PICTURE: Orwell Spinning in His Grave

This picture of George Orwell's home has been making the rounds:

While the picture has been doctored, the sentiment remains...

According to some studies, the UK has up to 4.2 million closed circuit cameras (CCTV), or one for every 14 people in the country. While there may not be a camera scanning directly from Orwell's old house, there are more than enough to make for a painfully ironic situation.

Here's a look at Orwell's neighborhood:

From the Daily Mail:

On the wall outside his former residence - flat number 27B - where Orwell lived until his death in 1950, an historical plaque commemorates the anti-authoritarian author. And within 200 yards of the flat, there are 32 CCTV cameras, scanning every move.

Orwell's view of the tree-filled gardens outside the flat is under 24-hour surveillance from two cameras perched on traffic lights.

The flat's rear windows are constantly viewed from two more security cameras outside a conference centre in Canonbury Place.

In a lane, just off the square, close to Orwell's favourite pub, the Compton Arms, a camera at the rear of a car dealership records every person entering or leaving the pub.

Within a 200-yard radius of the flat, there are another 28 CCTV cameras, together with hundreds of private, remote-controlled security cameras used to scrutinise visitors to homes, shops and offices.

The message is reminiscent of a 1949 poster to mark the launch of Orwell's 1984: 'Big Brother is Watching You'.

*HT Reason.