There’s a lunar eclipse over Britain about 1am tonight. Cloud is predicted, though, and it’s pretty grey out at the moment, I doubt it will be visible from Edinburgh. Shame.

George W Bush’s official site now blocks off all traffic from outside the US.

Why? The bandwidth costs can’t be that bad, can they - after all, the Republicans raised $330 million for this election. And surely there should be selective - no access to France, Germany or Spain or any of old Europe, while those of us in the UK, or Japan (oh, and Poland - I forgot Poland) who happen to be part of the Coalition of the Willing, should be able to bask in Dubya’s internet glory.

You know you must be really pissing off the establishment, when they introduce a law specifically to get rid of you. Brian Haw, aka ‘that bloke in Parliament Square‘ has made such a nuisance of himself that MPs are having to really peddle the bullshit line in an attempt to get rid of him. The loudest voice involved is Tory MP Sir George Young, who brings out the trump card of terrorism, and this ridiculous claim:

In a Commons debate in May he said that terrorists could hide behind the peace protester’s banners and “pick us off as we arrive at or leave the House”. No other democracy would allow “this shanty town” in the middle of the its capital, he said.

Actually, democracies are meant to allow this sort of protest go ahead (would he be so vehemently against it if it were anti-hunt ban protesters?). Given that his protest is peaceful, non-inciteful, non-obstructive, and on public property, why are they trying to get rid of him so much? Sneaking in a clause into a bill that is supposed to be about organised crime (what precisely “permanent encampments outside Parliament” have to do with combatting drug traffickers and pimps?) to get rid of one relatively harmless guy is harsh, to the point of draconian.

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