Re:Isn't this a good thing? (Score 1)

someone is seriously confused. The cameras we're talking about do not broadcast images to the public.

Yes, you're confused. These are not the Congestion Charge cameras.

As for the May Day thing, it's perfectly possible that the cameras being used to monitor the demonstration. However it's not clear that's legal -- it might be considered an "improper use" of the system, since that wasn't why it was built.

The cameras they use to monitor the demo are the moveable (pan and tilt) units on very high posts, which are used for all sorts of police/traffic activity. The webcams on the bbc website are just a low-res feed, essentially a gimmick; this coverage from May Day 2001 gives some idea of how the traffic cameras fit into the police operation.