If it made more money for the likes of Cameron and those in 'the City' he'd probably be pushing to have Kent declared an Islamic state.

I used the wrong word for your wimmin words. Not a cliché I should have said Labourite Council/Trade union jargon

Back to what this thread was about...kids and Teachers at an English school being forced to wear a burka. Good reason to ban them altogether after the news a suspected terrorist has given the authorities the slip whilst wearing one. Must have been assisted by people at the mosque too!

No face coverings of any kind should be allowed in public places for security reasons.

I'm afraid I can't agree with that - that doesn't sound like a free society to me.

Also, where I live we spend a good two months of the year looking like this when we go outside due to the weather.

Well, I do agree with that. No exceptions allowed.

Edit - one exception - people who have been injured or had an operation and have a dressing covering their face (they could hardly be expected to stay indoors).

Street petition ? No one in their right mind ever speaks to a stranger on the street of a British town. Assume that everyone else is a psycho, junkie or chugger. Glare at anyone approaching you.

...and you will be asked to remove your hat and scarf when entering a shopping centre and most bars

Never been asked here, but then people are used to people dressing like that. It's just the normal and sensible thing to do when those big negative temps hit.

Honestly, I find it bad enough that wandering around London we are all on cc cameras almost all of the time, but to also have instructions coming from on high as to what clothes I can wear so that I can be more effectively monitored seems a bit much. I know there is an argument out there that we are supposed to be safer because of it, but I can't help thinking that my father and all his generation didn't fight for six years so that we would all have to walk around baring our face to the state at all times.

Have you ever been surrounded by a group of teenagers on mountain bikes with hoods pulled up and scarves tied over their faces? I have, and it's VERY intimidating. I think we would be far better off with a complete ban on face coverings in public.

I haven't been in that specific situation, no. I expect it is more intimidating than if you could see them - and that's probably why they do it - but I would rather pay that price than live in a society where the state is constantly monitoring our movements and dictating how we dress so that they can do that better.

Edit to add: I have been in other threatening situations - not involving face coverings - so I do understand intimidation and see where you are coming from. It's the cost I object to.

Agree somewhat with that LynnR but surely we should be able to walk down the street wearing a balaclava if needs be?
I remember being a teenager hanging out with my friends. Sometimes it was bloomin freezing! I don´t think I´d have made it to adulthood without my scarf wrapped around my face.

However, in such as shopping centres, they´re normally fairly well heated these days

Yeah, in the midwest in the winter it's so damn hot inside that you want to unwrap anyway. So the supposed safety component is reduced to the % of people who commit crimes while outdoors while wearing a face covering. Doesn't warrant the loss of liberty to the rest of us, in my book.

Wrong again JT ( not for the first time ) the suspect who left a mosque in disguise is NO immediate threat to the UK , ( BBC news ).
Also teachers at the school in question were instructed to dress modestly and cover their heads.NOT to have wear burkhas
As for face masks, veils . burkhas etc I cannot see the shops in
Oxford street, Regency street , Bond st etc refusng to serve their clients from the gulf who spend an absolute fortune shopping in London.
Far more than hoody , scarf wearing kids who are more of a crime risk than any women from the middle east.
Would it apply on the Ski slopes as well !!!!

No immediate threat does NOT mean no threat?
As for the shops in London NOT asking people to remove their veils, well it just smacks of double standards. Ask anyone who wears a baseball cap. But then again, these seem to be the only acceptable standards