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[zomgbbqftw]

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32400

Government e-petition against the draconian surveillance plans. I suggest everyone sign it.

Edit: If anyone was unsure as to how the government were going to sell this to Sun readers, here it is:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ay-data-snooping-helped-jail-Ian-Huntley.html

"If you don't let us invade your privacy you will get blown up on a train or your children will be kidnapped and raped/murdered by paedophiles" is the gist of the article and defence. Fuck this government and fuck Theresa May, fuck David Cameron, fuck all of them. Fucking shitty bastards. Got my fucking vote by campaigning on civil liberties and then go and turn Britain into a police state. I may be moving to China, but if the government press on with this stuff I will hardly notice the difference when I come back...

 

[J Tourettes]

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32400

Government e-petition against the draconian surveillance plans. I suggest everyone sign it.

Signed it, for all the good it did the NHS shake up proposals.

 

[killer_clank]

I'm genuinely shocked the media hasn't been playing the surveillance story more. If it was Labour introducing these proposals, the Tories would almost certainly be against. It's one of the most blatent u-turns I've ever seen, and they've barely been called on it.

 

[J Tourettes]

I'm genuinely shocked the media hasn't been playing the surveillance story more. If it was Labour introducing these proposals, the Tories would almost certainly be against. It's one of the most blatent u-turns I've ever seen, and they've barely been called on it.

It's on a few front pages, including the Daily Mail.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

I'm genuinely shocked the media hasn't been playing the surveillance story more. If it was Labour introducing these proposals, the Tories would almost certainly be against. It's one of the most blatent u-turns I've ever seen, and they've barely been called on it.

That's because Labour are the most ineffective opposition for a generation. Fuck Miliband. They also support the introduction of this database. For years Labour were denied in the Lords and even Parliament on this but now the government is pushing this shitty database they will support it. They are a statist party. Now the same can be said for Cons and Libs. All three major parties support the destruction of our freedom and liberty.

 

[sohois]

What does GAF think? I can remember taking my A-levels and my Chemistry tutor made us practice with past papers for the last 15 years that ran way back into the early nineties. The further back you went, the questions became increasingly difficult and complicated. If you compared a science A-level paper from say 2005 to one of 1995, the difference was night and day, and it wasn't just because of a change of syllabus.

Standards really have fallen at the GCSE/A-level level. I've got a lot of friends who are just going into teaching and they all have the same opinion.

The Government seem to be heavily reforming the education system, which is sorely in need of it. Remember the God awful GCSE ICT classes? Thank fuck they have been updated to include aspects of computing other than filling in a spreadsheet.

I've just started teaching A-Level economics and to be honest i think the syllabus is a bit of a joke. Though it doesn't really help that the materials suggested by the exam board are pretty abysmal. How the recommended textbook hasn't been updated since 2007 is a disgrace.

Another teacher at my school, an American with a masters in education is utterly scathing of the mathematics A-level. We only use one exam board, so maybe things would be better at one of the others, but its still really quite poor.

 

[J Tourettes]

Courtesy of the Guardian:

10.38am: Boris Johnson called Ken Livingstone a "fucking liar" three times after the hustings, Hélène Mulholland reports.


We've learned that things did not go well in the lift after the hustings was over. Boris went nose to nose with Ken in a small lift and told Ken three times: "You're a fucking liar, you're a fucking liar, you're a fucking liar." Paddick and Jenny were also squeezed in, alongside the chief of Global Radio, James Rea. Johnson's anger was due to claims made during the hustings by Livingstone about Johnson's tax arrangements, which the mayor flatly denies. He told me later that Ken's claims were "nonsense". Of course at that point we hadn't heard about the ding-dong in the lift.

:lol would like to see a full on scrap.

 

[SteveWD40]

Natural conclusion of Argentina's nationalist-baiting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/03/falklands-protesters-attack-british-embassy

We need that timeline that shows us claiming an uninhabited rock before Argentina was even a country to be made into Billboards and posted all over Argentina.

 

[J Tourettes]

We need that timeline that shows us claiming an uninhabited rock before Argentina was even a country to be made into Billboards and posted all over Argentina.

