It seems we continue to be our own worst enemies and the powers that be seem determined to do Bin Laden’s dirty work for him. The G20 have been meeting in the UK this week, and as is usual at these things, people protest. Given the current economic climate, who could blame them really.

Yes, there are always a few idiots determined to cause violence, but the majority of protesters don’t cause any trouble and are just exercising their democratic rights. In the UK in particular, those rights are slowly disappearing. After the protest was finished yesterday, everyone was herded, and coralled and detained against their will for up to eight hours. Once the police finally decided to let them leave, they were required to provide their name, address and have their photos taken. I think it’s a pretty sad reflection of our times, and a complete abuse of power.

This is a strategy called the “kettle”, which sees protesters herded into an area and kept there for hours. Its stated aim is to contain a protest in a small area so it does not spread.

It was justified by the former assistant commissioner (special operations) at the Met, Andy Hayman, in an article in the Times earlier this week.

“Tactics to herd the crowd into a pen … have been criticised before, yet the police will not want groups spilintering away from the crowd,” he wrote.

The containment was backed up at the Bank, first with mounted police and then with police dogs. As people were eventually allowed to leave at about 8pm, they were funnelled out down a narrow exit with a police officer grabbing them by the arm as though they were under arrest, again regardless of age or demeanour.

One officer, asked why people were not allowed to leave under their own steam, replied: “They might fall over.”

People were then asked for their name and address and required to have a photograph taken. They are not obliged to do so under the law, but those who refused were put back in the pen.

Hot on the heels of that are details of the new eBorders scheme, in which the UK police intend keeping a database of every journey on public transport within the UK!

The records of the movements of 60 million domestic passengers will be kept by the police and, if current trends are anything to go by, used for much more than counter-terrorism operations. Not content with introducing what will in effect be an exit visa – you must supply more than 50 pieces of information before you leave the country or will not be able to travel – the government is now erecting internal borders.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed to Lewis the measures would “require passengers to show photo ID, such as a driving licence or the (proposed) government ID cards, when booking tickets for domestic air and sea journeys”.