The record world fuel prices together with the fuel tax increases are again generating real anger with the Labour government's inept fuel and tax policies. These do nothing to "save the planet" but they are causing real hardship for many ordinary people on low incomes, and businesses on small profit margins, whilst generating fat profits for a small minority and another financial windfall for the Treasury.
The Sunday Times reports:
Convoy protests
The Sunday Times
November 11, 2007Farmers and road hauliers are threatening to mount "rolling road" protests over the rise in petrol prices, writes Brendan Montague.
The snail-pace convoys could take to the roads in the run-up to Christmas, slowing traffic and putting pressure on Gordon Brown to scrap a 2p rise in fuel duty due next spring.
The action has been discussed at meetings in London and the northeast.
David Handley, chairman of the Farmers for Action group, which was central to the 2000 fuel protests, said: “We have been inundated with calls demanding we take action.” He said fuel costs for the average farmer with 500 acres had risen by £10,000 in the past two years.
[...]
Given the repressive legislative clampdown on all peaceful protests which this Labour government has introduced since 2000, it would be wise for the organisers of such peaceful protests to take some elementary precautions, especially regarding mobile phones, email, contact with journalists and the broadcast media etc.
There has been a vast increase since the 2000 protests, in the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cctv camera surveillance systems. These are now increasingly linked to a centralised National ANPR Database, and being fed, in real time, with bulk data 24/7 from , say, the London Congestion Charge cameras (and probably the forthcoming London Low Emission Zone cameras as well).
Whilst supposedly intended to "deny criminals the use of the road", which is fair enough, ANPR is also a convenient infrastructure tool which enables the authorities to monitor, harass and suppress any fuel tax protest convoys, no matter how peaceful, once any such protests start to embarrass the Labour politicians via the opinion polls or if the media get hysterical again.
See:
Spy Blog's hints and tips for whistleblowers, and protecting anonymous sources.
Digital Security & Privacy for Human Rights Defenders manual.
Recent Comments