“We shall fight them on the inboxes and on servers and on the net we shall never surrender”
- Winston Churchill

Well not quite but if America has its way then it may not be long before we hear this or a similar declaration from our leader.

The Pentagon is calculating the military opportunities that computer networks, wireless technologies and the modern media offer, with the aim of developing computer network attack weapons, in order to wage electronic war.

The Information Operation Roadmap as it is called by the pentagon and approved by the Secretary of Defence and makes for disturbing reading.

US forces should be able to, “Disrupt or destroy the full spectrum of globally emerging communications systems, sensors, and weapons systems dependent on the electromagnetic spectrum,” in other words the US military seeks the capability to knock out every telephone, every networked computer, every radar system on the planet.

Worrying indeed, no wonder they are so determined to keep control of the internet through ICANN.

Following on from my previous post "Bilingualism beware" it appears that poorly translated signs are not as rare as one would have hoped, in fact there is a webpage devoted to them called "scymraeg" hears a few examples:

Welsh reads "Warning arsehole cover is high"

The Welsh reads "Warning Workers Exploding"

thanks to Rhys Wynn of smiling under buses (see link on the right) for those.

I wouldn’t ordinarily post on such matters but this I had to.

It is disappointing and rather contrary that Mark Oaten felt that he had to stand down as shadow home affairs spokesman, after having a relationship with a male prostitute.

Contrary because it happened in the same week that Labour decided to legalise small brothels.

Now I will state that along with the rest of the country I was slightly alarmed to hear that people on the sex offenders register were being allowed to teach. I had assumed that signing onto the register would have been sufficient to ban that vocation, shocked and confused that there was a second list “list 99” that bans teachers and entry onto that one is not automatic if you sign the former.

However, this news story alarms me more, there are actually more children on the sex offenders register than teachers.

So even though we’ve blocked the adults the children are still at risk from their class mates. (without trying to be alarmist just trying to illustrate that it could happen)

BBC reports that Blair thinks that the Words “Senedd” (Welsh for Parliament) and “British Parliament” could be confused and therefore we have a “National Assembly for Wales”. I personally would argue that “Scottish Parliament” and “British Parliament” are much more likely to be confused but there we go.

Therefore I urge every one who reads this blog to refer to the NAG (I’ve always loved the assembly's initials) as the Senedd in all blogs, conversations, or literature they are involved in.

What I like most about this story is this

The Lib Dem attempt to create a senedd, backed by Plaid Cymru, fell by 398 votes to 38.

If the plans to prevent Scottish and Welsh MPs voting on purely English matters then can we stop English and Scottish (and Northern Irish) MPs voting on purely Welsh matters. And with there only being 40 Welsh MPs this motion probably would have passes (assuming that the 38 votes for were from representatives of Welsh Constituencies.)

American activists perturbed by the supreme courts ruling which undermines the property rights are attempting to have a compulsory purchase order placed on one of the judges houses, in order to building a hotel.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4639374.stm

Closer to home, George Galloway, is in the dog house for managing to sign two early day motions while incommunicado in the Big Brother House (early day motions must be signed by an MP not an aid or proxy). Although the cynic in me wonders if a labour MP (or any other for that matter) signed his name know it would cause him trouble.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4618690.stm

An idea reinforced by this news article, where labour activists have had cat food delivered to George Galloway’s home
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4648848.stm

Well it emerged yesterday that an disabled athlete who had his prosthetic running leg stolen (with the car it was in) has had it returned to him.

It’s nice to know that these people have a conscience more disturbing to know that they were unashamed / unabashed enough to hand it in in-person.

And more disturbing – no arrests have yet been made and no news of the car!

Well, interesting developments, the plot to kidnap Leo Blair and presumably hold him for ransom – in the form of fathers access rights.

I find it hard to believe that fathers4justice, which ceased activity after this plot became known, would have condoned such a plot, there actions have always been to embarrass the government and gain public support for there cause via high profile stunts.

I’m not discounting the idea that this may not have been an officially sanctioned action and that there maybe extremists in the organisation who would contemplate such action – which for record I reject absolutely. However, it does seem out of character compared to all the other stunts that they have pulled.
· Lobbing stuff at Blair in the Chamber
· Scaling Buckingham Palace
To name the most notable.

