Big brother arrives as UK plans X-Ray cameras in streets.

The Government is considering installing X-ray cameras on lampposts to spot armed terrorists and other criminals.

According to a leaked memo seen by The Sun, "detection of weapons and explosives will become easier" if the scheme drawn up by Home Office officials is adopted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6378084,00.html

Link to BBC image of such a picture

"Privacy is an issue because the machines see through clothing." --guardian.co.uk

Links
You can also read more at locknome but be warned at least one advertiser is randomly redirecting users to other sites. lockergnome.com Link if you want it.
FixTheLaw.co.uk page on the subject
The Prime Minister would like to know what you have in your pants.

Summary
Despite all this coverage there is little new factual information on the subject. I have it on good authority that Keztral clothes have a preliminary anti-x-ray coat and a range of other security enhancing items.

The best next action to take if you live in the UK is to write to your MP and express outrage. This will tell your MP that voting against the cameras is a seat winner.

If you live else where write to the nearest brish embassy and write to your reprisentitive and ask them to object to the UK on moral grounds.

This will make it very hard for this big brother style camera to see active use. If it makes it to active use then the only action left will be playing silly buggers in the EU courts. Good luck pushing anything through there in under five years.

Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill and the Germans...

The "Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill" bares an uncanny resemblance to another bill passed prior to World War 2.

The Enabling Act (Ermächtigungsgesetz in German) was passed by Germany's parliament (the Reichstag) on March 23, 1933. It was the second major step after the Reichstag Fire Decree through which the Nazis obtained dictatorial powers using largely legal means. The Act enabled Chancellor Adolf Hitler and his cabinet to enact laws without the participation of the Reichstag.

-- Enabling Act, wikipedia

Having written to Mr R. Gale (my MP) I have gotten a reply. I asked him for his views on the subject but instead I got copies of the current paperwork on the topic.

I shall have to assume that this means that he is calling a safety and not voicing an opinion.

"...you will note that Her Majesty's opposition - which of course I am a member - made stringent efforts to oppose the offensive sections of the Bill but the government has of course used its majority to force many measures through..."
Roger Gale MP

He claims that the Labour party used it's majority to force the issue. This "majority" is so slight that they require the support of the Conservative party to be sure to get a bill through (especially if the "back benchers" revolt).

So what's going on here? Have Labour suddenly found power that commentary has over looked or are the big three secretly in favour of this bill?

Mr Gale voted against the Bill during it's third reading on 16 May 2006 (He also voted against ID cards on 16 & 21 Mar 2006).

I doubt, then, that this issue of what is happening on a party political scale reflects directly on Mr Gale but it gives me cause to worry nonetheless.

Catch up on the issues here and here. This article contains substansive text taken from another article by the same author found here.