... when politicians are lying? Their lips move!
It's an old joke, but during the recent bitterly fought campaigns for and against Britain remaining in the European Union, many so-called honourable members may have inadvertently done their worst to make it true.
My friend Graham Hutton thinks that politicians should be held to the same standards of honesty as company directors - who can be disqualified for five years if caught knowingly misleading the public. If you agree, please sign Graham's e-petition on the UK Parliament web site!
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Friday, 15 July 2016
Monday, 4 July 2016
Mark Twain quote - ring any bells?
When the doctrine of allegiance to party can utterly up-end a man's moral constitution and make a temporary fool of him besides, what excuse are you going to offer for preaching it, teaching it, extending it, perpetuating it? Shall you say, the best good of the country demands allegiance to party? Shall you also say it demands that a man kick his truth and his conscience into the gutter, and become a mouthing lunatic, besides?
[from: "Consistency", paper read at the Hartford Monday Evening Club on 5 December 1887. See WikiQuote]
Saturday, 14 February 2015
The end of FM Radio?
A matter which concerns me greatly at the moment is the impending switch from FM to DAB radio, which could happen in the UK as soon as 2016. In 2013, communications minister Ed Vaizey announced a postponement of the digital switchover to "after 2015", following public pressure.
Manufacturers of broadcast and receiving equipment are naturally keen to sell lots of shiny new kit. Ironically, there are technically superior alternatives to DAB already available. The technology is over 20 years old and was superseded by the incompatible DAB+ system in 2007. Canada has already abandoned DAB entirely. Here are some of the things wrong with it:
It was bad enough when analogue TV ended, but at least the digital alternative was of better quality and there were add-on Freeview receivers available at a reasonably low price to adapt existing equipment.
If there's a technology that is really superior to FM radio, it should succeed on its own merits in the marketplace and not by regulation. Let's put more pressure on the government to postpone the FM switch-off indefinitely. I cannot find any on-line campaigns or petitions currently running to keep FM radio, but it could become an issue in the May 2015 UK General Election if enough of us raise the subject.
Manufacturers of broadcast and receiving equipment are naturally keen to sell lots of shiny new kit. Ironically, there are technically superior alternatives to DAB already available. The technology is over 20 years old and was superseded by the incompatible DAB+ system in 2007. Canada has already abandoned DAB entirely. Here are some of the things wrong with it:
- The level of coverage leaves a lot to be desired - currently it is thought that 9% of the country will not have adequate DAB reception by the end of 2016
- The quality of DAB leaves a lot to be desired. We have a couple of DAB radios in the house and usually leave them tuned to FM because the quality is better
- DAB is not suitable for reception in a moving car
- There is a random digitisation delay, meaning that the "pips" are not accurate enough to set a watch by. If you have radios in different rooms tuned to the same station, there's a ghastly "echo" effect because each radio has a different delay factor
It was bad enough when analogue TV ended, but at least the digital alternative was of better quality and there were add-on Freeview receivers available at a reasonably low price to adapt existing equipment.
If there's a technology that is really superior to FM radio, it should succeed on its own merits in the marketplace and not by regulation. Let's put more pressure on the government to postpone the FM switch-off indefinitely. I cannot find any on-line campaigns or petitions currently running to keep FM radio, but it could become an issue in the May 2015 UK General Election if enough of us raise the subject.
Friday, 17 January 2014
Carbon - the EU's chance to shine
I am really concerned that we may be causing irreversible and harmful climate change.
While there is no conclusive proof that humankind is behind global warming, the evidence against us is stacking up more and more heavily.
The planet has some amazing mechanisms for keeping the environment stable, such as soaking CO2 up in the oceans, but these are not infinitely flexible and we may be approaching a tipping point. As an illustration of this, consider a glass filled with water and ice cubes, standing in a warm room. The ice/water mixture stays at 0 degrees as the ice gradually turns to water, but once all the ice has melted the temperature rapidly rises.
While we have not proved that our wasteful use of fossil energy is causing global warming, there is ample evidence that using a lot less won't cause any harm and may in fact stimulate the economy. So it would be logical to reduce our emissions of both greenhouse gases and waste heat as quickly as possible.
More research is needed to identify renewable energy sources that are much more efficient and less environmentally damaging than wind turbines or biofuels. Better insulation and more efficient heating, manufacturing, agriculture and transport are also needed.
Right now, the President of the EU Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, is weighing a decision that could make or break our planet. His team have just days to pin down carbon emissions and renewable energy targets for Europe until 2030. It’s a very important deal that has been kept very quiet. Some EU countries, prompted by vested energy interests, are lobbying to set extremely unambitious targets. Barroso may opt to avoid a fight by playing it safe. He works in a bubble of politicians, officials and lobbyists, but he is very sensitive to what people think of him, especially now as he embarks on his last few months in the job and hopes to leave a shining legacy.
Avaaz is publishing an ad in the key Brussels paper today calling on Barroso to follow the science. If supported by tens of thousands of e-mail messages from across Europe, this could just jolt him out of the bubble. You can read the ad and send Barroso a message today that the the future of the world is in his hands.
While there is no conclusive proof that humankind is behind global warming, the evidence against us is stacking up more and more heavily.
The planet has some amazing mechanisms for keeping the environment stable, such as soaking CO2 up in the oceans, but these are not infinitely flexible and we may be approaching a tipping point. As an illustration of this, consider a glass filled with water and ice cubes, standing in a warm room. The ice/water mixture stays at 0 degrees as the ice gradually turns to water, but once all the ice has melted the temperature rapidly rises.
While we have not proved that our wasteful use of fossil energy is causing global warming, there is ample evidence that using a lot less won't cause any harm and may in fact stimulate the economy. So it would be logical to reduce our emissions of both greenhouse gases and waste heat as quickly as possible.
More research is needed to identify renewable energy sources that are much more efficient and less environmentally damaging than wind turbines or biofuels. Better insulation and more efficient heating, manufacturing, agriculture and transport are also needed.
Right now, the President of the EU Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, is weighing a decision that could make or break our planet. His team have just days to pin down carbon emissions and renewable energy targets for Europe until 2030. It’s a very important deal that has been kept very quiet. Some EU countries, prompted by vested energy interests, are lobbying to set extremely unambitious targets. Barroso may opt to avoid a fight by playing it safe. He works in a bubble of politicians, officials and lobbyists, but he is very sensitive to what people think of him, especially now as he embarks on his last few months in the job and hopes to leave a shining legacy.
Avaaz is publishing an ad in the key Brussels paper today calling on Barroso to follow the science. If supported by tens of thousands of e-mail messages from across Europe, this could just jolt him out of the bubble. You can read the ad and send Barroso a message today that the the future of the world is in his hands.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Inspiring the next generation of developers
Jason Gorman has published a thought-provoking opinion piece asking why schools are doing so little to promote IT as an enticing career option and to equip kids to take advantage of it. His analysis points to a lack of suitably qualified teachers (so what's new?) and a commensurate lack of ambition on the part of exam boards to make the syllabus industry-relevant.
Do get in touch with Jason to take part in a summit at Bletchley Park (where else?) on 25th August 2011 to identify practical measures that can be taken to improve this dire situation.
I think this is an issue the BCS should be addressing with all dispatch instead of tying itself in knots over some elusive ideal of making all IT practitioners professionally qualified. Some of the most proficient software practitioners I know have no professional qualifications at all.
Do get in touch with Jason to take part in a summit at Bletchley Park (where else?) on 25th August 2011 to identify practical measures that can be taken to improve this dire situation.
I think this is an issue the BCS should be addressing with all dispatch instead of tying itself in knots over some elusive ideal of making all IT practitioners professionally qualified. Some of the most proficient software practitioners I know have no professional qualifications at all.
Monday, 3 January 2011
We need to re-learn that it's OK to fail
While trying to find the answer to a festive season quiz, I stumbled across this blog post. Check out the "more fialures" (sic) section - it makes reassuringly heartening reading...
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Making Life Hell?
A friend, who I think is a Moslem, sent me the attached "quick and dirty" translation of an article in Milliyet by Semih I'diz. He asked for his name not to be published. My response is shown below.
They are Making Life Hell for Moslems
Semih I˙diz sidiz@milliyet.com.tr
Monday, 4 January 2010
First, a Nigerian madman called Ömer Faruk Abdulmuttalib is caught while trying to blow up an American passenger plane. After that, a young man from Somalia, whose name was not disclosed, tries to kill the danish cartoonist Kurt W Estergaard, who caused indignation in the moslem world with his Mohammed cartoons.
Then, life becomes unbearable again for the moslems in the west. There are increased signs that this is not a transitional but a permanent condition. The congregation leaders of millions of moslems living in the west remain spectators while their living space shrinks.
Basic reason is "cultural differences". The aforementioned congregation leaders cannot bring themselves to demonstrate the condemning stance that would satisfy the western public, although they live in the west and share the benefits of doing so.
They limit their reactions to a few "politically required" public statements. When they try to explain the situation by referring to Israel or to the US invasion of Iraq, they only increase the indignation felt against moslems.
We are talking about the psychology of the western society within which millions of moslems are living. The fact that people walking on the streets in the west are killed in the name of Islam cancels out the "explanatory arguments" of the moslem congregation leaders.
