Declan at Crawl Across the Ocean sums it up:

As for the no-fly list, I guess it’s like they always say, innocent until proven guilty, or until placed on a secret government list for unknown reasons with little hope of appeal.

In case you missed the news, Canada’s no-fly list went into effect on Monday. There are up to 2,000 people on the list — 2,000 people who are an “immediate threat to aviation security” but haven’t, you know, actually done anything we can arrest them for.

If Cory Doctorow hadn’t mentioned it in passing in a Forbes article, I would have missed this story from last April:

“Talking” CCTV cameras that tell off people dropping litter or committing anti-social behaviour are to be extended to 20 areas across England.

They are already used in Middlesbrough where people seen misbehaving can be told to stop via a loudspeaker, controlled by control centre staff.

Talking surveillance cameras.

I’ll say it again:

Talking surveillance cameras.

Home Secretary John Reid told BBC News there would be some people, “in the minority who will be more concerned about what they claim are civil liberties intrusions”.

“But the vast majority of people find that their life is more upset by people who make their life a misery in the inner cities because they can’t go out and feel safe and secure in a healthy, clean environment because of a minority of people,” he added.

I live in downtown Vancouver. You know what makes me feel safe? There are always people around. If someone tries to mug me, 20 Korean ESL students will be standing there watching it happen. You know what won’t make me feel safe? CCTV cameras telling me to put my garbage in the garbage can.

I’m not exaggerating about the garbage, by the way:

Downing Street’s “respect tsar”, Louise Casey, said the cameras “nipped problems in the bud” and reduced bureaucracy.

“It gets across the message, ‘please don’t litter our streets because someone else will have to pay to pick up that litter again’,” she told BBC News.

Talking surveillance cameras. To deal with litter.

Also, why does the national government of the United Kingdom have a “respect tsar”?

Competitions would also be held at schools in many of the areas for children to become the voice of the cameras, Mr Reid said.

Talking surveillance cameras … with the voices of schoolchildren.

I guess there’s a kind of poetic justice to it, since the British government insists on treating its citizens like children.