The government have announced plans to "force" social networking sites to hand over details of all of members friends and contacts - as part of the fight against terrorism. Of course this will only work if the networking site is based on UK territory, but the very idea is yet another nail in the coffin of freedom and civil rights for UK citizens.

They say they are not interested in the details of interactions between members (yeah right); just who they are interacting with. They overlook that terrorists are ordinary people who have various non terrorist friends and contacts. Will they assume, if you are on the contact list of a known terrorist, that you must be a terrorist too. They friends and colleagues of the London bombers had no idea about that side of their life. One obvious, unfortunate consequence of this will be that many people will avoid contact with those of other races (just in case). Walls will be built around individuals in order to protect themselves, and maybe networking sites will become pointless unless they operate 'underground'.

This is about further control of the people by the government. It cannot help prevent terror attacks. Terrorists may be evil but they are generally not stupid.

This government continues to show it's ignorance, and to show contempt for the people. It is corrupt and without conscience.

I am not a member of any social networking sites, but this does still anger me.

I wondered when this would happen. These bastard Governments think they have the right to know EVERYTHING about every one of us.

WE ARE LIVING IN A NAZI STATE.

I KNOW we are.

I made a post on an American forum where I described the CCTV mania here. The first to reply said "Sounds like Nazi Germany".

Yesterday, the Police presence in Liverpool and it's districts was best described as "heavy".

Now I hear about these scary radio ads and now there are Police posters in bus stands screaming out "EVERYTHING YOU SAY WILL BE USED AS EVIDENCE". I have not seen such a threatening poster in all my life. Brings back memories of WW2 - "Careless Talk Costs Live", albeit the modern version.

What has been introduced to "combat terrorism" since 9/11 is more terrifying than terrorism.

I get a string feeling we are gonna have a staged "terrorist" attack very soon and it's gonna be so nasty, this Government will use that to basically transform Britain into a country sized prison.

Each and every one of us have good reason to be worried.

This country gets doped by Max Clifford influenced trivia to disguise all the things we SHOULD be thinking about. If the entire population of Britain just stopped for one day, used their eyes and looked around them, maybe they'd wake up. Having said that, even I'm doubtful of that.

If and WHEN this social network snooping comes in, I will terminate all my accounts at myspace etc. I RESENT BEING UNDER SUSPICION OF BEING A "TERRORIST".

Back in the 60s and 70s there would be musicians and other performers holding rallies and festivals to protest aagainst the trampling of human rights. There was a little bit of a noise made about the war in Iraq, and about Darfur, but so far nothing noticeable about things happening in our own back yard.

Come on Sting, Bono, Geldof, Elton, Sir Paul, Annie L and co. Stand up for your people.

We disagree with the BROWN NAZI GOVERNMENT - therefore we ARE terrorists according to their definition. We may be peaceful people and law abiding citizens but just disagreeing with NEW LABOUR NAZIs is enough to have our own private interactions recorded as if we were in Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany.

BROWN is so out of control I agree he will organise ( as HITLER did ) an ATTACK ( False Flag ) as soon as he can in order to stop the General Election next year which he knows he will lose unless it is rigged.

So YES - I now expect an attack somewhere in the UK on a target like a sports event or shopping centre or airport along the lines of the Glasgow Doctors.

It is probably that the "terrorists" will work for the NHS or COUNCIL. ( funny that - state employees ) or be Mental Patients somewhere ( Exeter Giraffe Restaurant bomber )

They are already being BRIEFED for their moment of glory believing that they are HELPING our country. This is the DOUBLESPEAK of our Government.

SMITH and the BBC and media are ratcheting up the TERROR THREAT this week and new laws to try and set the scene with their "KEY WORDS" to their embedded agents who will stage the attack for them.

I will always ask this question: If the 7/7 bombers were expecting to do a suicide attack why did they leave bomb equipment in their cars at Luton Station ? it does not make sense. In addition how did the power supply to the TUBE go down BEFORE the bombings happen. And where are the missing 10 minutes of information about that attack. All very strange.

So next week in cities around the UK I do suggest you are careful. The last time we had a SUMMIT at GLENEAGLES we had the 7/7 BOMBINGS. So probably the attacks next week will be in the MIDLANDS or NORTH.

Yes DD - where are the protest singers today? I do suggest that my own lyrics cover many of these areas - check out Vile Pervert The Musical or Earth To King.

