Author: Podcast News
William Paty, who served as the British ambassador to Afghanistan until 2012, said Britain had lost the “war” against opium production in Afghanistan and heroin should be legalised. Mr Paty served as the British Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012. He is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Office in 1975. In an article he wrote The Guardian todayPaty said that when Prime Minister Tony Blair “deployed British troops to Afghanistan, ending the illicit production and supply of opium was listed as a key objective.” Of course, this was a lie then and it remains so now: when…
Last Wednesday, all “video on demand” content for which the UK Column had “editorial” responsibility was removed from YouTube and this website following a “regulatory” request by ATVOD, a subsidiary of Ofcom.On February 2, 2014, the UK column received a letter from ATVOD (the TV on Demand Authority). ATVOD is a subsidiary of Ofcom, the UK government's communications regulator. The ATVOD letter stated: Revision of laws and regulations The Communications Act of 2003 requires us to notify ATVOD that we are operating an “on-demand programming service,” to pay fees, and to comply with regulations. ATVOD selects organizations to regulate primarily…
19th March is Budget day and we are gathering in London to promote Bradbury Pound. Our aim is not to protest but to educate ordinary citizens, mainstream journalists, the police and any MPs or Lords who are brave enough to come and speak to us. So what exactly is Bradbury Pound? Read on…It has been a few months since we launched our campaign to “Revive Bradbury”, the parallel currency issued by the British government at no interest just days before the start of the First World War. We recognise that the Bradbury Pound was used by the government of the…
The Financial Services (Banking Reform) Bill received Royal Assent today, making it an Act of Parliament.Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said: “I am pleased that the Banking Reform Bill has received Royal Assent. This marks a major milestone and marks the end of a three-year Government-led process to make the UK banking system stronger and safer so that it can support the economy, help businesses and serve consumers.”The legislation introduces so-called “ring-fencing”, which has been presented as “banking separation” and has been much praised.It is different.Under true bank separation, implemented by the Glass-Steagall Act in the United States, banks…
Prime Minister David Cameron has accused rural opponents of the government's new town planning laws of denying young people home ownership opportunities and disregarding the best interests of the country. Reform is certainly the buzzword in government at the moment, but there is no real explanation for what they are reforming for. Similarly, Prime Minister Cameron's media address did not fully explain whether the new housing was specifically aimed at providing much-needed housing for people who claim residence here, or for people expected to emigrate from Europe. “Urban planning reform is important,” said Prime Minister David Cameron. “With the average…
David Cameron has declared his interests in Common Purpose. Suddenly the press and media realise he was part of the same Common Purpose that founded the Leveson Inquiry. Was it an oversight? State control of the press is not an appointment…The UK government’s direct control of the press through the Leveson Inquiry has never been more clear to anyone prepared to look. This is only the beginning. Control over the wider television and web-based media will surely continue as night follows day. Let’s focus on the press for now, and the rest should become clear. First, acknowledge that the mainstream…
Writing for The Guardian Today, Vince Cable began writing an opinion piece arguing that Britain should remain in Europe because “for centuries” it has “developed economically as an open, outward-looking country.” What a strange view of history. Britain may have been outward-looking, but only in the context of which parts of the globe to plunder. But it was the next paragraph in Cable's article that really rang the alarm bells. I am more worried than Bank of England Governor Mark Carney about the risks of relying too heavily on financial services for growth, but I acknowledge that the single market…
The internet approaches every man, woman, and child. Fishing nets are effective hunting weapons. A simple and easily constructed net is invisible to the fish at first, but when it eventually encounters the net, all escape routes are cut off. The nets encircle and trap the fish, allowing them to eventually be pulled out of their habitat and killed. Fishing nets are effective hunting weapons. A simple and easily constructed net is invisible to the fish at first, but when it eventually encounters the net, all escape routes are cut off. The nets encircle and trap the fish, allowing them…
Microsoft and Google are developing programs that can track our behavior. Future developments; The number of CCTV cameras being installed across the country is on the rise – One camera for every 11 people; Biometric scanner Packed lunches have now been banned, school cafeterias are now putting RFID chips around pupils' necks so they can be tracked at all times and of course George Osborne has said:Jawbone close-upThe new bracelet worn on the wrist constantly monitors the wearer's actions and tells them how much they should eat and sleep. and now, Google Glass The computerized glasses are said to be…
Much has been written about the digital age and the menial tasks it is supposed to save us from, and about its enslavement of people, an Orwellian world in which we are watched and controlled 24/7. Regular viewers and readers will know that the world is becoming more real by the day, and according to the mainstream media, organizations like Microsoft and Google are pushing us ever closer to the edge of no return. The latest claim from Google and Microsoft is that their new program, “Far Out,” can predict your future movements by monitoring your current movements with GPS.…