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Just got a reply back from local MP Nick Raynsford about ID cards. Here it is:

You ask about my personal position. I support the introduction if ID cards
and I take this view based in part on the experience I have as the Minister
responsible for the security of London – London Resilience. I am acutely
aware of the risks posed to the capital and the need to ensure the safety of
its citizens. My position is also in part because of the work I have done in
relation to the benefits system and the concerns I have about take up as well
as fraud. ID cards would enable, in my view, benefits to be delivered more
securely and in a more straightforward way. In fact I took a call in my
office today from a pensioner who is having to remember a pin number in order
to collect pensions and benefit from the Post Office. He wants an ID card
because it would avoid him having to struggle with pin numbers.

Hmmph! It is the usual non-committal reference to “risks”, and some stuff about benefit fraud. I would love to see the figures about how much identity based benefit fraud costs the country, as opposed to people simply claiming to be unemployed, disabled while keeping their own identity. And the pensioner who can’t remember his PIN number – great anecdote! Does this mean he will have to be fingerprinted every time he gets his pension – or will anyone who nicks his ID card be able to collect it?

Interesting commentary and documents will be added to my links blog. A very interesting proposal for non-forgable ID cards with no need for biometrics (which you can’t revoke without blinding yourself or cutting off your fingers) that doesn’t require a central database (which is probably the most worrying part about the whole proposal) was written up on The Register recently. Would this make the whole scheme less scary?

This is what is on my mind today, aside from personal stuff and nonsense:

National Identity Cards

The Labour government seems hell bent on introducing biometric powered national identity cards in the UK, without giving any sensible reasoning, let alone a proper debate. The government is not claiming (directly – they are using cynical techniques such as the Bush regime used to convince the US population Sadam Husein committed the World Trade Centre attacks) that the cards will have any effect in combatting terrorism or illegal immigration, or any serious crime. I am hoping that they won’t successfully get this through, at a cost of £3bn (+ £75 poll tax per person) and untold damage to our freedom. They want everyone to register their address and keep it up to date with the govt database. Should we live under such a regime? Should we trust any regime that tries to sneak this on us? I’ve even written to my MP Nick Raynsford about this one. He doesn’t seemm very well informed judging from his responses.

Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by our leaders

The US administration has reneged on the nuclear proliferation treaty and will spend $6.5 billion on development of nuclear weapons this year. With no clear threat in now or in the future meriting a nuclear response one has to wonder about the motivation behind these cold war levels of spending. Other signatories of teh non-proliferation treaty have come under extreme pressure to comply, but the US has opted out, and indicated a first strike policy. Such an approach creates a chain of nuclear posturing – Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Israel are all likely to respond in turn by increasing their nuclear efforts. With so many countries involved this is a more dangerous situation than the cold war arms race.

The psychotic and hare-brained schemes to militarize space

The US military has published plans (admittedly long term ones) to take control of space by launching space platforms from which offensive strikes could be launched anywhere on earth, at any time with no warning. If that isn’t terrorism I don’t know what is. There are even congress approved plans (1987) for state backed space pirates hijacking space ships carrying mined materials from elsewhere in the solar system. Is this US taxpayer backed sci-fi, or an indication of the real long term aims of the US military? I dunno.

Otherwise I am still applying for jobs, and we are looking for our own place to live. Probably going to see Kill Bill 2 tonight.

My cousin’s friend Goodiepal played at the Garage last night. I went down with Ona and Ali to see if we could blag our way in and see this somewhat bizarre musician/artist perform.

Goodiepal is a Danish guy who grew up on Greenland, and now lives on the Faroe Islands for most of the year. He performs some of the most eccentric music you may ever hear.

Goodiepal played an electric music box that played punched cards. Whilst winding the handles Goodiepal whistled the melody, and paused to move around a series of planets he had arranged on a small table at his side. Very odd.

He then introduced us to his magnificent musical bird, which took him two years to make. The photo doesn’t quite do this bizarre object justice.

Then the audience were invited to play with the Maxgumtree web site.

