Former ConservativeHome co-editor Jonathan Isaby is taking over as the Chief Executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, and was the Conservative Parliamentaruy candidate for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford in 2010. Follow Nick on Twitter. The cries outside my window are impossible to ignore. “What do we want?” “A pre-renegotiation mandate referendum to give the Government the public’s support for a […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. As the bell tolls for press freedom, the realisation that a whole host of tiny websites, including Big Brother Watch, would be covered by the provisions of the new press regulator is dawning on Westminster. On Monday, the Lords […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. If Britain opts-out of the EU Home Affairs and Justice arena, it will not be the end of cross-border justice. It will be a wake-up call that substantial threats to the liberties of British people cannot be ignored and urgent reform […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. As the dust settles on two severely critical reports on the draft Communications Data Bill, two things are clear – the internet is an essential part of Britain’s social and economic future, and the Home Office’s handling of the […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. Whatever happened to the Conservative Party being the party of ensuring crimes are properly punished and that regulation was kept to a minimum? The Leveson enquiry risks making a mockery of these principles. There is a simple truth being […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. The use of surveillance cameras in schools is a particularly sensitive part of the CCTV debate. From concerns about who is viewing the images to the broader question of acclimatising children to an environment where surveillance is the norm, it is […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter Today Big Brother Watch, along with civil society groups like the Open Rights Group, Index on Censorship and Consumer Focus, has signed a joint letter to the Prime Minister and called for him to resist calls for Government to […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter When the Coalition took office, limiting the ability of local authorities to use surveillance powers was rightly identified as a key issue. The Protection of Freedoms Act means councils will require a magistrate’s warrant before they can use snooping […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. Today the Home Office will finally announce its plans to monitor the internet use of every British citizen. Let’s be clear. Right now – without any new powers – the police and security services can read your emails, tap […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Here he responds to Theresa May and Ken Clarke's letter to MPs regarding new surveillance powers and closed-door courts. Follow Nick on Twitter. Four days after the Sunday Times broke news of Government plans to increase the surveillance directed at every person in the […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Follow Nick on Twitter. This afternoon, Ken Clarke and James Brokenshire go before the Joint Committee on Human Rights to try and explain why after 800 years it is time to ditch Magna Carta and put politicians in charge of what evidence goes […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch and was the Conservative candidate against Yvette Cooper in 2010, securing a 12.5% swing in Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford. Follow Nick on Twitter. I’ve been working in the music industry for the best part of a decade and the animosity that remains towards […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch. Conservatives have led the debate to give people the protection to defend their property and in opposition led the calls to reduce the number of officials who had the right to enter your home without a warrant. So why is the Home Office […]
Nick Pickles is Director of civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, and was the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford in 2010. Follow Nick on Twitter. As you may have read on the internet, these are tough times for print journalists, not least local papers. However, a vibrant local press is an essential part […]