A spy in the sky from Brass Eye

The other day I suggested that John Reid's idea of paying foreign prisoners to go home may have owed something to Chris Morris's cashback scheme from Brass Eye.

Because I enjoyed Brass Eye so much I allowed the quotation to run on. Next we heard Rhodes Boyson agreeing that it might be a good idea to have the cashback scheme policed by Richard Branson hovering over the offenders in a balloon.

These days satire has to run fast to keep ahead of reality. The BBC reports:

Police have played down reports that spy planes could be flown high above the streets of Merseyside as a way to fight anti-social behaviour.

Merseyside Police's new anti-social behaviour (ASB) task force is exploring a number of technology-driven ideas.

But while the use of surveillance drones is among them, they would be a "long way off", police said.

Given a year or two, I am sure the police will catch up with Chris Morris.