Sunday 17 November 2013

The Regulation: Time to make our minds up

Last night’s meeting of the Crouch End Chapter of the Institute for Data Protection focused on the Regulation, and more specifically, on the rousing speech that our Minister will make at the next meeting of the Justice & Home Affairs Council in early December. Those present at that meeting will finally decide whether it’s likely that there will be time for a new legal instrument on data protection to be agreed before the European Parliament is dissolved and a new crop of parliamentarians are elected next year. Yes we plucky Brits may be outvoted at the December meeting, but that's a small price to pay for living in this topsy turvey Euro world.

After much discussion, and just before “last orders” were called, a communiqué was agreed, which will be sent to the Ministry of Justice in the usual manner.  Hopefully, the Minister will find it helpful as a speaking note.

For those who are not suffering from too much data protection regulation fatigue, here is the text:


We are making this declaration

On behalf of the British nation

It should be the intent

Of our Parliament

To say: “no” to this Regulation



To:  the Euro Queen of data

We cannot say we hate her

But at her plans we’ve looked

And they’re not fully cooked

So it’s: “not just now, but later”



We’ve heard from many a petitioner

The proposed rules can’t be followed by a practitioner

We must end this perversion

And agree a new version

Under the reign of a new Commissioner



Into a surveillance society we may well have stepped

And, yes, there are fundamental rights to protect

But it is reprehensible

If we can’t develop sensible

Laws we can all respect


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