Cicero's Songs

One of the reasons why I adopted the nom-de-blog "Cicero" was because I saw- indeed still see- parallels between the fall of the Roman Republic and our own times. Although, after the accession of Octavian, Rome remained nominally a Republic with the Emperor initially simply "first citizen", in reality the political system based on Roman Liberty was overthrown. I strongly fear that although the nominal forms of Parliamentary Democracy may survive, the principles, indeed the guiding spirit, of Liberal Democracy are being eroded to the point where our freedoms are being taken away. I see the challenges not being so much the direct threat of dictatorship, although in truth the nascent Russian democracy has indeed been overthrown by a dictator, but from a more corrosive and collective mixture of ignorance, hypocrisy and greed. The fundamental problem is that many political platforms are not created based on evidence, but on prejudice.  A good example has been the ...

There are several ways you can take a front row view of the daily battles in Cyber space. The Norse Platform displays about 1% of the attacks that go on across the Internet every day. It should be a firm resolve of all Internet users to disinfect their system as often as practical. It also speaks volumes about the current state of global politics. Mind you watching the attacks- mostly from China against the USA- is strangely compelling, as you can see here .    Those are real attacks and real damage is cause each time.

The political world rarely rewards actual achievement. Instead it tends to reward those who claim achievement, whether or not they have a right to that claim or not. Hard graft often seems to count for less than effective spin.  However it is worth noting that the Liberal Democrats in government have a very real heavy weight. A Cabinet Minister who has pushed through a radical agenda, despite major opposition from the Conservatives- especially the now former Cabinet Minister, Owen Patterson. A Cabinet Minister who has the respect of his international peers, and who has rightly persuaded some of our partners, such as Poland, to put the long term interests of the planet ahead of short run economic concerns. In the face of opposition that sometimes verges on the hysterical, Ed Davey has crafted a coherent, competent energy strategy and a credible and effective green strategy. He has not been afraid to make some enemies on the way, but at every point he has been the rational, intel...

Europe is on the eve of war. Since Vladimir Putin came to power Russia has fallen sixty one places in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index . It is currently 127 on the list, more corrupt than Gabon, Pakistan or Mali. The contempt for the rule of law extends across all aspects of Russian society. Property is routinely stolen, human rights are routinely abused .  Russia is the most unequal society in the world and there is no justice in one of the least free countries on the planet .  This lamentable record has been accompanied by the rise of one of the most outrageous propaganda machines ever seen in world history . Even the Soviet Union at its worst did not resort to outright lies. Now, Russia expects to be believed, even when all evidence proves that its leaders are speaking the direct opposite of the truth. Those journalists inside Russia who have had the courage to speak the truth have been silenced, often by murder . Russia has for some time ...