* I was much amused by the provision in the Mental Health Bill which would allow people with 'untreatable personality disorders' to be detained regardless of whether they have committed a crime or not. This smacks a bit too much like the old soviet unions classification of people who could be sent to mental health institutions. It begs the question what is a 'untreatable personality disorder'? If someone is detained what will the result be. Will they be subject to secondary treatments by drugs designed to make them compliant? It seems to me that any such person would spend their time working out how to escape and get abroad. Would they qualify for a request to a foreign government for their return? Perhaps the cunning idea is to get all such people to emigrate a.s.a.p to avoid what amounts to internment. How would you go about disputing a claim that you had a 'untreatable personality disorder?
Who would have thought you'd get such a measure as this from a labour government?
Bloody cheaky bastards.

* Dishing the dirt on intellectuals. I have read Marx and Ibsen but nothing very rock and roll about these two.
Shelly is much more like it. I must admit I've never been able to read much of his poetry despite repeated efforts, stll that's not what we're about. Shelly is very much rock and roll.
The basic problem with Shelly was 'whatever you do, don't lend Shelly money'. He was a free loader of the first order and despite coming from the upper echelons of society ripped everybody off without fear or favour. He also spent time promoting the idea of free love, naturally this didn't go down too well with his first wife. My guess is that these women sat and listened to him meanwhile in their heads they were thinking 'Yeah right, not when I get hold of you and turn you round.' He had a couple oh suicides and a few ruined lives, from his various entanglements the same as he did with his free thinking approach to other people's money. He ended up dead after foolishly refusing to down sails during a storm, as advised by local fishermen. He was no great father either but then again he was too preoccupied dodging debt collectors to have much time for that.