URGENT! ACT NOW! Save Democracy! Save Security! Save our Privacy!

Value your privacy? Object to mass surveillance and the unprecedented collection of the UK population’s data? Intimate personal data such as your bank account details, your home’s details, your kids’ personal information? And that’s only the tip of the information iceberg this Government is trying so illegally to rush through to become…wait for it…law! PLEASE write to your MP NOW! This minute! Not tomorrow! Tomorrow is when the Second Reading of this threat to our democracy gets read. Tomorrow will be too late to save democracy! Copy and paste the below template letter to your MP NOW, and add your details marked in red.

Template letter to your MP:

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Mr/Ms (add your MP’s name here – find out who your MP is),

 

As you are aware, the Investigatory Powers Bill will receive its Second Reading in the House of Commons tomorrow, on Tuesday 15 March 2016.

 

I am asking you as a member of your constituency, (add your constituency here), to reject this Bill.

 

Whilst I support a new legal surveillance framework, it must be focused, targeted, proportionate and necessary. I am not in support of the current Bill that is being rushed and fails to take into account the far reaching implications to the nation’s most basic of human rights, that of having a right to a private life.

 

Indeed, Article 8 Right to a Private and Family Life of the Human Rights Act 1998 clearly sets out that the state is to refrain from interfering with the right itself.

 

Among many issues, the issue of everyone having the right to have his/her private and confidential information, particularly the storing and sharing of such information, being respected; everyone has the right not to be subject to unlawful state surveillance; the right to respect for privacy when one has a reasonable expectation of privacy; and the right to control the dissemination of information about one’s private life.

 

For your ease, Article 8 reads:

Article 8 Right to respect for private and family life

1) Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.

2) There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

The Bill fails to address this Article and instead, is being hastily rushed through at the very real cost to the nation’s privacy, security and that what we hold dear – democracy.

 

Hastily making the Bill legal does not mean this Government’s robbery of our most basic of civil liberties is okay. Contrary, it is a blatant disrespect of both the Human Rights Act 1998 and each and every individual the Act protects.

 

Whilst I appreciate there are people who have leanings towards committing serious crime, the vast majority of the population do not. I strongly object to the fact that this Government is riding roughshod over my basic human right to have a private life by its proposed mass surveillance of the nation. Employing such a law will neither secure the nation’s security nor prevent any attempts to destabilize it in the future. Contrary, such a law will enable possible mass acts of personal violation upon innocent people of the UK.

 

The costs alone of such a proposed mass surveillance of the nation must render the Bill void – especially in such a period of austerity.

 

Surely, the most cost effective method and accountability for this Government is to be specific and targeted in its pursuit of preventing serious crime? Not this scatter-gun approach that will only incur immense costs to implement and sustain but will also, importantly, fail to respect the individual’s right to a private life whilst failing to strengthen the security of the nation.

 

Additionally, to make mandatory the collection of individuals data poses the very real threat of having unscrupulous hackers hack into such data collection companies, enabling illegal access to masses of the UK population’s personal and sensitive data, rendering it readily available for illegal use and possible sale on the Dark Net.

 

The Government is also putting companies such as BT, Apple, Google and et al under the excessive pressures of collection, storage, management and disposal of this personal and sensitive data. And when one of these companies are hacked, vast swathes of the mass populous data will be readily available resulting in millions of innocent people having their lives negatively impacted.

 

Many would have their lives impacted in such dire ways as having:

–       bank accounts hacked,

–       monies stolen,

–       homes burgled,

–       homes’ ownership re-allocated and stolen,

–       locations known,

–       possible muggings, assaults, kidnapping and people trafficking,

–       identities stolen,

–       intimate personal details laid open for use and purchase by anyone intent on making millions, if not trillions of pounds from such an act.

 

What then?

 

Will this Government hold it’s hands up and admit it failed in this Bill?

 

No.

 

It will hold the individual companies accountable for not managing the nation’s data in a professional and safe manner. The data collection companies cannot win.

 

The Government, however, will have access to the most intimate details of our lives.

 

Not only this, but the UK is the only country in the world where it’s Government is attempting to introduce such a law.

 

If this Bill is passed, our lives will never, ever by ours.

 

In writing this, I am struck by a quote from George Orwell’s book “1984”:

 

‘If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever”.

