[Kim]

Have you forgotten the 13 years of legislation eroding civil liberties, ID cards, summary justice, the surveillence state and so on?

Every cloud...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/henryporter/2010/may/12/coalition-proposals-civil-rights

[tomtom]

Have you forgotten the 13 years of legislation eroding civil liberties, ID cards, summary justice, the surveillence state and so on?

Every cloud...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/henryporter/2010/may/12/coalition-proposals-civil-rights

Hmm, people seem to forget the freedom of information act.... which quietly has probably become one of the most important items of legislation to appear in recent years... think of all the things that would not have happened or been exposed without it...

[Kim]

And they're going to keep (and strengthen?) that, no? Or have I misunderstood?

Still no mention of the DEB that I've seen.

How the hell can they justify this?

[tomtom]

I recon you could have just about got away with the blatant marketing in the username andigear... but the logo in the picture... 

I suspect the Insect Overlords will be coming a tapping on your shoulder for some revenue....

[Mike Tyson]

True.

Look at this for Paul B though, perfect!

http://andigear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=18&products_id=1351&zenid=a74cecc21de979f8a91cfaa2375d9307

(Apologies, off topic.)

[Jaspersharpe]

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/05/14/this-represents-the-end-of-thatcherism-what-comes-next/

[dave]

brooker etc

[DaveC]

A couple of contributions to what is probably the best 'progressive' blog over here that may be of interest to you over there - if only to see how British politics are viewed from this quaintly backward corner of the universe.

http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/05/17/education-elitism-and-meritocracy/
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/05/15/guest-post-by-mr-denmore-the-failed-estate/

I'll admit I never look at the more 'conservative' end of the media spectrum here as it seems to be largely populated with a bizarre mixture of ex-pat South Africans and think-tank policy wonks of the most odious nature!

[superfurrymonkey]

Aijaz Ahmad on the UK Elections whilst the coalition talks were still ongoing.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=5109&updaterx=2010-05-15+13%3A06%3A09

[Bowie]

Have you forgotten the 13 years of legislation eroding civil liberties, ID cards, summary justice, the surveillence state and so on?

Every cloud...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/henryporter/2010/may/12/coalition-proposals-civil-rights

Hmm, people seem to forget the freedom of information act.... which quietly has probably become one of the most important items of legislation to appear in recent years... think of all the things that would not have happened or been exposed without it...

one of the most interesting (and potentially most far reaching) aspects of Big Society is the desire to equip consumers with far more information so that they can make informed decisions, be actively involved in service design (co-production), make public services be more accountable to electorate. this is one of the areas of consensus across lib -tory coalition. as an example, you could 'reverse' the way FOI works. so instead of submitting an FOI to get a piece of information, all information is freely available, unless a civil servant has gone through a process to stop it being released. another example, 311 (NYC), a portal to help consumers in NYC on public services. but instead of an information service, its participative,  so if you spot grafitti/vandalised bus stop/ can't access local school/whatever, you send in a picture of it/report via text or email or phone, they case manage the issue etc. so it not only gets citizens involved, its personalises those services, and makes the state accountable to the individual.

[Mike Highbury]

one of the most interesting (and potentially most far reaching) aspects of Big Society is the desire to equip consumers with far more information so that they can make informed decisions, be actively involved in service design (co-production), make public services be more accountable to electorate. this is one of the areas of consensus across lib -tory coalition. as an example, you could 'reverse' the way FOI works. so instead of submitting an FOI to get a piece of information, all information is freely available, unless a civil servant has gone through a process to stop it being released. another example, 311 (NYC), a portal to help consumers in NYC on public services. but instead of an information service, its participative,  so if you spot grafitti/vandalised bus stop/ can't access local school/whatever, you send in a picture of it/report via text or email or phone, they case manage the issue etc. so it not only gets citizens involved, its personalises those services, and makes the state accountable to the individual.

This looks like a debate that has already taken place. Reversing the FoI would have quite the opposite effect and publishing everything would create jobs and not transparency. You don't want to trawl through endless reports, file notes, minutes and service data, just let the buggers sort all that out for you. 

As for reporting graffiti or whatever by email, you can do that already.

[GraemeA]

As for reporting graffiti or whatever by email, you can do that already.

Surely you are not inferring that Bowies Cameron's Big Society thing is a load of bollocks

[Sloper]

Of course it is, we'll only get a 'big society' when we massively cut back on the remit and extent of the state.

Personally if blokes like Lagerstarfish want to deal with the client group that he does, let that be funded by the nutter christian twats, time for the age of personal responsibility.

[mrjonathanr]

We'll only get a 'Big Society' when we go into the 'Big Whopping Lies Store' and get one on Special Order from the 'Big Vacuous Statements Department'.
Looks like yours is on special pre-order Sloper.
When you unwrap the packaging you may be surprised to find more troubled youths on your street, screwing with your property, because the funding for addressing the problem should be coming from the community-based Big Cheque Book only where it actually is remains a Big Mystery.

[cofe]

Big Society. Such a great joke. Dave should write them down and publish a book when he steps down as PM.

Labour leadership venn diagram:

[Mike Highbury]

Labour leadership venn diagram:

Is it fair to infer from that that John McDonnel is in a different universe?

[cofe]

he's the back legs of the horse.

[Sloper]

We'll only get a 'Big Society' when we go into the 'Big Whopping Lies Store' and get one on Special Order from the 'Big Vacuous Statements Department'.
Looks like yours is on special pre-order Sloper.
When you unwrap the packaging you may be surprised to find more troubled youths on your street, screwing with your property, because the funding for addressing the problem should be coming from the community-based Big Cheque Book only where it actually is remains a Big Mystery.

If we legalised drugs (or gave them free to those who wanted them) and set the feckless proles to work for their benefits we'd be fine.  PS where I live there are no feckless yooofs unless you count Matt Heason in that category  ???

Folks may care to remember that we used to have a 'big society' until the corruption of the welfare state and the development of the work shy scum element of society.

[mrjonathanr]

Yes! Yes! I do remember now you mention it....wasn't it was  Bevan and Beveridge who invented fecklessness? Thank God we'll have the Tory boys (and their fags) to repeal all that nonsense.

[GraemeA]

Folks may care to remember that we used to have a 'big society' until the corruption of the welfare state and the development of the work shy scum element of society.

Aye we had a fantastic 'Big Society'back in the day, opium dens aplenty and child prostitutes. Ron Moody would doubtless be on Incapacity Benefit these days and still picking a pocket or two.

Anyway how come Paul Scriven won in the local elections yet was standing in the General Election (and lost). Covering all of the bases 

[Johnny Brown]

Scriven came damn close - 146 votes was it? A massive swing anyhow.

[slackline]

Just came across Arrow's Impossibility Theorm which makes for interesting reading with regards to electoral reform.

[Sloper]

Nice to see the Tories getting rid of HIPS and providing for a judge led inquiry into our complicity with torture.

Once again it shows that you can't trust lefties with civil liberties let alone economics. . . .

[GraemeA]

Nice to see the Tories getting rid of HIPS

The bastards, stealing old people hips, that low even for the Tory Scum. Hang 'em I say.

[GraemeA]

Once again it shows that you can't trust lefties with civil liberties let alone economics. . . .

£5 says that the current govt do virtually nothing to re-introduce any civil liberties by the next election.

Another £5 says our civil liberties will have been further eroded.