When the government rammed through the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill, it told us that the legislation was urgent. When it refused any amendments designed to ensure that future police surveillance required warrants for the invasion of privacy as well as property, they said there was no time. The government had to be allowed to do what it wanted, immediately, with no questions asked, because the police had been forced to turn off surveillance cameras in ongoing investigations, and needed to turn them on again as quickly as possible.
As usual, they lied.
The bill was passed by Parliament during its last sitting on October 6. It was only given the Royal Assent yesterday, and became law today. Some urgency. I guess the police weren't in as much of a hurry as they said they were.
And so now we're saddled with a bad law which gives the police a blank cheque to film in our bedrooms for the next six months, all because the government lied and MPs were too fucking lazy to do their jobs properly. They really have earned their reputation with this one.
