Big Brother Coastguard

[Robin]

As Reported on YBW Home Page.

Why should HMCG have access to my phonecalls, emails, etc 'to help fight marine crime and ease the search and rescue procedure for those in trouble at sea'?????

Since when has HMCG been interested in marine crime - we have a Marine Police and HM Customs for that function surely.

How will listening to my phone calls and spying on my emails to YBW help them in searching for someone in trouble at sea?

What can we do - use carrier pidgeons?



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[tome]

I'm also puzzled by this. I can understand them having access to some items, eg mobile phone cell location for the purpose of SAR but the rest of it looks like big brother to me.

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[steve_cronin]

Secrecy...

...is the cause of all instances of one person making out of another. You only pay what you do for a product because they keep it secret what it cost to make.

You only buy a newspaper because someone else knows what you know and wants you to pay for the information.

If all information were free and open to everyone, we wouldn't have rich people, wars, marital disharmony or want in this world.

True socialism can only be achieved through fully open information available to all. So why do you have a problem with this?

Steve Cronin

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[Robin]

Secrecy & Socialism

Now I know why it is I am not a Socialist.

I believe in having SOME privacy, otherwise why not just put CCTV in every room of every household.

I am very tired of being told what to do and when and where by Big Brother, I don't see why he should eavesdrop on me as well. Why should HMCG or anyone else need to listen to me calling SWMBO on the pretext of saving Tricolore from being run down again? Any self repecting drug smuggling terrorist would find a way round this anyway, only the innocent would be monitored.

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[Robin]

You must not be a true Socialist either..

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[Peppermint]

It goes like this

Somebody notices an incident that offers an opportunity for a bit of empire building through control. Some civil servant makes a case for say the Fire Brigade knowing as much about you as the Police so all of the similar authorities want a piece of it too.

Safety & Security are used as an excuse to install systems like CCTV Speed Cameras e-mail readers and now we have Road Charging. Add CCTV to Road Charging to your mobile phone and anyone who controls the equipment knows where you are to within a few miles in the country and a few metres in a town. They have computers that can read car number plates and link in to the database for car thefts and tax evasion. Experiments are taking place in London Underground stations with softwear that remembers faces and cross references them with mugshots held by security services.

Tesco's know what you eat if your healthy and when your home. Your credit scored and monitored by banks and agencies. I don't know my net worth but I can find out yours if I have your house number and postcode. Your phone number phone can tell your wife if your cheating. Mate of mine had a very stiff interview with his wife about a bird who turned up on his "Friends and Family" numbers.

Do you know who pays for all this. We do. It makes us feel safer.

I'd cards next.

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[kgi]

As the coasties would say "cleaner seas safer ships" what a load of crap, its just another organisation thats trying to justify its budget, whats next?DSC/gps tracking so they can check on you every minute of every day?...could you imagine it, you get a message via DSC saying "Tricolore if if you must scratch your bum please get some one to relieve you at the wheel as you are not in full control of your vessel"....oh and our new MCA boat will be along to give you a ticket!!!!!.....what a load of BS..........keith

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[steve_cronin]

Re: Secrecy & Socialism

You have something to hide then?

SC

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[Robin]

Re: Secrecy & Socialism

When that nice Mr Blair and the stealthy Mr Brown and all the others who want to control the world (do as I say not as I do) allow me to read THEIR emails and listen in to THEIR telephone calls to the likes of Carole Caplin then I might agree.

I think us ordinary folk could put a very good case forward for the 'media' to have access to the emails and telephones of those in power, then we could really see who has what to hide. Personally I doubt I have anything of interest to anyone but that is for me to know and for them to wonder.





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[Guest]

It's not so much having something to hide, nor the expansion of official powers, but rather the total waste of taxpayer's money and civil service time. A similar argument applies to the ridiculous curent proposal to breath test amateur sailors when underway (how? when? where?).

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[byron]

<font color=blue>As someone who has been an Auxiliary Coastguard for almost 30 years, I too am puzzled by this.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[BrendanS]

What do Auxiliary Coastguards do Byron? - something like Special Police Officers?

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[byron]

<font color=blue>Same as full time Coasties. When I next see you I will explain in detail. Too lengthy and boring to write it all here.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[Mike_Martin]

Couldn't help feeling the need for some context in those, what was it, 8 lines.

I think that you may find that this is part of the overall Governmental responses to the "War on Terrorism". It should be remembered that the MCA is not just the Coastguard it is also the UK's Marine Administration and as such is responsible for implementing all manner of Maritime legislation emanating from the IMO, EU etc etc. It also has to work with other OGDs (mine obviously) such as HMCE, HO, MoD etc etc.

I know that the US Coastguard has just undergone a similar consolidation of their role/powers not to mention being moved from the Dept of Transport to the Dept of Defense (sic)

Might be worth your while visiting the MCA Website to see if more info is available.

<hr width=100% size=1>Manager,
Aeronautical & Maritime Services Section,
Radiocommunications Agency

 

[byron]

<font color=blue>It is no comparison USCG & HMCG. USCG are an armed force with powers of arrest and running vessels up to the size of Destroyers, their history pre-dates even the U.S.Navy. HMCG are traditionally a search & rescue organisation.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.alexander-advertising.co.uk

 

[Robin]

I would not dispute any of that, but I still do not see why they need to read my emails, look at who I telephone or anything else. It is all too easy to use terrorism as an excuse for new powers. As I said elsewhere maybe they should install CCTV in every household, I bet they still wouldn't catch Bin Laden but they would succeed in creating another nice new (costly) set of people keeping watch on us all.

Also as I said elsewhere, if President Tone has his emails and calls to Carole Caplin monitored then I might agree, otherwise I will take a lot of convincing.

Who pray will watch over the watchers?

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[Cornishman]

Re: Secrecy...

I have a serious problem with this. I AM NOT A SOCIALIST - or any other sort of
-IST for that matter and it is nobody else's business but mine.
That's why we still have secret balloting in the remains of this country, or would you like to see where I put my 'X'?


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[steve_cronin]

Re: Secrecy...

Why not. What's wrong with a show of hands? Nobody can rig the count.

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[steve_cronin]

Re: Secrecy & Socialism

Oh yes of course they would also need to comply. A truely free society couldn't function otherwise

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[Cornishman]

I have just been studying the MCA Press Release on this matter and I suggest that you do the same. As we used to say in the days of bolt action rifles you appear to have gone off at half cock.

You are invited to make your comments before any regulation comes into force.

mcanet.mcga.gov.uk/public/news.asp?year=2003

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