PCC Gone Mad?

Media industry watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) has come under heavy fire over the past couple of days as a new row over freedom of speech has broken out.

At the annual Society of Editors lecture PCC chairperson, Baroness Peta Buscombe, called the use of  so-called super injunctions "a constitutional outrage."

She argued that developments in technology have created an irrevocable shift in favour of the freedom of speech, but this required conscious restraint by those who value that freedom in order that it is protected from future changes in the law.

The former parliamentary candidate for Slough criticised the use of hyperbole and "shouty headlines" by newspapers and warned that they may prove counter-productive and lead to bad legislation as organisations and individuals try to protect themselves from any detrimental impact.

She described it as symptomatic of a 'dysfunctional democracy' that the media was forced to fill the 'democratic deficit' during the expenses affair.

You can read her full speech here (and quite entertaining it is too).

The speech came as Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger resigned from the PPC's code committee after it emerged a parliamentary inquiry was misled during the News Of The World 'phone-hacking' investigation and calls have been made for the Baroness to resign.

Lines have been drawn between the former Conservative party Vice-Chairman and Labour-supporting Guardian (part of the same company which owns our local Reading Post) as this media battle underscores the general election contest.

All this may seem somewhat distant, but it matters for anyone with a blog.

Media correspondent Roy Greenslade explains that the PCC hopes to regulate the blogosphere.

He also reports on the efforts to resist the suppression of free speech, reprinting a draft open letter of complaint which you can sign online at Liberal Conspiracy.


Local reaction

It is interesting to watch how this overtly political debate provides a clear dividing line across the blogosphere - liberals and left-wingers are clearly more concerned than conservatives and right-wingers.

Jane Griffiths is obviously concerned about the potential impact on restricting criticism, although there is clearly a distinction between news reporting and comment.

Mark Reckons is more imaginative - he raises the important point about legitimacy: that all regulation should be matched by representation... so if the PCC wishes to regulate blogs then bloggers must be represented on the editorial board to stand up for bloggers' concerns.

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Update: Matt Blackall is concerned about how the media can be targetted as a means to silence opposition.


Oranjepan asks:
What do you think?

If you have a blog please comment below to say how you feel about the prospect of being regulated and potentially taken to court for what you publish.

Discovering The Faces Behind The Name

Digital Identity was a major issue discussed at the first Reading Geek Night, and it's definitely something which we're interested in here surveying local news from our treetop perch.

While meeting people face-to-face remains the best way to build trust, how we associate with each other as social media gains an increasing foothold in society is growing as a topic of importance.

Previously I raised the subject of the psychological pressure of being a publicly recognisable figure and how this can affect the ability of an individual to do their job.

Mental health experts concluded in a report that stigmatising chosen identities is a political tactic to restrict information and limit freedom of individual expression which can have serious consequences.

However Graham Jones reports on new research showing that avoiding social media as everyone else gets a blog and hooks up to facebook or twitter could be increasing the social isolation which is at the root of many public health problems.

And in a neat coincidence local bloggers have addressed the issue from their own unique perspectives.

Mr London Street writes up a fascinating reflection on his flowering fame as he was recognised for the first time when buying his morning coffee.

It's obviously been uppermost in his thoughts recently since he's been wining and dining a series of classy female writers he's met though their blogs.

Elsewhere Tim Liew also considers the issue of public identity.

He reports on the unveiling of notorious blogger Belle Du Jour and compares her to former US vice-presidential candidate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. In a powerful statement he asks:

"Who, really, is prostituting themselves here? Who is distorting the truth more? And who would you trust? The established bestselling author recounting her time as a high-class escort, or the soon-to-be bestselling author attempting to rewrite history to further her unbridled lust for higher office?"

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Update: The issue of identity and data security has been brought into focus over the past day as it emerges employees at telecom company T-Mobile have been engaged in one of the biggest breaches of the law ever - selling the personal information they were entrusted to protect.

