Monday 8 August 2011

Phoenix from the flames

So, I read a great article recently by Krishnan Guru-Murthy on his Gurublog about amongst other things, getting the balance right between Twitter, Facebook and everything else.


Is this some 40 something crisis? Probably not. What do you do when you have too many thoughts? With so much wrong in society at the minute and so much poorly constructed information and misinformation spreading, the challenge is on how we get a rational view across; how to cut through the noise. I suppose we could start off by screaming in the darkness, praying to the Almighty, or banging our head against a brick wall. The dulling effects of booze and drugs might help to ease our pain. However, for those who decide not to partake, we are left to our own devices.

Recently, I've taken to resurrecting a two year old stagnant Twitter account. Alice through the looking glass, absolutely. The remarkable thing is the main stream media is unable to now avoid the real stories which people are picking up on places like Twitter - they have to report them. From John Prescott's cat Tweet (which was a hilarious conversation to follow), to unfolding events in the News of the World phonehacking, and recently to the story of poor unemployed people burning down a local job centre and Lidl (also known as the Tottenham riot).

But seriously for a minute, who are these people on Twitter and what happens if we can't untangle their prejudices? Phonehacking has been a huge distraction. As soon as the Terms of Reference for the investigatory inquiry were launched, disclosure was prohibited from being destroyed. Yes, after only 10 days or so, they were told the shredder had to stop. Remarkable.

More remarkable still is the fact that Hayman, Coulson, Brooks et al were up to their eyeballs in complete misreporting and whipping up of hysteria on the so-called counter terrorism work. In fact, what we know now is that the police and media were colluding on misreporting on incidents such as the De Menezes killing, the Ricin plot, red Mercury terrorism and the Forest Gate shooting. In fact we know the Andys, two likely lads from Essex, went way back. And where is the reportage - absolutely no where.

In the aftermath of Oslo and Utoya, we have significant and credible links with the EDL and the terrorist Breivik; a terrorist ideology shared by both and many right wing hacks such as Melanie Phillips who have recently gone on the defensive, as has Lennon / Robinson, leader of the EDL.

Police lying, media cover ups and anti-Muslim hysteria rampant. And what now of Tottenham? It appears Mark Duggan, rather than shooting an officer with the bullet lodging in his hidden radio (someone seemingly been watching too many CSIs), it sounds like he didn't fire a bullet at all. And now, what of the 'non-Police' firearm found on site? Who is the mysterious 'unnamed' officer who reported to the IPCC that Duggan shot him and that it lodged in his radio. It's probably enough to make local people go and demand answers from the Police, trigger a riot which results in attacks on the police and the burning down of some buses, cars and buildings. It's not as if the Police will stand by silently and let the looting go on; that would detract from the Duggan issue. 

Yes, people are angry and getting fed up. Companies ripping us off on fuel prices, food and every other commodity. The Police, the media, bankers and corrupt upper-class Bullingdon club politicians cutting incomes, welfare and services to the poorest working classes. 

Arab Spring? Yes please.


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