All Hail the Thought Police

This report in the Guardian is spot on.

114 climate protesters were arrested whilst planning to protest at Ratcliffe-on-Soar powerstation. Lets review that again. They were arrested before they did anything criminal. As far as I'm aware, planning a protest isn't illegal, so why were they arrested?

The Police contend that some of the protesters were plotting criminal activities, but not all of them, so why arrest all the protesters. Why not wait until the ones plotting criminal acts actually carried them out so there'd be evidence of them committing criminal acts and they would be banged to rights in court? No, the police decided that thought crime was enough to charge these people with. Someone should tell the fucking idiots in the Police that Minority Report was a film and doesn't bear any reality to UK law. Innocent until proven guilty? Not in the post-Blunkett Police. Since he was made home secretary, he and his successors have made the Police more oppressive to more of the population than ever before. Another reason why the relationship with the Police and the population at large is falling apart.

Jaqui Smith is just as bad. She hasn't reined in any of the excesses of the Police. She should be sacked.