Big Brother is Watching You!

Anyone living in Britain today who has not read George Orwell’s book, 1984, should hurry down to their local library and grab a copy before it is banned by the government. It will give them a chilling insight into their future. No, come to think of it, it will give them an even more chilling insight into their present.
The latest in a long line of cockamamie schemes introduced by the government is that of the talking CCTV camera.
This was accurately forecast by George in his book, written in the 1940’s. How we all laughed at the ludicrous account of the activities of Big Brother (no, auntie, not the TV programme) and how we all laughed, even harder, when 1984 came and went with barely a ripple on our privacy. He was further off with his dates than Nostradamus, we said.
But he was only out by fifty years or so, a mere sound bite in time.
I doubt that there is any nation in the world so accustomed to accepting, without demur, the intrusions of government into their personal lives.
If CCTV were the answer to crime, that would be different. But they can only record the incident, not prevent it. And I’m sure the thug, caught on camera, will respond favourably to a disembodied voice telling him to reconsider his action. It would be nice to know that the camera also has a microphone in order that the thug’s response can be recorded and passed along to Mr. Reid. I doubt that it will be "Sorry, I promise not to do it again."
And exactly what sort of instructions are going to be passed along to the public by way of this innovation? For years the railway companies have tried and failed to make any announcements over their public address system comprehensible. Or are the government going to introduce highly trained professionals, perhaps experienced BBC newsreaders who have been summarily dumped by the corporation, simply because they have passed their arbitrarily imposed sell-by date?
And who will be the personnel who have the power to oversee us as we step off the pavement in spite of the little red man being illuminated? Will our fellow pedestrians shun us as we are publicly chastised for this reprehensible action?
Fortunately, it seems that, for once, commonsense has prevailed and there will not be any cameras concealed in Baked Bean tins to catch the desperado abusing their wheely-bins.
One small step for man and and his freedom, I suppose.
But isn't it about time something more was done to curb this nannying?
How about a good old fashioned revolution.