That would be glorious. If only we had a few Brit-gaf millionaires to fund such a campaign.

 

[killer_clank]

The government should just organise a referendum asking the islanders about their future. It's self determination and then the Argentinians wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

 

[SteveWD40]

That would be glorious. If only we had a few Brit-gaf millionaires to fund such a campaign.

I don't know why Cameron and co can't just say that, it's fine to refer to the Islanders wishes but some uneducated fools still think of us as conquering mauraders who stole the land, which isn't the case at all.

Just say "Argentina was founded after the Islands were British and we ejected no indigenous peoples from any nation. Geographical claims are only as relevant as the ones Russia has to Alaska and we all know this is about Oil"

Watch Sean Penn try and work Anglophobia out of that.

 

[louis89]

The government should just organise a referendum asking the islanders about their future. It's self determination and then the Argentinians wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

The Argentinian government is well aware that the islanders want nothing to do with them. Their position is that the will of the islanders is not relevant to the debate and that the only relevant fact is that the islands are closer to Argentina than they are to the UK, and that therefore, they are rightfully theirs.

It really is an absurd position, and that they have any support at all is more absurd still.

 

[Saiyar]

That LibDem document is mostly right, and mostly (relatively) reasssuring in trems of the scope of the porposed Act. I'd want to look at the Bill in detail before deciding whether it is on balance a good or bad thing.

Probably the one thing that most worries me is the one thing most often referred to as a safeguard - that access to content needs a warrant signed by the Home Secretary. And the reason that worries me is because the Home Secretary - whoever it is at the time - is likely to err on the side of whoever is doing the persuasive asking. Whatever's wrong with doing the old-fashioned thing of requiring the a warrant to be signed by a magistrate or a High Court Judge? At least then there's some chance of Government interests being challenged.

At least some of the purported bill has some justification behind it. RIPA has got way out of hand - far from regulating investigatory powers it appears to have been handing out licences willy-nilly - but I can't see it being an improvement to pull that power to the Home Secretary.

It is a bad thing because it is a £2 billion plus project that can be rendered useless by a number of freely available software apps.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Courtesy of the Guardian:



:lol would like to see a full on scrap.

I love Boris. I really, really wish he were Prime Minister now instead of the cunts we have right now.

 

[Yen]

I love Boris. I really, really wish he were Prime Minister now instead of the cunts we have right now.

Apart from the fact he's funny, why?

 

[SteveWD40]

So BCOC says we won't slip back into recession, countering the French OCED claims. State 0.3% growth for first quarter and positive notes from business leaders / rising manufacturing.

I know some of you are partisan and would love to see the country crumble just so you can say the Torys are bad, but I for one just want to see the economy improve, I don't care which brand of arsehole is in No. 10.

 

[killer_clank]

I don't think anyone's so partisan they'd love for us to go back into recession. I still think the Tories should be doing far better at getting growth though, they've been terrible so far.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

So BCOC says we won't slip back into recession, countering the French OCED claims. State 0.3% growth for first quarter and positive notes from business leaders / rising manufacturing.

I know some of you are partisan and would love to see the country crumble just so you can say the Torys are bad, but I for one just want to see the economy improve, I don't care which brand of arsehole is in No. 10.

Our guys say 0.3-0.5% growth for Q1. Though a lot depends on the final services figures tomorrow and oil and gas production, but it looks like a decent quarter. One of our guys who tends to be right more often than not says we should be looking at the 0.6-0.8% range, but the consensus is lower. I would be utterly shocked if we slid back into a recession, almost all of the data for this quarter has been positive.

Apart from the fact he's funny, why?

Because Cameron is an authoritarian cunt who is no better than Labour.

 

[SteveWD40]

I don't think anyone's so partisan they'd love for us to go back into recession. I still think the Tories should be doing far better at getting growth though, they've been terrible so far.

I notice a clamering to post links to negative economic news and ignoring the positive from all but a few people.

And yes, Torys are sort of rain-making us, they have no real growth plan and are just relying on natural economic improvement, they will take credit for that and blame any lack of progress on other factors. But we shouldn't need the govt. to create growth itself, just the right environment for it.

