The detention of David Miranda - is the UK a democracy or a tyrannical dystopia?

A law that allows authorities to search and interrogate people without charge or arrest for nine hours? 

This law may sound like it exists in a George Orwell novel, sadly however it exists in 21st century Britain.Citizens seeking freedom of information are persecuted, privacy from government is endangered to near extinction and basic liberty has been deemed unimportant.

The aforementioned law is Schedule 7 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2000. The act has been brought to recent mainstream attention following the detention of David Miranda at Heathrow Airport. Mr Miranda was held and interrogated for the maximum amount of time allowed by law which is 9 hours.

Mr Miranda lives in Brazil with his partner, Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, the reporter who interviewed whistle blower Edward Snowden earlier this year.

David Miranda (left) Glenn Greenwald (right)

Due to Schedule 7 authorities have the ability to stop travellers at airports and ports with rules and basic rights found elsewhere thrown out of the window. Suspects have no right to remain silent, have their possessions confiscated and may be detained for up to nine hours with no right to legal representation. Anyone suspected of being a terrorist can be questioned, but these laws have clearly been taken advantage of.

Mr Miranda was believed to have been on his way home to partner Glenn Greenwald before being detained at Heathrow as he changed flight from Berlin to Brazil. Mr Greenwald has since revealed that some of the items confiscated at Heathrow were encrypted computer hard-drives containing details about Mr Snowden that Mr Miranda intended to forward to Mr Greenwald.

The definition of the word terrorism is the use of violence or intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. It certainly sounds like our own government were the ones doing the intimidating here. I am lead to believe that David Cameron sanctioned the interrogation, with Downing Street admitting that the government was "kept abreast of the operation".

 The White House stated that they did not request the arrest but said that they had been informed about it from British officials.