UK Civil Liberties: RIP

[expat]

I just thnk this reaction is a little OTT - the whole "stop and search" laws had people in uproar too, and I have never been stopped and searched like a "common criminal" yet - neither has anyone I know.
And that's probably way more likely than this dont you think?

How often do people actually take photos of the police and armed forces anyway?

If you take photographs on say the streets of Central London, it is quite likely that you will catch some coppers in some of your pics. This will then allow them to treat you like a terrorist (searching you, taking your gear, arresting you, taking your DNA, holding you for a while, and certainly taking up a lot of your time and giving you a scare. That is presuming no accidental damage to your camera or your person). I don't think this should happen.

Personally I think that an honest citizen going about his business has a right to be presumed not to be doing anything wrong, unless there is evidence to the contrary.

[SallyAnne]

That's because your not a 21 year old black or Asian male.

I for one am not at all happy about any government introducing a law and then promising only to use it sensibly. Certainly not a government that sets up CCTV for security and anti-terrorism, and then uses the images to check that citizens are not dumping too much recyclable rubbish or claiming to live in the wrong school catchment area.

Yeah - yous are right.

I concede fully.

[expat]

Yeah - yous are right.

I concede fully.

Aw, you're no fun

I'd better get back to Bogeyman and Dodgy.

[_V_]

Where do I buy a V mask?

.

If you find one, let me know.

[SallyAnne]

Aw, you're no fun

I'd better get back to Bogeyman and Dodgy.

[sunnysan]

Stop and search

If you take photographs on say the streets of Central London, it is quite likely that you will catch some coppers in some of your pics. This will then allow them to treat you like a terrorist (searching you, taking your gear, arresting you, taking your DNA, holding you for a while, and certainly taking up a lot of your time and giving you a scare. That is presuming no accidental damage to your camera or your person). I don't think this should happen.

Personally I think that an honest citizen going about his business has a right to be presumed not to be doing anything wrong, unless there is evidence to the contrary.

I have been stopped and searched twice, for no reason, was going about my business. My id was confirmed, my bag checked etc etc. If I had been bolshy they could have detained me within the guidelines of the anti terrorism legislation... for nothing ... nice.

I doubt it would happen, but remeber this legislation was used to remove a septagenrian heckler from a party conference.

The whole thing about taking photos, IMHO is a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, becuase you can already be detained and random anyway under exisiting legislation.

[ace00]

Former spy chief says UK is now a police state

Dame Stella Rimington, the former head of MI5, says Government has handed victory to terrorists by restricting rights
....................
The report condemned the use of torture, disappearances, arbitrary and secret detention.
...................


Not good.

[expat]

"It would be better that the government recognised that there are risks, rather than frightening people in order to be able to pass laws which restrict civil liberties, precisely one of the objects of terrorism - that we live in fear and under a police state," she said.

Couldn't have put it better, Dame Stella.

[Ruprect]

Good comment on this from the Grauniad:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...iberty-central

[Clippy]

The thing that gets me is how we, myself included, have allowed the government to get away the introduction of these laws.

Are we so engrossed in our daily lives that we can't see what is actually happening to our civil liberties. Or do we no longer value them as highly as we used to/should?

Where were the demonstrations, petitioning of MP's etc.

The last effective civil protests were the Poll Tax ones which directly led to a policy change. Compare that to the millions of people who peacefully protested against the war in Iraq and had no effect.