May 15 2012

Mobile Internet Lost Filtering

It’s not just naughty pics and steamy video clips that get blocked when opting out of receiving pornographic sites on smart phones.

“Wot you lookin’ at?”

Open Rights Group and LSE Media Policy Project published a new report yesterday, ‘Mobile Internet censorship: what’s happening and what we can do about it‘ revealing widespread over-blocking. Political commentaries, personal blogs, restaurants’ sites and community websites have been blocked incorrectly on mobile networks’ child protection filters.

The report calls on mobile operators to give parents an ‘active choice’ to turn filters on, and to be far more transparent about how their systems work. The document also puts concerns that applying similar blocks to fixed-line broadband, something advocated by Claire Perry MP, will have the same damaging consequences.

Peter Bradwell of Open Rights Group and author of the report, said: “The lessons for ‘porn filter’ proposals are clear. Default-on blocks can have significant harmful and unintended consequences for everybody’s access to information. To help protect children online, the Government should reject ‘default on’ network filtering and work to give parents simpler choices and better, device-based tools.”

May 15 2012

Our hidden unemployed

In these austerity-driven times, is having even just part-time paid work better than no job at all?

The Office for National Statistics publishes its regularly updated data on UK unemployment tomorrow. Last month’s report saw a headline figure of 2.65 million for those out of work and seeking benefits – back to the highs of the mid-1990s.

However, there is another type of unemployment currently spread across the land – “under-employment”. According to a Trades Union Congress analysis of official figures published today, compared with four years ago, twice as many men are currently doing part-time jobs because they can’t find full-time work. There were 293,000 in December 2007 and nearly 600,000 in December 2011.

Women are also hit hard, experiencing an increase of 74 per cent to 780,000, bringing the total number of people in involuntary part-time work to a record high of 1.38 million.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Virtually all employment growth is coming from part-time and temporary jobs but most of the people taking them want and need permanent, full-time work.

“Any job may be better than no job at all but people are having to make huge salary sacrifices to stay working. This is bad news for family finances and it is holding back our economy.”

  • ONS stats also showed last month that 9.27 million people aged from 16 to 64 were economically inactive – neither working nor claiming state benefits.
May 14 2012

Jubilee Party round at Nick Clegg’s!

What better way to show one’s true patriotism (i.e., not jingoism) than to celebrate Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee in close proximity to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister?

Below is the text from a message received today from UKuncut Sheffield:

UKUncut’s Great British Street Party at Nick Clegg’s place.UKUncut pledge to bring our fight against cruel and cowardly austerity to Nick Clegg; we’ll be partying at Nick’s place in Sheffield, his constituency office.Why? Because the courageous leaders of our past knew austerity doesn’t work; let’s take a journey back to 1948…1948: a great year for our country. A year which gave rise to the pinnacles of achievement in post-war Britain; our National Health Service, our welfare state and the public sector lifeblood of our country. A great year, when courageous politicians and leaders led the demoralised people of Britain out of austerity, into an age of optimism and hope for the future refusing to let their people suffer for a global disaster they did not cause; World War 2.Fast forward to 2012: a bleak year. One which has seen the biggest assault on the pinnacles of post-war achievement in our country, the privatisation of our NHS, the dismantling of our welfare state, the leaching of our public sector lifeblood. A year of pessimism, confusion and disillusionment, which lies squarely at the door of cowardly politicians. A year when Nick Clegg is taking the demoralised people of our country INTO austerity determined to make us suffer for a global disaster we did not cause; our social and economic crises .

On 26 May, UKUncut will celebrate our public services, our rights to wellbeing, good health and security, our welfare state. We will raise a toast to our new future, one that isn’t dictated to us by leaders abusing their power by simply serving a minority privileged by huge wealth, who have no care for the majority they are empowered to serve and protect.

We don’t break our promises Nick; we’re going to bring our message home to you…

We’re having a Great British Street party at Nick’s!!!

26 May at Nick Clegg’s Constituency Office, 85 Nethergreen Rd, Sheffield, S11 7EH
May 14 2012

Economic Survivor writes home

Last week, the Caledonian Mercury asked economic survivor to contribute a guest post.

