BAD BOY OF THE WEEK: Theresa May MP, the Home Secretary

When it came to choosing this week's 'BAD BOY OF THE WEEK', the Big Brother Watch team were spoiled for choice.  Indeed, we had seriously considered awarding Information Commissioner Christopher Graham a second week 'at the top' for his admittance that he wasn't, well, very interested in a key part of his job.

This week's victor is, however, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, the Home Secretary.

Following the formation of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition in May 2010, civil liberties campaigners were cautiously optimistic that the incoming government would take steps to abandon the Intercept Modernisation Programme - a vast database of all e-mail, text message and telephone communications sent by British citizens.  Indeed, the agreement expressly stated that the coalition would "end the storage of internet and email records without good reason".

Sadly, in the week that the coalition celebrated its sixth month in office, this promise was broken.

In the Home Office 'business plan 'published on Monday, listed under the section entitled ‘protecting people’s freedoms and civil liberties’ it clearly states:

i. Develop and publish proposals for the storage and acquisition of internet and e-mail records;
Started, Ends Dec 2010

ii. Implement key proposals, including introducing legislation if necessary;
Starts Dec 2010, Ends Jun 2015

That, to us, sounds like the Intercept Modernisation Programme. 

So, Theresa May, for your remarkable, privacy-infringing volte face, you're our 'BAD BOY OF THE WEEK'.

Comments

[guy herbert]

In everyday life 'proposals' require approval from someone. And some of us cling to the idea that parliament legislates. It is revealing that the Home Office's idea is that its proposals proceed to implementation without a pause, and legislation is deemed to take place if necessary to its plans.

Whatever form of government that is, I do not think it can be said to be a parliamentary democracy or constitutional monarchy.

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