Saturday 1 August 2009

Anyone still think we don't live in a police state?

The British government is to put the more irresponsible families under CCTV supervision in their homes – just to ensure their children attend school, go to bed on time and eat proper meals. Private security guards will also be sent round to carry out home checks, while parents will be given help to combat drug and alcohol addiction, Children’s Secretary Ed Balls says.

I thought this was a spoof at first but it seems not:-

http://www.medindia.net/news/Irresponsible-Families-To-Be-Monitored-Round-the-Clock-In-UK-55352-1.htm


http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2008_0145

http://www.respect.gov.uk/members/article.aspx?id=8678

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/115736/Sin-bins-for-worst-families

5 comments:

  1. One thing I thought when I read that is how can CCTV in the home ensure children attend school? It can watch them leave the house, but that's it, unless there is a trail of CCTV cameras along the route to the school or something. Next they'll be wanting us all microchipped with GPS tracking devices so they know where we are at all times...

    And since when did the state decide when bedtime is?

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  2. That's what annoys me, If I have broken a law then the courts have the power to punish me for that crime, otherwise they have absolutely NO right to interfere with my daily life or that of my family.

    It is scary how the state seem to think they have the right to interfere in our lives in order to mould us into the lifestyle THEY deem acceptable. This especially annoys me when we consider how they behave.

    Grrrr, I get annoyed just thinking about it.

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  3. I thought it was a spoof too. I mean, seriously, it's insane! We've been using the CCTV in your home line as an extreme example of what could happen, not with any ecpectation that it would, at least not this soon!

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  4. I cannot find any mention of CCTV cameras in peoples homes apart from the Daily Express article.
    There is nothing on the DCSF website or the BBC, Is this for real?

    Darren

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  5. @Debs

    There is, in fact, a GPS microchipping scheme running in the US...I'm not sure if it's come over to Britain yet, but I think there's something similar with mobile phones.

    It's mad to think that the extreme example of 'what could happen in the end' is already occurring; with no outcry whatsoever! I used to think it could never get like this, that there would be people rioting in the streets before we let the government infringe this much on our liberties...and then I hear apparently sane people arguing *for* such measures, and I want to weep.

    Why are the people of this country so apathetic? Why don't they care?

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