A law like that, if it's reported correctly, will never be passed. In all likelihood they're using a trick that They have been using in a number of situations for several years. Propose something utterly outrageous that brings howls of protest. Respond to the protest by 'toning down' the proposals, and hope that people will be so relieved that they will allow the toned down version, which is what They wanted to do in the first place, but would not have been able to. Sometimes it works, more often it sort of almost works.
A good example is the power the government has taken to ditch Habeas Corpus. As it stands it is outrageous, but their original proposal was even more so. Similarly, in the not-so-political sphere, property developers pitched recently to build near here a couple of towers so absurdly tall they would have been visible from New Zealand. Cue howls of protest. Cue toned proposal which gets permission to build ugly high density shit where there isn't the infrastructure to cope. I might go along to the photo op on Monday. Bob > -----Original Message----- > From: pdml-boun...@pdml.net [mailto:pdml-boun...@pdml.net] On > Behalf Of Amita Guha > Sent: 13 February 2009 15:25 > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > Subject: Britain outlaws the photographing of police in action > > http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/13/brits-rally-to-save.html > > http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=839141 > > Britons are planning on rallying at Scotland Yard on Feb 16 to protest > the new law that lets the cops throw you in jail for ten years for > photographing them in action, if your photo is "likely to be useful to > a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism." > http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/13/brits-rally-to-save.html > > The National Union of Journalists, in association with British > Journal of Photography, has called for photographers to make their > voices heard at a rally on 16 February as a new law is introduced that > allows for the arrest - and potential imprisonment - of anyone who > takes pictures of police officers 'likely to be useful to a person > committing or preparing an act of terrorism'... > The NUJ has teamed up with Mark Thomas, a writer, broadcaster, comic > and political activisit, along with Chris Atkins, who is behind the > documentary Taking Liberties, and BJP for a 'photo opportunity' > outside New Scotland Yard on Monday 16 February. 'The plan is simple, > turn up with your camera and exercise your democratic right to take a > photograph in a public place,' says Marc Vallee, an NUJ member who > will be there on the day, and who himself clashed with police over the > right to photograph public events > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly > above and follow the directions. > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
