Brian Barder's website

Entries in July, 2002

ID cards

Thursday, July 4th, 2002

A preliminary warning shot on ID cards…

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Ben Bradlee

Thursday, July 4th, 2002

Hearing a living newspaper legend.

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Government snooping

Thursday, July 4th, 2002

Rights and (mainly) wrongs of the government’s snooping laws and orders

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China and drugs

Thursday, July 4th, 2002

“China executed 64 people convicted of drug crimes to mark the UN anti-drug day, the state media said yesterday.”—Guardian, 27 June 2002. Not exactly what the UN had in mind in naming Anti-Drug Day, presumably. Still, it shows that they were anxious to observe it.

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Keeping people in prison for maintaining their innocence;

Thursday, July 4th, 2002

Talking of unjust and prolonged detention, the press reported on 20 June yet another case of a man who had been convicted of murder, received the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, recommended by the Parole Board for release as being no longer dangerous, but kept in prison because of the Home Secretary (Jack Straw at the time) overruling the Parole Board’s finding.

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The new Mental Health Bill

Thursday, July 4th, 2002

The new Mental Health Bill is a real winner, isn’t it?—powers to lock up indefinitely anyone who a couple of “experts” and a tribunal reckon may do someone harm in the future!

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Melrose Road pictures

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2002

Photos of the family at Melrose Road in July 2002

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