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Anorak News | Rise Of The Snooper State: Grass Up A Neighbour

Rise Of The Snooper State: Grass Up A Neighbour

by | 24th, May 2007

blair_brown.jpgAS New Labour continues its seemingly unending quest to extinguish the last remnants of the nation’s community spirit, the Home Office publishes proposals which could see members of the public financially rewarded for informing on their neighbours who may be involved in such heinous crimes as benefit fraud and cigarette smuggling.

The system is based on a US scheme in which informants receive between 15 and 30 per cent of seized assets (in successful cases) and ministers are now pondering whether or not it could be imported into the UK.

Since its inception in the States in 1986, 11 billion dollars has been seized by the authorities and the wonderfully-monikered home office minister Vernon Coaker says: “It seems to have been successful in the US. We are asking is it applicable in this country, is it something that people would find acceptable and is there a workable model? We think it would be irresponsible for us as a Government not to look at what people are doing overseas.”

How much would you get for grassing up a bank for its illegal charges, I wonder? 15 to 30 per cent of the cash sounds good to me.

UK cinema siren Keira Knightley has accepted £3,000 in libel damages from the Daily Mail over suggestions that she had an eating disorder. The damages, which the svelte star will match, will be donated to ‘Beat’, the eating disorder and mental illness charity. Isn’t she great.



Posted: 24th, May 2007 | In: Money Comment | TrackBack | Permalink