The Musings of Harry

According to a recent YouGov poll (hat tip: Ideal Government), 75% of people think that lots of CCTV is a good idea; 50% would like to see a universal police DNA database; 55% would like centralised NHS records and 45% of people support mandatory ID cards… yet only 35% of those polled thought that it was a good idea for the government to collect more personal data.

As far as I’m concerned, this is clear evidence that people simply do not understand the implications of these schemes. It would be interesting to see two versions of this poll conducted: one where they ask the personal data question first, and another where they ask it last. I would bet good money that the first poll would show much less support for these schemes than the second — a small reminder can work wonders.

Perhaps a few more HMRC-esque data catastophies will place more firmly in people’s minds the risks attached to the aggregation of massive quantities of private data…

Appalling. How did this ogre of a bill pass? What has possessed the DUP?

For all this talk of Gordon Brown’s authority, it’s telling that he couldn’t get his own party to vote for this. I shan’t lay the blame entirely at his feet: it’s not like this is a controversial but important bill for the general good, an unpopular but necessary reform: no, this is dangerous, illiberal political theatre. A misguided attempt from Brown to appear “tough”, to affirm his national security credentials with a measure that won’t help, and that will result in injustice.

Of course, the Lords will bat this down, and it’ll go back to the commons, and then this drama will unfold all over again. It is my deeply held hope that Brown’s already crumbling house will disintegrate completely by the time the Bill comes back, that the DUP will come to their senses and that even more Labour MPs will abandon it.

We can only hope.