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham is pushing the case as grounds to introduce prison sentences for serious breaches of data protection laws.

Cruisers Control Ordered

A popular car club has been banned from meeting at the Forbury Retail Park and ordered to disperse after nearby residents complained at the disturbance.

The organisers have struck back saying they cooperate with authorities are being squeezed out with nowhere to go because of an uninvited minority.

Spokesman Rob Strike said "There are unfortunately some people who decide to come to the car park and act like idiots."

And a statement on their website says: "We are working with the Police and the Council to try and come up with a solution that everyone can be happy with so that perhaps we can have an area to use that can be monitored and marshalled to keep everyone safe and sound."

But in an interview with BBC Berkshire's Andrew Peach (from 6.20) he explained that efforts to find a location for the meet have been hampered by council officials who refuse to listen to any plans unless Police are already onboard, so their ability to marshall events is immediately restricted.

Reflecting the perception problem involved BBC editors branded the group 'boy-racers'.

The club for modified car enthusiasts, claims over 1,300 members in total, has 565 fans of its' facebook page and an active forum. This has helped spread the message about club activities and boost the appeal beyond the handful of friends who started things up.

But concerns have been raised about "playing loud music on their stereos, revving their engines, reports of vehicles racing around," according to Thames Valley's Chief Inspector Jim Weems.

Earlier this year the group was moved on from the Reading Gate retail park.

Meanwhile, only a couple of hundred yards away, the next generation of 'rowdy youths' have been targeted by Police for causing public disorder and 'general intimidation'.


Oranjepan asks:
If you keep moving people on without providing any viable alternatives, where will they end up?

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Related stories: Parallels In Parking, Dealing With Kids On Wheels

Calling Copenhagen!

The build-up to the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change continues as the Greater Reading Environmental Network organised a public debate at the Reading International Solidarity Centre.

GREN spokesman John Hoggett explained that the UN-sponsored talks take place in just over 5 weeks and "could be the most important international agreement in human history."

Speakers included Phil Thornhill, the national coordinator of the Campaign Against Climate Change, leading climate scientist Jonathan Gregory and outgoing Labour MP Martin Salter.

LibDem Cllr Gareth Epps was also in attendance, but while he was pleased at the level of public interest he was disappointed in the turnout from other political parties.

He says he was impressed by constructive discussion following the scientific presentations which recognised the required shift in attitudes and resources will be 'enormous'.

Members of the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) will attend a separate event at Reading Town Hall on Tuesday 17th November planned as part of the Reading 2020 Forum headlined 'Future Challenge: Future Change'.

Guests will listen to keynote speeches from Chair of the Southern Region Institute of Directors, Chris Dodson, and visiting Executive Fellow of Henley Business School of Reading University Peter McManners (who authored 'Adapt and Thrive: The Sustainable Revolution').

Chair of the 2020 Reading Partnership Board, Labour's Cllr Jo Lovelock, commented:

"we need to start thinking about our vision for the future and turning that into a strategy to bring about practical improvements in the quality of life for local communities."

Elsewhere Bracknell Blog notes recent polls pointing that a majority of the public remain unconvinced climate change is occurring.

Dazmando admits this shouldn't surprise anyone given the often cynical and reactive nature of public opinion, as he says many people think the environmental agenda is an excuse for increasing taxes.

Meanwhile Bracknell PPC David Young launches an attack on his opponents accusing them of not knowing what they stand for and making empty gestures.

The Green Party candidate argues that a 'green tax switch' is an undesirable example of 'greenwash' because it would encourage people to change behaviour patterns and this would damage state provision of services, adding that no 'serious' green would contemplate the possibility of reducing taxes.

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Background on the Copenhagen Summit.

New Venue Is A Vision For Newbury's Future

Film fans have been celebrating in Newbury this weekend after the opening of a dedicated 7-screen cinema.

Over 1,000 people attended the gala evening with local dignitaries to watch 'A Christmas Carol' starring Jim Carrey.

