I realize the British Labor Party has a wee bit of an Orwellian, authoritarian streak, but I would admonish saps like Andy Burnham not to cream his pants with the notion that the election of Barack Obama is a harbinger of American adoption of the British Surveillance State.

Andy Burnham told The Daily Telegraph newspaper, published on Saturday, that the government was planning to negotiate with the administration of President-elect Barack Obama to draw up new international rules for English language websites.

"The more we seek international solutions to this stuff -- the UK and the U.S. working together -- the more that an international norm will set an industry norm," the newspaper reports the Culture Secretary as saying in an interview.

Giving websites film-style ratings would be one possibility.

"This is an area that is really now coming into full focus," Burnham told the paper.

Internet service providers could also be forced to offer services where the only sites accessible are those deemed suitable for children, the paper said.
Any moves to censor the Internet would go to the heart of a debate about freedom of speech on the World Wide Web.

"If you look back at the people who created the Internet they talked very deliberately about creating a space that governments couldn't reach," Burnham told The Telegraph. "I think we are having to revisit that stuff seriously now."

He said some content should not be available to be viewed.

Apparently, the Sheeple of Airstrip One are required to have a license to watch television, but somehow I think us Yanks would have more of a averse reaction to such government propaganda below.

H/T: Delaware Libertarian

NOTE: Funny reaction over at Free Republic. I haven't seen any indication that Obama is going to take Burnham up on his offer. However, if we start to see "Coalition of the Willing" Banner Ads at Moveon.org with Burnham's mug plastered on them, then we will know something is up.