England puts CCTVs in the homes of lousy parents
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted August 4th 2009 6:52PM
posted August 4th 2009 6:52PM
We love England, especially the way they use all these adorable names for things: "lorry," for truck, or "loo" for bathroom, or "sin bin" for an Orwellian program whereby "problem families" (currently numbering 2,000, but someday as many as 20,000) are placed under 24/7 CCTV surveillance in their own homes. Chris Grayling, something called the "Shadow Home Secretary," puts it thusly: "This Government has been in power for more than a decade during which time anti-social behavior, family breakdown and problems like alcohol abuse and truancy have just got worse and worse." Meaning, of course, that cameras must be moved from the streets of England into people's homes, where they'll be used to make sure that kids go to school, go to bed at a decent hour, and eat proper meals. If only they'd had programs like this when we were kids -- maybe things would have turned out differently.
As a pediatrician I say GOOD! but it'll never happen in the US as we're more concerned with the rights of bad parents than the lives of kids.
You know what they say… not everyone can get a driver's license, but any idiot can go and have a kid.
Pregnancy licenses are a more viable solution than this
what?
you must be kidding, where and when was any good RCT data published on this that would lead you to lend such a medical position. is there even retrospective evidence, or is it all just your personal experience?
what do you consider a bad parent?
because if the parent is "Bad" we take the kids away; but what would justify putting camera's in their house but leaving the kids with "bad" parents?
Since some pediatricians have been caught abusing kids would the next step be to put a camera in every doctors office? Please don't argue privacy since your position is to advocate complete lack of it. Even if you think that's appropriate (which in my opinion further exposes your radical perspective) where do you draw your line in the sand? Cameras at school? Church? Everywhere eventually? It's odd that people like yourself, that scream government needs to be in every inch of our lives, are the first to say we shouldn't invade a country that rapes and murders children as a practice.
I am in no way defending abusive parents, they are filth. That said, take the kids, rehab the parents, whatever. Putting a camera in a citizens home full time is nothing short of stunning.
I think it's safe to say...
"There is no England anymore"
As a pederass I say BAD!
I want to know where you practice medicine so I can steer clear of you and your practice. You clearly have poor judgement and I can only imagine the crumby care my children would get from a whack-job, such as yourself.
@ITRec "the first to say we shouldn't invade a country that rapes and murders children as a practice."
You were saying some good stuff then out pops this little number. Pray tell which country is that?
I've read a 2002 Child Sexual Exploitation report on the USA. It turns out that it is common practice near US army bases (in the USA itself) for families to sell sexual access to their children to the local soldiers for money and gifts. Trafficking of children is also very popular in America with lots of solid documentation on children kept in cages, let out for factory work, prostitution and used as house gimps. Another well loved American strategy is tricking teenagers to come over, stealing their passports, drugging then filming them having sex with dogs, then telling them they will show their parents and forcing them into prostitution, using the dog as a punishment if they don't make enough money. The report is probably at your local library if you are in the USA.
Yeah, like I would want that mob invading and liberating the poor and oppressed.. Seems like they know exactly what to do with the poor and oppressed, rape and oppress them.
Obviously this is not all Americans, AS IT IS NOT "THE PRACTICE" IN ANY OTHER FREAKING COUNTRY YOU (@&#^$(&#@*^
Apologies to the forum for the graphic content
@DT
People like YOU that invision massive government intrustion and control of personal lives are far more of a problem than some idiots raising kids that should have never been parents. The far better solution is better education and services in the areas of family planning, contraception, etc.
Not to mention I think it is time we created a economic incentive to have fewer children. Instead of a tax credit, you should get a tax penalty for each child. And government subsidized (voluntary of course) contraception and sterilizations should be encouraged.
@ Cy Starkman, where did you read this? Where is the reference or the report you refer to? Unless you show us some credible information then who's to say you're not some US Military hating person out there. What you say there is some of the dumbest shit I've read in Engadget comments in quite some time, if not ever!
Cy, I can't tell if you're trolling or just European.
As for being European, Asian or whatever...
It doesn't matter what I am, cause all countries have people wanting to mess with other people, it isn't so much an "attack the USA" comment, rather a take down on the attitude from ITRec that there is some right to invade other "countries" because they have "practices", yeah well which country...
Where's the requests for evidence and reports pointing to ITRec's alleged country of rapists and the brainless nationalism postulated within the comment.
Troll.... LOL
no u
Why not simply offer people cash for tubal ligations and vasectomies?