The “Caley Merc” aims to provide ”free, independent, quality journalism from all perspectives, covering all aspects of Scottish life”.

You can view the article by clicking on the pic!

May 14 2012

Making sense of Eurospeak

Running a European Union memo, published yesterday, through our universal language translator …

Statement by Olli Rehn, Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro:

I welcome the measures announced on Friday by the Spanish authorities to further reform the banking sector. [We can relax arm-locks now, but will hold on to these negatives]

A prompt and profound reform of the banking sector is a cornerstone of Spain’s crisis response and its overall reform strategy. It is an indispensable supplement of the determined fiscal consolidation and front-loaded structural reforms that can bring sustainable growth and more and better jobs. [This needs to be a fait accompli well in advance of 22 November 2015, by which date the unemployed Spanish peasants are entitled to a general election - one that will be unlike those recent examples in France and Greece which continue to be unacceptable to us]

The current crisis in Europe is the result of a severe and intertwined combination of banking sector fragilities and sovereign debt crisis. This is particularly evident in Spain. [European central banks stole everything and the common people must take as much of the blame as we think we can get away with - Spain being only one of many fine examples]

By deciding on these important measures for the banks, on top of those already announced in February, Spain is taking decisive action in addressing remaining vulnerabilities within the sector. The combination of increased provisioning against potential future losses, segregation of troubled assets, independent validation of balance sheets, and the availability of necessary public funds to support the overall reform effort is essential in order to reinforce investor confidence in Spanish banks. [We'll grab any profitable stuff and your taxpayers may keep the rest ... well, some of the rest ...]

The relevant Commission services will continue to cooperate closely with the Spanish authorities on the elements of the reform, as appropriate. In particular, measures implying state aid will have to be analysed and approved by the Commission. [Spooks are watching their every move - and remember we still hold the negatives]

These actions should dispel the lingering doubts about the stability of the Spanish banking sector. [Look at these shiny keys! Hear how jingley-jangley they are! Now which cup is that pea under?]

May 11 2012

Will higher bills bail out Veolia Water?

Last week the Lords Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment EU sub-committee said consumers should be required “either to pay more or to save more” to protect scarce water supplies - citing projected droughts as a danger to Britain’s most precious natural resource.

One of the Committee’s members, Lord Lewis of Newnham, is the remunerated Chairman of the Veolia Environmental Advisory Board. He must be keeping his fingers crossed, not least as Veolia currently owns four UK water companies based in South East England - Veolia Water Central, Veolia Water Southeast, Veolia Water East and Veolia Water Projects. All of these have been up for sale since December 2011.

Indeed, Reuters filed a story last Friday (appearing one week before mainstream media reported on the Lords Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment EU sub-committee recommendations) revealing that Veolia is heavily in debt, partly due to increasing widespread public pressure to reduce water prices.

No doubt then that any news of potentially increased income for Veiola would, should government and regulators agree to raise price caps on water bills, help increase the company’s share values and therefore make a liquidation sale more likely.

#justsaying 8-)

May 10 2012

Beat up over public sector cuts

!

On this day of national protests against spending cuts and wide-ranging changes to pay and pensions in the UK public sector, more than 20,000 off-duty police officers took to the streets of central London.

En route to London!

Officers from all 43 forces across England and Wales congregated at Millbank, with many sporting black baseball caps emblazoned with the words “Cuts are criminal” as they marched. Members of the police are legally banned from striking.

Police Federation chairman Paul McKeever told the assembly: “We care very deeply about the communities that we serve. We have seen what happens when we have a Government that has given policing a very low priority.”

Policing Minister Nick Herbert insisted in an open letter that “officers will continue to earn more than other emergency services, continue to take overtime and continue to retire earlier than most people in the public sector”.

Herbert sought to reassure officers over the government’s plans for further involvement of private firms in policing, saying: “It will continue to be a public service, accountable to the people.”

Prime Minister David Cameron’s official spokesman said: “We think the reductions in spending on the police are challenging but manageable and that the police will still have the resources that they need to do the important work that they do.”

Today’s action involved union members from: the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Unite, the University and College Union, the Immigration Services Union, Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance (NIPSA).

How far will the Thin Blue Line take their disquiet? Only time will tell …