Internet Regulation: Think of the Children!

New Labour seems to be serious about starting to regulate the net more generally rather than in specific cases where real or imagined criminal activity is an issue. The latest idea is an enforced age labelling of websites. As usual, a need to protect the children is at the forefront of justifying government interference. For once, I think the welfare of our children is a genuinely relevant issue, though not in the way that the government has in mind.

The age rating proposed may not sound much like an exercise in censorship

Brown, Cameron and Ricardian Equivalence

Are Brown’s German critics and Cameron misguided in criticising the current borrowing binge? Edmund Conway seems to think so. He recently wrote in the telegraph that this is the right time for a fiscal expansion and that the problem of Ricardian equivalence [1] can be counteracted by carefully planned spending cuts in the near future.
This sounds reasonable in general and the present crisis creates exactly the kind of situation where a fiscal stimulus would normally be advocated.

A Clip from No2ID

No news from the Kraut today, just a short anti ID card clip: Take Jane

Good news on the DNA database?

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the UK authorities violate human rights by permanently keeping DNA records of anyone the police get their hands on. This is good news on the face of it and the fact that Jackie Smith is complaining about it seems to confirm this. On the other hand, she also stated that “The existing law will remain in place while we carefully consider the judgement.”

‘Carefully considering the judgement’ probably means

Loose Change: a promising form of civil disobedience

The telegraph reports that a 63 year old woman from Kent was issued with a parking fine because her pay and display ticket did not stick to the windscreen. That apparently was due to the quality of the pay and display ticket rather than her willingness to pay. Being understandably annoyed over the fine and the council’s failure to see reason, our bureaucracy victim then decided to pay the fine (£80) using pennies only.

Nice idea. Things will really get interesting if Richard Branson decides to pay his taxes that way…

An End to Censorship in Canada?

If Ezra Levant’s blog is anything to go by, the days of ‘section 13’, which allows Canada’s human rights commissions to act as censors, should be numbered. The only downside is that Levant’s supply of eloquent statements in defence of free speech may dry up. In anticipation of this, here is another gem (from the Michael Coren show):

Barroso: UK may join Euro soon

The BBC featured an article on its front page this morning -although it didn’t stay there for long- in which Barroso was quoted as saying that senior UK politicians were warming towards Euro membership. The article contained the following priceless quote:
“I know that the majority in Britain are still opposed, but there is a period of consideration under way and the people who matter in Britain are currently thinking about it,” (Source)

That is one way of saying that the majority are no longer the people who matter in Britain. Barroso also