Following on from the 'get what you wish for you TW@ts' thread. the Erosion of YOUR civil liberties begins...well done.

[Tortington]

www.metro.co.uk/tech/872080-uk-riots-david-cameron-hints-at-social-media-shutdown

TimeWasting I've been finding that book alarmingly relevant for the last year or so.

It's very disturbing.

Yup, talk of social media blackout, curfews, water cannon and rubber bullets. Sort of got us covered.

Totalitarianism

Talk of.... but nothing actually happened. No cannon. No bullets. No blackout. Also no 90 day detention without trial, no mandatory DNA databases for innocente people .... If, in the extreme situations we saw this week, none of those measures were employed, why would they happen now? I think the police definitely need some clarification. On the one hand criticised for holding back and allowing damage. On the other criticised for being heavy-handed with protestors in the student riots last winter. 'Kettling' not acceptable but we have to have crowd control. Arming specially trained response units but never allowing them to fire a shot. The clarification has to come from us, the general public, as much as from the Home Office. What do we want our police to do, how do we want them to behave, and what additional measures are we prepared to tolerate on a temporary basis to deal with extreme circumstances?

I would much rather have a Tory/LibDem government in charge when these issues are being discussed than Labour.

Censoring the 'social media' is working well in Syria, atm.

Cognito - a very sensible post.

Cameron doesn't appear to be suggesting any kind of 'social media blackout' anyway. Just stopping individuals accounts.

Not that I think even that would work. Politicians and the police can't control social media - but they should learn to harness it's power (ASAP).

Follow @gmpolice - Greater Manchester Police on Twitter to see how it could be done.

Yes, I agree. Good post Cogito.

There will no doubt be lots of tough sounding soundbites over the next couple of weeks as politicians from all side want to sound tough. Let's see once the dust settles how many of these ideas come to fruition and in what guise.

To me a blanket shutdown of Twitter and Facebook are about as realistic as his Tonyness suggesting police march yobs to cashpoints to take money from them. And as Cogito says I feel I can trust my civil liberties more to the Tories than Labour.

But right now it shouldn't be a party political issue and I'd prefer it if our MP's could stop slinging mud at each other for long enough to work together to find an effective solution to the muppets who've been blighting our streets this week.

Excellent post at Thu 11-Aug-11 19:02:29
LIfeissweet

Ffs what a hypocrite. Were you sleeping from 1997?

We lose the right to bear Super Soakers

If it wasn't for the fact we are in the middle of August, I'd swear that this is an April 1st joke.

Oh yes, Gadafi did this in Libya when trouble broke out there recently. They completely shut off the internet.

How did that work out for him, does anyone know the latest news?

;)

The courts have already thrown civil liberties out of the window by abandoning sentencing guidelines and remanding people who would never normally be remanded. Ditto imprisoning people. Did you hear about the poor lad who was remanded on a riot charge, the police published his name and address, then people burnt down his flat? Poor sod was cleared at trial, found not guilty, but lost everything thanks to over-hasty police and courts.

No doubt the government will use the riots as an excuse to do all sorts of things they wanted to do anyway. And to do all sorts of stupid things that will cause real damage, but give them flattering headlines in the Daily Mail.

Enjoying the Out of Time decison on Jody McIntire (sp) dragged from his wheelchair by police on student march, likewise Ian Tomlinson so police can't be prosecuted, but courts open 24/7 to jail rioters.

Now; civil liberties. You were saying?

"The courts have already thrown civil liberties out of the window by abandoning sentencing guidelines "

The courts are following the sentencing guidelines for riot-related offences very closely indeed. The riot context is makes offences far more serious than if they were carried out in isolation.

They should just kill everyone now to be on the safe side. People are very costly and disturbing to have around.

Cogito - one clerk to the magistrates in a London court announced, in court, that they had recieved instructions that they did not have to apply the usual sentencing guidelines.

That's quite different from applying some different, 'riot-related guidelines'. I'm not aware any have been issued or exist. Certainly wasn't time to draw them up before the courts started imprisoning people.

Alice - VERY good point. Why is it the investigation into assaults and injury caused by the police always takes so long any prosecution is 'out of time'? Very convenient.

A clerk in a magistrates court? Most of the cases we're hearing about have been referred to Crown Court for sentencing. There are already sentencing guidelines relating to riots (see Section 1 of the 1986 Public Order Act). A criminal act such as 'theft from a shop' (see Section 1 Theft Act 1968) can attract a sentence of up to 7 years depending on aggravating or mitigating factors.... looting a shop in a violent riot situation is an aggravating factor.