The cinema is an anchor venue forming a key part of the Newbury Vision 2025 project which includes improvement of the Broadway and the £130m Parkway leisure and retail development.

It offers latest technologies including state-of-the-art projection and sound systems which will feature heavily as a slate of 3D offerings are released in the upcoming season.

Vue Entertainment CEO, Tim Richards, said he was delighted with the result and boasted of an "unrivalled level of cinema entertainment in a unique environment".

Pangbourne's Cllr Pamela Bale gave a more formal comment:

"This is an exciting development for Newbury which has received huge public support and will provide great benefits both culturally and to the local economy."

And Conor O’Gallagher, director of development company Alanis, said, "This is a big thing for Newbury, and people have been waiting a long time."


Political Battle At An End

The occasion marks the culmination of a protracted 10-year battle and has been the cause of much heated debate among politicians in West Berkshire since the previous cinema shut its' doors for the last time in 1998.

Back in 2003 the bubbling controversy was stirred when the issue became a key issue during local elections and LibDems claimed their success was a 'ringing endorsement' of public support for the scheme designed under their leadership.

It rumbled on through during the 2005 general election when now-MP, Tory Richard Benyon accused LibDems of "dishonest campaigning" and falling into negativity as he denied opposing the cinema in the town.

Mr Benyon said he "questioned the need for public money to subsidise the operator," even after then-MP David Rendel argued that the finalised plan "would come at no extra cost to the taxpayer."

Yet only two years later after a power shift, as a hold was put on the plans, new Conservative council leader Cllr Graham Jones admitted concerns about the ability of The Kennet Centre to deliver on commitments. He publicly stated his party was considering reopening the planning process by actively investigating other locations as a potential site for a cinema.

The matter nearly descended into farce when Mag Williams, manager of site owners Kennet Shopping, stepped in to accuse politicians on both sides of 'misinforming the public about the plans' just as the first building works were getting under under way.

LibDems had been excluded from a key scrutiny committee by the Conservative council as they sought to renegotiate part of the contract agreed in 2003 to insert a 'timetable for delivery' guaranteeing £1/2m completion payment if the venue was open by December 2009.


'Delight'

Cllr Rendel said attending the opening after years of delay was "a great delight" which will satisfy one of the biggest grumbles among all age-groups locally, but issued a warning about continuing secrecy among Conservatives.

Elsewhere commenters on the Newbury.net public forum have given a decidedly mixed reaction to the cinema: in one thread 'Brian' says he's "actually getting quite excited," while 'Polo' is frustrated that Newbury is getting left behind, but in another people are avoiding judgement until the retail units are filled and open.

Meanwhile Paul Walter sidestepped the politics to have a look at the new building. He thinks a great show will be provided, though not quite the one you first imagined!

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For information on current showings at Newbury Vue visit their listings page.

Gown To Takeover Town

Students from Reading University are stepping up their campaign against unfair funding and will launch a week of events designed to raise awareness of the issues surrounding tuition fees and student debt.

Adam Hewitt previews the events, which will start with a 'sculpture stunt' in the Oracle to visualise the mountain of debt being run up by students and culminate with a debate on the future of funding for Higher Education.

The debate will take place on Thursday at 7pm in the Palmer Building, with local MPs and political candidates facing off in front of what is expected to be a large audience. The meeting is free and open to members of the public.

RUSU President Sinead Brennan explained the campaign is designed to raise awareness of the future of education across society, as it is something which has an impact on everybody's lives.

She said "we want students, staff of the Union and the University, parents of the kids in local schools, anyone and everyone to come along" as this is the best way to "hold our politicians to account on matters close to our heart."

Campaigners have also set up a facebook group to keep people informed of new developments.

They are hoping to build support for Early Day Motion 1085, which calls for a wide-ranging inclusive debate on university and student finance issues.

Meanwhile Linda Fort interviews RU LibDem Society president Mark Whiley.

