The other day I had to drive over to Lancashire, where my father lives, and I was struck - not for the first time - by the incongruity of a succession of CCTV cameras suspended from gantries above the wild and isolated Cat and Fiddle pass. I am currently reading a collection of Mary Beard's wonderful Don's Life blogs which have been published in book form, and one of her earlier blogs contrasts the passive acceptance of CCTV by the younger generation with the strong dislike felt by Mary and others of her generation. Like Mary I am unhappy about the fact that we British are spied upon in this way more than any other people in the world, and I am fed up with the constant mantra that 'if you've nothing to hide you've no need to worry.' Tell that to all the innocent people in Stalin's Russia or Rákosi's Hungary who were arrested, tortured, locked up and often murdered by the KGB or the ÁVO.
Living in the country, as I do, I am not normally exposed to cameras on every street corner as, for example, my daughter is in London - although there are more that one often realises even in such rural areas as Bakewell or Matlock Bath. But I was surprised when the road across the Pennines into Cheshire suddenly sprouted regularly spaced cameras a few months ago. Ostensibly these are to enforce an 'average speed limit' of 50 mph but, as we all know, the pictures recorded by CCTV cameras on our roads and in our city streets are a valuable source of information for the police and anyone else who can provide an acceptable reason for looking at them.
Although it is, to say the least, disconcerting that the open countryside of the Peak District National Park now has Big Brother cameras dominating the skyline it might just be acceptable if only the images of vehicles exceeding the speed limit between two sets of cameras were retained. But we know that this will not be the case - and that is my main complaint. I really do not see why the powers-that-be need to know, still less have any right to know, where I go and what I do unless I am breaking some law by going there or doing whatever I am doing there. And driving along a public road at a speed within the appropriate speed limit is still, as far as I am aware, a perfectly legal activity.
The official reason for these cameras is to slow down the motorcyclists whose irresponsible behaviour makes this road the most dangerous in Britain - even though it is, apparently, one of the safest if motorcycle-related accidents are excluded. But it seems a pity that the glorious views over the southern Pennines have to be spoiled in this way. A couple of mobile police camera cars at the weekend would probably do a much more effective job at substantially lower cost, and without the despoiling of the countryside and - my main complaint - the further extension of George Orwell's vision into our everyday lives. But these days a technology-based solution to any problem always seems to be preferred to one using human beings.
Friday 21 January 2011
Tuesday 18 January 2011
My First Blog
Today has been the first really nice day we have had for quite a long time. Blue skies and sunshine, although there was a bitterly cold wind when my wife Katy and I went out for a short walk. But it's a lot better than the rain and fog - to say nothing of the snow - that has been our lot for the last six weeks or so. This was the view of our garden shortly before Christmas:
But now spring is coming - we have seen the first snowdrops and daffodils trying to force their way above the surface of the soil - and in two months we shall be off to the Caribbean!
As the title of this post says, this is my first blog, so it is probably appropriate to tell anyone out there who reads this a little about myself before I go any further.
My name is Miles Ratcliffe and I am fortunate enough to live on the edge of the Peak District National Park – Britain's first National Park. If you are not familiar with the Peak District then Wikipedia is as good a place to start finding out about it as anywhere. I don't come from here originally, though. I was born in Wigan, in Lancashire, and spent the first eighteen years of my life there before leaving to go to Cambridge University. After that I spent eight years working in the computer industry before moving to Sheffield University, where I taught computing for twelve years before moving to Oxford University, where I worked until I took early retirement at the tender age of 59. I hadn't planned to retire that early, but some major structural changes in the university made it a sensible thing to do. Shortly afterwards I moved to Derbyshire, where I have lived ever since.
During my time at Sheffield and Oxford I was fortunate enough to write several successful text-books, and also wrote, presented and directed a number of video programmes covering subjects from computer programming to 16th century warships. Since then I have turned my hand to other types of writing and, as well as publishing a detailed history of my direct male line back to the mid-17th century was fortunate enough to win a prize for one of my poems. More recently I have completed my first novel, but I shall have more to say about that another time.
That's probably all you want to know about me for now, but I shall certainly tell you more as this blog develops!
But now spring is coming - we have seen the first snowdrops and daffodils trying to force their way above the surface of the soil - and in two months we shall be off to the Caribbean!
As the title of this post says, this is my first blog, so it is probably appropriate to tell anyone out there who reads this a little about myself before I go any further.
My name is Miles Ratcliffe and I am fortunate enough to live on the edge of the Peak District National Park – Britain's first National Park. If you are not familiar with the Peak District then Wikipedia is as good a place to start finding out about it as anywhere. I don't come from here originally, though. I was born in Wigan, in Lancashire, and spent the first eighteen years of my life there before leaving to go to Cambridge University. After that I spent eight years working in the computer industry before moving to Sheffield University, where I taught computing for twelve years before moving to Oxford University, where I worked until I took early retirement at the tender age of 59. I hadn't planned to retire that early, but some major structural changes in the university made it a sensible thing to do. Shortly afterwards I moved to Derbyshire, where I have lived ever since.
During my time at Sheffield and Oxford I was fortunate enough to write several successful text-books, and also wrote, presented and directed a number of video programmes covering subjects from computer programming to 16th century warships. Since then I have turned my hand to other types of writing and, as well as publishing a detailed history of my direct male line back to the mid-17th century was fortunate enough to win a prize for one of my poems. More recently I have completed my first novel, but I shall have more to say about that another time.
That's probably all you want to know about me for now, but I shall certainly tell you more as this blog develops!
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