1984 anyone?

[birdie1971]

From the Beeb, "The government is compiling a database to track and store the international travel records of millions of Britons.
Computerised records of all 250 million journeys made by individuals in and out of the UK each year will be kept for up to 10 years.
The government says the database is essential in the fight against crime, illegal immigration and terrorism."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7877182.stm


And I was under the impression we live in a democracy and not in a communist state.

I must have been mistaken.


Papers please!

[LucyThomas5]

Unfortunately, once again, this pathetic excuse for a government has completely missed the point.

Instead of tracking the millions of law abiding citizens trotting off to Torremolinos for two weeks every summer, they would be better off tightening our borders and making sure that foreign criminals do not enter Britain in the first place.

Also deporting ALL immigrants, legal or otherwise, who are convicted of a serious crime.

[Ice.Maiden]

I don't often agree with you Lucy, but this time I do.

[tamborine]

git-out-of-it.....it's money laundering trips. The Gov aren't fools and are out to bring back our taxes due by the launderers - good on 'em!

[buildersmate]

I think you guys are missing the point. This is very likely to be about intelligence gathering. Those with long memories will recall that the (ultimately unsuccessful) prosecutions of the alleged Omagh bombers was only possible because the ability to track the route of the alleged bombers using the calls they made on their way northernwards to Omagh using their mobile phones. This intelligence was gathered after the event but the point is that the records were available to trawl.
If an individual comes to the attention of UK Borders Agency at a future moment in time because of their behaviour, the ability to track back to see what journeys have been made by that individual to 'unusual' parts of the globe would be invaluable in building a picture of potential involvement in 'crime, illegal immigration and terrorism'.
It is one thing to be able to track an individual each time at the border crossing points by swiping the passport (what, you didn't realise that's what is done these days?), quite another to be able to map a picture of where the individual actually went.
It isn't about tracking honest law-abiding citizens - it is about holding historic data on everyone - honest or not - for potential use in tracking, should the future need arise.
Finding the needles in the multitude of haystacks is done using that technique. The 'enemy' no longer sits conveniently positioned just east of Poland - where it can be seen.

[Quinlad]

I've not made my mind up on this.

But I do raise an eyebrow when some of the people who bleat about the intrusion of government databases and CCTV are the same ones who merrily endorse the police stopping and searching us on a whim, without any reasonable grounds for suspicion. Or who kick up a fuss when the public call for an inquiry into an innocent civilian being shot dead at tube station.

[Ethel]

"......similar schemes run in other countries including the US, Canada, Spain and Australia."

The expats who move to US, Canada, Spain and Australia don't seem to have issues with it.

[rov1200]

Most of the records will be surplus to requirements. But just think of the suicide bombers who travel to Pakistan to train up.

[maxximus]

' fascism is capitalism in decay' lenin.

[fredpuli47]

Right, that's it. I'm cancelling that trip to the border region of Afghanistan/Pakistan. I was looking forward to learning how to shoot.

[Gromit]

Every time you travel, data is collected on your movements. All the Government are doing is mopping up that data.

At the moment travel to certain countries like Pakistan is closely monitored. However, if the sleeping future terrorist flew to Torremolinos and then made his way to Pakistan from there, his movements will be lost. Extending the data gathering to all destinations will stop these terrorists slipping through the net.

Strange that the usual suspects on here who are normally in favour of any new anti terror laws no matter how much it infringes on our freedom, are against this one because they don't want the Government to know where they go on holiday.

[VHG]

In the middle ages many towns had walls around them and gates on various sides of the city.

At night these gates were locked to stop undesireables from coming in (also people with the plague or other serious illnesses).

Even then they knew the importance of controlling who went in and out of their city.

Unfortunately these last couple of governments dont seem to care who comes into this country (particularly Labour) so we now have a country full of illegal immigrants, yardie gangsters, people with Aids and TB, Muslim clerics who breed hate, drug dealers and so on.

If tracking who comes in and out of the country helps us to get rid of some of this scum then I am all for it.

Those people who go abroad a couple of times a year have nothing to fear. The person who goes to the West Indies or Pakistan six times a year does.

[anotheoldgit]

Let's make a start by building back up Hadrian's wall. There are plenty of unemployed out there, who would only be too willing to gather up a few rocks and mix up a bit of mortar.

After it was completed and when Brown loses the election, we could then send him and his fellow Scots, back behind the wall they came from.

[fredpuli47]

Someone who goes to the West Indies six times a year has something to fear VHG? Blimey, that'l get Michael Winner on a watched list ! What's so suspicious about visiting the West Indies half a dozen times a year?

[JimmyCooper]

Who cares?

Nothing to hide then no problem

Bring on the DNA database