I think Britain is already enough of a police and surveillance state with all the cctv spying on every corner. I would feel rather uncomfortable about my own privacy.
If you give the government authority to cut communications (texting, etc.), who's to say you'd not hamper a legitimate uprise against an oppressive regime down the road? Slippery slope that is 
I disagree, but what do I know, I only live in the UK(!)
A CCTV on every corner is exagerated. Sure there are cameras but to be honest you don't notice them and I don't feel paranoid or like I'm being followed. The only ones who get upset about these are the ones with something to hide. The cameras are there as a deterent and to provide evidence to help with convictions. To be honest, if some scum bag whacks me over the head and nicks my wallet then I'm sure as hell going to be hoping is was caught on camera!
These lowlifes were using Blackberry, Facebook etc to start more riots. Not only is this illegal it is extremely difficult to police. I don't feel uncomfortable about my own privacy as I don't have anything to hide. I also don't waste my time on Facebook and other such social networking 
nor do I have a Blackberry and I have no intention of every wasting time and money on any of these toys.
Monitoring of text messgaes, phonecalls and communications in general has been going on since at least 11th September 2001 and probably for a good few years before. The only difference is the UK Government are being very open in telling us what they are going to do whereas monitoring has been going on but it has been done covertly. A few years ago, there was a bloke who was in a Clash tribute band who was arrested. His crime? Sending a text message to a fellow bandmate with whom he was discussing the lyrics to Tommy Gun.
I take it you are outside looking in? You have to remember that not only is the country near bankrupt, the police are hugely overstretched and are looking at having to make huge cuts.
Besides, they are only going to cut off those who are trying to start more riots. What's wrong with that? Take away the medium they use to spread their hate and it makes it harder for them to instigate more trouble. As usual, these human right people are commenting on something they do not understand.
These guys are like spammers. Spreading a message that sensible law-abiding people don't want to hear and polluting internetland with their warped vision of reality.
I mean, what's wrong with this:
David Cameron said the intelligence services and the police were exploring whether it was "right and possible" to cut off those plotting violence.
Hope the Government have the balls to switch off these idiots.
I knew some of the following, but also found some new information that seems rather disturbing:
The United Kingdom is seen as a pioneer of mass surveillance. At the end of 2006 it was described by the Surveillance Studies Network as being 'the most surveilled country' among the industrialized Western states.
On 6 February 2009 a report by the House of Lords Constitution Committee, Surveillance: Citizens and the State, warned that increasing use of surveillance by the government and private companies is a serious threat to freedoms and constitutional rights, stating that "The expansion in the use of surveillance represents one of the most significant changes in the life of the nation since the end of the Second World War. Mass surveillance has the potential to erode privacy. As privacy is an essential pre-requisite to the exercise of individual freedom, its erosion weakens the constitutional foundations on which democracy and good governance have traditionally been based in this country."
Public perception
A YouGov poll published on December 4, 2006, indicated that 79% of those interviewed agreed that Britain has become a 'surveillance society’ (51% were unhappy with this). In 2004 the Information Commissioner, talking about the proposed British national identity database gave a warning of this, stating, "My anxiety is that we don't sleepwalk into a surveillance society." Other databases causing him concern were the National Child Database (ContactPoint), the Office for National Statistics' Citizen Information Project, and the NHS National Programme for IT.
CCTV networks
In 2002 it was estimated that the United Kingdom was monitored by over 4.2 million CCTV cameras
that's 1 camera per 14 Brits! 
, some with a facial recognition capacity, with practically all cities and towns under 24hour surveillance. Currently, in the City of Westminster, microphones are being fitted next to CCTV cameras. Westminster council claims that they are simply part of an initiative against urban noise, and will not "be used to snoop", but comments from a council spokesman appear to imply that they have been deliberately designed to capture an audio stream alongside the video stream, rather than simply reporting noise levels.
As of Feb 2010, many larger cities in the UK now have CCTV in which if an operator spots anything illegal or troubling, they are able to speak through the cameras via loudspeaker into the street, and some also have microphones to allow them to hear what the public are saying.
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Communication
In 2002 the UK government announced plans to extend the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), so that at least 28 government departments would be given powers to browse citizens' web, email, telephone and fax records, without a warrant and without a subject's knowledge. Public and security authorities made a total of 440,000 requests to monitor people's phone and internet use in 2005-2006. In the period 11 April to 31 December 2006 the UK government issued 253,557 requests for communication data, which as defined by the RIPA includes who you phoned, when they phoned you, how long they phoned you for, subscriber information and associated addresses.
Since October 2007 telecommunication companies have been required to keep records of phone calls and text messages for twelve months under the Data Retention Directive. Though all telecoms firms already keep data for a period, the regulations are designed to ensure a uniform approach across the industry. This enables the Government and other selected authorities within the UK such as Police and Councils amongst others to monitor all phone calls made from a UK landline or Mobile upon request.
In 2008 plans were being made to collect data on all phone calls, emails, chatroom discussions and web-browsing habits as part of the Government's Interception Modernisation Programme, thought likely to require the insertion of 'thousands' of black box probes into the country’s computer and telephone networks. The proposals were expected to be included in the Communications Data Bill. The "giant database" would include telephone numbers dialed, the websites visited and addresses to which e-mails are sent "but not the content of e-mails or telephone conversations." Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat Home affairs spokesman, said: "The government's Orwellian plans for a vast database of our private communications are deeply worrying." In November 2009, ministers confirmed that the estimated £2 billion project will proceed as planned. A consultation found that 40% of people were against the plans which will also include monitoring communications in online games.
Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point. 
