The One That Is Saying 'Thank You very much'. . .

Three cheers for Sir Ken MacDonald QC, the outgoing Director of Public Prosecutions who has warned against 'the paraphernalia of paranoia' and 'medieval delusions' that dominate the current mania for surveillance and logging every facet of our existence.

He said:

'We need to take very great care not to fall into a way of life in which freedom's back is broken by the relentless pressure of a security state'

Well, amen to that.

'We need to understand that it is in the nature of state power that decisions taken in the next few months and years about how the state may use these powers, and to what extent, are likely to be irreversible. They will be with us forever. And they will in turn will be built upon.'

So in other words, watch out, it might be the naaaaaaaaaasty eeeeeeeeeevil brown people at the moment, but watch out, because you'll find that you're a lot higher on the list than you anticipated.

'So we should take very great care to imagine the world we are creating before we build it. We might end up living with something we can't bear.'

Like 1984 for example.*

The allusion to medieval delusions is an interesting one. It kind of puts me in mind of Henry III and how similar he is to the Brown Gorgon. A few minor disagreements breeds a huge amount of suspicion, a civil war and a humiliating final chapter.

Of course, he's missing the point, it isn't about security, terrorism or even rights, it is about the desire to control us, because with these tools you can root out and silence those who haven't fell for it.

The irony is that they're ten years too late. There's no way in the world that the Tories will let this opportunity pass. The legislation will be put on the statute book, and then those that have done the donkey work will bray the loudest as they see their vile, divisive and repugnant machinery used against them in a campaign of terror against the Labour fold.

* There is a UK Libertarian Party campaign to send a copy of 1984 to all members of the house. Just to act as a warning, read about it here.