Clamp down on petty infractions, but not if it’s an MP
As the CSM suggests, all the zero-tolerance, petty bureaucrats in the UK are allowed to push the citizens around, as long as it doesn’t begin to affect the lifestyles of British MPs.
Counterterrorism unit,
Officers didn’t just search the home of [MP] Damian Green – they arrested him, raided his office, and detained him for nine hours as part of an investigation into the leaking of government documents.
It seems that the MP is known for obtaining leaked documents and using them to make points against the governing Labour party. That said, the strike team didn’t have a warrant…
In the same article, a quote by Mark Garnett of Lancaster University suggests:
“Politics used to be concerned with vision and ideology, but increasingly we live in a world where political options are closed down by globalization. Instead, the government now sees its main purpose as ensuring security.”
Of course the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, thinks that counterterrorism money is used on non-terrorism related issues is just fine. It’s good to know that counterterrorism is just for terrorism anymore.
In an unrelated, related story, the Independent reports that new powers are being pushed through parliament that would give MPs the power to merge any set of government databases in attempts to serve up information on malcontents and nefarious characters. The opposition pointed out that the current government has enough trouble not losing data from one database, suggesting the damage from an omnibus data warehouse could be disastrous. Even the Europeans think that the UK has gone too far.
Best quote from that article:
The Ministry of Justice said data-sharing was essential for the delivery of “efficient and effective public services, tackling crime and protecting the public”. “Any draft order would require parliamentary approval and a privacy impact assessment,” said a spokesman. “Additionally, the Information Commissioner would have been invited to comment on the proposals. This will ensure any potential privacy issues and risks are identified and examined.
Wow! Such protection! The Information Commissioner can comment on egregious use of government power.
Here’s hoping this surveillance and information fetish doesn’t cross over to this part of the Commonwealth.
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