Hat tip to UK Liberty over his highlighting of the case of a rejected appeal by a suspected terrorist to be allowed to study AS level human biology and chemistry. It seems as though our government is finally getting around to closing the abhorrent loop hole in our education system that allows young adults the ability to become terrorists.

Expect these subjects to be strictly off curriculum by 2010 along with P.E (encourages too much physical contact, something proven to be important in all knife crime), English (teaches you to say things that might offend another person) and Electronics/Computer science (for the obvious connections to easy routes to terrorism).

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.

A couple of days ago a speech that MP and Minister David Lammy made to the Fabian society was published on Liberal Conspiracy. The speech was largely devoid of content and was little more than a rallying speech about how amazing American politics is compared to UK politics in engaging people...apparently. What it did try and touch on, however, was parliament and government and how perhaps both can be more open to sources outside the Westminster Village.

What a shock and a shame it is to hear today then that in a vote on expenses made yesterday, parliament made it fairly clear that such an idea is very far from the minds of politicians. Expenses and perks of the job first, fair and representative politics second (if even that high) it seems!

This post is just a bit of filler while I attend the Liberal Conspiracy / Guardian event in London today, but is to highlight two stories that have some serious relevance to homosexual rights in this country. The first is regarding the Heinz advert that has been pulled by the company following 200 homophobic complaints about the innocuous contents. The second is the much more dangerous statement by Jacqui Smith that has the audacity to try and tell homosexuals to tone down their behaviour so as to not get caught by the homophobic Iranian officials.

So ID Cards are back on the agenda again now and actually threaten to be more confusing a policy than the ratification of the EU treaty. The time scales are slipping further and further, ambiguity is rife over the compulsion that may exist, and the politicians are still woefully clueless about the lack of integrity the system will inherently have.

Have you seen this woman? She is wanted in connection with the instigation of a wave of terror sweeping over this nation. If you have seen her then you may be thankful for your very life, and if you do see her in the future authorities are urging you to hide and pretend you're a dead carcass simply lying on the street so that you are of no interest to her fanatical plotting.

News today is about Jacqui Smith being prepared to accept an amendment being tabled by a fellow Labour MP to move the time limit that parliament has to decide on a person being held for more than 28 days from 30 to 10. The aim, apparently, is to move the debate on from "arbitrary" numbers. The trouble is that you can't stop delays over arbitrary figures by including MORE arbitrary figures!

Well this is a little later than usual given I had to rebuild my news on the site from backups, but it is here...unfortunately Gavin was too busy to provide a hand with this one so you'll have to do with my voice, which I've decided is slightly camper when digitalised than my counterpart! It's not work safe and due to the time I've not got links at the end like last week...transcript can be found when clicking "Continue Article..."

A-policy-a-day Smith is up again today with something a little more palatable, though ultimately pointless. Lots of arguments are being had as I write in the House of Commons over a new view on immigration, but it seems to be about petty semantics. Ultimately it puts some more requirements on those wishing to move to the UK, charges them a little bit more money to irrelevant ends, and extends the current 5 year period before British citizenship is attained to 6.

From my point of view what is being proposed is disappointing in that it is yet another policy that pretty much does nothing to benefit the country while making life more tough for immigrants, and seemingly all in the aim of sounding tough on another issue.