Sean Gabb who runs the Libertarian Alliance is to give a talk at the Oxford Union.  His case is that it isn’t so much that the government needs a police state in order to protect us against international terrorism.  Rather, he believes, that the government needs the international terrorism in order to continue establishing a police state. Dr Robert Lefever

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FeedBurner's email service began delivering updates in April, 2006. The launch was just weeks after scientists determined email and feeds could be safely combined in a laboratory setting. Our public service has since delivered millions of messages on behalf of thousands of publishers, making sure that publishers who want to get the word out can reach the broadest audience possible — inc...

From Manchester Evening News THE DEAN of Manchester Cathedral has condemned the British National Party after the extremists picketed a service at Manchester Cathedral on Sunday. Members of the far right wing group - whose followers have been branded ‘Nazi thugs’ by political leaders - gathered outside the cathedral on Sunday with loudhailers, playing tunes like ‘Rule

Somebody called Pete left this comment, rather irrelevantly (but never mind), on this posting: Hi Just wondered what you thought of this attack on a billion monkeys… Section 76 Of The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 From tomorrow section 76 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 comes into force. Under the law anybody taking a photograph of a current or former member of the police, armed service or securi...

Just a reminder that the remaining Committee stages of the dredful Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008, being debated in the House of Lords today, still contain plenty of things which should not be allowed onto the statute book. e.g. The Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008 83 Offences relating to information about members of armed forces etc. (1) After section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (c. 11) (collection of i...

A single picture can speak a thousand words. At his public unveiling as the new Metropolitan police commissioner this week, Paul Stephenson appeared before waiting reporters, uncomfortably sandwiched between Jacqui Smith and Boris Johnson. Sir Paul takes on one of the toughest roles in public service, not simply because of London's challenges of knife crime, terrorism and Olympic security, bu...

It seems that a majority of CBI members polled support the proposed congestion charge in Manchester, according to this Manchester Online report.I've often wondered what motivates the CBI, apart from cash, and this makes me wonder even more. Yet again motorists will be shafted in order to subsidise public transport. If you want to use public transport then you pay for it, don't expect me ...

Over at Centre Right Graeme Archer has posted a practical set of proposals for reform of the police (hat-tip Sunny): All police officers at public demonstration must keep their ID visible at all times. No police officers at public events should ever be dressed like a terrorist thug. No balaclavas. Such dress is ridiculous when the officers concerned are upholding public order, not carrying out sur...

With massive pressure on the government, and on Jacqui Smith in particular, I can tell you what will happen next. The government will play the terrorism card, just as it did last weekend. The Great Manchester Easter Bomb Plot was a bit of a damp squib. It is only a week ago, but it seems an age, since Gordon Brown told us he had foiled "a very big terror plot" and we had dramatic police swoops and...