UK police goes DDR

Speaking of eerie remnants of the DDR, the UK police seem hellbent on creating an informer society based on the same principles: If you believe your neighbours are behaving in a non-comforming way, report it to the police. Combined with the CCTV insanity going in there we've got pretty much a modern day DDR. A country where surveillance and informants make everyone a suspect:

The ad was part of a campaign for a police anti-terrorist hotline. It described a man who "likes to keep himself to himself", doesn't have a bank card and keeps his curtains closed, before advising that "this may mean nothing, but together it could all add up to you having suspicions".

You'd better not be a loner who doesn't like his neighbours peeking through the windows. If, in addition, you usually rely on cash rather than credit card, you're a potential terrorist.

This is the United Kingdom. This is 2010. For fucks sake.

Poor British bastards

Apparently the Brits will be getting "their own Reinfeldt" according to Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt himself.

What have those poor bastards done to deserve even more surveillance and oppression?

Who cares about consumer rights?

Swedish minister of infrastructure, Åsa Torstensson (Centerpartiet) expresses surprise and disappointment in that Vänsterpartiet-politician Eva-Britt Svensson says she is willing to knock down the EU telecoms package altogether if the Council (or "The Evil Empire", if you want) insist on throwing basic human rights out the window by adopting the completely bizarre amendment 138 that would allow oppressive regimes such as the UK and France to punish people without a fair trial.

Torstensson:

– Det är beklagansvärt. Parlamentet har varit för de flesta delar av telekompaketet och bejakat att det är bra för konkurrensen och konsumenterna. Jag är överraskad att hon uttrycker att hon vill att det ska falla, säger hon till SvD.se.

Now, excuse me Mrs. Minister of Infrastructure, but who the hell cares about competition or consumer rights when basic human rights are at stake here? Would you amputate your foot because it was itching a bit? Are you really that dumb, Torstensson, or do you just think your voters are?