Officers will be allowed to intercept any suspicious mail anywhere in the country and open it before it is delivered, under plans being drawn up by the Government to amend the Postal Services Act.Can't they do that already? Well, yes. But with certain restrictions:
The measure is billed as a bid to crack down on tobacco smuggling. However, a HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said the powers could be applied much more widely.Oh, I’ll just bet they did…
Currently, Royal Mail staff have a legal right to intercept suspicious letters and parcels in mail centres and sorting offices and pass them to HM Revenue and Customs.But only for that wicked tobacco smuggling, we promise!
Tax inspectors must then notify the addressee and agree a mutually acceptable time to open the letter or parcel, before deciding whether to take any enforcement action.
However the Government is now proposing to remove the legal requirement which will now allow inspectors to open suspicious post without asking permission first.
Yeah, right....
I'm with AE here; these people have form:
"I'm confident that they won't abuse the privilege for, oooooh, it'd have to be minutes at the very least."That's more generous than I'd have been!
try sending or receiving a package from an address in North Korea at the mo, see how far it gets and I refer to data packets also!!!
ReplyDeleteI have never been one to treat conspiracy theories with much respect considering them on the whole so much nonsense. However now I have one of my own. This new law yet another one to enhance the powers of our security services is pointing to a discernible pattern it appears to me that it is part of a well thought out plan. The UK, Europe and now the US are bye and large socialist in their political governance, socialists know that to further their ideology they need tight state control of the people and the means of producing wealth. They also know that eventually that will lead to a public outcry and a backlash that can turn nasty. So slowly but surely and now somewhat more quickly the machinery to cope with this situation is being put in place so that any dissent can be quickly dealt with.
ReplyDeleteHowever as they I have said I do not believe in conspiracy theories so it is a load of bollocks. Isn't it?
"try sending or receiving a package from an address in North Korea at the mo, see how far it gets..."
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the UK authorities use as a template for their actions..?
"socialists know that to further their ideology they need tight state control of the people and the means of producing wealth. They also know that eventually that will lead to a public outcry and a backlash that can turn nasty."
I'm beginning to think they are kidding themselves on that score. As long as 'X Factor' and the football's on...
Given the rate of thefts and other shenanigans, I doubt we will notice any difference.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see HMRC open their own fucking post.
ReplyDeleteThey never respond to any of my letters trying to get them to correct their latest stupid mistake.
"They never respond to any of my letters trying to get them to correct their latest stupid mistake."
ReplyDeleteToo busy doing vitally-important work, I expect...