by matttbastard Mary Riddell: London’s riots are not the Tupperware troubles of Greece or Spain, where the middle classes lash out against their day of reckoning. They are the proof that a section of young Britain – the stabbers, shooters, … Continue reading →
Tag: UK
Nunc Scio: Tomorrow you’re homeless, tonight it’s a blast
In 1982, the Dead Kennedys released the song “Riot“. If there is such a thing as a ‘public rage’ sub-genre, this track represents its creative peak (other notable entries: The Clash’s “Guns of Brixton” and Sublime’s “April 29, 1992 (Miami)“). Among Riot’s more timeless observations is the basic irony of the unrest we’re seeing in […]
Continue readingDeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science: Could News Corp. Double Agent Neil Wallis Be Behind Climategate Hacking?
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As if this week’s Rupert Murdoch Phone-Hacking Scandal wasn’t enough, it now appears that the University of East Anglia CRU email hacking scandal (a.k.a. Climategate) might …
Continue readingThe Skwib: Weather forecast for the UK
A lot of systems moving to the south in the United Kingdom these days.
Alltop enjoys moving south.
Law is Cool: The monarchy in Canada
The recent royal visit offers a good chance to talk about monarchy in Canada. Besides just being nice Canadians, the people who greeted the newly married royal couple were often ecstatic, filled with genuine love for the two people, one of which has done nothing of significance while the other has never been heard of […]
Blunt Objects: News of the World – You Shan’t Be Missed
Today saw the end of a century-and-two-thirds old British tabloid known as News of the World, publishing its very last issue with the sad spectacle of a headline, “Thank You & Goodbye.”If you haven’t followed the story of NotW, don’t hold it agains…
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Middle powers, Great Powers, and incentives in war
Many, but certainly not all, US led military campaigns share a common element: a widespread international coalition that supports and participates in the campaigns. We will see that it is two motivations – the need for legitimacy among the leaders an…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science: UK Opposed to Europe’s Tar Sands Import Ban
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While most European countries are working on a proposal that would effectively ban the use of Canadian tar sands in the European Union, the United Kingdom has made it clear that the…
Continue readingPop The Stack: Hobbits for Electoral Reform
Dear Wise Races of the United Kingdom of Middle Earth, Please forgive a humble Hobbit for bothering you but I just wanted to write about an urgent matter of democracy. Here in Hobbiton we have just had a Shire-wide election. Let’s just say that I’m fairly miffed about the results.
Continue readingStop Canadian Complicity in Torture: Stop Canadian Complicity in Torture 2011-03-04 00:49:00
Former Head of MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, off-the-record speech ends up on YouTube – March 2, 2011 RAWREPLAY – March 3, 2011 – By Stephen C. Webster http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/03/former-mi6-chief-credits-wikileaks-with-revolutions/
Continue readingPop The Stack: Go to the Dance
I’ve got an analogy for the Conservtive party’s stance over the possibility of a coalition. They’re just clever bullies, and they should be treated appropriately. Think back to high school. Lets say there’s this bully who likes the same girl (or guy) as you. They don’t want you to go to the dance because you’ll […]
Les nouveaux monstres
“Mine is the first generation able to contemplate the possibility that we may live our entire lives without going to war or sending our children to war.”
So he went about changing that.
World Headlines Review: British Ethics: A Dark Comedy
North Sea Oil Drilling by crawfish head Yesterday, January 6th 2011, the UK Parliamentary committee appointed to look into whether the government should enact a moratorium on deep-water drilling in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico-BP oil disaster, has ruled out the need for a halt to new projects
Continue readingWorld Headlines Review: Russia, Violence and Protest: What it is and what it is not
Reports and video footage of violent demonstration and criminality by ultra-nationalist and racist organisations in Russia this week are forming an interesting juxtaposition to recent political protests in the West. If one is interested in what ‘violent thuggery’ actually looks like, witness this week’s outburst of unrest in Moscow: Rampaging
Continue readingWorld Headlines Review: Riots and Disparity: Rome, London and Toronto
International headlines in the last two weeks have reported a massive amount of social unrest and unsettling news across the developed world, including riots and economic data which on the surface may appear discordant and unrelated, but are united as part of larger political and economic trends. Fees Protest, by
Continue readingbastard.logic: Cameron Tories Quietly Castigate Single Mothers: J.K. Rowling Brings Teh Pwn
by matttbastard A kinder, gentler Conservative Party (UK)? That’s certainly the image Conservative leader David Cameron has been desperate to project ever since he took the reigns of the so-called ’nasty party’. But Harry Potter impresario (and single parent) J.K. Rowling isn’t buying the … Continue reading →
Pop The Stack: The Simplest Argument for Electoral Reform
Take a look at this simple and clear article on Democractic Reform from Fair Vote Canada. This is what Canadians need, a clear argument why our democracy is broken. There are some great basic arguments here that anyone interested in fixing our democracy should be repeating over and over to everyone they talk to about […]