[europe] surreptitious criminalization of the citizenry

There are things this blogger strongly resents and one of them is the criminalization of the average person, the average citizen. Tom Paine referred to this in his guest post here about the EU:

The British Government, despite originally opposing the idea, now plans to go along with it - at least when the Commission criminalises things that Labour might criminalise itself, had it the time. New Labour has criminalised more than 3000 activities since it came to power - an average of more than 1 new crime a day. I guess the Government feels it needs help to achieve its apparent goal of putting us all on the wrong side of the criminal law.

Now I see that the estimable Bag has made reference to it:

Just shows how easy it is to become a criminal and once you start flouting the small laws the slightly bigger ones are so much easier to flout as well. The unintended consequence of our current spurt of legislation is we are all criminals.

This was in reaction to Guy Herbert over at Samizdata:

I emerged from Westminster underground station beside the Houses of Parliament wearing a NO2ID button, which almost certainly constituted an unauthorised demonstration contrary to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2006.

And, before proceeding southwards across the bridge to continue the same criminal conduct in Southwark and Lambeth on the way to where I was going, I took a leaflet from a young woman advertising a hairdresser, smiling and thanking her.

If that is not 'counselling and procuring an offence' against the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005), given that Westminster City Council has taken the powers granted by the new Schedule 3A to prohibit the distribution of free literature, then I do not know what is.

Perhaps the most savage indictment of the process is the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act which Gavin Ayling quoted excerpts from. Horror!

Section 22 says:

It is necessary on grounds falling within this subsection to obtain communications data if it is necessary-

(a) in the interests of national security;
(b) for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or of preventing disorder;
(c) in the interests of the economic well-being of the United Kingdom;
(d) in the interests of public safety;
(e) for the purpose of protecting public health;

… and on and on and on. This is what these bstds are doing to us, readers. Blair and his EU masters are working us exactly where they want us for the picking off of.

They can already come and get you for anything. And Perry talks about Russia.