Today the buggers are voting on those stupid data retention proposals Blair and co have come up with (For background: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, or via EUpolitix.com or DataRetentionIsNoSolution.com). As this interview with Jean-Marie Cavada, the chair of … Continue reading →

Fucking FINALLY. Template sorted after hours of fiddling around with HT-pissing-ML so this blog’s now readable again in Internet sodding Explorer. Lessons learned? A single misplaced triangular bracket can bugger up the entire sodding thing. Oh, and I hate computers. … Continue reading →

Headline of the day: “Sarkozy pushes for six nation EU ‘hardcore’”. He he he! It’s funny because “hardcore” is a term most commonly used to describe the more explicit kinds of pornography, and this therefore sounds like Sarkozy is trying … Continue reading →

David Blunkett: “I’m too cunting important to bother myself with answering questions which may reflect on the way I carry out my job – piss off.” (slightly paraphrased)

Lords to decide on allowing evidence extracted by torture. i.e. Lords to consider whether the following (heavily sanitised) exchange makes for reliable evidence: A: “Are you planning acts of terrorism?” B: “No – I’m Brazillian, and trying to get to … Continue reading →

No link yet, but European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx is expected today to slag off Blair and co’s stupid data retention proposals as they “will have a direct impact on the protection of privacy, as laid down in Article … Continue reading →

Britblog roundup 32 is up. In other news, I’ve finally got around to updating this site’s archives. Very exciting, I know. I’ve also had another fiddle with the template, as you’ve probably noticed from the re-sized logo and stuff. Better? … Continue reading →

Perfect – “Authority was given to the police in 2001 to take and retain DNA samples from everyone they arrest in connection with a �serious recordable offence�. Everyone; whether subsequently released, charged, convicted or acquitted. Prior to this change in … Continue reading →

Via The Virtual Stoa and Early Modern Notes, for today, tomorrow and Sunday only the Oxford University Press are offering free online access to the Dictionary of National Biography, one of the finest academic achievements of all time. Truly superb … Continue reading →

German elections: Some possible scenarios (and interesting discussion in the comments), plus a look at why the German mess does NOT mean that Proportional Representation systems are rubbish (with more good debate/links in the comments – including my solution to … Continue reading →

Read. Now. Then ponder if the next time you see an episode of Are you Being Served? and John Inman minces on to utter his catchphrase you won’t pause for a moment and sigh with nostalgia for a more innocent … Continue reading →

Hopefully nothing – “incident” at Manchester airport… Jarndyce has more – once again, Manchester police manage to arrest someone without killing them. Good work Manchester police! Fancy coming to London and showing our lot how it’s done?

First one of these I’ve seen, but trust anyone but the government to come up with it. My old mates St John Ambulance have come up with a sensible and cunning idea, following their experiences tending the wounded on 7th … Continue reading →

What. The. Pissing. Shit. Is. Going. On. With. This. Fucking. Country? More at Perfect. (I are too busy at the moment, hence delay in picking up on this…) Emigration is beginning to look increasingly appealing. Either that or I’m going … Continue reading →