across cultures, over thousands of years, people have traditionally built places scaled to the individual. It is only the last two generations that we have scaled places to the automobile."
urbanism  development  cars  transport  politics  economics  us  from delicious
june 2011 by blech
How early Twitter decisions led to Weiner's downfall | CNN
"To receive their [DMs], he had to follow them in return" "These new followers seemed out of place among the politicians, journalists, and celebrities on his list" "He made a common mistake between a direct private message and a public reply, and sent the picture out to the tens of thousands of people". File under 'tools shape culture'.
twitter  politics  privacy  communication  culture  from delicious
june 2011 by blech
New Statesman - The tax haven in the heart of Britain
There is an institution with a murky history and remarkable powers that acts like a political and financial island within our island nation state. Welcome to the Square Mile and the City of London Corporation.
london  cityoflondon  economics  politics  power  tax  economy  uk  from instapaper
june 2011 by blech
A life in writing: China Miéville | The Guardian
An interview with China Miéville in the Guardian, talking about genre fiction, London, politics, and all sorts of other things.
guardian  interview  books  sciencefiction  london  politics  from delicious
may 2011 by blech
Killing bin Laden: Let's call it a day | The Economist
A perceptive roundup of, and addition to, commentary about the deat of Osama bin Laden from the Economist's Democracy in America blog, pointing out that there's not so much to celebrate.
economist  osamabinladen  terrorism  us  politics  comment  from delicious
may 2011 by blech
How an invading army changes from Chinese to North Korean | LA Times
As Lee says, '"Red Dawn" remake swapped Russian invaders for China.  Then, after filming, digitally changed them to North Korea.  Try to avoid offending your new economic masters, America.'
film  china  korea  us  politics  via:lee  from delicious
march 2011 by blech
Stealing from the poor, to give to the rich... | entschwindet und vergeht
"I thought I’d take a quick look at the Blackwall Reach Regeneration Project, picking out some of the more significant points." "I think that Architects do themselves no favours by aestheticising something that has to be lived in, without a care for the residents, but the regenerators certainly have nothing like the best interests of the residents at heart." A good read on the area around Robin Hood Gardens.
london  architecture  urbanism  politics  housing  via:mondoagogo  from delicious
february 2011 by blech
The Danger of Cosmic Genius - Magazine - The Atlantic
"“The main point is religious rather than scientific,” [Dyson] writes, yet never acknowledges that this proposition cuts both ways, never seems to recognize the extent to which his own arguments proceed from faith. Environmentalism worships the wisdom of Nature. Dysonism worships the indomitable ingenuity of Man." This is a good read.
science  politics  environment  history  space  physics  climatechange  freemandyson  article  from instapaper
february 2011 by blech
Debt: another word for guilt | FT Magazine
Sometimes, whole nations get their irrational economic ideas from ancient folk beliefs. Government debt looks like a case in point.
economics  ft  comment  debt  politics  people  from instapaper
january 2011 by blech
The battle over the Constitution | The New Yorker
Benjamin Franklin was sure that the document had its faults, and just as sure that the framers were fallible.
us  newyorker  politics  history  government  constitution  from instapaper
january 2011 by blech
State of the World 2011 | The WELL
Bruce Sterling (and Jon Lebkowsky) on Twitter, Brazil, photography, Flickr and The Future. And that's just the first nine or so posts. Goodness knows where this'll go after that.
thewell  brucesterling  photography  flickr  twitter  brazil  politics  via:iamdanw  from delicious
january 2011 by blech
These protests are a mass demo against control | The Guardian
"The Anonymous web protests over WikiLeaks are the internet equivalent of a mass demonstration." Reading the Atlantic piece reminded me of Stallman's opinion column in the Guardian, which is also well worth reading (assuming you haven't already).
wikileaks  politics  protest  government  democracy  guardian  comment  richardstallman  from delicious
december 2010 by blech
Snow scuppers Cameron’s “big society” | New Statesman
via joemoransblog: "Nice piece about snow and the big society by Alice Miles".
