Snoopers’ Charter

The ruling by the European Court that bulk data collection under the so-called Snoopers’ Charter is illegal is a good decision.

Under the so-called charter, fundamental democratic norms are being obliterated in a manufactured atmosphere of fear in preparation for more predatory wars. Teresa May has asserted the need for these measures based on information the intelligence agencies have without giving any details whatsoever.

The anti-democratic legislation introduced since the early 2000s – by governments of every political stripe in the name of the “War on Terror” – is ultimately aimed at cracking down on growing social opposition to imperialist war and rising levels of social inequality.

This is why so-called “extremists” are being increasingly designated as an allembracing main threat, supplanting the previous “terrorist” bogeyman. The branding as “extremists” of all those who can be deemed in any way opposed to the government’s right-wing, anti-working class policies has been UK government policy for some time.

The Snoopers’ Charter brought together the diverse rules governing state surveillance into a single piece of legislation. The new laws are an unprecedented attack on the rights and privacy of every UK citizen. It gives the security services the power to gather information on millions, and to process, profile and store the results. This will be achieved by compelling internet service providers to keep internet connection records for a period of 12 months for access by the police and state security services.

The state is now legally able to monitor every website a person has visited, every comment made and every search term used. Companies will be forced by the spying agencies to hack into their customers’ devices and override their security. The electronic devicland’s es of millions of people will be hacked in bulk, with the agreement of the home secretary as the only prerequisite.

Labour’s ensuring the passage of the charter must serve as a salutary warning to workers and young people as to its fundamental character as a tried and tested party of the British state. The election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader more than a year ago has changed nothing. Despite his “left” pretensions, he has backed the demands of the ruling elite on every critical issue.

The reason Labour didn’t oppose the bill is because the party fully supports it. Labour agrees with the Conservatives that under conditions of mounting social and political crisis, the state must be strengthened in order to defend the UK state.

ALAN HINNRICHS Gillespie Terrace, Dundee