[Mongoose]

Clearly too many people have been listening to this on loop.

[headdie]

Clearly too many people have been listening to this on loop.

Old school, though it was going to be Kaiser Chiefs

[Snail]

Summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street....

[Flipside]

Libya are trying to play the card of 'The English government must go!', whilst Iran are urging the UK not to be so violent to the protestors...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14471921

Ironic how they don't mention the difference in the number of state-created casualties from the rioting and protests in the UK...

[Snail]

Reminds me of the time I saw Press TV (Iran state television) talking about the Ian Tomlinson controversy during the Iran riots.

[Unknown Target]

...and here comes the overreaction?

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/08/11/247595/Government-will-crack-down-on-rioters-using-social-media-says-PM-David.htm

"Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. So we are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."

Government banning of individuals from websites? Cutting people off from popular forms of communication?
Imagine if instead of banning people from using Twitter or Facebook, they were banning them from using phones or the internet altogether? Would we act differently?

What do you folks think?

[headdie]

...and here comes the overreaction?

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/08/11/247595/Government-will-crack-down-on-rioters-using-social-media-says-PM-David.htm

"Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. So we are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."

Government banning of individuals from websites? Cutting people off from popular forms of communication?
Imagine if instead of banning people from using Twitter or Facebook, they were banning them from using phones or the internet altogether? Would we act differently?

What do you folks think?

atm it is just talk.  I can certainly see powers to allow greater monitoring in UK based networks, though the fact that many social networking sites are US based will scupper attempts outside our borders.  But yes it reads like all the scary parts of China's attitude to international communications.

[JCDNWarrior]

Order out of chaos. Let the protests get out of hand, till people ask or beg for more protection, then bring in the solution, more police state measures.

[peterv]

...and here comes the overreaction?

http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/08/11/247595/Government-will-crack-down-on-rioters-using-social-media-says-PM-David.htm

"Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. So we are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."

Government banning of individuals from websites? Cutting people off from popular forms of communication?
Imagine if instead of banning people from using Twitter or Facebook, they were banning them from using phones or the internet altogether? Would we act differently?

What do you folks think?

Less democracy for better security!   

[karajorma]

I actually did point out to my friends that the police might be deliberately allowing the riots in order to make sure that the worst troublemakers are in jail during the Olympics!

[Unknown Target]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/08/race-citizenship-and-uk-riots-has-david-cameron-gone-too-far/41247/

"Currently, with the support of Prime Minister David Cameron, plans are underway to cut benefits and evict even the families of rioters and looters from their homes, the Guardian reports. "

Want to have a politically expedient way of reducing social welfare? Make a universal bad guy out of people involved in the riots.

The article also goes into how race is playing a role both in the riots and in the handling of them.

[headdie]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/08/race-citizenship-and-uk-riots-has-david-cameron-gone-too-far/41247/

"Currently, with the support of Prime Minister David Cameron, plans are underway to cut benefits and evict even the families of rioters and looters from their homes, the Guardian reports. "

Want to have a politically expedient way of reducing social welfare? Make a universal bad guy out of people involved in the riots.

The article also goes into how race is playing a role both in the riots and in the handling of them.

The political outcome was always going to be messy, and where people were significantly involved this is an avenue that should be explored, certainly sanctioning offenders, though perhaps not fully cutting benefits, it also needs to be moderated with factors like judicial sentences imposed.  As for eviction from housing, it should not be used unless goods stolen were being stored there certainly the tenants of social housing as per their terms of tenancy not to use the house for illegal activities it should be considered.

[Flipside]

Plans aren't underway, their was an online petition thing that reached the required number of votes for it to be discussed in parliament is all. It will be discussed, but ministers have made it quite clear that courts will have the final say.

Whilst it is true that some rioters have been issued eviction notices, this comes under a completely different social housing clause that the people signed before they recieved the housing. Basically, if a family is moved onto a housing estate and members of that family have criminal records already, they sign an agreement stating that they accept that their keeping the housing relies entirely on them maintaining the peace.

As for benefit cuts, it's a silly idea for two reasons, first it assume that everyone who looted was on benefits, secondly, all it would do is create excuses for more theft. I could understand them losing a small fraction per payment to go towards compensation, however, that system is already in place for criminals who recieve benefits.