The nanny state turns parents into kids...

"We only complain about what we notice." This slogan coined by an absent-minded 12-year-old of my acquaintance, in reference to people stealing his chips, seems an apt one to represent the gradual filching of our freedoms by the state. Absorbed in our own thoughts, when we glance back at our plates we may get a shock at how much has been taken.

But last week liberal lawyer Helena Kennedy aired a mea culpa for herself and her generation in a programme on Radio 4. She said she now felt attempts to deal with domestic violence in the 1970s had had the unintended consequence of enabling a gradual erosion of citizens' rights and freedoms. They meant only to get justice for women who were too afraid to testify against their husbands in court, but what they achieved was a move away from the courtroom with its respect for the rights of the accused, its demand for a case to answer, its press bench. More...

Don't miss:

1. Anger over 'paedophile checks' on parents...
2. Police arrest photographer for "being too tall...!!!" 
3. Schools bar parents ... to keep out paedophiles!!! 
4. Parents banned from taking photos of their own children!!! 
5. Woman fined for not holding on to handrail!!!
6. Man accused of being a pervert, for taking photos of his own kids!!!