Some time ago, we had a discussion about ID cards in this forum.
I was against them then and I'm against these new powers for the same reasons ... as I see it, the citizen in the street has no comeback, no checks and balances to protect him/her against misuse of the data.

When I see those put in place, preferably via a written constitution, then I might (!) change my mind.

Cronus wrote:This is completely OT, but I saw this article this morning and thought fondly of you. Saville or Savile?? Just thought I'd mention it. Nah – that's tb's tailor.

Cronus wrote:This is completely OT, but I saw this article this morning and thought fondly of you. Saville or Savile?? Just thought I'd mention it. Nah – that's tb's tailor.

Assuming that t'interwebby and e-mails had yet to be invented.

Would this or any other government propose intercepting, opening and photocopying every letter that was posted to, from or within the UK?

And what do you presume would be the reaction?

What we can expect

What we can expect

It's mind blowing. And it was entirely bad enough when Labour proposed such plans, but for the Tories to have (rightly) opposed them then and now forgotten that makes it stink even more (if possible).

And really – this cobblers about 'if you have nothing to hide '...

Hey, let's all be so scared that we sleepwalk into an Orwellian reality. Do the people who claim that 'if you've done nothing wrong' actually have absolutely nothing whatsoever in their lives that they wouldn't want to share with everybody else? Really?

Tomorrow's Indy front page Be interesting to read the details but I can hear screeching brakes even now, I wouldn't completely rule out a handbrake turn

Tomorrow's Indy front page Be interesting to read the details but I can hear screeching brakes even now, I wouldn't completely rule out a handbrake turn

If that's correct, then would that be a record for a u-turn by this lot?

What if what you have to hide isnt illegal?


What are you doing where the government would need unfettered access to your communications to save a life?

There have been so many that they really are proving themselves to be incompetent.

Problem is that what they are doing is flying kites.

They are merely puppets dancing to the tune being played by more extreme puppeteers behind the screens, they have been told that there has to be extremely deep cuts, that there has to be a complete clampdown on freedoms, both press and public and rather than take considered decisions they are leaking details to the press and waiting to see what the reaction is, its almost like government by constant opinion poll instead of government by leadership.

We all know this now and we all know what tools to use to register our disapproval, more than ever before its possible to immediately register your objection to policies and so this government more than any seem perfectly happy to keep playing this game, and making themselves look weak and leaderless at the same time.

Its almost like they know now that there won't be another term after this one and the agenda has to be writ in law ASAP.

Throw in the proposals for government to withold evidence in trials and we're approaching a state that Kim Jong Il would've been proud to lead.

I can't help this sneaking suspicion that some are deliberately seeking to provoke a response, in order to have an excuse to crack down on the miscreants. That's one way of reducing the headcount and by extension, the welfare bill.