British civil servants’ lips are sealed

Think our freedoms are restricted here in the States? Get a load of what our enlightened Cousins are up to:

[S]tung by a string of tell-all books about working for Mr. Blair’s administration, the U.K. government is taking the unusual step of blocking officials from writing other memoirs that could prove embarrassing.

Under a new rule, civil servants would have to turn over all copyright privileges — and profits — from their books to the government. The aim is to remove the financial incentive to write. The rule isn’t subject to a parliamentary vote and the government is expected to implement it in coming months.

Nice, huh? Here’s the kicker:

There is a twist: the elected officials behind the plan decided not to include themselves — it will apply only to civil servants and political appointees.