Linkage for Saturday, 29th December 2012

Don't expect graphene to perform miracles | Philip Ball | Comment is free | The Guardian

Senator Wyden Proposes Bill That Would Protect Users From Bogus Data Caps | Techdirt

When will we able to have a mature conversation about the health service? » Spectator Blogs

So you think the wealth gap is growing? Wrong - Comment - Voices - The Independent

2012: the year the political and media classes turned on internet users – Telegraph Blogs

Dental nurse sacked for being irresistible – all perfectly legal in Iowa | Richard Seymour | Comment is free |…

May the prior art be with you?

Secret Courts: Nick Clegg’s refusal to meet campaigners is not helping

10 Stubborn Body Myths That Just Won't Die, Debunked by Science

Britain's police must reform or lose respect and trust | Nick Herbert | Comment is free | The Observer

The fiscal cliff: How can Republicans change their minds? | The Economist

New motion for Spring Conference – Jo’s post today on Lib Dem Voice | Liberal Democrats against Secret Courts

Bank rate-fixing scandals reveal the rotten heart of capitalism | Will Hutton | Comment is free | The Observer

Series 44 of Have I Got News For You is over | What You Can Get Away With - Nick Barlow's blog

The scapegoating of Nancy Lanza | Lionel Shriver | Comment is free | The Guardian

"The truth is that we’ve suffered from outrage inflation for many years."

Party Identity in a Gun Cabinet - http://t.co/mM5T3JQt

Clegg skating on thin ice: serious threat to party leadership over secret courts | Stephen Tall via @stephentall - THIS

Rather strange logic. The worth of a comedy show is being evaluated with reference to how famous the star guests are:

Does anyone want to be a Tory MP any more? | Mail Online

Linkage for Saturday, 22nd December 2012

"Elements of the conservative base are driving the conservative agenda into a political wasteland." - Spot on about the insanity of the NRA

NRA want 20% of all US police officers to be stationed at schools. What about, you know, crime solving and that?!

Pi Pie

The Pessimistic Style in British Politics | Hopi Sen

'Not enough God, not enough guns, too many video games': are any of the Sandy Hook blame claims true? – Telegraph Blogs

Andrew Mitchell and trusting the police » Spectator Blogs

Government to spy on the computers of the jobless?! FFS. I hope this is merely flag-flying: (h/t @ScarletStand)

"Perhaps now it will be a little bit more acceptable to stop automatically taking every police officer at their word"

The risks of homeopathy? | Edzard Ernst

On Software Startup Culture | A Megahbite of Feminism

David Cameron deserves better than this ghastly backbench B-team - Telegraph

Stumbling and Mumbling: The ownership question

Love how in this article fact Ms Perry "went to comprehensive school" is spelled out as if that's reason for vulgarity!

Linkage for Thursday, 20th December 2012

This piece by Cory Doctorow is one of the best arguments for the entertainment industry needing to respond to its customers I have seen. He uses an excellent analogy to illustrate his point about externalisation of the costs of doing business.

Wonga are blinding critics with science - Payday lender in bullshit shocker

Golden Eagle Snatches Kid story turns out to be a computer generated student project - Snopes wins the day yet again

I try to give the police the benefit of the doubt, but it's becoming harder and harder – Telegraph Blogs - When even people like Dan Hannan start to lose the faith you know the institution is in real trouble

Yet More Evidence Shows No Link Between Video Games And Actual Violence | Techdirt - Particularly salient at the moment. The GOP/NRA will do anything to distract from the need to do something about the automatic weapons being used to murder children.

Is plebgate a product of the push for police reform? | Martin Kettle | Comment is free | The Guardian

Want to download all your tweets right from the start? Here's how.

Labour should probably take this "Who do you believe, the Police or Mitchell" page down now. The answer is Mitchell.

Suspect this lengthy interview with Jimmy Savile by Andrew Neil from 1995 recently uploaded to YouTube will get lots of views. The bit when he whips out a banana and starts to eat it mid-interview is particularly weird.

Tony Blair on UKIP: “Never far from being nasty and never close to being sensible.” He's still got it.

Stumbling and Mumbling: Support the undeserving poor - Usual excellence from Mr Dillow

Will 2013 bring an end to unpaid internships? » Spectator Blogs - I hope yes. I suspect no.

Jesus. Thank Christ Mike Huckabee got nowhere near being POTUS.

