Peter Rhodes on free speech, full fibre and a new use for electric vehicles

Today is the Fourth of July when America celebrates liberty, bravery and being the best damn nation on God's earth, and an example to the rest of us. Why, only a few weeks ago Trump and his aides condemned the UK for having a “free speech problem” for jailing a woman who posted an online rant during the Southport riots. In the States, we were sternly reminded, the freedom to express opinions – even unpleasant opinions - is protected by the Constitution.

However, having condemned Britain's“free speech problem,” the US State Department quickly revoked visas for members of the British rap punk duo Bob Vylan who chanted “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces) at Glastonbury. A US spokesman denounced Bob Vylan's words as “a hateful tirade". So that's protection for free speech - so long as it doesn't offend the White House

Rejoice. After some delays, I have finally been connected to Full Fibre, the super-fast, extra-clear broadband system whose only flaw is that, in the event of a power cut, your phone goes dead. Living out in the wilds we meet BT's definition of “vulnerable” and have been supplied with a couple of hefty battery packs to tide us over any outage. However, if recent reports are to be believed, millions of homes will soon be equipped with a truly massive battery back-up. This groundbreaking device is known as an electric vehicle. Apparently, with a few modifications, the electricity you squirt into your EV overnight can, in an emergency, be extracted from the car's fully charged battery and squirted back into your home's power system. Where will it end?

The only visible sign of our broadband revolution is a shiny black telegraph pole outside the house, connected to a new 50-yard length of fibre cable replacing the old copper stuff. We have great hopes of our new cable. All being well, about 10 months from now, we should have our first crop of swallows.