Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the
tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds

Liberty’s campaign continues, describing Britain’s powers as an
international disgrace.

Some snippets from their latest campaign email:

Not Genuine Emergency Powers: The proposal has been dressed up with
more language about ‘grave and exceptional terrorist threats’, but
there is still no legal requirement for a terrorist emergency to exist
and no requirement for the Home Secretary to show that 42 days
detention is urgently needed to deal with any threat. Forty-two days
could still become routine, triggered for operational convenience in
individual cases.

Parliamentary Oversight: The amendments promise more Parliamentary
oversight but, however diligent our Parliamentarians, this could not
provide anything more than a rubber-stamping exercise. The 42 day
limit would still be triggered to keep a particular individual in
custody. This would, therefore, involve Parliament debating individual
cases which could prejudice future prosecutions.

Judicial Oversight: The role of a judge in approving the use of 42
days in individual cases is of little comfort as, before a person is
charged there is, by definition, no evidence for a court to test. No
CPS application to detain a person for between 14 and 28 days has ever
been refused. The courts would not be able to overturn these ?reserve
powers? if triggered in a disproportionate or irrational way or in a
way which breaches human rights.

Please email your MP to ask them to oppose these proposals. More at:

http://www.chargeorrelease.com/

Shall we live in fear and hate or courage, tolerance and hope?

Exited in a backloop at 9500 feet, got stable and practiced turns on arms and legs, in a formation suit with booties. Great fun.

Now reaching the stage that I have time on my hands in freefall, even exiting 4000 feet lower than on AFF. Really looking forward to starting formation work. Will order that jumpsuit later.

—

Job done:

Woa! There it is.

Back home now and all we managed to do was work, eat, drink and sleep. We saw the hotel, the office and the route between: not much of an adventure?

Yes, the adventure was all on the roads. If there’s light between two vehicles, someone will accelerate into it. That someone might be a pedestrian, a cyclist, a rickshaw, a car or a lorry. And the accelerator is apparently connected to the horn. This is probably all you need to know about driving in India.

The Hirsch suspension was well worthwhile, but I won’t bother with the engine upgrade: the car can’t put down the power it has now. It’s fine on the road of course, but powering out of bends on the limit with ESP off, you simply spin the power away. Track driving with ESP on is pointless.

Eventually, I gave in. If you’re going to uselessly spin power away, you may as well make a show of it. Just a little too much power left some splendid clouds of smoke in my wake. That, and passing nominally much sportier cars, drifting past the pits with the tyres howling, is sure to have impressed the judges.

I’m not absolutely sure I demonstrated the finesse HPC expects, but it was jolly good fun

And not because everyone is being so kind to one another.

Yes, all the restaurants are full, all the time. All the roads are chocca, and all the drivers are even more pushy. The scooter riders are worse too, incredibly. One muppet nearly rode into me at a standstill because he was on his hands free.

Honestly, I wish I lived in the country.