One question does arise however, what does this mean for state security? I’ll explain, fathers4justice have continuously shown how easy it is to breach British government and Monarchical security, a fact that has not really been brought to its horrifying outcome since their intentions were just publicity seeking.

However, if since the disbanding of fathers4justice there is no group (that I can think of) that will / does attempt to test security for reasons other than to kill the government. Let’s go worst case scenario for a moment. What if it was a terrorist cell that managed to get into the Commons Chamber that purple flour could easily have been a biological agent which would have had far less funny effects than it did.

This country is a less secure place if we do not have an organisation like fathers4justice who attempt to breach security solely for publicity purposes and not malicious purposes.

It is notable thought that the uncovering and dismantling of this plot was accompanied by no arrests what so ever, so one does have to wonder if this story of kidnapping just that, a story?

This next story – and if you haven’t noticed I’ve decided to have a little purge today – regards the anomaly of Britain and the Government.

It’s a theme that I’ve often mused on, and that is why did labour introduce devolution, it doesn’t benefit them in any way / case / form / or how. Labour have continuously returned a high percentage of Welsh MPs to Westminster, and I believe a similar situation is true of Scotland, so why then does Labour want to fragment the UK and why since the Conservative Party has the majority in England (at the last election) doesn’t the Conservative Party want devolution to progress to its logical outcome.

Wales and Scotland are providing the government with the authority to rule over England a mandate which they do not have, they have continuously rely of the members from the Celtic fringe countries to pass legislation that will only have bearing on England.

With all the Labour kafuffle over voting in Scotland and Wales (party list section of the additional member system) I am shocked at the double standards that allow losers in one election become victors in another.

You know I’ve taken a lot of stick recently from other bloggers particularly for stating my belief that the so called British Parliament is in fact the English Parliament examples of which can be found here. “The English Project” and “Wonko’s World” .

However, The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has launched a project, entitled Icons - a Portrait of England, to try and find the most resonant symbols of Englishness. Now why would a British institution be concerned with promoting English values? Are we to forget that this is an institution of a British Government spending British Tax payer’s money deliberating on what defines Englishness.

Now is this an action of a British Parliament or and English Parliament. Although saying that it must be remembered that Gordon Brown is trying to promote Britishness by having a British day – which has just spurred on campaigns for each country to have their respective saint’s day off.

Unfortunately this BBC news story is not followed by the words “over the edge of a cliff”.

This is a news report that Bill Clinton states that Tony Blair would make a good United Nations Secretary General once Kofi Annan’s term in office ends.

To be truthful I think I agree, I think Blair can put an emphasis on the necessary topics that the United Nations needs to address, environment, security, poverty and human rights / humanitarian intervention etc…

He also seems to have a fantastic ability to pull agreements on difficult matters out of nowhere, which will serve him well, although he is unlike to accede to this position for many reasons

1) He is not going to stand down in time.
2) He will be perceived as being too close to America to act impartially
3) Similarly his former position in Britain might also count against him.

Nevertheless I think he would be a good SG.

I’m still catching up on the holiday backlog so bear with me for a few more days.

Now as with every thing that I write about new labour I make it clear that I am not a big fan of any of them – and that remains my position, however, credit where credit is due I think one of them has done something right.

Peter Hain has put solar panels on his Neath home, with a sizable grant I must add – although I’m not suggesting any impropriety with that comment.

It’s a step, although I still do not understand why it is not yet mandatory for newly built homes to have solar panels. It makes perfect sense to me, change building regulations so that solar panels must be attached to new buildings (although I realise this would cause problems for building like the Gherkin in London – but it would be possible to incorporate them into the designs for most buildings, residential buildings).

Let’s face it this planet needs something drastic to happen very soon, if we can get the majority of homes producing their own energy then that would be fantastic. Reduce carbon energy production – less green house gasses etc… increase manufacturing – someone has got to make them, then obviously because of the demand the cost of them will decrease. It will also help reduce the countries balance of payment deficit by reducing the amount of heating oil / gas that need to be imported – assuming that there is electric heating in the houses of course.

In fact I can’t think of one reason why this shouldn’t be government policy, well apart from the lobby that oil companies can put up against it. They don’t want their profits to slip below the trillion mark (for reference I have no idea about the profit margins of oil companies)

If any one can think of a reason let me know.

