As if we ever needed any more proof that mass database "secure" personal information systems are potentially ridiculous at stopping any willing criminal from avoiding it, and thus only being effective at controlling, guiding and recording perfectly law abiding people, news reaches us that flaws with the Oyster card will be published. The system has been cracked and it means that countries all over the world now need to re-evaluate how much stock they put in these systems. But is it right to publish how to work around the system?

Three weeks ago the Department for children, schools and families somewhat oxymoronically beat their chest over this last year's statistics on school exclusions. The reason I bring it up now? It turns out the government (as well as every other party) are unable to add 1+1 and make 2.

The report on child drinking shows without a doubt that truancy adds to the chance of a child starting down the path of "binge drinking". It's been reported in the past that delinquency increases with exclusion from schools. So is it any surprise when over 10% of our children are removed from school at least one week a year in any given year that some of them find the time to discover alcohol and/or drugs in that time of social exclusions.

Did you know that every year 300 of us will die due to a fatal accident in the work place? How about that 400 of us die every year from domestic house fires, over half of which could have been prevented through use of a smoke alarm? What about the fact that almost 3,000 people die as a result of car accidents that at least a third could have been prevented by simply abiding by the law?

Perhaps most shocking of all, and I come to this subject cautiously given media (tabloid) involvement in it in the past, is that over 2,700 children under the age of 13 are raped every year and this figure is rising. Whether it's rising because (thankfully) reporting these crimes is becoming more common or because it's happening more is fairly inconsequential to the fact the problem is becoming more apparent.

Continuing with my theme of highlighting when I'm actually impressed with Labour, given how little it has happened in the last year, I am happy to say that I'm actually glad for once that Caroline Flint has opened her gob. Usually all that falls out of it is garbage, but when it comes to rent then buy schemes she wants to set up finally there could be something at least resembling roses flowing instead.

Unfortunately with every silver lining there must be a thunderstorm of moronic proportions. Undoing any shred of good work that she started at the beginning of the week, Jacqui Smith has gone back in to nasty mode in such a way that surely the Tory old guard must be blushing.

And while we're at it why don't we throw in the fact that the Lib Dem's have announced their own strategy to tackle youth crime, one that looks like a pantheon of saintly forgiveness compared to the now fleshed out policies of Smith.

Just in case you thought I was one of those people that simply lives to bad mouth the current government, here is a posting I didn't know that I was going to be able to make any time soon. Yes, my name is Lee Griffin, and I have some praise for Jacqui Smith and Gordon Brown when it comes to tackling knife crime.

And you know, while we're at it with the praise, I think it's about time that the armed forces were able to get free education, enabling those that either find themselves no longer able to serve, or wish to rethink their occupation (no pun intended), the chance to smoothly make that transition from soldier to business person...or indeed whatever they wish.

So on a day where Gordon Brown states the obvious and tells us to stop wasting food, David Cameron unveils just how pointless and devoid of content the Tories are likely to be when they're in power. Mr Cameron says that anyone carrying a knife without a good reason should be jailed. No caution, just a straight to court and unless you can prove it's because you're going to the annual knife juggling fair then you're put in to jail.

Quite aside from this rubbish that knife crime is reaching "epidemic proportions", the figures show that knife crime is largely unchanged over the last decade, what is jailing every person with a knife going to achieve? Secondly how is it any better than Labour's "jail a Muslim for political capital" 42 days legislation, given that the main people being shoved unceremoniously into the slammer will be black youths?

How much money would it take for you to agree that it's no big deal to be locked up, lose your job, have your family broken apart, to not be earning for over a month, to have your personal belongings sifted through and investigated , to become a terrorist in the eyes of any person that knows of your detention, and this is all assuming (god forbid) the tabloids don't find out your situation and delve in to your life in their usual hap-hazard style?

Well according to the BBC the government is ready to set that price to £3,000 a day after you've been detained for 28 days but not charged.

Brown loves the idea, Jacqui Smith seems to have been delivered to blight us on this planet solely because of her affinity to ideas like 42 days, and a policeman that thinks it is ok to abandon innocent until proven guilty because of some pictures of white powder is ready to back it to the hilt. But in reality, who else is there?

News comes out today, as it seems to be most days now as Brown tries his hardest to save his career, that Brown is definitely still sticking to his terror plan, as if we didn't bloody well know.

Over at Harry's Place the response to this news is that they of course think that it's not as bad as people are making out...and by the way it isn't as bad as other awful legislation so what are we complaining about, ungrateful souls that we are?

Why not just oppose the legislation as it is, rather than misrepresenting it? The judicial and parliamentary oversight protect people from just being locked up for 42 days for no reason. Why don't critics acknowledge this?

Remember for those that feel liberal, or even left, and actually understand the sensitivity of this issue the you can join many facets of the campaign against the 42 day detenton laws...most of them detailed on Liberal Conspiracy for you to view under "Not a day longer" on the right!

I've been added as one of a handful of bloggers helping out at Liberal Conspiracy with their daily "NetCasts", and Thursday (for now at least) is my day in the sun. You can check out my offerings on the last 24 hours best blogs over at Liberal Conspiracy.

However I also wanted to mention a few blogs here that didn't quite make it in to my list of 6 or 7 items, and intend to do so each week here (if the quality of articles is out there!).

Lib Dem Voice - Mark Pack questions the way the Tories are picking their next Henley MP. Read the comments for the wider argument about how the Lib Dems do it too!
Political Betting - In an issue obviously close to Mike's heart, he wonders why it's taken so long to get the transparency needed for a controversial Ken Livingstone poll.
Alisdair's Blog - Get past the garish header and you have a 15 year old that manages to sound sensible on the subject of the new cluster bomb treaty.
Dizzy Thinks - Dizzy takes a look back at the websites of the main political parties as far back as before the 1997 general election. How times have changed...

You can also click below to continue reading and see the full list on this site if you so wish!