Maybe

In these short format days of Twitter and text speech, a protest singer can no longer get to the chorus without running out of space.

AH

The protest singers are still out there JK. The wonderful Joan Baez is one.In England however you are right. Think the last protest act in this country was The Redskins. Pure political propaganda. There was also a band called FIRE NEXT TIME who cut one album for Polydor in the 80s (well worth hunting down) UB40 were also very political in their early days as were U2 and the eternally brilliant Tom Robinson. unfortunately Sting, U2, UB40 etc are more likely to be seen on Countryside alliance rallies than protests against surveilence of the general populace. After all they are rich and which side do the rich fall when the poor decide they have had enough.

I agree with your comments about your own songs.Political songs are meant to ruffle feathers and judging by the comments on youtube about "The True Story Of Harold Shipman" You did just that. Strange , Id never imagined you as a political songwriter. How about an update of "Everyones gone to the moon"? You could call it "Everyones Gone To The Dogs". There again it would be a shame to mutilate a 60s classic. Or would it?

Oh Everyone's Gone To The Moon was and still is a protest song Giles; listen again... and It's Good News Week ("someone's dropped a bomb somewhere...") and even Johnny Reggae beneath the surface.

I think Satan's Ultimate Weapon of Mass Destruction may be the strongest protest song ever written - just a few years ago.

THE SOLUTION : join as many social websites as possible and post rediculous information. Confuse the enemy with dis-information.

As here in Australia and a new law in one state (although I harp on Aussie laws it's amazing how the UK replicates or visa versa...I soon return to London for 4 months to investgate how freedoms have fallen even further !)

One state has demanded all registered "sex offendors" (ie: those found guilty of pissing against a wall or raping 30 people..but not serial killers released on license) must now provide details of all email accounts, passwords etc.

Apart from the to-be challenged legitimacy of applying new rules (or penalties) to people charged under old laws..those on this useless list have been advised to open dozens, nay 100s if not 1000s of email accounts and hand over the info.

Confuse the enemy..fight back and be more covert than them.

And another new law coming to a country near you (as BR would say) but undoubtedly soon in the UK. NSW just slipped in a law that allows police to enter your premises covertly, remove "stuff" (and perhaps plant some as well), film, secretly record, plant cameras, and never tell you it's happened except after 4 years (at police ddiscretion-ie: never) in a letter, which you would probably never get as already having been convicted on evidence planted.

IE: remember "search warrants" ?. Try to-they will no longer be around in 10 years.

All in the name of defeating "terrorsim" and other such nonsense. As demonstrated just this week in Sydney-police assemble for the cameras and boast with huge grins how they gathered evidence for ONE YEAR with TEN OFFICERS against a speeding High Court judge.

That's as from all those CCTV cameras, mobile phone records, appointment books, car's mileage, lunch dates and receipts etc etc etc.. BUT-last weekend a man is battered to death in front 100's of terrified airline passengers at Sydney's busy airport during a brawl amongst 40 gangsters who mostly escaped..and all that covert watching failed !!

For God's sake (as many are praying)let's hope a real terrorist group, ala Mumbai, hasn't taken note.

What you wrote then in that song could have been written yesterday. And it will probably be true in fifty years. I was about four when it was released and have loved it since.It is as powerful as "Burn it Down(This Insane Thing) by The Redskins but far easier on the ear. Definitely one of the top ten songs of the sixties.

The UK government has already proposed (last year) that all those on the sex offenders register should provide details of their email addresses and membership of networking sites, etc. It will probably be passed through because most MPs fear they will be seen to be "supporting" sex offenders if they oppose it.

As for the legal aspect. The European Court has already ruled that no additions can be made to a sentence without proper judicial review. However, I know one guy who was given a four year licence which was effectively extended to life once he was placed on the register. Since then he has had more and more restrictions placed on his life even though he has complied with all orders and remained fully within the law. The authorities get around this by saying that the European Court supported the register when it was challenged, but in fact the European Court only upheld the decision to place people on the register retrospectively. They have made no specific ruling on the continuous adding of new conditions and penalties to those on the register. However, I would say that this amounts to an increase of sentence and is, therefore, illegal according to the main ruling by the European Court.

I have also heard of plans to allow police access to homes without warrant or the need to even tell us.