Tom, Dick and Harriet don't let you go to school

[Ian Batten]

On 13 Apr 2008, at 10:49, David Hansen wrote:
> On 12 Apr 2008 at 7:32, Roland Perry wrote:
>
>> I take the opposite view. Before RIPA, activity like this was  
>> carried on
>> without any regulation at all. There was no paper trail to examine
>> afterwards and no Commissioner to complain to. You wouldn't have  
>> known
>> that the council had performed six sets of surveillance over a year,
>> because no-one would have been counting.
>
> I disagree. Before RIP I doubt if a council would have even thought of
> trying to play James Bond in these circumstances, let alone do it.

They would and did.   I know of at least exactly equivalent case  
locally well before RIPA.

>
>
> When the Home Office approached these Toms, Dicks and Hariets and  
> said,
> "would you like these powers?"

What powers?   The power to drive down the public highway looking at  
people?

ian