Is the U.K. in danger of becoming a police state?

[Chocolategirl1]

We have now been living with restrictions to our civil liberties for 6 months. The state now has the power to force us to dress in a certain way (face coverings), to restrict our right to family life (no more than 6 in social gatherings), to give up our personal details to retail establishments (contact details to restaurants/pubs), to give up our children’s right to a fair education (continued closures of schools following coronavirus cases), in some cases to give up our right to run a business or work (for example those businesses that can’t run properly due to social distancing etc), and now we have more police powers for enforcement of these rules and apparently “Covid Marshalls” to spy on people and control their behaviour. And there is no definite end point to any of this. None at all. There are vague “hopes” that the state will “try” to return to some kind of normal by a Christmas, but now that’s apparently dependent on regular mass testing - which in itself is a restriction on liberty. My worry is this: now that the state has realised it can control people in this way, will it give up those powers at all? Even if we get a vaccine, will the state actually give us back our freedom like it was before? And what if we never get a vaccine? People may say that all of this is justified by a virus (though a virus that has overall an extremely low fatality rate) but many governments throughout history have taken their citizens’ rights away permanently. How do we know our government won’t do the same?

No I am not concerned about the UK becoming anywhere near a police state. The govt. is trying to control the virus. That's not to say I think the govt is great, it's just that I don't believe that eg the requirement for face coverings is anything other than virus control/people pleasing. People shouted very loudly for masks to be compulsory like they were in Scotland. They become compulsory and then people say their liberties are being infringed. Although I didn't vote for the govt and don't like them, they don't seem to be able to win with this issue.

So what do you propose then? The R rate is increasing due to people ignoring the guidelines.

I'm no fan of this government, but when they introduced the guidelines they were just that not rules. People decided that the guidelines didn't apply to them and din't bother with social distancing.

If people just behaved sensibly we wouldn't need marshalls to tell us what to do.

Some of the posters on this thread are behaving like naughty children who have been told off by the teacher and are now throwing their toys out of the pram. What did you expect?

Yes, and freedom of speech just doesn’t exist particularly for some issues.

Also, Nazi Germany didn’t just happen overnight so we should all question this “new normal“.

Police state, my arse. Boris is not exactly Pinochet is he?

There have been some very questionable moves made by this government e.g.proroguing parliament, attempting to dismantle the Civil Service, dodgy use of big data.

And what gets people really cross? Some poor buggers being dragged out of retirement to stop drunk twats behaving like drunk twats.

I can’t say I disagree with you OP

I agree op. And the bovine acceptance of all of this by the vast majority of the population even now, when covid's real threat (none unless you're old or have multiple comorbidities) is known. If restrictions aren't lifted when hospitals are empty and deaths are through the floor they never will be.

When the Chinese introduced their tracking app I thought that was sinister and here we are....

This is not the beginnings of a police state. We're in the middle of a global pandemic. It is necessary for the government to put in sweeping measures to reduce the harm.

Don't forget that the government lifted a lot of the restrictions that were imposed earlier in the year, and other democratic countries has stricter rules.

The covid marshalls are not much different from local authority enforcement officers that already exist, that can issue fines for littering or drinking alcohol in prohibited areas.

There are plenty of laws already that restrict our everyday behaviour. Speed limits, wearing seatbelts, parking restrictions.

I'm more worried about this shit show of a government taking us out of the eu on a flimsy, flawed referendum.

No - what interest do the government really have in forcing people to wear masks, limiting group sizes (which has a negative impact on the economy) etc.

Government tried to relax things and now cases are rising dramatically, too many people are breaking the guidelines so they have little choice but it make them law temporarily.

I hate Boris and the govt is rubbish, but in answer to your question - no

Whatever I'm sure it will be all our fault.

Just wait a couple of years, the fun is only just starting.

Is the U.K. in danger of becoming a police state?

Yes

HTH

All these "rights" that you say are being eroded, do you have an equal number of socoal responsibilities?

The pandemic has created a "Golden opportunity" for the World Economic Forum to start The Great Reset. It's a plan to reset society in every way, more people will be working from home, on line education and a digital currency. It's presented as a climate emergency.

Every country is part of it. There has been no discussion with the public and no vote.

This is not a website created by a deranged conspiracy theorist from his bedroom.Its right there on the World Economic Forum.

Google The Great Reset. And the fourth industrial revolution. People need to be aware of this.

www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/theres-nothing-new-about-this-new-normal-heres-why/

www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/great-reset-launch-prince-charles-guterres-georgieva-burrow/

No

No,vI don't think Britain is turning into a police state.
If so many people hadn't behaved like total pricks all summer and exercised a little restraint, we wouldn't be in the position.
A significant number of the population has behaved like children, do now the govt has to do something drastic to get control of this virus.
If they did nothing and it spiralled completely out of control, everyone would be moaning then!

@Nikori many countries have had large fines for breaking rules re : covid

there were already laws about what we wear in public.
I loathe this government but I dont think this is about them wanting to control out liberty.

I didn't watch the speach but if covid marshalls are just being used in city centres to direct people and make sure people are keeping apart whats the problem , you have marshalls at football matches etc .
Out and about people aren't following the one way systems etc so if handled correctly and someone is there to point you right whats the issue
People are getting closer to others and are forgetting sd

Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.

@Leafyhouse

The Police state is other people, not government. People reporting each other to the authorities, filming people with disagreeable viewpoints and shaming them on social media. Car drivers have dash cams, cyclists have helmet cams. And don't get me started on smartphones. IMHO, government is the least of our worries.

... No that's "hell is other people"

A "police state" by definition is a dictatorship with the public kept under control by police and secret police

In italy a farmer was arrested for feeding his cows during the night after he tested positive. In spain a lady arrested for going surfing. I'd put that more as police state