There's more to diversity than statistics. We need change at the top | Comment is free | The Guardian

Could David Cameron be a bit frit about facing Ed Miliband in TV debates? | Andrew Rawnsley | Comment is free | The…

This article is a very moving (and also terrifying) call for more help for the mentally ill: "I am Adam Lanza's Mother" - Should be required reading for anyone interested in the problems of mental health and the lack of available help for families

Secular Britain is ruled by religious bureaucrats | Nick Cohen | Comment is free | The Observer

The party machines might not know it yet but political parties are dying « Labour Uncut

Won't follow Apple Store rules? How 'bout an iTASER TREAT! • The Register

Newtown shootings: if not now, when is the time to talk about gun control? | Gary Younge | Comment is free |…

Who do you trust, The Police or Andrew Mitchell? Er, Mitchell!

At the time of writing, the Labour Party still have this campaign page up calling on Andrew Mitchell to "come clean" about Plebgate.

Given that even The Police don't believe The Police on this subject now, isn't it time Labour took this misconceived page down?

David Cameron is simply responding to the electoral incentives regarding older people

My debut piece for Independent Voices has just gone up in which I argue that David Cameron is only responding to the electoral incentives that older people provide given that they vote in much higher numbers than younger people.

You can read it here.

House of Comments - Episode 41 - Why must you record my VOIP calls?

Episode 41 of the House of Comments podcast "Why must you record my VOIP calls?" was recorded yesterday evening and is out today. This week myself and Emma Burnell are joined by the technical editor of PC Pro Magazine Darien Graham-Smith to discuss the recent joint committee report on the draft communications bill, gay marriage, gun control in the US and Maria Miller's expenses.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here (note - this is a new feed so if you used to subscribe to the old feed a couple of years ago you'll need to do so again).

Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe.

You can download the mp3 for the latest episode directly from here.

Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here:

listen to ‘Episode 41 - Why must you record my VOIP calls?’ on Audioboo

If you are a political blogger and wish to be considered as a future guest please drop me an e-mail at markreckons@live.co.uk.

Any feedback welcomed in the comments below.

We are having a break for Christmas and the New Year now so will be back recording a new episode on Sunday 6th January.

NOTE: There was a slight technical problem during the recording which meant my voice is slightly out of sync with Emma and Darien. So in a few places where it sounds like they are talking over me a bit, they weren't, it's just the way the recording makes it sound!


PS: A big thanks to Audioboo for hosting the podcast for us and especially to Audioboo's James O'Malley who has helped us out getting relaunched. James is also editor of The Pod Delusion podcast which is about "interesting things" and is well worth a listen too! We would also like to thank Kevin MacLeod from Incompetech.com for our theme music.

There can never be a "right time" to debate gun control

The terrible shootings in Connecticut on Friday where 26 people were killed, 20 of whom were young children have inevitably reopened the debate about gun control in the US.

Jay Carney, the President's spokesperson was quick to claim that it was not the right time to be debating gun control and that there would be "another day" for that. I can understand the wish to tread carefully when the news is still coming in and not to appear to be making political points over such a tragedy. But the "other day" that Mr Carney is so keen on never seems to come. Each time there is a shooting, once those who have been murdered are buried and the news media moves on nothing more is said. Until the next time. When someone then claims it is the "wrong time" to be talking about this subject.

There is another, practical barrier to there ever being a right time either. There have been 16 mass shootings in the US this year. That's more than one per month on average. So we are almost always in the recent aftermath of another shooting incident and we never know when the next one is coming. The "wrong time" claim can pretty much be made at any time.

Under these circumstances and by that definition there can never be a right time. So that excuse needs to be retired. The subject needs to be debated urgently.

The right time is now.

George Osborne thinks he can win by appealing to mean-spiritedness - I think he's wrong

During his pre-budget statement last week, the Chancellor George Osborne set out his intent to ensure that many benefits only rise by 1% for the next 3 years.

This has been hailed by some on the right of politics as a fiscally responsible thing to do and a way of ensuring that benefits do not rise by more than many people's wages have in the last few years. There have been others who have claimed that it is regressive and unfair to heap such a burden of real-terms cuts on those in society least able to afford it.

But what many think, regardless of what they consider the rights and wrongs of the decision is that Osborne has set a clever trap for Eds Miliband and Balls to fall into. The theory goes that public opinion is on the side of those who want to "control" the benefits bill and that anyone arguing against this will essentially be putting themselves on the side of the "skivers" as opposed to the "strivers".

As it happens it is beginning to look like Osborne has actually got this calculation wrong with 69% of people in a recent poll saying they thought benefits should rise in line with inflation or higher. However even without polling evidence this move just feels wrong. The idea that the poorest in society should suffer a real terms cut in their income when many of those people are already close to the edge financially (witness the huge rise of payday lenders in recent years for example) sits very ill with me.

Part of the problem that was identified almost straight away by opponents of the measure is that 60% of those affected by the cuts are actually in work. But really, that shouldn't matter either. Trying to pitch those who are working against those who are not is the worst kind of politics. The vast majority of those out of work would love to have a job and although unemployment is falling it is still far too high. Many of those who Osborne seems to be painting as skivers currently have no choice.

