Talking of dumbing down, which corporation gave us Mr Blobby and Eastenders? The Guardian types hate most huge corporations but seem to love one of them. Can you guess which one it is?

Until the corporations butted in, Governments were doing a great job in spreading democracy!!!!

Moonbats everywhere, pretend that corporations are the most powerful thing in the world, and then slag them off when they have to Kow Tow to undemocratic Governments.

You can't have it both ways.

Of course the ultimate irony for Moonbat, Toynbeekangaroodownsport and the other Grauniad frothing classes is that they work for a corporation themselves, and one not best known for its whiter-than-white practices.

Its odd that Moonbat should quote not just 'Reporters Sans Frontieres' but also in particular the Yahoo/Shi Tao case. RSF themselves mention in a press release that they are urging Bill Clinton to push the case of Shi Tao - unfortunately the 2005 China Internet Summit is hosted by Yahoo, and I just bet that Bill Clinton did not attend out of the kindness of his heart ...

To refute a certain stereotype, I have to oppose anything even remotely connected to David Hasselhoff.

PS: Any damn car that calls me 'Michael' is as good as on its way to the junk yard compactor.

What's so good about democracies anyway? Yes I know they are claimed to be the least bad system of government, but if they lead inevitably to bigger and bigger welfare states and bureaucratic armies maybe we should consider something with a tad less universal suffrage.

Thanks to the one-world fuzzy-wuzzy fluffy bunny orientation of our mainstream media, instead of worthwhile commentators we get George Monbiot.

I think that what Monbiot meant to say is that instead of being forced to listened to his political dronings 24/7 the free-market allows people to spend their money and time as they please. He thinks that in a just world, we would all be strapped down ala a Clockwork Orange and be forced to listen to Monbiot and his ilk.

Since when is it corporations' job to 'provide democracy' ?

So if corporations have too much power and influence on a given government, that's evil. But if they seem to have none and just do their boring job, they're not doing enough.

Go figure.

John East - consider Australia, where the clinically stupid are FORCED to vote! Horrendous.

James, one can but hope (perhaps forlornly) that the votes cast by the "clinically stupid" for the right and the left cancel themselves out.

Great bodies in swimsuits Vs. corrupt, lying politicians?

Thanks, corporations. :o)

You refer to Baywatch in a post, without a salacioius link? That seems to violate some sort of basic principle.

You refer to Baywatch in a post, without a salacioius link? That seems to violate some sort of basic principle.

Here you go:

Ralf Goergens: Oh, come on, Hasselhoff is the king of retro-cool. Don't tell me you can sit through a 1983 episode of Knight Rider without experiencing a frisson? Plus, that black Trans Am Pontiac is simply the sexiest car ever built.

John East: I don't think universal suffrage is the problem. What's lacking is an inviolable constitution based on decent principles which the vagaries of voting can't alter.

James Waterton: Yes, forced voting is repellent. Can any Australians here tell me if there's a movement who spoil their ballot papers in a particular way in protest against this statist coercion?

Kristopher: That is just sick. (Where the hell'd you get it, anyway?)

Kristopher: Thanks. For Nothing.

Tim, in answer to your question, the Australian government has actually made advocating a spoiled ballot paper an offence of some sort. There was one cranky old Marxist who tried to organise something and the government of the day passed a law to try and stop him. (Why Marxists would oppose compulsary anything is a good question, one which I will leave to go through to the keeper.) At any rate, no one who advocated such a thing would get much airtime in our media.

Kristopher: The horror, the horror...

Tim : it's quite amazing just how many informed and intelligent Australians will earnestly tell you that voting is a civic responsibility and compulsory voting a bulwark against tyranny, a national institution, a proud Australian democratic tradition, yadda yadda yadda.

Scary.

Tim, I agree, an "inviolable constitution based on decent principles which the vagaries of voting can't alter" would be a great idea. It's a shame that our societies are too mature for a founding fathers experience. But even then, it only took the US a few hundred years to chip away, and degrade their "inviolate" constitution so even this doesn't necessarily work in the long run.

Some nasty person inflicted it on me a few years ago.

A google image search will generally turn it up. Or you can copy it, and inflict it on others yourself.

Internet: the insanity never ends.....

Monbiot, hmmm, might that be pronounced 'moon-bat'?