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We're one step away from giving foreigners special badges to wear.

A guy at work today was complaining about the state of the economy since the vote.  When it was put to him that he had actually voted to leave, his response was that, yeah, he had...but he had voted to leave for the right reasons.

Let's face it, we're comic book geeks.  But an affinity for sci-fi comes with a penchant for thinking about the future and considering the alternatives.  I fear that this country, seriously lacking in imagination, is drifting towards a particularly grey dystopia as our glorious leaders race to mop up votes from the lowest common denominator.

If any boarders live in Conservative constituencies, or even constituencies held by other parties where the mp might be likely to be looking for a way to give their boss a kick in the nuts...please, write to your mp, and let them know that you're more concerned about blood and soil government policy than the fact that you might meet a foreigner on your way to the shops...and ask them what they plan to do about it.

for now things are fairly stable in part because Spain grants considerable powers to its 17 regional governments.  They have continued to provide health care, education and other pillars of daily life

Of course!  We have a healthy democracy, with a capable opposition.  We have a prime minister who was fairly voted into power.  We no longer have any say in EU trading regulations, which we're still going to have to meet.  We've got rid of those dastardly foreigners who form the basis of our taxation system.  Our currency is so strong, our government has abandoned any hope of digging us out of the hole they started digging eight years ago.  And now, we don't have to worry about being accused of war crimes. 

Britain Prevails.

you'd almost think commies were building a nuclear bomb inside our borders or something

I'm sorry, I'm a bit slow and only just got this.

Oh my God, what are we doing?!

Announcing that its definitely the plan to leave the single market, just a few weeks after refusing to tell the House if they were even going to negotiate trying to stay in.  Sounds like she already been told to piss off.

Deciding we're definitely going to allow Europeans to stay in the country, whilst removing any legal framework that allows them to be here.  Sound like she's making this stuff up.

Blaming "petty nationalist" for damaging Britain, whilst appealing to the separatist in her own party and giving senior jobs to the fuckers who dragged us into this mess to further their own careers. Expect four more years of project fear.

Thanks.  Never think to go in there.

That's a shame, hope he's okay.  I've not managed to pick up single prog yet in the cultural wasteland that is Falkirk, never mind four!

The wealthy then become answerable to, and dependent upon, the goodwill of their customers and natural market forces.

If this is a fair and equitable way for a society to function, can you explain to me why the companies which are the most profitable and popular are frequently the ones which are responsible for human rights abuses?  Why is it that Apple continue to run at a massive profit despite their mistreatment of factory workers?  Why are there Starbucks on every corner despite their unwillingness to pay towards the well-being of society?  Why are Wal-Mart the most profitable company in the world despite their willingness to mistreat employees?

Apologies from the long post. I may have had a little drink.

I played on the ps4.  I understand its also on steam.

Spock's "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one" may be perfectly valid. But hard cases make bad law, and that which applies in a lifeboat does not necessarily apply in everyday life.

You just argued that "putting the individual before the many" is valid.  Now "putting the many before the individual" is a bad law because it's too extreme? 

Rather that worry about hypothetical of the government murdering babies (or Nazism, which is founded on the supremacy of the individual) lets talk only in realities. 

The reality is that if the government didn't compellingly people to pay taxes, hospital and schools would close.  Once the bodies had been cleared away private companies would take over .

If the government follows policies the people don't like, the people can remove them.  Private companies can only be removed by investing huge sums of money. 

In removing authority of government (which is answerable to the people) power is handed to the wealthy (who are answerable to their investors).

I suppose as "comic book people" we're fairly familiar with the transfer of ideas between media.  What was once "geek culture" has now become mainstream culture,with comic books regularly becoming movies, tv series and (heavens forfend) video games.  It works the other way too, with frequent comic adaptations of movies with varying degrees of success.
 
