Virtually Naked hails an improbable liberal hero. Eric Pickles today said: "�Many councils are internet-savvy and stream meetings online, but some don�t seem to have caught up with the times and are refusing to let bloggers or hyper-local news sites in. With local authorities in the process of setting next year�s budget this is more important than ever."
When I began writing, the four-volume Penguin edition of George Orwell's journalism was my bible. The Worcester Libertarian reviews a new selection of his articles for the Observer.
"The collapse of the Gadhaffi regime is a blow to Putin�s influence strategy, a massive loss to Russian exports, and a personal setback for Putin himself," argues The Slog.
The problem is not that young people do not want to join the Scouts, says the Gyronny Herald, it is that there are not enough adults involved to enable them to do so.
Are group blogs the future or will individual blogs turn increasingly niche? Doctor Huw ponders the future of blogging.
From the North remembers Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart) whose death was announced today. Its writer "had the great good fortune to meet Nick, socially, on several occasions and found him to be one of the nicest, gentlest and funniest actors I've ever crossed paths with".
"The first thing to understand about the NUS is that it does not meaningfully represent students," says Free Radical, discussing Aaron Porter's announcement today that he will not be seeking re-election as the union's president.
Blunt and Disorderly is back with a post accusing politicians of treating the public as a rabid, xenophobic and vengeful mob: "We are not. We believe that human beings have inalienable rights that are not the gentle concession of Parliament, but inherent part of being human. We have duties towards each other and the community at large, and if we breach them, we should make amends. We should be punished, we should give back to the community, but never stop being part of it. We, the people, have some moral decency."
In a thoughtful post, phase.org signs up the late Douglas Adams to the pro-AV cause.
"The recent popular democratic movements in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa would have delighted the late Edward Said," says Bazzfazz.
What If: Projects reports an encouraging development from London: "The basic need for food and outside space for socialising and recreation was developed into a proposal to transform formerly fenced off and neglected pieces of land into allotment gardens. The first Vacant Lot allotment garden was established in Shoreditch ... and has been published and exhibited internationally. Vacant Lot has inspired various similar allotment projects."
Clive Dunn's career, and his 1970 LP Grandad Requests "Permission to Sing Sir" in particular, are reviewed by The Downstairs Lounge. Do listen to Simone.
Writing for the Oxford Student, Ed Watson stands up for the Liberal Democrats: "So, by all means call me and my party incompetent. Call us misguided. Tell us that we�re failing to live up to our principles. Tell us that we�re just plain wrong. But tell us that we lack principles, or impugn our integrity in some other way, and I�ll see you on the meadows with pistols at dawn."
On the OurKingdom site Malcolm Stevens discusses the detention of young offenders and calls on the Coalition to match the liberal achievements of... Margaret Thatcher: "Under her command from the early 1980s, the UK witnessed an unprecedented decline in the numbers of children and young people sentenced to custody: from almost 15000 in 1980 to 1500 in 1991."
Toby Young slaughters Labour MP Andrew Slaughter and his criticisms of free schools on the Daily Telegraph site.
Steve Joseph, on the BME National site, writes about his efforts to do something about "the increasing number of young black men drawn to crime, drugs and, in many cases, guns".
Peter Black AM finds that, entirely predictably, Larry the Downing Street cat is already looking to develop role beyond rodent control.
Wartime Housewife, that fount of robust good sense and member of the increasingly influential Harborough school of blogging, selects six favourite cultural links for The Dabbler.
Virtually Naked hails an improbable liberal hero. Eric Pickles today said: "�Many councils are internet-savvy and stream meetings online, but some don�t seem to have caught up with the times and are refusing to let bloggers or hyper-local news sites in. With local authorities in the process of setting next year�s budget this is more important than ever."
