there’s an american expats forum that i’m a member of. every so often we get people enquiring how about how they can move to the u.k., because they’re so disgusted with the direction america is taking, particularly with regard to civil liberties.

i have to laugh. if only they knew.

today as i was coming home on the train, the police had once again implemented random stop and search at clapham junction station. they do this every few weeks as far as i can tell – force everyone transferring between platforms to show their ticket, then pull aside “random” people to go through metal detectors, and prowl around with drug sniffer dogs. no surprise as well that the majority of the people being forced through the metal detectors are black. reasonable suspicion of, you know, having actually committed a *crime* not necessary, thanks to section 60. me? as a white female, i just sail on through.

oh, and here’s a little tidbit i discovered today. did you know that the audit commission routinely requires local councils to submit personal information about their constituents for “data matching” without individuals’ consent? the data protection act doesn’t apply to them, natch.

and now they’re requiring them to handover all council employees’ bank account details. yep, that would be *my* bank account details. because i might be committing fraud. (never mind that they’re still losing this info left and right.)

some days i really can’t believe i live here voluntarily.

radiohead – karma police

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