Insoluble solutions
I've just read (perhaps 'skimmed' is a better word) Chris Huhne's attack on the attitudes of Labour and the Conservatives toward civil liberties.
I share alot of his opnions and disagree with a few, but I am left thinking to myself, as with so much of what falls from the mouths of the Lib Dems, 'so, what are you going to do about it?' (I don't think decentralisation is actually a real solution and certainly doesn't seem to be the 'democratic' solution judging by the response of the people).
The first question to ask is: 'why are these reforms in the law being drafted in?' Terrorist threat, anti-social behaviour you would reply. But, without coming across all 'Adam Curtis', these threats are enthusuastically exaggerated out of all proportion by certain factions of the media. Now, I'm not saying these problems don't exist, but to turn them into issues of national security to sell more copies of your god-forsaken rag isn't help us solve these problems.
Because, consequently, the Government feel the need to bring in some heavy handed policy to demonstrate to the electorate that they have their safety and security in hand as this article demonstrates nicely.
Somehow, and I don't really understand just how, the media get away with the 'we're just reporting the facts' poker face, while our poor beleagured politicians not only get it right in the face, but have to clear up their diuretic propaganda. Okay, maybe I'm being too nice about our politicians, but if it came to trusting one of them over, say the editor of the Daily Mail, well I think the answer to that one's fairly obvious isn't it.
If Chris Huhne had begun his paper with an attack on the agitators I would have immediatley had a lot more respect for him and his party, instead we get the same old bickering politics that always leaves liberals looking worse off than they should. To the casual reader (skimmer) it reads as though the civil liberties of the 'possibly guilty' are more important than the 'definitely innocent', that intolerance is something minorities only suffer and never propogate.
He's right that a diverse society is better, but his rather outdated discourse on the issue doesn't help support his case. The first solution is to ensure that the most popular media outlets in the UK take responsibility for the results of the journalism and attempt to deal with the isues in a way that doesn't create alarm and knee-jerk reaction, then we'll get to see how the politicians really deal with it.
The problem of course is the big issue at the moment 'freedom of speech', but that's an issue for another day.
I share alot of his opnions and disagree with a few, but I am left thinking to myself, as with so much of what falls from the mouths of the Lib Dems, 'so, what are you going to do about it?' (I don't think decentralisation is actually a real solution and certainly doesn't seem to be the 'democratic' solution judging by the response of the people).
The first question to ask is: 'why are these reforms in the law being drafted in?' Terrorist threat, anti-social behaviour you would reply. But, without coming across all 'Adam Curtis', these threats are enthusuastically exaggerated out of all proportion by certain factions of the media. Now, I'm not saying these problems don't exist, but to turn them into issues of national security to sell more copies of your god-forsaken rag isn't help us solve these problems.
Because, consequently, the Government feel the need to bring in some heavy handed policy to demonstrate to the electorate that they have their safety and security in hand as this article demonstrates nicely.
Somehow, and I don't really understand just how, the media get away with the 'we're just reporting the facts' poker face, while our poor beleagured politicians not only get it right in the face, but have to clear up their diuretic propaganda. Okay, maybe I'm being too nice about our politicians, but if it came to trusting one of them over, say the editor of the Daily Mail, well I think the answer to that one's fairly obvious isn't it.
If Chris Huhne had begun his paper with an attack on the agitators I would have immediatley had a lot more respect for him and his party, instead we get the same old bickering politics that always leaves liberals looking worse off than they should. To the casual reader (skimmer) it reads as though the civil liberties of the 'possibly guilty' are more important than the 'definitely innocent', that intolerance is something minorities only suffer and never propogate.
He's right that a diverse society is better, but his rather outdated discourse on the issue doesn't help support his case. The first solution is to ensure that the most popular media outlets in the UK take responsibility for the results of the journalism and attempt to deal with the isues in a way that doesn't create alarm and knee-jerk reaction, then we'll get to see how the politicians really deal with it.
The problem of course is the big issue at the moment 'freedom of speech', but that's an issue for another day.
posted by Nick at 1:13 pm
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