Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?

News coming out on April Fools' Day should always be treated with suspicion, but just occasionally, you get one that's so bizarre it has to be true. This story, of the latest Government plans to be able to monitor email and web communications on an individual basis, without first obtaining a warrant, is nothing short of scandalous.

Labour were bad enough in office, eroding the ability to protest peacefully where they didn't like it, and stamping down so hard on dissent within their own ranks that they resorted to using security guards to physically remove a pensioner from their conference because they didn't like his t-shirt. They were, though, unable to push through the sort of powers which we see proposed here because of very strong opposition, not least from the Tories.

Those same Tories evidently see things differently now they're in office, but don't see the contradiction between their position now and their position while in opposition. These powers, though we'll doubtless see them implemented in some shape or form, wouldn't be out of place in some dystopian, Orwellian vision of our own future. To say they're an infringement of civil liberties does not even begin to describe them – they sound like some nightmarish foundation work for the building of some future police state. It's not common to hear a senior politician within government openly dispute a policy, but David Davies has done exactly that, which is a measure of the discomfort that even some of the senior Conservatives must be feeling about this.

Imagine you were writing a thesis on religious extremism, or the effects of terrorism on democratic policy – you may very well visit websites which could then draw you to the attention of the authorities for entirely the wrong reasons. Then there are those who could be exposed, for example, for cheating on their partners. Wrong, of course, but not illegal, and a private matter for those involved to sort out. There will, inevitably, be cases where people suddenly find themselves under suspicion and possible surveillance when they've done nothing wrong. Allow this to happen, and where will it end? Exactly how much of our lives should they be privvy to? Will we soon all be compelled to open our post for the inspection of government officers, just in case?

The defence of the case by a spokesman is particularly unconvincing: "It is vital that police and security services are able to obtain communications data in certain circumstances to investigate serious crime and terrorism and to protect the public," a spokesman said." Err, they already can. If there's genuine need to monitor email or internet activity of somebody suspected of, for example, terrorist activity, then that can already be achieved without alerting that person by using the existing legal framework.

There will be opposition within Parliament and hopefully from the Lords. In a move of extreme daring on their part, the Lib Dems' Chris Huhne has even suggested there needs to be 'a balance', so we could also see some signs of life from within the coalition's erstwhile sleeping partner. It's only to be hoped that there will be sufficient resistance to these proposals that they at least be watered down, and at best be scrapped.