Information Chief Demands Reforms.

The information commissioner has warned that a "climate of fear" may be created unless he gets greater powers to counteract "excessive surveillance".

In this piece on BBC News, the current Information Commissioner, Mr Richard Thomas, actually starts to talk some sense, its about time and is long over due. For far to long the powers that be, have wanted our information, almost as if they wanted us cut and dried on a slab as an exhibit, in a some dusty old museum of our nations long gone freedoms.

I for one hope he can make improvements to a system of surveillance that the Nazis or KGB would be drooling over and doing their upmost to copy. This is more about one lone man fighting for everyones rights to privacy, maybe on this occassion it will take just one man, but I doubt the control he needs will be granted freely.

I believe they will only be granted if we learn to speak up against this pernicious creeping "need to know" government. If I am honest, I can see benefits from CCTV in town centres, as an aid to safety, lone women late at night etc, cash points, outside clubs and pubs looking for trouble etc. But I am against this all intrusive cameras everywhere, watching comings and goings.

Yet years ago we had no need of creeping surveillance, it seems that only since we followed the do gooders charter and allowed natural discipline to relax, that the thug element rose up to take the streets. There were problem pubs and clubs back in the 50's, but then the country could afford more policemen on the beat, kicking out time was monitored, violence was nipped in the bud.

Until we as part of this nation learn to take control of our kids discipline, we start to teach them FEAR, fear that there will be repercussions, there will be a reckoning, that they will be punished. Then we are on a hiding to nothing, we have lost and cannot reclaim our streets!