Who wants yesterday's papers?

Have we been spoilt by online newspapers allowing us access to their archives for free?



As of today the Daily Express is charging readers £5.95 for 48-hour access to its archives.



The Times has offered online archives for some time already and charges £4.95 a day.



So let's consider which paper will offer us more bang for our bucks, given the Times has been around for an extra 125 years..



The Daily Express seems also keen to make us pay for as much as possible as its definition of an archive includes articles from when the paper was first set up in 1900 to.. 'today'.



So does that mean we have to literally pay for yesterday's paper as well as today's? Or perhaps the Express already put up a paywall without telling us?

Keeping a watchful eye

I can't be the only person who felt quite disturbed by today's Guardian's front page. The police are apparently monitoring thousands of UK activists. Surveillance officers are taking pictures of campaigners as they come and go from openly advertised public meetings.

Events monitored include demos on animal rights, anti-war protests and climate change. What we consider a peaceful rally, might be labelled as 'domestic extremism' by the authorities.

Will this put off the thousands of people planning on attending one of the 350 demonstrations taking place across the UK this December to coincide with the Copenhagen climate change conference? You may not be breaking the law, but apparently the police may still be interested in your activities.

And will this action change the public's perception of campaigners? If the police are keeping a watchful eye, then there must be some suspicion abound. But what is worrying is that such a move not only demonises activists but it challenges our very right of freedom of speech.