2. Here's a link to the e-petition to get this thing stopped. Again, please do go and sign it. This is after all Party Policy...
3. Here's a fantastic piece explaining what the government can already do - and why we should be repealing these powers, not increasing them...
4. Here's a first class piece from Alex Wilcock summing up why this is so bad. It also contains links to some other excellent pieces from Lib Dem Bloggers.
5. Here's Lynne Featherstone's 'it's all nonsense' message to members. Which doesn't explain quite a lot - for example, why, if there's nothing to worry about, has Julian Huppert never been allowed to review the proposals... I'm afraid Lynne's adopting the default 'its OK, you simply don't understand' approach...
Dear Richard,
I wanted to write to reassure you that the current reports in the media about Government plans to snoop on your emails are complete nonsense.
Liberal Democrats have always been, and will continue to be, opposed to a centralised database that allows government to monitor your internet activity at will.
That is not going to happen under these proposals and never will happen in a government that includes me and the Liberal Democrats.
The proposals being considered would simply update the current rules – which allow the police in criminal investigations to find out who was contacted and when – to cover new forms of technology that didn’t even exist when the original laws were made, like Skype.
What this will not do is allow the government, or the police, or any other agencies, to read your emails and Facebook messages (or any other social media for that matter) at will. The content of your communications is currently, and will always be, protected by tough rules that mean a warrant is needed before any interception could take place.
If you want more detail then you can find it here.
Our party has a proud history of defending civil liberties which has continued in this Coalition Government.
We’ve scrapped ID cards, ended child detention for immigration purposes, stopped indefinite retention of innocent peoples’ DNA, restored the right to protest in Parliament Square, scrapped control orders and ended 28-day detention without charge – to name but a few!
And as long as Liberal Democrats are in Government we will continue to fight for everyday freedoms that our party has long held dear.
Yours,
Lynne
PS Nick Clegg has been talking about this today – to see what he said click here.
Liberal Democrats have always been, and will continue to be, opposed to a centralised database that allows government to monitor your internet activity at will.
That is not going to happen under these proposals and never will happen in a government that includes me and the Liberal Democrats.
The proposals being considered would simply update the current rules – which allow the police in criminal investigations to find out who was contacted and when – to cover new forms of technology that didn’t even exist when the original laws were made, like Skype.
What this will not do is allow the government, or the police, or any other agencies, to read your emails and Facebook messages (or any other social media for that matter) at will. The content of your communications is currently, and will always be, protected by tough rules that mean a warrant is needed before any interception could take place.
If you want more detail then you can find it here.
Our party has a proud history of defending civil liberties which has continued in this Coalition Government.
We’ve scrapped ID cards, ended child detention for immigration purposes, stopped indefinite retention of innocent peoples’ DNA, restored the right to protest in Parliament Square, scrapped control orders and ended 28-day detention without charge – to name but a few!
And as long as Liberal Democrats are in Government we will continue to fight for everyday freedoms that our party has long held dear.
Yours,
Lynne
PS Nick Clegg has been talking about this today – to see what he said click here.
What a cock up, of monumental proportions. Also, I've read the internal party briefing document. And there's a lot more going on than in Lynne's note
It will need a hashtag
How about #dropthebill ?
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