Orwell's Nineteen eighty-four 20 years on : 'the war on terrorism', 'doublethink' and 'Big Brother'

Regrettably, one important anniversary passed last year with little attention. It was 20 years since 1984, the year immortalised by George Orwell. His dystopian vision has proven prescient. There is no other way to describe adequately the indefinite 'war on terror' proclaimed by the Bush administration, joined by many governments in the world, other than as Orwellian. Features conjured up by Orwell - doublethink, thought crimes, guilt by association and 'Big Brother is watching' - seem to be present. Under the banners of 'freedom' and 'democracy', invasions have been launched while, domestically, unprecedented state surveillance has been authorised. Insidiously, the 'war' has provided a blanket under which many aspects of the totalitarianism postulated by Orwell have been introduced, often extended and made permanent fixtures of the legal system. Measures that would have been unthinkable to many people two decades ago are becoming the norm.