It would seem GCHQ's eavesdropping
crimes did not only reach the civilian level, but also the MP level. British
MPs believe laws protect them against spies tapping their communications, but
the IPT dismisses these.
We're talking about the case of three
MPs who brought forward the fact they can charge GCHQ spies of illegally
tapping their communications.
It's a bit confusing I know.
Wiretapping is illegal, but it's right that those three politicians were
"legally" observed by spies? Confusing.
Ghost Foundations
It's like this. About four decades
ago, British Minister Harold Wilson said the MI5 and MI6 cannot tap phones of
members of parliament.
That sounded convincing. But it was
only a statement. While considered a doctrine, the Harold Wilson statement is
part of the UK's "unwritten constitution".
Think of it as a verbal agreement
between two people. It's founded on trust. Clearly, the latter does not exist
in this situation.
Without any basis in law, the IPT
cannot use it. Therefore, there's no MP protection against spies.
False
Assurances
Meanwhile, the UK government said it
is not giving false assurances to its members. According to them, intelligence
agencies did not interfere with their calls. They had also insisted that
agencies worked in a manner that they specifically chose their targets.
I don't know what I'm writing as of
the moment. All I know is surveillance is illegal and all of this does not make
sense.
