open letter to David Cameron's parents

[Loz]

[paxman_mode]

Look, if you can't answer the question, just say so - is there any actual proof of emerging change?

[/paxman_mode]

[MissNoodlesHats]

Loz , seriously do you not think you need your own thread - loz's of the beaten track dead end discussion thread.

Can I ask why you think that China, who are pretty advanced in terms of strategic thought as well as technology have built what can only be described as a pretty large wall around itself with regard to incoming and outgoing information traffic? Why don't you do the work and engage some thought then maybe your quotes will be less Pacman and more Paxman.

Lol

Back to the letter at hand, its bloody good but sadly the truth of it is somewhat lost in the irony. Personally I would have liked to have seen the audience of Question time slow hand clap them off the stage.

[Loz]

I'm starting to see a pattern - poor argument, resort to primary school-level ad hominem when questioned...

I think we should be adding MissNoodleHats to the AllForNun spotters thread.

[MissNoodlesHats]

Can I ask why you think that China, who are pretty advanced in terms of strategic thought as well as technology have built what can only be described as a pretty large wall around itself with regard to incoming and outgoing information traffic?

[Loz]

MissNoodlesHats Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Can I ask why you think that China, who are pretty advanced in terms of strategic thought as well as

> technology have built what can only be described as a pretty large wall around itself with regard

> to incoming and outgoing information traffic?

Ah, an attempt at a reverse Paxman. Good try, Allfornun, but sadly not effective this time.

China currently holds with the communist ideal of information control. They are especially worried about the information from western news streams, as the Beeb and the VOA, which carry information that the authorities deem to be not suitable for the populace. It is pretty obvious though, that as China opens up more and more to western trading and both business and leisure travel, this approach will be considered unsustainable in the longer term, as they will not only be forced to accept free flow of news and ideas (purely as it is virtually part and parcel of participation in a global market) but they will also discover that free speech is, in general, not a danger to effective government.

In other words, the question you ask is pretty irrelevant to your idea blogs have "effects of which are global and affecting (sic) change." as China is only one country (i.e. not global), blogs are a minor part of the target set of the Great Firewall of China and it is based on a paranoia rather than and actual power of the blog. Certainly a flow of ideas is a positive thing, and some grassroots ideas do make it to the big time, but if you are actually trying to say "The power of blogs is coming - tremble O Big Brother" then you are sadly mistaken.

Now if you had gone with Twitter and Facebook, you would have certainly had a case. But even then, they only generally have such power in single or a small number of unstable countries. Facebook campaigns in the UK no longer have any real effect and globally they've never really come off. Facebook is now just another marketing tool (notable by the easy way it is to 'like' something, but the 'unlike' is squirrelled away in a very hard to find place. You can't have all that advertising going unnoticed or turned off, now.)

Happy? We are a-wwayyyy off on a tangent from the OP, but for old time's sake, where is your proof that blogs have "effects of which are global and effecting change." (And I've even fixed your grammar.)

[OtAcaciaRP....]

I do write well when I am happy and smile :)

[MissNoodlesHats]

Er ? What an earth, where an earth have you gone here, I think you fighting with a figment or your imagination ?

I only said that blogs , a part of the information super highway effect change. To deny that is rather like saying I don't need air to breath? Its so obvious it does not warrant this discussion.

Arab spring ? Libya ? Paris hilton !!

[MissNoodlesHats]

Er ? What an earth, where an earth have you gone here, I think you fighting with a figment or your imagination or maybe fantasy who knows ?

I only mentioned that blogs , a part of the information super highway effect change. To deny that is rather like saying I don't need air to breathe? Its so obvious it does not warrant this discussion.

Arab spring ? Libya ? Paris hilton !!

YAWN

[Loz]

What *are* you talking about?? You asked the question about the Great Firewall of China - twice. Now you are complaining I answered it?

[MissNoodlesHats]

No community is rejoicing more in the return to relative peace following the riots than the residents of East Dulwich in south-east London. Like frightened citizens across the nation, they took to the internet at the height of the disturbances to exchange potentially lifesaving information. On the East Dulwich Forum website, one can still follow the frantic messages of last Tuesday evening. From user thebestnameshavegone at 6.18pm: "I'm expecting Ocado literally any minute ? does anyone know if they've been able to get through Rye Lane." Just over an hour later, Alex K posted. "This sort of thing just pushes further and further into the future any decision by Waitrose to open on Lordship Lane." Thank God it's over!

There you go, now people will change the way they thought of south london, no more hardened Richardsons and Frasiers. And also if that you sending me the somewhat bizarre and slightly off putting PM's do you mind stopping?

[MissNoodlesHats]

Great news!

Nike has raced ahead of rival Adidas in our Detox challenge!The sportswear giant has officially committing to

eliminate all hazardous chemicals across its entire supply chain and the entire life-cycle of its products by 2020. This is a major win to protect our planet?s water from pollution ?? so thank you for all your support.

Read about our latest success and Nike?s commitment to a toxic-free future.Thanks to your thousands of emails, blogs, comments, shares and tweets, plus some globally synchronised streaking: everything we?ve packed into just six weeks has helped make this latest win possible.

In less than two months,

we?ve exposed the links between top clothing brands and toxic water pollution in China, challenging the world's top two to take the lead in fixing the problem, industry wide.

Puma has moved, and now Nike. But the world needs more champions - so all eyes are now on Adidas. Help us celebrate this success by encouraging Adidas to also take the Detox challenge ? by

forwarding this email, sharing on

Facebook,

Twitter, Tumblr or your blog, and telling your mates over that post-work pint.

.....GreenPeace.......probably a few guardian readers amongst that lot, dreaming of utopia and wasting there time on the internet ?!

[silverfox]

What is this rubbish?

Please keep such twaddle on Facebook - not in the Drawing Room

[MissNoodlesHats]

Just an example of blogs/forums affecting change. Here is another rather simple example which in turn has just made me realise about the ED ward councillors thread to, did not really need to go all the way to China.

"The residents group plus some users of the SouthEastforum, Nunhead section have raised this too. There have not been any suggestions to alter the current route from Nunhead Lane, by the Rye and up through Rye Lane."

Change to a bus route!

[ivantheboss]

There was very interesting moments in this letter

[ManOfTheCloth]

I like the letter but not its connotations.

You would do well to remember what else happened at the same time as the Politicians' expenses scandal was announced in the mainstream press. Something rather important called the European Elections. That the press chose to release the story at the time they did is what is significant, not the actions themslelves, even though the actions may be highly disheartening. Have you ever heard of a Kansas city shuffle?

We cannot allow ourselves to de-base ourselves in the same way, things may very well be bad and they may very well get worse but there is still hope.

[Huguenot]

If I remember, the expenses story was broken by the Telegraph - I find it very unlikely that the aggressively anti-Europe Telegraph would have launched this story to divert attention from Europe.

You're seeing conspiracies where they don't exist.

If anything the electorate is currently being swindled by the anti-Europe faction (mainly bigotted right wing geriatrics) who are trying to deliberately and disingenuously conflate problems with the single currency with the repatriation of human rights legislation.

Anyone who think's that pulling out of Europe now is going to do anything but create massive economic disaster is a complete f**king idiot.