Bad boy of the week

In our report out this week about Councils (mis)using RIPA, Walsall Council came third in the table of most-likely-to-spy-on-you, thankfully a quality unlikely to appear in High School Graduation Yearbooks, you might think. The Council used covert surveillance to watch residents 215 times in the past two years (the vast majority of whom, incidentally, will have been entirely innocent in every way).

Yesterday on BBC West Midlands, I debated against the leader of the Council, Conservative Councillor Mike Bird. Well, what an experience. Some might blush at the news that their authority is a snooptastic bunch of snoopers. Not our Mike. He said, inter alia -

I'm proud that we do this. When I heard we'd come third, I was disappointed. I wish we'd come first. Now we've got something to aim at next year!

I said, but if you watch people and find that they're innocent, you never tell them that they've been watched - are you proud of that too?

Dear old Mike replied:

Oh, yes - that's how it works! It wouldn't work, otherwise! The police don't tell terrorists they were watched - so why should we?

That is, he is happy his Council doesn't tell innocent residents they supposedly represent and look after that they and their families were watched by council officers via covert surveillance for days or even weeks. Still, he's probably right - if people were told they were spied on, it wouldn't work - because the uproar would swiftly lead to an end to these powers. And he is, erm, disarmingly honest. So... Mike Bird (in post as a Councillor since 1980, don't you know, and in no way a captive of the bureaucratic machine over which he presides): you are our first Bad Boy of the Week...

If you live in Walsall, you are so lucky!

By Alex Deane

Your nominations for future holders of this position are most welcome. For those who might claim gender inequality in the title, I point out that I can only regret starting this after Meg Hillier's welcome fall, as she would inevitably have got the gong - more than once

**UPDATE here's the link to listen. My recall above of some of the phrasing he used in the interview wasn't exact (I'd spoken to a supporter in the region who'd listened to another interview Bird had given on the day, in which he'd made similar boasts) - but on listening again Bird's comments are, if anything, even worse than I'd recalled**

Comments

[startledcod]

Are the local press aware of this state of affairs? Have they reported it or even begun to make a fuss?

[Andrew Allison]

I heard the interview, Alex. He was shameless and so proud of his snooping. When is he up for re-election?

[Andrew Lale]

I take it people like this are currently unaware of the awesome power of YouTube...

[Samuel Edison]

Art. 8 Human Rights Act - right to privacy - qualified right only restricted in special circumstances (e.g. war). So, what 'special circumstance' requires him to restrict or remove this human right from the citizens of Walsall? No reason? Ah, off to the Hague then for Human Rights abuses. Off with his head!!!

[Alex Deane]

If you want to listen to this, HERE'S THE LINK: it starts 12 minutes in http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p007x4d7/Lunch_with_Ed_Doolan_24_05_2010/

[Alex Deane]

Tailored link: http://www.youtube.com/user/bigbrotherwatched#p/u/6/V-9_0m3B3Lw

[Col Sanders]

Incredibly he was recently re-elected, i work for the council (who i presume are watching) and he is always making idiotic public statements, ideally a sudden loss of voice would be wonderful

[lacoste shirts]

The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved

[Shox NZ]

Fortunately, although it has not been due to pay it, but he was still on the road...