🚀 go-pugleaf

rja14@cl.cam.ac.uk (Ross Anderson) writes:
> Aeons ago, I wrote of Britain's Securities and Investment Board:
> 
> >|> If they want to, they can force you to hand over crypto keys just
> like that.
> 
> weaver@kuttner.sfc.sony.com asked:
> 
> |> By what act or law can they do that?  Doesn't it conflict with the
> |> Magna Carta or Brit. Bill of Rights?  Inquiring Yanks wanna know.

It's a bit surprising that no one has answered the direct question.

The English, having invented nearly everything worth knowing or doing in
matters of political philosophy and practice in the modern world (flames
to alt.feux, please), never got around to writing down a Constitution.
Considered bad form, I believe.  Their Bill of Rights has very little in
common with Amendments 1-10 of the U.S. Constitution, and the Magna
Carta is concerned with the rights of barons, mostly.  That's how they can
have an Official Secrets Law that would make Rehnquist blush.
Constitutional matters are in the jurisidiction of Parliament.  Insert
homely saying about foxes and henhouses here.  How they still have a
feisty press and people is a mystery open only to those who know how
many syllables to drop from Worcestershire.

Moral: Not every system that works for somebody else is worth trying.

Reason #3 to love America: It's the only place where Amendment is a
proper noun.


--
Dan Drake                 In software, the *complete* design *is* the software!
drake@Autodesk.com        --Hugh Lamaster