Free as a bird?

With the imminent imposition of digital ID and the loss of the right to a jury hearing in some cases, a trend that has been happening all my life seems to be speeding up.  There's also the issue of the police using facial recognition and that fact that the UK is almost a surveillance society (2nd only to China, by some estimates).

So my first question is what freedoms have we lost since WWII?  I asked copilot to tell me.

Here's what it found:

Quick Answer: Since WWII, several rights in the UK have been restricted or removed, often in response to security concerns, industrial relations, or political shifts. Key examples include limits on trade union powers (1970s–1980s), detention without trial under anti-terror laws (2001 onward), curbs on protest rights (2005–2022), and surveillance expansions (2000s–2010s).

📜 Major Rights Removed or Restricted Since WWII

Period	Law/Policy	Rights Affected	Context
1945–1950s	Emergency wartime powers continued briefly	Freedom of movement & association	Post-war rationing and national security concerns
1971	Immigration Act 1971	Right of Commonwealth citizens to settle freely	Ended automatic settlement rights for many Commonwealth migrants
1979–1990s (Thatcher era)	Employment Acts (1980, 1982, 1988, 1990)	Trade union rights, right to strike	Restricted closed shops, secondary picketing, and union political activity
2000	Terrorism Act 2000	Freedom of association & protest	Broadened definition of terrorism, allowed banning of organizations
2001	Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act	Habeas corpus (detention without trial)	Allowed indefinite detention of foreign nationals suspected of terrorism
2005	Prevention of Terrorism Act	Freedom of movement	Introduced “control orders” restricting suspects’ movements without trial
2011	Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act	Right to protest near Parliament	Restricted demonstrations around Westminster
2016	Investigatory Powers Act (“Snooper’s Charter”)	Privacy rights	Legalized bulk surveillance and data retention
2022	Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act	Right to protest	Gave police powers to restrict protests deemed “too noisy” or disruptive

⚖️ Key Themes in Rights Removal

• Trade Union & Labour Rights: The UK moved from strong collective bargaining after WWII to significant restrictions under Thatcher, reshaping industrial relations.
• Immigration & Settlement: Commonwealth citizens lost automatic settlement rights in 1971, marking a major rollback of post-imperial freedoms.
• Anti-Terror Legislation: From 2000 onward, terrorism laws curtailed civil liberties, including detention without trial, control orders, and expanded surveillance.
• Protest & Assembly: Laws in 2005, 2011, and 2022 progressively narrowed the scope of lawful protest, especially near Parliament and in public spaces.
• Privacy & Surveillance: The Investigatory Powers Act entrenched state surveillance, reducing individual privacy protections. 

🧭 Contextual Notes

• Many restrictions were responses to crises: terrorism (IRA, 9/11, London bombings), industrial unrest, or migration pressures.
• Rights were often balanced against security or order, but critics argue these measures eroded fundamental freedoms.
• The UK’s reliance on parliamentary sovereignty (no codified constitution) means rights can be curtailed more easily than in countries with entrenched constitutional protections.

In summary: Since WWII, the UK has removed or restricted rights mainly in four areas—labour rights, immigration, protest, and privacy/security—with landmark changes in the 1970s (union restrictions), 2000s (anti-terror laws), and 2010s–2020s (protest and surveillance powers).