Analysis: A country under surveillance

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News analyst Jesús Torquemada

The detention period in the United Kingdom was extended from 14 to 28 days during Blair's office. Blair wanted to extend it to 90 days but he did not receive the necessary support from Parliament. However, the terrorist threat to Great Britain these days can help Brown manage to get the project off the ground.

Great Britain is at the moment one of the most watched countries in the world. Thousands of surveillance cameras are working in the streets of London and it seems Londoners accept it quite naturally. It might also seem that they are ready to accept more controls. However, we must admit that they have avoided many attacks thanks to these controls.

Al Qaeda has only succeeded in hitting Great Britain July 7th two years ago, although this country is one of its main objectives. Although many British oppose the war in Iraq, many still think that Great Britain has the right to choose its foreign policy and they are ready to pay a price for it. And the price, apart from the risk of being attacked, includes the unstoppable increase of the police surveillance.