‘It was not always thus. When the time came to consider the fate of men much more steeped in wickedness than Bin Laden – the Nazi leadership – the British government wanted them hanged within six hours of capture. President Truman demurred, citing the conclusion of Justice Robert Jackson that summary execution “would not sit easily on the American conscience or be remembered by our children with pride? The only course is to determine the innocence or guilt of the accused after a hearing as dispassionate as the times will permit and upon a record that will leave our reasons and motives clear”. He insisted upon judgment at Nuremberg, which has confounded Holocaust-deniers ever since.’

Do these people have cataracts? Really dark sunglasses? Or just no windows? At this time of year (that’ll be February, dear reader, if you’re visiting from some point in the future) I’ll grant that we don’t live in the lightest part of the world but the summer is a different matter. On 21st June twilight starts at 0345 and it doesn’t actually turn dark until almost 19 hours later.

I’ll also grant that there may be some overseas visitors whose visit to the UK may be spoilt when they wake up at sunrise only to discover that the local National Trust house isn’t due to open for another five hours or more but I suspect that all three such visitors could probably find something else to do while they’re waiting. Such as enjoying the views from Scafell Pike.

When I travel on my holidays I pay pretty much no attention at all to time. It’s an irrelevance. I wake up when I wake up. Eat three meals a day at times dictated by my whim and go to bed when I feel I’ve enjoyed plenty of being awake.

If these tourist bosses really want to do something useful why are they campaigning for only CET? Surely if we put our clocks five hours ahead we could abolish that ghastly experience of darkness almost completely.

I’ve just sent a letter to my esteemed local MP to encourage him to protect our photographs:

Today sees the second reading of the Digital Economy Bill. I have today become aware of the potentially very damaging consequences of clause 43 of thus bill which:

• removes the right of each individual creator and copyright owner to market their work to the clients they choose, for the uses they choose, at the price they have set
• In so doing it destroys any guarantee of exclusive use, and
• breaks the contractual ties between models, their agencies, property rights holders, photographers and clients, because
• images will be used in ways that rights holders would have forbidden, had they known beforehand
• says that images can be declared orphan after a “diligent search” for the owner without recognising the practical impossibility of such a search
• proposes that images should be licensed at “the market rate” while ignoring the impossibility of determining such a rate for any specific image
• proposes a scheme for managing orphan works that is not limited to orphan works

Perhaps more disturbingly clause 46 allows the Secretary of State to amend the Act by Statutory Instrument. This is a completely unnecessary step which could allow an unscrupulous future Secretary of State to make changes to the law without democratic accountability.

Please vote against this bill.

MPs should no longer be able to claim for their mortgages or employ family members at the taxpayers’ expense, the long-awaited report by the standards watchdog has said…

In future, MPs should only be able to claim for rent or hotel costs…

Now, correct me if I’m wrong but I cannot understand this. A search on RightMove for the cheapest three bedroom accommodation available in Battersea shows a flat for rent at £330 per week.

I’m assuming here that our MPs are frugal types and that they will choose to pair up to share a flat with one spare room so that they can each host a family member or two at the weekend.

The cheapest three bedroom accommodation currently for sale in SW11 that my short search discovered costs £219,950. At present, the taxpayer only funds the interest on an MP’s mortgage payment. Unless interest rates rise above 7.2%, we appear to be about to lose out significantly. (For reference, over the last eight years or so our household has paid less than 5.5% interest on the mortgage.) At present rates of interest (3.9% according to uSwitch.com) the taxpayer would currently be paying just £714.84 in interest on the above flat.

I assume also that there is probably a link between mortgage interest rates and rental costs.

Do we really want to be paying twice as much for our MPs accommodation?

"We've searched dozens of these floor tiles for several common types of pheromone trails. If there were intelligent life up there, we would have seen its messages by now." The world's first ant colony to achieve sentience calls off its search for us.

