Bah.

Will Phorm be looking after this database?

"and for public protection"

With this one statement Totalitarian Britian takes a step closer to becoming reality.

"Ministers have not made their minds up on the way forward"

Roughly translated as "we'll get back to you when the Daily Mail Group has told us what we think..."

Yep, the one with the burning copies of the Mail and Standard in the pockets...

The government want to to kill off the internet obviously.

This government won't be happy until they have each of us nicely tagged and barcoded and cameras in each of our homes.

The terrorists have clearly won.

Yes the terrorists have already won.

I wonder though, how long before these self same terrorists are viewed as freedom fighters and heros by a constantly monitored, controlled, oppressed people?

"I wonder though, how long before these self same terrorists are viewed as freedom fighters and heros by a constantly monitored, controlled, oppressed people?"

....aaaand now you're one of the terrorists yourself, for having sympathy with the argument that we shouldn't all be tagged and bagged.

"Talk about snooping isn't used when talking about the benefits fraudster, even though that fraudster will have been caught out using Ripa."

Plainly civil servants have picked up the technique of barefaced lying from ministers. In the real world "tax snooper", "dole snooper", "council snooper", "benefit snooper" are all common phrases. Back in 2003 the Guardian, not known for wild sensationalism, ran a RIPA article under the headline, "The 'snoopers' charter' explained".

I was at the meeting mentioned. I made few notes but one quote from Andrew Knight* (the Home Office chappie) that I did bother to write down was:

[show people that RIPA is] "Rightly used ... for non-crime purposes too"

Like many others I remember the powers that be promoting much of RIPA as being targeted at terrorism and serious crime.

Mr Knight was evasive as to whether Ministers have yet actually seen the draft provisions of the Communications Bill or not.

* Mr Knight said "erm..." so often in his responses that I joked to one participant afterward that he should have been billed as Andrew erm Knight.