Clearly, this level of intrusion is something we will all have to get used to. As terrorists persist in their murderous attacks upon the innocent, the authorities across the world will increasingly rely upon technology and increased surveillance. Clearly this will cause the British and E.U. establishments to be even more keen on establishing an E.U. wide ID card database.

Whilst this will help the fight against terrorists – the extent of which is arguable – what is certain is that the general public will increasingly be subject to petty harassment by “jobsworths”. A clear case in point is the harassment undertaken with great regularity by the Metropolitan Police of innocent tourists taking photographs of the Houses of Parliament – one of the most recognised symbols in the world.