Middle-class families: an existential threat to big government
nick cowen, 11 April 2008
The news that Poole council used surveillance powers designed to track down terrorists to spy on an ordinary middle-class family they suspected of not living in the correct catchment area for their chosen school is not as surprising as it first seems. The government is, after all, fully aware that there exists in this country an organised group that propagates an infectious ideology which considers government officials to be mere obstacles to their goals. Arranged in tightly knit ‘cells’ (usually of two senior operators and one or more younger members), the group as a whole communicates via an informal network of personal contacts, workplace colleagues and Internet forums.
Despite their minority status, they have highly placed members in all the major professions: medicine, law, teaching, business, even politics. The senior members tend to be radicalised while at university. Their main purpose of communication is to target vulnerabilities in the state, and share knowledge of resources that will allow them to pursue their fanatical goal that they are willing to sacrifice all to achieve: the education of their children. The government’s greatest fear is that their ideology, of self-improvement, responsibility and working hard for the future, could spread round the whole of the UK, making much of government obsolete and without a client group to control. The middle classes represent a greater threat to the political establishment than our current crop of terrorists could ever hope to. That is why, when they do something characteristically middle class, like choose a good school for their children, they risk getting spied on by their local authority.
The Government is now talking to community leaders to help calm fears that this minority group may be the victim of middle class phobia. There is even talk that Ken Livingstone the current Mayor of London may offer special dispensation to the drivers of 4x4s and excempt them from the congestion charge. This is seen by many political commentators as a desperate attempt to garner the middle class vote.
The Chairman of the Muslim council of Britian claimed that it was unaceptable that minority groups should be afforded priveldges that are not avialable to the general population.
It is not only the act of demonstrating insidious Middle Class values that our Government needs to clamp down on, but the “threat of it”….
We must remember, though, that not all of these “parents” are Extremists. There are moderates too, fully supportive of the rights of others to pursue their own culture and claim victimhood and benefits, without harrassment or predjudice.
It should also be recognised that Moderates are totally and utterly committed to frowning in concern – for those they leave behind, after fleeing their inner city homes for the suburbs.
Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, this must have been authorised at a senior level by a council official (in the police it has to be a superintendent or above – the 5th highest rank in the police and a chief of police rank). Further more, that official must be satisfied it was to prevent and detect crime and that it was proportionate and necessary to a particular problem – in other words public authorities are not allowed to use a hammer to crack a nut. I’m sorry, but on all of the above criteria I can’t see where this particular case fits.