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Tag Archives: Politics
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
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
2 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
The death of Daniel Morgan and the (im)possibility of Justice
A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time.” —Socrates, in Plato’s Apology, 31d–32a Daniel Morgan died with an axe in his face. We … Continue reading
Posted in Government, local government, philosophy, public sector, statesmanship, transparency
Tagged Crown Prosecution Service, current-events, Daniel Morgan, Leveson Inquiry, Metropolitan Police, Natural justice, police investigations, Political Justice, political legitimacy, political repression, Politics, United States
18 Comments
Jimmy Savile and the cult of celebrity: how could he not get away with it?
As more details emerge about Jimmy Savile’s behaviour as a sexual predator, what is becoming clear is that his status as a celebrity helped to protect him. The question most people have asked, as the scale of his crimes is … Continue reading
Posted in censorship, philosophy, privacy, transparency
Tagged BBC, Celebrity, Celebrity culture, Coleen Nolan, entertainment, Famous for being famous, Jimmy Savile, People, Politics, Savile
5 Comments
Political discourse in the age of always on recording devices: the death of statesmanship?
When Mitt Romney’s speech with the comment about the 47% was disclosed to the media, it changed the campaign. The way the leak occurred revealed the perils of political speech in the age of always on recording devices.[1] Political discourse … Continue reading
Open data creates inefficient government and why this is good
The promise that open data will improve government efficiency is misplaced. Every administration claims it will make government effective and efficient. We had Clinton’s Reinventing Government and Bush’s reforms after 11 September. Neither has delivered as it promised. In large … Continue reading
Penn State and the crisis of the American University.
The Penn State crisis reveals a deeper crisis than the Sandusky crimes where a sexual predator preyed on young boys. The crisis is more than the cover up of the crimes described in the grand jury document and the Freeh … Continue reading
Politics, Batman and the use of abstract language.
In politics, we often use abstract language as an intentional strategy to exclude our opponents and include our supporters. In this manner, language hides as much as it reveals. The more abstract the language, the more we can read into … Continue reading
