Britain - A Surveillance Society

OK, big brother is watching you! I must admit though, i'm a bit more worried about a nation that watches big brother...

It does spark a wider debate about monitoring people at work and shopping habits but to tell you the truth I don't see what the big deal is. Surely if you're working hard, it would be nice if your work knew about it? Are the objections all from a bunch of skiving gits who don't do anything at work all day? Who know's, maybe we'd finally find out what half the public sector do all day apart from drink tea, pointless meetings and write pointless documents?

There's no doubt that there are some extremely practical uses for them, after all who could forget seeing Jamie Bulger being led away by his two murders, or the London bombers at Luton station heading for their London targets. To tell you the truth I can't think of any point where they've had a negative effect on my life as yet, so what's the big deal?

I suppose there is a rational fear that if every move is monitored and our biometric data is stored on our passports or identity card, we will just end up pawns of the government and multinational businesses who will be able to control us as they wish. OK, in an Orwellian sense I suppose it is maybe something that we should be aware of but if we're not doing anything wrong, why should we fear such things. After all, I hate to be a kill joy but Winston was breaking the laws of the society that he was part of and that is why he was arrested. It wasn't the telescreen's fault, it was a dodgy government and dodgy laws that let to Winston's downfall.

I think identity cards and CCTV cameras are a good idea. In fact, i'll even go as far as saying there should be a national DNA register that is attached to our birth certificates. This is just common sense and only an idiot, anarchist or criminal would disagree. Imagine the clean up rate in rape cases where the attacker is unidentifed? A quick look in the DNA register and we'd have the culprit, even standard burglary cases that never get solved could see a better clean up rate using this system.

OK, if you're a low radar law breaker and you like the odd joint, or you'd like to go faster in your car, you're never going to like this sort of thing. But overall it just makes sense, what's the point in becoming some sort of Cyborg-Luddite?

Anyway, i'm all for keeping checks on business and government where possible (should i maybe say "if" possible?) but lets not go smashing the telescreens....!