Posts Tagged government

Police chief says CCTVs have not cut crime in UK

May 7, 2008 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Billions of pounds spent on Britain’s 4.2 million closed-circuit television cameras has not had a significant impact on crime, according to the senior police officer piloting a new database.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville said it was a “fiasco” that only 3 per cent of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV.’

This is taken from an article on the Times website, found here.

So a police chief admits CCTVs do not cut crime? Kudos to the chief for standing up and admitting cameras in our streets are not stopping crime. Footage taken from CCTV cameras in the UK, used in courts as evidence, are very poor. Britain has the most CCTV cameras than anywhere else in Europe. The total number of these cameras in the UK is 4,200,000 – one for every 14 people. And they’re not cheap. Billions of tax-payers money is going into a surveillence system that invades people’s privacy and, according to many, does not effectively a) prevent crime and b) provide accurate and clear evidence in courts.

So why are we still being closely monitored by our government? Why do they still spend so much money on these cameras if we still have high crime rates, which the cameras evidently aren’t solving? Every day we hear about another murder, and were the cameras able to prevent that? Were they even able to identify the killer? More often than not, the answer is no.

Cameras are another insidious erosion of our civil liberties – the Big Brother state. We’re practically living in Orwell’s 1984. Up to 90 percent of these cameras are illegal anyway, as they breach the Data Protection act.

I don’t want to appear some form of conspiracy nut, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that the purpose of cameras is not to prevent or solve crime cases, but to spy on us and remind us who’s in control.

Do they forget that the ones they are targeting are clever enough to wear a simple hoodie? In which case, the £15 hoodies are defeating the £500 cameras.

Although I’m sure the government will attempt to solve this problem by installing more cameras…

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Compulsary voting?

March 24, 2008 at 1:13 pm · Filed under Politics, Random Rants, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From the Guardian:

‘A significant overhaul of electoral legislation to give voters a second vote, open polling stations at weekends and make it compulsory to participate is being proposed by the government to increase turnout and improve the legitimacy of the Commons.’

Let me paraphrase that. The most important and shocking section of that paragraph is the ‘ compulsory to participate’ . This means under the new voting system in the UK, people over 18 will be forced to vote.

This is ridiculous for many reasons. Voting is an essential part of a healthy democracy. Voting is a choice – a conscious, political, voluntary participation. If people don’t want to vote – that’s their decision. Choice is freedom. So forcing what should be a choice upon people contradicts the purpose of a democracy – freedom and choice.

This new voting system would be like the death penalty for attempted suicide – in essence, while they are supposedly trying to bring back democracy, they are actually destroying it. It is a political paradox.

Like fucking for virginity, these radical changes will be futile and stupid. That is what this new voting system is like. The traditional voting system works because people who want change choose to vote. Those who aren’t bothered don’t. And the people who don’t vote are usually not politically opinionated, so would be a bad electorate to be made to vote – people who aren’t interested with the government or don’t like any of the candidates simply don’t want to vote – and that’s obvious. Making people vote is insulting to democracy.

Perhaps they should put more effort in to what the people want rather than going ahead with frankly retarded ideas like this without asking for the People’s views on it. The People giving their views is democratic and is what should separate our country from dictatorships in which the government makes unwanted and unnecessary changes.

I oppose this new plan. It’s not realistic and it’s definitely not democratic. VOTING IS VOLUNTARY.

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White House says that Congress is ‘giving into’ left-wing bloggers who oppose torture.

February 16, 2008 at 10:29 am · Filed under Politics ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A recent poll showed that 68 percent of Americans said water-boarding was torture. And that result is from CNN, a particularly right wing corporation. Imagine all the people who do not participate in CNN surveys. I expect the result would be even higher than 68 percent in that case.

The senate have recently passed legislation to ban water-boarding, regardless of Bush saying he will veto the vote, on his usual, pathetic, lazy stance that it will encourage ‘terrorism’. Yes, because kidnapping, arresting, then illegally torturing foreigners (and Americans) without fair trials is keeping terrorism down. Well done Bush, you ignorant liar.

