And justice for all...

"Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, is to shelve proposals which critics said would have led to patients' confidential medical records being passed to third parties.

A spokesman for Mr Straw said the "strength of feeling" against the plans had persuaded him to rethink."

(David Barrett, Telegraph 7/3/09)

Sanity triumphs over the totalitarian madness that is the emerging ID State.

"The proposals will be dropped entirely from the Coroners and Justice Bill, and a new attempt will be made to reach a consensus on introducing a scaled-back version at an unspecified stage in the future.

"He has looked at it and he now wants to withdraw the clauses. We have asked Cabinet colleagues to agree to this," said Mr Straw's spokesman.

"Jack recognised the strength of feeling and he recognised that the clause was drafted in a way that was too wide, and so needed to be looked at again.

"He understood that this issue had touched a nerve for a lot of people, and he understood why.""

(David Barrett, Telegraph 7/3/09)

More than 30 groups wrote to the Minister for (in)justice to voice their concerns that the Government could now release 'almost limitless' amounts of information. Of course, we must remain vigilant.

Phil Booth, Director of the No2ID campaign, said: "This is a huge victory for the massive public backlash there has been over this. This one spot of rot has been scooped out, but we need a wholesale clearance of the Government's approach to personal data." (David Barrett, Telegraph 7/3/09)

Elsewhere in the news, Jaqui Smith was ambushed at the high-profile launch of her perpetrators of domestic violence register. Of course, I (and others) feel that violence in any form is unacceptable (unlike the 1 in 5 the Mori Poll suggested think it acceptable for a Boyfriend/husband to strike their girlfriend/wife for wearing revealing clothes or nagging them (London Paper 9/3/09)) but I have to agree with the protester when they say that the register is a gimmick and doesn't solve the problem. It may have some benefits but they are so minimal and negligable on their own.

Justice requires vigilance, not surveilance.

"They aren't revolutionaries, they're PAGANS!"

This is how I feel when I think long and hard about the state of politics today. Notice that Straw uses these helpful clauses he has placed in the Freedom of Information Act to justify his blatant power-mongering. Read this article and tell me he isn't just trying to protect his government from embarressment. His terrible stumbling to justify it only confirms it.

How can we prevail? How can we have justice from this 'Minister for Injustice'? Do I have to resort to throwinggreen custard at them? This only seems to propell their self-righteous arrogance to not wanting "to "go back" to the 24-hour protection he (Lord Mandelson) had when Northern Ireland Secretary."

Then of course I read again for the umpteenth time how the ID card scheme is fatally flawed. What more can be done to halt this terrifying Orwellian (a term used MORE and MORE these days) scheme?

Why, are we now fighting to preserve all those rights generations before us have already fought for?

Coke day

1998:

"Coca-cola ran an competition asking several schools to come up with a strategy for distributing Coke coupons for Students. The school that devised the best promotional strategy would win $500. Greenbriar High School in Evans, Georgia, took the contest extremely seriously, calling an official Coke day in late March during which students came to school in Coca-cola t-shirts, posed for a photograph in a formation spelling Coke, attended lectures given by Coca-cola executives and learned about all things black and bubbly in their classes. It was a little piece of branding heaven until it came to the Principal's attention that in an act of hideous defiance, one Mike Cameron, a nineteen-year-old senior, had come to school wearing a T-shirt with a Pepsi logo. He was promptly suspended for the offence. "I know it sounds bad - 'child suspended for wearing pepsi shirt on Coke day'" said Principal Gloria Hamilton, "It really would have been acceptable...if it had just been in-house, but we had the regional President here and people flew in from Atlanta to do us the honour of being resource speakers. The students knew we had guests." "

From 'No Logo' by Naomi Klein (2001)

STOP AND SEARCH: Part 2

While travelling back from a LARP event I walked through Uxbridge station and got stopped by the Community support officers and Police because (my own stupid fault) I had a LARP sword sticking out of the top of my backpack.

Cue lots of questioning and discussion about how I should carry it (they suggested a tube and I should cover the LARP weapons up when I travel). The Policeman also commented that he did consider the sword an offensive weapon and would be justified in arresting me for it. As it stood I think they figured I was just some kind of geek and allowed me to go on my way.

However, of course they have their reports to fill out and they asked me my name. I said I would rather not say. This caused their eyes to narrow and asked me why, I replied that I would just prefer not to. They asked me if I got in trouble with the Police a lot. I laughed at that, but then shut up and replied in the negative because having three Police officers around you is very intimidating. I wasn't trying to be annoying, I just didn't want to give my name. I was obviously shook up because I had never been stopped and questioned by the Police before.

I was going to ask why they stopped me (but that was obvious), then their names and my copy of the report of the search but frankly they were pretty intimidating and I didn't want to annoy them any more than I had, so when they let me go I jumped on the tube and went home.

Lessons learned:
1) Stop and search can be intimidating but ultimately know your rights on them
2) Don't carry LARP weapons in such a way as they could be considered to be REAL weapons
3) Be glad you do not live in a police state