[4889] in WWW Security List Archive
Re: Fwd: Britain to ban free use of crypto
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Phillip M Hallam-Baker)
Mon Mar 24 23:32:42 1997
From: "Phillip M Hallam-Baker" <hallam@ai.mit.edu>
To: <geneh@surfline.ne.jp>, "Jeremey Barrett" <jeremey@veriweb.com>
Cc: <www-security@ns2.rutgers.edu>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 20:51:11 -0500
Errors-To: owner-www-security@ns2.rutgers.edu
> Jeremey Barrett wrote:
> >
> > This came across the cypherpunks list. I think this would concern
> > anyone on this list.
Fortunately its irrelevant. A General Election has been called and
a Tory victory appears only marginally less likely than one by the
natural law party.
Another factor to consider is that briefing papers by the civil service
have little importance. The civil service does not make policy, ministers
do through green and white papers (ever wondered where the term
came from?) To change the law would require legislation and the
government has a limited time to put bills through the house.
The best way to stop a bill in the UK is to make the political
cost of putting it through disproportionately high. Ministers often act
on civil service advice if they believe something either uncontroversial
or a NIMBY issue (not in my backyard).
Phill
