Government cameras in homes?-UK

[broberfett]

I read a story that they are going to put surveillance cameras in homes to monitor how bad parents treat their children. Supposedly "responsible" parents report on "bad" parents and then social service workers come and put in the big brother cams to make sure that the kids are put to bed on time and that sort of thing. They also want to add 20,000 more homes to the list of 2,000. If you want to vote for the opposing party you have no luck there because the conservatives think the program doesn't go far enough. Has anyone heard of this? The article is right above the responses-Family Sin Bins or something like that.
http://www.express.co.uk/comments/viewall/115736

 

[miraclefan]

I read a story that they are going to put surveillance cameras in homes to monitor how bad parents treat their children. Supposedly "responsible" parents report on "bad" parents and then social service workers come and put in the big brother cams to make sure that the kids are put to bed on time and that sort of thing. They also want to add 20,000 more homes to the list of 2,000. If you want to vote for the opposing party you have no luck there because the conservatives think the program doesn't go far enough. Has anyone heard of this? When I tried to look up the original link all I got was the comment page(people's responses to the story). Searches of Big Brother on the site brought up the tv show and Brave New World brought up nothing. "Family intervention" from the story also produced nothing.

Are you sure it's the ''Conservatives'' pushing this?

 

[RJDiogenes]

I'm guessing this one's a fake.

 

[Geckothan]

I'm not the least bit surprised. It might be a bit of a cliché thing to say, but it's almost like they're using 1984 as a guide on how to run a country.

 

[miraclefan]

I'm guessing this one's a fake.

So is this fake or what?

 

[cultcross]

I smell bullshit, myself. Particularly the Express connection, they are known for their overblown reporting and quite fictional approach to discussing the government.

This is the original article, btw: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/115736

In particular the BS alarm is ringing because of this passage:
"Pupils and their families will have to sign behaviour contracts known as Home School Agreements before the start of every year, which will set out parents’ duties to ensure children behave and do their homework."

Not because it would never happen, but because this has been standard for years. They were doing this when I was at school. So the Express reporting it as a 'new government plan' tells me they're not being entirely... accurate with their reporting. Accidentally, I'm sure.

 

[broberfett]

I read a story that they are going to put surveillance cameras in homes to monitor how bad parents treat their children. Supposedly "responsible" parents report on "bad" parents and then social service workers come and put in the big brother cams to make sure that the kids are put to bed on time and that sort of thing. They also want to add 20,000 more homes to the list of 2,000. If you want to vote for the opposing party you have no luck there because the conservatives think the program doesn't go far enough. Has anyone heard of this? When I tried to look up the original link all I got was the comment page(people's responses to the story). Searches of Big Brother on the site brought up the tv show and Brave New World brought up nothing. "Family intervention" from the story also produced nothing.

Are you sure it's the ''Conservatives'' pushing this?

The current party in power is pushing it. The response about "Too little, too late" was supposedly from the opposition. I read the story about the article first. The actual article calls the "too little, too late" guy the Shadow Home Secretary-Chris Grayling

 

[broberfett]

Go to other UK news sites and try to find it. Typing things in like Big Brother and Brave New World probably won't help. I'm guessing the title will sound much more pleasant.

 

[cultcross]

Go to other UK news sites and try to find it. Typing things in like Big Brother and Brave New World probably won't help. I'm guessing the title will sound much more pleasant.

The only other sources I can find are reporting the Express article. It would be helpful if the Express gave some inkling as to the context the Children Secretary allegedly said these things so I could cross reference. Another big tell of tabloid bullshit is that hardly any of it is directly quoted - if he'd actually said those things, why not use his words?

ETA: The BBC have no related articles mentioning Ed Balls.

 

[broberfett]

After much searching on the BBC, here is a story about the contracts children are expected to sign. They are good behavior contracts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7301501.stm


The story is from last year and makes no mention of the cams-yet.

