unclebuck

Dispatches - Channel 4 tonight at 8:00pm:

"Political commentator Peter Hitchens presents the case that recent government measures designed to protect us from crime and terrorism are actually a menace to our freedom."

SiPie

Oh look.......yet another original and inventive thread from Unclecock

Holy Ghost

however, i urge you to watch it. peter hitchens (and his brother christopher for that matter) has a brain as sharp as a tin-tack. this subject - while lacking celebrity gossip, breasts and football - is of profound importance to all of us.

unclebuck

Indeed. It appears some people are just too stupid to grasp the issues though. They have nothing to say of any worth but still they insist on posting their drivel.

Really should stick to the 'challenging' stuff like, let's see... should the Arctic Monkeys get a Brit Award.

Holy Ghost

some people UB? most of the country surely ...

unclebuck

Yep. Not to worry though as they will soon all be suitably 'tagged' as potential terrorists themselves. Having been 'arrested' for something as trivial as posting Christmas cards, such an act will be seen as a 'race hate' crime in the near future.

Dracoro

Good programme. Labour's time is up.

unclebuck

You can pin it on New Labour (rightly), but they are a weak and bankrupt government and as such are easy prey for the State.

The State is the dark force at work here and we need a strong government to keep it in check. This current lot have played straight into their hands. The State will always desire more powers....

boomer

I found it slightly emotional when Peter Hitchens held the Haebus Corpus Act in one hand and the Bill of Rights in the other.

Several hundred years worth of integrity, being destroyed in less than three terms of Tony Bliar's dictatorship, er, government.



mb

scrappydoo

yep its a sad state of affairs alright, they have wrecked our country and theres alot more in store for us mark my words..

hedgehog

I didn't see the show myself and so can't comment on the details. However while there is no question that the current government have put many measures in place which give the citizen less and less freedom we must also bear in mind that Thatcher and Major were at least as bad.

For me, though this is perhaps more an indication of my age rather than a historical fact, freedom in this country was delivered the death blow when Thatcher gave the police a pay rise to beat up striking miners. Behind the scenes she was making up the man made global warming lie in conjunction with Sir Chrispin Tickell to raise her international profile and also to give her further control over the citizens. As we have seen the Labour government has milked the man made global warming thing for every drop of control potential that it can provide.

John Major is also implicated as he signed the Copenhagen Declaration which committed the government to the removal of access to "socially divisive" private transport, among other things.

So, while there is no question that Labour look to be pushing their luck what we actually need in this country is a return to the basic principles of law and freedom which made the British legal and political system the envy of the world. With each successive government we seem to get more and more control freaks determined to ignore, or even to repeal, the freedoms to which we are entitled. The citizens have become accustomed to this attitude and you even see it on a regular basis on this forum where people are encouraged, for example, to pay parking fines which are illegal under the fundamental laws of the country. This conditioning of the citizens to believe that they are always in the wrong is frightening.

Adidas

Juat watched it on video. Although he did have some valid points, a lot of his opinions are waaaaaay off the mark, narrow minded and sometimes just lacking in detail.

warrenm2

Heres a piece in the left of left papers the Guardian. It seems like even they are waking up to the threat of New Labour. Well worth a read!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/st...717661,00.html

Billbill

Here is a quotation, from that article, worth repeating!

Four years ago, just after 9/11, an American judge wrote a warning that is worth repeating. Andrew Napolitano said: "In a democracy, personal liberties are rarely diminished overnight. Rather, they are lost gradually, by acts of well-meaning people, with good intentions, amid public approval. But the subtle loss of freedom is never recognised until the crisis is over and we look back in horror. And then it is too late."

Reminiscent of a particular countries political activities around 1935.

Brit_in_Japan

Good article. We criticise what we see in the US where fear of terrorism is used to justify erosions of civil liberties there and any criticism is denounced as "anti-american", yet the same type of thing is happening in the UK.

unclebuck

Ring any bells? It should do. Interesting that Jenni Russell only wrote the article because she found herself at the thin end of the wedge. I suppose that's what it will take to wake people up one by one to what's happening.

unclebuck

I found it incredible that he was able (allowed?) to do that.

How long before these precious symbols of freedom of speech and justice are 'tragically destroyed' in a fire or some similar event?

Holy Ghost

although not statistically important, the broadly unanimous reaction here is telling.

i checked out www.channel4.com/dispatches and voted - in response to the question "would you give up more civil liberties in return for greater security?", 90% of people had replied "no" by the end of the programme.

charlie falconer? what a fat, unelected and devious c**t he is. he should trim his nasal hair too.

i know it's a bit of a generalisation but sadly, the C1-E demographic section of voters that decide elections would have been watching corrie, enders, trevor mcdonut and girl cops. with ABs (from where C4 and BBC2 draw most of their viewers), hitchens will have been reaching a receptive and better-informed audience.

i'm really worried that the stupids will irrevocably drag the rest of us into the police state already being built. and the worst thing is, the government knows that and is capitalising on it.

Leslie

Its so easy to mock someone like UB who is actually telling the truth about the secret agenda as he calls it which is being sneakily put into place. It is vital that people realise what is actually happening before all of a sudden we have been metaphorically tied up and are unable to do or say anything any more to protect our own privacy and natural rights.

Politicians generally have developed into a seriously selfish and untrustworthy bunch who are interested in their own careers above all else looking for power and influence for themselves without a thought for the electorate, which is what they are really there to take care of. It seems now the the end really does justify the means, regardless of common decency and never ever tell the truth anyway. Actions take place and situations are allowed to happen which never should do, but are neverthess convenient for the authorities in their own quest for self advancement.

I really begin to despair these days, I honestly feel that we are beginning to see the end of a decent civilisation as we know it. When that happens, we are all lost!

Les

AlfasudQV

Saw this too and am happy that Hitchens is out there showing examples of the States Paranoia. Am of the opinion that if the utopian option of rounding up all statesman and offering them as sacrifice to the worldwide extremist fringes was undertaken, the terrorist threat would pretty much disappear overnight. We'd just have the MNC's to deal with then

ScoobyDoo555

All very well whining about the potential loss of liberties, but when it comes down to it, who's going to stand up it? You <all> ? What are you going to do about it?

My personal beliefs are exactly that - personal. So I'm not going to get drawn into a "debate" about this.

But when push comes to shove, if you object to what's going on, don't b1tch-a$$ about, DO something.

Dan

Holy Ghost

**

i'm not bitching. i've already nobbled my MP about it twice, evoking a pathetic response from charles clarke whom he questioned on my behalf. suggest everyone else does the same.

warrenm2

at least the House of Lords is doing its bit...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4758258.stm

scrappydoo

Well at least there are people on SN who actually know whats going on in this world..

Leslie
spot on there...:-) niceone..

Everyone, check out the link below:

http://www.dumpalink.com/media/11320..._About_America
!!Warning!! Bad language + slightly graphic scenes

If you listen closely the guy really talks sense, think this might have been posted before so excuse if it has..

warrenm2

A piece on how else New Labour is stealing our freedoms - wake and smell the coffee people! We dont want to say "We told you so" because then it will be too late....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...040625,00.html

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