For all those who can’t read Welsh the translation is “pedestrians look left”

Disbelief is all I can think about it to be honest, you would have thought that there was a set design or that some won would have checked / proof read the sign or something.

Hello and welcome back to Taffia Don, it has been a rather exciting Christmas break, for several reasons – because it was Christmas, but most importantly because Taffia Don was mentioned in the Big Issue (Wales edition). I was unable to get a copy – why is it that there are no Big Issue vendors when you want one!

Nevertheless ‘Greg’ kindly transcribed the contents for me, for which I am very thankful, and here it is:

How to read a stranger’s diary (Blogging in Wales)
I’ve developed a taste for something a little unusual.
It’s slightly strange, vaguely self-centred and I do it all alone.
I’ve seen others at it too. Some make it dirty.
No, I ain’t eating Pot Noodles.
It’s writing a web blog - an online diary or digest of news stories, chat, opinion, vitriol, lustful thoughts or plain rubbish.
Blogging is what they call it and it is becoming big news. Often the blog is even the messenger bringing the news itself.
Many of those which have gained notoriety have been either smutty or nutty: blogs of the sexual fantasist, rumour monger or conspiracy theorist. The most famous, Belle de Jour, the anonymously-written, intimate adventures of a London prostitute, spawned a frenzy of media interest and a bestselling book.
But, a little like ‘high-class hooker’ Belle de Jour herself, blogging can be what you want it to be.
Blogs have been developing in the United States since the early 1990s but ‘blogging’ only made it into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003 and neither my US or UK spell-checker recognises blog, blogger, blogging or blogged.
Now though a number of blogs have sprung up in Wales.
Blogcymru.com provides a starting place to find the most regularly-updated efforts, while britblog.com lists more than 100 Welsh sites. Titles include Taffia Don, Never Knowingly Wrong, Smiling Under Buses and Chronicles of a Lonely Genius, a name which speaks for so many bloggers.
I’m distinctly z-list as yet but I’m there at whatiswales.blogspot.com.
Some people just want to talk, others really have something to say.
The blogger at A Life In Wales movingly takes readers through the painful stages of her illness and her battle with a tumour. “As my 50th birthday is just a few days before Christmas I’d hoped to be over and done with hospitals by then but it seems I will be carrying this into 2006,” she wrote recently from her home somewhere in rural west Wales.
Meanwhile, there is a Kerry Katona version of Belle de Jour, Chav Mum, a gaudy red and yellow blog which smells of chip paper.
Experiences include an unsatisfying ‘romantic moment’ behind Cardiff International Arena and a cab ride home with a friend. “(The driver) said, ‘Where you going?’ We said, ‘Home!’ and laughed our heads off. He said, ‘Which caravan park’s that then?’ Cheeky bugger. Ashanti p***** on his seat in revenge.”
Politicians are in on the act. Peter Black, David Davies and Leighton Andrews are dedicated bloggers, while Brynle Williams hasn’t had anything to say since last year’s message on January 15, 2005.
The blog’s sense of immediacy has seen some newspapers, particularly The Guardian, grasping at them hungrily. It has developed not only its own blogs but is referencing others.
Mainstream news comes increasingly from fewer sources. Wire copy means that a single interpretation of a story is likely to be read by people around world: the same words run by daily newspapers from Swansea to Scunthorpe, and often to Sydney and Singapore too.
In addition, recent research has shown that both Americans and Europeans trust the opinions of “average people” more than most authorities.
It was therefore of little surprise that the invasion of Iraq proved a boon to bloggers.
Salam Pax became world famous with his Baghdad diary, while hundreds of American blogs launched on both sides of the debate – some started by members of the military.
Bristol law student Jo Wilding worked hard to bring truth from the Fallujah (and had her work celebrated by John Pilger). Youth Aid Iraq-organisers Kevin and Helen Williams, of Newport, South Wales, did the same from Baghdad.
In many ways, modern life has made people feel weaker and further from power. No matter how many march against a war, it goes ahead; while, in the office, anonymous, fat-cat shareholder greed outweighs the hard-work, commitment and loyalty of any employee.
So why not check out the blogs? They are not all intelligent, trustworthy or worth reading.
But they give voice to all sorts of people. Support your local blogger.

(as published in The Big Issue Cymru, New Year edition)

How fantastic is that – if only I was able to update my blog during the holiday I might have managed to increase my readership, but there we go.