Do you think Britain is becoming, or possibly is now, a police state?

Answer 1

You are on one of my bugbears!
I actually looked this up to be sure I wasn't wrong, and I wasn't.
"Police state = a totalitarian state controlled by a political police force that secretly supervises the citizens' activities".
By that deffinition we are already a long way down the road that leads to a total police state.
CCTV cameras secretly supervise most UK citizens 300+ times per day.
The proposed ID card will enable thousands of workers in the police, health services, social security, local government, central government, the military, education (including colleges and universities), uncle Tom Cobbly and all, to have access to 50 (at the moment, but with the capability of extending the databases) VERY personal bits of information about each one of us. Once into that database, and we have NO degree of security of our personal information from any one individual or group that decides to misuse it.
RFID chips implanted in passports, the ID card, even the bunch of flowers I bought my aunt at Tesco, enable tracing of our movements.
Mobile 'phones already enable any individual not only to be traced, but, with the use of simple computer programming readily available, and used by the government, to have their non-phone conversations, as well as their telephonic ones, to be listened to.
Tracking of cars is alraedy being carried out with registration plate recognition systems.
The list really does go on and on and on and on and on.
We are watched, listened to, tracked, spending habits recorded, spied on 24/7.
Who watches the watchers? Why, they watch themselves, with no inconvenient accountability.
We are allowing ourselves to be sleep-walked into a truly totalitarian police state because, as is so often said in this forum "if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear". This attitude may well be not very unreasonable at the moment, and with a relatively benign government, but, and it is a really HUGE "but", we are allowing the introduction of ever more intrusive surveillance, supervision and control with each day that passes.
Freedoms hard fought for and hard kept are being eroded daily, and little or nothing is said to prevent it.
No, we do not YET live in a police state, but we will. We will, and in my lifetime, due to the complacency, comfort, laziness and lack of foresight of the majority of the population, who are unwilling, or unable, to take a long, hard and critical look at what is happening around them.

Answer 2

The police has been undermined by bureaucracy and red tape. The original role of the police was to prevent crime and they was a bobby on the beat who knew those on his patch and was effective at limiting crime . But then came the late sixties and the local forces disappeared and later PC with new offences of thought crime and the removal of discipline of the young in home and schools . We now live in a country that yobs have more rights than the peace loving majority . So in this climate of fear the state has given itself more powers a bit like what happened in Nazi Germany are lives are monitored and they are hungry for more with ID cards . More human rights legislation is not the answer as is not a written constitution that way the state is are master not are servant telling us what are freedoms are but under the British Magna Carta and in the boundaries of the English common law we are already free as long as we don't break recognised laws.

Answer 3

that i do and with people saying stuff like we have got it easy compared to say russia or china really do need to look at what is going on around them,the uk is the most watched country in the world,but we are all to busy trying to get one up on the jones to notice or care,the country is being ran by a group of right wing scotish facist,that is why the goverment is called new labour and not labour,they have done nothing to help the poorer people in this country yes we get child tax credits but more taxes else where,and with all of this terrorist crap i mean who are the real terrorist,the biggest march this country has ever seen was to not go to war in iraq which is also an illegal war but the goverment still went in we as a people know that it is wrong but that does not matter,yes we do have free speech but do they ever listen?of course not,the best thing we can do is love each other and everyone else in the world if we all say no to there wars and evil doings they will be defeated and by they i mean the others because they cant be human humans have a conscience.

Answer 4

No - Britain is not a police state. If you had lived in one, or even visited one, the difference between the current political setup in Britain and a police state, for example - the old East Germany, is self evident.

As for Britain becoming a police state - that is only likely if a totalitarian group like the British National Party inveigle their way into power.

Answer 5

Such a question can only be asked in an open society by someone who has never experienced a police state. Many Russian friends of mine who spent most of their lives under the Soviet system tell me that we don't know how lucky we are to live in such a free and open society.
Try asking such a question in a real police state. Firstly the question would not be published, secondly the asker would spend the rest of a short life in a slave labour camp

Answer 6

Feels that way, number of CCTV cameras, reported this week police are using massive amounts of Oystercard users travel data.
You carry a mobile and who you are and where you've been is recorded, and with the introduction of RFID tags on purchases that will allow you to to be tracked once you leave the shop, yep we're becoming a police state. Can't remember who said it but I agree, "Those who give up a little freedom for a little more security deserve to loose both"!

Answer 7

Perhaps more people should look up the meaning of 'Police State' it has very little to do with normal policing. If 'yoyoyo' believes all the tripe he wrote about Americans inventing electricity,cars etc I fear for the American educational system

Answer 8

Have you seen the movie V for Vendetta ... Britain is slowy but surely becoming Moscow State. And if Scrooge Brown gets Power -- God help us !

Answer 9

The police are a rare sight around here, this is more like a Nanny State

Answer 10

Yes, it definitely is. Though it may not be a bad thing, I respect the police and think they have a very dangerous and difficult job. Some of them can be proper B's and take advantage of their professional position, but thankfully they are in the small minority.