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Wednesday 16 June 2010

Sarah McDermott | 16:42 UK time, Wednesday, 16 June 2010


We are leading on a Newsnight exclusive tonight. It's under wraps at the moment so you'll have to tune in at 10.30pm for details.

Also - Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed that he will give the Bank of England the key role in regulating the UK financial sector. Mr Osborne is due to give more details of his plans in a speech tonight at Mansion House - one of the set piece occasions in the chancellor's calendar, and an opportunity to update the City on the state of the economy.

Our Economics editor Paul Mason will be bringing us the latest on that story tonight and we'll be discussing whether the reforms go far enough.

And, it's payback time, boys... or so says the website for a new first-person shooter game for woman called Hey Baby.

The controversial web games allows the player to extract their vengeance on men in the street who catcall and leer by shooting and killing them.

We hope to be speaking to the game's creator Suyin Looui who says she designed Hey Baby to spark discussion about women's experiences of public space.

And we'll be asking if we're seeing a rise in female violent retribution in popular culture.

Join Gavin at 10.30pm on 91Èȱ¬ Two.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    The same principle must apply to the UK, but are we too late to stop the eco-lunatics from proceeding ?

  • Comment number 2.

    Perhaps the election of " nice but dim " Tim Yeo to the chair of the Climate Change select committee amply demonstrates that Westminster is still institutionally corrupt given Yeo's several well publicised conflicts on interest on the overall Climate Change Scam ?

  • Comment number 3.

    IN THE INTEREST OF BALANCE

    I suggest you check out how many females LONG to be whistled at, mildly molested or W H Y. The total should encompass both those who never were, and those who no longer are!

    In passing - Vince Cable's resignation is no secret.

  • Comment number 4.

    #67 I think it is

    Not nice for you, singie, but are you surprised

  • Comment number 5.

    Faced with a manpower shortage the US army recruits gang members and neo nazis for war in Iraq and Afghanistan.



    FBI and other reports of this have been coming out since 2006.

    "Gang members are going over to Iraq and sending
    weapons back."

    ..Rooting out extremists is difficult because racism pervades the military, according to soldiers. They say troops throughout the Middle East use derogatory terms like [see article] to define Arab insurgents and often the Arab population itself.

    Racism was rampant, recalls vet Michael Prysner, who served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. “All of command, everywhere, it was completely ingrained in the consciousness of every soldier.

    [later the article cites this goes right to the top]



    The situation had got so bad in 2008 that when the military planned
    to transfer 10,000 troops to Fort Bliss, Texas, the FBI feared a turf
    war between "members of the FolkNation gang… [and] a criminal group
    that is already well-established in the area, Barrio Azteca.



    So pressure to recruit has reduced standards. Logically the longer the neocon war goes on the lower the standards will get?

  • Comment number 6.

    afghanistan sitting on 1 trillion worth of world vital mineral deposits? To become the 'Saudi Arabia' of lithium? so the war is not going to end anytime soon then is it?

  • Comment number 7.

    I can applaud much of what Osborne has done but ... the sub-committee of the BoE that handles macro regulation still has to KNOW what the banks are doing.

    If Lehmans did not know that the actions of just six people were about to take down the bank and very nearly the global economy whilst the Fed and the SEC were in the bank for six months before the crash does the BoE stand a serious chance of success?

    Can you determine the risk when the rating agencies rated some instruments as AAA and they turned out to be worthless?

    Can you determine the risk if the banks themselves don't fully appreciate the risk in their derivatives?

    If this is just a first cut action that's fine but I certainly hope it won't be the last.

  • Comment number 8.

    #5 jauntycyclist

    Scary stuff and it is stunning that the US military could not see both short term consequences in the theatre and long term consequences at home.

  • Comment number 9.

    I gather that Obama despite the clean energy statements is becoming cooler on carbon cap and trade.

    I don't see climate change as a scam as there are three different data models that underpin the consensus of scientists that human impact is causing climate change via CO2.

    Perhaps he is being less ambitious to get the climate change bill through or perhaps the Gulf crisis and projected 2020 carbon shortfall is causing him to be more ambitious and consider ramping up the flight from carbon earlier.

    I hope it is the latter.

