Twitter and sit-ins

Hi guys

How are we all? I know you can't answer that... except possibly in a comment

So, the big news at the moment is that Twitter has been ordered to release the details of every account registered to Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, Rop Gonggrijp and Birgitta Jonsdottir, including user names, screen names, mailing addresses, residential addresses and private messages. The US actually had the cheek to tell Twitter not to tell these people, but good old Twitter boldly took legal action and told them anyway.

Of course, this means that it is also likely that the US has sent similar things to Facebook, Google and other social networks, and it is also possible that these networks have just quietly handed over their precious user's contact details like good little bunnies. I guess it's a good thing that Twitter have announced it to their users. I'm not on Twitter myself (well, I am technically - I signed up as part of a pact I made with a mate to get them to join Facebook, but I've never logged in since I started.) In my opinion, Twitter and Facebook and all the others should just say no. What can the US do? They'll arrest them, maybe have them convicted - then what? Doing that won't suddenly make the user's information appear in the authorities' minds as if through a wormhole. If I ran Twitter, I think I'd wind them up when I received the subpoena by sending them back something that looked completely automated, like this:

Hi Bob (or Jim or Dave, or whatever their name is)

Glad to hear your enjoying Twitter. Have a great 2011, and don't forget to save time for tweeting!

Anyway, Birgitta (who I mentioned above) is a member of Icelandic parliament, former WikiLeaks volunteer and self-descibed activist, who is determined to challenge this in any way she can. She has written, 'Talked with the Icelandic minister of Justice - he is now looking into the case of demands of DoJ wanting my Twitter details. If anyone from Twitter legal is reading, I'd like to confirm that I am contesting any subpoenas - I do not consent. My lawyer will call.' In fighting it, in my opinion, she is being a total legend, and for that reason, you can officially consider her part of my 'inspiration' list.

In other news, the Stephenson Five (who I commended in my last post) have finally left their University building with their heads held high, just days before they were forced out. I guess this is a good thing - they didn't get everything they wanted, but they felt they had done all they could and plan to reconvene once it opens again. There are a few people in the press who are challenging them - I got into an argument with this bloke called James Lyle Findon on their Facebook page, who was going on about how stupid these people are and how the protests have gone much too far, and how he supports what the Government are doing anyway, and he sounded like such an arse. Overlooking the question of what he's doing in that group in the first place if he doesn't agree with it, he was also being really horrible to someone else in the group who was dismissed from the University for his opinions, believe it or not. Eventually I told him straight exactly how I felt, I said that I'd told him everything I could and then I said I wasn't prepared to debate it any further!

Well, that's it from the George-monster for this update. Please check back regularly to find out what else I have in store...

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone

Well, first off I would like to wish everyone a really amazing new year. Anyone have any resolutions? Mine is not raising my voice during arguments.

The other day, I was talking to one of my friends and I gave them my 'I hate the Government - EVERY Government' policy and they came out with, 'Would you prefer a dictatorship?' That made me think that maybe my motto is a bit misleading, so basically I'll explain it here, if anyone was confused. It effectively means that I would not trust anyone who was running a nation, because power is enough to make anyone corrupt. Agreed, a dictatorship would be even worse, but it doesn't make the idea of the Government any better. The world only runs smoothly when the public are there to remind the Government who's boss.

I also have a few new people to commend:

1) Laurie Penny

Laurie Penny is a really wonderful journalist and blogger who often writes for the Guardian. Her tagline is 'Pop culture and radical politics with a feminist twist'. I first came across her when I discovered an article she wrote about what it is like to be stuck in a kettle in a London protest, which a friend of mine described as, "She comes at it with a much more truthful angle than the BBC who wrote, 'Police eventually surrounded a group of around 150-200 people in Trafalgar Square, where fires with lit, graffiti daubed on statues and missiles thrown at riot police.'" Her blog address is http://pennyred.blogspot.com/ and please check out the list of things that she's written for the Guardian as well.

