THE DIARY OF A GEEK IN OXFORDSHIRE


Solving the World's problems with common sense and a flamethrower.

Monday, November 10, 2008

doubleplusungood rewrite upsub antefiling

"He who controls the present, controls the past. He who controls the past, controls the future."

From the Independent: 'The Intelligence and Security Committee. . .wants to press ministers to introduce legislation that would prevent news outlets from reporting stories deemed by the Governmnent to be against the interests of national security".

Fine, you may say. I can hear you thinking "well, we don't want the 'terrorists' knowing what we know, do we?". And you may think that makes sense. But let's just analyse that for a second, shall we?

There's one question you need to consider - one single question that goes to the heart of this matter. Who decides what constitutes the interests of national security?

Well - that would be the government of the day.

So, what if that Government decides that the issue of a dodgy passport is a matter of national security as it might impinge on sensitive trade negotiations? What if that Government decides that information on a donations scandal is a matter of national security, as it may affect the Government's standing on the world stage? For balance, what if that Government decides that a sexual scandal is a matter of national security for the same reason?

What if that Government decides that your Blog post - or those of any one of hundreds of others - constitutes a threat to national security as it is 'subsersive' or "viciously nihilist", and damages national morale?

Legislation already extant or in the pipeline allow Big Brother to know who you are, where you are, what you drive, where you go, what you look like, your fingerprints, your DNA, your tax records, what websites you visit, who you email, who you phone, where you phone from, where you shop, what you buy.

Now, with this, they will control the information you receive as well.

At this time of year, we remember The Fallen, who gave their lives for something that is, when it works, intangible - freedom. Freedom to speak. Freedom to think. Most importantly, freedom to learn and make your own independent decisions.

This isn't a political matter. The Intelligence and Security Committee is cross-party. The members of this LabLibCon committee are ALL guilty of trying to remove YOUR freedom.

Enough. Enough. ENOUGH.

Whatever your political persuasion, this blatant assault on freedom of information - on the freedom of the press that has endured so long - should disgust you. I implore you to contact your MP - write, phone, email, visit the constituency surgery. The time has come to take a stand and say ENOUGH. Or one day you will wake up and I won't be here. Neither will Guido Fawkes, Iain Dale, Old Holborn or anyone else.

And you will only know the doubleplusgood Ingsoc newspeak that bb goodreports regularwise in goodthinkful presspaper news.

1 comment:

Brennig said...

The ISC are a bunch of right-wing hawks that Tony Blair put together and no-one has seen fit to reconstitute. We need to remember that the ISC steamrollered Blair's Iraq Dossier. And also that the ISC continues to leak stories about 'thousands of islamist extremists' operating in the UK with not one shred of evidence. I thought the ISC had discredited itself but apparently there are some people who still believe it.