Britain The Surveillance State: Good Lords Speak Out

The United Kingdom's upper house, 'The Lords' has issued a stark Warning over Britain becoming a 'surveillance state'. Their report indicated that the UK "leads the world" in CCTV cameras Electronic surveillance and collection of personal data are "pervasive" in British society and threaten to undermine democracy. The Lords constitution committee highlighted that the proliferation of CCTV cameras and the growth of the DNA database were just two examples of threats to privacy.

The report does not signal the first alarm bells to be sounded, civil liberties campaigners have continuous warned about the risks of a "surveillance society" in which the state acquires ever increasing powers. High profile public figures have also sounded the alarm, most recently the Information Commissioner and the former Director of Public Prosecutions.

The New Labour government warns that CCTV, DNA and other methods of data collection are essential tools in fighting crime and appear determined to ignore protests from all quarters despite ruling against them from the European Courts.

The House of Lords now appear to be joining a ever increasing chorus against what appears to be a New Labour agenda to trap the United Kingdom in an 'Orwellian' state, where every aspect of an individual's day is electronically monitored and tracked. The latest such measure being introduced at the start of March 2009 is the controversial government plans to create a database storing all details pertaining to an individuals phone calls and e-mails. 

The Lords constitution committee said growth in surveillance by both the state and the private sector risked threatening people's right to privacy, an essential pre-requisite to the exercise of individual freedom. "There can be no justification for this gradual but incessant creep towards every detail about us being recorded and pored over by the state," committee chairman and Tory peer Lord Goodlad said. 

With an estimated four million CCTV cameras in the UK the committee called for regulation, citing evidence of current abuses of surveillance powers and stated that the UK's DNA database is the "largest in the world with more than 7% of the population having their samples stored.

In light of the recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of two British men who had their DNA stored regardless of any conviction against them (a practice used by English and Northern Irish police forces), peers stated that Ministers should comply with this ruling quickly and legislate for a new regulatory framework for the DNA database. 

It is clear to most in Britain that with New Labour, came spin, a polite word to cover a abundance of sins such as distorting the truth, misrepresenting the truth, willfully misleading or bare face lying and that with New Labour came 'Do what I say not what I do' style of politics. It was after all New Labour that introduced the Human Rights Act in the UK and yet in the eyes of some commentators have spent ever year since working against it behind the scenes. Perhaps the Conservatives have hit the nail on the head in accusing this government's approach towards personal privacy as "reckless" and perhaps it time for us to do something about it while we still can. 

Last Updated: 8th October 2009