(no subject)

I'm still at work, as noble Lords are still busy debating the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill. This is, of course, exactly the time of day to be taking important decisions.

(no subject)

The Minister, Lord Young, mystifies on the subject of the Digital Economy Bill:

Lord Young of Norwood Green: It was Stravinsky—or someone like him—who made the comment that poor composers borrow and good composers steal, but in many cases these people who are engaging in filesharing are not composers.

He also veers away from the brief that has been carefully written for him by his civil servants—always a dangerous decision for this minister—to respond to a point that someone made about Mozart, who apparently as a boy had heard a piece of music, memorised it, gone home and faithfully transcribed it:

Lord Young of Norwood Green: If those ... young people who indulge in downloading really did have the talent and ability to produce what the young Wolfgang Amadeus produced, we would not have any problems with this situation.

A previously unknown loophole in the government's digital economy policy, there: if you can demonstrate that you are extremely talented, you are exempt from any penalties for copyright violation. Book those music lessons now.