What happens if you insult and abuse the Metropolitan Police? Yes, that’s right. The Metropolitan Police choose to silence dissent by clubbing people with a baton. Argumentative people, yes. Trouble-making people, yes. But non-violent people. Was there a danger of injury to anyone? Not until the policeman attacked the protester. This was of course a [...]

I’ll start with the Daily Mail, which I’d normally take the trouble to disagree with. However, I’m big enough to overcome my innate prejudice against them when they say something I agree with, and in relation to whether or not Ian Tomlinson had been drinking, the Daily Mail hit the nail on the head. And [...]

I have no doubt that you will already be aware by now that Ian Tomlinson, who was simply walking home from work, not being disruptive, and not attacking the police or anyone else in any way whatsoever, and simply strolling along with his hands in his pockets was viciously shoved to the ground by a [...]

I was a little concerned to hear today that: Sex offenders will be made to take lie detector tests as part of probation conditions when they are freed from prison, the Ministry of Justice says. BBC News: Lie tests tried on sex offenders Firstly, before I explain, I will qualify. I am not against people [...]

Given that Stephen Clarke was arrested under Prevention of Terrorism legislation for taking photos of a sewer drain, on the basis that this information “may be useful to terrorists”, I was wondering whether the executives of Google are going to be arrested and DNA swabbed… Why? Well it appears to me that with Google Street [...]

Jacqui Smith is in trouble again. It appears that she mistakenly claimed for a TV pacakge at her home instead of just her broadband connection. It further appears that her husband watched two — yes, two — porn films which were billed as part of the TV package. The Sunday Express reported that two films, [...]

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.Evelyn Beatrice Hall (Wikiquote) I was invited to join a Facebook group called “muslim protesters fuck off out of britain if your not proud of OUR SOLDIERS”. I declined. I presume that the rationale behind this group is [...]

I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve talked myself into a corner on this one. Am I now morally obliged to stand as an MEP? Read on… One of my most frequent complaints about the government of the country is the fact that people are not so much disillusioned with politics, they are disillusioned with party [...]

Many of you will already be aware of this, but I make no apologies for mentioning it. I think it’s important, and I think — at the risk of sounding like someone writing into the Daily Mail — that something must be done. I presume someone like Mark Thomas will be planning some sort of [...]

The G20 meeting — the annual meeting of finance ministers and bank governors of the world’s top 20 economies — is to be held in London this year, more specifically in April. It will no doubt be attended by the standard media types, the standard politicos and so on. Precisely the sort of thing I [...]