Dear all,
I was going to post this message last week, but due to my university's
changing of its email provider, I've had problems. In the meantime, Nicole
has posted on a similar subject. But I think this just
emphasises the scope of the new coming future.......
Subscribers may be interested in an article by John Keegan on page 6 of
today's Daily Telegraph (Thurs 13 September 2001), entitled 'Military
response may target technology'. The following passage conveys the idea:
'The mobile telephone and e-mail, probably encrypted, must have been the
means by which the atrocities were coordinated. The American intelligence
community [!?] must undoubtedly now be considering measures to take
management of radio telephone communications under state control, and the
distributers of e-mail as well.'
It looks like civil liberties are going to take a pasting in the future. But
more worrying is the way the reactionary right are lining up to turn the
clock back to before the 1960s. If Blair makes a mess of whatever action
takes place in the next weeks and months (and the potential pitfalls are
obvious) then the alternative reactionary authoritarian army-loving
alternative is already in position in the Tory party to take over. That
really will be '1984' with complete surveillance geared to narrow illiberal
rule. I think its time to theorise in advance while we still can (better than
just sitting around and watching the news anyway).
Nick
Nick Hubble,
[log in to unmask]
GRC Humanities, Arts B, University of Sussex
01273 606755 x2139
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