Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Six of the Best 180

In a powerful piece for Liberal Democrat Voice, Ewan Hoyle argues that our flawed drug laws were at the heart of the riots: "What if the only affluent men with big cars and ostentatious 'bling' living in these communities are the ones who have made that money by exploiting the drugs market? While the rare footballing and musical successes might up sticks and leave, the all too common drug dealer remains to demonstrate to all the children in the area that they can achieve wealth and power. They don’t need to work hard, train, or practise skills. They just need to fall in with the right gang and they’ll receive a cut of the spoils."

We should stop coddling the super-rich. Says who? Says Warren Buffett in the New York Times.

Liberal Vision fears we should be mourning the death of liberal Conservatism: "It’s clear that some of the policy prescriptions offered by Cameron are evocative of the draconian gimmickry of the last Labour government. And with that the Prime Minister seems to have traded in his liberal Conservative credentials for the return of the title 'Heir to Blair'."

Wonderland catches the Daily Mail photos "knowingly and commercially" using her photos, despite being denied permission to do so.

London Reconnections looks at the major renovation that, almost unnoticed, has been taking place at King's Cross: "Within the old parcel office can be found the space that will be occupied by the new station pub. This is a surprisingly large space, which contains some of the last remaining original timbers within the station."

But to find a really overlooked corner of London you must visit Postman's Park and its Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice with Historical Trinkets (from whom I have borrowed this photograph): "The Memorial ... was the brainchild of artist George Frederic Watts and his wife Mary. The Memorial consists of a covered walkway with memorial tablets commemorating ordinary people who had given their lives whilst attempting to save the lives of others."

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