White Rose is a protest blog collective focusing on civil liberties in the UK.
It was set up to point a finger at the erosion of personal freedom in the UK.
Government's active measures introduce new means of control such as identity cards and surveillance cameras, the passive measures such as weakening of double jeopardy and presumption of innocence.


The arguments
The resistants
Gabriel Syme and Perry de Havilland of Samizdata.net to rally the Anglosphere behind the UK.
White Rose contributors are those bloggers and non-bloggers who oppose restrictions on personal liberties.

To find out how to become a White Rose contributor, please go here.
Monday, October 20, 2003
Once they've got our number ...
Brian Micklethwait (London)
(0)   Big Brother

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?


Comments

Your sentiments are admirable as always, but note that every child in the UK is _already_ given an ID number at birth.

It's called the NHS number or something like that.

The fact that the state is too incompetent to do anything significant with that existing data item, should perhaps give us hope.

Posted by: Andrew Duffin on October 22, 2003 01:13 PM
Post a comment








    


    •