He has made a serious political mistake here. Ten years ago Theresa May made a speech where she described how the Conservatives had the unwelcome mantle of "The Nasty Party". This resonated because it rang true. David Cameron has spent years trying to detoxify his party with trips to the Arctic, endless speeches on the NHS and all sorts of other measures to attempt to reassure voters that they have changed.

With measures like this 1% rise Osborne is retoxifying his party. He is punishing the poorest in society for an economic situation that they had nothing to do with creating and doing it in such a way as to try and pitch different sections of society against each other. He seems to be hoping that envy will win the day.

I hope and expect he is wrong about this. Not because opinion polls tell us so. But because I do not recognise the mean-spirited picture of Britain that he seems determined to paint. We're better than that.

The trap he thought he had set has sprung shut on the Chancellor as he tried to tip-toe away from it.

He and his party will ultimately pay a heavy price for this.


This post was originally published on The New Statesman online.

Volatile drug use stats

Needless to say I am delighted with Nick Clegg's clear and politically brave comments on drugs policy reported widely today.

But I just wanted to focus on one small aspect of the coverage and discussion today. David Cameron, Theresa May and others who have spoken out against any change in current policy have repeatedly pointed out that there is no need for a review because drug use is falling. That may well be true but drug use statistics have a habit of bouncing around all over the place not really correlated with any legal or other factors. If anything it's cultural trends that drive these figures.

So my point is, what happens when the "drug use is falling so there is no need for a review" excuse stops being true? I am almost certain that at some point in the near future, drug use figures will tick up again.

When that happens, how will those politicians who have used the falling rates as a reason not to have a review react? Because the logical conclusion drawn from their own words now is that when the rates rise there will be a reason for a review.

They have hitched themselves to a notoriously unreliable hostage to fortune.

Linkage for Wednesday, 12th December 2012

Great analysis of divergent reports on Portugal's drug decriminalisation. Concludes the evidence is "largely positive":

Maureen Johnson, HALLMARKGATE: Or, A Lesson On How The Internet Works

The cost of ‘shares for rights’ | What You Can Get Away With - Nick Barlow's blog

Factcheck: QandA: The facts behind the drugs debate | Full Fact

Ewan's liberal musings: Cannabis should be legal BECAUSE it is harmful

Unpaid Internships: A Rite of Passage? « The Vibe

Today's easy question: Why won't minorities support right-wing parties? - Spectator Blogs

Stumbling and Mumbling: "Strivers" vs "scroungers": a false dichotomy

On drugs, the law lags behind public opinion - Telegraph

Editorial: The time has come to decriminalise all drugs - Editorials - Voices - The Independent

Are you ready for the 40-zettabyte year? • The Register

The most fascinating thing about comments under this Mail article on drugs policy is how vast majority want them legal:

Why we are calling for an end to the war on drugs | Julian Huppert | Comment is free | The Guardian

What You Can Get Away With (Nick Barlow's blog) » Blast from the past: Alarm Clock Britain

Lennon « Sci-Ence! Justice Leak!

Pret fires longstanding employee who attempted to unionise, asked for the London Living Wage for all employees - Boing…

Why are the Tories laughing? Because they've got away with it yet again | Deborah Orr | Comment is free | The Guardian

"Paul Dacre’s fight for press freedom may turn out like Arthur Scargill’s fight to save the pits"

It’s not just this Government that’s unpopular: it’s the idea of Coalition. Here’s what Lib Dems need to do about that.

House of Comments - Episode 40 - Strivers vs Skivers

Episode 40 of the House of Comments podcast "Strivers vs Skivers" was recorded yesterday evening and is out today. This week myself and Emma Burnell discuss the Chancellor's Autumn statement and try to work out who the strivers and skivers are, whether Starbucks are a fair target for tax protests, pluralism with respect to the new "Labour for Democracy" movement and speculate on how the government will respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee report on drug policy.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here (note - this is a new feed so if you used to subscribe to the old feed a couple of years ago you'll need to do so again).

Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe.

You can download the mp3 for the latest episode directly from here.

Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here:

listen to ‘Episode 40 - Strivers vs Skivers’ on Audioboo

If you are a political blogger and wish to be considered as a future guest please drop me an e-mail at markreckons@live.co.uk.

Any feedback welcomed in the comments below.


PS: A big thanks to Audioboo for hosting the podcast for us and especially to Audioboo's James O'Malley who has helped us out getting relaunched. James is also editor of The Pod Delusion podcast which is about "interesting things" and is well worth a listen too! We would also like to thank Kevin MacLeod from Incompetech.com for our funky new theme music which we hope you appreciate!

