A little background by way of introduction :

Earlier this year the government was running an advert for the anti-terrorist hotline asking people to report ‘suspicious activity’ to the police :
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As Prison Planet writes, this was more to do with encouraging a stasi-informer attitude in the general population than preventing attacks :

A new government commercial currently running on one of Britain’s most popular radio stations is selling one thing – fear – by encouraging Londoners to report their neighbors as terrorists if they use cash, enjoy their privacy, or even close their curtains.

The advertisement, produced in conjunction with national radio outlet TallkSport, promotes the “anti-terrorist hotline” and encourages people to report individuals who don’t talk to their neighbors much, people who like to keep themselves to themselves, people who close their curtains, and people who don’t use credit cards.

“This may mean nothing, but together it could all add up to you having suspicions,” states the voice on the ad, before continuing “We all have a role to play in combating terrorism” (we’re all indentured stasi informants for the government).

“If you see anything suspicious, call the confidential anti-terrorist hotline….if you suspect it, report it,” concludes the commercial.

…

That’s right, if you are trying to stay out of debt by not having a credit card, you’re obviously a prime candidate to be a suicide bomber.

If you’re watching television or using a computer monitor and want to keep the sun off the screen by closing your curtains, you’re probably operating at the behest of Osama bin Laden.

If you’d rather not let the entire neighborhood know your business then you could be planning to hijack planes and crash them into buildings.

Of course, the sheer lunacy of this commercial on the face of it doesn’t need to be explained in any depth. What’s infinitely more disturbing is the deeper message the government is trying to force upon the public – that everyone has a responsibility to act as a citizen spy, a Stasi informant working for the state, and that everyone is under constant suspicion no matter how apparently benign their behavior.

This has nothing to do with catching non-existent terrorists and everything to do with creating the perception that anyone who attempts to live their life even marginally outside of the system, by not having a credit card for example, is a potential danger to the rest of the sheep who have chosen to remain firmly inside the confines of the pen.

This is about getting the other inmates to police any other prisoner who dares to step outside the boundary of the cell.

I mention that to demonstrate the stasi in action in the following Telegraph article I spotted today (emphasis mine) :

Police knew that Stephen Griffiths, the Crossbow Cannibal, was dangerous but were powerless to act, it has been revealed.

Griffiths was being watched two years before he killed his victims, and a haul of hunting knives and a crossbow had already been seized by police.

Managers of the flats where he lived had been alerted by a WPC after librarians reported Griffiths was reading books about human dismemberment.

Housing staff insisted no females went alone to speak with Griffiths after neighbours had reported threats and sinister behaviour towards women.

The association even kitted up the male caretaker with a panic alarm as they were so concerned by Griffiths’ behaviour.

Griffiths had formed “platonic” relationships with at least two women residents in the block who had at first described him as polite and friendly.

Yes you read that right – librarians had reported the guy for his choice of reading material. Librarians ffs – it’s always the quiet ones.

The police then go around warning people about the person based purely on his choice of reading material.

Nice to know that reading and thinking have become a suspicious activity in the UK isn’t it?

So, even though they have been kicked out on their arse 6 months ago, Labour’s legacy lives on – informers around every corner and fear of being considered a suspect because you don’t confirm to the state sanctioned norm.

Just watch what you decide to borrow from the local library next time or your readings may be reported to the police by the state informant behind the desk.