What is Digg?67 Comments
- ohreilly, on 05/15/2009, -0/+23To the people who don't live in the UK:
The Government (and the House of Commons) is currently embroiled in a "scandal" where MPs (including one Jack Straw) expense information has been leaked to a national newspaper, who all week have been exposing those MPs who have been blatantly abusing the system, such as making taxpayers pay for mortgages on houses which the MPs then sell for a profit, or things that aren't necessary for their job (like fixing their plumbing in their homes, or home cinema systems. It gets much worse).
The cynic in me suggests that the Government is trying to "bury" the expenses stuff by trying to do things that should have been done years ago - especially because the Labour Party has been well and truly showed up by the Opposition which is starting to get their house in order regarding expenses, whereas Labour have done nothing.
Also, in 2010 there will be an election (if not sooner), where the Opposition is expected to win by quite a large margin. This may be an attempt by them to butter the voters up for a third term (and if they win, it'll be back to more ID cards, more pointless databases, more failed IT projects and more government waste).
The idea of scaling back terrorism laws is an excellent idea, but the timing suggests that the Government did it for other reasons. - tynos, on 05/15/2009, -1/+23FTA:
Figures published by the Home Office yesterday revealed that two-thirds of those arrested for terrorism in Britain since 9/11 have later been released without charge. The figures show that 1,471 people were arrested on suspicion of terrorism between 11 September 2001 and 31 March last year, but only 340 were charged with terrorism-related offences. So far, the courts have convicted only 196 of those charged with such offences.
Home Office ministers said the figures on the arrests underlined the success the police and security services had had in disrupting terrorist networks.
But a detailed breakdown of the figures shows a more complex picture. The figure of 1,471 arrests is for the number of people arrested under "section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and other legislation", without any further breakdown as to whether they were suspected of actively plotting explosions or engaged in other activities, such as fundraising through credit card fraud. - wilcocola, on 05/15/2009, -3/+19Nice move UK. Wish we could join you.
-America - kazz67, on 05/15/2009, -1/+17FTA: "Home Office ministers said the figures on the arrests underlined the success the police and security services had had in disrupting terrorist networks."
How can that possibly be the case given that the vast majority of those people arrest weren't, by the home offices own standards, terrorists!
These 'anti terror laws' have been incredibly successful at disrupting ordinary people getting on with their own lives, and very successful at getting people deported. End of story. - freedomwv, on 05/15/2009, -0/+15Well, it is good to see some of the crap the Brits have been putting up with may be going away.
- Whatasillyhat, on 05/15/2009, -3/+16Duh duh duh but I thought Britain was in 1984 lock-down and all Brits were apathetic sheep?
/many many US diggers
Oh no! Your V for Vendetta dystopian image of Britain that is fueling another part of your superiority complex is coming to pieces with information outside of propaganda news head lines! - BlacklabelSAR, on 05/15/2009, -0/+10Witchcraft, Heresy, and Thoughtcrime
*and if you are paying attention, then you are just a conspiracy nutjob. Just ask Julius Caesar. - UK31337, on 05/15/2009, -0/+10They're just doing this to try desperately to secure votes because they know they're ***** in epic style for the General Election, which can come no later than May 2010 by law. Brown's government have been arseing about since they took charge and when it seems they will definitely lose an election, they U-turn on all of it to try and scrabble back some support because, let's face it, they now have nearly none whatsoever. The new high tax band for those earning >£150k has alienated the fat cats that put them in power in the first place.
This is also why they are suddenly clamping down on expenses (some of which weren't just immoral, more like completely illegal) and scrabbling around sticking plasters on the gunshot wounds in our economy and banking system.
A total fraud and a pack of hideous lies. If they win the election next year, they'll just bring it all back incrementally over the next few years. I have no faith whatsoever in the Government or indeed this stupid bouncy comment box which needs fixed urgently. - GunForHireUK, on 05/15/2009, -0/+9Is that a deliberate mangling of Jefferson's "The price of freedom is eternal vigilence", or accidental?. There's a big difference between peace and freedom.
- richmomz, on 05/15/2009, -0/+9It's a good start, but we've still got a long way to go.
- TheAuditor, on 05/15/2009, -0/+8It is interesting to note that the next day people were queueing at bus stops and moaning that the buses were late.
- UK31337, on 05/15/2009, -0/+8Yeah, like I say just a load of ***** and hot air to grab whatever support they can before next year. Brown has the lowest approval rating of any PM in history.
The people in the expenses row should be sacked and then have the Police crawling all over them.