  • Comment number 10.

    Has anybody done a poll in the respective areas to see whether those people who lodged a protest in the Euro elections by voting BNP are happy with their decisions or not?

    Clearly the General Election was a poll and the odious BNP did not do very well and they were not helped I am sure by Collett, their then publicity officer, being arrested for threatening to kill his party leader in a row over policy and expenses.

  • Comment number 11.

    One of the indicators that all was not well on the fight against illegal immigration and failed asylum seekers was the fact that some years back a 91Èȱ¬ Office whistle blower indicated that the cost for finding and repatriating these people was static. It was a token effort.

    Is that situation likely to change under the new coalition? I appreciate that the cost of searching against the benefits of repatriation make it a difficult balance but surely an intelligence led approach against the big criminal gangs must reap dividends.

    As ever I note that I am happy in a multi-cultural society and the basis of my views are not based on race but on law and I reject the odious BNP entirely.

  • Comment number 12.

    'RACISM' IS AS 'RACISM' DOES? (#5)

    Surely it is obvious that our government is DE FACTO DIFFERENCIST - a long standing British tradition?

    As we are prepared to bomb and invade Johnnie Foreigner, at the drop of a lie, does it not amount to seeing him as of little worth - comparatively? The slave trade mentality ('black men have no souls') is, effectively, still with us. Funny that our leaders feel moved to eschew judicial killing, especially as, at the last count, the people wanted it back! Democracy?
    And then there is Fox hunting. What an illogical mess! How do our government stand on hunting Johnnie Foreign Fox?

    Oh - its all tallyhoing awfully well.

  • Comment number 13.

    GENDER WARS - DIFFERENCISM TAKEN TO ITS LIMIT?

    So the Harpies feel moved to kill Johnnie Masculine? Now we really HAVE lost the plot - NATURE'S PLOT.

    If extreme science were not such a MALE preserve (where is JJ when needed?) the Harpies could set up a unigender Brave New World of parthenogenesis. As things stand, I can only bleat impotently about blatant sexism being fostered by Newsnight, and then prepare to howl with unkind laughter at some aspect of Suyin Looui's person - as every son of Mother Nature should in these circumstances.

  • Comment number 14.

    12

    ..The slave trade mentality ('black men have no souls') is, effectively, still with us..

    and in the judiciary. it can be the only explanation for not deporting people to places even though a no torture agreement has been signed but deporting to usa where we know people get tortured. uk prisons are not safe but they still send people there.

    our national oath is not about protecting the rights and freedoms of the people but of the privileges of the role gaming monarchy which is a mindset with the very soul of discrimination?

    no one raises any questions about the leaders of parties being patrons of the jnf even though their polices would be illegal here.

    one has to say discrimination is institutionalised into uk society. and we are fighting wars to bring others a greater level of democracy than we have here?

    given they have now found money in afghanistan how many brits have to die to make others rich?

    there is a reason our public awards have the 'empire' in them. because the establishment still believes in it and are paid to promote it.

  • Comment number 15.

    DAUGHTERS OF ...............DARKNESS????

    #13

    Can daughters of mother nature howl at the injustice, crassness, oneupmanship, chiponshoulder sexist poppycock and all the rest of it of such an appalling opportunist, masculine act as this? Please?????

    Surely the BEST of womanhood is to remain ABOVE the base masculine vicious war games. It's just another thoroughly nasty 'ladette' culture and thoroughly unworthy of us. Beat them, don't join them. I hope she loses every penny of her investment in such demeaning carp.

    I am proud to be female, to be a wife and mother, to still, in my 6th decade look good enough to get second glances in rear view mirrors and appreciative comments.

    I have never known any female friends NOT be flattered by wolf whistles and appreciative comments. There would be something so deeply PC and falsely modest about them then making complaints because they are told they should feel demeaned. Yet they continue to dress and parade themselves to the opposite sex. Double standards here???

    What of us ladies noticing tight buttocks, strong shoulders, bulging biceps and more. That is largely applauded and laughed at. Double standards again ????>>>>>

    What is the draw for women to football. Wouldn't be the male physique on show would it??????????

    Come on ladies. Some honesty please.

    This in Scotland makes me ashamed to be female.



