The speeded-up Parliamentary procedures imposed by the French government on the passage of its surveillance bill allowed for just one reading in the National Assembly and one in the Senate. After that a joint Parliamentary committee of members from both chambers agreed on the final text, whose adoption was then subject to a formal vote without debate. From a procedural point of view, the bill was forced through Parliament, a practice that is even more questionable given the fact that it dealt with fundamental issues of public and individual freedoms. Still, if there is already a breach in the wall of democracy, why not abuse it?
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