He points out that many students are already graduating with debts of over £20,000, despite having no guarantee that their qualification will help them get any job.

Since Labour came to power in 1997 the government has colluded with educational institutions to triple the fee cap, he says, and where the official Dearing report recommended students contribute 25% to their education many are now contributing as much as 80%!

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Update: RUSU Student Officers report back on the efforts to raise awareness by their educational activists.

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More stories on Reading University.

Geeks Get Organised

Geeks have recently started reclaiming the term as a means of empowerment.

And now they are using this to create a social movement pressuring for change.

The group has set up its' own blog home to raise awareness of the issues tech-conscious 'geeks' are into.

They advertise their first night, which Katharine Robinson explains has been built out of the success of Twitter in enabling people to make new connections via technology.

However she's more interested in the prospect of being near a bar than in the details of coding and pushing for coding to be introduced into the national curriculum!

Simon May was also in attendance and he got wrapped up in discussions about digital identity and how different media formats can co-exist in a symbiotic relationship.

Both Simon and AmyKate have published albums of photos from the event, just to prove they do exist and what the 'geeks' really look like!

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Update: bennuk provides a summary of his presentation on 'digital identity'.

Reading Geek Night writes up its' own review of its' first night.

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Follow the Twitter hashtag #rdggeek for more information - the next meeting will be on 7th December.

No Result For Jolly Anglers

Reports that negotiations to reopen the canal-side Jolly Anglers pub have collapsed have been confirmed.

West Berkshire Brewery said it will "remain very supportive of all efforts to re-open the Jolly Anglers," but it was stymied by undeclared licensing variations.

Current owner Enterprise Inns had surrended the property's licenses in the expectation that it could be developed for residential use and applied a restrictive covenant to ensure any future buyers used it for this purpose.

Reading East MP Rob Wilson, who previously announced a deal had been agreed, said

"It's very unfortunate that licensing variations were not revealed before the agreement between the parties was reached. I can understand entirely why this presents an obstacle for those wishing to lease the premises."

In a statement Cllr Gareth Epps (LibDem) claimed that despite the failure for a deal to be reached the lifting of the restrictive covenant was still "a victory of national significance."

He added, "after the great news that Enterprise Inns' restrictive covenant has been lifted, I remain optimistic that this unavoidable hurdle will be cleared."

The cross-party campaign has been the source of a political infight in recent days and weeks as different parties have attempted to claim credit for making the decisive intervention.

Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson was roundly criticised for preempting the official announcement and misleading journalists that a deal had already been done.

Green Party candidate Rob White joined the chorus of disappointment, and attacked Mr Wilson's 'irresponsible' behaviour, explaining that it may have 'jeopardised' the negotiations.

Mr White was particularly angry with the nature of press releases issued by Mr Wilson and picked up unquestioningly by the local media.

However all sides insisted the fight to save the community hub will go on.

Meanwhile, with a new tenant yet to be announced the pub industry continues to face numerous challenges including wholesale market pricing and aggressive rent reviews.

According to a recent Good Pub Guide report the price of a pint may be as much as 20 pence more expensive in Berkshire than the national average.

Phil Gill, from Reading & Mid Berks CAMRA, explained that while this is partly due to local market expectations and "regional differences depending on the strength of demand," the lower number of independent 'free houses' in the county cannot be ignored as an important factor.

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Update: Commenting on the collapse of the deal Rob Wilson said, "This is really not a massive obstacle" as the pub "has the backing of the local community and is in a good position."

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More on local efforts to Save Our Pubs!

Issues Of Equality

The mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence came to town to deliver a keynote speech at a conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the 'Reading Declaration on race equality' earlier this week.

The conference brought together original signatories to measure and assess progress in this area following the declaration, which was made after the 1999 Macpherson report into the 1993 killing of Stephen Lawrence - these included the borough council, health service, criminal justice services and Reading Council for Racial Equality.

Anna Roberts reports on the series of events at the conference. She notes Mrs Lawrence 'disgust' at the antics of the BNP, on which local bloggers resoundingly agree with her.