Here is a story about the "home school agreement" contracts becoming mandatory. The parents can complain about other kids that don't behave. I guess that puts you on the camera list.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8165209.stm

 

[cultcross]

After much searching on the BBC, here is a story about the contracts children are expected to sign. They are good behavior contracts.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7301501.stm


The story is from last year and makes no mention of the cams-yet.

Here is a story about the "home school agreement" contracts becoming mandatory. The parents can complain about other kids that don't behave. I guess that puts you on the camera list.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/8165209.stm

So you've just decided the camera bits true then? Even though you can find nothing corroborating? That latter BBC article appears to be on the same speech as the Express article yet makes no mention at all of them.

 

[broberfett]

Here is a 2006 story about families and chaotic individuals being imprisoned in "Sin Bins" with government's respect Tsar Louise Casey.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6119452.stm

I'm guessing the cam story is not exactly something they want to show off just yet, but I see a trend.

 

[cultcross]

Here is a 2006 story about families and chaotic individuals being imprisoned in "Sin Bins" with government's respect Tsar Louise Casey.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6119452.stm

Firstly, that's an entirely different issue connected to 'offender families' and secondly those centres were never set up. The only connection to this is the use of the phrase 'sin bin'.

I'm guessing the cam story is not exactly something they want to show off just yet, but I see a trend.

No; you see no corroborating evidence whatsoever for the Express' embellishments, and have decided to draw your own conclusions nonetheless.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I can't believe even Brits would be OK with having government cameras in their homes. No fucking way. Gotta be bullshit.

 

[cultcross]

I can't believe even Brits would be OK with having government cameras in their homes. No fucking way. Gotta be bullshit.

Of course it's bullshit. If that had actually been part of Ed Balls' plans on tackling youth crime issues it would have been front and centre of every major UK news outlet. Instead, it's casually presented, devoid of context or quotes, in the Express. Yeah, that sounds real.

 

[broberfett]

The Daily Express story has the phrase "...Mr. Balls said yesterday." The date on the story is August 4th, 2009. So he said it on the 3rd, supposedly. Stories like this usually take a week to slowly get noticed. So just keep an eye on it.

Edit: It has been a few hours and I did a new search using the yahoo search. The story is making the rounds, but I'm noticing the source is all from the first article. This is a story from Wired.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/08/britain-to-put-cctv-cameras-inside-private-homes/

 

[Pingfah]

I can't believe even Brits would be OK with having government cameras in their homes. No fucking way. Gotta be bullshit.

Of course it's bullshit. If that had actually been part of Ed Balls' plans on tackling youth crime issues it would have been front and centre of every major UK news outlet. Instead, it's casually presented, devoid of context or quotes, in the Express. Yeah, that sounds real.

I know that there are a few managed properties where families who have reached the end of the legal line (broken ASBOs, regular arrests) are told they must go into or face jail instead. It's a part of this Family Intervention Project:

http://www.respect.gov.uk/members/article.aspx?id=8678

It's a only a small fraction of the families who go through the project that end up having to go to these places. The project is mainly about having social workers work closely with the most problematic families in the community to teach them how to integrate into the community, look after themselves and their kids better and basically be less assholish.

As far as I can see the notion that CCTV cameras are going to be installed in anybody's own home is entirely untrue, as you rightly point out that part of the story has no source attributed whatsoever in any article it's been printed in other than the original Express article, which does not quote Ed Balls own words. I believe that he was probably saying he wants to expand the entire project to be able to cover 20,000 families, not put 20,000 families into managed properties or install CCTV in their houses.

However, that doesn't stop people printing articles like this:

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/...s-told-to-put-cctv-cameras-in-their-home.aspx

Which declares that the government is ordering 20,000 families to have CCTV installed in their own houses, all based off one highly suspect, fact light tabloid article.

Until I see a direct transcript of Balls own words, i'm finding this rather hard to believe.

 

[Deckerd]

It's not called the Excess for nothing.

 

[cultcross]

The story is making the rounds, but I'm noticing the source is all from the first article.

Which should tell you all you need to know regarding its veracity.