Apparently the Australians share our idiotic paranoia about hobby photographers whose real purpose, it seems, is the conducting of terrorist surveillance.
Politicians engage in the cynical manipulation of the fear of crime and terrorism to further their own political and civil control agendas. they create fear where none should exist and incite terrorism to generate a problem that they then offer to solve: but only if we accept the necessary limitations on our freedom to cure the problem.
And in the meantime the congenital imbeciles comprising 99% of the police/civil service/jobsworths follow along blindly; imagining terrors inhabiting the shadows, or wielding SLRs. And the public has their civic life curtailed for fear of arrest.
It’s all bollocks.
The fear of terrorism is a remarkably effective method of control of society; much cheaper and more effective than putting tranquilizers in the drinking water. Depression and anxiety, the psychological products of fear, are now at record levels, so the population is in any event self medicating.
A mature capitalist economy thrives on discontent; if you already have a functioning car why buy another if not to impress the neighbours or make yourself feel better? And if we believe that the streets are full of violent criminals maybe we should stay home, watch some more advertisments and buy stuff we don’t need on the net…
I worry that we are sliding towards an Orwellian future.
White dot, the campaign against television, gives information on their site http://www.whitedot.org about a interactive Spy TV that records your viewing habits. Our internet usage can of course already be monitored.