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Comment by Brakenshire | Hacker News Reader

British leaders voted in by Scotland have shown no more respect for privacy and freedom than their opponents. The last Labour government, overwhelmingly backed by Scotland, proposed mandatory ID cards, and a child-protection Vetting and Barring Scheme which would have seen a quarter of the adult population put on a database, subject to ongoing checks.

I've seen nothing which indicates the Scottish electorate believes this is any more of an important issue than people elsewhere in the UK.

The idea that intrusion into privacy will fade away with Scottish independence is just in line with the attitude that things in general will magically get better as a result.

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I'm not disagreeing with you, but worth noting that the Government of Scotland is formed by the SNP, not the Labour Party.

Yes, but the post above was saying that the English electorate is particularly docile to surveillance - I have seen nothing to indicate there is a difference between the Scottish and English in that respect. Where are the protests in Edinburgh and Glasgow indicating this upswell of opposition? I'd definitely be glad to see them.

It's possible that the SNP have different attitudes, which they would bring with them into independence, but they have not taken a public stand on the issue, and of course they have no track record either way because the devolved government does not have power in that area.

Actually, the Scottish Justice Minister "has written to the UK government stating that intelligence gathering should not be abused":

http://www.scotsman.com/news/gchq-fears-call-for-assurances-...

[NB I am not an SNP supporter, although I am in favour of Scottish independence]

Although it's nice to see a politician taking an interest, that's the mildest possible letter. The reason I say this is I can't imagine any politician, of any party not agreeing with it. "Of course," they'll say. "Intelligence gathering should not be abused. Next."

If a politician actually wanted something to change, I think they'd write a more focussed letter, with actual demands for things to change - eg how long data should be stored, independent inquiries, codified powers, public reporting of statistics on surveillance, etc.

Also worth noting that the Vetting and Barring Scheme was established in 2002 and the Identity Card Act was from 2006 whereas the SNP only took office for the first time in 2007.

While this is true, I think the OP was making the point that Labour would not have got in to Westminster (or certainly not have had so long in government) without the Scottish vote, and the Labour government in Westminster until 2010 was certainly backed by the scots.

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