Rowan Tree and Red Thread

I read this (courtesy of natural20 on LJ) and thought that Ireland really needs to stop aping UK law-making.

Also getting some space in the Irish Times today is an article on internet blocking and its dubious value.

From that article, UCD Law lecturer TJ McIntyre said: "Blocking involves censorship taken on no legal basis. There is no judge, no jury and no right to be heard if you are blocked."

"The chances are it also will be used in unaccountable ways by unaccountable organisations."

Given the moral and ethical stature of our TDs of late, the mind boggles at the various unaccountable ways they might think up.

Atheist Ireland says it much better than I can. Can we please grow up?

President McAleese signed the Defamation Bill 2009 into law. I'm unimpressed.

Defamation bill stumbles in the Senate.

Another win for electronic voting, I don't think.

Father Ted on blasphemy.

Padraig Reidy talks more sense than Dermot Ahern. What the fuck was Ahern thinking with this law?

They're at it again.



I'm going to contact Colm Burke and Brian Crowley as MEPs in my constituency. I'll think about contacting Kathy Sinnott too, but she's been a bit of loon to date. That said, I'm not sure that either of the other guys is likely to be a natural friend to copyfighters.

I'll jump on the bandwagon and post about this stupid and unworkable law currently moving towards the statute books in New Zealand.



(first spottted at Stephen Fry's Twitter feed, of all places.)

This is rather bizarre. Apparently "a senior lawyer for the American government has told the Court of Appeal in London that kidnapping foreign citizens is permissible under American law because the US Supreme Court has sanctioned it."

Once the MPAA and RIAA realise the implications, watch for the black-clad copyright ninjas going extra-territorial.