    Why shouldn't such a comment be merely a statement of fact plus a recognition of someone looking good.

    I would be very interested if the lady in question has been traced and asked (after time to consider and not be swayed by our manipulative media) if she was offended, seriously offended, devastated or insulted.

    I am often referred to as 'posh English wifie', 'Whiter than white (pale skinned, WASPIE and worse. It is a description. God forbid everyone of us had our thoughts and personal comments broadcast. We'd all be on the jobless register.

  • Comment number 16.

  • Comment number 17.

    i've never been insulted by someone giving an informal appreciation of how i look. I *have* been embarrassed by sexual intimidation however*, and there is sometimes a fine line between the two.

    if this woman wants to make this game, and in concept it sounds little different from pretty much ANY random FPS (first person shooter) where people kill other people usually for no reason at all, then so what? Now, if one day she hijacks a helicopter gunship, and flies around randomly shooting any man who she sees appreciating a woman, THEN there is a problem!!


    * as a slightly cute (with beer-goggle effect) young 20-something, i got grabbed by a couple of hen-parties in pubs... one in particular would definitely have been close to the definition of sexual-assault. But meh - it was probably still better than being ignored! ...ummm, maybe. :/

  • Comment number 18.

  • Comment number 19.

  • Comment number 20.

    WHAT WAS THAT PERFUME - EAU DE RAZORWIRE? (#15)

    Even accompanied by Mr Average or a domestic dog, no woman is safe from a man 'off his head' on some substance or other. That being said, I would not seek the company of either of those females. They both exuded an essence that turned me off.

    Hey BYT - are you free for coffee?

  • Comment number 21.

    #15

    Ah, if it was only the way they look, things they shout from their vans, etc, even an occasional slap on the bottom, or scratching themselves I could easily put up with those sorts of demonstrations of 'appreciation', and in most cases I wouldn't even bother to bat the eyelid, but some 'specimen' have gone much further than that in my case. Perhaps they were too scared and thought I was somehow unattainable. So, instead, me being me, they've decided to get at me differently and make money of my particular and untypical in the totality 'attractiveness'.

    mim

  • Comment number 22.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 23.

    I thought the piece on the house arrest guy from Jordan was very worrying as it seemed to imply that nobody at all barring MI5 knew why he was under house arrest.

    If the man made emotional statements after torture in a different land and now was content to reject those statements you would have to hope that there was far more to his house arrest than that.

    If not then I don't see this as like 7/7 where MI5 said they did not have the resource to follow up on leads. So criticism was due for not finding that resource elsewhere.

    If they have been all over this guy for years and have zip then is this like Binjamin Mohammed an innocent who is basically there because he is there because he is there under house arrest?

    Nobody wants to see people killed because the government let a bomber out - but if after years they don't know he is a bomber then the public probably don't want to be jailers by proxy of an innocent man.

  • Comment number 24.

    SCIENTISTS ARE ONLY SCIENTIFIC WHEN THEY LIKE THE FEELING. (#19 link)

    Hi Bro. have you been listening to the Reith Lectures? So much 'settled science' - so little Science with a capital 'S'.

    If only the proles had enough logic to judge. But logic, like philosophy and psychology, promotes individual thought. Can't allow that, they might notice that politicians are ninnies!

  • Comment number 25.

    #13 barriesingelton

    "If extreme science were not such a MALE preserve (where is JJ when needed?) the Harpies could set up a unigender Brave New World of parthenogenesis

    Why do you lament the loss, apparently, of the National Socialist advocate jaded_jean when said poster gave us such great thoughts as:

    The Holocaust was made up to put people off statism - but war crimes trials never see the evidence of this.

    Hitler was a peace lover - he only left seventy or so million dead.

    There are differences in IQ between the races shown to be true in science - yet the EHRC have never been challenged with this weighty evidence that evades mainstream science.

    You are every bit the "intellectual" that that poster was - as are most ten year old's - and you have your poetry too!

  • Comment number 26.

