WRITTEN ON December 6th, 2008 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Data nitwittery, Foundation of Trust, Transformational Government, What do we want?

The meme that the European Court’s Michael Marper DNA judgment has fatal implications for unreconstructed Transformational Government is rolling now. See Henry Porter (hi Henry!) in the Guardian

The unanimous judgment of the 17 judges held that the United Kingdom was incontestably in breach of Article 8 – the right to respect for privacy and family life – and ruled that the policy had “failed to strike a fair balance between the competing public and private interests.” It further said that “the policy had overstepped any acceptable margin of appreciation in this regard”. The judges also agreed with the two men that the retention of their DNA was discriminatory under Article 14 which prohibits discrimination.

The government will wriggle and no doubt suggest the introduction of new laws to get round the judgment, which, incidentally, must also have implications for other privacy cases and particularly the data sharing operations proposed in the Coroners and Justice Bill that was announced in the Queen’s speech. But is difficult to see how they can avoid the direct instruction from Strasbourg, where it seems the spirit of liberty and notions of privacy are more alive than they are in the British government….This judgment will encourage new actions in the ECHR, perhaps on the children’s database, or the Transformational Government project that will invade the privacy of everyone to a degree that few understand.

Go Hazza!

I met HMG’s CIO the other day. We disagree profoundly on many things, but generally with courtesy and even a degree of warmth. He’s focussed on getting things done well. I accept the value of that capability, but it’s also important to do the right thing. We need better qualities of listening and discernment applied to that part of the challenge he faces, and a role of such importance demands those skills and that perspective.

The timeline has been something like this. It’s clear to me that these ideas have been clearly and forcefully put to the government, and specifically to the Cab-in-a-Toffice tribal elders (the Sit-You, EEE-Envoi etc) for a good decade. We’ve being saying it loud, because we’re Idealists and we’re proud, on IdealGov for four years now. Dear government officials and Ministers; it’s time to start to turn the wheel on the supertanker. Eek: I do hope it doesnt turn out to be one of those toy wheels they give to keep children quiet in cars.

Wibbi they start to turn the wheel now on the database-state supertanker?

Wibbi the wheel were connected to something at the other end?