Insanity prevails

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I will get round to muttering about more high-profile vents in due course (probably, unless I don’t) but mean time a slow burning bit of insanity that I’ve muttered about before continues. It seems that Leicestershire Police have become the 9th police force to decide that “subculture” is a definition for a hate crime category. The Sophie Lancaster charity think that “alternative subcultures” deserve treatment from the police. Now as one of those dodgy alternative types and someone who had the pleasure of joining Leicesters knife crime statistics you might think that I’d welcome this development, but as you might have surmised I don’t, it’s madness on stilts. Now first on foremost I don’t think it should matter one jot why someone gets attacked, being attacked is both illegal and a deeply unpleasant experience, and if they kill you you’re no more dead if they do so because they don’t like how you’re dressed than if it’s because they wanted your Iphone. The police should treat any attack on anyone for whatever reason with the same seriousness. Beyond that having an additional offense of “hate crime” says that some people are more deserving of protection and better care than others, I always thought we were meant to be equal before the law.

Beyond those I think quite simple objections though just what is an “alternative subculture”? Surely a subculture is by it’s very nature alternative so specifying it has to be an “alternative subculture” is redundant? And who gets’s to decide that a subculture qualifies? As I’ve argued before being a member of the Bullingdon club or the EDL is as much a subculture as being a goth or a hippie. Though of course being a pensioner isn’t so no special counseling and victims unit for them, save those resources for those fragile “alternative” types. It does though I’m sad to say get worse the Sophie Lancaster foundation is actually campaigning is campaigning for legislation to change so that “lifestyle and dress code” is a hate crime category nationally.”. If lifestyle choice and how you dress is a hate crime category who doesn’t qualify? It just makes it all hate crime. So why not get rid of a pointless additional law and treat all harassment, assaults and murders equally regardless of the perceived motivation and the self-identification of the people experiencing it. Speaking from my own experience I was a goth at a folk festival when I was attacked so was it a hate crime against goths or folkies? Do folkies qualify as a suitably alternative subculture? Regardless I didn’t really care what the miserable scrotes who attacked me where saying I was more worried about the knife they had, fortunately both myself and my friend walked away, but I’m fairly sure that the injuries I sustained wouldn’t have required different surgery or more time off work if they’d been shouting “folky” or “goth” at me whilst they were attacking me. As a final point I’d observe that those fragile “alternative” types aren’t above treating people differently because they happen to be chavs or skins or “normals”. So maybe we should get our own house in order first and ask that everyone be treated properly by the police rather than demanding special laws and treatment because someone doesn’t like the way we dress?

In the meantime following the excellent “advice for decent people” penned by the much missed night jack:

  1. Get your complaint in first
  2. Claim you heard them saying nasty things about your appearance/lifestyle/subculture

Remember if it’s a “hate crime” because you’re part of an “alternative subculture” it will be recorded separately, get treated more seriously and you’ll have special resources dedicated to helping you. Unlike the poor sod who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – much like you probably were.

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Million mask march

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anonyderp So I gather from the news that Anonymous are back in Trafalgar Square having some sort of anti-capitalist shindig. Whilst the million mask web site suggests it had something to do with freedom of information, communication and against state censorship the people interviewed on the telly box and quite a few of the banners I’ve seen pictures of suggests it was at least about both and every other thing under the sun people felt moved to complain about. Perhaps next year they could call it the “down with that sort of thing” march? But anyway I digress if my some miracle those reporter types have got it right and this march and anonymous generally are actually “anti-capitalist” then a few things strike me as a tad odd. The most obvious one being buying masks produced by cheap Labour thanks to international trade, the profits of which support a firm which pays no tax and receives quite substantial subsidies. Maybe adopting something that involved less cooperation with global capitalism might be an idea? But then again given how much they seem to rely on horrible capitalist organizations (such as Facebook, apple and other low tax companies) to organize their little soirees (not to mention the entire capitalism driven internet) maybe Mr Burnside masks might be more apt. Though all those Nike bags and designer labels do serve to indicate their real views on capitalism rather well.

