mike hawkins - thinking out loud

I am not certain that Putin's rumoured intention to regain the presidency of Russia is a good thing - though as 'puppet master' to Dmitry Medvedev did he ever really relinquish any power - for either the people of Russia and her surrounding states, or indeed the world as whole.

Putin hints at presidential bid - BBC News
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Putin is an old-fashioned 'sabre rattler' with a KGB mentality coupled with a worrying love of decadence - in my opinion, that makes him a dangerous man.

Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united, democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was once the theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that in living memory, people could become so consumed by hate - by anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices - that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total warare part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.

Thank you for signing this petition. The Prime Minister has written a
response. Please read below.

Prime Minister:

2009 has been a year of deep reflection - a chance for
Britain, as a nation, to commemorate the profound debts we owe to those who
came before. A unique combination of anniversaries and events have stirred
in us that sense of pride and gratitude which characterise the British
experience. Earlier this year I stood with Presidents Sarkozy and Obama to
honour the service and the sacrifice of the heroes who stormed the beaches
of Normandy 65 years ago. And just last week, we marked the 70 years which
have passed since the British government declared its willingness to take
up arms against Fascism and declared the outbreak of World War Two. So I am
both pleased and proud that, thanks to a coalition of computer scientists,
historians and LGBT activists, we have this year a chance to mark and
celebrate another contribution to Britain’s fight against the darkness of
dictatorship; that of code-breaker Alan Turing.

Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on
breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that,
without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could
well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can
point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt
of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that
he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of -˜gross
indecency” - in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence - and he
was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical
castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own
life just two years later.

Thousands of people have come together to demand justice for Alan Turing
and recognition of the appalling way he was treated. While Turing was dealt
with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, his
treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance
to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him. Alan and
the many thousands of other gay men who were convicted as he was convicted
under homophobic laws were treated terribly. Over the years millions more
lived in fear of conviction.

I am proud that those days are gone and that in the last 12 years this
government has done so much to make life fairer and more equal for our LGBT
community. This recognition of Alan’s status as one of Britain’s most
famous victims of homophobia is another step towards equality and long
overdue.

But even more than that, Alan deserves recognition for his contribution to
humankind. For those of us born after 1945, into a Europe which is united,
democratic and at peace, it is hard to imagine that our continent was once
the theatre of mankind’s darkest hour. It is difficult to believe that in
living memory, people could become so consumed by hate - by
anti-Semitism, by homophobia, by xenophobia and other murderous prejudices
- that the gas chambers and crematoria became a piece of the European
landscape as surely as the galleries and universities and concert halls
which had marked out the European civilisation for hundreds of years. It is
thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism,
people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war
are part of Europe’s history and not Europe’s present.

So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely
thanks to Alan’s work I am very proud to say: we’re sorry, you deserved
so much better.

Gordon Brown

Fantastic news for those who supported the campaign to gain a UK government apology for the treatment of Alan Turing.

The petition was organised by John Graham-Cumming and elicited a great deal of media interest as well as a great response, in terms of signatures.

The apology comes very quickly after the posting of a petition on the No.10 website – that was covered on this site here.  It is a tribute to John Graham-Cumming’s inspired approach to highlighting the matter, that this apology has been achieved so quickly - well done to him!

He has also asked questions about the circumstances of Turing’s death, there are numerous rumours of MI5 involvement – it will be interesting to see if anything is ever uncovered on this front.

However, the aim of the petition has been achieved – excellent news.

Gordon Brown is quoted as saying:

"While Mr Turing was dealt with under the law of the time and we can't put the clock back, his treatment was of course utterly unfair and I am pleased to have the chance to say how deeply sorry I and we all are for what happened to him…So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan's work I am very proud to say: we're sorry, you deserved so much better."

The Daily Telegraph report the success - “Gordon Brown today issues a posthumous apology to a Second World War code breaker who killed himself after being tried and convicted of being homosexual.”

BBC NEWS | Technology | PM apology after Turing petition

The surviving nieces of Alan Turing are said to be delighted.

You couldn't make this up! 

If by any chance you're reading this on a future April 1st. and think you know that this is a wind-up - check the Times publication date.

Double murderer wins legal battle over cosmetic surgery on birthmark

Public opinion:

• You're not very nice - you killed two people
• You're not very bright - you got caught
• You have an embarrassing birthmark - tough luck mate

Governmental response:

• You killed two people - naughty but there are societal reasons
• You got caught - don't worry we'll look after you
• You have an embarrassing birthmark - no problem we run the NHS

It would seem that one of the few ways of jumping up the waiting lists for treatment would be homicide...is it me...or is this idiocy?