John Kampfner: Labour's steady path to authoritarianism
Friday, 19 October 2007, The Telegraph
In his speech to last month's Labour conference, Gordon Brown declared: "I have no doubt that the best answer to disengagement from our democracy is to renew our democracy. And that means more change … change to strengthen our liberties to uphold the freedom of speech, freedom of information and the freedom to protest."
Three days later, Derek Pasquill, an official at the Foreign Office, was charged under the Official Secrets Act...
...So why the hounding of Mr Pasquill? The tactics appear designed to intimidate anyone in the Civil Service who has reservations about policy.
This follows a pattern of Whitehall bullying, of a Big Brother approach that has gathered pace under this Government. In October 2006, the Statesman reported that across Britain there are an estimated five million CCTV cameras — one for every 12 citizens, comprising a fifth of the world's cameras. Given that Britain occupies only 0.2 per cent of the world's inhabitable land mass, that is quite an achievement.
Add to that the folly of Labour's identity cards scheme, the wildly expansionist plans for a DNA database, and a recent decision – slipped through Parliament while nobody was noticing – to allow virtually every public body across the land access to citizens' telephone records, and a picture is emerging of a state out of control.
That overweening state is cracking down in other ways. Street protests are now frequently banned, and where they do take place, even the most uncontroversial ones are ostentatiously filmed by the police. ...
...The issue of liberty cuts across all parties. Labour's steady path to authoritarianism is a matter of shame for anyone such as myself. It also presents a tailor-made opportunity for its political opponents, one that they should have the courage to pursue.
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