    Suyin Looui... oh dear! Anastasia De Waal completely outclassed her, we may not have won at the footie, but at least in debates our women don't end up stringing together sound-bite clichés and looking vaguely sincere in the hope no-one notices. She is however obviously intelligent enough in her own right [peers out of window for stray female gunmen (gunwomen?]... and she is *definitely* quite [jumps behind wardrobe to hide from helicopter gunships] ...beautiful!!!!


    oh, and i have to say - whatever the merits of the concept behind the game, it *REALLY* sucked. LOL, i'm probably going to regret this comment at some point, but did she ever conceive of an multi-player internet version? There could be unarmed 'male characters' who can shout abuse, and armed 'female characters' that can shoot them (perhaps they could shout abuse back? Maybe as power-up option! ;)).

    ...yar gotta think big, honey, yar gotta think big!! ;) :P

  • Comment number 27.

    I was with Anastasia De Waal right up until she said, "I don't know if women have time for video games anyway; they have work, they have kids..." which is such a shockingly misogynistic generalisation in itself it undermined her entire argument.

  • Comment number 28.

    #26

    BIG, LONG, TENDER & CARING, stingy

    (^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)(^_^)

  • Comment number 29.

    Finding allies for the right causes, the way to go about it:

    /blogs/thereporters/gavinhewitt/2010/06/mr_cameron_comes_to_brussels.html

    M

  • Comment number 30.

    STEREOTYPICAL
    #27

    "...... "I don't know if women have time for video games anyway; they have work, they have kids..." Quote- Anastasia de Waal.

    OF COURSE THEY do (have time that is). They will fit it in from the office computer in between face booking, catalogue browsing, message board interfacing, banal repetitive gossip mongering............. mmmeeeaaow. Or while the footie is on.

    And so they should because
    - ALL men are worthless 'slugs, snails and poppy dogs tails.....'
    and
    - ALL women are a perfect combination of angels of mercy, captains of industry, ballsy bawdry bedmates and every need of the world rolled into 1.

    And they have a God given right to 'get their own back' for millions of years of being down trodden, cat called, leered at, complimented, provided for, wolf whistled......

    but then I have told you a million times NOT to exaggerate.

    I am hazarding a guess that the women in this game are all either Lara Croft like or Dynasty power dressed. None of them will be knackered old hags of tattered and shattered not so yummy puke splattered mummies.....

    M'lud, I rest my case!

    btw, seriously - serious unwarranted offences against a person DO need to be dealt with authoritatively but when Fire is shouted falsely too often Matilda's can get burned!


    SWEEPING STATEMENTS R US
    (writer puts down wooden spoon, runs away and hides..............)

  • Comment number 31.

    Brightyangthing

    Having missed Newsnight on Tuesday, I have now watched on the iPlayer but have not found that any of the candidates had anything new and special to say and none of them spoke about the way they would tackle the huge deficit that the previous government, with all the male candidates having played an active part in it, has left the UK in. In this respect all they could do is to have a go at the new one.

    I particularly found Balls irritating speaking with glary eyes and a self-indulgent smirk on his face. It could be something to do with his name which seems awfully useful in the 'scientific' game that gango and maty have been exchanging comments about just above.

    And, was it you that said that the operators did not show Jeremy enough, even when he was speaking? I found the piece very tiring, 'showy' in the cheap sense of the word and boring to watch, I'm afraid. Sorry, c. guys, or c. ladies perhaps, from NN. I'd rather be positive and have good things to say, by far, but this time I simply can't although, admittedly, at other times you do seem to be doing a great job. I suppose it's something to do with the 'person/s in charge' making orders, etc. Was it Sarah giving in to 'them'?

    mim

  • Comment number 32.

    Brightyanthing

    Pleasure & Truth

    Isn't there a saying in English about a stone and birds, or something?

    mim

  • Comment number 33.

    And, it's payback time, boys... or so says the website for a new first-person shooter game for woman called Hey Baby.

    The controversial web games allows the player to extract their vengeance on men in the street who catcall and leer by shooting and killing them.

    We hope to be speaking to the game's creator Suyin Looui who says she designed Hey Baby to spark discussion about women's experiences of public space.

    And we'll be asking if we're seeing a rise in female violent retribution in popular culture.


    What rubbish men just walk away and go to other cultures and countries.



    But then women only worry about their own small western culture, I don't see many ranting about how woman are treated in poorer parts of the world. There's always a woman a "rich" westerner can buy somewhere around the world. Are men really that heartless, and not give a damn if it's sex they're after.

  • Comment number 34.

    THE GIRL THE GUN AND THE GUMP

    Nature has gone awry. In our early epoch, stereotypes ruled: the male was defender, hunter and impregnator, woman nurturer, cook and child-bearer.

    Today (if she can SHOOT!) only one of man's functions is left to him. No wonder he 'can't get enough'.

    But let's see Suky Yucky take that off him!

  • Comment number 35.

    1. At 5:16pm on 16 Jun 2010, brossen99 wrote:
    The same principle must apply to the UK,


    Mr. Huhne may beg to differ. In various ways...



    Who to turn to for objective opinion. Maybe... Mrs. Clegg?



    I am sure it all adds up. To someone. Somewhere.



    Me, I think it's time to become a bonus-rewarded lobbyist.

  • Comment number 36.

    If there are all of these scientists out there who have their evidence that climate change is not happening then why haven't they refuted the climate change panels three models that are all consistent?

    As with most conspiracy theories and in particular those adopted by the far right to try and snare a few weak minds you get a lot of hyperbole and very little fact.

    For instance the rants that the Holocaust was "made up to put people off statism" have never shown up at any trial.

    The ridiculous notions that there are racial differences in IQ have no basis in science and that is why such as the BNP have never taken their mass of "evidence" to court with the EHRC in regard to their racial membership laws.

    When people who think Hitler was a good guy start delving into climate change it is time to wake up and smell the coffee.

  • Comment number 37.

    'BLOWING' IN THE WIND (#35)

    Your post should be repeated on today's thread Junkk - an excellent compilation.

    But just as Britain can be saved from Terror by the war in Afghanistan (not winning but just fighting) so our future energy supply is ensured by windmills, whether or not they 'mill' any cost-effective electricity.

    As I said in a recent post - POLITICS IS ABOUT LOOKIING GOOD.

    Westminster chose and elevated Nick - double damnation. Mrs Nick also chose him. I would guess they look for similar attributes.

    Britain has this self regarding myth of excellence - nowhere more apparent among the 'Honourables' of Westminster. With such a cockeyed culture, windmills are de-rigueur.

  • Comment number 38.

    "Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign."

    So what happened to the bland notion that the underwater plumes would just deter the wildlife who would swim around the plumes?

    If these plumes can carry a long way are they going to ruin migrations and spawning and will this go on for months or years?

  • Comment number 39.

    The UK Gitmo

    we have 1600 organised crime gangs in the uk that through violence of one sort or another take an estimated 40 billion out of the uk economy a year. Are they not a threat to national security? how many of them on control orders?

    given our justice system said Iraq invasion was 'legal' who are they to sniff at foreign governments?


    Gordon's Golden Age

    for whom?

    Banks

    have a state bank [not for profit] that regardless of shocks by the private banks will continue to provide a skeleton banking system for the nation.

    BP

    minced into burgers by the usa all due to incompetent management. see what happens when you get philosophy wrong?

    Angry women?

    is there any other kind?


  • Comment number 40.

    36

    the ice age charts show nothing unusual is happening.

    people have taken 20 years data as 'a trend' when ice ages happen over 100k years.

    there is a class of people who can't deal with change. e.g. the uk has a building worship religion and eco fascists whose rantings might resemble an outraged vestal virgin.

  • Comment number 41.

    More oil spilt, but without the USA publicity machine....





  • Comment number 42.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 43.

    #30

    Brightyangthing

    I've never been into all the typical girlie stuff nor typical pop culture. It's not a question of snobbism but things and musicians, performers, etc that appeal to me or not.

    Re: heat, drilling and banging - there has been quite a lot of it going on but is being ignored.

    mim

  • Comment number 44.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 45.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 46.

    RE TIM YEO'S ADVOCACY OF GRIM MORNINGS UP NORTH


    Can anyone explain why this well paid associate of alternative energy companies such as AER is so committed to changing established summer time and GMT patterns in UK, thereby rendering school-children in the north of the UK to unwarranted risk when going to school in, at best, twilight?

    Why didn't Paxman attack this appalling instance of self-interested disinguosness?

    ACOL

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