"The Whole World, As The Village"

Patrick McGoohan must be rolling over in his grave.

McGoohan was the creative genius behind the 1960s British 17-episode allegorical television series The Prisoner.

For those not familiar with this classic exploration of the will of man, the role of individualism, the unbending power of the state, intrusive monitoring of personal lives, state espionage and exotic mind-control technology: AMC has produced a web site featuring the original episodes.

(AMC has also produced a remake based upon the original. To get an idea of how influential this TV series has been on pop culture, click here.)

McGoohan, in addition to writing and directing some of the episodes, played a spy, who, upon handing in his resignation, had been knocked unconscious by a noxious gas and then whisked off to a remote and isolated village, in an effort to extract his secret knowledge.

Upon arrival, McGoohan's character discovered, to his great consternation, that "they've given you a number, and taken away your name," quoting the Johnny Rivers' classic song "Secret Agent Man."

"Secret Agent Man" was inspired by McGoohan's role as John Drake in he popular British series Danger Man. In The Prisoner, no names are used: McGoohan is known only as "Number Six."

In The Village, the powers that be monitor every action, seek to penetrate every thought, and conspire to turn every relationship to the ends of the state.

When that doesn't work, minds are bent, thoughts are projected, personalities are swapped: insanity happily reigns at the hands of mysterious men pushing an agenda for an unseen "Number One."

The visible representative of the hidden machinery behind the facade of normality of day to day life (although nothing is ever normal in the resort-like Village) is Number Two.

In one key episode, Number Two tells Number Six about his dream of the perfect world:

Number Two: "What in fact has been created? An international community. A perfect blueprint for world order. When the sides facing each other suddenly realize that they're looking into a mirror, they'll see that this IS the pattern for the future!"

Number Six: "The whole world, as the village?"

Number Two: "That is my dream. What's yours?"

Number Six: "To be the first man on the moon."

All of the above is merely the introduction to the latest news from Britain, as they appear on the brink of taking uneasy steps towards "the whole of the British Isles, as The Village."

Telegraph.co.uk is reporting:

"Every phone call, email, and Internet click stored by 'state spying' databases."

According to the article, all the above will be stored for a year for the specific purpose of monitoring by the state.

Despite widespread opposition over Britain's growing surveillance society, 653 public bodies will be given access to the confidential information, including police, local councils, the Financial Services Authority, the Ambulance Service, fire authorities and even prison governors.

They will not require the permission of a judge or a magistrate to access the information, but simply the authorisation of a senior police officer or the equivalent of a deputy head of department at a local authority.

I can almost hear McGoohan reprising his role as Number Six:

"I also have a problem. I don't know which side runs this village."

I wonder how many citizens in the UK are thinking the same thing right about now.