Is Britain becoming a Big Brother nation?
Orwell foresaw a world in which the government was a ruthless one-party dictatorship with complete control of all communications and media, in a constant state of war, with its citizens under constant surveillance. Even people's private lives were subject to scrutiny and strictly controlled. Arbitrary arrest, imprisonment without trial, physical and psychological torture and judicial murder were commonplace and awaited anyone who was, or was thought to be, a dissident.
The surveillance took the form of televisions which could both receive and transmit simultaneously and could not be switched off; they were in public places, work places and Party members had to have them in their homes.
Britain hasn't quite reached this state yet. There are plenty of developments which Orwell did not foresee, like the internet, which makes dictatorship difficult if not impossible (as the Chinese leadership are finding out), the proliferation of satellite and cable TV, and mobile phones.
Whatever its faults (and there are many), Britain is still a democracy, though that doesn't excuse cause for concern. The widespread use of CCTV cameras and proposed compulsory ID are worrying developments because their existence infringes civil liberties. Also the arrest and imprisonment without trial of terrorist suspects, often on the flimsiest of evidence, and the criminalisation of refugees seeking asylum.
Reply:So what if we have CCTV cameras everywhere its to keep us safe from idiots. There are a lot of stupid perverts, terrorists and drunken arseholes that want to break our dictatorship.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! Report It
Reply:That and Big Bully nation..
Reply:That's America's Job.
Reply:Yes, both the US and Britain are Big Brother nations walking hand in hand. Not becoming. Are.
Reply:Yes, welcome to reality.
Reply:George Orwell couldn't even dream of the things they have today- like some of the things you mentioned. It has always been the intenion of the "government" to create a state with total vision. It's just that now they have the technology to create such a state, and I wonder who they are really protecting ?
Their not protecting me or my family, so they must be protecting them selfs. Thats the only conculsion I can come to.
Is it to late for the 1977 revolution ?
Reply:In the very, very near future, Britain will be no more than a third world nation. However the same thing is in progress for the U.S.A.
Reply:No! I don't think so/ So so many minorities now living in Britain, and a lot of them from the Middle East, the Brits have got tot do something to protect themselves from internal terrorists.
Reply:With the number of terrorists on the rise. I'm in favor of all the cameras. Let's face it, Big Brother has been under attack since 9-11.
Had US and UK treated foreigners differently from their free citizens, they would not have this problem. The fact that terrorists go wherever they want is a true testament to how taking freedoms from us is a means of taking them away from them.
It's got to be done.
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