Censoring Inflammatory YouTubes
The ‘Innocence of Muslims’ nonsense also raises the questions on the other side of the controversy: should the American filmmakers have published the video? Should they have been are allowed to upload...
View ArticleThe Role of Citizen Does Not End With Your Vote
President Brack Obama celebrates with Michelle Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and Jill Biden, in Chicago after winning re-election. (AFP) Congratulations President Obama, re-elected. Its a relief...
View ArticleThe Inconsistency of the #RoyalBaby Curmugeons
http://twitter.com/robertsharp59/status/275632654727122944 The Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant, and my Twitter timeline and Facebook wall have immediately been filled with curmudgeons complaining...
View ArticleHow the BBC's 'Gotcha' questions hurt democracy
Did anyone hear the BBC Today interview with UKIP leader Nigel Farage this morning? I was tearing my hair out at the inanity of it all. Presenter John Humphrys repeatedly asked Farage whether he wanted...
View ArticleCourtstagram
Here is a photo of imprisoned Azerbaijani editor Avaz Zeynalli at his verdict hearing yesterday morning in Baku, Azerbaijan.The photo was taken by his wife, Melahet Qisuri Zeynallı (via Rebecca...
View Article"A looming democratic deficit"?
The folk at the brilliant OurKingdom blog commissioned a piece from me on the next steps for Libel Reform. The crucial issue: During the Parliamentary debates, the Government flatly rejected proposals...
View ArticleThoughts on Syria
I have yet to post anything on Syria, and what the international response should be to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons. This omission is mainly because I was away when the House of Commons...
View ArticleModern Transcripts with SayIt
Readers of this blog will know how irritated I get with the quality of parliamentary and government papers online. Transcripts and other documentation are frequently uploaded as PDFs, as if the only...
View ArticleIs this the birth of the British Tea Party?
In recent years, America has been blighted by the rise of an extreme and uncompromising strain of political conservatism. ‘Tea Party’ groups attack moderates within the Republican party, forcing...
View ArticleIf you abdicate, that should be game over for the monarchy
King Juan Carlos is to abdicate. I love this simple poster design, campaigning for a referendum on the future of the monarchy. The abdication reminds me of the point I made in last week’s post about MP...
View ArticleThe Leveson Report (As It Should Be)
Its about time I publicised a project I’ve been working on in my spare time: The Leveson Report (As It Should Be). No, this isn’t a rewrite of the report where I change all Sir Brian’s recommendations...
View ArticleDebunking the myth that MPs are lazy and selfish
On the Spectator blog, Isabel Hardman does a fantastic job in exposing a particular internet meme as a straightforward lie. You probably know the message in question. It’s the one that has two...
View Article#Periscope needs a ‘handover’ function
I’m really enjoying Periscope, the new app from Twitter that allows live broadcasts direct from your phone. It was launched very soon after its rival Meerkat and has, I think, better sharing and...
View ArticleNo-one In The Labour Party Has Staged A ‘Coup’
The worrying news from Turkey has made me think about the way in which the recent political machinations within the British Labour Party have been described (usually by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn) as...
View ArticleFree Speech and Democratic ‘Buy In’
Last month I was privileged enough to participate in the annual House of Lords Chamber Debate. It’s the one time during the year when people who are not members of the House of Lords are allowed to...
View ArticlePeople Are Sharing This UK Supreme Court Judgment And It’s Democratic AF
The United Kingdom Supreme Court today handed down its judgment in the case of R (UNISON) v Lord Chancellor – a case about the charging of Employment Tribunal Fees. The court ruled that the way the...
View ArticleAmerican Tribalism
By chance, I heard Andrew Sullivan’s radio essay about Donald Trump and tribalism in America on BBC Radio 4 yesterday evening. Following the shock presidential election result last year, I had heard...
View ArticleReview: THE ELECTION (ITV)
2nd May 2019 The chattering classes just love to compare the low turnouts at local and general elections, with the fact that people actually choose to pay money to vote for reality TV contestants. So...
View ArticleTwo Conceptions of Free Speech in Ancient Athens
I’m really enjoying ‘Clear and Present Danger: The Free Speech Podcast’ hosted by Jacob Mchangama. Its a comprehensive tour of the concept of freedom of expression. It begins in ancient Athens and...
View ArticleWhen the Myth of American Democracy Explodes
Listening to Carol Anderson talk about her book One Person, No Vote on the Ezra Klein Show podcast; about voter ID laws and other measures that actively prevent black people from voting; about...
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