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The Home Secretary holds our DNA to ransom

Yesterday I wrote a short blogpost about how the coming election will define privacy and freedom in Britain for generations. From today we have started our 'GE2010 blog'.

GE 2010 Whenever you see the image on the right on a blogpost, it has been added to our General Election 2010 blog – our comment on the thrills and spills of the coming contest – now available here.

Today we have our first dividing lines drawn between the government and opposition – this time on the DNA database.

As the wash-up period gets underway in Parliament (for further information on wash-up and its implications for democracy do read this superb article by Martin Bell) the bills currently going through the house are horse-traded to get the statute books clean before the new government is returned.

One such bill is the Crime and Security Bill, which proposes limiting the retention of DNA profiles to six years, if the person is later found innocent. Of course, Big Brother Watch would prefer to see all innocent people removed from the DNA database immediately, but we nevertheless support the opposition parties desire to see the period limited to three years, as it is in Scotland.

Now the Guardian reports:

The home secretary today accused the Tories of being "soft" on crime and threatened to throw the reforms out of the crime and security bill, should the Conservatives pursue their efforts to limit retention to three years.

He said he would pull all provisions from the amendment bill today if the Tories refuse to sign up to the government's plans – including a six-year retention limit – in full. The bill is destined for this afternoon's wash-up session to complete the government's legislative programme ahead of the dissolution of parliament for the election.

Johnson told Sky News: "This is a basic example of how they [the Tories] talk tough on crime but act soft."

This is disgraceful politicking by the Home Secretary who is, in essence, holding the profiles of one million innocent people to ransom for his own perceived electoral advantage.

Alan_johnson_ID Alongside the rulings on section 44 – Stop and Search and, as we revealed last month, the I v Finland judgement on medical data security, the UK is now in breach of at least three major European Court rulings.

Alan Johnson may think it looks weak to support the law-abiding citizen who has never committed any crime and who simply wants their privacy, but we hope the public think differently.

By Dylan Sharpe

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Big Brother Watch Posted in DNA database
  • http://digitalproductions.co.uk Crosbie Fitch

    I’m mystified by this emphasis on innocent vs guilty.
    People do not lose their rights because they have committed a crime. Their freedom of movement may well be restricted in order to reduce their evident danger to others until appropriate time for rehabilitation, but that doesn’t remove any right from them.
    Let’s be very wary to avoid ‘guilt’ making someone less human, a lesser person.
    Policy regarding DNA should be solely concerned with individuals’ natural rights, irrespective of their criminal record.

  • Simon T

    If retention of DNA on police databases was such an amazingly brilliant idea, then why don’t we see politicians and police officers queueing up with their extended families to permanently add their DNA profiles to the national database?

  • Purlieu

    They only want human DNA

  • http://www.oilofscotland.org Truth Teller

    The same Westminster Government have committed political and civil injustices upon the people of Scotland.
    http://tinyurl.com/5kfmro
    The same Westminster Government are hell bent on keeping the Americans sweet by upgrading Trident.
    The SNP can if enough Scot’s vote for them stop the UK economy spiraling into more debt.
    By halting the £100bn Trident upgrade.
    An upgrade which is ILLEGAL under the international nuclear non proliferation treaty.
    In true MOD fashion, there are reports that these new ballistic missiles will not fit into the current submarine launching tubes as they are too small.
    What a shameful and immoral waste of tax payers money!
    Now the trident nuclear submarines based at HM Clyde Naval Base at Faslane have leaked radioactive coolant into the Gareloch at a serious level three times.
    If Faslane was a nuclear power station SEPA would have closed it down. However the MOD are outwith the remit of Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
    http://tinyurl.com/y8n8nkg
    Even if you are live in England for the sake of all our futures please donate to the SNP election campaign. As if enough SNP MP’s are sent to Westminster they will put a stop to unneeded weapons of mass destruction.
    http://www.snp.org/donate
    for more information visit
    http://www.oilofscotland.org
    or
    http://www.scottish-labour-party.co.uk

  • http://www.oilofscotland.org/scottish_politics.html www.oilofscotland.org

    The SNP (Scottish National Party)
    oppose the collection of DNA.
    Which is a good reason to support them from North or South of the Border.
    http://www.snp.org/search/node/dna

  • LeChiffre

    The Tories think there’s going to be or there is probably going to be a hung parliament and they think it might last a tad too long; otherwise they’d tell Alan Johnson to shove it on the basis that the Tories will be in a position to repeal his bullshit in a month’s time. Depressing prospect. Poor broken Britain.

  • Marcus Junius Brutus

    errrr…
    How can it be being “soft on crime” if we are talking about deleting the DNA record of the INNOCENT?

  • Femina Street

    Why the devil should English people support anything that would increase the occupation of Westminster Parliament with even more Epic Fail Scots.
    You almost have your independence north of the border, so now get on with completely securing that and go away, taking your dammed crooked and stupid Scots politicians with you, while we deal with our own English crooks.
    SNP Pfft.

  • Lee

    @Purlieu :D
    I laughed !

  • http://discernthesignsofthetimes.blogspot.com/ Wirkal

    We are under enormous number of elements to population control, for what purpose? simple, more control = more power for world government.
    What is the best tool for TOTAL control? The RFID, first in U.S. and then in the rest of the World.
    The Health Insurance Act and the implementation in U.S., and the relation with the Bank account:
    Links and Videos:
    http://discernthesignsofthetimes.blogspot.com/2010/03/health-insurance-act-and-implantation.html