Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Whats the point if you cannot convict anyone?

And you use the word "Intelligence" as if there is actually some behind it.



This diagram may help with your thought processes.

You can convict people. The intelligence gained from intercepts gives connections and often specific information. That information rarely needs to be used in court. It is the trigger for surveillance, monitoring and further investigation. It is the evidence gathered later that is used in court. Collecting data is valuable because when say a suspected terrorist pops up on the radar, the security services see what is known and who are his contacts, associates and what internet activity has there been including emails etc. It is at that stage that the data collected over the years, but not used, comes into its own.

You can expect that GCHQ tracks and keeps every email sent on all platforms and every phone call in terms of who called who and for how long. The actual calls would generate too much data, so that would be kept to just the actual calls of people on lists.

Hazy One.

You have read and believed too many James Bond comic books.

The collecting of data which isn't the problem, the problem is the analysis of it, especially as the quantities of data sloshing around in "government institutions" is overwhelming and conclusions drawn are too often wrong.

Also, with governments like the present one, another problem is who has in access to the data and what use those individuals are doing with it, especially with many in government office seemingly as flippant, as you seem to be about the use of their authority, or power.

Remember the one thing the fascists and communist wish to control is the flow of information to use for their own advantage and giving the excuse it is to protect the public.

The present government is bleating this already!


Of course, phone bugging etc. should be a weapon against "criminal activity" but use of it should be sanctioned by an independent court of law of some form sitting in private with complete record of actions authorised.

The principle that the UK an US work to is that they track and record everything, but don't look at the detail until they have a specific security reason.

Maria Miller resigns as culture secretary over expenses row


Miller said the controversy over her expenses 'has become a distraction from the vital work this government is doing'



Jonathan Haynes


theguardian.com, Wednesday 9 April 2014 07.24 BST





Maria Miller's letter of resignation

9 April 2014

Dear Prime Minister,

It is with great regret that I have decided that I should tender my resignation as a member of the Cabinet.


I am very grateful to you for your personal support but it has become clear to me that the present situation has become a distraction from the vital work this Government is doing to turn our country around.


I have been a member of the Conservative Party for more than 30 years. As a working mother, educated at a South Wales comprehensive school, I know that it is our party that understands the importance of giving everyone the opportunity to succeed regardless of where they come from.


I am immensely proud of what my team have been able to achieve during my time in Government: ensuring that our arts and cultural institutions receive the rightful recognition that they deserve in making Britain Great; putting women front and centre of every aspect of DCMS's work; putting in place the legislation to enable all couples to have the opportunity to marry regardless of their sexuality.


Of course, implementing the recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson on the future of media regulation, following the phone hacking scandals, would always be controversial for the press. Working together with you, I believe we struck the right balance between protecting the freedom of the press and ensuring fairness, particularly for victims of press intrusion to have a clear right of redress.


I will continue to support you and the work of the Government as you move forward. Ensuring the best future for the people of Basingstoke has been my priority throughout the last nine years. Whether on the front or back benches of the House of Commons I will continue this work.


The only reason I was able to become an MP and indeed a government minister and cabinet minister is because of the unstinting support of my husband, my mother, my father and my three children. I owe them all a great deal.


Maria Miller




http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/apr/09/maria-miller-resigns-as-culture-secretary-over-expenses-row

bloody good job ...... a totally disgraceful episode that has been appallingly handled by all sorts of people who should know better

Yep but what about the paying back of this £40 grand that she got away with.

Its not over yet for the government.

Indeed gf, and where is Inspector Knacker of the yard?


fraud is fraud, or at least it is in the outside world.

Yes well said.

We want our money back as tax payers.

And thats the VERY LEAST............................

anyone hear on SKY NEWS last night how Camorons own web site that receives these 100,000 signed petitions that have to be heard in the House of commons kept deleting the one I put up here on this thread yesterday with well over 100,000 signatures.

Is Camoron playing God now??????????????

Milliband should attack him immediatly on this alone in PMQs today.

Its a farce if he gets away with it, dont forget the petition called for her to be prosecuted.

GF

You say : "anyone hear on SKY NEWS last night how Camorons own web site that receives these 100,000 signed petitions that have to be heard in the House of commons kept deleting the one I put up here on this thread yesterday with well over 100,000 signatures."

Sorry, what do you mean? Can you please explain this again?

Right a job is done, but if she has "fiddle" the books, the money should be paid back and allow her to move on.

I think she price paid the price of her vanity!

--------


Are any of you fed up with the BBC coverage of th Pistoriius Trial.

I have never watched so much Aljaserra and RT.


Interessting contrast though.


GF,

Better luck in the market today.

-------

Cynic,

Are you advertising a tight arse?

--------

only when picking up the soap when in the company of some :-)

====================

maria miller
what natural justice dictates and what is set by her peers are clearly at more than at considerable variance
it highlights why MPs are clearly incapable of policing themselves, not least because I gather that the lay members of the committee aren't even allowed to vote

Good luck with that one Exec!

Update - Labour lead at 4
by YouGov in Politics
Wed April 9, 2014 6 a.m. BST

Latest YouGov / The Sun results 8th April - Con 33%, Lab 37%, LD 10%, UKIP 13%;

The prosecuting attorney has shown the court a video of Pistorius shooting at and completely explosively blowing up a melon at a shooting range.

In the video clip, Pistorius also explodes, with utter delight at his achievement.

Then to the total amazement of everyone, the attorney also shows a picture on the monitor of Reeva's head, the top of which has also been blown to bits during the shooting in the flat. The image is gross! It is utterly shocking! The attorney then asks Pistorius to look at it and admit and accept responsibility for what he has done.

Pistorius screams back that he doesn't have to look at the picture. He says, "I was there! I know what it looked like!"

I guess we all know that the prosecuting attorney is going to try to make Pistorius lose his temper or his cool. This was an illustration of just how far he is going to go in order to do just that.

Will Oscar Pistorius manage to maintain his discipline? I wonder.

The court was temporarily adjourned to allow Pistorius to regain his composure. There are numerous breaks and pauses in this case to do just that. The time wasted doing this, is beginning to be well past a joke and a phenomenal waste of the court's resources.

Wonga payday loan ad banned for implying 5853% rate was 'irrelevant'






Rob Williams Author Biography


Wednesday 09 April 2014


A television advert for the payday loans company Wonga has been banned for implying the 5853% interest rate was "irrelevant".



The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed with 31 complainants who claimed the ad confused viewers about the applicable interest rate on a Wonga loan, implied that the representative APR was irrelevant to a short-term loan and was irresponsible because it encouraged consumers to disregard the representative APR and thereby trivialised the decision to take out a short-term loan.

The advert featured a conversation between two puppets, who said: "Right, we're going to explain the costs of a Wonga short-term loan.

"Some people think they will pay thousands of per cent of interest. They won't of course - that's just the way annual rates are calculated. Say you borrowed £150 for 18 days, it would cost you £33.49."


more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/advertising/wonga-payday-loan-ad-banned-for-implying-5853-rate-was-irrelevant-9247960.html

Reeva's mother was warned about the picture and evidently wanted it to be shown so that Pistorius had to look at it. I agree with you ExecLine about all the time wasting going on so that Pistorius can regain his composure.