 

How apt with this Government so completely disrespecting our basic right to have a private life.

 

I ask you to reject this Bill and allow the UK its freedom from the tyranny of mass surveillance.

 

I ask you to vote against this Bill and allow the nation its continued democracy. For if you vote for this Bill is a vote against continuing democracy. A vote against securing security. And a vote against our human right of privacy.

 

We, as a nation, have always and will always, value our right to a democracy.

 

I attach Liberty’s Summary of the Investigatory Powers Bill for the Second Reading (download it direct from Liberty’s website , click on Surveillance, first link: download and attach to your email, please and delete this link in your letter) in the House of Commons document for you.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Add your name here

 

Correspondence Address: Add yours here

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 (Template letter ends here)

Now email your letter to your MP TODAY! Help secure the UK’s continuing democracy for not only this generation but future generations to live.

Thank you for reading this and thank you for emailing your MP today.

Here’s to the continuance of democracy, security and privacy.

Dawn

David Ruffley MP commits domestic violence

And receives a caution? A mere caution? Why? When the crime of domestic violence has been commit?

One questions such a flimsy ‘police action’. We know how far too many perpetrators of domestic violence fail to be charged, if charged at all, due, primarily to the criminal justice system’s lack of training as to how domestic violence impacts upon victims, it’s lack of training as to how perpetrators work and their inbuilt sense of ‘entitlement’ that they believe they have every ‘right’ to do as they please thinking they have commit no crimes towards their victims.

Set these contributory factors aside for just one minute and let’s acknowledge the very fact that so few domestic violence perpetrators are actually charged resulting in fewer than 10% of all estimated domestic violence crimes actually being prosecuted. This alarming fact sends out all the wrong messages to perpetrators. Perpetrators already know that the existing criminal justice system – the very system which is stacked heavily in numbers and served by the very echelons of society that David Ruffley MP moves within – is fundamentally askew in its approach to justice being administered for victims, with its concerns about ‘good’ crime statistics rendering it impotent and its inbuilt cultural ethos of generally protecting perpetrators, resulting in victims being abandoned in the processes that are akin to 200, 300 years ago and not the modern day 21^st century we inhabit.

The position of being a Member of Parliament carries much responsibility, gravitas and influence. Mr Ruffley cannot remain in office administering his duties, and influencing policies and laws that impact upon law abiding citizens and domestic violence perpetrators, nor can he be permit to have influence or lobby his fellow parliamentary colleagues to define UK policies and the very laws that so dismally fail so very many domestic violence victims currently. We have a system that places the onus upon victims – the onus needs to be and has to be, fairly, rightly, placed upon the perpetrators of these crimes.

With the Domestic Violence Bill 2014 campaign gathering momentum, Mr Ruffley cannot be allowed to influence and interfere with much needed legislation that will recognise domestic violence as a crime in the UK and with this legal reform, inject much needed public confidence in the current criminal justice system when confidence in reporting the crime of domestic violence is at an all time low.

Victims must have faith that the system will protect them. That justice will prevail. This is not the case presently.

And that perpetrators will not be elevated to the dizzying heights of status and social mobility that being a MP brings.

Mr Ruffley’s beliefs towards domestic violence are now publicly known. He cannot retain office as to do so ‘rewards’ the act of domestic violence and the perpetrator, with the Establishment appearing to say ‘Naughty: don’t do it again. Oh, and here’s your seat in the House of Commons’.

Please let’s see justice done.

David Ruffley MP must resign his position and relinquish his status by doing so.

Domestic violence perpetrators must never be rewarded.

Lady In Waiting

 

It’s Mothers Day and I’m paying tribute to the most beautiful woman I have and will ever know: my Mother.

It’s fitting that I have a poem that I’d like to share with you.

Lady In Waiting

by William Ellis
Your Mother is your first love
Your guardian and your friend,
Who stays with you through childhood,
She’ll defend you ’til the end.
She watches while you sleep, lad,
She watches while you play,
Who tucks you up in bed, lad,
When you’ve had a busy day.

Who gives you all those kisses
And the cuddles, too,
They say there’s no-one like Mother
And I’m sure that is true.
A Mother’s love is endless,
Her caring instinct, too.
Nothing is too much trouble,
She’ll do anything for you.

