Britain To Put CCTV Cameras Inside Private Homes

By Charlie Sorrel from wired news

As an ex-Brit, I’m well aware of the authorities’ love of surveillance and snooping, but even I, a pessimistic cynic, am amazed by the governments latest plan: to install Orwell’s telescreens in 20,000 homes.

£400 million ($668 million) will be spent on installing and monitoring CCTV cameras in the homes of private citizens. Why? To make sure the kids are doing their homework, going to bed early and eating their vegetables. The scheme has, astonishingly, already been running in 2,000 family homes. The government’s “children s secretary” Ed Balls is behind the plan, which is aimed at problem, antisocial families. The idea is that, if a child has a more stable home life, he or she will be less likely to stray into crime and drugs.

It gets worse. The government is also maintaining a private army, incredibly not called “Thought Police”, which will “be sent round to carry out home checks,” according to the Sunday Express. And in a scheme which firmly cements the nation’s reputation as a “nanny state”, the kids and their families will be forced to sign “behavior contracts” which will “set out parents’ duties to ensure children behave and do their homework.”

Holy crap! I still want to believe this has to be a joke, right? I mean to start, what government in it's right mind would assign a critter named "Ed Balls" to manage the well being of children?

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Comment by Fred Black on August 5, 2009 at 10:58pm: I don't think the families consider allowing it Tara, I suspect they lose their welfare payments if they try to refuse. In Australia now, so called "negligent parents" receiving welfare are given an "access card" and what they spend their payment on is controlled by government.

It starts with government infringing the privacy of minority groups that the greater community doesn't object to, they even support it. But then it will creep into the rest of the population under some other false pretense. This Australian access card currently saving children from neglect, is in effect the National ID card that was planned to be rolled out for all Australians a couple of years ago, but was rejected after the new government was elected on a promise to scrap it.

It was to be used for all health care administration of the population and be linked between all government databases under the pretense of combating terrorism and tax fraud. It's not the first time the card has been killed by public opposition, the "Australia Card" was first legislated and later defeated in parliament here back in 1985.

PS - It is hard to imagine anything more obtrusive than government CCTV monitoring in your own home right? Well apparently my imagination is not what it used to be - We're watching you: cameras monitor school toilets

Comment by Marklar on August 5, 2009 at 1:03pm: Cool. I can probably make a mounting bracket for the inside of my toilet from a couple of coat hangers and never have to pay for a prostate exam again. Bwahahahaha, surveil this you chump punk po ho mofo beeyatches.

Comment by Tara on August 5, 2009 at 11:02am: This is utter nonsense and lunacy for these families to even consider allowing these cameras into their homes! I can't believe they found 2000 families to sign up for this already!

The scary part of this is, that what happens in Britian eventually makes it to the shores of the U.S. I don't know about anybody else but I will never allow this craziness into my home and I know where they can stick their cameras....up their freaking arses!