Daily View 2×2: 24 January 2010 – ‘Sarah’s Law’ sex offender alert scheme may be expanded

It’s Sunday. It’s 9am. It’s time for one of Microsoft’s best adverts (no, really) and the bicycle lane of the week but first the news.

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

• Really interesting health discussion: Sandy Walkington doesn’t got for hyperbole in his description of a public meeting addressed by Norman Lamb but do read through to the end – which has an excellent account of the problems facing anyone trying to come up with policy for the NHS.
• Snow joke: Residents demand grit bins as Labour stop debate: Haringey councillor Richard Wilson is on the case to get more grit bins so residents can do more to take care of their own streets during future snow falls. Haringey Labour’s response? Waffle. (Words rather than food, that is.)

Spotted any other great posts in the last day from blogs that aren’t on the aggregator? Do post up a comment sharing them with us all.

2 Big Stories

‘Sarah’s Law’ sex offender alert scheme may be expanded

Parents across England and Wales could be told about sex offenders who may come into contact with their children.

The government is considering rolling out the scheme, currently being trialled in Southampton, Warwickshire, north Cambridgeshire and Stockton…

Under the measures, police will be able to tell families if someone with access to a child has convictions or has been previously suspected of abuse. [BBC]

Prosecutors close on DPJ’s linchpin

In a saga that threatens to undermine the prospects for Japan’s government, the biggest beast in the country’s politics is at bay, surrounded by media critics and a quieter but more dangerous pack of prosecutors interrogating his aides and poring over his financial affairs.

For Ichiro Ozawa, the mastermind of the ruling Democratic party’s dramatic rise to power last year, the investigation into a 2004 land purchase by his fund-raising organisation is the latest instalment in a turbulent career.

For the DPJ, the much-leaked inquiry spells a public relations disaster that is fuelling doubts about its ability to deliver on the promises of change. Those pledges powered the party to victory in August’s general election in the world’s second largest economy. [Financial Times]

Cycle lane of the week

A masterpiece, spotted by Camden councillor Alexis Rowell. [But, alas, nolonger online.]

Sunday Bonus

It may nominally be a Microsoft advert, but the firm and its products only feature at the end. It’s really a great caricature of how advertisers have traditionally behaved: