I blogged about Scotland previously here and here. Thus, I couldn’t help but notice this BBC article:

An opinion poll commissioned by BBC Scotland has shown a clear majority (58%) of Scots want a referendum on independence next year. The poll also suggests support for the Union outstrips that for independence from the UK. However, the poll found the percentage of people saying they support independence varies widely depending on how the question is phrased. The Scottish Government wants to hold a referendum on the issue in 2010.

The nation-state has been the dominant form of organization for several centuries now, most able to provide public goods and above all security for the people. However, the hierarchical organizational structure coupled with the devolution of power – primarily through technology – is seeing states combine into larger entities (think EU) and regions move towards more autonomy and even independence. The trend is clear, ‘stock’ in the nation state is down and the people are moving away from it in both directions, up and down.

Sidenote: Good related article on Catalonia here. Hat tip to Chief Wiggum.

Once again the Internet throws a spanner in the works for 20th century, nation-based legal frameworks.

UK ISPs Filtering Access to Wikipedia
ZDNet is reporting that six British ISPs are filtering access to Wikipedia as a result of the site being added to the Internet Watch Foundation after accusations that it is hosting what some consider child pornography.

The filtered content involves the controversial 1970s record album cover from the German band Scorpions that features a naked prepubescent girl. The album, Virgin Killer, was banned in many countries when it was released until a replacement cover was created.

Unfortunately the filter has some side-effects. Besides not being able to see filtered content, all user traffic is given a single IP address per proxy. Since Wikipedia blocks vandals by IP address, if one person is blocked, everyone on that ISP is blocked. If one person on each of the six ISP’s are blocked, everyone in Britain (except those using BT apparently) will be unable to contribute to Wikipedia. Users are getting the following message when attempting to edit:

“Wikipedia has been added to a Internet Watch Foundation UK website blacklist, and your Internet service provider has decided to block part of your access. Unfortunately, this also makes it impossible for us to differentiate between different users, and block those abusing the site without blocking other innocent people as well.”

Registered users are still able to edit.

Censorship laws are always tricky and usually end up restricting all sorts of benign activity. The universality of the Internet and its refusal to comply with the boundaries and laws of sovereign states only compounds the problem. I think the spectacular utility of the Internet should trump all prudish laws of censorship.

Related: Map of Internet censorship from The Atlantic.

Thanks to Chief Wiggum for the head’s up.

Treat this as suspect for the moment, as I’ve only found this article on it so far. But if true, it could be a major turn in Afghanistan.

Brown: Chinese may join Afghan mission

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced the possibility of Chinese forces joining the multinational coalition in Afghanistan. Brown told New York’s Council on Foreign Relations on Friday of China’s possible plans for deploying troops to the war-torn country, amid the worst fighting with insurgents since the US-led coalition invaded the country in 2001.

The premier said he expected more nations not currently involved in fighting to join the Afghan mission, comprised of 41 nations. All nations should “see this as the front line” in the battle against terrorism, Brown added. The NATO has called for additional forces, a demand supported by US President-elect Barack Obama, who said he would switch the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan through a phased withdrawal.

My initial thoughts are as follows: Why is Brown speaking for the Chinese? Are they using him to float the idea as a test balloon? And second, are the Chinese interested in supporting the War on Terror and OEF? Are they looking for an opportunity to become a “responsible stakeholder”? Or, are they interested in learning up close and personal how Western troops operate for any potential future conflict? Readers, your first reaction?