… is when it discovers that it, too, is being surveilled.
After nearly 50 years of (perhaps naively, perhaps with an understanding that it would be naive to be) relying on assurances from the Prime Minister's office that Members of Parliament would not be monitored by internal security (GCHQ) — first with phone taps, later with other electronic surveillance — it's now been admitted that …
… well, no, they are subject to being treated as any other British citizen. Which is not, it seems, reassuring to them.
'No 10 welcomed the court ruling and denied that the Wilson doctrine had misled MPs by giving the impression that their phone and email exchanges were protected from the British security services when in reality they were not. It insisted that the intelligence services understood they could only use their powers to tap phones in a proportionate way, and there were safeguards in place.'
Ah, "proportionate" phone taps. With "safeguards." Can't imagine why that has some MPs' feathers ruffled.
Will this actually cause Parliament to try and rope in the surveillance apparat in the UK? Or simply to try and create a legislated escape clause for themselves? I know which way I'd bet.
UK MPs learn that GCHQ can spy on them, too, so now we may get a debate on surveillance
In 1966, UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson told MPs that the UK spy agencies weren’t allowed to tap their phones and that if that changed, he’d tell them about it first. In 1997, Prime Minister Tony …
It was always a scam. A "doctrine", whatever the f*** that is, has absolutely no basis in law. Never had. It was all on a nod and a wink and left it vague enough that the spies could abuse it whenever they wanted. And they did.
Great job by +The Green Party in getting this cleared up. Now time to get some proper laws in place to protect privacy for MPs and the people of this country.
+Green Party NI
+Lagan Valley Green Party