Halfapenguin.com
policewatch

Just a list of people i think deserve to be honored, for doing something right (eventually)

• Diane Abbott
• Richard Burden
• Katy Clark
• Harry Cohen
• Frank Cook
• Jeremy Corbyn
• Jim Cousins
• Andrew Dismore
• Frank Dobson
• David Drew
• Paul Farrelly
• Mark Fisher
• Paul Flynn
• Neil Gerrard
• Dr Ian Gibson
• Roger Godsiff
• John Grogan
• Dai Havard
• Kate Hoey
• Kelvin Hopkins
• Glenda Jackson
• Dr Lynne Jones
• Peter Kilfoyle
• John McDonnell
• Andrew Mackinlay
• Bob Marshall-Andrews
• Michael Meacher
• Julie Morgan
• Chris Mullin
• Dr Doug Naysmith
• Gordon Prentice
• Linda Riordan
• Alan Simpson
• Emily Thornberry
• David Winnick
• Mike Wood

UPDATE: 3 police cars blocking my street, can't see what they are up to. There's no paddywaggon so they aren't rounding up the subversives, Also my camera strap decided to detach, but thankfully i managed to stop the camera hitting the ground too hard so its okay. I've gone back to bed, with the front windows open in the hope that sylvester will make his own way out.

...all about friendly housing blocks, and evil psychotic ones with nasty inhabitants (someone fed me stella last night). As per normal with a weird dream like this i faded in and out of consciousness until i realized there was something in my flat, mainly due to the fact that it flew into and out of my bedroom. Despite here being 2 inches of open window in the back window, a bat has creeped into my apartment, and has subsequently found that it can't get out so easily. This explains the weird dreams.... However due to the fact that i'm freaked out by all this, i am sitting in the living room with all the lights on, but its too scared to come to the front to go out the windows. I have the trouble that i can't get back to scare it out because there is only one hallway for both of us to get to the the back and it keeps fluttering around. Also the police are out in force on my street, but i can't really look because i'm petrified by the bat... I'm buying window filters tomorrow. Sylvester seems to have gone to ground for now, i've made it all the way to the back of the house, and closed all the cupboard and rattled everything i can rattle, i'm gonna go investigate whats going on with the boys in blue and then maybe i can get back to sleep... I was going to put a photo up, but me bleary eyed is not a pretty sight... I love nature, just not when its trapped in my apartment and gets way too close...

I wish i could be one of those standing in the path of the torch in London. Failing that, i'm hoping that either an impromptu drizzle puts out the flame, or some brave soul manages to use a fire extinguisher to put it out. We should not be offering support or help to China, if the flame is meant to make it through London, then let it do without the police protection.

Ken Livingstone has crossed the line, he is now defending the Met police over their execution of Charles de Menzies. Beyond the circumstances showing gross incompetence on the Police's part. Beyond the circumstances of killing a suicide bomber (who is perfectly capable of carrying a deadman's switch). It goes to the character of our police force. Not only did they try to cover up their mistake, they then tried to imply he was wearing a bulky jacket in summer, when he was wearing a light denim jacket. Finally at court, they tried to destroy his character in court to cover their asses. Sir Ian Blair aided and helped arrange this coverup, he needs to resign for criminal incompetence.

...can't screw up so easily. Apparently the Metropolitan Police have said that if a prosecution is successful, they will be unable to do their jobs. So they are saying if they got caught wrongdoing, they wont be able to continue wrongdoing. Charles de Menezes was an innocent victim of the ever increasing incompetence and corruption of the British Police Forces, ever since they were politicised by the Labour Government. The detail watching the apartment block, went on a break, without arranging cover. This resulted in a knock on effect ending up with the armed response unit conducting a "Mafia Style" execution of an innocent man. Now the armed police may have been under extreme pressure, but their actions lack both wisdom and intelligence (wouldn't a suicide bomber take the care to have a deadman's switch). It would be bad enough if that was where the wrong ended, but in response to the truth coming out, there was a deliberate attempt by the Metropolitan Police to cover up their gross incompetence and brand Mr de Menezes as a likely terror subject, so they could be justified in executing him. The police needs to be brought to heel, since they don't seem to be capable of acting as civilised humans at the moment. For generations we have had a police force to be proud of, now it looks like we are trying to emulate the excuse for police that the US government employs.

Its being reported by the mail that it is an issue that teachers promote marriage as the best role model for future happyness. Academics are saying that by doing this, it makes non-conformist lifestyles seem lesser by comparison. To put this complaint at the feet of teachers, seems a little bit unfair given the fact that it happens everywhere. When gay and lesbian characters pop up in television, the majority of plots seem based around shock and comedy, rather than the more complex plotlines that feature for straight storylines. There are certain exceptions, such as Willow in Buffy, but most of what we are bombarded with is straight people getting married, according to statistics 1 in 10 people at least are what we would term gay or lesbian, ignoring those who are secretly bisexual, surely that means 1 in 10 characters on television should be Gay or Lesbian? Yes there is both L-Word and the former (but very good) Queer as Folk, but there should not be "special" programs to deal with "special" issues, on mainstream television. Looking at other minorities in similar proportions to the LGBT comunity, there is no need for Jewish or Pakistani specific programing, despite each has differences and complications of interaction, but they can be integrated very easily into conventional programs. I think the time has come for the entertainment industry to stop playing it safe, yes with programs like Big Love, they are pushing the envelope, but bring what you have learned back into the mainstream. Relationships and attraction are part of nearly every show on television, stop with the obvious choices, with Doctor Who and Captain Jack, we have seen that bisexuality can be shown to be something that viewers can take in their stride. Stop making characters like him odities and talking points, and instead make them part of the normal fabric of the world we see on our tv screens. Then our children will stop being infused by our unconcious bigotry and start to open their minds, and the 50th century may seem a little closer.

I was wondering through gatwick today (waiting for a train i was allowed to catch). When i was walking to my train quite casually 2 cops walked past in full flak jackets carrying vicious looking machine guns. I know i'm biased and think that the police should not carry lethal weaponry and should rely a bit more on guile and wits, but I'm trying to set that aside for my opinion now. A gun of any description is a lethal weapon, that can be used to protect people from a threat, however a well trained individual should be able to do with one bullet what 20 bullets from a machine gun can do. I can see 2 counter arguments to mine, First that it may be easier to hit a threat with an automatic weapon. However if the armed officers are not trained to hit with one or maybe 2 shotsthen i do worry about the wisdom of putting such badly trained officers on the streets with such lethal technology. I don't want to be mown down by the people there for my protection... The second argument is that a machine gun (in single shot mode) will be superior for hitting long range targets. Looking at Gatwick airport there are a few areas big enough for this to become a factor, but then surely a 'sniper rifle' might be better since it is designed for long range fire rather a machine gun which is capable of long range fire. I doubt that the police would change their policies, but i would certainly feel less threatened by police with pistols than police with machine guns.

Sadly the police have yet again managed to take a step back into the dark ages, with the re-introduction of a polygraph... It may have some use when you don't mind a huge margin of error, and no certainty of accuracy. In every other corner of the law evidence needs a continuity of verifiability, and confirmable analysis of this evidence. This is a slippery slope, it may be used on those who commit horrific crimes now, but how long before the police starts requesting routinely using polygraphs in interviews and recording it as evidence for use in a court of law?