Even more government stupidity!

Just when we thought governments couldn’t get EVEN more stupid (okay, so maybe we never saw an end to their stupidity) the UK surpass even the ignorance of Australia and push the ‘Digital Economy Bill’ through parliment.

Busy news day? Check. Late night session? Check. Idiotic, ill-conceived and impractical notion that takes away yet more of our pesky freedoms and will be unenforceable? CHECK!

From The Guardian;

Digital economy bill rushed through wash-up in late night session

Government drops clause on orphan works but inserts amendment criticised as over-broad which could block sites based on ‘intent’

Guardian link here.

Highlights include:

[The government] was forced to drop clause 43 of the bill, a proposal on orphan works which had been opposed by photographers (http://www.stop43.org.uk). They welcomed the news: “The UK government wanted to introduce a law to allow anyone to use your photographs commercially, or in ways you might not like, without asking you first. They have failed,” said the site set up to oppose the proposals.

and

Stephen Timms for the government said that it would not want to see the clause used to restrict freedom of speech – but gave no assurance that sites like Wikileaks would not be blocked.

http://wikileaks.org/ is of course the website that just last week released the ‘Collateral Murder’ video which shows United States Troops killing innocent Iraqis and Reuters reporters, and wounding two children. Then we have;

Don Foster, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesman for culture, media and sport, protested that the clause was too wide-ranging: “it could apply to Google,” he complained, adding that its inclusion of the phrase about “likely to be used” meant that a site could be blocked on its assumed intentions rather than its actions.

Sad days indeed.