It seems that the good people at Sp!ked have rubbed a few people up the wrong way as access has now been denied through the Yorks and Humberside grid for learning network citing "News/media, Adult themes".
Possibly a bit too adult for 'authorities' on a dumbing down mandate.
This
link ought take you to the stop page and a questions box should you wish to task our defenders of the public realm.
Letter to Wakefield Express 21st August '09.
May I, through your paper, and hopefully so that it doesn't offend the Home Secretary too much, raise the issue of free speech? On the library's internet network I can now no longer access one of my favoured sites - www.spiked-online.com. A duty librarian informed she would look into it but had managed to come over all smug when informing a day or two later that 'it seems blocked by 'higher up', that she 'didn't agree with censorship too much' but 'that it was probably because of the environmentalist angle, y'know', lastly that 'if people want to read that sort of stuff they maybe should get their own computer'. This is no complaint against a public servant having an opinion - no matter how veiled the delivery - but she ought be wary of the erosion of enquiry leastwise for her own profession. As it is, the good people at spiked are not deniers re human induced climate change and see that Environmentalism has become an all enveloping creed that brooks no dissent yet does not provide workable solutions. In short the green agenda is one of control and implementing austerity and this gives firm examples of how far that control is creeping plus the austerity in thinking amongst our non-elected betters.
Obviously everyone's favourite bogeyman - The BNP - have also been censored. I have little agreement with their brand of politics but far more respect for them than people that spend their time wanting to ban them. They are a legitimate party and address the concerns of enough people to gain an MEP in the area. Though it must be pointed out that was on a reduced vote even for them but a much larger disassociation from mainstream parties. The BNP's brand of politics is pale imitation mainstream stuff that needs engaging in free public debate. Who indulges in sneakier, more dishonest politics?
For interests of national security this govt wants access to our emails and phone calls whilst carrying on getting their message through but they've only to look at comments in the broader media to see what opinion is of them and their message. The mass of people seem to have had enough and it's merely the fact that official opposition are so weak that they can dither on. Given the vitriol and occasional deletes then it's safe to assume that what's said in private would keep an actual proper dictator busy. Even when us public are invited to have petitions to govt - let alone a referendum - then our response is reinterpreted to prove us wrong and more tax payer funded gush to get the right answers into our thick skulls.
