It is good to hear that the judiciary are hearing the people. Hilariously named senior judge Sir Igor Judge, who is the President of the High Court Queen’s Bench Division, was quoted in the Telegraph today:
Carrying a knife or offensive weapon without reasonable excuse is a crime which is being committed far too often by far too many people. Every weapon carried about the streets, even if concealed from sight, even if not likely to be used or intended to be used, represents a threat to public safety and public order. That is because, even if carried only for bravado or carried for some misguided sense that it would be used in possible self-defense, it takes only a moment of irritation, drunkenness, anger, perceived insult, or something utterly trivial like a ‘look’, for the weapon to be produced. Then you have mayhem, and offences of the greatest possible seriousness follow, including murder, manslaughter, GBH, wounding and assault.
Offences of this kind have recently escalated. They are reaching epidemic proportions. Every knife or weapon carried in the street represents a public danger and, therefore, in the public interest, this crime must be confronted and stopped. The courts will do what they can to reduce and, so far as it is practicable, eradicate it. In our view, it is important for public confidence in the criminal justice system that the man or woman caught in possession of a knife or offensive weapon without reasonable excuse should normally be brought before the courts and prosecuted. Even if the offender does no more than carry the weapon, even when the weapon is not used to threaten or cause fear, when considering the seriousness of the offence, courts should bear in mind the harm which the weapon might foreseeably have caused.
So, the message is stark: this is a serious offence and it should be treated with the seriousness it deserves.
Welcome to our world Judge Judge.
The so-called appointment turned out to be three hours of queuing and waiting around in their Soviet-style waiting room. Finished in 1960 the embassy really does have that 1950s state architecture look. We arrived half an hour early and queued to get through security and then we queued to get a number so that we could wait around. Only it transpired that our photo was a British passport photo and therefore too small for an American passport application. They need a 2″ x 2″ photo. The lady did helpfully point out that there was a handy chemist shop in North Audley Street that would sort things out. So, whilst my wife queued to pay $150, I ran out to the chemists. This was the best part of the experience. 
Finally, there is a piece from Boris in the News of the World which is part of their “Save our streets” campaign: 
The Ealing Times is reporting on the new cabinet, see 
Phil Taylor 