Just got into the office after my departmental review this morning ("mental" being the operative word, was pretty worried about it..)

The comments by my head of department and my study supervisor on my work so far were harsh but fair. In all, it was the sort of session that's tough to get through, and you're glad when it's done; but when you look at the notes later you realise they are really making some constructive observations, that will undoubtedly - I hope - make the work better in the long run.

They left me in no doubt, though, that if I couldn't make more of a connection between the chapters I've already written and the ones I need to work on this summer, then they wouldn't be able to upgrade me from the MPhil programme to the PhD track, due next summer.

That's fair enough. I have plenty to do from now until September, and I'd better start now...

Have been having some interesting responses today to the China piece - particularly from ex-pat Americans and Australians with direct experience of the CCP's state censorship. One guy from Shanghai emailed me to say he was aware of "about a million" people being employed by the CCP specifically to monitor online activity.

"Amazing what five bucks a week can pay for", he says.

This'll run and run.