The relationship between video games and movies is a bit more fractious.  Characters have regularly jumped to the big screen, then generally into a big pit of awfullness and money. The stylistic nature of videogames, meanwhile, has been a bit more successful in its transition.  It's not unusual for films to include first person sections, with the rise of the cheap to produce "found footage" film.  Films like Hardcore Henry or Crank have taken it to a whole new level and essentially been live action games.

But the transit of ideas the other way has maybe been a bit limited.  When video games become "more cinematic" it generally means that they get more cut scenes, or the gaming element stops so you can revel in the voice acting.

Virginia isn't a game.  You can't win or lose, you wont have your problem solving skills or reactions challenged.  It's an interactive story, told through the medium of video games.  It's essentially a first person point and click adventure, with a linear storyline.

Virginia isn't a movie.  It requires your interaction and attention.  There are no cut scenes, there's no dialogue at all.  But it uses editing techniques I've only ever seen in tv and movies. 

The plot follows two FBI agents investigating a missing person in a small town, which quickly involves hallucinatory adventures and vivid fever dreams.  It's clearly draws on Twin Peaks as an inspiration. In fact, one scene features a musical number which is very reminiscent of the dreamy, out of place Twin Peaks theme.

Playing the role of recently inducted Agent Anne Tarver, the player travels through this bizarre dreamscape, never sure what is real or imagined, never sure if these scenes are in the correct order.  The movie-like editing jumps between time and places.  One minute I'm walking through an apartment building, the next I'm in a corridor in an FBI basement, looking for the broomcupboard office of my taciturn partner.  I might be examining a confidential file for clues,  when suddenly find myself in a diner, waiting for the waitress to bring me another cup of that damn fine coffee.  It's jarring at first, but soon your swept away, safe in the knowledge that none of this is within your control.

Scenes (and they're scenes rather than levels or chapters) are beautifully framed, the first person viewpoint taking the place of a steadycam tracking past the anonymous desks of the FBI offices.  The player is guided with adroit clues in lighting and prop placement, so even when faced with a choice between turning left or right, I instinctively knew which way to go. 

The complete lack of dialogue doesn't detract from the ability to draw you in to an intriguing, if almost incomprehensible, story.  Instead, I'm required to look for the subtle moments which move the story forward.

Virginia isn't for everyone, but if your interested in being swept away into a twisted Lynchian world for a couple of hours, and are happy to leave without having a clue what just happened, I'd recommend it.

"Common Law" is a mixture of decisions of court which further define legislation, or matters which have never been legislated for, or there is limited legislation for, because there's never been a need. 

The first requires the authority of a court, the second requires a shared responsibility - a collective "us". 

The collection of taxation and its use for the public good is one of the simple and straightforward strictures of common law.

It is only a small step from "the people" holding more rights than one person to holding more rights than two people, or a hundred, or a minority.

The key point is reasonable.  When the government uses overwhelming force or unfair methods, they no longer deserve our support.  The great thing about representative democracy is that the arbiters of what is "reasonable" is us. 

A willingness to sacrifice the whole crew to save his mate might have felt noble to Kirk, but I doubt the guy with the wife and three kids whose job it is clean the gunk out of the transporter filter felt the same way.

My biggest concern about Smith was the fact that he seemed to come from nowhere to suddenly be the guy the whole PLP was behind the whole time.  I can imagine he got a tap on the shoulder one day and was told "now is your time...you're the least offensive  and most marketable mildly left wing man for the job.".

No, Sharky, I was joking.

Look at the great lengths people and companies go to to avoid paying taxes, or to pay as little as possible.  If there is no reasonable means of compelling people to pay taxes, national services would collapse. In order for society to function, the rights of the people must be put before the property rights of a person.  Anarchist societies don't by build hospitals and motorways. 

If you don't vote, and encourage others not to vote, it doesn't limit the power of an unrepresentative government, or bring the power of that government into question.  It just makes it easier for an unrepresentative government to hold power, since they just have to appeal to a smaller base of support.