Goodiepal finished off by playing his latest recording – 9,000 year old music discovered on rocks of the Faroe Islands.

The whole event was over my head, and most other peoples. However it was certainly intriguing. What is going on in the mind of this man?

The gig was organised by mybrokeneasel.

I have finally added all my Arusha Times stories to this web site. Check them out in Articles.

Went to see Peaches at the London Astoria on Sunday night. Both good and bad – had mixed feelings about this gig, even though I reckon I enjoyed it.

London Astoria

The evening almost got off to a dreadful start. I bought tickets through the Mean Fidler web site, and opted to pick them up at the venue. Big mistake! They wouldn’t let me collect tickets there. We had to go in straight away, which kind of killed our attempts to meet up with people and go to the pub. A tricky attempt to get us to buy their over priced cans of beer. Having none of that. Tip: get your tickets delivered, buy from another place, buy them on the door, or be more organised and meet up with friends before buying tickets.

The Gig

Pink Grease

We missed the first two bands, but made it in time to see Pink Grease. I felt a bit like yer Dad – seen it all before – and wasn’t particularly impressed, but everyone else seemed to like them.

Peaches

I have been a fan of Peaches ever since my cousin told me I had to buy her album Teaches of Peaches. It blew me away. Peaches sings dirty songs about sex, and they have a great electro beat that resonates around your head. Her latest album, the charmingly titled Fatherfucker is slightly rockier in feel, and so was the gig. This was a disapointment. When I saw Peaches a couple of years ago at 93 Feet East it literally resulted in a nose bleed. Unfortunately, however heavy Peaches pitches her rock, it is never going to reach the level of her electro.

During most songs Peaches was flanked by two extremely tall cabaret dancers, be-cocked with Matthesons sausages or peeled bananas. These two proceeded to tie peaches up and chase her around the stage in some sort of lesbo-masochist Benny Hill romp scene. One of the caberat girls put on a spectacular hula-hoop dance, which probably got as load a round of applausee as any of the songs did.

Sadly Peaches made some glaring errors in the concert. She invited members of the audience onto the stage to sing along with Fuck the Pain Away, her most punch packing song – this reminded me of the New Kids on the Block getting a teary eyed teeny on stage to ballad her to death. In her duet with Iggy Pop, Iggy just looked like he didn’t want to be there. Not that he was. Peaches dueted with a video projection of him.

Sadly she covered some songs that no one knew and that weren’t packed with energy. The gig was punctuated by the crowd stopping dancing and wondering what they were listening too. They hadn’t come here for this.

The blood spitting stunt I remembered from 93 Feet East just looked lame this time around. Before she pretended to have bitten Taylor Savvy’s prick off, but this time it was just some sort of belly ache. Rock and Roll!

At the end of the gig Peaches announced that she had been told she could only do one more song by the venue manager. She went on to do – one more song. Great act of rebellion when the crowd wanted more, and there were plenty of tracks unplayed from both albums that I know she does great live.

That aside it was still a good gig – everyone enjoyed it. But it was tinged with sadness, since it is apparent that with growing appeal, Peaches isn’t destined to get any better. Great music. Performance somehow lacking. Apart from the Hula-hoops.

First blog initiated by Arusha Times article of this week – gmrecs.blogspot.com. Pretty good going – the issue only came out yesterday!

The London Marathon goes right past where we are living. Yuki and I wandered down and watched the crowds running past. Amazing sound of feet padding on tarmac. Heads bobbing around. Sound of pissed blokes at nearby pub shouting Oggy oggy oggy and the reply from a hundred runners oi oi oi! shortly followed by an excited child’s voice trying, but failing to reinitiate the chant. Got bored after about twenty minutes. It is only people running…

I don’t remember George Lucas being there…

[Rumour-mongering]An ex-colleague of Yuki’s who works next to a recording studio in Notting Hill reports that a phone call came through preparing them for the immanent announcement that Michael Jackson has committed suicide.[/Rumour-mongering]

I wonder if this is the same rumour as the one reported on this web site.