Convention on Modern Liberty: final panel with me, Billy Bragg, Lisa Appignanesi, Feargal Sharkey, Paul Gilroy and Henry Porter
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of participating in the closing panel at the Convention on Modern Liberty with Billy Bragg, Lisa Appignanesi, Feargal Sharkey, Paul Gilroy and Henry Porter. The Convention was a whole-day event in which activists, scholars, Parliamentarians, regulators, teachers, cryptographers and others. On the closing panel, we were asked to give closing thoughts on the event -- I talked about the fact that British authoritarians have promised us security in exchange for taking away our liberty, but have not delivered; we've lost our freedom and been made less secure.
The Convention's just uploaded the videos from the event, and I really enjoyed watching it from the other side of the stage, especially Billy Bragg's talk. The last question -- "What has moved our rights forward?" -- was especially good.
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Feargal Sharkey?!? You mean the guy I used to read about in Star Hits back in the 1980's? WOW.
Feargal Sharkey!? Haven't heard that name in a long time.
You mean Feargal Sharkey copyright extremist. As head of "UK Music" an organisation with little interest in actual music but lots of interest in business. Recent comments from Sharkey have included further promoting the myth in the UK that Google are fully responsible for the removal of music video access to UK users rather than the PRS's absurd demands (here). He has claimed that "the value of music has been sucked away through unlicensed unapproved copying and sharing". A lie. He has described internet people who criticise current copyright laws (like someone not a million miles away from here) as "pseudo-intellectual cyber-professors". Another lie of a quote "I think people do realise once you explain it to them that music isn't for free. There is a harmful impact and, ironically, the people it most harms are the ones people are most engaged with and have most respect for - the songwriters, composers and musicians" is a classic example of the ever popular and laughable method of ignoring the amount of money that the industry rips off from artists not to mention the fact that it further spreads the ignorant myth that all legal downloads are illegal when, in fact, many successful artists are finding that they can still make money whilst making music available to a larger audience for gratis (e.g. NIN, Radiohead, etc.). He also supported the art killing 85 year copyright extension act
It's not all bad though as I do have to commend him for drawing attention to and criticising the disgusting Form 696.
@3, I think the fact that you can commend an "extremist" for something he did that you liked should tell you that the label "extremist" is not the right label. What he is is someone who disagrees with you on some things, and agrees with you on others.
The label "extremist" is a way of saying "we can and should ignore everything this person says, and indeed he is not truly human, so measures that would be inappropriate against a proper human would be permissible against him." This rhetorical tactic is used regularly against us copyright liberals - e.g., the RIAA called the FSF "extremists" recently in an attempt to get a court to ignore their amicus brief.
So I would encourage you to be a little less extreme yourself about Feargal's position, and instead think of him as a fellow human being with whom you disagree on some important topics.
BTW, wow, Cory talks really fast!
Why is it that the curtailing of civil liberties is always so politically convenient that it takes such an effort to as one panelist put it to "get an Englishman off his sofa"?
Here in the United States it seems that the most formidable political challenges that Obama will face are rolling back the excesses of the Bush era anti terror laws.
Somehow in the domain of national security, it seems that a politician can rarely go wrong politically by swinging to the right. We can all agree that we do not like this situation, but few of us can say what it is that can be done to change the status quo.
So it's not the Undertones singer?
Yes it is the former Undertones frontman.
They were still not as good as Ultravox. But I digress. The fact that buddy is still somehow relevant is interesting enough.
What's with the crappy player? I can't scan through the video!?
wow, doctorow and bragg together? that's just awesome
Lisa Appignanesi: "...OK Lib Dems, which laws do you want to repeal?"
Well, err, these ones: http://freedom.libdems.org.uk/the-freedom-bill/full-text-of-the-freedom-bill/
"The Convention was a whole-day event in which activists, scholars, Parliamentarians, regulators, teachers, cryptographers and others."
...talked about all KINDS of neat things! :)
@13: Ayn Rand?