Britblog Roundup # 22

Welcome one and all to the Britblog Roundup number 22. This is where you get to shine a little light into the dim dark recesses of the ’sphere and nominate the posts that you think we all should see. You can do so by simply sending the URL to britblog AT gmail DOT com. We’re interested in all subjects, all points of view, just whatever you think is good from the bloggers in and from the four nations that make up these isles.

First up this week simply has to be Scott Burgess at The Daily Ablution. In two pieces he was able to show that the Guardian trainee assigned to a comment piece about the 7/7 bombings was in fact a member of Hizb ut Tahrir, an extremely militant organisation banned in many countries. This discovery appears to be leading to something of a media storm, as shown by this piece in The Independent on Sunday.

The Guardian newspaper is refusing to sack one of its staff reporters despite confirming that he is a member of one of Britain's most extreme Islamist groups.                                                

Dilpazier Aslam, who has been allowed to report on the London bombings from Leeds and was also given space to write a column in last Wednesday's edition of The Guardian, is a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical world organisation which seeks to form a global Islamic state regulated by sharia law.

It is understood that staff at The Guardian were unaware that Mr Aslam was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir until allegations surfaced on "The Daily Ablution", a blog run by Scott Burgess. Speculation is mounting that it may have been a sting by Hizb ut-Tahrir to infiltrate the mainstream media.

Late on Friday The Guardian released a statement to The Independent on Sunday saying: "Dilpazier Aslam is a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an organisation which is legal in this country. We are keeping the matter under review." The paper refused to comment further.

A blog better informed than the human resources department of a major national newspaper. Who knew?

Robin Grant is very angry indeed about the Mohammed Khan story and his name being leaked.

Bloggerheads is similarly irate over the same story.

Norm of that Blog has a competition running which I urge you all to enter. Just how badly will England be beaten in the cricket this summer? The first prize is signed copies of two of Norm’s books and the second is three....

Tom Fuller follows Sullivan’s advice and blogs out loud on immigration and discrimination.

Waking Hereward has a run in with the National Trust. Or the Nationals Trust should it be? National’s? Nationals’?

Liberal England on the infantilisation of our entire culture, the way in which the spooks and bogeymen of paedophilia are ruining childhood.

Jamies K at The Sharpener answers the question of what did you do in the war daddy? Or rather, what would you have done?  The Office of Sleazy Intelligence is the answer. Jeff Goldstein would like it as it contains an armadillo.

Studi Galieani has ignited the peak oil debate again. The debate has spilled over into the Academy the site runs as well. The usual mutual incomprehension of economists and engineers leavened with some decent insights.

Dodgeblogium has written a song re 7/7. If I actually knew enough about this technology stuff I’d ask for the podcast so we can all hear it. Over to you Andrew on that one.

The Englishman is hosting further installments of the Dear Hugh letters. If you haven’t seen any of these you’re missing something good. On edition 15 by now, all collected in one category on the blog.

Anomaly UK tells the story of his 7/7. Same station, same direction as the bombers themselves from Luton.

Not quite a blog but a stunning account from one of the survivors of the King’s Cross bomb. Long and updated and well worth reading.

Stumbling and Mumbling takes issue with the quality of economic reporting in the UK. That is, that there isn’t any quality.(Warning. The post both mentions me and links back to here but the other parts of it are excellent. Ed)

Nosemonkey continues his discussion of the bomb attacks. Who to blame? Yes, those who did it and then as well....

Paul Davies has opened up a chapter of the "Don’t be Nasty to Gingers" club. Quite right too, such discrimination is illegal under the Disabilities Act.

Mike’s Books is a little, how shall we put this, controversial, on the subject of what, in the long term, politicians are going to do in the wake of the bombings.

Politicalog is less than kind about Charlie the Safety Elephant. Honest but unkind, mind.

I’m glad to be able to announce that the UK now has it’s very own mindless twit. Yes, the Antagonist, continuing to claim that all the bombs were, in fact, set off by the authorities as part of a rehearsal. Or something. Perhaps the phases of the moon. Either that or he’s a damn good satirist.

Tina isn’t happy about two minute silences but that is as nothing  to her thoughts on milk bottles.

Unknown to me Michael Bywater has been blogging for several months. Damn, I wish someone had told me! His days as Bargepole at Punch....well, I’m spending the afternoon looking through this to see if the blog is up to that level.....if it’s the same MB of course.

David Hadley wants the laws to be enforced. It isn’t (or shouldn’t) be up to the police to decide which they wish to enforce.

The American Expat rewrites 1944 in the modern style. Very funny.

The Honourable Fiend says that the bombs have nothing to do with the past, they are the first step in a new cycle.

A must read, Jamie’s "Well Mr. Muslim, what did you do today?"

Jarndyce is using words I don’t understand (determinism? what, like, you really really want to do it?) yet makes a powerful case about responsibility.

And how could we have a roundup in this week without mentioning Harry Potter? Jon Choo blogged his midnight wait. He’d also finished it by 5 a.m. which shows a fairly strong constitution.

And that’s it, the Britblog Roundup is over for another week and I’m off to gambol in the sunshine this lovely Sunday afternoon. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do over the next week (that gives you a fairly large amount of discretion over what you do actually do) and send in your recommendations for next week to britblog AT gmail DOT com.

Toodle Pip!