Duncan: MPs treated like shit...

"Basically it (Parliament) has been nationalised. You have to live on rations and you are treated like shit." Alan Duncan, BBC News.

It was all a joke, he says. Yes, well, no, fine. The REAL joke is that Duncan has been given the job of looking into and making recommendations about MPs expenses by David Cameron. Her should rather fire the twit.

Of course, the slimy Mandelson makes capital by claiming "Alan Duncan is very fond of speaking a good game publicly but in private talking and acting quite differently, so I am not surprised he has been found out."

Well, you would know wouldn't you Mandy, after being fired twice for dubious financial deals.

What a bunch of shites our corrupt, fraudulent, slimy, self-serving politicians are.

The Guardian.

The surveillance society

“It cannot be a justified response to the problems we face in this country that the state is spying on half a million people a year... We have sleepwalked into a surveillance state but without adequate safeguards.”

Chris Huhne, The Telegraph.

Councils have been accused of using the powers, which were originally intended to tackle terrorism and organised crime, for trivial matters such as littering and dog fouling. Only last month, it emerged that councils and other official bodies had used hidden tracking devices to spy on members of the public.

In April, the Home Office said it would go ahead with plans to track every phone call, email, text message and website visit made by the public, in order to combat terrorists and other criminals.

Sir Paul Kennedy, the interception of communications commissioner, defended councils over their use of the Act, concluding: “It is evident that good use is being made of communications data to investigate the types of offences that cause harm to the public.”

His report even encourages councils to acquire more communications data, saying that “local authorities could often make more use of this powerful tool to investigate crimes”.

Councils, police and other government bodies are requesting access to people's email and telephone records once a minute. Welcome to 1984.

The CPS and the £20 000,25 banana

The Crown Prosecution Service spent £20,000 on the trial of a man accused – and later acquitted – of stealing a 25p banana... The Guardian.

What is not mentioned is the amount of  easy money lawyers have made out of a non-case. What a waste of public money.

Heads should roll.

Shut up, don't think, get citizenship in a year...

New migrants who demonstrate an "active disregard for UK values", possibly including protesting at homecoming parades of troops from Afghanistan, could find their applications for a British passport blocked under new citizenship proposals published today.

But migrants who contribute to the "democratic life of the country" by canvassing for political parties could find the application process speeded up so that it takes one year instead of three.  The Guardian.

And here I was thinking that we believed in free speech. Something a bit 1984ish about this...

Gutless, mealy-mouthed Labour...

Mr Johnson has said it would be illegal for him to intervene in Mr McKinnon's case...

Home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "Now that leading lawyers have made it clear that they believe Alan Johnson has the power to stop the extradition of Gary McKinnon, the Home Office can't persist with its claim that he is powerless to act. BBC News.

Gary McKinnon appeal against extradition to the USA for hacking turned down.

See BBC News.