I think this sorta plan would appeal to the Zeropop folks. They could do it privately - no gov needed.
@Cy
That is very eye opening. I knew there was child trafficking in the US, but it didnt know to what extent.
On a side note, LOL at the authors last names. Estes and Weiner. One "T" shy of the best writing duo ever :-P. Yes I know I am acting like I am 10
"We love England, especially the way they use all these adorable names for things"
Yes, it's called the English language...
You're a numbskull.
CCTV is harmless. Its not Big Brother. Its just the government looking out for us!
Big Brother is when the government snoops on your e-mail and phonecalls...
I hope the sarcasm is thick enough for you, engadget readership. :)
I'm not sure whether to cheer or shudder in disgust.
Either way, this'll be a fun fight to watch.
The disgust one.
Ha Ha! Just great! Now people will think twice about having kids they can't take care of!
You're kidding, right? When people f*ck they actually think about consequences? Since when?
I don't think the opinion of a 13 year old counts this issue is beyond your comprehension.
broli has never really f*cked. I lose my mother f*cking mind playa!
The neds this will apply to are so fertile they get pregnant from rubbing against each other in chip-shops. Better just to sterilise the lot of them - maybe put contraceptives in the buckfast and white-lightening?
Ed Balls himself has said this isn't true. http://twitter.com/edballsmp/status/3124025586
I too get all my reputable news from people named Balls.
These days, I'm taking such statements as seriously as Walter Ulbrichts's - then leader of East Germany - statement on June 1961.
Which statement you mean?
"Nobody intends to build a wall."
That Ed Balls sure looks like Alec Baldwin in the tiny pic.
I can not take twitter as authoritative, even if there is evidence it was the actual person in question, is there? Does his party's site have a link to that twitter? Because an account having the name of someone is no proof at all obviously, but even if there is confirmation that the person you think it is is the one on twitter you still can't take anything said on it as authoritative, they can always twist things, say that they meant it in a certain context and such trickery, I've seen politicians on TV say something then less than 30 seconds later deny they said it and when confronted with that everybody heard it and it's on tape to still argue it was misunderstood and should be taken in some context and trickery like that.
They are a slippery lot.
I agree, this is total bollocks.
One Nation Under CCTV.
You just don't care when you live with it :p
One nation under a witty slogan painted on a wall.
I'm hearing this story is BS. Do you guys have any more sources than just the Daily Express article?
I really hope it's BS. I really can't imagine something like this really happening, but if it did I wouldn't be surprised if it was the UK.
It appears to be at least a little sensational and at worst completely inaccurate as far as I can see.
I also don't know why they can't provide some kind of referencing to the original sources on this?
Maybe it's because on reading them the reporting would seem totally out of keeping with the tone of the original announcement - http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0138 - or the details of what is involved in family intervention projects - http://www.respect.gov.uk/members/article.aspx?id=8678
I posed the same question to the Twitter world, send opinions to @ncollard (shameless plug)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5888162/Worst-families-in-Britain-will-be-put-in-sin-bins.html
What the hell would the shadow home secretary have ti say about this? Jesus engadget, heard of google?
Anyone hear Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture playing?
What is this, V for Vendetta?
Anyone hear the clock striking 13?
What is this, 1984?
If only it were a cold, bright day in April.
April 1st, to be exact.
Not true.
A Shadow Home Secretary in US terms: think a Senate committee leader, with policy-making roles as well, but from the minority party, put there by his own party to poke holes in the home secretary's plans. The Home Office is roughly analogous to the Department of State in the US. A shame that on this one, they agree on the Orwellian approach- when I say "Senate committee leader", it misses the aspect that the Home Secretary can basically do what he likes, since dissent is basically impossible in the UK system.
I'm not sure your analogy is correct. If the Home Secretary were analogous to the US Department of State that would make it responsible for Britain's relations with foreign governments. And the US equivalent of your Home Secretary would be Hillary Clinton.
The British Home Office is more akin to the US Justice Department, and the equivalent head would be the Attorney General.
the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw is the head of the Justice Ministry so the Home Office is more like whoever deals with domestic affairs in the US.
The word 'shadow' in the UK denotes that the person is part of the opposition monitoring what his counterpart with the actual power is doing, if they had it in the US mccain might be the 'shadow president' right now.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_minister
According to Wikipedia, the UK Home Office is most similar to the US Department of Homeland Security, with some of the responsibilities of the Justice Department.
I also suspect that many of the things the Home Office deals with are dealt with at the state rather than federal level in the US.