Liberty

The Convention on Modern liberty is tomorrow and you can stream it live online. Watch it, I urge anyone who is free or happens to have a compuer at their desk.

http://www.modernliberty.net/

From 9.45am till 6pm.

Also the UCL published the Abolition of Freedom Act 2009. I guess it's the first codified list of freedoms taken over the last decade. Fairly simple and worth noting.

http://www.modernliberty.net/downloads/abolition_of_freedom.pdf

If you don't have time here are a very few snip-its that I found nteresting. It canbe seen how these laws came about, and I am sure they are not over exploited at the present moment (well not all the time); however they read like an Orwellian nightmare and could be used for the demolishment of all liberty. My fear is that if we dont roll them back now then the next geneation will see intrusive, invasive government as nothing out of the ordinary.

• Freedom to communicate in private has been effectively extinguished by RIPA laws. The state may demand that telephone, and internet providers hand over detailed communications records of individual users, including: name and addresses; phone calls made and received; source and destination of emails; internet browsing information and mobile phone positioning data that records the user's location may be demanded. This power may be exercised by many public bodies, ranging from the Revenue and Customs to the Royal Mail Group. Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) (Additional Functions and Amendment) Order 2006/1878 23.
  

• The freedom to take photographs of police who are engaged in anti-terrorist operations was removed by laws that make it a criminal offence to elicit or attempt to elicit information about a member of the armed forces, the intelligence services or a constable which is likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. Counter-Terrorism Act 2008
  

• Certain clothing and the display of articles such as banners were outlawed if they aroused reasonable suspicion that they indicated support for a prescribed organisation. A person commits an offence if he belongs, professes to belong to, or supports a proscribed organsation Terrorism Act 2000

• Individuals may be forced to register their details in order to receive certain public services and may be fined for not keeping their NIR information upto- date. A record of all the important transactions in a person’s life will be created by the electronic verification of their card Identity Cards Act 2006