> By my estimate is now well within government spending limits to put all movement under surveillance by putting cameras on every corner which combine ANPR and facial recognition to cover pedestrians and cyclists as well as motorists; and laser diodes are so cheap every window, never mind person, can be surveilled.

That's a maybe. You are however vastly overestimating the time it would take for the UK government to go to tender over such a platform. Then you are overestimating by an order of magnitude the private sectors ability to deliver such a platform within a reasonable budget and within the next few decades.

Have you looked at government infrastructure projects? Thankfully they set a reassuringly pitiful benchmark.

For now..

I agree with the rest of your comment wholeheartedly.