Philip John

Category: Political

  • State surveillance is not comparable to online privacy issues

    State surveillance is not comparable to online privacy issues

    Often, when opposing state surveillance such as that revealed by Ed Snowden, activists are questioned why they use online services that actively collect data about them. There is one core reason why this comparison is unhelpful and irrelevant. “You are the product” goes the saying, which is true. Companies like Google and Facebook collect streams of data…

  • Banning the Niqab is not secularism and the NSS should know better

    Banning the Niqab is not secularism and the NSS should know better

    Just as I said about the French ban on face coverings, an English school banning the niqab is equally divisive. It’s disappointing to see the National Secular Society supporting the policy. Religious Freedom Banning the niqab is restricting the religious freedom of the individual. Why does a school have the right to decide what children can…

  • My new Open Rights Group t-shirt :)

    My new Open Rights Group t-shirt 🙂

  • Hoping for ‘Yes’ on Scottish independence

    Hoping for ‘Yes’ on Scottish independence

    CC-BY image by Ch1ris2 Why should I care? I’m not Scottish, I don’t live in Scotland. I’ve only been there twice – first when I was too young to now remember and second for a four day drinking binge in Glasgow triggered by Biffy Clyro. Not only that but I’d rather the UK remain together!…

  • Dispelling the myth of “unelected and invisible” police authorities

    Amongst the media coverage of the PCC elections, both in 2012 and last week’s by-election in the West Midlands the Government has again trumpeted it’s “unelected and invisible police authorities” line in defence of the indefensible reform. Police Authorities First, some facts. Police authorities in England and Wales were; Comprised of seventeen members 9 were elected…

  • No mandate: PCCs need to go

    One of my biggest gripes about UK Parliamentary elections is that successive Governments claim they have a “mandate” to introduce their ideological reforms (whatever the flavour) as if every single vote in their favour is a full and unconditional endorsement of their entire manifesto. That is, of course, an absurd assertion but the ruling party invariably rolls out…

  • FOI Hate: Response from Staffordshire County Council

    Following my letter to my Staffordshire county councillor, Terry Finn, I received the response below. I’ve some comments below. Councillor Finn has asked me to respond to your recent communication. Thank you for your comments which have been noted. Shame my councillor couldn’t be bothered to respond himself. He could have at least responded with his own thoughts and…

  • The erosion of civil liberties and the legitimacy of Parliament

    *sigh* I’ve moved from angry to depressed. Here’s my letter to my MP, Michael Fabricant, about the Data Rentention and General Bullshit Bill (DRIP); Michael, There’s probably no point in even bothering, given you are highly unlikely to rebel against your party (which, by the way, says something about our “representative democracy”, don’t you think?)…

  • Questioning Staffordshire on why they hate FOI

    After reading on Ampp3d that Staffordshire County Council were whinging about spending 0.00003% of their budget answering FOI requests, and checking out their whinge myself, I decided to write to my County Councillor (Terry Finn) to ask why SCC are attempting to demonise users of this critically important transparency law. I made a point of…