uk  weather  politics  culture  from instapaper
december 2010 by blech
David Runciman · Look… | LRB
"In a hung parliament, should the MPs who hold the balance of power side with the party that came first in the election, or the party that came second?" An interesting, if short, review of David Laws' book about the coalition horsetrading.
lrb  politics  uk  coalition  libdems  conservatives  culture  from instapaper
december 2010 by blech
The inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com
"The accused leaker is subjected to detention conditions likely to create long-term psychological injuries." This made me very angry, with occasional glimmers of light from Europe's attitudes to torture and the fact Manning is a UK citizen. Unfortunately, I doubt that the British government will do anything to stand up for those rights.
us  politics  wikileaks  prison  torture  from instapaper
december 2010 by blech
U.S. World Press Freedom Day 2011 | Department of State
"The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression. At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information." Who said Americans have no sense of irony?
politics  journalism  press  unesco  us  from delicious
december 2010 by blech
Overseeing state secrecy: In defence of WikiLeaks | The Economist
"In this morning's post, my worldly co-blogger ... maintains "that grabbing as many diplomatic cables as you can get your hands on and making them public is not a socially worthy activity". I strongly disagree." A spirited defence of Wikileaks and the publishing of state secrets, in the Economist, of all places.
economist  wikileaks  democracy  politics  government  state  secrecy  diplomacy  via:@jo  from delicious
november 2010 by blech
The Myth of Charter Schools by Diane Ravitch | The New York Review of Books
gnat: Fascinating NY Times piece on public education. http://j.mp/9j4Fb8
us  education  politics  school  documentary  review  culture  via:@gnat  from instapaper
november 2010 by blech
Goodbye London - Radical Art and Politics in the Seventies | NGBK
"Sombre photographs by Jon Savage and Homer Sykes show entire neighbourhoods of London that stood empty due to speculation, but also document the development of growing protest movements that generated new forms of solidarity. In addition to the squatting movement, the exhibition looks at the gay movement, feminism, industrial disputes and solidarity with international liberation struggles."
berlin  london  exhibition  art  photography  employment  politics  culture  todo/done  from delicious
august 2010 by blech
American railways: High-speed railroading | The Economist
The eye-catching lede - "America’s system of rail freight is the world’s best. High-speed passenger trains could ruin it" - is just the first of many interesting parts of this Economist briefing. Well worth reading.
economist  us  railway  freight  transport  trains  politics  economics  via:iamdanw  from delicious
august 2010 by blech
Does this man have the power to save the Tube? | This Is London
Obviously, the Evening Standard has to headline this "London's ailing Tube", which I've shortened, but nonetheless this is an interesting interview with Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground.
london  eveningstandard  tube  tfl  lul  interview  politics  victorialine  from delicious
april 2010 by blech
People happy to use airport full-body scanners | BBC News
"Nine out of 10 British people are happy to use full-body scanners being rolled out at UK airports." "The poll of 10,000 people, including 977 Britons... found acceptance of the scanners was highest in the UK." "One in three surveyed in Germany and Belgium objected, and only 45% in Hong Kong and 24% in Mexico were in favour."
news  bbc  politics  security  securitytheathre?  privacy  scanner  from delicious
april 2010 by blech
Facebook, Electoral Commission launch voter push | BBC News
"In a tie-up with the Electoral Commission, Facebook users who visit the site over the weekend will be asked if they have registered to vote."
uk  election  facebook  politics  bbc  news  from delicious
april 2010 by blech
Mr Brown Goes to the Palace | London Review Blog
Phil says "John Lanchester's started posting daily about the general election (if you click his name, that page also has an RSS feed just for him)." He's not wrong, but it's a bit of a shame that the feed's not full text. Better than nowt, though.
