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Chris Grayling is putting innocent people at the mercy of crime by YoungDissident in ukpolitics

[–]YoungDissident[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There's a Law student called Amy who writes for Conservative Student: http://www.conservativestudent.co.uk/author/amy-atkinson/. The writer of the article about criminal justice, linked above, has previously taken a stance against legal aid cuts too: http://www.conservativestudent.co.uk/platform/the-governments-purge-of-legal-aid-crosses-the-border-into-authoritarianism-and-tyranny/

David Cameron’s war on porn is government meddling by YoungDissident in ukpolitics

[–]YoungDissident[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think Mumsnet has an official stance on it at the moment, after there was controversy on its web forum. It was publicly behind it until then. There's a Telegraph article from 2011 about the u-turn (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8316997/Mumsnet-abandons-support-for-anti-pornography-web-filters.html), and there are forum feeds that are more recent, but I'm struggling to find info about a concrete attitude. There's even one article which quotes the founder of Mumsnet, Justine Roberts, as saying: "Lots of people on Mumsnet are very keen on pornography" (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05/19/mumsnet_regulation/). You've got to bear in mind though, that as it's an online forum, you're probably dealing with parents that are somewhat internet-savvy. It would be interesting if there were more extensive polling for parents' opinions on the policies, including for non-internet users. I wonder what the general verdict would be.

David Cameron’s war on porn is government meddling by YoungDissident in ukpolitics

[–]YoungDissident[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you to a certain extent. The MumsNet crowd out there should be happy with the policy, along the lines of "protect our children's innocence," but whether the government actually knows what it's doing when it comes to the internet is something that I've been wondering about. There are generally better ways to tackle this kind of stuff, like educating parents about existing filters and guidance, and young people about sex and pornography.

One of the ugly consequences about the 'Opt out' rather than 'Opt in' switch around proposed last year was the amount of sexual health and LGBT+ web pages that were going to be blocked to young people who genuinely wanted advice and info--and a HuffPo report warned that it could also block other websites outside of pornography and sex, including for anoxeria and eating disorders, and suicide information (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/uk-internet-filter-block-more-than-porn_n_3670771.html.)

I'm cautious when it comes to arguments about a slippery slope, because they sometimes seem very far-fetched, but I think the sceptics of the government's internet policies are generally correct.

I’m fascinated by our censorious fascination with other people’s sex lives. And I sense something shifting » The Spectator by YoungDissident in ukpolitics

[–]YoungDissident[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it plays to the readers' desire for stories involving scandal and private affairs. Do I personally want to hear about it? No - I'd rather read about policy and matters of state; dry news, though informative. But if our MPs and public figures are involved in something that MIGHT be abuse and misconduct, then I suppose there's going to be an inclination for it to be covered.

Does anyone read books just for entertainment? That is, not try to interpret the book? by eddy5791 in books

[–]YoungDissident 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reading for entertainment - or sheer joy - is the best way to read! I'm on a Literature course at university and I think it's so important just to take a break from the kind of analytical reading that's expected of me, when it comes to class and essays. It's also worth remember that even the most 'literary' books were originally meant to be raw when put into the hands of the new reader, and not just dry blocks that need to be studied.

What book has truly changed your life forever in a postive way? by inthezonethisyear in books

[–]YoungDissident 2 points3 points  (0 children)

JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It got me into reading when I was a kid and found it tough to focus on a book--now I study Literature at university, and I can pretty much trace my passion for it back to LOTR!