Top news today: civil liberties and electoral boundaries
Author: James Graham
Published on Sep 17, 2012
Today: the new snooping bill, boundaries and another police commissioner candidate resignation.
Act now to stop this pernicious spying by the state - as new Lib Dem Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne pledges to veto Tory moves to erode civil liberties, Observer columnist John Naughton urges Liberal Democrats to stop the new Communications Data Bill, which would give the government much greater surveillance powers over the internet. Will the Liberal Democrats take action?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/its-civil-war-in-the-coalition-and-jeremy-brownes-in-the-thick-of-it-8140111.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/liberal-democrats-communications-bill
Tories to select candidates in existing constituencies - the Conservatives have begun selecting candidates based on the existing House of Commons boundaries in a tacit admission that the current boundary review, still technically ongoing, has been killed by Liberal Democrat opposition. With legislation to “reduce and equalise” boundaries still on the statute books, this will need to be reviewed early after the next election - how should we proceed from here?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19600654
Minor crime leads to fourth PCC election drop-out - a fifth candidate for a new Police and Crime Commissioner post has been forced to resign due to a past criminal record, this time for a £5 fine for a minor offence 44 years ago. Are the rules regarding who can be a Police and Crime Commissioner too tough?
http://blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/minor-crime-leads-to-fourth-pcc-election-drop-out/1577