Bush also said that they are placing to much trust in the intelligence ‘community’, by placing their trust into the hands of left-wingers. Of course! How silly and solipsistic it is to trust people who believe in equal rights, habeas corpus, and the constitution…

Another recent line of Bush is:

‘The American people will find it baffling that on a day that House leaders are trying to put off passing critical legislation to keep us safer from the threat of foreign terrorists overseas, they are spending scarce time to become the first congress in history to bring contempt charges against a president’s chief of staff and lawyer’

No, Bush, the American people will finding baffling in the future, to think that someone as authoritarian and evil as you could get into power. That’s the confusing part.

57 percent of likely voters also oppose telecom immunity. In a real democracy, the majority call goes through. But the USA is not under a democracy. It is under despotism.

I can’t wait for Bush to get out of power. The world is getting tired of his ridiculous, irrational decisions and comments. Obama will be a breath of fresh air for the world if he comes into presidency, because the statue of liberty must be pretty depressed right now.

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V for Vendetta

February 6, 2008 at 9:04 pm · Filed under Journal typed things, Politics, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This weekend I watched an amazing film. V for Vendetta. Finally, a film about England that is, yes mainstream, but more importantly, inspirational, challenging, revolutionary and every so slightly anarchistic. When I say anarchistic, I mean that blowing up the houses of parliament is may not be the correct way to get things changed, but my god, those fireworks looked awesome in the finishing scene.

V for Vendetta is, without exaggeration, one of the best films I have ever seen. Walking along the streets, I keep hoping that I’ll see a large ‘V’ carved or sprayed onto propaganda in my city, sprayed on billboards and buildings. I want it to be everywhere. I keep hoping to see, along with a myriad of ‘V’ symbols, people in V masks, V cloaks. I want a revolution, dammit!

I was surprised, and ecstatic to discover that around 100 people protested outside the White House, all dressed as ‘V’. Click here to read the article.

I hope that this film has made people wake up to the serious issues, the real problems that we face in the UK; the way our liberties are being stripped away in the name of terror; how are privacy is being removed in the name of fighting crime – the issues in V for Vendetta are real. And, more shockingly, if you look around, you can see it happening now.

Despite the film being shunned by many anarchists (e.g. ‘A for Anarchy’) due to the removal of important anarchist scenes, it is still a great film, that I’m sure will have a large impact on the public in the UK, and hopefully, in dictatorships acrross the world.

This is an important film for the UK, and one that should be seen by anyone shocked or angry about what is happening before our very eyes. While the film is not a call for terrorism on the scale of destroying the houses of parliament like Guy Fawkes attempted in the 16th century, it is more a call to arms, a call for unity, revolt and transcendence.

Remember, remember the fifth of November. Because it should never be forgot. Guy Fawkes attempted to destroy parliament because of religious reasons, but our vendetta is different. This is a social, and political vendetta. We want our rights back. And, we most certainly are going to get them.

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The US presidential elections 2008

February 6, 2008 at 7:10 pm · Filed under Politics ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The US presidential elections in 2008 are a big deal. A really big deal.

With a global hegemony, massive arms supplies and a lot at stake, who wins in 2008 is going to make a large difference. Of course, this is obvious, but some people do not realize the seriousness of the situation.

I live in the UK, and from here, I feel fear for the world about who is going to become the new president. They are a superpower, so why shouldn’t we be scared. It is vital that whoever wins is going to make choices that will benefit not just America, but the rest of the world.

My heart is filled with dread. Dread that the person who wins the election could be like Bush. It reminds me of a cartoon I saw where a family were standing by the TV, waiting for the results of presidential elections with guns to their heads.

However, despite all this fear, I have immense hope for the future. Hope that the next president of the US will choose to end war, to end torture, to follow international law, to shut down Guantanamo along with other illegal, secret prisons over the world and give the inmates fair trials at last. On top of these things, the US needs to rescue the economy; to get rid of the PATRIOT act and to stop invasive, big-brother-like citizen surveillance, among many other issues.

Sadly, US government do not really have a left wing. If you look at places like Sweden, even the most ‘liberal’ of US politicians look like despots when compared to Swedish politicians.