Under these circumstances, the "man on the street" in the west, who is not very sophisticated to start with, cannot see the difference between the few madmen misusing religion and the millions of moslems going after their business and who want to live without upsetting anyone.
To summarise, one cannot explain to a Dutch person the killling of Theo Van Gogh in the name of Islam, irrespective of what an unpleasant person he was. One cannot explain the knife-and-axe attack on Westergaard while he was sitting at home with his grandson, even if he was beginning to show extreme right-wing tendencies.
In the meanwhile, we can also see that the aggressive madmen we mentioned are providing the opportunity to the extreme Right in the west for developing its anti-moslem arguments. Indeed, after the attack on Westergaard, calls of "Throw out the moslems that do not adhere to our laws and customs" have immediately started in Denmark.
One also needs to see the minaret referendum in Switzerland in the same framework. Actually, Switzerland is one of the countries in Europe with the least of issues with its moslem minority. In spite of this, the terror being carried out in the world in the name of Islam has caused even the Swiss public to take an anti-moslem stance.
A study carried out recently by the "European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights" disclosed the negative developments in Europe regarding moslems. According to this study, if you are a moslem or you "look like a moslem", your chances of finding a job, moving to certain neighbourhoods or even moving freely within society is becoming increasingly difficult.
Some even see the plans for installing "naked body" scanners in European airports as a result of the attack of the Nigerian madman in the same framework. After a certain point, being naked is not such an issue for a western person. There will be many who will say "I accept it for security".
The situation among moslems is totally different due to the understanding of privacy as well as religious and cultural values. The covering up of women already shows the sensitivity there. According to some voices, once this equipment is in operation, moslems will give up travelling to the west or travelling outside the countries they live in the west.
Thus, the factors of security and control will increase. Those who do not accept these factors will "return to where they came from and remain there". This is the largest consequence from the deeds of the 9/11 criminals, the madmen from Somalia and Nigeria.
They do not contribute to improving the living conditions of moslems in the Gaza Strip or Iraq. Just the opposite, either consciously or intentionally, they play into the hands of the extreme-rightists in Europe, such as Geert Wilders.
To put it in a nutshell, they bring about the conditions for making life hell for moslems in the west.
Hi xxxxx,
Thanks for the article. Thought-provoking reading first thing in the morning! I will think carefully about forwarding it. I think that particularly the point about the full-body scanners at airports (and major rail stations as well, quite possibly - did you know about that?) is well made. I hadn't previously considered their likely impact on members of certain religions, though I don't feel particularly comfortable myself even being "patted down" and wouldn't relish the thought of effectively being inspected without my clothes on.
It isn't only Moslems who are being impacted by the extra "security" measures. They make life more expensive and less convenient for everyone, though possibly to a greater degree for members of certain races and religious minorities in the West. In some ways, this plays into the hands of the extremists. During WWII, the British public was determined not to let the enemy destroy their way of life, so beyond taking a few precautions such as a blackout against bombers, and evacuating children from the big cities, they cheerfully carried on regardless of the war. I think it's time to rediscover that resolve to live proudly according to the values we believe in, keep our eyes and ears open, and take a few risks for the sake of a well-balanced society.
Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely warned (in 1934!) that safety and security are mutually exclusive. What he meant was that if nation states entered a race to build up their defences in the name of peace, they would endanger everyone by exposing them to a greater risk of war - and how right he was. We are facing a similar situation today. There is a global threat to civilised society from some sadly deluded religious fanatics. Those who think that the threat can be averted by military means are similarly deluded and similarly threaten civil liberties. Another way must be found. For almost 30 years, the United Kingdom faced fanatical Irish nationalists who were prepared to sacrifice innocent lives on a massive scale to pursue their political ends. It was only when we abandoned our entrenched positions and began to negotiate that an accommodation became possible. It even turned out that at least some of the nationalists were not such odious individuals after all.
Instead of expending prodigious resources in the "war on terror", we should all be pulling together to face common threats, such as climate change and mass extinction of rare species. Also see this story. Let's hope that the world can come to its senses in the nick of time, as it usually seems to manage. Is that a hopeful message with which to begin the year 2010?
Best regards,
Immo.
They are Making Life Hell for Moslems
Semih I˙diz sidiz@milliyet.com.tr
Monday, 4 January 2010
First, a Nigerian madman called Ömer Faruk Abdulmuttalib is caught while trying to blow up an American passenger plane. After that, a young man from Somalia, whose name was not disclosed, tries to kill the danish cartoonist Kurt W Estergaard, who caused indignation in the moslem world with his Mohammed cartoons.
Then, life becomes unbearable again for the moslems in the west. There are increased signs that this is not a transitional but a permanent condition. The congregation leaders of millions of moslems living in the west remain spectators while their living space shrinks.
