Big Brother CCTV cameras are to be fitted inside shops and supermarkets on the orders of the state to keep track on anybody buying alcohol.
A law is being quietly pushed through Parliament giving councils the power to order licensed premises to fit the surveillance cameras. Pubs will also be covered.
The footage of people innocently buying a bottle of wine in a shop or a pint of beer in a bar must be stored for at least 60 days, and be handed over to the police on demand.
Critics say it will mean that citizens will now be tracked everywhere they go. The UK already has more than four million closed-circuit TV cameras covering the streets – the largest number in the world.
I wonder what's wrong with the British people that they let it get this bad? Some of it had to do with the IRA terror campaign, where people willing gave up some freedom to make it safer. Unfortunately, with the threat now gone, the cameras stay and are further expanded to monitor your law abiding life.
Just a note too, we all use plastic, and that too allows your life to be monitored. A friend of mine went to get a mortgage at her bank, and during the process they let her know disapprovingly of all the liquor store purchases that showed up on her debit card.
INCREDIBLE!!~!!
ReplyDeleteEven in Nazi Germany you could at least purchase beer without government interference. I have also heard that in England you have to have a government license to watch TV. I bet the people at MADD think videoing all beer purchases, is a great idea. Big Brother, we love you, you make our life so much better.
ReplyDeleteYou do have to get a tv liscense in the UK. It cost 80 pounds per year when I was there. You get four channels for that. They have radar trucks that cruise, and if they pick up a tv signal from your house, and see you don't have a license, they come to your door. If they verify that you do have a tv and aren't paying you get fined. They came to my house once, I wasn't paying. I told the guy to come back with a warrant if he wanted in. We were harrassed a few more times, but they couldn't do anything if you don't let them in.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable! England has a TV license police force. How about doing a story on this one. I would like to hear more. This sounds more like North Korea then merry old England. How do people put up with that sort of nonsense? Do the guys in the radar trucks wear a Swastika on their uniform?
ReplyDeleteHaha! Out of the North Americans I met over there, everybody was shocked over the tv license. (That an how inefficiant their banks are.)The radar trucks are a reality. The Brits tend to pay it. Often the landlord will offer to pay it as an incentive to rent.
ReplyDeletePretty much all of the money goes to the BBC. That's why they have bureau offices in places like Ecuador, or Bhutan, they can afford to be all over the world.
Well I guess our beloved CBC gets a billion dollars every year, so I guess things are not that different. In Toronto, CTV and Global are located out in the cheaper suburbs. The CBC is located on prime down town Toronto real estate. You might as well get the best, if someone else is going to pay.
ReplyDeleteBTY, In Germany you have to have a license to play golf. The cost is around $3,500. You must take golfing lessons, pass a written test, and play a round of golf (similar to a driving test)with an instructor. I was stunned when I heard the story.