Comments for Amused Cynicism

Comment on I won’t vote for any MP who supports Mandelson’s Digital Economy Bill by Pirate Party Edinburgh meetup « Amused Cynicism

Pirate Party Edinburgh meetup « Amused Cynicism — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:24:38 +0000

[...] I won’t vote for any MP who supports Mandelson’s Digital Economy Bill [...]

Comment on Petition against disconnecting filesharers is 19th most popular by ahdkaw

ahdkaw — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:48:09 +0000

The petition now has 22,733 signatures and is the 6th most popular.

Also, a little further down the list a live music performance petition worth signing. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/livemusicevents/

Comment on Petition against disconnecting filesharers is 19th most popular by George Carty

George Carty — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:51:12 +0000

UPDATE 2009-Nov-24 20:50: The petition now has 21,768 signatures and is the 7th most popular…

Comment on I won’t vote for any MP who supports Mandelson’s Digital Economy Bill by Blogging births, deaths and marriages – Scottish Roundup

Blogging births, deaths and marriages – Scottish Roundup — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:07:51 +0000

[...] on the subject of the internet (I promise I’ll move on in a minute), Cabalamat pledges not to vote for any MP who supports Lord Mandelson’s Digital Economy Bill: The Digital [...]

Comment on Boycott Friesland Foods and Zwanenberg by Rolf

Rolf — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:02:43 +0000

Three things:

1. Both Friesland Foods and Zwanenberg are Dutch companies, not Danish. Get your facts straight before you publish next time, will you please?

2. Expressing any statement which gratifies ‘banning the right to insult’ is an opinion in itself, therefore banning anyone who expresses such an opinion equally narrowminded.

3. Judging another human being is not possible without judging yourself at the very same time. Just as you have completely wasted your time typing in this message, stating ‘facts’ which are explicitly wrong, and placing arguments (their behaviour) which are absolutely no different from the reasons why we should ban them (your behaviour), I have also completely wasted my time writing this message, which in both cases have been an equal complete waste of time as actually watching the Fitna-movie by mr. Wilders.

Thanks for your attention, greetings from Holland, and now, if you don’t mind, I have an actual life to attend to.

Rolf

Comment on Say No to the Digital Economy Bill by Paul Lockett

Paul Lockett — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:29:37 +0000

One of the things which seems to have gone under the radar is that Mandelson is also seeking powers which will allow him to directly control the uk domain names system.

Comment on Mandelson wants to impose law by decree on filesharing by Piratnytt » Blog Archive » Mandelson wants to impose law by decree on filesharing « Amused …

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:28:10 +0000

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Comment on EU chooses Van Rompuy as president by euandus2

euandus2 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:57:12 +0000

Sadly, the NYT has taken a “sore loser” stance on Van Rompuy’s selection, as has Gordon Brown (see http://euandus3.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/europe-has-a-president-lets-hear-from-the-sore-losers/)

Comment on GCSEs are dumbed down, and getting worse by Dev Sen

Dev Sen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:12:51 +0000

So thats alright then? And how were going to compete against Japan, Germany, China, India …..?

Comment on GCSEs are dumbed down, and getting worse by Dev Sen

Dev Sen — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:11:36 +0000

I did what was called O Levels (similar to IGCSEs) in the 60s. I have recently started giving science private tutions. I have students doing Aqa and OCR exams at GCSE level Aqa is the most dumbed down. With most science questions not requiring science knowledge rather some basic maths and common sense.

But the situation is different at A levels especially OCR Salters is quite tough and IMHO any of the GCSE would not properly prepare students to this course properly.

But like everything else the politically correct social scientists from Oxbridge who seem to be developing our education policies our education is longer about education it is about targets, Ofsted reports, filling in forms. All my students come to private tuition because their teachers just don’t have enough time to teach and without discipline – long relegated to dust bin by especially this government our kids are not being prepared to compete in this increasingly highly competitive world. I sent some of the Aqa papers to my folks in India and students in primary schools could easily do most of the questions. Shameful and frightening!

Comment on Don’t ban incandescent bulbs by George Carty

George Carty — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:50:36 +0000

Why not just tax incandescent bulbs rather than banning them outright?

Comment on Secret ACTA Treaty would impose 3-strikes by Redemption Blues » Britblog Roundup 247

Redemption Blues » Britblog Roundup 247 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:13:19 +0000

[...] Secret ACTA treaty would impose 3-strikes, cabalamat of Amused Cynicism highlights the latest moves to clamp down on Internet [...]

Comment on Robinson on digital natives by George Carty

George Carty — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:42:09 +0000

Adding to that, is there a possibility that the Pirate Party may go beyond digital rights and look at other issues of pressing concern to young people?

Comment on Robinson on digital natives by George Carty

George Carty — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:41:16 +0000

The issue of digital rights strikes me as one primarily appealing to young people — does this not mean the party’s appeal would be severely limited by the ageing populations in Britain (and in other European countries). Especially given than many young people in Britain are non-citizens…

As I see it now is a very bad time to be a young person in Britain, because middle-aged and elderly homeowners have a demographic stranglehold on British electoral politics. Such people have an interest in cheap labour (nurses, home helps, tradesmen), high house prices (this also applies to the heirs of homeowners), high corporate profits and/or share prices (to boost pensions), authoritarian law-and-order policies and a tax system in which the bulk of taxation falls on earned income rather than on accumulated wealth.

Comment on Redwood wants high house prices by George Carty

George Carty — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:32:16 +0000

Since 70% of British voters are homeowners, wouldn’t any proposed policy which would have the effect of substantially reducing house prices be political suicide?

The poster “blissex” (who has no blog of his/her own, I’m afraid) has made this point on several econ blogs (including Stumbling and Mumbling)…