The definition of Terrorism grows ever wider. It may surprise you to learn of the ways in which Vernon Coaker, the Labour Home Office Minister, has quietly signed away your right to undertake everyday activities.
There are many reasons why you might wish to find out the current address of a former neighbour, or discover the whereabouts of a debtor, for instance. You should check their former occupation before you do so – you could now be labelled a terrorist for attempting to obtain information about any former police officer or member of the armed forces.
2. The following provisions of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 shall come into force on 16th February 2009– [...] (d) section 76 (offences relating to information about members of armed forces etc), together with Schedule 8 (offences relating to information about members of armed forces etc: supplementary provisions);
Any defence? Mmmn, after you have been fingerprinted, a DNA sample taken, and tagged with the words ‘suspected Terrorist’!
(2) It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that they had a reasonable excuse for their action.
It is for you to prove that your excuse was reasonable – not for the prosecution to prove that you are guilty.
This draconian law will affect many people – from the debt collecting agencies to the campaigning journalist, from the royal biographers – all those minor princes parading in their uniforms – to wives trying to track down an errant ex-policeman husband.
Murphy’s Law will prevail – if the threat of prosecution under this law can be invoked, it will be.
The UK libel laws are already wreaking havoc with investigative journalism, where the burden of proof is similarly placed on the defendant; now every editor will have to check with the legal team to see if the person they are investigating can possibly invoke anti-Terrorism laws before setting a reporter on their trail.
Why did they exclude ex-Cabinet Ministers from this Act? Do they consider they are already adequately protected? What is so special about an ex-Policeman?
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The thin end of the wedge, compliance: Keeping up-to-date with new BBC compliance and editorial guidelines many of which have been brought in since the Jonathon Ross scandal is proving a bit of a bind. It involves the checking of all texts and emails by a producer or BA prior to a presenter reading them out. Also, any traffic updates phoned in by the public cannot be read out on air immediately as they were previously, they must first be checked with the Police, Fire, Ambulance or News Editor for accuracy.”
This compliance issue has caused some concern at BBC RC, one of whose most popular functions, as with many local radio stations, is to keep drivers apprised of developments on the roads which might impede their travel around the county. Producers and BAs are having to deal with an increasing number of complaints like “I told you about this accident ten minutes ago, why haven’t you read it out?” which leaves them forced to reply, “I’m sorry sir/madam we are in the process of checking your report for accuracy”.
You should check their former occupation before you do so – you could now be labelled a terrorist for attempting to obtain information about any former police officer or member of the armed forces.”
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Well! Looks like we are completely fucked if they worked for the SAS or MI5 then …………….as an under-cover agent in a block of flats on a Council estate!!!
So what shall we do in that situation? Where a woman has been left pregnant by one of them? ……. And is just trying to find her baby’s father?
I know! ………… Let’s just purchase copies of all the CDs that go missing from Government Departments every day of the week due to scatty and cannot -be-arsed personnel.
They are being sold under everybody’s nose on the bloody internet! Or does this stupid Government not realise this?
Anybody who has been in receipt of child benefits; anybody who has been a guest of Her Majesty; anybody who has worked for Her Majesty;
anybody who has even been a suspected terrorist ………. their information is on the internet! You can buy the CD on the internet ……… with their dates of birth, national insurance numbers and residences etc.
I think that the Government have forgotten that they are employing people who earn between £6 and £20 per hour here!
There are thousands of people who risk their jobs and pensions every day of the week to make a butty by selling somebody’s address or telephone records.
Senior manangers of departments are renowned for leaving their desks and their computers open so that staff can gain entry without leaving fingerprints ………… (In exchange for a piece of the butty that their underling will get for stealing information.)
Prison officers still read files about prisoners that are top-secret and pass the information to the Press.
Coppers still look people up on the PNC if they see a car with a woman in it that they fancy!
The Government may be inhuman ………….. the people they employ are not!
Hey Gordie et al! Shift the sh*t in your own back garden before you start stock-piling even more crap! Tosser!
Blimey!
I’m off to a restless sleep
And I’m not even British.
Sorry I missed you Chatelaine! There is some news just out that may interest us greatly tomorrow ………. A very mysterious bank account has been closed ……… allegedly …….. I am trying to find out if it’s true!
Crumbs!
Some excellent points there Coco, women trying to find the Father of their baby…..
On a similar note, now that the Home Office want to read all our e-mails, I have re-directed the contents of my Spam folder to smithjj@parliament.uk in a sprit of co-operation – she can start by reading the thousands of offers to enlarge my penis……..she’ll get bored before I do.
Just imagine if everybody did this!
Is this a suggestion? If so it’s a bloody good one!
I tell you Anna – that is a mint idea! I have to delete between 400 and 600 spam per day. I also send ridiculous emails to friends ………. as you know!
So ……… I will make up some very ambiguous emails and send them to friends from now on and talk about terrorist activity ………… But I will use words of more than two or three syllables!
Who is going to read these emails? I rarely meet a Civil Servant that can even fucking read and write these days! I have to read letters written by Social Workers and the Police etc. every day of the week and they are atrocious.
So I cannot wait to see how they will be dealing with torrents of emails.
Will somebody please take this Government into the basement of the Houses of Parliament and shoot the damned lot of them! This is an order!
Sometimes we have to be cruel to be kind …………. I think we should put them out of their misery! …………. As soon as possible!
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