Thanks, Yorkie. I'm going to an event run by Pondicherry University and they will take us to some sites but I'm not sure where. I'm really looking forward to it.
Afternoon all, back from my latest trip to Limoges and am I glad I had the aircon fixed in the car. Lots of new out of town shopping centres have popped up out here in recent years that are very good if you know what is there, but although plenty of trees have been planted in the car parks they are not large enough yet to provide any shade. So you get a couple of acres of concrete parking absorbing the rays from a very hot sun and it just doesn't cool down very quickly.
Enjoy your visit to Belgium Dave, keep your eyes open and see if you can find us a Phillipe Albert Mk2.
Morning all from a bright & sunny West West London... I see the hacks are closing ranks over this "journalistic material" - simple question to ask "why is the Guardian allowing as member of the public to carry sensitive material that they obtained very questionably across borders on their behalf?" or "who was paying his travel costs". Never ones to question their own are they? Off to see my nephew's band at The Horn in Snalbans tonight, they are using it as a warm up for Leeds and Reading - not exactly my taste in music but they are mad live apparently. Apparently their manager, who lives in LA, is a massive Watford fan!
and another question - who says ANY sensitive material was carried (if there had been we would have been told very quickly they had found it and he would not have been released but charged) another question - who says he was not paying his own travel costs another question - how many or the original reporters work colleagues can now expect their mothers, sisters, and family members and friends to be detained and given no access to a legal advisor for 9 hours anther question - how close do we want to get towards a police state
Sæl öll. Cappuccino, coffee, tea donuts and fruit are on the bar. Frothy cappuccinos for for al, HH, and W_Y Coffee and cramel frapachino for IB Coffees for COYH, Frenchie, Kev rob theo vic-rijrode and kiwiqpr Strong coffee for Sandy Milky coffee for Yorkie Espresso for SuffolkHorn Strong black coffees for Bragi Norway and zen Black coffee half hot half cold and no sugar for Charlie A peppermint latte for DanH Tea for BHD Cornish Mark jsybarry jerzeypie Lloydinio NZ and BCFCRed Tea with skimmed milk and no sugar for GG and Leon Hot chocolate with marshmallows for BBW Caramel latte for Hornette Canary Dave and Maestro Una paloma for Mexican Hornet I see you are talking about the ash storm of Edward Snowden. What I cannot understand is the boyfriend of the English journalist who is reporting was arrested in London airport traveling between Berlin to Rio de Janeiro. Is the journalist staying in Brazil so the British cannot reach him? For other journalists to make security organisations appear how they wish is easy as they have the ways of doing this, but I think there is something suspicious. If there is something to hide would the man go by a different route, or is he stupid? Also the security people would not stop the citizen of a another country waiting for a flight on a longer journey for no reason.
As we were told that GCHQ employees have already visited the Guardian and destroyed sensitive material (or "journalistic material" as the hacks are now calling it) that they had obtained from Snowden? That was only revealed yesterday by the Guardian and today that they had also been visited by the Head of the Civil Service about these materials - why was this all not exposed earlier! Good questions, why are the hacks not asking them? Is it because once again they have been caught out as they were with the phone hacking and the bribing of Police officials? There will be an investigation into why this guy was held for 9 hours and we will then see...
How was Belgium - used to go to Brussels a hell of a lot for work and got a bit tired of it but Bruges is lovely.
I only went on a day trip to Adinkerque, loosely called a "shopping trip" It always looks bright and clean to me, locals very friendly too!
I think we all knew that the Guardian obtained illegally obtained material from Snowden. Why is it so important to know that the Guardian has destroyed (some of) it? Is that news? you can ask endless questions about what a paper does NOT report. The story here is that a private citizen who has connections to the Guardian through his partner was detained for 9 hours. Thankfully enough fuss has been made to make the authorities conduct an investigation and we will see how justified the use of these terrorism laws were in this case. The laws are very wide ranging and if misused are a threat to all our civil liberties. Let's hope none of us have a friend who is under investigation as it now seems that is sufficient to be stopped. We are supposed to live in a free society. This man was travelling though to his family in Brazil - yet was obviously under surveillance as the authorities knew where and when to get him. Using terms like "hacks" to describe journalists betrays a prejudice before the debate begins. If we do not defend our freedom it will disappear.
Morning all, took Mme to the vampires for her blood test at some unearthly hour. Poor thing was not allowed her cups of tea, only water. Just what sensitive data is being carried around the world I suspect we will never know. I also doubt that the guy in question would have been held so long if he had been a bit more cooperative. If he had nothing to hide he could have shown what he had on his gadgets and been sent on his way. There is a fine line with the press between gathering information that will expose wrongdoing and giving away secrets about security issues. With the availability of mass storage of information something could be held for years, then at a later date be used by a person who does not understand why it has been held back. Maybe the press should be a bit more open with government and admit that they have some information that could be harmful, and seek approval to store it or destroy it before they are compelled to do so.
They confiscated his laptop and phone so it is not a question of cooperation - they would never have believed him if he said he had no information. He says they did not question him about terrorism at all but about his relationships, family etc. If you are content to let democracy wither on a police state then this is the right way to begin. If there was a genuine reason for detaining him the police could have arrested him on suspicion of holding stolen material and let him have a lawyer and gone through the due process of law. Maybe the government should be a bit more open with the press / public and let us know the extent of their spying on us. No doubt my comments here will have been viewed by the authorities and I will be marked as a trendy lefty socialst sympathiser - my next visit to an airport could be fun. People are so so casual about their civil liberties. Trust your government at your own peril
When it comes down to matters of security one has little option but to trust the government. By it's very nature they are not going to publish it for the public to decide if it is harmful. In view of what came to light in the Leveson Inquiry, you can hardly hold up the press as a shining example of using information it obtains by any means.
The boyfriend lives in Brazil - with the English reporter. He was going home, that'a all. He clearly didn't know (and neither it would seem did the Guardian, which paid for the flights, and should have known), that the schedule (7) of the law under which he was detained for 9 hours is a very special and unusual one- it only applies to the 'twilight zone' on Uk soil, but not in the Uk i.e. at ports and airports. It permits the 'authorities' to do several things that would not be tolerated in the Uk itself viz. no right of access to a lawyer, no right of silence(!), right to remove ANY property (although not to keep it for more than 7 days supposedly). This disgraceful episode may well become a benefit, as the unreasonableness might (just might) get the UK government to rein back on its desire to turn the Uk into a police state (so that dodgy defence deals to Saudi Arabia etc can be concealed). Just a final word of warning to all law-abiding folk out there (as I am as far as I know). I now realise that even writing this little piece is risky - is that paranoia, or a sad reflection on the state of affairs ? Never mind - as long as the 'orns keep on giving me pleasure !
Would it be possible to give it to the government, say it's politically sensitive and should be subject to the 30 year rule?
You cannot be serious once upon a time I naively DID trust the British Government - we were British after all not like those dodgy European states - or heaven forbid anyone further flung than that - but time has shown that our government and politicians are no better than any others. Yes the press may not be shining examples either - but since when did two wrongs make a right?
