Where Cuba leads.......

The latest Hansard contains the report of a question by John Bercow, M.P. and the Foreign Office answer.

His question was to ask about any reports received of the number of people held prisoner in Cuba without being convicted or tried, except that they were found guilty of being socially dangerous, that is, likely to create a crime in the future.

The answer, surrounded by caveats that Cuba does not count numbers officially, is that between 3,000 and 5,000 are convicted of pre-criminal social dangerousness.

It couldn't happen here, could it?

Well, be careful, some people already have a (disputed) criminal record for being arrested for doing no more than pointing a camera in the direction of a policeman.

And if you see a number of young children, in a swimming pool (-what were you doing there?), or at school, avert your eyes or the thought police could already start a file on you. Or if you take a photograph of your own children in the bath, be careful who finds out.

Or if you tell a joke about a member of a minority community, you are warned that you are taking your freedom into your own hands.

This government has criminalised all sorts of activities, such as self-defence and protecting your own property, that it's difficult to keep up. Some of the above cases are not yet offences, but give them time.

The government is seeking in some areas not only to control our actions but to control our thoughts.

You have been warned!