Hi Everyone

Apparently last night, in front of a Cambridge Law faculty, a flustered Jack Straw: "quashed calls by reform groups for a people's convention[*]", while, at the same time Gordon Brown made a visionary speech to Liberty about the future of, er Liberty..

Or, in other words:

The flustered elite that patronisingly runs our state in spite of such great advancements in education since the English civil war ended, yesterday announced its usual top-down plans for our liberty, showing again its lack of trust in, and disdain for democracy. Brown, Cameron and Co have no idea what is necessary to build the kingdom: a place where people choose to act well towards one another and the world at large, freely, because they built it themselves.

But we do, don't we?

(1) Constitutional Reform: read Fat Controller Brown's speech to Liberty last night, in full
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7062237.stm

(2) The Return of Alice in Wonderland, Ann Treneman:
"The moment I heard the words "protest" and "Parliament Square" I knew what MPs would latch on to. Not war or peace (for Tolstoy has already had a go at that). Not rights or wrongs, which have been done to death by those philosopher types. No, it would be protest in Parliament Square.

Mr Straw knew this too. Indeed, I suspect he was counting on it. For Mr Straw was flustered. He may be the Lord Chancellor but yesterday he appeared to be impersonating the White Rabbit. Mr Straw may say that a rabbit, even a famous one, cannot be the Lord Chancellor but others (a girl named Alice, for one) would disagree. Someone, whose name might just be Gordon Brown, had made him hurry this up and hurried it looked."
Read the rest at:  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2741514.ece

(3) Tory/Labour 'Bill of Rights and Responsibilities' : another summary of flustered Straw's linked speech
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7062654.stm

(4) Mainstream Press commentary on the two announcements also included:

'Who will decide what happens?

The public and interested bodies will have ample opportunity to have their say via meetings, online debates and citizens' juries. But Mr Straw quashed calls by reform groups for a people's convention[*].'
Read the rest at:  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/peter_riddell/article2741489.ece

[*] this in reference to the Bill for a Citizen's Convention now before Parliament
 http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/?page_id=953 and awaiting your support. So, even if its just to annoy the elite political class who are now attempting to hijack our constitution without our input please can everyone; individuals, journalists, groups now consider supporting this initiative (presently known as EDM1763) as a matter of urgency.

Many thanks.
Mark

--
'A people's art is the genesis of their freedom'.
Claudia Jones