Labour and the spooks

There will be those among us who have wondered why, with all the revelations of spook skullduggery and invasion of privacy, the Labour Party have been so silent. Indeed they recently went so far as to endorse the government line. 

Well wonder no more. 

The latest revelations from Snowden show that the UK government signed a deal with the yanks,letting NSA have access to all UK citizens emails, phone records, fax numbers and IP records. It is reported that the deal was struck with the then Foreign Secretary. The deal was signed in 2007. Margaret Becket was Foreign Secretary at the time though it is likely that the groundwork was done by her predecessor, Jack Straw. And who was the Prime Minister? Step forward Reverend Blair, the madman with a mission.

NewLabour engaged in a ‘my willy’s bigger than yours’ battle with the Conservatives over Security and Anti- terrorism laws. So much so that the Coalition Agreement came up with the following:

The protection of historic freedoms through the defence of trial by jury.

The restoration of rights to non-violent protest.

Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.

Further regulation of CCTV.

We now have secret courts; protesters being harassed by the police and authorities and little Willy Hague defending state snooping with the ridiculous ‘If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.’ And CCTV even more widespread.

The intoxication of power appears to be far greater and to last far longer than the values of liberty and freedom. 

Or, more sinisterly, Ministers fall under the blackmail threats of the spooks. If they have access to all phone records and emails, they will have access to some very juicy revelations and evidence of wrong-doing.