One of the most significant changes and probably the best change to going into 6th form was the luxury of free periods, in which you “could” study and most significantly leave school. Being the swat I am I never actually to advantage of the “could.”

Last year the 6th form head was replaced by someone out of school, he was bought in by the governors to seriously improve the schools ailing A level results.

Rumours followed him like a dark cloud, the introduction of a school uniform for 6th form, the end to free period etc etc. Me and my year that had already done a year were safe from the reforms. The year coming in weren’t so lucky, compulsory general studies and a lecture every other week on work skills. The social area was closed down during free periods you now had to study rather than could. This year the new intake found that free period was closed down completely with the ending of the right to leave school. Next years school uniform will have a uniform.

Now I am not about to claim that the right to free periods is a sovereign right but it is symbolic of how our rights will be taken and tyranny created. It took two years for Hitler to set up the Nuremberg laws after taking power, four to take control of the army.

In the UK Labour edging slowly and blindly in the same direction. Talk that complicated business trials should have no jury, laws than ban forms of pornography, which ban collected protest or protest in any form outside of the UK parliament. Laws that allow the Home Secretary to at their leisure define areas, in which no one should be allowed to protest, ASBOs that allow police to break up groups of only two.

Labour I don’t believe consciously aim at overturning our liberties and civil rights that to jury enshrined in British law since the Magna Carta. Their dithering, messy and attempt at negotiation of our liberties and rights is dangerous and wrong. It sets a precedent for those more malevolent rulers to collect and centralise power around them. It sets in motion a trend in which liberties will be gradually eroded.

It is to easy and a precarious assumption to say that if you a good citizen you have nothing to fear, one day the law may be changed and you will become the citizen who has done wrong. One day if the trend is allowed to continue the balance between providing security and providing tyranny will of tipped and only afterwards will we know it.