Yesterday evening I went to the launch of a new organisation which has sprung up under the wing of the mighty Taxpayers Alliance. Big Brother Watch (www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk ) is headed up by Alex Deane and aims to log and protest against growing infringements on our liberties, small or otherwise. The well-attended launch last night heard brief speeches by David Davies and Tony Benn, who are united on this issue if on no other.Alex then told us that one of the inspirations for the new outfit came from the case, reported in papers some time ago, of a young mother who was prosecuted for feeding bread to ducks in a park; the bread apparently consituted litter in the eyes of the law. Choosing not to challenge the bands of hoodies who were the cause of real problems in this public space, the law instead picked on the soft easy target.

This kind of official cowardliness is increasingly common. If you have had any similar experiences, Big Brother Watch would certainly like to hear from you.