As an aside to the comments I was making on the Times article extolling the results of trials utilising facial recognition technology in town centers (up to this point normally only used for mass surveillance at large scale events such as football finals, where terrorist threat may be heightened), I'd point out the irony of the fact that when such tech was described previously as being routinely used in China, it was presented as a totalitarian style of overreach by an authoritarian regime, bent on wholesale invasion into the lives of its subjects. Suddenly however, now that our own security and law enforcement services are warming to the idea of a more general rollout of its use, its 'positive' virtues are being pushed to the fore; it seems that the identical technology, when used by us,
must be considered in a more benign light, since our state bodies would never in a million years be tempted to use such for the same pernicious ends as the Chinese state. Now
would they?
(That incidentally, was I thought, probably one of the most important subjects I'd adressed in a
long time, especially so insofar as I take a slant on it not usually adressed - ie what happens when you mix the widespread use of such mass surveillance technology with the current advances in AI in terms of its almost preternatural predictive abilities.......seems that you really
are getting close to that
MinorityReport style scenario, but in a far more dangerous way than the film recognises). If you haven't read it, I'd urge you to go back and do so - not for vanity reasons because I think it so good or anything, but because it is
so damn important to start thinking about the direction our leaderships are taking on this score. Do we really trust them
that much to let changes of this nature be introduced without so much as a by-your-leave or any kind of public acquiesce, let alone consultation or debate having occurred.)
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It's long been rumoured that Home Secretary James Cleverly is not the sharpest pencil in the box (despite his name), and this morning's report on the front page of the Sunday Mirror would seem to confirm it.
Cleverly, not in the least bit cleverly, apparently made a joke at a Number 10 reception, about spiking his wife's drink with, "Only a little bit," of the date-rape drug Rohypnol. "That would be okay, wouldn't it?", he continued, clearly not noticing that the jaws of the people he was talking to were resting on their shoes. His failure to get that jokes like this were
absolutely not okay was made all the worse by the fact that he had only shortly beforehand, mentioned the drug in a speech he had given (which, in fairness, was probably where he learned the name of the drug for the first time).
I'm not being funny but.....
This is our Home Secretary! We rely on this man's judgment for countless things that really effect our day to day lives - and now it seems that he hasn't got any! The Sunday morning political slots would eat him for breakfast if they were up and doing, but I suspect that they're off on their Christmas break by now. He might therefore get lucky and get away with this, but it'll be close. If I was a gambling man I'd take a punt that this will cost him his job.
The complete twat!
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Chancellor Hunt is on the front of this morning's Sunday Express telling us not to listen to the "Scrooges" who talk Britain down. The country has now "turned a corner" and we can look forward to a "brighter year ahead".
I mean - what frikkin' cloud is this man on? Perhaps James Cleverly has gotten a bit too close to
his Christmas champers, because he's clearly seeing a different economic picture to the rest of us.
Now Jeremy - watch my mouth.
Inflation is
not under control......you fiddled the figures to make it
look like it was better than it was. American inflation is under control - it's down at two percent (less actually). Ours is not. With mortgage costs and food included it's
way higher than the Bank of England's two percent target, and food inflation itself is still running at nine percent. And that's before the additional costs of the forthcoming trade tarrif rules with the EU kick in. And there's the effect of the Israel-Hamas conflict yet to make itself felt. Come on - you know this. Stop with that gormless smile and inane posturing and get real for a minute.
Economic growth is flatlining (or perhaps you missed recent ONS report on our GDP which revised it down) and we're teetering on the brink of a recession. Our trade with our closest (and biggest) trading partner is shot to shit and the best deal we have secured in the last twelve months replaces approximately one hundredth -
one hundredth - of what we have lost by leaving the EU. In fifteen years time. If everything goes to plan. Every public service in the country is down on its knees and there isn't so much as a pot to piss in when it comes to funding their revival. No - the only money
you will be able to find will be given away in pre-election tax breaks that will do not one thing in terms of fixing these services.
But bribery of the electorate isn't going to cut it this time mate! The truth is you've blown it, you and your self-interested mates who've screwed this country into the ground for your own personal gain. The game's up and probably the only ****'s in the country stupid enough to believe your mugging up to the cameras, your bald flights of fantasy into economic cloud-cuckoo land, are the ones stupid enough to be buying the shit-sheet you are speaking in in the first place. But even they must be twigging by now. Counting on their fingers with their neanderthal brows furrowed in concentration, even they must be getting that the figures don't add up.
I'm normally of the belief that most politicians are doing what they do in the belief that they are working in the best interests of the country. Misguided they may be, but in the past I do believe that things have been done with at least the best of intentions. But for this lot I'd make an exception. What they have done in the past 14 years to this country is so egregiosly bad, so beyond the pale in terms of its consequences, both present and future that I'd make an exception in their case. You should be ashamed of yourself and your party Mr Hunt. You will not soon be forgotten nor forgiven.
The truth is a Lion and does not need protection. Once free it will look after itself.
....and the glory of the world becomes less than it was....
'Have we not served you well'
'Of course - you know you have.'
'Then let it end.'
We are the Bloodguard