Is Britain that much a police state already?

[Skybird]

I know only a little bit on British history, and spend just one long weekend on British soil, in preparation for a job engagement in the ME - and that is over twenty years ago. So, I am not familiar with the contemporary British reality. I know that it has more camera surveillance than any other state, and that poltical correctness punishes it excessively, and much more I do not know.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/a...-12920687.html

This essay on how Britain has been turned into a de facto police state, and this with the permission of the people because this population never had experienced the state turning against the people like it happened in so many other states, surprised me a little bit, because it painted a much darker picture than I expected to see.

It is in German, and still, if you could read it and know Britain yourself or are British, I would like to hear some comments on it. Is the author misled, or is he shedding light on some grim truths? Is it really that hopeless already? If it is, then a great heritage of proud citizenship and civil courage has been flushed down the toilet.

Those able to understand the text (5 pages), let me know what you think. The newspaper is the FAZ, which could be described as the German equivalent to the Times, so it is not just some yellow press paper.

[STEED]

I think us Brits would like to read the article in English.

[Catfish]

Pah, we germans take cameras, wiretapping, eavesdropping, surveillance and government control much too serious.

Why would anyone use that against its own people.
They are only there to serve, and help.
And protect against terrorists, of course, if the GCHQ finds the time.

Is Britain a police state? No - and facile comparisons like this do nothing except underplay the repressiveness of real police states. As for the cameras, a significant proportion are broken (or fake), and there is hardly anyone watching the output of the remainder. They are mostly for show, as a cheap way for local councils to pretend that they are dealing with low-level crime. vandalism etc, without actually spending real money. The only cameras that actually do anything of significance are the road traffic ones - and that is because they can be largely automated.

[Oberon]

Nope, next question.

[Egan]

Originally Posted by Skybird

I know that it has more camera surveillance than any other state,

More than any other? Perhaps. More cameras that don't actually work than any other? Definitely.

Originally Posted by Skybird

and that poltical correctness punishes it excessively, and much more I do not know.

Meh, depends who you believe. If you read the Mail where many of the readership seem to have a chip on their shoulders about no longer having a socially accepted mandate to be racist, sexist homophobes without someone pulling them up for it then maybe.

The only time I ever seem to encounter 'political correctness' is when i see one of the red tops getting upset about something they either blew up out of all proportion or flat out invented.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by STEED

I think us Brits would like to read the article in English.

I have not used a translation bot not for no reason. And for manual translation it is a bit too long. And some people speak more than just one language, so there is a chance...

The essay gives many examples, also refers to British sources. Both made me stop grinning. That things in Europe are sliding at that direction, is clear, I have said that myself often enough. Just that it is that far already, left me a bit listless. On the other hand, maybe I should not have been suprised, when considering the role the GCHQ is playing.

I wonder if maybe Bin Laden knew what developments in the West he would serve as a catalyst for to speed them up.

[mapuc]

Sometimes you have to take a step outside your own house to see

Markus

[Oberon]

I've heard Somaliland is nice this time of year.

[Skybird]

Somaliland? Lets have a look at the map with the weather forecast.



http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php

Needless to say that you can influence and manipulate, even gag the press by means that still would make the place look white on that map. Character assassination, public
campaigns, corruption and reward-and-penalty, opinion education and so on are the weapons in that arsenal. I doubt that any of the places in Europe painted white indeed
deserves to be painted in white. Manipulative press that is not recognised by the reader to be manipulative, nevertheless is manipulative.

[Oberon]

[HunterICX]

^


there

[dsawan]

Big brother is everywhere!

[August]

I think technology is what drives this trend more than anything else.

But Oberon, Americans have hated all of those things for over 2 centuries and we've managed to avoid Somaliland thus far.

Is Britain that much a police state already?

No, not really.

The newspaper is the FAZ, which could be described as the German equivalent to the Times, so it is not just some yellow press paper.

The Times is just The Sun with big words and no tits, perhaps you should choose another publication to compare the Frankfurter with.