MY CURRENT AFFAIRS HAVE MOVED

Until further notice my current affairs posts have moved to Beyond the Blog. This site can be accessed by the link at the top of the sidebar. So whether your interest is politics, media, conflict, environment, crime, health or world affairs, Beyond the Blog is now the place to go.
In addition to current affairs, Beyond the Blog already has hundreds of posts, including fiction, poetry and culture and mystery essays. Plus the pages deal with all the above subjects, plus history, philosophy, religion and more.
The plan is to now use this blog for my more in-depth series on specific subjects, as already begun with my now completed series on Racism, and the work in progress on the history of Britain. So remember, for my current affairs, Beyond the Blog is now the place to go - accessed from top of sidebar.

Anthony North

CCTV FAILURES

They cover British streets like a pox. Wherever you look, you’ll spy one, spying you. On a typical day you can be spied on up to 300 times. Yes, those damned CCTV cameras. And now, it seems, the con is out.

The Police recently announced that just 3% of London’s street robberies are solved using CCTV. Placed under the premise of law and order, the reality has turned out to be very different.

So why do we have them? Well, the scare tactic allowed us to let it happen. But as to why, that’s easy. It makes us comfortable with the idea of a controlling surveillance society. And once comfortable, other measures soon follow.

I guess someone should tell this government Orwell’s 1984 is a novel, not a manual.

© Anthony North, May 2008

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COMPUTER BUGS

Which? Computer magazine has done a study which has found a variety of bugs on computer equipment such as the keyboard. These include e coli. And in a way, this is hardly surprising.

Our hands get everywhere, and it is just about impossible to keep them totally clean all of the time. So we will transfer all sorts from one surface to another. But should we be unduly worried by this?

The simple fact is, people will have been transferring a variety of diseases from place to place for as long as we have existed. We haven’t been wiped out yet. Yes, common sense measures go without saying, but let’s not treat this as a truly horrendous scare story.

To do so just doesn’t compute.

© Anthony North, May 2008

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FLOOD

Flood was an excellent TV drama on ITV1 – UK – over the last two nights. Telling the story of a storm surge in the North Sea meeting high tide, the Thames Flood Barrier was overwhelmed, flooding central London.

With an edge of realism – it really could happen – it told the story of some caught in the flood, and that of the authorities trying to save as many lives as possible. It was the first time I’ve known UK TV try such an impressive drama, and CGI was used well, providing some excellent effects.

But more than this, with actors of the stature of Robert Carlyle, Tom Courtenay, David Suchet, Nigel Planer and Joanne Whalley, the human side was equally magnificent. If I had a criticism, it was this:

Why is it that no writer has ever managed to move away from the standard plot of the disaster drama?

© Anthony North, May 2008

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APOLOGETIC BROWN?

The ‘esteemed leader’ of the UK, Gordon Brownski, has accepted blame for the trashing of Labour in the recent local elections. Well, wasn’t that good of him? No, not really. He’s still there.

I knew he would be. I knew he wouldn’t even think of resigning. I knew he wouldn’t because he has an absolute conviction that he is right. At the moment, he is simply misunderstood.

So get your act together, British public. Here is a man in charge of a democratic country who has never received the popular endorsement of his country, and he not only thinks, but absolutely knows, that he is right, and you are thick.

You normally get such attitudes in the leader of a banana republic.

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

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NEW LABOUR TRASHED

It was a nice day yesterday. The results of the UK local elections were in and NuLabour has been totally trashed – their worse result for 40 years. And if this had been a General Election, the Conservatives would have had a massive majority.

Of course, I don’t want a General Election yet. An economic downturn is coming, so let Labour weather the storm, rather than tarnish the Tories by taking over now. Suffice to know they are finished.

Even in London, Boris Johnson toppled Red Ken to become Mayor. And of course, the Tories won’t be a great deal better, but this I know. Since 1997, NuLabour has torn the heart out of Britain, trashing everything it stands for.

At last there are signs that this traitorous bunch of conmen are finished.

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

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BABY POO

Looking after babies can be a full time affair. I know, I’m the father of seven children, mostly grown up now. And it was inevitable that, once disposable nappies came on the market, they’d catch on.

My wife never used them, relying on the terry nappies. And it seems they are now beginning to catch on once more. Increasingly, mothers are changing, as they realize they are better for the environment.

It will be interesting to watch the reaction of Big Biz. Soon they will be announcing that the carbon footprint of washing them is just as destructive for the planet. And once that fails, you can guarantee there’ll be a new revolution of disposable terry nappies.

Then they’ll congratulate themselves on being green. But really it’s brown.

(c) Anthony North, May 2008

Click Beyond the Blog (top sidebar) for my essays, fiction, poetry