 

[killer_clank]

But we shouldn't need the govt. to create growth itself, just the right environment for it.

That's partially my problem with them though. I get that getting the deficit down is a good thing in the long run, but they've cut far far far too fast, to the extent they've stifled growth we might have had, and things like the VAT increase really haven't helped.

I fully expect to be slammed by zomg on this point, but maybe if they hadn't frontloaded the cuts so horrendously the economy might have grown better over the last couple of years.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

That's partially my problem with them though. I get that getting the deficit down is a good thing in the long run, but they've cut far far far too fast, to the extent they've stifled growth we might have had, and things like the VAT increase really haven't helped.

I fully expect to be slammed by zomg on this point, but maybe if they hadn't frontloaded the cuts so horrendously the economy might have grown better over the last couple of years.

I would but I'm still fuming about the snoopers charter and don't have the motivation to defend this shower of cunts right now...

 

[Jackpot]

Because Cameron is an authoritarian cunt who is no better than Labour.

That doesn't really answer his question.

 

[Yen]

That doesn't really answer his question.

Yeah.

 

[defel]

Boris (and to some extent Ken) are great personalities. They arent bound by their party line, they happily express their opinion and say what they feel. If you ever watch an interview with Boris he is always more personable than many other political figures. Regardless of what you think of Boris' policies, he's a lovable buffoon and people relate to that

 

[louis89]

Because Cameron is an authoritarian cunt who is no better than Labour.

Because of one piece of legislation which doesn't actually allow the government access to anything they wouldn't already have access to with a warrant?

Which simply extends the powers that the government already has to collect data, which is already used routinely in criminal investigations, to new forms of communications?

Which doesn't actually allow the government to read or listen to anything that you write or say online?

I'm not saying I support the plans, but as with the health bill - can we discuss what it actually is, rather that what people guess it is based on newspaper headlines?

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Yeah.

I feel like Boris would be a stronger PM than Cameron who seems to be swamped by the job. In opposition Cammo was talking up the civil liberties and freedom agenda, but in No. 10 he has let Sir Humphrey and the SIS sway his mind too easily. It took them 6 years before Blair's head was turned, Cameron has buckled in just under 2 years. Boris is much stronger and doesn't take shit from people. He also doesn't give a shit that he is privileged while Cameron is haunted by it and it makes Cammo weaker. If someone had asked Boris about the last time he ate a pasty his response would not have been, like Dave's which was an embarrassment.

 

[Jackpot]

So why not go for David Davis then? Boris isn't exactly squeaky clean.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

So why not go for David Davis then? Boris isn't exactly squeaky clean.

David Davis isn't a bad choice either, but I don't feel like he would be strong enough, he flounced when it mattered the most and made no difference.

I don't want a squeaky clean PM, I want one that stands up for us, the people. I feel like Boris would do it.

 

[J Tourettes]

My chief exec has been on the news a bit for the past few days. I'd still like to know if he jumped or was pushed from the WCA panel.

 

[Dambrosi]

It is a bad thing because it is a £2 billion plus project that can be rendered useless by a number of freely available software apps.

[whispers]Hey, PM me a list of those, willya? I, uh, just wanna make sure I'm covered.

<_< >_> <_<

[/whispers]

 

[Meadows]

I think Clegg and Cameron are actually just tricking us. They're Labour spies who are tasked with bringing down CON/LD from the inside. I mean:

- "Granny Tax"
- Pasty tax
- Fuel fuck up
- Horrible surveillance measures
- Cash for Cameron
- Tax breaks for the ultra rich
- More tolls on roads
- Unpopular NHS shake ups

all within a month. There must be something going on here.

This government is so fucking unpopular, throw the public a bone! I'm as pro-austerity as the government is but fucking hell, there's no need to do so much within a month without doing anything inspiring, for example a relaunch of government away from "Broken Britain" or "Big Society" to something a bit more inspiring.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Because of one piece of legislation which doesn't actually allow the government access to anything they wouldn't already have access to with a warrant?

Which simply extends the powers that the government already has to collect data, which is already used routinely in criminal investigations, to new forms of communications?

