Two supposedly independent articles

[Suff]

One is nothing more than a justification piece for the authorities who "rode to the rescue of a child in danger".

The other talks of a family who disagreed with the NHS cancer treatment regime and took their child somewhere else where they could look for second opinions and, now, will never return to the UK if they have an option.

Such is the state of the press in the UK today. Note that the second article was not a UK press article.

Let's face it. Every time that a parent is overruled by the courts and a hospital wins, the precedent is set more firmly. For anyone who is in any doubt as to where this leads, they should watch the film "First do no harm".

We are living in a state which sees nothing wrong with moving further and further to a police state.

If you had told me, in the 1970's that my every action on a London street would be recorded on video and kept, that more than 1 million cctv cameras would be in London alone, that it would be possible to log into a tracking system and view where a car was driving everywhere in the UK, simply by numberplate; I would have laughed at you and said you were crazy. That we did not live in a communist state.

More fool me.

[cromwell]

[
We are living in a state which sees nothing wrong with moving further and further to a police state.

I absolutely agree.
The TV news this morning was saying that Ashya's parents had been "given permission" by the High Court to go to the Czech Republic for Proton beam treatment. Well, that's very nice of them, isn't it?

The worst thing about this growing state authoritarianism is that no one seems to care about it.

[pederito1]

"First do no harm" is a very good film but is of course set in America form where many bad actions are becoming normal here and increasing governance as well as from Brussels. That adage from Hippocrates has long been important to me in all things as well as medical matters. Diet is very important in controlling certain illnesses, however I cannot entirely discount the possibility that the cure could have been spontaneous remission.

[Workingman]

The worst thing about this growing state authoritarianism is that no one seems to care about it.

I think that in some way this argues against that.

As a result the couple were arrested on an international arrest warrant on suspicion of child cruelty and faced extradition proceedings until the British Prime Minister stepped in and a public backlash saw the charges dropped.

It was the media which drove the initial story with statements that he has been "abducted", which he wasn't. It provided us with the information that the family were Jehova's Witnesses, nothing more. Well, we all know that Jehova's Witnesses are weirdos who live in the 'dark ages', don't we? Then we were led to believe that Proton Beam therapy was some brand new Sci-Fi wacky treatment akin to high-tech homeopathy. The media was doing TPTB job for them. That would have done it as far as TPTB were concerned. It gave them the excuse for heavy-handed State machinations: making the child a ward of court and the issuing of Euro arrest warrant.

Unfortunately for them the people did care, and they came out in large numbers to let TPTB that they were not happy with how the family were being treated. It was public pressure (care) that forced the changes we see today. We might well be slow to anger, but no one on high should be thinking that they can act any way they want - they can only push us so far........

[Suff]

The problem as I see it is we are far too slow to anger. This is insidious and the press are the willing partners in the suppression of the will of the people.

By the time we're angry enough, it'll be illegal. Then, unless we come out in the millions and demonstrate, there will be no way of stopping it.

Sad as I am to say it, the only way that we can stop the course of our political elite is a general strike. For at least two weeks. No matter what the government says, no matter what they want, no power, no services, nothing, for two weeks, without relent. Announced 3 months in advance. Only after the two weeks would a list of "Demands" not requests, be addressed.

It's passive, the government can't force people to work. The Army can only provide minimum essential services. It would be hard, very hard on some. But a lesson must be learned and only the people can teach it.

Now I'll wake up and take a cup of coffee.

Honestly the people don't want to take that much effort. Worse, a growing minority of people, mainly young, think this is normal. Also you can't vote for this change, no party is offering it.

[Kaz]

We are living in a state which sees nothing wrong with moving further and further to a police state.

If you had told me, in the 1970's that my every action on a London street would be recorded on video and kept, that more than 1 million cctv cameras would be in London alone, that it would be possible to log into a tracking system and view where a car was driving everywhere in the UK, simply by numberplate; I would have laughed at you and said you were crazy. That we did not live in a communist state.

More fool me.

Same here Or that a school could fine you for taking your own child out of school for a holiday or family occasion, or that a doctor's surgery could just strike off elderly patients for being too 'needy'..........there is probably a long list if I sat and thought about it

[Suff]

there is probably a long list if I sat and thought about it

It probably needs to be written.

[Aggers]

Suff - It sounds as though you have been reading "1984".

[TheOstrich]

It is a police state these days - the ANPR system, for example, has suddenly mushroomed and I see these cameras everywhere I drive these days. You cannot get in or out of the Birmingham conurbation, or on or off any of our local motorways without being picked up.

As I've mentioned before, every bus round here has internal and external CCTV. And we even have a "trojan bus" that transmits its CCTV images direct to a plain-clothes police car travelling behind it, where those real-time images are displayed on a tablet. It's said to be the first in the country. Apparently face recognition technology is due to be trialled next .....

Of course, it's all for our own good and safety.

[Suff]

I was writing this last night when the site became unavailable. it should have been a new post.