Sleepwalking....

It is a funny thing sleepwalking. Sometimes you do it and never realise,
unless another person tells you they watched. Sometimes you do it and wake
up, finding yourself in an unexpected place. Sometimes you do it and fall
down the stairs and can come a right old cropper.

Well the dear old British public, and for that matter the dear old British
MP's, have been sleepwalking. They were watched, and told. They carried on
doing it and now we have collectively fallen down the stairs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/whos_watching_you/8064333.stm

I think it is the nastiest development of modern times. Far beyond the
ability to Stop and Search, Wire Tap or mail intercept. You can be damn
sure that already a slice of the Criminal Activity plod is mopping up is
stuff we all feel a right to indulge in. And you can be damn sure of where
it is going and how it will develop.

I suppose a lot of Germans thought it was a good idea to make Adolph into
Chancellor, that it would assuage the Nazi party. Really good fucking idea
that was. Though to be fair this new system is more Papa Joe than Uncle
Adolf. UA was a demented old fool who failed dismally. PJ was a cunning
old fox who put everyone right where he wanted them.

So what does it actually do to prevent crime. What thee and me call crime.
Burglary. Vehicle theft. Rape and murder. Assault. And so on. Almost
nothing that I can think of. It might occasionally put someone in the dock
for those. Occasionally. But this is Billions of pounds, vast amounts of
money and infrastructure. It is so insane that only we in the world have
done it. It is so insane and unlikely that when you talk to most people
about it they smile and change the subject, people just Don't Get It. My
American colleague can't even comprehend the subject matter.

We. They! are already adding a system to log every email sent and website
visited. Your every call and SMS are already recorded I believe. You do not
have unfettered access to the money in your bank accounts. It will not be so
long before you cannot buy a ticket to travel inside the UK without proper
ID and for that journey to be logged.

So, do you think you will see any of it on a future Party Manifesto.
Deconstructing the National Tracking System. Repealing the Terrorism Act.
Repealing
Stop and Search laws. Et all. I don't fucking think so.

 

SNIP!

FWIW I think this drift into a centralised, police state is linked to the
corruption of our political and economic systems. It is an no coincidence
that the excesses of MPs only became a "live" issue in the wake of the
collapse of the banking and financial systems. For a long time people have
been conned into thinking that unfettered free-market capitalism was the
route leading towards better lives for all. As a result, politics became
less and less relevant whilst may functions of the state have been given
over to private enterprise.

Even if New Labour are obliterated at the next election I doubt very much
that anyone really believes that the Tories or Lib Dems would make much
difference. This is because all of the main parties are competeing on the
basis of which of them can best manage the free-market capitalist economy.
Unfortunately, this free-market approach has just delivered the biggest
economic depression in recent history and doesn't seem likely to provide
answers to urgent problems such as the effects of global warming and
resource depletion etc etc. In the meantime, the role of a Member of
Parliament has become increasingly irrelevant - they have been bought off
with generous expenses and in return they have agreed to toe the party line
and not ask awkward questions, letting all kinds of dubious legislation
through "on the nod". Illiberal and repressive legislation has been allowed
to go unchallenged because the police and security services really want more
control over what individuals can and can't do (makes their jobs much
easier). MPs can't think of a reason for saying "no" because they have
allowed their right to scrutinise and approve legislation to be eroded by
the execuitive and anyway, they have no fundamental moral or ethical
principles guiding them (the free market is a mechanism, not a set of
moral/ethical principles).

In this kind of political climate it is hardly surprising that the rights of
citizens have been casually tossed aside in name of improved "security".
What we appear to have is the development of the mechanisms of a police
state. The Stasi would have loved to have some of the technology that is
being applied to monitoring the activities of all individuals within our
society. At the same time we have an potential collapse of our political
system. Interesting times..and who knows what kind of "rough beast, its hour
come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?". I am starting
to think we really need MAJOR changes to our political and economic systems
to reduce the possibility of some realtively small group getting hold of the
reins of power and then refusing to let go. A ruling group would have the
means to hang on because any dissent can be supressed under the banner of
"security" and any individual expressing too much dissent can be tracked,
intercepted, held without charge etc. etc.

