A good rebuttal today to Polly Toynbee in yesterdays Graun. Interestingly Toynbee noted that the middle classes and the wealthy are the least likely to be under surveillence. Yet she failed to draw the obvious conclusion - that those who are to most likely be victimised by the State machinery are the poor, ethnic minorities and the working class. Hence this is far from a 'middle class obsession'. Money currently spent on surveillence (and the military) could well be spent on social justice.

What makes her so trustful of this present government anyway? What makes her so sure that surveillence powers will not be abused by them? New Labour has shown scant regard for democracy, even in its own ranks. How she thinks it can be trusted with extra powers is a mystery. But perhaps a government friendly middle class hack like herself need not worry.