Despite the lack of liberal candidates, I believe there is a great hope for America. Super-Tuesday has just gone, with Barack Obama achieving great success in the elections. Hillary Clinton also did well, which in my opinion is a shame due to her support of the Iraq war.

John McCain and Mitt Romney got a large number of votes for the republicans. This is shocking since McCain stated that he thinks the US should stay in Iraq for 100 years, and equally disturbing is the fact that Romney has previously tried to justify totalitarianism, and, shockingly, is part of a group set up to deny the facts of global warming. That will go down excellently with the oil corporations. As you can tell, both Romney and McCain are very conservative.

I think Barack Obama will make a great president if he wins the elections, despite the ambiguity concerning his support or opposition to the Iraq war. This is a vital time in America, and the elections could mean that, if the right candidate becomes president, the US could get back on track again – away from war; away from torture; away from the crumbling economy and the rapid destruction of civil liberties.

I hope Americans have done what they think was right in who they voted for. Whoever wins, the winner is most likely going to be better than Bush..

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SOCPA Section 132 – 138: Destroying the right to protest

January 29, 2008 at 8:37 pm · Filed under Politics, Random Rants, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am writing to demand democracy in England. To get back our right to protest, which has been mindlessly, tyrannically stripped away under section 132-138 of the Serious Organized Crimes and Police Act of 2005 (socpa).

Section 132-138 effectively remove the right to spontaneous protest. These sections silence dissent and opposition, and are a disgrace to what we once called a democracy.

These sections of Socpa (or ’so-crap’ as it is often called) make spontaneous protest within a kilometer of parliament square illegal – meaning Downing Street (home of the Prime Minister), Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, Scotland Yard, the Middlesex guildhall, and the home office. But most outrageously, this area covers Trafalgar Square – the area where protesters have got their views across for years and fought fiercely for their rights there. But now, it is illegal to protest in these areas. It is illegal to protest without permission of the police, rendering democracy useless. Having to get permission to protest is an insult.

The horrible thing is, not only does this silence dissent, but if one chooses to protest without ‘permission’ within a kilometer of parliament square, then you can be arrested and imprisoned for 51 weeks.

I am sickened by this act. It is dictatorial and goes against everything the UK once stood for. An explicit attack on our civil liberties, under the common pretext of ‘fighting terrorism’. The freedom to protest has never provoked terrorism. Before the act, terrorism was not a large problem in the UK, and the government know it. But they are adamant on controlling us and repressing the public.

Socpa needs to be re-written with section 132-138 completely removed. And we need to fight, even if it protesting is illegal and punishable, for it’s removal. It is a sorry state of affairs when permission is needed to be able to demonstrate near parliament.

I hope that you will join me and others in opposing this authoritarian piece of legislation.

Watch this video for more information: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/media/2008/01//389116.mp4

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Bush: International criminal

January 22, 2008 at 6:38 pm · Filed under Politics, Random Rants, society ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

The war machine keeps spitting out propaganda to the masses

Inventing enemies to keep the public waving flags

Wizardry, it can be called, to conjure up evil people out of dust

To gain the ignorant public’s allegiance.

They feel fear, and suddenly,

They’re asking for your guidance,

And as usual, you exploit their concern,

And use it as an excuse to police the globe

All it takes is a mindless propaganda,

It’s enough to make you hurl.

 

Now America is dominating the Earth,

And we’re on the brink of a nuclear WW3

What will it take before we stop

This egoistic, imperialist fallacy?

 

Bush and his cronies,

With the country blissfully dumb,

Can bomb whoever they want,

And steal ANYONE’S oil supplies

Whenever questioned, they just reply,

‘Terrorism is ubiquitous in these times’

 

Despite the fact,

Most of us know

There’s practically no terrorist threat

Thy continue their bloodthirsty massacres

And drive Earth into modern slavery

Controlled by a puppet master,

A fascist autocracy.

 

Yes, the war machine is at work,

Telling stories of boogie men,

To justify the torture of innocent people,

The bombings on small villages,

The invasion of any countries the administration choose to label them simply as ‘terrorists’.

