Highlights
Count Binface and electoral theatre
Don’t be a costumed loon — It’s trivially easy to stand for Parliament in the UK. Any loon can do so. You need ten electors to nominate you and £500 for a deposit – and it’s actually been getting easier. The deposit was introduced in 1918 (£150 – quite a lot of money then). Before […]
I hate this
But does it matter? — I don’t usually say that sort of thing here. I try to be more measured, less personal. I’m talking about the police face recognition vans obviously. This might not surprise you: I mean that I don’t like them. I’m an old git after all, a man who’s written here before […]
Where is my patriotism?
Come, love of country, fill my heart… — I do love Britain. I guess I love England more. London most of all. I hope that in my life I’ve honoured the place I live and not disgraced it or undermined it (I support England and GB in sporting events – I fly a little flag […]
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Why should I bother?
Bill Thompson, the
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Code is law, pictures are rubbish
I put up a few pictures from yesterday’s Oxford conference, The Politics of Code. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try some words.
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Need a decent Lighting pun here
Jane Lighting has won the top job at Channel 5. Story from The Guardian. I’m making a serious attempt to link to newspapers other than The Guardian for media stories…
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Top-slicing
Charles Allen, Chairman of Granada, tells the Royal Television Society that the BBC should be required to hand over 10% of its licence fee revenue to fund public service output…
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Proles vs Toffs
I’ve spent a fascinating day in Oxford at the Politics of Code conference, featuring the estimable Larry Lessig, Esther Dyson et al – and a lot of old friends. It’s…
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BBC Charter big guns
The Guardian confirms that the BBC has responded quickly and seriously to Tessa Jowell’s announcement that Charter renewal won’t be a cake walk. They’ve rolled out two top executives to…
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Barry Cox on the future of the BBC
Barry Cox’s second Oxford University lecture on the future of television, reprinted in
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Bridge fanatic
Another beautiful day in Soho. To Blacks in Dean Street for lunch with John Wilmott. John founded – with his brother Eamonn – Internet Publishing which became Online Magic and,…
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Got little kids?
Throwing out the self-promotional boom a bit further today – to take in my wife Juliet’s latest column at Tigerchild. Juliet’s been writing her funny and frank weekly accounts of…
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The manned space programme and human vanity
Those who doubt that we should continue sending people into space have a point – but only in the short term. As soon as you stretch the time scale out…