1984 in 2012 - a guest post

The UK is today on track to be a Police Surveillance State on a par with China and Iran.

The British Government has again announced it is to enact legislation to enable it to look at all our emails, texts and website searching. It will also monitor all our telephone conversations. That means that everything you say and read and do, will become State property. The State will steal your right to privacy, freedom of expression and association. All this is to be done in the name of 'State security', a chilling phrase to those who believe in freedom of the individual above that of the State, and have knowledge of recent history. They tried this before in 2010 but the outcry caused them to defer the plan. Maybe now, however, they feel that we have become softened up to the idea of intrusion into our private lives by large corporations and particularly internet media and organs of the state, that we will be more amenable to its re-introduction.

All this should, however, send shivers of fear down the spine of every man and every woman who believes in Freedom. And those who peddle the naive belief that if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear are almost as dangerous as those who wish to implement this measure. Let us not forget that for evil to prevail it only requires good men to do nothing.

The people of England, through long tradition, probably still believe in freedom of speech and association, and probably believe they still exist, but political correctness and its agents eroded that long ago.
For nearly fifty years after the Second World War was won against a totalitarian regime, another war, 'The Cold War' was conducted. This was mainly a war of propaganda and espionage and it was waged against the stated evils of the Soviet Union and its satellite States, which were genuine. The People of the Nations of the UK were told those States had to be opposed because they also spied on their people and controlled their thoughts and actions. They viewed their people as potential 'enemies of the State'. They also encouraged their people to spy on each other. Millions of pounds were spent on opposing these States, vast resources applied to the propaganda effort. Lives were lost. The grounds for all this were the protection of our Freedoms against foreign domination, when all the evils described would be visited upon us.

The British State and its political Establishment is now intending to introduce these very evils. State security will take precedence over the freedom of the individual. Don’t be fooled that this is aimed at terrorists and potential terrorists, for it is all of us who will suffer, the ordinary innocent subject. It will turn the police still further into agents of the State. The police will need to be looked upon with suspicion, more than they do now. It will be the policeman who knocks your door down at four o’clock in the morning, probably accompanied by someone in a long coat (maybe even a leather one!) because you have used the wrong word or phrase in your email or text message. Because State spies will be scanning every one of your messages for key words and phrases which they deem dangerous or threatening. They will be monitoring your innocent debates and discussions, and the websites you visit; the ones they think subversive or threatening, and if you visit them more often than they think you should you will be regarded as a subversive. Your file will be marked. We will have our own British ‘stasi’.

And don’t believe them when they say this is all for your own good, or that surveillance will be limited, or that it will all be carefully controlled. This is just the kind of thing that gets out of control; it acquires a life and momentum of its own. It won’t be long before ‘State Security’ deems the measures inadequate, and that more are needed. Apparatus is already in place for your innocent meetings in the street to be observed. Next your conversations there could be heard too. All this will happen unless, we the people, rise against it again, and object as we did about the introduction of Identity Cards, a previous dangerous authoritarian measure.

So far, I have only mentioned terrorists. But these measures are to be aimed at criminals too. What level of criminal - international drug smugglers, people traffickers? It could be quickly extended, and you could be an innocent victim if you are by chance going about your lawful business but in the wrong place at the wrong time (or underpaid your tax by £10!).

And there are civil rights to be considered. We know the State is worried at the ease by which demonstrations can be organized. But these demonstrations are legal in a free society, so what right does the State claim to monitor communications of this type?
There is no time to be lost. These proposals are dangerous to the Freedoms our ancestors fought for. They fought against the powerful and unanswerable organs of State, religion and aristocracy, hundreds of years ago, which brought about modifications and reform which we all enjoy today. Lives were lost then to bring about a Free society. They must not be allowed to have been lost in vain.

We cannot rely on the Established parties. It has been said ‘you cannot get a cigarette paper between them’, and although ‘Nick’ is doing his usual ‘grandstanding’ by claiming to be putting a brake on the proposals he is part of the State power introducing them and his word, as we all know, is worth nothing.

Action must be taken, we must make our views known to prevent these measures being brought in, but we must turn away from the major parties. New political grass roots voices, such as the English Democrats, are being heard and we should turn to them, to bring political power back to the ordinary people of England.

4th April 2012

Keith Birtwhistle