From last Friday's Guardian:

Charles Clarke, the education secretary, is fighting for a short bill in the Queen's speech next month which would give every child an identity number and allow local authorities in England to share information about any suspicion of neglect or abuse in the family.

The bill would be the first instalment of the government's plans to reform child protection after a public inquiry into the murder of Victoria Climbié.

Which nicely illustrates the connection between state "protection" and state numbering of its human possessions.

What is objectionable, I think, is the idea that all children, the overwhelming majority of whom are not suspected of being abused, will nevertheless get numbered. Is that really necessary?

Plus, you can't help wondering if, after a brief interval while we all get used to this process, children who have got their numbers will start not to shed them, even when they've stopped being children. After all, it isn't only children who need protecting, is it?