You Just Can't Polish A Turd!
By Gordon Rant, Fri Dec 9th

Maybe I'm getting cynical as I get older or possibly I justknow the smell of the perfume coated turd that is "spin". Itseems that if nothing else, the government fully understands theworking of UK public's mind and utilises every tactic possibleto dodge, divert or just plaster over some of the most importantliberty issues facing the people of the UK.

People by nature are trusting of their state's authority andthis trust is often abused. The UK government sanctioned andhelped finance the war in Iraq, in the public's name and withthe public's purse. Other than the obvious, one of the majorcasualties of the coalition was the UN. Castrating the oneorganisation in a position to challenge any state with sinisterambitions was either a stupendous oversight or stroke of genius.Now any state can decide to act beyond the instruction of its UNpeers and refer to past coalition action in its defence.Rejecting the democratic process on the one hand, the coalitionis happy to preach freedom and democracy to the Arab States,Russia, North Korea and China.

The public's response to the Prevention of Terrorism Billearlier in the year met with limited interest. Prevention ofTerrorism Bill in its original form amounted to a suspension ofhabeas corpus, the right to a trial, which has been frozen onlya handful of times since it was enshrined in English law in1679. On one occasion when terrorist suspects were imprisonedwithout trial, the innocent were deprived of their freedom,while the terrorists were given a huge boost to recruitment. InNorthern Ireland in the early 1970s, the policy turned out to bea failure. See Darkening of a nation

More recently the government is proposing the removal of juriesin some complex fraud trials. On the face of it there seems tobe good reason to debate this proposal in light of the millionsof pounds of tax payers money wasted when such cases collapse.However, removing juries in these trials crosses a line thatshould remain sacred if we wish to hold on to current principlesof freedom, liberty and human rights. SeeJuries face axe in fraud trials

Finally, the House of Lords took the crusty sheen

off thegovernments "Entitlement Card" by renaming it the "ID Card". Onthe face of it, the ID Card has sound benefits. Some of theofficial uses of the card and national database include:national security, prevention or detection of crime, enforcementof immigration controls, enforcement of prohibitions onunauthorised working or employment, securing the efficient andeffective provision of public services. However, although theconcept may have been based on the best intentions, it offersample opportunity to become a Pandora’s Box. Most people havereservations based on cost and the government's answer at themoment is to place a "Cap" on the price so as not to put peopleoff the idea. However, like many other schemes aimed at reducingthe burden on the public's purse, the government will no doubtslip the same money out of the public's back pocket.

Consider how new technology is currently being discussed, extendit with just a little imagination and you might see some of thefollowing appear in the near future:

Governments Vision: Your car transmits its position, timeand speed using current satellite technology to bring about anage of pay as you go car tax.

or possibly: Instant Speed Fines, Congestion charges inall cities, Peak time charges, to the penny expense claimsenforcement for company car employees.

Governments Vision: ID cards to prevent prohibitions onunauthorised working or employment

or possibly: The week you are taking off sick is beingtraced by your employer via the government database. It seemsthat your visit to the Gym, Pub, Bookies, Garden Centre, LakeDistrict, Golf Coarse etc is going to be causing you someembarrassment in the meeting on Monday.

You may sneer, but remember when personal phones with a face ona television were just seen on "Space 1999"... or is that justme?

turd (tûrd)

n. Vulgar

A piece of solid excrement.

[Middle English, from Old English tord.]

About the author:

Gordon doesn't usually like to talk politics unless it involvesmaking money, he writes

articles for the personal finance articles website www.search-4-loans.co.uk. He also maintains content on www.the-loanshop.co.ukand www.debt-consolidationloan.co.uk.