Typical summer photograph isn't it - one of my holiday snaps - we all have them. The UK government didn't know about this holiday of mine but they will know when I go abroad in future. They will even know my credit card details. By the end of this year they hope to have finished compiling 95% of the 250m annual passenger movements in and out of the UK every year the Sunday Times reports.
The Wythenshawe spy centre will house more than 300 police and immigration officials, plus technicians, who will be checking our details against M15, benefit agency and other watch lists.
'The intelligence centre will store names, addresses, telephone numbers, seat reservations, travel itineraries and credit card details for all 250m passenger movements in and out of the UK each year.'
'Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, defended the plans. “The UK has one of the toughest borders in the world and we are determined to ensure it stays that way. Our high-tech electronic borders system will allow us to count all passengers in and out and targets those who aren’t willing to play by our rules.”'
Are we going to accept this? Are we going to sit back and allow our elected representatives to ignore this? Phil Woolas says 'we have one of the toughest borders in the world.' Someone tell me he's joking - please. We're an island and any child could tell you it's easy to supervise the coastline of an island, if proper control is in place.
Back in the 70s the then UK government radically reduced the customs officers who policed the Scottish coastline and I understand their numbers have been gradually further diminished. Increasing them would protect Scotland much more and not only against terrorists but drug smugglers who know our coastline isn't well managed.
This whole operation, as you will read in the full article, has been kept secret. Why? Surely the public would have been pleased to know that the UK government is taking serious action to protect our borders from terrorists. Could it be that we may not be so happy to know that our every movement is now to be recorded and kept for 10 years?
This is little to do with protecting us from terrorists, it's far more to do with destroying our freedom.
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11 comments:
protest allways preceeds pole. New Labour has been slowly dismantling the laws of civil protest for years knowing this eventuality will come.
Control and information is Socialism. Hate them with a passion, when will it all end?
Oldrightie I don't know when it will end. My hope, once upon a time, was that we would have a type of politician who cared for their electorate and not financial rewards. That seems more and more unlikely.
I'm surprised not more are interested in this article. Has everyone become so dumbed-down? Or perhaps they prefer the Mail headline of Jacqui ripping us off in housing costs.
How many billions has this 'operations centre' cost us?
Juan, I have no objection to our borders being well policed, that should be easy to do.
My objection is that this £xx million or billion setup has never been discussed in Parliament and all organised behind closed doors.
Don't we still live in a democracy?
Anyone got a boat? Lets just row out of here
It's certainly going that way Henry. Trouble is, being over 60 no other country will have me except the UK.
"....being over 60 no other country will have me except the UK."
Ah, but if I adopted you as my child I could take you with me to New Zealand where my two older children are resident and I am allowed to live there as their relative! Shall I draw up the papers?
(PS: I am not quite 60. Do you think that might be a problem?)
Draw up the papers Ted and I'll pack my bags. I'm just over 60 - do they have free bus passes in New Zealand?
Ochone, Ochone, Rosa,
You did not take long getting over me - if you'll pardon a rather contradictory expression!
Woe! woe! and trice woe!
From the unfortunate and despairing Jilted John...
WV: inumb lol!
Ochone brownlie. For another interpretation of your Shakespearian outburst have a look at this:
http://saxontimes.blogspot.com/2008/06/woe-woe-and-thrice-woe.html
Don't despair brownlie, I have never jilted a man in my life, I just put them into storage and bring them out now and again to remind me how lucky I really am :)
Dear Subrosa
"THE ERADICATION of our FREEDOM in the name of TERRORISM"
Eradication of freedom IS terrorism.
DP
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