After a month or more of campaigning, the Fishwick by-election concluded yesterday in a rather substantial victory for Labour county councillor Jennifer Mein.

It would be dishonest of me not to own up to feeling rather deflated but I’ve learnt a lot, received a tremendous reception from others on the ward and feel I can deservedly view the whole experience as a fine springboard for May, when the seat once again comes up for election.

To be beaten by Labour’s leader on Lancashire County Council and by the woman who, up until last year, represented the ward for the Liberal Democrats is no disgrace.

But next time I shall have to remind my agent to wear his lucky yellow socks.

I have been greatly impressed by the BBC’s impartiality over the years and applaud the Corporation’s continuing efforts to be impartial. However, I am horrified that the Corporation can consider the DEC’s Gaza appeal to have any partial political aims. People in that area, who have no means of leaving, are dying. This despicable decision of the BBC’s is perhaps the strongest argument in years for the abolition of a compulsory licence fee.
I am heartened that MPs are today acting by tabling the following EDM:

That this House is astonished by the refusal of the BBC and other broadcasters not to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee Gaza Crisis Appeal; notes the unconvincing and incoherent explanations given by BBC spokespeople for the decision; and draws attention to the fact that people wishing to contribute to the Gaza appeal can contact the DEC by calling 0370 60 60 900, writing to DEC Gaza Crisis, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA or visiting www.dec.org.uk.

I trust that the BBC will reconsider.
Yours sincerely, Luke Bosman

I have asked Mr Hendrick to clarify quite where he believes I have been unfair or have resorted to fiction. As usual, I await his response with unbated breath.

Even though I am reminded elsewhere elsewhere that VAT is payable on fuel, it appears that the VAT element actually serves to stabilise fuel prices.

I thought it would be handy to find out quite how the rise in cost of a litre of fuel has compared with inflation as a whole over the last twenty years or so. Do my readers (for I now know there are two of you) know?

1: Jean Charles de Menezes leaves a house under surveillance in south London and arrives at Stockwell station
2: Witnesses say he vaults the automatic ticket barriers and heads for the platforms
3: He then ran down an escalator after being approached by up to 20 plain-clothed police officers and tried to board a train
4: He apparently refuses to obey police instructions and after running onto a northbound Northern line train, he is shot dead

Now compare with the timeline below taken from evidence given at the trial of the Metropolitan Police over the shooting, also taken from the BBC:

THE SHOOTING
1003: Mr de Menezes approaches barriers followed by surveillance officers.
1004: Mr de Menezes on escalator followed by surveillance officers. Surveillance officers following Mr de Menezes down escalator do not hear State Red…
1005: Mr de Menezes is sitting on a northbound underground train.

Shrine at Stockwell Tube station
Messages of sympathy and condolence were left at Stockwell Tube after the shooting
Ivor sits to Mr de Menezes’s left with passengers between them, facing the platform. Geoff is at the end of the carriage. Ken is in the same carriage. Malcolm gets off the train and goes onto the platform. Laurence is further down the carriage.

Armed officers reach the train and shout.
Ken and Ivor point to Mr de Menezes.

Three armed officers board the train.

Mr de Menezes stands up and moves towards Ivor and the armed officers, but Ivor forces him back down into his seat.

Two firearms officers lean over and shoot Mr de Menezes dead. Unsure of Ivor’s identity, a firearms officer drags him onto platform, guns levelled at his chest and head. Another firearms officer runs into the tunnel, chasing the train driver, who had jumped out of his cabin.

CO19 team leader Ralph arrives at the bottom of the escalator. He examines Mr de Menezes’s body.

1008: Operations Room is informed that the target has been shot.

Where is the evidence that de Menezes “vaulted ticket barriers”?
Where is the evidence that he ran down an escalator after being approached by up to 20 plain-clothed police officers?
Where is the evidence that he refused to obey police instructions?
Where is the evidence that he ran onto a train?

He is dead. Shot by those whom we pay to protect us.

I have no words for my feelings right now.