In the south east of England, hosepipe bans have been introduced to cope with the unfortunate water shortages caused by the incompetence and irresponsible lack of maintenance by the water companies concerned a lack of rain. This is bad enough. It is also too bad that people ignore the ban thereby affecting their neighbours adversely. But, worrying is the willingness of neighbours to report others to the authorities for their transgressions.
More than 1,600 neighbours have reported each other for breaking hosepipe bans in the South East.
Is it me, or is there something deeply disturbing about people who will report others to the authorities? Has nothing changed since the Gestapo and Stasi used such tactics? It’s not just water, of course. We are being encouraged to report people who evade tax and cheat the benefits system. Yes, I know these are antisocial behaviours (whereas being a Jew or political dissident wasn’t). However, the authorities should be doing their own work, not using us as unpaid informants. And, if it is hosepipe bans today, will it be ID card refuseniks tomorrow? You see, it is all too easy for political dissidence to become antisocial behaviour in the eyes of the authorities and for that message to be subtly passed onto the masses. Tomorrow’s refuseniks may well be viewed with the same disdain as todays water gluttons and tax cheats.
And if you are a refusenik, you’d better watch out for those twitching curtains.
[Update] Somewhat prophetically, This from Guy Herbert over at Samizdata:
One has to conclude that isn’t really the point. The point is to get members of the public to adopt official attitudes, and engrain them by providing a mechanism to rehearse, to act out, concern. It is for to prove you are a compliant member of society by watching others carefully and reporting deviant behaviour.
Hat tip Mr Eugenidies.