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Digital downsides
Paul Clarke has pointed me to a recent piece of research (PDF) undertaken by Ctrl Shift for Consumer Focus. It’s called Digital Downsides, and considers ways in which new technologies and channel shift can harm the interests of consumers. The report … Continue reading
Posted in NIBs
Tagged Consumer, Consumer Focus, ctrl shift, digital downsides, Digital identity, Facebook, Mass surveillance, reports, Research
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Is this Dalston?
I’ve talked to a few people about Euan Mills‘ excellent little project to find the place people describe as “Dalston” (a suburb of North London), but have never been able to find the link to it. So, thanks Strange Maps blog, … Continue reading
Posted in NIBs
Tagged boundaries, dalston, definition, hackney, Localism, locality, neighbourhoods, self-definiton
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Dueling Cults of Personality
This thoughtful piece is about the US Primary campaign, but it doesn’t take much to translate it to the British context: I seem to keep encountering folks who respond to new bits of news unfavorable to their guy by reflexively … Continue reading
A bit of love for the Living Voters Guide (Washington state)
Via the DO-Wire mailing list, I came across a great little site set up to help voters discuss and learn about the ballot initiatives in the 2011 elections in Washington state. You can take a look here: Your guide to … Continue reading
Posted in NIBs
Tagged crowdsourcing, discussion, participation, Politics, referendums, United States, voter information, Voting, Washington
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Twenty-four relatively contented people
Via Involve, I’ve come across two case studies of citizens’ juries being used in the NHS – one in Oldham which looked at fairness in commissioning, and one in Buckinghamshire which looked at setting the priorities for dementia care. Both … Continue reading
Posted in NIBs
Tagged Buckinghamshire, citizens juries, Health, Jury, Oldham, participation
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SuperPACs – richer than Bruce Wayne, and probably more powerful
Disturbing read about US SuperPACs – the effectively unregulated campaigning machines created by recent legal decisions. Unhindered by campaign finance rules, they can shovel money into attack ads, and take unlimited donations, as long as they aren’t officially co-ordinating their campaigns … Continue reading
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Eric Cantona runs for President of France
Eric Cantona has written to all the mayors in France appealing for their support to stand in the French presidential election. Libé has his original letter, in which he describes himself as an “engaged citizen” and promises to campaign against … Continue reading
Posted in NIBs
Tagged Eric Cantona, france, Libération, Manchester United F.C., President, President of France
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Sure, but is it in Magna Carta?
Is there a word for people who have a manically exaggerated respect for the US Constitution? Ultra-constitutionalists perhaps? Anyway, whatever they’re called, they’ve just been hugely outdone by three Republican members of the New Hampshire General Court, who have proposed a … Continue reading
Posted in NIBs
Tagged constitutionalism, legislation, magna carta, new hampshire, parliament, procedure, republicans
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Iowa: the One Percent-Off
Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone has a gloomy take on the US elections, and particularly the banking-and-establishment nature of the campaign funding on both sides: The reason 2012 feels so empty now is that voters on both sides of the … Continue reading
Election year, not just in the US
According to Foreign Policy, in 2012: A third of the world’s nations will be holding local, state, or national elections; a number of Arab Spring countries will be putting their democratic aspirations into action; and four out of the five … Continue reading