Which doesn't actually allow the government to read or listen to anything that you write or say online?

I'm not saying I support the plans, but as with the health bill - can we discuss what it actually is, rather that what people guess it is based on newspaper headlines?

There is no judicial oversight planned. Real time access to people's online data (including phone calls, possibly even recordings in almost real time) without any judicial oversight. Wide access for many government departments is planned. I have been talking to party sources who are seething about this stuff, spitting blood. Lib Dems aren't too happy about it either, some are ready to bring down the leadership and collapse the coalition over it. They don't want to be involved in it, they know Labour will do it anyway, but they don't want to be the party that turned Britain into a police state.

 

[Meadows]

Some LD councillors calling on Clegg to resign.

I think he will after the May elections. I think his position has been made untenable by this surveillance stuff and after the LDs get absolutely obliterated in the council elections (after terrible elections last year too, on top of a failed AV referendum) senior party members will bring him down.

I don't know who would replace him. Better fucking not be Huhne. Featherstone needs more time. Kirsty Williams from the Welsh Lib Dems might do okay.

 

[nib95]

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32400

Government e-petition against the draconian surveillance plans. I suggest everyone sign it.

Edit: If anyone was unsure as to how the government were going to sell this to Sun readers, here it is:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ay-data-snooping-helped-jail-Ian-Huntley.html

"If you don't let us invade your privacy you will get blown up on a train or your children will be kidnapped and raped/murdered by paedophiles" is the gist of the article and defence. Fuck this government and fuck Theresa May, fuck David Cameron, fuck all of them. Fucking shitty bastards. Got my fucking vote by campaigning on civil liberties and then go and turn Britain into a police state. I may be moving to China, but if the government press on with this stuff I will hardly notice the difference when I come back...

Signed. This corrupt, thieving, unfair shitty government needs to be done away with as soon as possible. Sign me up for any march, protest, revolt, whatever you want to call shouting out against this stuff.

 

[Meadows]

Signed. This corrupt, thieving, unfair shitty government needs to be done away with as soon as possible. Sign me up for any march, protest, revolt, whatever you want to call shouting out against this stuff.

hey mang, we shud vote respect

free milk for galloway. i mean schools. free milk for schools.

 

[SmokyDave]

Am I the only one operating under the assumption that the government already has access to all of our communications, should they choose to avail themselves of it?

I don't feel 'paranoid' particularly, just cynical.

 

[Meadows]

Am I the only one operating under the assumption that the government already has access to all of our communications, should they choose to avail themselves of it?

I don't feel 'paranoid' particularly, just cynical.

they probably do but they can't use it in court

 

[nib95]

I love Boris. I really, really wish he were Prime Minister now instead of the cunts we have right now.

Are you for real? He's a twat. Yes he's funny because of his idiosyncrasies, but he's also a bit of a buffoon and far too cuddled up with the tories and all their BS mantra imo. Boris for Prime Minister would be Cameron, only a bit less intelligent, composed, professional and even more right side creative. He wouldn't even have to explain his plans, just talk about sausages and other random crap like that and we'd all laugh our way to digression.

 

[Meadows]

Hey Zomg!

Don't worry about this legislation, it's being FIERCELY attacked by Ed Miliband:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17598330

DO YOU NOT SEE THE ANGER IN HIS EYES?!?!

 

[louis89]

There is no judicial oversight planned. Real time access to people's online data (including phone calls, possibly even recordings in almost real time) without any judicial oversight. Wide access for many government departments is planned. I have been talking to party sources who are seething about this stuff, spitting blood. Lib Dems aren't too happy about it either, some are ready to bring down the leadership and collapse the coalition over it. They don't want to be involved in it, they know Labour will do it anyway, but they don't want to be the party that turned Britain into a police state.

No. That is not what these plans are. All that is recorded is that a phone call took place, and between whom. The contents are not recorded. This, by the way, is data that the government already has access to.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Am I the only one operating under the assumption that the government already has access to all of our communications, should they choose to avail themselves of it?

I don't feel 'paranoid' particularly, just cynical.

