I am disgusted but not surprised that this database has been passed with no publicity, and certainly no debate. I'm sure that my friends who are not politically minded know nothing about it. I am the guardian and parent of my children and yet the government can take information on my child without my permission and put it on a national database. The UK is no place to raise children, in fact, it is no place to live. I, as many others, will vote with my feet.

Melanie Raymer, Derby, UK

There is a petition against this that UK residents can sign at:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Databases/

The system was called "Information Sharing Index". "Contact Point" is the new name.

Neil, York, UK

It is already worse in the UK than you can imagine with 1,000s of children becoming victims of the state for financial purposes. I wish I was jooking- take a look at forced-adoption.com a website that tries to highlight the abuses of social services and the ultra secretive family court system. Why can they get away with this- because (a) the word of a social worker is all that is needed as proof (really!)- and (b) if you go public (as a parent) you will get jailed. The govt pays councils when their social services departments meets target for getting children into adoption. It is truly a major scandal- one that this paper's columnist Camilla Cavendish has written about. But the scale of it- well go read that website. The children's database will provide social services with lots more children for adoption- of that I'm certain.

David, London,

This is a dangerous and misguided scheme which can only end in disaster. It will be an enormous waste of money but regardless of that who truly believes that this government is capable of a secure IT project?
If the children of politicians and Celebrities are going to be excluded then surely even the people behind the scheme have no confidence - if it isn't secure enough for some then it isn't secure enough for anyone!

Ian Marshall, London,

I understand this database was set up following the Climbie inquiry.
'A police officer responsible for the protection of Victoria Climbié refused to visit her home for fear of catching scabies, the inquiry into the girl's death heard today.' ( Guardian Unlimited 2001 )
Another case - 'In the months before the death, the girl was seen standing as if in a "vigil" at her bedroom window. The court heard two neighbours were so concerned they rang social services. Two social workers from Kirklees Council visited the house and met Leticia and her mother but days later her file was closed.' ( BBC News 30 August 2007 )
I suspect that all the technology in the world would not have prevented these disasters - it might be better to spend the millions the database will cost on employing more and experienced front line staff .
I am fascinated by technology but do not believe it can replace human commitment - it can make a few people lots of profits though!

Michael R Hodder, Dorchester Dorset, UK

If civilized tactics fail to shut this down, then the only recourse will be to hack the database early and often to prove its insecurity until it becomes politically unviable to keep it running.

It's a better option than letting it run until someone who means real harm to the children hacks it...

declinetostate, declinetostate, yougottabekidding!

Surely Art 8 of the HR Convention is engaged here?
However much good this government has done in the economic field is massively outweighed by its views on ID cards, surveillance and this seriously bad idea. They have to go before they do real damage to our way of life.

John , Nottingham,

Waste of money. Anytime government get this big over anything they just mess it up waiste funds and nothing gets better...just worst. This ASSUMES that children are the wards of the government, which is backwards for they are the wards of their parents until they are of adult age. So the government is now taking over the parents job and taking away the parents rights under the cloak of "just information gathering". They will "assess" and drug any child they wish through their personal assessment and then what? They will send the 13 years olds to war, for they are wards of the government! Oh and if they just "loose" a child, then they are outcasts and must be exiled. Leave the parenting to parents, leave the privacy and protection of child identification to the parents.

ASS - U - ME is the outcome. Waste of money, and had hidden motives.

Zao Barthh, Liberty Hill, Texas, USA

The Limeys are jumping head first into Socialism. They are all quite mad you know!

Bob, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The collection of data for the ContactPoint database has already begun. In a pilot scheme, held in the 2nd quarter of this year, 120,000 children in England - some as young as 10 years old, completed, on school premises, an on-line questionnaire known as the “tellus2 survey”.

The survey asks some very intrusive personal questions and is claimed, falsely, to be anonymous.

As it is completed on school premises, parents are unaware of the nature of the questions their children are expected to answer.

For full details (including links to the questionnaires) see:

http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=16816

New Labour: Tough on freedom, tough on the causes of freedom.

