Despite all the outcry about NOTW and the systemic corruption it implies – encompassing not just the Murdoch empire but elements of the police, the press and the political establishment – one should not forget that the ‘phone hacking’ scandal is, unfortunately, quite trivial in comparison to the stated intentions of both the last government AND the coalition.
It is easy to get angry about a crime. Less so to get people up in arms about government policy…
Look beyond the current headlines and the appallingly self-righteous statements by some politicians in past days and remember the Interception Modernisation Programme and its successor, the Home Office’s ‘Communications Capabilities Directorate’.
Recall that the coalition reneged on its commitment to “end the storage of internet and email records without good reason” within months of the election.
I feel truly sorry for all those individuals whose lives have been affected by ‘phone hacking’. But I think people would do well not to be distracted by coverage of a relatively small number of high-profile victims and the subsequent witch-hunt (even if Rebekah Brooks were to go, do you really believe justice would have been served?) and focus on the fact that, under current government plans, we are ALL to be subjected to ‘legalised’ invasion of our communications by the database state.