Council Use RIPA Powers To Spy On Family

Poole Council have admitted to using powers under the disgraceful RIPA legislation (2000) to spy on a couple to see if they had been cheating the school placement system. Story at the BBC here.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act was passed in 2000 to less attention from the British press than a belch in a brewery and was the first of Labour's thoroughly disgraceful moves to destroy the privacy and liberty of the individual. Primarily purveyed as a means to prevent crime and terrorism (isn't that the excuse for all of these measures?) it ends up being used to give disproportionate powers to those that should not have them (eg Poole Council). Details of the legislation here.

The government has also had its wrists slapped by the High Court for dropping the investigation into corruption relating to the Saudi arms deal. Well, that's not going to happen again now that Brown has legislation on the way limiting the powers of the High Court while increasing the powers of his Attorney General. All in the cause of 'national security', of course.