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| Politics, PR and hack philosophy from A Guy Called Donald. But definitely no blogging. Probably. | |
25.4.06Authoritarian wanted: GSOH not essentialApologies for the light posting. Been busy with this. Of which more soon.Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, this fucker is busy enforcing the laws we already have instead instead of thinking up ludicrous new ones not to enforce: Home Secretary Charles Clarke says he will not resign after 1,023 foreign prisoners were freed without being considered for deportation. From the National Audit Office report (pdf) dated 11 July 2005 (p.22): The Directorate has had difficulty meeting its target for the timely removal of criminal cases... The Criminal Casework Team did not have figures available on how many failed applicants had been released from prison because removal could not be arranged... Our examination of case files suggested that preparations for removal could be made much earlier. In some instances, action on criminal cases was not being initiated until a late stage, allowing insufficient time to make preparations for removal before the end of sentence. That was July 2005. He now doesn't know where these people are, only that he's swelled the pool a bit since that report was waved under his nose. He really shouldn't have had that second spotted dick. The IND employs about 20,000 staff, answerable to Clarke. Anyone trust him with the keys to the Panopticon? Sack him now, and roll out another authoritarian little shit for us to poke fun at. I'm bored with this one. 21.4.06Ahmadinejad and those Iranian ASBOsTeheran's 2006 vintage, with more than a whiff of New Labour:Authorities in Iran are to crack down on women failing to follow the regime's definition of good Islamic dress. The management at Bluewater are said to be "watching developments with interest". If you want to check that you're hoodie is hijab, the maximum permitted dB for the Arctic Monkeys, or the real uses for a hookah pipe, you can email the president here. But, please, I don't want this going all Michelle Malkin. Be respectful, for Christ's sake. 5.4.06Pacific votingCall me an apologist for Enlightenment imperialism, or whatever, but I'm thinking this is probably good news for half a million Solomon Islanders:Voting has ended in the South Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands where the first elections since a regional force restored peace in 2003 are being held. Partha Dasgupta's good at such a time: thinking poor people don't care about freedom and democracy "is a piece of insolence that only those who don't suffer from their lack seem to entertain" (p.47). Actually, there's one more thing that's interesting here: how the politics of the archipelago has meaning for the pro- and anti-PR debate in the UK. Anti's argue that our first-past-the-post electoral systems is the guarantor of political stability. (The "Look at Italy! Look at Israel!" riposte.) Pro's counter that political culture, not the voting system, makes a polity stable. With three changes of PM, shapeless and ever-shifting coalitions, a coup, two active insurgent groups, and a major UN intervention, all since Blair came to Downing Street, you'd nail this as another PR-infested polity. 'Fraid not. Of course, one could argue (if divorced far enough from the facts of the last decade) that this mess is all the fault of democracy (as opposed to actual imperialism). In which case, see the above. On that note, I'm off for a couple of weeks. Enjoy. 4.4.06Why nobody's listening to the good "Doctor"Aside from the fact he's an ill-informed, embarassing idiot... Quite simply, by joining Bush's illegal (though not necessarily immoral) war in Iraq, the UK has junked any agenda rights for developing international law. After all, one doesn't consult the shoplifter on the jurisprudence of property crime.(Note to the "Doc". Slogan idea for forthcoming local elections. "New Labour: the observance of rules — in their breaking. Thoughts?) Now read this. 3.4.06Selling ID cards...... is going to be a doddle. Don't you just know this will be the winning pitch:The IPPR's suggested policy option covering ID cards, incidentally, is that "Internal controls (e.g. ID cards)" will make it easier for police to "identify irregular migrants" and provide "disincentives to enter a country as it is more difficult to live and work there." Figure out for yourself where on the road to pass laws these "internal controls" will take us. But you could see how a truly cynical and despicable Home Secretary could play this. ... 2008 will have another advantage, too. It'll be just in time to give NuLabber election planners something to hang their imminent campaign on. With no ideas of their own to sell to us, repackaging a modern Benthamite wet dream will be just the ticket. |
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