The Government appears to have made a bit of a blunder in the name of
supporting the creative industries.

Their proposal - released at the height of silly season - to
disconnect people's internet connections if repeatedly accused of
downloading illegal content is hugely disproportionate and unlikely to
do much to tackle the issue.

I suspect that here in Brighton - home to some of the most innovative
digital media outfits in the country - the proposal will go down like
a lead balloon.

Peter Mandelson might be persuaded by industry moguls on holiday in
Corfu, but we know this measure won't work. It simply risks cutting
citizens off from important online services and will do little to stop
the determined commercial pirates.

The government should be more focussed on helping the creative
industries to adapt to the new digital age, promoting creative
opportunities for all citizens - not punishing consumers.

This is a hugely disproportionate response whichever way you look at it.

It wouldn't matter who had done the sharing. It wouldn't matter if it
was someone else in the building. It wouldn't matter if your machine
had been assaulted by malware and used without your knowledge.

Big business tried to push similar measures through in France, but the
courts threw it out as unconstitutional. If the Labour government
debated this in Parliament, and took the measure to the doorsteps of
British citizens, it wouldn't get past the first hurdle - I can
guarantee that !

Bypassing the Digital Britain consultation - after meetings with media
moguls - just raises suspicions that policy is being decided in their
interests, not ours.