Brian Drury, London Colney, England

After reading all of the comments coming from the UK on here (ignoring) the snide comments of most of the USA contributers bar a few who appear to know what IS going on in their own country after all - when are the demonstrations going to start? I watch with bated breath and hope to join in albeit from NZ. Everyone complaining should write to their local MP or representative. Then if nothing happens, maybe a bit of ignoring the rules might make them take notice. Not a democracy (if ever it was)!

JJ, Auckland, New Zealand

I agree with our Canadian cousins. Where are we going fellow Britons? Have we become so apathetic that we shall just sit and wait unconcerned for what appears to be a coming totalitarian nightmare?

I think it may be time to leave this sad place before the coming fall, funnily enough Canada seems like a nice place to migrate.

JC Kennedy, Brighton, East Sussex

Children raised under this scrutiny will see nothing wrong with such scrutiny when they become adults.

Which is probably the point.

Lisa, San Jose, USA/CA

They know we have no avenue of resistance left open-People often say 'They're all the same' meaning the three political parties, but it is far worse than this- they are all run by and have sworn alegiance to the same gang of foreign gangsters, which also control the media.
Think this idea paranoid? Feel the need to react and exclaim with the anti-think phrase :'conspiracy theory'?
So all is mere interlocking coincidence is it- year on year on predictable, freedom denying, law making year?
Check out what foreign organisation Gordon Brown and Cameron belong to and have sworn aliegence to before Britain.
Check out what organisation Bush has loyalty to- Angela Merkel, Sarcozy et all, and why we are fighting wars, murdering and losing lives and will soon be involved in more wars- all against Britain's interest but on the orders of a crazed, violent, cowardly foreign state of gangsters and terrorists.

That1, Leeds,

The things that made my blood boil when I read this article were:
That the kids of 'some' politicians and 'celebraties' (probably including party doners!) are hidden from the army of a third of a million state snoopers (lets hope not one of them is criminal, corrupt, incompetant or stupid), but that my own daughter will be thus exposed.
That our spineless parliament allowed it to be 'rushed through' with little of no publicity, e.g. we plebs will be subject to more state control from the likes of politicians and their civil servants.

New Labour were elected by less than 25% of the electorate - is there any legitimate mechanism to limit their idiotic schemes? The commons and the lords seem to roll over for ministers.

I also await the news leaking out that NuLab have outsourced the database admin to a cheap asian company.

paul , sheffield, UK

I shouldn't worry about it excessively - maintaining a national database of this size, complexity and sensitivity will present unsurmountable logistical obstacles... It'll become unworkable after a year or so, and in any case, local authorities will continue to use the well-maintained databases they already have in preference. It's just another doomed, hugely expensive government IT project so ill-concieved that it presents no threat to civil rights. A bad idea poorly implemented - it's the New Labour way! :D

Greg, Northampton, UK

If the politicians need to have their children left off of this new data base does this mean that all of the above criticisms are vaild in their opinion and they would rather not put their children at risk. This government seems hell -bent on creating a control system - in much the same way as the Natzi and Stalinist govenments of the past felt - necessary in order to have full and complete control over the people. It is serious time for a change of some sort.

Ron Johnsonm, Shoeburyness/Southend-on-sea, Essex

"If our goverment (US) tried to do this we would riot in the streets."

Erm? I'm assuming you did not see the London anti-war protests, or the countryside march? All right, so they weren't exactly riots, but they were large-scale expressions of public opinion which went completely unheeded by this government. The results? Respectively, Iraq has long since escalated into a civil war which may last years and (less disasterously, but just as typically) rural police have struggled to enforce a half-arsed, badly thought out anti-hunting law.

We will protest. We will not be listened to and the database will, of course, be a comptele disaster. I just hope that, by the time I have children of my own, it will have been revoked.

Julia, London, UK

How much more can the british people take? First they take your guns now you are registering your children?

The sun is setting on the British empire.

If they tried this in Canada people would revolt.

The "sheeple" of England better wake up before it's too late.

Jeff, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Vetted users such as, presumably, Dr Shipman. Then we cut to a spokesperson for the whole sorry mess miming to the Labour anthem "Lesson Will Be Learned".

Herr Braun would do well to observe the comments on this post. This is how his version of Britain is seen by the international community.

