Digital Britain gets its own protest song
Thousands of people have viewed ‘Only idiots assume’, written by Londoner Liam Mullone and sung by his friend Hils Barker.
It has even been backed by Stephen Fry, who used twitter to publicise the song.
The lyrics include the line ‘The message of this tune, is only idiots assume. Evidence exists that they are watching you, watching this - welcome to Digital Britain, a drowned economic kitten.”
It is a direct attack on Lord Mandelson, the minister behind the Digital Economy Bill which contains controversial copyright protection clauses which could be used to disconnect people suspected of copyright infringement. Opponents have argued that such a penalty should only be imposed if guilt has been proved in a court. The Bill is currently making its way through Parliament and may become law before the election
Stephen Fry selected the song to win a competition organised by broadband provider TalkTalk.
“I am insanely in love with Only Idiots Assume,” said Stephen Fry. “It’s got the anger, the wit, the musical skill - all in a wonderful package that reminds me of the high days of my youth when punk roamed the land and the young were angry and funny and spunky and spiky.”
Comedian Liam Mullone, who wrote the song, said: “I’m used to having my material taken because you can’t protect a joke,” said Liam. “I sympathise with any artist who gets discouraged at the thought of not making a living. But just because a problem is bigger than the government’s imagination, it isn’t bigger than the Magna Carta or the principle of due process. Assuming that people with high download volumes are stealing stuff is like calling someone a witch because they have a black cat. It’s a medieval premise.”
Andrew Heaney of TalkTalk, which ran the contest, said: “We wanted to tap into the outstanding creativity of the Great British public to send a clear message to the Government – these laws won’t work and people don’t want them.”
www.dontdisconnect.us