Basic reason is "cultural differences". The aforementioned congregation leaders cannot bring themselves to demonstrate the condemning stance that would satisfy the western public, although they live in the west and share the benefits of doing so.
They limit their reactions to a few "politically required" public statements. When they try to explain the situation by referring to Israel or to the US invasion of Iraq, they only increase the indignation felt against moslems.
We are talking about the psychology of the western society within which millions of moslems are living. The fact that people walking on the streets in the west are killed in the name of Islam cancels out the "explanatory arguments" of the moslem congregation leaders.
Under these circumstances, the "man on the street" in the west, who is not very sophisticated to start with, cannot see the difference between the few madmen misusing religion and the millions of moslems going after their business and who want to live without upsetting anyone.
To summarise, one cannot explain to a Dutch person the killling of Theo Van Gogh in the name of Islam, irrespective of what an unpleasant person he was. One cannot explain the knife-and-axe attack on Westergaard while he was sitting at home with his grandson, even if he was beginning to show extreme right-wing tendencies.
In the meanwhile, we can also see that the aggressive madmen we mentioned are providing the opportunity to the extreme Right in the west for developing its anti-moslem arguments. Indeed, after the attack on Westergaard, calls of "Throw out the moslems that do not adhere to our laws and customs" have immediately started in Denmark.
One also needs to see the minaret referendum in Switzerland in the same framework. Actually, Switzerland is one of the countries in Europe with the least of issues with its moslem minority. In spite of this, the terror being carried out in the world in the name of Islam has caused even the Swiss public to take an anti-moslem stance.
A study carried out recently by the "European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights" disclosed the negative developments in Europe regarding moslems. According to this study, if you are a moslem or you "look like a moslem", your chances of finding a job, moving to certain neighbourhoods or even moving freely within society is becoming increasingly difficult.
Some even see the plans for installing "naked body" scanners in European airports as a result of the attack of the Nigerian madman in the same framework. After a certain point, being naked is not such an issue for a western person. There will be many who will say "I accept it for security".
The situation among moslems is totally different due to the understanding of privacy as well as religious and cultural values. The covering up of women already shows the sensitivity there. According to some voices, once this equipment is in operation, moslems will give up travelling to the west or travelling outside the countries they live in the west.
Thus, the factors of security and control will increase. Those who do not accept these factors will "return to where they came from and remain there". This is the largest consequence from the deeds of the 9/11 criminals, the madmen from Somalia and Nigeria.
They do not contribute to improving the living conditions of moslems in the Gaza Strip or Iraq. Just the opposite, either consciously or intentionally, they play into the hands of the extreme-rightists in Europe, such as Geert Wilders.
To put it in a nutshell, they bring about the conditions for making life hell for moslems in the west.
Hi xxxxx,
Thanks for the article. Thought-provoking reading first thing in the morning! I will think carefully about forwarding it. I think that particularly the point about the full-body scanners at airports (and major rail stations as well, quite possibly - did you know about that?) is well made. I hadn't previously considered their likely impact on members of certain religions, though I don't feel particularly comfortable myself even being "patted down" and wouldn't relish the thought of effectively being inspected without my clothes on.
It isn't only Moslems who are being impacted by the extra "security" measures. They make life more expensive and less convenient for everyone, though possibly to a greater degree for members of certain races and religious minorities in the West. In some ways, this plays into the hands of the extremists. During WWII, the British public was determined not to let the enemy destroy their way of life, so beyond taking a few precautions such as a blackout against bombers, and evacuating children from the big cities, they cheerfully carried on regardless of the war. I think it's time to rediscover that resolve to live proudly according to the values we believe in, keep our eyes and ears open, and take a few risks for the sake of a well-balanced society.
Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wisely warned (in 1934!) that safety and security are mutually exclusive. What he meant was that if nation states entered a race to build up their defences in the name of peace, they would endanger everyone by exposing them to a greater risk of war - and how right he was. We are facing a similar situation today. There is a global threat to civilised society from some sadly deluded religious fanatics. Those who think that the threat can be averted by military means are similarly deluded and similarly threaten civil liberties. Another way must be found. For almost 30 years, the United Kingdom faced fanatical Irish nationalists who were prepared to sacrifice innocent lives on a massive scale to pursue their political ends. It was only when we abandoned our entrenched positions and began to negotiate that an accommodation became possible. It even turned out that at least some of the nationalists were not such odious individuals after all.
Instead of expending prodigious resources in the "war on terror", we should all be pulling together to face common threats, such as climate change and mass extinction of rare species. Also see this story. Let's hope that the world can come to its senses in the nick of time, as it usually seems to manage. Is that a hopeful message with which to begin the year 2010?
Best regards,
Immo.
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