Musician manque, son, husband, father, grandfather, engineer, nerd, atheist, pro-EU patriot, leftie not Labour, libertarian socialist humanist, cyclist.
Header: What people think engineers do. Top, left to right: Friends: image of person soldering. Customers: boy playing with lego. Society: Steam locomotive. Bottom, left to right: Parents: person adjusting satellite dish. Me: Designing IronMan suit. Reality: writing a Word document.
Avatar: Picture of me on a horse (second and last time ever)
Yvette Cooper's problem is that however much she may argue that supporting a proscribed group puts you under the purview of the Terrorism Act, most people will take one look at the prosecutors arrested (as profiled by the Guardian) and think Cooper is either mad or desperate to contain/constrain peaceful protests...
Its really not a good look (politically) for Cooper, is it?
From a retired British colonel to a Catholic priest, half of the 532 people arrested in Parliament Square were 60 or older. Many believe they had a greater share of responsibility to take in defending the right to free speech
Today, the Observer has opinion pieces on the proscription of Palestine Action by both Yvette Cooper (Home Secretary) & Huda Ammori (founder of PA)...
You'll notice in Cooper's justification for the proscription she tries hard to conflate violence, with violence against people, while also suggesting those who are against proscription think the group is non-violent.
But as she notes PA members *have* been prosecuted for violence where it has been proven.
#politics 1/2
Today, the Observer has opinion pieces on the proscription of Palestine Action by both Yvette Cooper (Home Secretary) & Huda Ammori (founder of PA)...
... and in Ammori's defence of PA, she is clear the group (while 'violent') have focussed on property & assets not people.
And as she rightly notes, Cooper's defence has moved to plans & ideas, rather than actual actions... which demonstrates the actions actually don't justify the proscription!
#politics 2/2
Last month I was granted permission by the high court to legally challenge the proscription of Palestine Action. The judge said the ban was arguably unlawful on the grounds that it was disproportionate with rights to free speech and protest, and that the home secretary failed to consult Palestine Action or any human rights organisations.
Kenneth John Bardsley
TJ1001
George Takei 
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Robert Reich
Emeritus Prof Christopher May