Category Archives: Politics

Human Rights Under Attack Again

Posted on 25 January 2012 by Robert

Plenty of Sharp-bait in the media this morning. David Cameron will give a speech today criticising the European Court of Human Rights, for going against the laws and judicial decisions of Council of Europe countries. I’ve argued before, in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

On Diane Abbott’s Racism

Posted on 5 January 2012 by Robert

Labour MP Diane Abbott is in hot water, after some racist remarks on twitter: White people love their divide and rule. We should not play their game. #tacticasoldascolonialism This has prompted a predictable backlash, with Tory and Lib Dem MPs … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Early Morning at #OccupyLSX

Posted on 24 December 2011 by Robert

I have been meaning to visit the Occupy London protest camp at St Paul’s Cathedral since it appeared in October. Yesterday morning I went via St Paul’s on my way to work and shot a few slices of video of … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer Rights, Globalisation, London | Leave a comment

Speaking Ill of the Dead

Posted on 23 December 2011 by Robert

Following the death of Christopher Hitchens last weekend, there has been much discussion on how to speak of the dead, and whether you should criticise them while their family is still mourning.  Hitchens himself was famous for slagging off Mother … Continue reading →

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Gingrich, Bin Laden, and Issac Asimov

Posted on 19 December 2011 by Robert

Apparently, the megalomaniac tendencies that many perceive in Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich are inspired by Iassac Asimov: If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, Newt Gingrich is from the planet Trantor, a fictional world created by Isaac … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Politics, USA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Authors

Posted on 10 November 2011 by Robert

Compare how two authors deal with book reviews that they believe to be defamatory. Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Law and Order | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Good News on Primogeniture, But Sexism Still Persists

Posted on 28 October 2011 by Robert

Good news from the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Perth – the Royal succession rules will be changed to end the male primogeniture rule. Not before time. I’ve argued previously, on several occasions, that the existing law enshrined sexism … Continue reading →

Posted in Monarchy | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Wrestling with Fighting Talk

Posted on 30 August 2011 by Robert

My inaugral post on Labour List (cross-posted here) elicited a few responses which highlight some subtlties in the ongoing discussion around the limits of free speech – specifically, the point at which it is appropriate for the state to ban … Continue reading →

Posted in Debate, London, Politics | 4 Comments

Putting the Power of Censorship in the Hands of the Mob

Posted on 26 August 2011 by Robert

Cameron’s suggestion that we censor social media, and the Labour call for the banning of this EDL event, will hamstring the fight for free expression elsewhere: “You do it, so why shouldn’t we?” Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Law and Order, London, New Labour, Political Correctness | Leave a comment

Debating Breivik’s Manifesto

Posted on 5 August 2011 by Robert

The audio of my appearance on UCB Radio Continue reading →

Posted in Debate, Human Rights, Media | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment