lintonchiswick.org

The Manchester Police Force and Facebook

Seemingly taken aback by the level of suspicion, Manchester Police have issued an official denial that GMP Updates is being used to scan user profiles. Their motives are probably squeaky clean. What is clear, though, is that Facebook needs a complete privacy overhaul before it can give its 70 million users a forum for anything other than the trivial.

For The First Post.

On the thorny question of second homes

Owning a second home in the UK is a bit like owning fur. It’s perfectly legal, but not something you’d necessarily volunteer among thinking people. And yet in recent weeks, the customary reticence of the country or coastal cottage weekender has been replaced by a certain amount of public bleating on the letters pages. These are the letters that begin with the declaration that the correspondent’s own second home is ‘modest’, ‘tiny’ even, or was rescued and restored from Stig Of The Dump dilapidation, to the amazement and applause of grateful local straw-chewers. ‘We’re not hurting anybody,’ is the sub-text. ‘Please don’t hate us.’

My guest column, over at Citywire.