David Masu, Zürich,

What are you going to do when one day you are informed by the correct ministry that your child is to report to the hospital to donate a kidney?

How would you feel if you found out that the recipient was one of the "shielded", or thier extended family? What if one, just ONE, of these 300,000 people who can access this data, acts as a "matchmaker" for anyone with the right amount of cash?

Funny thing about the evil in mankind is if you can imagine it at all, it is likely to happen, sooner or later.

Sad how easily you sell the future of your children

Conrad, Fort McMurray, Canada

Stop being so bloody paranoid and realise that not everyone is a paedophile waiting to happen. True, there are a few committed, professional child abusers out there, but there are many committed bank robbers, and people still use online banking. Most paedophiles we hear about are opportunists, or hunters who use chat rooms and the like to find victims. Often, the children willingly hand over their details, and arrange a place to meet. Knowing someone's address does not make it easier to abuse them.

JamieB, Chaldon, UK

Why is our government obsessed with recording as much information about us as possible and making it available to anyone who wants to read it!

Nothing good can come of this sort of thing.

Francis, Birmingham, UK

If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.
Winston Churchill

Ken, Melbourne, Australia

The English are giving away their freedoms at a dizzying pace. It's baffling.

When you throw away your rights and attempt to replace them with laws, you're already lost. Freedom, once lost, is nearly impossible to regain.

Jay, Philadelphia, USA

Yet again our despicable politicians are trying to get away with one rule for them and another for everyone else. As if it wasn't bad enough that they have already tried to evade the Freedom of Information Act or given themselves significantly better pension allowances than they will allow the rest of us to enjoy.

The very fact that they are trying to get themselves excluded from this shows that they have no confidence in it.

I am utterly disgusted. We truly are witnessing the death of freedom in the West.

Angus, Glasgow,

Wake up America. The database already exists here. All doctors are required to give patient information to the federal government for a central health care database. Americans can be taken away for supporting whatever the government considers unamerican organizations.

Mike Z, Merritt Island, Florida, USA

If just one of the "vetted users" is a little bit careless once a year, that is ten leaks a day. A system of this magnitude CANNOT be secure and should therefore not be set up. Simple.

Rosemary Roberts, Germany,

I agree with much of what has been said here. The British people have allowed the State to interfere more and more in their everyday lives, almost without realizing it. We have more CCTV cameras than the rest of Europe put together and a plethora of legislation with more than 3000 new offences, all passed in a knee-jerk reaction to various social ills rather than in an attempt to remedy their causes. In short, the State is on your back all the time. Sadly, with a complete absence of police on our streets, these offences are rarely enforced except by a mish-mash of proxy law enforcement agencies such as community wardens, community support officers and local government officials. The next General Election will be crucial for civil liberties in the UK and the opposition parties really must get their act together to tell the British people where their country is going. If Labour gets in again, I don’t see a future for myself living in the UK.

David, Hull,

The most disturbing aspect of this story is not the database but the general apathy of the British people. If people sit back a let this happen they deserve everything they get.

Jonathan, Auckland,

Animal Farm perhaps...............

MickB, Benfleet, UK

This new regulation is clearly the result of Parliamentary Pedofiles trying to make it easier for themselves to find young children to rape and kill. We must call our M.Ps and let them know we will vote them out of office if they permit this regulation to take effect.

Henry Alken, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA

Experts disagree. The information being recorded is opinions. The labels become lifetime marks that can not be escaped. Since 1944, science, and especially psychology, have been used by governments in inappropriate and deadly ways. Corruption is seeking to insure it's own permanence in power. Corruption is changing laws and contracts. Corruption harms children.

Sharon Harrell, Bellingham, US/ Washington

So Madonna's kids and those of the left wing wacko elite who made up this demented scheme don't go into the database but the kids of every family with a net worth under 10 million are handed on a platter to any child molester who can buy the list? A new royalty is created by the database -those the liberals determine deserve protection. The rest of you can pound salt! No one can really believe that there won't be child molesters or blackmailers in the hundreds of thousands of viewers - all anyone has to do to buy access is pretend that he needs the information for some "Takes a Village" scheme. England has gotten what it wanted, a sick nanny state where privacy exists only for those deemed "noble" enough to deserve it. Ever wonder why we Americans kicked out King George?

