Lib Dem Con Surveillance State?

[David Johnson]

Hi,
I know of at least one forumite who might be interested in this item!

Apparently a ?2bn. plan to allow the police and security services to track the email, text, internet and mobile phone details of everyone in Britain is to be revived, the Home Office has confirmed.

The decision is buried allegedly in the back pages of the Strategic Defence and Security Review published this week. Senior Home Office officials have confirmed that legislation is being prepared. A bill to setup the scheme was dropped by the Labour government last November. However Whitehall now say tte costs, despite swingeing cuts , has been earmarked in the Home Office budget.

Not entirely in liine with the coalition agreement about the "surveillance state".

Who would trust a politician eh?

CHeers
D

[David Johnson]

Forgot to include the obligatory smiley about this story.

!adolf!

!wink!

Cheers
D

[andy at handiwork]

Proposals like these were amongst the reasons Labour and I parted company some years ago; is there anyone in Westminster who will protect our privacy from Whitehall snooping?

[David Johnson]

Yup, I remember your understandable opposition to Labour plans.

Here's some more detail for you. Given the Spending Review introduced the heaviest cuts in a generation, the fact that this project has been revived gives you a good idea of which direction the wind is blowing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/2 ... um=twitter

CHeers
D

[andy at handiwork]

Sadly, the amount of personal details many people freely publish on social network sites these days gives the snoopers an alibi. Its come as no surprise that the tories have flipped on it. I'm saddened by the LDs agreeing to it, since their opposition to the surveillance state was one of the reasons I went their way at the last election. No wonder governments want broadband for all; easier to spy on us. Its enough to make me stop using the internet

[milton]

.....and if thats not scary enough have a browse through this.

http://www.kable.co.uk/

Ian.

[andy at handiwork]

As Labour have got form on this issue, there'll be no help for those of us who oppose these hugely intrusive measures. You can bet that as soon as it comes in, and it will, the police will start 'fishing expeditions', trawling for incriminating browsing details. Watch out if, even without any criminal conviction of any kind, you are volunteering for some 'big society' position helping in your community, or want a job in some field, that require a records check. I'll bet there'll be a search of your internet habits.

[jimslip]

"As Labour have got form on this issue, there'll be no help for those of us who oppose these hugely intrusive measures"

I think that it is in the very nature of "Socialists" to wish to pry. To see an extreme example of this watch the brilliant movie, "The Lives of Others" set in East Germany, where prying became a national obsession.

There are many in the Conservatives and certainly in the Lib Dems, who will immediately see echoes of the old Eastern Bloc in these measures. So (Hopefully) the government will get alot harsher opposition from inside the Coalition, than would have ever happened under New Labour, who seemed to be able to pass any law without a murmur from their own ranks.

Anyway as I've always said, "They are all crooked, power crazed bastards, some are just worse than others!"

The problem is, with the internet, Governments have no control. They hate us being able to circulate information unhindered and will in the end crush this form of communication.

[Flat_Eric]

But it's all "for our own good". And for "the good of society".

And if we have nothing to hide, we have nothing to fear.

Or so They tell us. So it MUST be true .......... surely?! ................... !wink!

- Eric

[Bob Singleton]

jimslip wrote:


>
> I think that it is in the very nature of "Socialists" to wish
> to pry.



I'm a socialist and have absolutely no wish to pry on anybody, nor indeed, be pried upon!

The example you give of the East German film has nothing to do with "socialism" but everything to do with an authoritarian, totalitarian state. Some of these states may use terms such as "socialist" in their rhetoric, but both you and I know they are nowhere close to being socialist, so why use that as the stick with which to beat your message home?