lrb  johnlanchester  politics  election  blog  via:philgyford  from delicious
april 2010 by blech
Parliamentary Bill Analyzer | Rewired State
"[Given] two Parliamentary Bill URLs, [it] will show the differences between the two versions." Worthy prizewinner at yesterday's Hack The Government Day.
politics  parliament  legislation  rewiredstate  hackday  hacks  ruby  php  digitaleconomybill 
march 2010 by blech
Let's visualise the Digital Economy bill | guardian.co.uk
"I've been trying to work out how much the digital economy bill has changed in its progress through the House of Lords. The answer: a lot (that's 263 differences in the bottom-left hand corner). But does it make much sense? Not really - the bill consists of lots of amendments to other acts, such as the Communications Act 2003, so it really is like trying to understand an operating system while only seeing a few of the programs."
politics  uk  digitaleconomybill  guardian  comment  legislation 
march 2010 by blech
dot.Rory: Do we need a digital Parliament? | BBC News
"Where do you find the [Digital Economy Bill] that finally emerged - and in particular the controversial clauses? I tried - and failed - to locate the key bits, until I received some help from a colleague who has been immersed in the Parliamentary system for many years."
bbc  news  politics  information  digitaleconomybill  legislation 
march 2010 by blech
Secret papers 30-year rule reduced to 20 | BBC News
"The 30-year rule for publishing secret government papers is to be reduced to 20 years ... phased in over 10 years by doubling the amount of old records released each year".
bbc  news  government  information  politics  history  data 
february 2010 by blech
Fortress America, London SW4 | Warren Ellis
On the proposed US Embassy in Battersea: "It's a fortress with a fucking moat". (It's worth clicking through to the Guardian for their belaboured pun headline and the either ironic or wrongheaded Glancey commentary.)
architecture  uk  london  us  culture  design  politics 
february 2010 by blech
Iran to ban airlines not using 'Persian Gulf' | BBC News
"The Iranian transport minister has given foreign airlines 15 days to change the name to Persian Gulf on their in flight monitors. If they failed, they would be prevented from entering Iranian airspace, he warned." How are they going to know? Still, another interesting example of names being touchy. (I note the BBC's map says 'The Gulf'.)
news  politics  geography  geopolitics  names  transport  airlines  maps  bbc 
february 2010 by blech
Ed Miliband declares war on climate sceptics | The Observer
"'It's right that there's rigour applied to all the reports about climate change, but I think it would be wrong that when a mistake is made it's somehow used to undermine the overwhelming picture that's there,' [Miliband] said."
observer  politics  uk  environment  climatechange  ipcc 
january 2010 by blech
The Transparent Society | Wired
"Both futures may seem undesirable. But can there be any doubt which city we'd rather live in, if these two make up our only choice? Alas, they may be our only options. For the cameras are on their way, along with data networks that will send myriad images flashing back and forth, faster than thought." David Brin, 13 years ago.
politics  cctv  surveillance  transparency  technology  wired  article 
october 2009 by blech
Peter Landin obituary | The Guardian
"Peter Landin ... was a complex character: a political radical, a gay-rights campaigner and an outstanding academic computer scientist." "Towards the end of his life, Peter became convinced that computing had been a bad idea, giving support to profit-taking corporate interests and a surveillance state, and that he had wasted his energies in promoting it."
guardian  obituary  computing  science  politics  sexuality  culture  history 
september 2009 by blech
Roy Mayall: Diary | LRB
Fascinating stuff. "‘Figures are down,’ we say again, but more wearily now, as we pile yet more packages into our panniers, before setting off on our rounds." "They aren’t rival mail companies in a free market, as the propaganda would have you believe. None of them delivers any mail. All they do is ride on the back of the system created and developed by the Royal Mail." "Whether the Royal Mail remains in public hands or is partly or fully privatised in the future, the pension deficit will always remain the tax-payer’s obligation." "There is a tension between the Royal Mail as a profit-making business and the Royal Mail as a public service."
politics  business  royalmail  lrb  post  postoffice 
september 2009 by blech
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