I know I won't be voting Labour next year, might even jump ship and emigrate. Things are getting very quickly out of control and I'm not surprised that people are planning to throw support behind psychos like the BNP and UKIP in the Euro elections next month (disclaimer: I don't support them myself, not under any circumstances). - JoeParanoid, on 05/15/2009, -0/+7"[T]he perception of draconian laws could be counterproductive"? Leave it up to the Brits to find a polite way to imply that the only thing wrong with fascism is one of perception.
- specialK16, on 05/15/2009, -1/+8Exactly what I came in to say, plus
HUURRR CAMERAS EVERYWAARE!!! - covertbadger, on 05/15/2009, -0/+7I'm going to assume that this was sarcasm (CSI-like "enhance" features, yes) and digg you up for subtlety.
- choppa1890, on 05/15/2009, -2/+8i agreed with you until you started sounding like a right wing nut job by calling him oBOMBa.
- Jascol, on 05/15/2009, -0/+6The Lib Dems have got off fairly lightly on this though, the huge bulk of it was Labour and the Tories.
- TheAuditor, on 05/15/2009, -0/+6'I say! I did not know I could not put my moat cleaning on my expense! Am I allowed to charge for whipping my serfs too?' /tory
- computershack, on 05/15/2009, -0/+6"Duh duh duh but I thought Britain was in 1984 lock-down and all Brits were apathetic sheep?"
So did the government. And now this week came out the straw that broke the camels back and they're all ***** themselves and wondering who will still have a job at the end of the month. - hawkeye22, on 05/15/2009, -0/+5I just have to say ITS ABOUT ***** TIME.
Although you know this is just a last-ditch, pre-election attempt to save Labour, right? *****. - user24, on 05/15/2009, -0/+5It's also good to see a non-Brit noticing our plight too. Thanks.
- Braxo, on 05/15/2009, -0/+5Yes. The swamp rabbit.
- midnightliberty, on 05/15/2009, -1/+6Too bad the puppet Obama will not scale back FISA and the Patriot Act.
- nepidae, on 05/15/2009, -0/+5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bo ...
- localzuk, on 05/15/2009, -1/+6One thing missing there... Something important, called 'evidence'.
- BenjoBanjo, on 05/15/2009, -0/+4Yeah I can see that being the case, the typical political response to bury a ***** storm, the old "Hey! Quick! Look over there!" distraction *****.
The problem with this expenses ***** is that all 3 parties are involved. Although like you said some of these parties are taking more direct action than others. Nice to know that which ever party wins the next election they are all still plagued by corruption. o_O - GunForHireUK, on 05/15/2009, -0/+4About time! But as has been said, I think the expenses scandal is the main motive behind discussing these reforms rather than genuine goodwill be the government. They've realised that the public despise them now more than ever - the tensions that've been building up for the last 5 years or so were set off after the expenses scandal, and now they're in damage control mode. Anything to calm down the public and try and hang in for another term.
- TheAuditor, on 05/15/2009, -0/+4Ah! You mean Jimmy Carter was attacked by a swamp rabbit while fishing?
- arbulus, on 05/15/2009, -0/+49/11 was not a lesson for anything! There was NOTHING wrong with this country prior to 9/11. Everything that has happened since has been evidence that what the terrorist succeeded on 9/11. They wanted to disrupt our way of life and cause us to live in fear - and they succeeded 100%. Lawmakers passed these Orwellian laws and basically shredded our Constitution all under the guise of keeping us "safe." They've been keeping this country in fear of a boogeyman for the last 8 years.
There will ALWAYS be extremists. There will ALWAYS be terrorists. There will ALWAYS be someone who hates someone else and will do whatever they have to in order to hurt them. The 9/11 crew was very careful about what they did and they did it right out in plain sight. You cannot fight that unless you want to turn this country into a prison. And even then, you still won't stop it.
People talking about "comfort zones" and "complacency" before 9/11 make me sick. The fact that we live in a "post 9/11 world" means that the terrorists won. And we will NEVER show them how futile it all was until we can go back to the way things were on September 10, 2001. That's when WE win. That's HOW we win. By not changing anything whatsoever. - ohreilly, on 05/15/2009, -0/+4Glad someone understood it.
- ohreilly, on 05/15/2009, -4/+7Don't forget the national central surveillance centres where reports of the population are compiled thanks to the millions of CCTV cameras and datafeeds from all ISPs showing where we have visited. Also, the CCTV cameras (which are also inside people's houses now) have CSI-like "enhance" features.
