h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That is the impression I get from reading Guido and seeing the front page of the Sun.

So when am I going to be rounded up and shot?

FB

NOt until they are good and ready, it doesn't pay to try rush them along, that only gets them more angry and annoyed

I'm not ready to be rounded up.

SWL, aged 46 3/4

Hah!

A free press also needs to be a responsible press, our media (The Sun very much included) have demonstrated that they are not at all responsible. If they want freedom they should damn well earn it.

And no, I do not think this makes the UK a totalitarian state, not even a little bit. It's simply the government having the balls, for once, to stand up to a powerful group and tell them that there ARE consequences for their behaviour.

There might be degrees of totalitarianism. In times of stress/hardship/war, there might be things that are pretty totalitarian. Japanese-Americans being put in camps in the U.S.l during the 1940s. National Guardsmen firing on Ohio Students in 1970. Britain keepuing wartime rationing going long after the actual war was over. To listen to some Republicans tell it, Obama's requiring of Americans who afford it to pay for health insurance, though I think they are exaggerating.

"I'm not ready to be rounded up.

SWL, aged 46 3/4" ----

No one suspects the
Totalitarian-state-funded round-up

I'm too round already.

Oh, there probably are degrees of totalitarianism. But I don't really think this is one. It has the potential to become one, depending on who picks it up and runs with it later on... but right now I think it's a necessary demonstration that actions have consequences and that's not totalitarian, it's simply justice.

And, as I got the impression on listening to the wireless earlier, no agreement as yet, from the media that they'll actually pay any attention to it or not... It doesn't seem to be compulsory, at least not what they were describing on the wireless

If the Sun, Mirror, Retard, Express and Mail were "disappeared" tomorrow, I wouldn't give a toss to be perfectly frank. Their business model is to tell all the lies they can afford and to destroy lives in pursuit of a buck. Bugger them and all who lower themselves to take their money.

yes, all the press are having histrionics about how it will stop responsile investigative journalism and that MP's expense claims will forever remain a mystery to us and that the UK Watergate is just around the corner and WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

Whereas in reality all it is going to do is (hopefully) stop things like the Milly Dowler phone hacking case.

The press, hystrionics? NEVER!!!

Shurely shome mishtake.

"Prime Minister David Cameron said the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Labour had agreed on a new system of "tough independent self-regulation that will deliver for victims and meet the principles set out in (Leveson's) report".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21825823


Let's take a closer look: "tough independent self-regulate". So to regulate oneself and to do it independently and in a tough manner. This sounds like an oxymoron. But in the land of spin the public can be sold anything maybe

FB

To counter your Guido I'll offer the opinion of Tim Fenton on Zelo Street.
http://zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk/

so... In essence, they've decided (the politico blokes), to introduce a system of self-regulation, for the media, which, is, err, sort of what we already have? sorted...

Reading the link from Mr Balds comment, it seems that maybe Cameron doesn't know what has been agreed. It does seem to be an independent regulator (not sure what powers they will have) which will enforce the newspapers own stated "rules" on how they should regulate themselves.

So in the past the newspapers would say one thing and do another, now there is going to an independent regulator to make sure the newspapers do what they say they are doing ... or something

The problem here FB, is that you're reading Guido and noticing The Sun.

Ha!

You should always keep and eye on what the enemy are doing and thinking!

FB

Can send you loopy though, can't it?