I originally started this in 2012. One of the ideological alliances within the coalition government was the so called rolling back the interfering state. The vehicle for this was “The protection of freedoms act”. It was always going that way, but it was named as a piece of Orwellian newspeak. Originally they hoped to call it the Great Repeal or Great Freedom Bill. …
A week’s a long time in politics
The Bill becomes an Act
Just over a week ago, the Digital Economy Bill got its 3rd reading, and according to “Computing” got its Royal Assent on the 9th April. I watched the 2nd & 3rd reading debates on parliament.tv with Tweetdeck open. Others have commented on how helpful having crowd sourced commentary was, which I have to agree with and also how disappointed they were that most MPs weren’t in the chamber to hear the debate. Twitter certainly enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the debates, which were rather spoiled at the end by the tiny vote in favour of the Lib Dem amendment and then against the 3rd reading. On the good side, I have been pleased to ‘meet’ some new twitter correspondents, however I had to turn it off at work for the rest of the week. Unlike contracted musicians with royalty based earnings, if I don’t work, I don’t get paid and I found it too distracting. …