Is Your Phone Being Tapped?

Original posting, January, 2006 before Reid moved to the Home Office PATRIOT Act Incidentally, this demonstrates a reason for government reshuffles: it weren't me guv. The phone tap ban on MPs 'may be lifted'. Approving the tapping of MPs telephones is being considered by The Cabinet. This has been acknowledged by Defence Secretary John Reid. The covert surveillance has been banned for 40 years under a convention known as the Wilson Doctrine. The proposal is to lift the ban and has been suggested by the Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Swinton Thomas. Sounds a very pompous title: ESTABLISHMENT. A classic demonstration of the Blair government and its paranoia over surveillance. Spying on us all. Especially those within government. So, what's going on, then? Surely, you can't still imagine this government is looking after your interests! Liberal Democrats' Norman Baker said that MPs were entitled to protection from the monitoring of phone calls. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US? IF MPs ARE ENTITLED THEN JUST FORGET THE REST OF US. I ALWAYS IMAGINED THAT PHONE TAPPING WAS ILLEGAL. SHOWS HOW UNWORLDLY WISE I AM! BUT, OF COURSE: THIS IS GOVERNMENT. "I think in a democracy it's extremely important that members of Parliament can operate without the suspicion that what they say on the telephone can be collected by the security services and relayed to the government," he told BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House. DOES THAT APPLY TO ALL OF US? I USED TO THINK SO, BUT... THIS IS HARDLY THE MAKING OF A DEMOCRACY. STALIN WAS A LOVER OF DEMOCRACY. THE BEST POLICE STATE RUN DEMOCRACY YOU COULD EVER WISH FOR. "And there can be no guarantee if MPs are subject to phone-tapping that they won't have information passed on for political reasons to the government of the day". IS THIS THE OPPOSITION BEING SPIED UPON BY THE GOVERNMENT? If anybody does need spying on then certainly those in positions of power and influence stand at the front for close inspection. The Wilson Doctrine was named after Harold Wilson, the Labour Prime Minister who established the rule in 1966. He had given MPs a pledge that their phones would not be tapped. Subsequent prime ministers have regularly confirmed it remains in place. REALLY? SO THEY SAY... According to the Independent on Sunday, Tony Blair is preparing to announce the scrapping of the ban as part of an expansion [EXPANSION?!] of MI5 powers after the July 2005 London bombings. THERE’S THAT EXCUSE - JUSTIFICATION - AGAIN. New powers to monitor e-mail and other communications were brought in during 2000 as part of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act. Known as the RIP Act - nasty. Very nasty. Big Brother getting BIGGER. The Thought Police are here. They have been for a while. They are simply getting bolder by the day - more arrogant like their boss. In a written Commons statement in December, Mr Blair said he had received advice on "possible implications" of the act on the Wilson Doctrine from Sir Swinton. Well, if he says so then I suppose we should all get up and listen. WHO? Mr Reid said the recommendation was that MPs should not remain exempt from the 2000 legislation. THAT DOES SUGGEST THAT JOE PUBLIC NEVER HAS BEEN EXEMPTED. BY EXCLUSION FROM THE STATEMENT WE ARE IMPLICATED. WINSTON SMITH IS HERE... He said: "Cabinet quite correctly [WHAT? WATCH OUT FOR THE ATTEMPT AT MIND CONTROL: SUGGESTION THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO] decided that this was worthy of deep reflection and more consideration. So that is the position. It's not something that's been brought forward at the behest of the prime minister." BOLLOCKS. BOLLOCKS. BOLLOCKS. The defence secretary said "no one [MPs only] would take such a change lightly and I know that neither the prime minister nor my Cabinet colleagues would take such a change lightly". A classic case of someone trying to deceive you. Rather like: ‘...trust me.’ Or ‘I wouldn’t lie to you, would I?’. People being honest with you, do not expect to be thought of as lying to you. It never even occurs to them. They would never, ever say: ‘...trust me.’ So, Reid keeps saying ‘...such change lightly.’ That means that is exactly what they are doing. Or, at least, very well considered. Bit of spin there. Do you recognise it yet? Euphemism for ‘daft prat, didn’t you see that one coming?’ And not at the behest of Blair? Bollocks! Who are they trying to kid. To con. The man’s a megalomaniac. Power mad. Definition: a person who is obsessed with their own power. A person who suffers delusions of their own power or importance. That’s just about perfect. Ask yourself whether you think your phone is being tapped. It seems to me that this is very, very likely. And when do you imagine this may have started? For people like Blair, you and I are a bloody nuisance just being around. Getting in the way. Interfering by challenging. Just a bloody nuisance. Think about that.