The new bill would give the government the power to listen to our private conversations over the internet. Think real time streaming of Skype conversations, facebook chats, BBM chats, everything. Not only that but because of the way BT's 21CN network works it would come under the oversight of this new nightmare, essentially government agencies could have real time streaming of phone conversations without obtaining a warrant for a wiretap.

 

[Meadows]

If Liberty were a political party, or fielded a candidate at a local election I'd probably vote for them.

Probably the greatest political figure in the UK atm:

 

[zomgbbqftw]

No. That is not what these plans are. All that is recorded is that a phone call took place, and between whom. The contents are not recorded. This, by the way, is data that the government already has access to.

No, that's what happens at the moment under the 2009 EU regulatio. From my party sources it looks like all "internet based communication" would have to be recorded and be streamable in real time to UK government agencies. It is a whole new level of oversight of private conversations.

It would effectively turn Britain into a police state and it will be brought under, "ordinary people won't be affected, only those with something to hide are against it". Who cares about freedom and liberty, only those with something hide apparently...

 

[sohois]

Are you for real? He's a twat. Yes he's funny because of his idiosyncrasies, but he's also a bit of a buffoon and far too cuddled up with the tories and all their BS mantra imo. Boris for Prime Minister would be Cameron, only a bit less intelligent, composed, professional and even more right side creative. He wouldn't even have to explain his plans, just talk about sausages and other random crap like that and we'd all laugh our way to digression.

Boris is supremely intelligent, the buffoonery is an act, he certainly hasn't left London in flames with his silly ways. Plus I dont think zomg would be too bothered about Boris being too cuddled up to the Tories. I personally would prefer Osborne or Gove, but neither is very electable so they are not likely candidates. Boris would be a good choice for future leader.

 

[Meadows]

Gove?

Really? He's fucking insane.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

If Liberty were a political party, or fielded a candidate at a local election I'd probably vote for them.

Probably the greatest political figure in the UK atm:

That reminds me - what ever happened to Jon Gaunt?

 

[War Peaceman]

Gove?

Really? He's fucking insane.

Plus he's a Murdoch-crony.

EDIT: Mind you, so is Boris.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Indeed, anyone who thinks Boris is stupid hasn't been watching and listening hard enough. I don't think he will be PM, and I also don't think these crazy laws will be introduced. I have been talking to more party sources and they say there is a massive, massive rebellion brewing over this in the Tory ranks and a lot of the 2010 intake are getting cold feet over supporting this bill as many are quite libertarian. I'm not even sure that a government three line whip would get a majority without opposition votes.

I feel like Boris is better connected with the people despite being of privilege and he has the best political antennae of any current politician except possibly Barack Obama. How else does a Tory toff become mayor of one of the most lefty metropolitan cities in the world?

 

[nib95]

Indeed, anyone who thinks Boris is stupid hasn't been watching and listening hard enough. I don't think he will be PM, and I also don't think these crazy laws will be introduced. I have been talking to more party sources and they say there is a massive, massive rebellion brewing over this in the Tory ranks and a lot of the 2010 intake are getting cold feet over supporting this bill as many are quite libertarian. I'm not even sure that a government three line whip would get a majority without opposition votes.

I feel like Boris is better connected with the people despite being of privilege and he has the best political antennae of any current politician except possibly Barack Obama. How else does a Tory toff become mayor of one of the most lefty metropolitan cities in the world?

Lol at Boris having the "best political antennae of any current politician". I'll have to strongly disagree on that one.

He got in to power the same reason Tories got in to power this time round. Mainly the recession, a global economic crisis which people needed to find blame for at a local and national level. I never said he was stupid either. I said he was a bit less intelligent than Cameron (who is obviously very intelligent). Being intelligent does not mean you cannot be a buffoon.

 

[defel]

Boris embraces his class and doesn't shy away from it. He doesn't try to be down with the people. Its ironic but I think he gets away with it. The pasty example is a perfect example of Cameron trying too hard - that whole story about Cornwall Pasty Co. was so blatantly transparent it was cringe worthy.

I like Cameron and think he represents the better half of the Conservatives but he is beginning to piss me off. Id put the Lib Dems in there with him too.