Fortress Britain: A Lesson for the World

On Wednesday, November 14 the British government unveiled what amounted to plans for a full-scale fortification of the UK. With the terrorist threat as their rationale, the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown will proceed to introduce a number of ramped up security measures based on the recommendations of their “terrorism minister” Alan West: build blast barriers at airports and train stations, strictly limit public vehicle access, isolate Islamic preachers considered to be extremist in orientation while neutralizing their message, employ Internet providers to stop the online distribution of extremist literature, ensure that extremist literature is not circulated in public libraries and on university campuses, advise thousands of movie theatres, shopping malls, hospitals and schools on how to protect against bomb attacks, introduce new baggage checks at rail terminals and airports, as well as plans for building new public buildings such as stadiums and concert arenas to reduce the impact of explosions and shrapnel. Combine this with the previously announced expansion of electronic surveillance to include cameras in police helmets and additions to the already vast network of public surveillance cameras on streets and in public buildings across the UK, Britain is certainly beginning to look like a society under siege.