A question that had me thinking

If the MPs' IT systems were like the vast majority of corporate infrastructures with data shares held on storage servers and corporate policies about nothing kept on individual machines, would the police have taken the relevant servers and all storage infrastructure as well? How do the police handle incidents in thin client environments where the "desktop" is nothing but a glorified emulator?

Would we have had the situation where the plod would have turned off the Commons' IT systems to preserve one user's data or would they expect the IT people in the Commons to get all the data including mail, shares the MP was allowed write access to and home area shares?

I'm asking because I genuinely don't know but it seems like a very nasty grey area.

more special treatment for MPs?

following on from the earlier story, why can't the police chuck the machine into a warehouse and forget about it for a couple of years like they would with anyone else?

Either that or answer difficult questions like, if they can get an MP's pc back to them in a few weeks, then why can't they get everyone's back to them in that time, unless they have a good reason not to. Ie have found something illegal.

@ Craig:

Chances are, they'd just impound the thin client machine, then, once they'd had a bollocking from the senior officer in the computer lab, come back and arrest you for making them look stupid, despite any attempts you may have made to explain to them that carting it off in the first place was grade A Fail.

The Speaker

Does anyone else out there ever listen to 'Today in Parliament' (R4 11:30pm)? It starts with whoever the current speaker is intoning 'Order, order...' Ever since Martin has had the job and thus it is he who is intones, I have been unable to continue to listen (it's pretty difficult at the best of times). A curious wave of nausea and instant depression washes over me as soon as I hear him ...something about that voice (shudder)... I have to turn it off.

Try it if you dare.

@AC speed of speech

"I know it is a possibly unfair characterisation, but the speed at which he speaks has always implied to me that he's a bit slow. Oooooorrrrrddddddeeeerrrrrr, etc."

I disagree with this. One manager I used to work for, highly intelligent, with a PhD in Electronics, spoke incredibly slowly, he managed a department of 80 people, you just wanted to jump in and finish the sentence for him. So, no speaking slowing isn't necessarily indictative that someone is thick.

The Mother *****R of Parliaments

Time was , the rest of the world looked up to and tried to emulate the British parliamentary system.

Let's hope that is no longer the case. There must be countless Britons spinning in their graves who have died fighting or spent their lives campaigning for the liberties that are daily being eroded by this government in the names of anti-terrorism and our best interests.

I really hope the next election brings a government that genuinely cares more about the needs and wants of the British people than it does about it's own sense of power, if not, it is going to be time to be getting the pitch forks and rope out and sharpening the sickles.

@AC unlawfully killing De Menezes

"Or before unlawfully killing Mr de Menezes."

Apparantly, the jury isn't allowed to return a verdict of unlawful killing, something to do with a verdict which was inconsistent with the Police's own inquiry wasn't allowed.

Interesting idea, two enquries taking place and the second isn't allowed to have a verdict which doesn't agree with the first. So much for democracy. I call it a stitch up.

Some body, some people ballsed up in the de Menezes killing and they're all going to get away with it.

What's the woolsack got to do with it?

That's in the Lords!

@RIPA everywhere

"Encryption wouldn't work. You're forgetting that, in the UK, refusal to hand over encryption keys is itself a criminal offense."

Your point is that you can't refuse to hand over encryption keys because you will go to prison?

I think you will find that you CAN with hold the keys and the data on your hard drive. Yes you may go to prison, the price of freedom in our free country.

No prob

I'm sure we can find some pics of Green's nephew playing around with a toy gun. Extreme kiddie porn, and voila. All is magically justified. After all, this kind of situation is the only reason why the extreme (and KP) porn law were passed, let's put them to good use! Or are MPs immune to the fishing trip tactic?

@Sarah Bee

well that is us told then :(