Campaigners Call On Theresa May To Think Twice About ‘Snoopers Charter’

Ahead of the second reading of the ‘Snoopers Charter’ on Tuesday, campaigners dressed as the Home Secretary Theresa May protest against the lack of transparency around the proposed bill

Today, 20 campaigners from NoteMyVote.co.uk dressed up as Theresa May outside Parliament in order to protest the speed in which the Home Secretary is pushing the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill) through the House of Commons.

The protest was organised by Note My Vote – a website aimed at encouraging greater public involvement in Westminster politics – because it believes that Theresa May is rushing the bill through Parliament in order to minimise public scrutiny. The public can currently vote on the IP Bill on the Note My Vote website and the results will be sent to MPs before they vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday. 

The bill, dubbed the ‘Snoopers Charter’, has been heavily criticised by technology companies, academics and civil liberties groups, as it will provide police, not just spies, with the power to hack into computers and smart phones, as well as, have access to other online activity.

The UN's privacy chief, Joe Cannataci, also joined in the debate by saying this week that bulk hacking and bulk interception of data, "run counter to the most recent judgements of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, and undermine the spirit of the very right to privacy."

Cannataci’s comments come in the light of a recent poll by Note My Vote that saw that actions like May’s has resulted in 68 per cent of the nation feeling disillusioned by politics.

The in-depth report into how the British public feel about MPs currently also showed that two thirds of voters (67 per cent) feel there is no longer a connection between them and their MP. This has led to 94 per cent of Brits stating that their voice is not listened to by MPs. 

57 per cent of the public also stated that they feel their vote is worthless and the Government does not reflect their ideals.

Despite this, however, there is also evidence of a widespread desire amongst the British public to influence politicians’ decisions, with half of the nation (51 per cent) saying that they would like to be more involved in individual parliamentary decisions.

Mike Simpson, founder of Note My Vote said today: 

“With some people saying that Theresa May’s IP Bill is likely to see UK surveillance back to a time worse than that in George Orwell's 1984, it’s clear that we need to ensure that it is properly debated. It is being rushed through the House of Commons in order to minimise both press and public scrutiny a tactic which will only serve to further the divide between the public and Parliament.

“We’ve chosen to highlight the Investigatory Powers Bill because we believe that the nation has a right to have their opinions on every issue debated in Parliament. Our site, NoteMyVote.co.uk allows constituents to influence their MP on each bill and hold them to account.”

Note My Vote provides the public with the opportunity to have a greater say on issues that may affect them. This is achieved by conducting polls on both legislative matters and breaking news items so the public can inform MPs about their views before they pass judgment in the House of Commons. 

In addition to being forwarded to MPs, the results of these votes are published on the website and are sent to members via email, including how their MP finally voted in the House of Commons.

For more information and for free registration as a voting member on Note My Vote visit www.notemyvote.co.uk. 

Follow the campaign on Twitter - https://twitter.com/nmvote