2) The Stephenson Five

The Stephenson Five are five students who are currently occupying the Senate building at the University of Kent. Student occupations have been happening around the country for weeks now, but most have fizzled out - except this one. The sit-in started on 8 December after Julia Goodfellow, the university's vice-chancellor, signed an open letter condoning the impending rise in tuition fees. The students demand that Goodfellow remove her name from the letter and publicly condemn the rise on the University's website. Although the students could initially come and go, the University has made the independent decision to treat them like criminals and has hired private security guards, from a company known to all and sundry as Campus Watch, to ensure that no one can re-enter once they have left. As students decided to leave for the Christmas holidays, there are now only five students remaining. They are known as the Stephenson Five because they are all going by the surname Stephenson, to make it harder for legal action to be taken against them (which the university are attempting to do.)

I have also found out that my favourite voice actor, Steven Webb, is in a relationship with the veteran actor Stephen Fry! I'm not sure which of them I envy more...

I am considering going to a London protest later this month, but nothing's decided yet.

I think that's about all for now - keep your eyes tuned to this blog, I will hopefully be adding some more stuff in the near future.

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to the first post on my brand new blog!

My name is George Millman. I was born on 19 October, 1993. I live in Bristol, UK. Since I was six, I have wanted to be an actor, and the 2010 student protests have inspired me to also be an independent political activist.

I'm not scared of anyone. I'm not intimidated by anyone. I'm very fiery, volatile and outspoken - for better or for worse. I have some very controversial views on freedom, science and particularly smoking. Oh, and I hate the Government - EVERY Government. Power corrupts - the best party to support is the one that's the furthest away from Parliament.

I am creating this blog so that I can keep a log of things that I am doing, both as an actor and as a political activist, and also so that people can contact me if there's anything I should get involved with.

Here is a list of my inspirations:

1) Rob Knox and his father, Colin Knox

Rob Knox was an aspiring actor who played the minor role of Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. On 24 May 2008, Rob intervened in a fight to protect his younger brother Jamie, who was being approached by a knife-wielding thug, Karl Bishop. Rob came up behind Bishop and smashed him over the head with a beer bottle. Unfortunately, he hadn't realised that Bishop was carrying a second knife, which he used on Rob, who died minutes later in the arms of his friend Callum Turner. He was 18 at the time. I think Rob died as a hero, and for this he deserves to be admired.

His father Colin has since been tirelessly campaigning for changes in the law regarding knife crime, arguing that people found to be carrying a blade should face an automatic custody sentence. Anyone campaigning in this way on such an important issue deserves a mention, I think.

2) Jody McIntyre

Jody McIntyre has Cerebral Palsy, and has been in the news recently for being pulled out of his wheelchair on two occasions by police officers during the London student protests. After some online digging, I found out that he is a campaigner on many things, including wheelchair access at tube stations. His work was one of the things that profoundly inspired me to create this blog.

Check out Jody's blog: http://jodymcintyre.wordpress.com/

3) Stephen Hone

Stephen is the only person on this list that I actually know. He is my law teacher, and is actually quite well-known, because he has sued a lot of people, particularly banks. I think he is a complete legend, because he seems to represent everything that I stand for and he's one of those people that makes you smile every time you think about them. (I'm not sure I'm supposed to say that about a teacher, but there you are.) He is also a fantastic teacher and hopefully I will be able to get a high grade in my Law A-level.

4) Steven Webb

This idol of mine has no political aspect at all. I just felt he was worthy of a mention because he is a WONDERFUL voice actor. He plays Will on the unabridged audiobook of Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife and he does such an amazing job. Unfortunately someone else reads this part for The Amber Spyglass. The new guy isn't bad, but not a patch on Steven. I only assume Steven must have left - no one in their right mind would have fired him. This is the only thing I have heard him do, but he does it so brilliantly I felt he definitely deserves a place on my list.

5) Brenda Fricker

Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress who I only know from being one of the original Casualty cast (and having returned in guest appearances a few times.) I like her because she is a great actress and is also very outspoken. Although she played a very kind and compassionate nurse on Casualty, she said in interviews that she could never be a mother or a nurse in real life, because she's too rebellious. I think from what I've heard, her attitude sounds a bit like mine. I've also heard that she doesn't get much work anymore, which is such a shame.

Here's a link to a few things that she has said: http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/fricker-hurt-at-being-cut-dead-by-irish-film-industry-insiders-1510431.html

Thus concludes my first blog post!