Terror law turns thousands of council officials into spies

[emad]

Thousands of middle managers in local councils are being authorised to spy on people suspected of petty offences using powers designed to prevent crime and terrorism.

Even junior council officials are being allowed to initiate surveillance operations in what privacy campaigners likened to Eastern bloc police tactics.

The Home Office is expected to be urged by the Commons Home Affairs select committee to issue guidelines to councils on the type of operations in which surveillance can be used.

Amid increasing concern in Parliament that the UK is slowly becoming a surveillance society, the committee has looked at the operation of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa), which some MPs say is being misused to focus on petty crime rather than serious offending.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4036231.ece

[non sociopath skin]

1. But never fear. On Day One of a Cameroon Covernment ...

... the first priority will be to repeal all surveillance legislation and nanny-state regulations. Like that silly business about not drinking on tube trains, for instance ... :evilgrin:

The Skin

[T_i_B]

2. Speaking of the tube booze ban....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/boris_johnson/2060924/Carnage-during-Tube-alcohol-party.html

A party to celebrate the last night before Boris Johnson's ban on drinking alcohol on the London Underground caused widespread disruption with six stations having to be closed and 17 people arrested.

But a night that started in a celebratory mood soon turned sour as thousands of revellers poured into London's Tube stations.

Liverpool Street, Euston, Euston Square, Aldgate, Gloucester Road and Baker Street were closed as the party turned violent. A Transport Police spokesman said there was a "large amount" of disorder reported to police and "multiple instances" of trains being damaged" leading to them being withdrawn from service. "This was an unfortunate end to what should have been a fun event," he added.

The celebration, heavily promted on Facebook and other social networking sites, got under way at 8.30pm from Liverpool Street Station, centred on the Circle Line but soon spread to other parts of the network.

[LeftishBrit]

3. Yes.

No Conservative government has ever tolerated laws that went against civil liberties, like, I don't know, those far-left 'sus' laws of the 80s.