[RichardHesketh]

That last sentence is baseless, alarmist nonsense. The rest, makes some sense. We are definitely one of the most surveilled societies in the western hemisphere, but just look at the press here. If you think there’s a fear of criticising government in the UK, except in a (probably paranoid) minority, you’re deluded. Let’s also remember that an arrest is a very long way from a conviction, and others have pointed out.