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Recent Posts
- Write a letter if you want to defeat the NSA surveillance state
- In defence of PRISM: why we need governments in cyberspace.
- What Lord Tebbit shares with Islamists: Woolwich, Islam and the struggle with Liberalism
- Prosecution and the art of social media writing: reflections on McAlpine v Bercow
- Tentative thoughts on Woolwich Attack
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Author Archives: lawrence serewicz
Write a letter if you want to defeat the NSA surveillance state
In reading the title, you may be expecting me to suggest that you write a letter to your government representative to protest the NSA’s surveillance. Instead, I want to suggest something radical: write a letter and not use email. If you want … Continue reading
In defence of PRISM: why we need governments in cyberspace.
With the latest revelations about the United States of America’s government’s access to various internet services companies, people have been outraged. They seem genuinely surprised that such action is occurring. What they fail to realize are two important things. … Continue reading
What Lord Tebbit shares with Islamists: Woolwich, Islam and the struggle with Liberalism
The attack in Woolwich has raised questions about how the UK will manage its relationship with its Muslim citizens. More generally, the call for more surveillance power for the state raises questions about how all citizens will be treated. Therein … Continue reading
Prosecution and the art of social media writing: reflections on McAlpine v Bercow
Today, the High Court ruled that Sally Bercow had defamed Lord McAlpine through a tweet, which could be understand to accuse him of sexually abusing boys in care. It follows that, for these reasons, I find that the Tweet meant, … Continue reading
Posted in censorship, good writing, privacy, transparency, Uncategorized
Tagged defamation, Leo Strauss, Politics, privacy, Social media, transparency, Twitter
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Tentative thoughts on Woolwich Attack
The events in Woolwich were horrifying for all those present either immediately at the scene or vicariously through media reports. A murder in broad daylight with such intensity and ferocity is rare in the UK. Beyond the horror of a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Afghanistan, Boston Marathon, CCTV, London, Luxor Temple, middle-east, official inquiry, Takbir, Whitehall, Woolwich
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Vexatious requests guidance: weakening our power to make the state speak
The long awaited guidance on vexatious requests has arrived. The guidance follows from two distinct events. The first was the Parliament’s review of FOIA during which the MoJ presented evidence that suggested council’s were limited in their ability to deal … Continue reading
The temptation of celebrity power: the Police and Jimmy Savile
The temptation of celebrity affects us all. In this regard, the police are not alone. Like many others, the police succumbed to the temptation of Jimmy Savile’s celebrity status. They wanted to get to know a celebrity and a celebrity … Continue reading
Posted in philosophy, public sector, transparency
Tagged Jimmy Savile, Scotland Yard, Sexual abuse, Sun, West Yorkshire Police
2 Comments
Steve Jobs, Martin Heidegger, Apple and the new culture of technology
As human beings, we seek a personal relationship in all that we do. [1]We want to see others and we want others to see us. When we meet and talk to each on a personal and physical level, we … Continue reading
Posted in education, philosophy, privacy
Tagged Apple, Heidegger, Human, Martin Heidegger, Philosophy, technology, virtual friends
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What is the university in an age of social media?
Clay Shirky has posted an intriguing article on the future of the university in the social media age. He argues that social-media technology, in particular the MP3 and technology to enable sharing, which has changed the music industry, is changing … Continue reading
Posted in philosophy, scholarship, statesmanship
Tagged Allan Bloom, Clay Shirky, Democracy, Education, Massive open online course, philsophy, Politics, research, Social media, technology, university
3 Comments
How the free press threatens the UK’s media and political establishment
As we await the Leveson report, expected later this year, the debate over press regulation has intensified. The allegations that have emerged after the Jimmy Savile investigations, Tom Watson’s question in Parliament, the resignation of the Director General of the … Continue reading