If though this isn’t an anti-capitalism get together, reporters have been known to get it wrong now and then after all, perhaps it really is against state surveillance and freedom of expression. In which case the place should be riddled with signs calling for less state action and a smaller government perhaps? For less state involvement in how people life their lives and organise themselves? Mind you all those socialist workers banners would make that a bit of a mixed message as well socialism doesn’t exactly have a good track record with not spying on people or letting people just get on with living without state interference.

Oh well at least it was a peaceful protest, ah it wasn’t exactly was it. But it’s ok I’ve been told that in a riot to see the people causing it looks for those dressed for a riot. This though I’m told is not the large numbers of people hiding their identities with masks, who have a track record (continued this year) of setting fire to things and tacking along fireworks (also known as explosives) to peaceful marches. Nope those are all harmless peaceful protesters trying to save all of us. Nope the people dressed for a riot are the ones with visible identification numbers no face coverings and baseball caps on. This is of course a generalization, some of the police as has been shown before are not the fine upstanding fellow we hope them to be and hide their numbers, and given they’re their to “keep the peace” and well as I’ve said the track record isn’t great do need to be prepared for a bit of “enthusiastic demonstration” are wearing protective gear which still leaves their faces quite visible (which has also been demonstrated before). Maybe if Anonymous were as peaceful and in favour of less state interference as they notionally claim some of them could perhaps have stopped their fellow million maskers from setting light to things and throwing bottles and fireworks and the like again? Maybe a few pointers on the various sites saying that such behavior isn’t cool and encouraging marchers to police themselves. After all nothing would show up police heavy handiness more than riot police kettling an entirely peaceful demonstration, maybe they could even hand out flowers? And from experience it’s not as if they’re not adverse to attacking other peaceful protesters who they disagree with.

Ah well maybe next year they’ll have a peaceful protest which makes some sort of sense beyond being an expression of unfocused annoyance, and if they do decide on an actual coherent message and manage a peaceful demo then I think I’ll start going for gentle strolls on November the 5th as I do quite miss them. Oh and if they could get the hang of forgiveness that would be great, as organizations that don’t forgive have a really really bad track record.

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Jeremy Corbyn joined up thinking

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aerial photograph of Kellingley Colliery , Beal, near Knottingley West Yorkshire UK ‎

Mr Corbyns clean energy

As Mr Corbyn seems to be terribly popular amongst many people I know and the wider populace this bit of joined up thinking of his has left me terrible amused.

It seems that Mr Corbyn is all for re-opening old coal pits
“When asked by the BBC whether harnessing more coal would mean reopening North pits, he said: “Where you can re-open pits, yes, and where you can do clean burn coal technology, yes.

“I think we can develop coal technology. Let’s do so because energy prices around the world are going up. Open cast mining is not acceptable, deep mined coal is possible and is an alternative.”

However whilst being in favour of re-opening “old” coal mines he’s totally opposed to introducing fracking becuase it’s “a very backward looking idea” and very polluting and short-term.

So if I understand this right manual fracking is good but mechanical fracking is bad. It’s OK to fracture rock seams as long as actual people go under ground to risk their lives to do so and then extract tons and tons of rock, but pumping water underground to fracture rocks and extract gas at no risk of life and limb is bad. Coal is forward-looking despite having the highest death rate per terra watt hour. He’s worried about the environmental impact of fracking but the pollution caused by coal power is just fine and dandy. Just as well that coal mining doesn’t cause water pollution…oops.

As we’re told that Mr Corbyn is a man of principle and consistency I’m sure that his support for a reviving a highly polluting and dangerous (Just ask the people of Aberfen) industry in favour of a comparatively safe and clean modern industry has nothing at all to do with the support it will garner in Labour’s traditional industrial heartlands.

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