RIP s22 notices SI

[Brian Gladman]

From: "Quentin Campbell" <Q.G.Campbell@newcastle.ac.uk>
To: <ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 5:07 PM
Subject: RE: RIP s22 notices SI

[snip]
How might MPs have reacted in the original debates on RIPA if S25
included all the bodies listed in the new order?

I suspect that the original drafting of S22 & S25, and the omission of
these additional public bodies, was quite deliberate and cynically
designed to mislead MPs.

It is interesting that both sections provide for the Secretary of State
to add public authorities to the schedule by an order laid before
Parliament. This might be expected (and acceptable) if it was there
simply to deal with changing circumstances during the life time of the
Act.

But this new order is _not_ about dealing with changed circumstances. It
simply and dishonestly adds those public authorities that the wording of
S22(2) implies should have been there in the first place but which the
Government were too frightended to include in the original draft of the
Bill. They appear to have used this underhand method now to add what
they always intended the Act should contain.

If I am right on this then it is contemptible and MPs should challenge
the Government about their actions in not being honest with the Commons
when they presented the original RIP Bill.

[by BRG]

I completely agree with you on this and I wrote to my MP over the weekend to
make this very point.  And I am seeing him this Friday to press the point
home.

It is very obvious that this approach is a deliberate attempt to remove our
freedoms a little at a time so that we hardly notice until it is too late
(even I agree with Owen on this!).

And it comes alongside an Export Control Bill that will give the UK
government the ability to censor the publication or even the discussion of
technical information with _anyone_ if there is the slightest possibility
that this might result in it being transferred overseas.

And since it is impossible in the modern world to publish or discuss
information without such a possibility, this will bring an end to academic
freedom and open science and technology research in the UK and hence to the
possibility of effective government control over all UK based science and
technology innovation.

This is by far the most repressive government that I have ever had the
misfortune to live under in my 58 years on the planet.

   Brian Gladman