What we desparately need is a political party that is fully committed to
fundamental reform of our political and economic systems. We need a new
BIll of Rights that lays down the fundamnetal rights of citizens and limits
the power of the state. We need to do away with the monarchy, House of
Lords and all that outdated nonsense. We need to be citizens, not
"subjects". We need a voting system that doesn't allow a few thousand
"floating voters" to determine the outcome of general elections in which
millions have voted. We need a parliamentary system that ENSURES effective
scrutiny of legislation and which ENSURES that there are effective limits on
the power of the executive. I would vote enthusiastically for such reforms
and I suspect that may others would too in the current climate.

 

I share your concern.
What's the chance of a fragmented parliament/coalition
government come the next election, being forced to dismantle
the whole set-up by one of the smaller parties?
How could civil disobedience be focussed to overload the system?

Oh, have I just fucked up my "innocent" status?

--
R100RT
Aprilia Pegaso 650 IE "The Flying Mythos"
Formerly: James Captain, A10, C15, B25, Dnepr M16 solo,
R80/7, R100RT (green!)
www.davidhowardjeweller.co.uk

 

There is no such thing as "civil disobedience" any more. Any attempt at
concerted action will be dealt with under the conspiracy laws or under
anti-terrorist legislation. (Look at the recent arrest of 114 environmental
campaigners in connection with a suspected plan to protest at a power
station). It would appear that you may have just engaged in incitement to
conspiracy to break the law. Please present yourself at your nearest police
station for processing. You have been warned. Resistance is futile.

 

On Sat, 23 May 2009 11:24:15 +0100, "TMack"

<applause>

Perhaps one of the most thoughtful and interesting posts I've ever
read on here. If anything, the early paragraphs were better than this
last, which I left in for some context.

The reference to Yeats "Second Coming" is apposite - I suspect there
could be some profound changes in the next couple of decades. And,
while I'm an optimist by temperament, and can't see that any such
changes are likely to be for the better.

 

While I cannot agree with some of it I do agree with the above.
We do rather need a comprehensive Bill of Rights which makes us secular,
limits the power of the Executive, ring fences the type and extent of taxes,
underwrites freedom of speech, movement and association.

Perhaps we can have a Turkish type solution where the Army act as guardian
move in if the aforesaid is threatened, lining the Ministers/Civil Servants
up against the walls of Westminster to be shot.

 

I *so* hate to agree with you!

I've never been bothered about a Bill of Rights or a Constitution - on
the grounds that if it ain't broke don't fix it. New Labour appears to
have achieved the impossible and broken it.

 

I just watched the Alan Clark diaries and feel considerably better!

 

It has been broken since Thatcher, if not before.

Some people were stupid enough to believe the HRA 98 and EU Convention on HR
amounted to an equivalent of the Constitution and Bill of Rights USA.
People who hadn't read it I assume, or didn't look for what is not said or
ignored the caveats and wriggle room.

As an important for instance, the proposal to restrict UK jury trial Vs the
6th Amenndment. One might refer some recent events Vs the 4th Amendment.

Only a revolutionary Conservative party could actually bring about radical
change, as they have a prospect of election. There will not be revolutionary
change, it isn't in UK history. But can one honestly imagine them doing so?
It seems to me that New Labour and the Conservatives are the two arms of a
Pincer Movement.

I'm no conspiracy theorist I might hastily add. I'm sure we do not witness
scheduled events but rather the effects of a scatter gun approach.

 

Hog wrote:

<snip>

The great unwashed aren't bothered, and the rest of us will be dead soon
enough. None of it matters anyway if you're on the guest list. Corruption
is the way forward.

 

<Thunderous applause>

 

Write to your MP and complain?
Oh hang on.............

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm070625/text/
70625w0068.htm