Big Brother (and not the sodding 'TV show')

You don't have to go far over here to find people vehemently opposed to the proposed ID Card scheme that Tony Blair is pushing. All the usual suspects are rushing out with their rather insipid civil liberties arguments. "Big brother", "state control" is the earnest battle cry - as soon as there is enough publicity on offer to warrant the vocal investment. This is not much of a story in of itself really.

But for the record - indifference would sum up my position to the whole scheme. I don't mind being able to prove who I am, anyone that does might like to ask themselves 'why?’ However, a return to the WWII style demanding of 'papers' doesn't hold much appeal. For me, more than anything else, if it is going to be bureaucratic poster child for administrative dissipation - then I'm not so keen! All that is by the by.

An article in the Metro got me thinking recently. I think the people busy objecting to ID Cards have completely overlooked something, and that something is looking at directly at them! Forget ID Cards, if your afraid of Big Brother in London, then CCTV is what you should have in your sights! Honestly, chances are that you are starring in an unscripted, Truman Show like, civic stage half the time you are outdoors.

On a bus? Smile and look up! In a gas station? Don't worry about your best side, 'they've' got them all covered! Walking down the street? Gotcha! Reading quietly in the library? You're still on stage - just kinda miming. It's unreal - the amount of footage the retrieved from the July 7 bombers demonstrated 2 things rather starkly - why CCTV exists, and how incredibly (alarmingly) comprehensive it is.

So, if you're at the local dairy buying a bottle of detergent having just killed your girlfriend - apart from being a vile, irredeemable fragment of a man, you are also about to get your comeuppance. Courtesy of a three week old tape in a corner store. And good bloody job too. This prick had denied the murder and then gone on telly appealing for his girlfriends return (how people can bring themselves to do that - I can not comprehend). Then this,

The truth was that three days earlier he had killed her. And over the next few days his story began to unravel as police searched the house he shared with Miss Nelson in Hotham Road North, Hull.

He had been caught on CCTV at his corner shop buying bin bags and cleaning products the day before he reported his girlfriend missing.

CCTV picture of Paul Dyson in shop
On Sunday 13 February Dyson bought bin bags in his local shop

The police arrested Dyson, aged 30, and after two days he confessed to killing her. On Monday he pleaded guilty in court to her murder.

That to me is a fairly solid case for CCTV's existance, but my question to the ID Card protesters is - what disturbs you more; a card in your pocket? Or 'The Bill' being able to see which pocket you are keeping it in?