Sometimes you’ve got to wonder what the point of living in a democracy is …
Take Great Britain, which spent most of the last Century sending its sons off to die in defense of freedom – a task that usually involves facing off against repressive, socialist regimes or tyrannical, totalitarian dictators.
Now, one of the world’s arch-defenders of “freedom” is pioneering one of the most expensive, insidious affronts to individual liberty in the history of humankind.
It’s called the “Interception Modernisation Programme,” and it would grant the British government the ability to store, track and monitor every private telephone call, text message, email or Internet browsing session in the country.
And yes, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher are rolling over in their graves right about now.
From the Times UK:
The scope of the project – classified top secret – is said by officials to be so vast that it will dwarf the estimated ($7.8 billion) ministers have set aside for the identity cards programme. It is intended to fight terrorism and crime. Civil liberties groups, however, say it poses an unprecedented intrusion into ordinary citizens’ lives. Aimed at placing a “live tap” on every electronic communication in Britain, it will dwarf other “big brother” surveillance projects …
Some estimates have the cost of this unprecedented public surveillance running as high as $15 billion.
Why so expensive? Well, every day in Great Britain approximately 3 billion emails are sent – meaning that this system will have to track well over a trillion emails each year. And that’s before it starts snooping on citizens’ phone calls, text messages and Internet visits.
We know what you’re thinking … “never in America,” right?
“Of course not,” even uber-leftists will undoubtedly claim, although this is clearly the direction in which America is headed.
What is it Thom Yorke of the British band Radiohead once sang?
“Bring down the government … they don’t speak for us.”
No they don’t, but that doesn’t mean they’re not listening to us …
UPDATE: Margaret Thatcher is still alive? Huh?
By Harry October 12, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Margaret Thatcher is still alive, so let’s not have her rolling in her grave just yet.
By uhho October 12, 2009 at 2:03 pm
they are already building it here in america out in cali forn ia
By Just another Joe October 12, 2009 at 2:03 pm
You must be joshing us FITS, Margaret is not dead.
By rebel October 12, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Even with alzheimers, she’s got more synapses firing than the entire Labour government. Read “the Lady’s Not for Turning” speech, or you can watch a clip from it on youtube. She would not have sacrificed liberty for security, thus letting criminals and terrorists win. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/apr/30/conservatives.uk1
I think she would have thrown the rat bastard terrorists out of her country the same way she threw them out of the Iranian Embassy in 1980 instead of spending zillions on some lame-ass monitoring system. They spent tens of millions on an NHS system that doesn’t even work–it’s a complete wash.
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By Silverfox October 12, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Why should the Brits monitor ayone? The Army is all Generals and bands. Shira courts (with the force of law) have been installed.
By Garnet Spy October 13, 2009 at 12:15 am
Will… you took a swing – and you missed. Can’t let this one ride – it’s just a little too close to home. http://garnetspy.com/2009/10/12/swing-and-miss/