It's time for Nick Clegg to make the liberal case on drugs policy

The Mail on Sunday yesterday reported that the Home Affairs Select Committee report into drugs policy, reporting this morning is going to recommend that the option of legalisation should be seriously considered and a Royal Commission should be set up to report on the issue prior to the 2015 general election.

As readers of this blog will know I am a long standing supporter of liberalisation of our drug laws. So this report is a breath of fresh air as far as I am concerned. A sensible pragmatic look at the problems with current policy and an attempt to suggest steps that could help.

Right on cue, the government has already given its initial response and completely unsurprisingly they are making it clear they do not intend to do what the report suggests, before it has even been published. A government spokesperson said:

"Drugs are illegal because they are harmful - they destroy lives and blight communities. Our current laws draw on the best available evidence and as such we have no intention of downgrading or declassifying cannabis. A Royal Commission on drugs is simply not necessary. Our cross-government approach is working."

This is the same line that is trotted out by current ministers every time anybody: former ministers, senior business leaders, scientific advisers etc. try to advance this debate beyond the heavily constricted terms imposed by the government of the day. No matter what evidence is put in front of them they respond instantly to shut down further discussion.

However, this time we know that there is someone very senior in government who does not agree with this knee-jerk dismissal response. It is the second most senior minister of them all, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. We know this because back in September I interviewed him and one of the questions I asked him was on drugs policy. You can read the full interview here but the salient part of it is below:

"...there are an increasing number of bodies who are revisiting this debate in the round. So for instance the Home Affairs Select Committee has been looking at this now for a long time and I think is due to report in December. I will be reading that very, very closely indeed. If a cross-party select committee revisits some of these issues and urges us to open them up as a government, I think the onus is on us, not them to explain why we shouldn’t. Because every time people look at this issue on a cross-party basis in a considered fashion, it seems to me over several years now including in the committee that David Cameron once sat, actually the advice is for radical action towards a more evidence based approach. I will look out for what the HASC has with quite an open mind."

The onus is now on Nick Clegg to make the case for a liberal approach to drugs policy. It was clear from the interview that he is very open to discussion about alternative approaches. This report now gives him the political space to do this. It's not a loony fringe view from some political outsiders but a clear call for a sensible approach from a committee consisting of MPs from all parties who have taken the time to look at the evidence and speak to a broad cross-section of witnesses on this subject.

Mr Clegg also told me that he hadn't discussed this particular issue with the Prime Minister. I very much hope that will change today and he will make clear that the HASC report has the full backing of him and his party.


This piece has been cross-posted today on Liberal Democrat Voice.

Linkage for Wednesday, 5th December 2012

Why Osborne is wrong to reject property tax reform

AI boffins take on Angry Birds • The Register

Leveson and politics: the danger of backing the wrong horse | Media | The Guardian

Cicero's Songs: Making the same mistake twice

Stoned Again: Jacqui Smith on the decision to re-classify cannabis | Radio Times

"The press sound like a recalcitrant abusive alcoholic begging his wife in hospital not to press charges."

"PM was forced into creating Leveson because of his closeness to press + rejects its conclusions for very same reason"

Nick Clegg is changing the way the government works » Spectator Blogs

Google's Drive + Gmail: A 10GB Dropbox killer • The Register

The QandA: Samuel Arbesman: The half-life of facts | The Economist

UKIP is not a libertarian party - Spectator Blogs

Dear RIAA: Pirates Buy More. Full Stop. Deal With It. | Techdirt

Stumbling and Mumbling: On social change

Why Lynton Crosby's appointment spells trouble for Labour

It looks liberating, empowering. It is the siren lure of opposition.

Fascinating article 25 years on on the failure of OS/2

Liberal England: On the Buses explains the Jimmy Savile era

House of Comments - Episode 39 - Crossing the Rubicon

Episode 39 of the House of Comments podcast "Crossing the Rubicon" was recorded yesterday evening and is out today. This week myself and Emma Burnell were joined by libertarian blogger Mark Wallace to discuss the Leveson report and political reaction to it, the recent by-elections especially with respect to the UKIP surge and what we would like to see in the Chancellor's pre-budget statement this week.

You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here (note - this is a new feed so if you used to subscribe to the old feed a couple of years ago you'll need to do so again).

Other podcasting software e.g. for Android can be pointed here to subscribe.

You can download the mp3 for the latest episode directly from here.

Or you can listen to the embedded episode below here:

listen to ‘Episode 39 - Crossing the Rubicon’ on Audioboo

If you are a political blogger and wish to be considered as a future guest please drop me an e-mail at markreckons@live.co.uk.

Any feedback welcomed in the comments below.


PS: A big thanks to Audioboo for hosting the podcast for us and especially to Audioboo's James O'Malley who has helped us out getting relaunched. James is also editor of The Pod Delusion podcast which is about "interesting things" and is well worth a listen too!