Frank, Carmel Valley, California, USA

It is truly wonderful to see the Subjects of the Crown being so wonderfully cared for. The British people need to remember the last group of counter culture subjects.

Matt, San Diego, USA

Rule Britannians,
Once Britains ruled their lives.

Now their freedoms' gone,
no tears in their eyes.

Rule Britannians,
They once did rule their days.

Britains, ever, ever will be slaves.

David, USA,

What's next? Tatoos on your forearm? "Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither."

J Muller, Marlton NJ, USA

I wondered how such gross authoritarian abuses could be coming about in modern Britain but then I looked up my MP. Lo and behold it turns out she received a Scottish West coast Catholic education, became a teacher and is now a minister in the Department of Work & Pensions. I particularly note that her 'other interests' include studying the social system of the former East Germany. Suddenly it all becomes depressingly clear.

Jim, Cumbernauld,

I too am very alarmed at the prospect of this Register and will be writing to my MP directly - you can easily do this online. I suggest all those within the UK with similar concerns do the same. I will also be keeping an eye out for any petition to Government against this scheme.

KT, Oxford, UK

David H from Atlanta: exactly what I intend to do, emigrate before having children. And I'll get rid of my shiny, new, chip-infested British passport as well the moment they ask for a fingerprint or retina scan. I honestly don't know why anyone wants to live in Britain anymore.

Emily, Cambridge, UK

It's a bad idea, of course. At least they ought to allow parents to opt out if they wish. When will people realize that this enormous invasion of privacy won't stop until there are cameras in your house, your bedroom, your bathroom, public bathrooms. The noose is around the neck, there's still time to get it off before it's too late.

Camille, Chicago, USA

Does the Times have to log the opinions of young letter writers on this system yet?

G. A. Turner, Cheltenham,

It seems like government everywhere is stealthily stealing our children and our freedoms. Social workers lie and the judges go along with their lies. Why do we allow government agencies creep into our private lives? If people don't stop it now, we will not be able to stop the demons from controlling every aspect of our lives. Everyday, there are numerous victims of government. We need to take back our children, our parental and family rights, and our freedoms before it is too late.

L. A., Twentynine Palms, CA USA

The trouble is both main parties are in favour of this. The media are largely ignoring it so most people do not have a clue.

This is state control of people from cradle to grave, with private corporations contracted to implement the control for a profit, all funded by the taxpayer. As tax payers we are the unwitting victims and funders of this crazy system. we are paying for them to imprison us. The corportisation of total government control? there is another word for this and it is fascism. New Labour is not socialist. it is fascist.

Where are the anti-nazi league protestors now? boycotting the BNP? a bunch of no-hope racists? We have REAL FASCISM in power NOW! they are ramping up their control grid and I am only comforted by the knowledge that I can still write this without being detained and tortured....yet

Ken, Barrow in Furness, UK

If this register derives from the murder of a child, it would seem to be a tool which can only have some benifit AFTER the harming of another child..ie, it has no use as a tool until after the fact but it is a tool that could possibly be used by a potential HARMER of children, if they were able to access it( with the information contained could a person go to a school or other place and pretend they have right to pick up a child on behalf of guardian/family ect.. )and can satisfy any query by using information gained from the DATABANK. It would seem more sensible to use the proposed funding for this Data bank to provide more security where children are at risk, parks ect.

declan mansfield, Perth 6111, Australia

Now it seems the British cannot even protect their children from this government, and still they don't care.

David Masu, Zürich,

Note that it will not hold info just about children. Were, for example, your neighbour to malicioulsy accuse you of harming your kids (our fourth bruised whenever she fell over, and a real tomboy, she fell over all the time), that would be recorded as well. So it could be called the

Childrens And Malicious Rumours Database

and you could get funny looks in the strangest of places.

You know folks, people hit the streets about the Poll Tax. This is far far worse, and yet a drop in the ocean compared to ID cards. Time to rise up in the streets and say NO.

Jeremy Poynton, Fromeville, 51st State

Adolf could'nt to it, but Tony could,,, Wake up and smell the Tea...and take your countrry back!...

