A man who hasn’t read a book since he sounded out the words to The Hungry Caterpillar to his Mum, has compared his current situation to George Orwell’s 1984.
Having had his licence suspended for driving over the legal alcohol limit, Paul Eaglemont said the world was becoming increasingly Orwellian. “When you can’t even have a few drinks before you drive home, you know 1984 has arrived,” he said, referring to a book that dealt with the way language is used as a means of control by authoritarian regimes.
“I’m pretty sure Orwell predicted breathalyses decades before they were invented,” he said, adding that he’d heard that the main character in 1984 was the first to be pulled over and charged with drink-driving laws.
Being told that he would not be able to drive for six months, he said it was like Big Brother was watching over him. “And there you go. Just like Orwell predicted, I’ve had my licence suspended. It’s only a matter of time before we’re all locked in a house with a bunch of strangers for the benefit of reality television, just like Orwell wrote. He would be churning in his grave”.
