Author: Anthony

Human rights in Delaware

The ever-excellent slacktivist discusses the public response to a prison scandal in Delaware (summary of response: they were in prison, they deserved what they got). Slacktivist comments:

The attitude expressed in such letters is as popular as it is morally repugnant. This popularity is both dismaying and baffling. Letters like this express contempt for the Constitution as though such contempt were patriotic — as though the Bill of Rights were some kind of threat to the American way of life.

It’s not just in Delaware. The Cornerstone group (traditionalist Tories) have put out their platform, which includes not merely the repeal of the Human Rights Act, but also withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights. Because, of course, this human rights nonsense is just the invention of liberal elitist New Labour types, right?

People versus Mandarins

Simon Parker comments on democratisation, and whether there is a need for a mandarinate any more. On a related note, interested readers of this blog shouldn’t forget the meetup on Wednesday – first meeting of the London and Brighton Democracy group, at the Mitre, off Hatton Garden. Details through the last link.

Canaries devour Seagulls

To Withdean for Brighton v Norwich, without great hopes of winning. Unfortunately, we fail to turn up for the first half, and go in 0-2 down. The second half is much better, though, and we peg them back to 1-2 before they score a third and finish the game off in about the 80th minute.

Peter Hitchens – intellectual acrobat

Right wing buffoon Peter Hitchens is on Newsnight on the topic of capital punishment. He has been talking for perhaps 4 minutes in all, and his arguments have been, in chronological order:

1. Capital punishment is humane and cheap, and therefore should be introduced for murder.

2. The Government aren’t really tough on crime, and won’t introduce the death penalty.

3. Even though the Government has put in new and draconian sentencing laws, they don’t really mean it.

4. The Government shouldn’t have anything to do with sentencing, they should leave it to the judges.

5. The Government is authoritarian and just wants to tell us what to do.

6. The Government might introduce the death penalty for crimes other than murder, and that would be very bad.

So, meet Peter Hitchens, the anti-death penalty supporter of capital punishment, who wants the Government to get tough with criminals as long as it doesn’t, and wants to interfere with sentencing powers without interfering with judges’ discretion. Is it any wonder the Mail is a byword for intellectual honesty and clarity?

Very intelligent design

The New Yorker riffs on “intelligent design”:

And the Lord God said, “Let there be light,” and lo, there was light. But then the Lord God said, “Wait, what if I make it a sort of rosy, sunset-at-the-beach, filtered half-light, so that everything else I design will look younger?”

“I’m loving that,” said Buddha. “It’s new.”

“You should design a restaurant,” added Allah.

Southern advert

Southern have started running a new TV ad (3Mb mpeg) about the benefits of commuting by their trains. It’s not too bad – though the slogan following your train of thought is dire.

I expect the advert’s glossy presentation will get a few bitter chuckles from regular commuters, but it does show off one of the really great advances in commuting in recent years – the new trains, with proper seats and tables. The first summer I lived in Wadhurst, the old slam-door trains were still running, and were unbelievably hot and stuffy. Now, I can work on the train, read the paper without assaulting the person sitting next to me, or even doze in a not-completely vertical position.