Jim robinson, ERWIN , USA/TN

Yet another instance of how the UK is becoming more "1984" than even George Orwell could have imagined.
Those behind these insidious rules and regulations, eroding freedom from the population, are the same ones who, when children, were given absolute freedom by their parents. What's wrong with them now? Did they hate their (generally) unrestrained, carefree and happy childhood so much that they now wish to restrict the lives of their grandchildren to a bureaucratic imprisonment?
And why isn't anyone standing up and questioning such actions.
Is Britain now populated by sheep, happy to be led to their slaughter?

M Reynolds, Los Angeles, USA/CA

They say "hindsight is 20/20", yet with many government ventures it seems foresight is out the window. This could surely spell disaster, and by the way, what practical purpose does this list serve the populous. One must give the Labour an A for Orwellian effort on this one.

michael, ex-pat san diego, ca / usa

So it's good enough for the people of Britain but
not nearly good enough for the children of rich and trendy politicians and their celebrity pals, so they'll get excluded. Sounds pretty par for the course - one rule for the people- special treatment for Gordon's favourites.

Doug, Glasgow,

People need to wake up to the fact that this loony Labour government is far more of a threat to our freedom than any terrorist organisation. They have no right to hold this sort of information about our children on any database, let alone one that can be accessed by over 300,000 glorified Nu-Labour snoopers. Frankly, it's time we stood up for ourselves and told these madcap politicians to go to hell.

Dave Cook, Newcastle, UK

"ministers have allowed some children to be given extra protection." Some of the animals were more equal than others. Read your Animal Farm and 1984. It's here.

Don, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Children of celebrties and politicians are to be exluded.

All men are born equal but some are more equal than others.

Winston Smith, Barcelona, Spain

I can't see how this would be an issue. It's not like it's hard for sick people to find children...

Tom Whittwell, London, England

They are already trying to brainwash children in Primary School with climate change and attempts to get them to think it's OK to sneak on their friends (happily, the Schoolboy Code of Honour seems to remain intact at my son's school despite the efforts of the staff).

To all you Americans. Not all of us have rolled over. My children know well not to let any of the authorities extract data or DNA or anything else from them. They know of Magna Carta and the sacrifices of their grandparents. No doubt they'll be marked out as troublemakers and dissenters should the occasion arise when they have to stand up to the police or other authorities that may visit their school with nefarious intent but so be it. Isn't it ghastly that you even have to think in such terms in modern Britain?

Simon, Chatham, Kent

First of all, there are enough documented cases now of SWs and plod being offenders themselves and they would have open access to this database as they are not controversial. There should be no doubt whatsoever that information will be passed on through the network. Given that they could be based in London and can pass on information about kids up north, how would they be traced?

Second, since when are celebrities' kids not at risk? A celeb was just recently convicted of child porn.

Third, since it's the politicians who are pushing for this thing, shouldn't their kids be the first names on the list as an example to how safe, secure and necessary this register really is.

I think those objecting are those who really do care about the safety of children. Others are salivating at the thought of all those potential adoptions and targets.

No doubt we will soon be hearing that more lessons will be learned after a child has been harmed due to leaked information.

Lynn, Watford, Herts

Next will come the "mark" in the forehead and the "mark" on the right hand as the New World Order is set in motion as the Word of God (the Holy Bible) describes the "Mark of the Beast".
Then, there can be no "buying or selling" without the "mark" and our slavery will be completed.

Afraid? Bet your life on it! It is coming.

Glenn Boman, Vernon, Alabama, USA

I am horrfied beyond belief that my childrens details will be on this system.

I am horrified that, as a parent this is the first I have heard about it.

I am horrified that there seems to be nothing I can do to prevent it.

I am saddened that yet another piece of legislation has been snuck through the system highlighting yet again how democracy is being slowly eroded in the UK.

A. Parent, London, UK

My grandson's records are so provably inaccurate that were they to be placed online they would damage his chances for life. He's autistIc. I wonder how easy it would be to get such record-at-arm's-length removed or amended?

I am speaking of Social Services Records, which from start to finish - Chronology, dates, accuracy of recording, everything - are wildly, provably inaccurate. Also Care Co-Ordination records, Educational Psychology records, education records,; all are inacurate.

