Home » Posts tagged "1984" (Page 4)

Tag Archives: 1984

Some Costs of the Great War: Nationalizing Private Life


Following comments on the immediate astronomical human cost of the Great War: Yet this essay has to do less with numbers of ended lives than it has to do with altered lives, or rather, with changes in the status of the private life of the modern individual, the modern family, the modern community. This essay is about private property, about the autonomy of the individual, and the disastrous trend, accelerated by World War I, of the state claiming the right […]

Tags: , , , , ,

BBC NEWS | UK | Government plans travel database


The government is compiling a database to track and store the international travel records of millions of Britons. Computerised records of all 250 million journeys made by individuals in and out of the UK each year will be kept for up to 10 years. The government says the database is essential in the fight against crime, illegal immigration and terrorism. via BBC NEWS | UK | Government plans travel database.

Tags: , ,

House of Lords: rise of CCTV is threat to freedom


The steady expansion of the “surveillance society” risks undermining fundamental freedoms including the right to privacy, according to a House of Lords report published today. The peers say Britain has constructed one of the most extensive and technologically advanced surveillance systems in the world in the name of combating terrorism and crime and improving administrative efficiency. via House of Lords: rise of CCTV is threat to freedom | UK news | The Guardian. Also: The House of Lords report on […]

Tags: , ,

BBC NEWS | Health | Why we need more nannying


The term ‘nanny state’ is not normally used as a compliment. But public health expert Dr Alan Maryon Davis says we need more nannying, not less. via BBC NEWS | Health | Why we need more nannying.

Tags: , , , ,

“We’ll get ‘Shameless’ families out of bed and off to work in the morning”, says Blears | Mail Online


Wild interventionism: A crackdown on “Shameless” families could see state officials turning up at peoples homes to get them out of bed for work and make sure their children go to school. Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said the Government was prepared to take drastic steps to tackle a hardcore of workless neighbourhoods where no one has a proper job. via We’ll get “Shameless” families out of bed and off to work in the morning, says Blears | Mail Online. Which […]

Tags: , , , ,

Police set to step up hacking of home PCs – Times Online


Via Police set to step up hacking of home PCs – Times Online – digg story: THE Home Office has quietly adopted a new plan to allow police across Britain routinely to hack into people’s personal computers without a warrant. The move, which follows a decision by the European Union’s council of ministers in Brussels, has angered civil liberties groups and opposition MPs. They described it as a sinister extension of the surveillance state which drives “a coach and horses” […]

Tags: , , ,

Driving and personal responsibility


Two road safety initiatives struck me today: Drivers will have to declare every 10 years whether they are medically able to get behind the wheel, according to proposals to be set out early in the new year. via Drivers to have 10-year health checks under driver licence reforms and: Automatic speed control devices should be installed in cars to force motorists to stick to speed limits, an influential pressure group recommended today. via ‘Speed control’ devices should be installed in […]

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Back to the drawing board for road pricing


It looks as if it is time to pronounce the last rites for pay as you drive charging. Good. We are already taxed according to the efficiency of our cars and the distance we drive them through fuel duty. Thankfully, we may now escape being tracked wherever we go. read more | digg story Update: But it appears New Labour have little interest in what people want: The crushing rejection of a congestion charging scheme by voters in Manchester has […]

Tags: , , , , ,

Presumed consent ‘not ruled out’


From the BBC: Gordon Brown is not ruling out a change in the law on organ donation even though a panel of experts has rejected the idea of “presumed consent”. The UK Organ Donation Taskforce said assuming organs could be used unless people opted out was unlikely to boost donation rates. From the Daily Mail: Joyce Robins, co-director of Patient Concern, said: ‘This should be welcomed by anyone who cares about patient choice. It is ridiculous to talk about “donation” […]

Tags: , ,

Compelling roadside cafes to offer a healthy choice


From the Telegraph: Roadside ‘greasy spoon’ vans will be forced to close unless they offer healthy alternatives like salads and low fat yogurts. The snack vans, often found in busy lay-bys, must also limit the amount of mayonnaise served – because it has been branded a “very high fat product”. Environmental health officers in Guildford, Surrey, will inspect menus during routine hygiene checks. And traders who fail to meet the strict new standards, will be refused a street trader’s licence […]

Tags: , , , ,

← Older posts Newer posts →