Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Newsnight has just publicised goverment restrictions "by repressive regimes" on internet freedom of speech. Do you not realise that the UK goverment has recently threatened if ISPs do not adopt the "Cleanfeed" system, (used by BTinternet already) to impose it by regulation? This is asserted to be a system of blocking access to child pornography sites - but it is actually a system of blocking access to ANY sites placed on the list of blocked sites. Do you trust this UK government to allow you free access to information? Do you believe this system, while blcking access, and monitoring the number of access attempts that it blocks, does not record the IP address of the user?

Where did Martha Kearney get that gorgeous long jewelled coat she is wearing 2nite?? Thanks!!

Newsnight review is - what else can I say - a joke. We love it, we laugh at it, the travesty of people wanting to be, oh so cultural. Give it up. You are only something to negate (and everyone I know laughs at you). Culture, today, is capital. It's boring TV. Real culture is beyond capital. You could not possibly describe it.

I was interested to see that Yusef Islam, aka Cat Stevens was to be featured on the show, as I was a huge fan of his in the 1970s. When I heard he'd done a new album, I was curious to know just what his music would be like now, after so many years away from it. The track that was featured on the show, when it was shown, sounded familiar. Then I realised that it was basically an extract, and slight reworking from his "Foreigner" album, released in the early 1970s. That album was one of his best, and had a long piece, about 20 mins or so, called "Foreigner Suite", from which this "new" song was taken.

What a disappointment! I would have thought that after so many years, and with his changed perspective, he would have been full of new musical ideas. Apparently not, if this track is anything to go by.

I don't know yet if a mention will be made on the album that this is old stuff or whether it will be presented as new, presumably because it was so long ago most people would not realise! Either way, I don't feel particularly inclined to avail myself of this latest release.

Whos bright idea was it to invite Aki Nawaz on the review panel. He is a very controversial figure whose "songs" contain offensive lyrics N.B.
"Reject your blood I reject your creed/Reject your queen and her stolen crown/Reject your media falsified news/Reject your patronising liberal views."

and in his "song" Cookbook DIY about suicide bombers
I'm strapped up cross my chest bomb belt attached
Deeply satisfied with the plan I hatched
Electrodes connected to a gas cooker lighter.
His attitude is always confrontational, and in your face even when he appeared on the Heaven and Earth show.
Surely you can do better than this.

Aki Nawaz is interesting. He's the asian Johnny Rotten.

Where did Martha Kearney get that gorgeous long jewelled coat she is wearing 2nite?? Thanks!!

Rather a disjointed episode of the Review on Friday-I often feel it needs to find a unifying theme.The poetry reading at the end was very powerful,however.Greek mythology is unknown territory to me,but as Anthony Burgess wrote about The Wasteland,you can often enjoy poetry simply for its cadences,and even when you know nothing of its context.Sorry if that is too cultural for you,Stephen Dawberr.If all else fails there is always wikipedia and daytime TV.

I am always baffle by the western media calling some of their guests world expert with little representation of developing countries on their panel, having said that, i believe climate change tackling can actually offer another chance to the world richest nations to save africa after the blabla of dowa world trade talks and empty promises of the gleanagles summit. Africa could at last be saved by the western fear of their looming disasters.

The round-table review format is the cheapest form of arts show, and its entire value depends on the quality (the knowledge, the perception, and disciplined eloquence) of the participants. It is only the online information pages that rescue Newsnight Review from being basically a Shepherds Bush dinner party without food. There was once such a good arts programme after Newsnight every weekday evening. One hasn't even been created on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four. Does the whole wide range of "arts" not deserve something more?

So was my comment, including that Newsnight Review is too much like a Shepherds Bush dinner party without the food, too critical to appear?

Slightly dishonest for the moderators to date stamp my 3rd November comment with its submission date when they didn't pass it for display until I commented on it not appearing, this afternoon.

PS Would someone like to investigate why, every time the submission system has indigestion, submissions are greeting with the tidbit that one's "comment submission failed for the following reasons: You are not allowed to post comments"? Someone might misread that as being personal.

Why can you not select your reviewers on the basis of their ability NOT to wave their hands around all the time. Johann Hari was the main culprit and is surely unwatchable? Anyone else agree?

Mark Bicknell