They scare us, into accepting the murder of children and women in the middle east,

the transformation of what was once a democracy into a police state,

A despotic nation of unpatriotic fools,

Unconstitutional crooks

And war criminals.

 

Bush has got his finger on a red button, labeled ‘complete domination’

He’s pressing it,

While the public is distracted with celebrity gossip,

Oblivious to the moves being made.

Oblivious to the blatant disregard for international law and the Geneva Conventions.

 

Why is the public not questioning this evil coercion? Or these atrocities that lie before us.

There appears to be no wisdom anymore, only fear. We are covering our own eyes, we are sedating ourselves, we are poisoning our minds with filth that overpowers the truth.

 

The King Bush administration is ruining the world, is polluting our planet with lies and hypocrisy. Peace is a distant memory that has been erased. They are intoxicated with selfish power.

 

And the war machine continues to manufacture greed and deception, continues to take advantage of the docility of the majority. How long before we arise? How long?

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The War on State Terror

January 19, 2008 at 7:49 pm · Filed under Politics ·Tagged , , , , ,

Terror.
A myth from the leaders of the world.
Scaremongering tactics dominate the media.
With all sorts of wacky headlines trying to get our attention.
Few of them true.

Terror.
The state has us under their power.
Once we are scared they can manipulate us.
They gain our trust by scaring us.
They gain our allegiance by conjuring up evil.
And voila, the world is under their control.

Terror.
The chances are so very slim.
Yet they are exaggerated to dangerous proportions.
You’re gonna die, if you don’t follow our orders!

Terror.
A tool for dictators of the world.
To get support for their military goals.
To get control of massive oil resources.
So they tell us,

Your gonna die if you don’t do what we say!
Dissent is illegal. So what’s the state’s excuse?
To stop terrorism.

Now does that sound legitimate to you?

Scaremongering becomes an everyday thing,
To the leaders of the superpowers,
Who want our attention.
So they fabricate and exaggerate every situation.

Harsh repressive governments use different stories
as means to pursue their own interests more relentlessly.

This is what is happening.

Notice your liberties dwindling.
This is a warning.
Question state terror.

Question everything.
Because our freedom is at risk.

Democracy – an endangered species.

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Get angry

January 19, 2008 at 7:48 pm · Filed under Misc. Poems, Politics ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Get angry
It’s the first step
To overcoming apathy
Indifference and lack of care

Get angry
Look at the world
The uncritical majority
Don’t see oppression when it’s there

Turn off your TV
Smash the ignorance box
Get into the real world
With poverty and dirty cops
Take a moment to muse
On all the murder going on
Half the time it’s by the ones you trust
And it’s never justifiable

We’re being controlled by the media
They censor our very fate
Keep us blind to the real issues
Issues of the state

Covering up the facts
With celebrities, gossip and hatred
It’s enough to keep us from the actual truth
That fascism is here

It’s time to get angry
Because we don’t have long
Before we all become slaves
Before our actions are decided
By the despotic regime.

Look at how we’re being exploited!
Look at how they manipulate our trust
Look at the evidence
They lie at every stop

How can you believe they’re always right
When our countries a complete mess
And shareholders are the only lucky ones
But we never get a rest

I’m angry all the time.
I can’t suppress my rage.
Every second despair fills my mind
About this corrupt system.

I hate the illegal wars.
I hate the poverty
I hate the constant injustice
I hate this hierarchy

I hate the tyrannous laws that pass
Without a second glance
I hate the fact we never have a choice
But to conform
Or else fear they’re wrath.

If this is democracy
I’d hate to live under a dictator
Because they choose our livelihoods
They are the Freedom Haters.

If we step out of line
Look at what they do.
We’re put in prison for years on end,
For conflicting with their views.

So.
I hate this authority
This minority rule.
The paradigm needs to shift
To something a lot less cruel

This hegemony that we hold
Needs to disappear completely
The first step,
As I’ve already stated,

Is. To. Get. Angry.

Because this can’t continue.
This has got.
TO.
STOP

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