First of all, let me say that it's been a pain being away, but starting a new job and the culture shock that that a busy working life has brought has meant a re-evaluation of my time. Me and Gavin are discussing the future for Politalks, but for now it's on the back burner so that I can have time to actually blog properly again.

And so here I come back with news of even more erosion of civil liberties on the horizon! Yes it seems that either ministers in this government are happy to stare the impending defeat of their rule at the next general election down til the very last, desperate and crushing end, or they are so incompetent they've not yet let their minions know that stories about how they might want to spy on every single phone call and email we make could be a little bit of a vote loser.

A Home Office spokesman said the data was a "crucial tool" for protecting national security and preventing crime.

Obviously I am stunned, but also feeling happier about this than I would have done several months ago. Several months ago I didn't know what the rest of the general public thought of the waves of illiberal legislation that this government has come up with but since the amazing defeat at the start of May, and given the independent information commissioner has telegraphed pretty clearly that they can't see how such plans could ever see the light of day, it should be fairly obvious that this kind of bullshit simply can't get through.

Saying that I shalln't be resting on my laurels either, and I am taking a certain amount of glee now in knowing that each letter I send to my MP or response to a questionnaire or survey is yet another blow to the egos of a severely out of touch and disgusting administration. We also, however, need to be careful of a now time honored tactic of Labour being happy to put outrageous policy suggestions in their draft legislation so that all concentration and time is spent on defeating that while something still key to eroding our liberties is slid under the noses of the house on the pretense that "it can't be abused"