Cheif Executive of RBC, Michael Coughlin, said Mrs Lawrence's speech raised issues which still needed addressing, such as low black and minority representation in senior management. Other issues which were looked at in workshops were wealth inequality and inclusive citizenship.

Director of the Reading Council on Racial Equality, Rajinder Sohpal, who is a former Mayor of Reading, made a call "to hear what people think are the points for future progress."

The conference concluded October's Black History Month, which also saw a debate on the issue of Black Representation in Politics, attended by a panel of RBC councillors including Cllr Bet Tickner (Labour), Cllr Chowdhary (Conservative), Cllr Bayes (LibDem) Cllr Tony Jones (Independent).

Meanwhile LibDems held a separate event at Reading University's Palmer Building to discuss the issue of female representation in politics.

Cllr Daisy Benson was joined by her party colleagues Baroness Susan Thomas and Susan Kramer MP and notes some shocking statistics:

• Only 19% of MPs are women
• Britain lags behind Afghanistan, Australia, Rwanda, Belarus, Pakistan, New Zealand and 27 other European states (in terms of the number of women MPs we have)
• There are only two Black women MPs, and there has never been an Asian woman MP
• 30% of councillors are women (2008 Councillors Census)
• There are currently even fewer Black/minority ethnic women councillors

She compares the issues facing different groups regarding underrepresentation and makes a strong plea:

"Equality is an important end in itself but I also think [with] a more equal Parliament this would lead to better decision-making and a more appealing political culture: better all round."

She concludes that we can't just "sit at home wishing we lived in a perfect world [because] it ain't gonna happen" on its' own.

And the problem of age and wealth inequality is also being highlighted by the recession as different groups suffer disproportionately.

According to Rachel Williams in the Guardian, "seven of the ten areas that have seen the highest proportionate rises in unemployment are in Berkshire and Surrey" and this is causing the gains made lifting people out of poverty over recent years to be 'wiped out at a stroke'.

Former Labour MP Jane Griffiths notes the efforts being made to allow younger people to speak for themselves about the issues which concern them.

She is critical of Reading West MP Martin Salter's 'campaign' to support youth debates in the House of Commons, as she feels this is designed to control the debate so that the powers that be can avoid listening.

LibDem student activist Neal Brown thinks Votes At 16 is the answer - he points out that 16-yr-olds can already join the army, pay tax, join the workforce, get married and have a family, yet they can't have a say in the decisions which effect them regarding which wars they may be sent to or what tax reforms should be implemented.

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Update: Chairman Bill says there must be an evolutionary basis to the irrational preoccupations which lead to prejudice.


Oranjepan says:
The issues of equality are something that affect everyone - equally!

The X-Register

Election day may be many months away, but now is the time to act if you want to be able to take part on the day.

As many as 20,000 voters in Reading and 10,000 in Wokingham risk losing the chance to decide on the identity of the people who will represent them because they have not completed electoral registration forms.

Canvassers from councils across the county have been knocking on doors in an attempt to track down these missing people, warning that there is a legal duty on every household to ensure they are on the electoral register and that paying your Council Taxes or registering for other services does not give you the vote.

Redlands' Cllr Daisy Benson notes that the official audit will conclude on 22nd November and that this it is important to ensure election fraud can't cheat residents of their real choices.

This is particularly relevant locally, given that postal vote fraud has twice been confirmed in Berkshire in recent years.

In 2005 Labour benefited from vote rigging in central Reading, while a Conservative candidate was sent to prison for committing similar offences in Slough in 2007.

Meanwhile communications guru Neville Hobson advertises a couple of techie solutions:

• Online at a special website
• A phone call to an automated freephone service
• A text message by SMS from my mobile phone
• Return the paper canvass form in the post

Meanwhile the Electoral Commission answers all your questions (check here).

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Update: Rachel Eden expresses concern that anyone might lose there vote by not registering.