A few days ago the Commons passed the Data Regulation and Investigatory Powers Bill (DRIP). I wrote the following letter to the Bath Chronicle:
On the 15th of July the House of Commons passed the Data Regulation and Investigatory Powers (DRIP) bill. This was after being given just a day to debate the far reaching and deeply illiberal powers granted to security services to continue dredging the private communications data of millions of completely innocent people.
The European Court of Justice deemed previous retention of innocent people’s data to be illegal, but despite the government having since April to write new laws they have forced it through in a day, without time for proper debate. The new bill extends the previous powers beyond those sought under the Draft Communications Data Bill (the ‘Snooper’s Charter’).
Our MP Don Foster voted for this massive and unwarranted invasion into our privacy. In fact all three main parties support this bill. The Green Party is only party which stands representatives in English constituencies to vote against.
The ‘liberal’ Democrats and other parties are happy to live in a country where nothing is private. I and the Green Party believe that the State has no business spying on people who are not under suspicion of any crime.
Dominic Tristram, Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bath