Those pesky kids

This story is laughable - the heavy handed plod grab some youngsters who climbed a tree with a view to making a treehouse. Marched back to the police station they had their shoes taken off, DNA samples taken and were locked up in cells before finally being released withou charge. Under the rules the police got from pushover politicians they can and will hold on to the children's DNA samples for five years even although they were not charged.

Except it isn't really laughable, is it? It tends to reinforce my heavy suspicions of the police and certain politicians demands for more DNA testing and a national database, which, coupled with biometric ID cards, CCTV and easier access to personal records and little public accountability is quite scary. Already hundreds of thousands (including many under 16s) have their DNA held by police databases in the UK even thought they are innocent. Get stopped for anything and have a swab taken and the Judges... Sorry, thought I was in Mega City 1 for a moment, I mean police can hold that data for years and there is sod all a citizen can do about it. Parliament has resisted police and government pressure from Blair's Junta to bring in a national DNA database, so instead they are making one by the back door.

Since we've seen that the police can get away with shooting an innocent person dead with little problem and their chief gets little more than a knuckle rap for delaying the investigation into that case you have to ask, do you trust the police or the polticians with more power? If they are this heavy handed with kids playing near their homes what will they be like with adults? What will they be like with adults who look 'Middle Eastern'? Of course most coppers wouldn't be this daft but the fact is some do enjoy the power and there are too many members of the government all too willing to give away more of our civil liberties (my own MP among them) with the usual tired defence of 'if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to fear.' Yeah, cause police and governments never abuse their power, harass innocent people or even fit them up (remember the Guilford 'bombers' who basically got framed by the cops who couldn't catch the real IRA bombers and so picked up any Irishmen they could?).

And if you oppose these increases in intrusion into our lives and freedoms then obviously you must have something to hide, a weak and anti-intellectual argument brought to you by the same simple minded morons who brought you the "you're with us or against us" model of civilised debate. How odd that the world of V For Vendetta comes closer to reality with a Labour prime minister than it did even under Thatcher. What a fine legacy Blair is going to leave the UK.