Then when you’ve grown older,
Have a family of your own,
When you have a problem,
Who’s the first one that you phone?
Of course, it is your Mother
And the things she used to do.
Then remember that your Mother
Is very much part of you.

I think about my Mother
All the year through,
Not just on Mothering Sunday
Like some people do.
I think about my Mother
Though she’s no longer here with me,
But she’ll remain forever
In my heart and memory.

Our Mothers: a haven in a sometimes crazy, mad and wonderful world.

Mine taught me to know right from wrong, respect and decency with two well spoken sayings:

“Do unto others as you’d wish to be done by” and “Tell the Truth and shame the Devil”. 

Values I live my life by, always have and always will. Never veering away from what she steadfastly instilled into my very core and being: I’m so very proud that I am my Mother’s daughter. Thank you God for sharing the most precious of gifts – my Mother.

Beautiful, glamorous and dignified, with grace, style and poise she made me who I am today. Always supportive, extremely funny, unbelievably tolerant, generous, forgiving, kind, caring, warm and brave, the most beautiful lady to have shared so much of herself.

I am eternally grateful and so extremely proud to have been born from such a strong-minded, independent and loving woman.

I am who I am today because of my beautiful Mother.

Thank you, Fruitina.

My undying love, now and for always, forever.

 

 

 

Domestic Violence: A Postcode Lottery from Police Force to Force

As Newsnight lead with domestic violence last night looking specifically at how police forces deal with it, I watched as political point-scoring seemed the order of the article rather than the very real issue of the inconsistencies in approach from one force to force. I sat trying to fathom how on earth we, society, got so very blasé about this most prevalent and morally repugnant of crimes.

For those of you who missed it, lead article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03y45c1/Newsnight_10_03_2014/ …

One in four women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime and one woman every three days is murdered by an ex or current partner. If such horrific numbers were attributed to deaths at football stadia, there would be a national outcry! But, hey…nothing! Why not? Are we closing our eyes and ears to what is perceived an ‘invisible’ issue because without any direct knowledge or experience of how debilitating and dangerous a crime domestic violence is, we live in ignorant bliss believing it will never happen to us?

Let’s put it more simplistically: know four women? Statistics suggest that one of these four women will be experiencing domestic violence at some point in her life. That time could be now. As stigma surrounding domestic violence still prevails, it serves to stifle voices reaching out as shame hides deep inside its victims, fearfully of being judged….a deafening silence that translates to only few being able to voice what is happening. And when a victim is brave enough to report, the police response is wholly inadequate in some UK regions at bringing perpetrators to justice.

Chances are high that one day, this same said crime might just be impacting your life, too. Think it can’t and won’t happen to you? You simply don’t know…it can creep into your life like some virus infection and take hold before you know it, rendering you immune to reality and at it’s devastating mercy.

So, I urge you to write to the Chief Constable of your police force as well as your Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and ask them what they intend to do about reducing this abhorrent crime whilst effectively holding perpetrators to account. Ending Victimisation and Blaming @EVB_Now have kindly drafted a letter to help you make contact with your Chief Constables and your PCCs, wherever you live (details are included per region). Simply copy and paste:

http://everydayvictimblaming.com/news/the-police-crime-commissioners-work-for-you/

Don’t waste another minute thinking domestic violence won’t happen to you, that no-one you know is a victim of it and why should you bother…bother because one day it could be YOU or someone you love needing a trained police response with effective policing that leaves you feeling heard, believed, safe and proud – not further abused by inadequate policing towards domestic violence.

Together, we have a MASSIVE voice! Lets use it!

Email this draft letter to your Chief Constables and PPCs – NOW!

http://everydayvictimblaming.com/news/the-police-crime-commissioners-work-for-you/

Because…

…I can, I do.

I raise awareness of the abhorrent crime that we, as a society are too swift to ignore or pay no heed to. What crime do I refer to? That of the most horrendous betrayal of one person to another they profess to love…

Domestic Violence.

I will be writing more about this growing issue as my blog develops. For now, please know that I am commenting about the launch of Clare’s Law today, the 8th March 2014 over on Paul Bernal’s blog: http://paulbernal.wordpress.com – come and comment, too. The more people who openly discuss this growing social issue, the more we help lift the stigma off it that we can aim to really address this issue, openly and constructive.