Oh, and Sky are also involved - making sure the government know what we are watching. - hiPpymIck, on 05/15/2009, -0/+3Euro elections are good for voting Green
and getting a result - AgentVladimir, on 05/15/2009, -0/+3Newspapers uncovering corruption. Unpopular governments responding to unpopularity by doing good things. It's almost as if we live in a democracy or something.
Perhaps the good old Labour party is being cynical but at least they're trying to do half-decent stuff. - Frostek, on 05/15/2009, -2/+5Because if they did repeal those laws, how could we reconcile it with all those doom-predicting NWO videos on Youtube? /s
- CoolHandLuke70, on 05/15/2009, -6/+9None of the draconian measures will go away. This news probably means that they are preparing for another 9/11 event while trying to assuage the masses by saying that they are about to scale back. Folks, just watch!
- ohreilly, on 05/15/2009, -0/+3The problem with the Euro elections is that anyone (of any party) who is elected will likely subscribe to an expenses regime that makes our lot look like rank amateurs.
The EU does expense abuse on a continental scale. - whiledo, on 05/15/2009, -0/+3Some say it was a dark day for our country. Those who study history know it was a dark day for the *world*.
- lizard450, on 05/15/2009, -0/+3Now exactly when did government change its policy on never giving up power? Cause I totally missed that.
- Uaedaien, on 05/15/2009, -0/+2Its about time
- royalecraig, on 06/04/2009, -0/+2Mr Straw a lot of us KNOW that 7-7 and 9-11 were inside Jobs, designed to give you lot ABSOLUTE Power over the rest if us. We'd like ALL of our Freedoms back if you don't mind ( and even if you do )
Watch the female Newscaster when the truth Dawns on her near the end of this interview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HSKvaFC39Q
Unignited Nanothermite fouind in the Dust, what was it doing there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_2et5WMvVQ
7-7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HSKvaFC39Q
9-11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB9xI5LK-Mk - oldhick, on 05/15/2009, -2/+4Can you cite your source for Obama not taking his oathe.
And actually many wars were fought over gold and silver. One of the arguments for getting off the gold standard is the same you're making to get on it... If a nation is conquered, their gold can and has been stolen. Just saying you may want to try out some new material. - TheAuditor, on 05/15/2009, -0/+2Its like playing Russia Roulette with an SA80!
- Braxo, on 05/15/2009, -0/+24/20/1979 - Never forget
- manjas8, on 05/15/2009, -0/+2Those in power are not usually in the habit of giving up any of their power. Maybe things are different in Britain though, or is this just a political stunt?
I don't think any future President here in America would ever relinquish any of the power that was grabbed up in the last administration, or the power that will eventually be grabbed up in the current administration. - Lawofnations, on 05/15/2009, -12/+13Read the first paragraph of Senate Report 93-549. Go on, it shouldn't take more than a minute. Now read the first paragraph of Title 50 U.S.C. This is what the Patriot Act is based upon. Without president after president enacting the Emergency War Powers Act of 1917 none of these unconstitutional enactments would be possible. In England it's called the Defense of the Realm Act. Hitler invoked emergency powers (Article 48) after he ordered the Reichstag burned to aquire dicatorship powers. Only a handful of representatives in political office have taken the mandated Oath of Office to uphold the Constitution. oBOMBa never took the required oath and is constantly jabbering on about the economic "emergency". If there was no emergency all of our freedoms and liberties would be restored immediately. Thousands of bankers would face trial and execution for issuing emergency script/Federal Reserve Notes and sound Constitutionally mandated gold and silver dollars would be restored. Depressions would be an impossibility and no wars would need to be fought as control of the monetary system would be restored to the citizens of their respective countries.
Therefore it is not in the financial interest of the ultra-wealthy to end or "scale back" fiat law. - BertaButter, on 05/16/2009, -1/+2Best news I've heard all day. Thanks for this one tynos!
- BritishDragon, on 10/24/2009, -0/+1Oh yes, that's a good idea Mr Straw, now that your government has let countless Islamic terrorists into our country and made it easier for them to attack us from within, scale back the terror laws. Very clever of you on all counts.
Has the entire Labour party converted to Islam without telling us? I really don't get it. - hplasm, on 05/15/2009, -0/+1But not, as the OP wrote, because they 'want to' ; they have No Choice. (They also have no chance :) )
- Frostek, on 05/15/2009, -1/+2"What's 7/7?"
Huh, if you don't get a couple of office buildings flown into by several planes some people just don't want to know! /s -
Show 51 - 68 of 68 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is