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So who does that leave for me, and a heavy majority of friends I've talked to on political subjects, who believe in things like individual rights and freedoms, in exchange for individual responsibility; strong laws, but due process to enforce them; small, weak government; low taxes; healthy European relationships for trade, but not all the other stuff that doesn't work at the current time because the nations are too unequal to start with; basically liberal economics, but with controls imposed to prevent companies that have grown large from becoming too powerful either in a certain market or compared to their employees; a basic social safety net, but otherwise letting people earn their own rewards; and other similar policies? There simply isn't any mainstream party in UK politics even close to such "radical" views.

Sounds to me like the Conservatives. Peter Oborne had an article in the December edition of Prospect that gives me some hope for what the Conservatives might do in office.

I'm hoping the Direct Democracy faction within the Conservatives will be bigger after the next election. I think if candidates who were chosen by open primaries out perform those selected by committee, that primaries will become the norm, and MPs will become more responsive to voters.

There's a very good article, from 2004, on the British Navy "Wasted Warships" which suggests that technology changes have not been considered in purchasing decisions taken by the top brass. Preparing to fight the last war etc.

Torture is still used because it works, and it works because it's still used? That's some nice circular logic there, Lou.

The only reason it's still used because some people are sociopaths who enjoy hurting others (or they are in search of "revenge"). This is why it's generally associated with Soviet Russia, Nazi Germany, and North Korea. It's a verifiable fact
that
torture
does
not
work
for
the
reasons
I
explained
previously.

There Are Four Lights!

Unfortunately, bands, at least in the UK do not make money by gigging either.
It's a tremendously expensive thing to do.

Take a four piece band + roadie/sound guy + driver.
You have to get them to the venue, normally provide a place to stay overnight, and get them home.
This will mean none of the members can attend other jobs for two days.
Venues for low/mid scale bands have average, say 300 attendance.
Say tickets are £5.

Cost for human being band member to *live on* is £100 per person per day.
To pay everyone takes £600.
Costs of hotel and food for everyone is say £250 per day.
Fuel and maintenance/hire of vehicle minimun £50

So minimun costs for band is £900

Venue takes £5*300= £1500
Venue takes at least half ticket sales leaving £750
Therefore total loss for band is £150.
Of course, this will vary on ticket price/attendence/venue take etc, but it never makes you money.
Also, bands cannot gig 365 days a year. There are limits to the fans that will attend and venues.

Now someone will tell me that six people can make a living on selling Tshirts at gigs.
How many obsessive tshirt buying fans are required to provide a living for 6 people?
Why not quit the music business and just concentrate on selling nice clothes?

Also, in regard to my post you are replying to, this is worth reading, and puts band profit from singles at about 10p per download:
http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=9735

It just does not add up to eating and having a place to live from profits from your music.

No, I didn't read every post in this article, so I hope this isn't a dupe.

  Interesting link about concerts ( and giving away free CD's ) -

      http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details .php?id=9735

http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details .php?id=9302

So cool that Arthur C. Clarke already thought of it: http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details .php?id=3828

There is quite an insightful essay in the British magazine Prospect discussing how many of the things Orwell was worried about in 1984 resonate in today's U.S.

- sigless in Seattle

One of my favourite reads is the British monthly, Prospect Magazine. Similar in style to the Economist, it sacrifices breadth in order to provide astonishing depth on a multitude of political, cultural, etc., topics. It takes no editorial line, so the reader can absorb a variety of opinion without the polemics of many American magazines (or the pedantry of my fellow Canadians). It is rather expensive, (I have an international subscription) but the quality is unmatched.