My son has been fighting for months to get these records changed or destroyed. That fighting is hard enough when there is access to the perpetrators of this shambles. Just imagine how much more difficult it will be should their apalling rubbish go online. At that point they could all point to the fact that 'it's-all-there-in-black-and-white-so-it-must-be-true.

We can see what the Americans and Canadians think of this dreadful infringement of our children's rights. They're right.

Get it stopped.

Charlotte Peters Rock, Knutsford,

It is beyond belief
a) that a responsible government of a democracy should even propose let alone implement such a grotesque thing and
b) that the population should accept it without a squeak.

It is so wrong, on every level...

The one good thing that may come of it is that it will be such an utter fiasco that it leads ministers to recognise that the ID card database is unworkable. Maybe that's too much to hope for.

I only hope too many children are not harmed in the mean time, and frankly even if they are not, this still an absolutely unacceptable overreach of government jurisdiction.

cuffleyburgers, Lucca,

What on earth is the Govt playing at now?
Big Brother gone mad! As a Child Protectiopn officer I will fight this all the way. We all know Labours record on IT systems and security and this is a disaster waiting to happen. A kneejerk reaction sneaked through under the public's radar.
A peadophile's dream and a database for anyone to get personal and confidential information from.
George Orwell was very, very right!

bill, aberdeen, scotland

I think the system is in effect a good idea, and may stop children falling through the net and not getting the support they need from Social Services. However, I can quite see that this system is open to abuse, and if the vast population of the normal people in England can have their children put on it, why the hell should celebrities and politicians children be excluded? It smacks of favouritism to me. Also the people who can access the information should be limited to the people who support children, i.e. Social Services, maybe Police, not the rescue services and firefighters, where on hell do they come into the equation?

Marina, Hemel Hempstead, UK

I've worked for government agencies that have what should be confidential information in their data bases. The problem is that it's not the professional that accesses the base, it's a clerk who gets it for the professional. I got a letter from a company that collects financial data recently telling me that an employee had sold my name, among thousands of others, to an outside company. So a fat lot of good it did that this person, working for $10.00 an hour had signed a confidentiality agreement. When dollars were waived in front of their face, they caved. The largest corporations in the world, including Bank of America and Microsoft have been hacked. Basically this system is just going to be a treasure trove for pedophiles. Who was the stupid person or persons who thought this was a good idea? You know the computer is not the answer to everything and in a lot of cases it has made the situation worse, like this.

Suzanne, Scottsdale, AZ

This sure sounds like Big Brother is here. If they were to try this in the U.S. I would do all in my power to stop it. With all the video cameras and now registration of children it is getting very, very scary. Beware my friends in the U.K.

William Hogarth, Goose Creek, U,S.A. South Carolina

If the tories want to get in to power, they should put the individual at the core of their manifesto. This goverment continues to over react and create larger and larger apparatus to monitor its citizens - when the citizens loose more and more faith in their elected officials. As parents we educate our children not to release their real identity online, our elected goverment builds a database with all the good stuff in it - names, addresses, health, school records. And as we all know the goverment has a great track record in implementation and management of IT - oh but dont worry, EDS or IBM or whoever will build it and outsource its management to india.

Lord Laming said that professionals looking after kids should have better communication - that is a process and training issue, not an information issue requires all 11 million kids to be tracked for the sake of a few.

Dave Evans, Reading, UK

Not sure if the Brits remember it or not, but when the government of the United Kingdom kept taking away our rights we had this little thing called a revolution.

Maybe you should give it a try.

Worked wonders for us!

Don't Tread On Me, St. Louis, Missouri

The reason most British people are not all that bothered regarding this issue is simple.

The government are incapable of implementing a large IT project as can be seen by the Passport Agency, NHS as well as the child support agency. This database will be 20 times larger than anything already conceived and has almost no hope of working.

That the Social services are not protecting some children is true but to brand all children as being abused unless shown otherwise is illogical and expensive.

Joseph Kellie, Edinburgh, Scotland

Here in the U.S.,when social security numbers began to be required for young children,suddenly it became very easy to use that number to gather a great deal of information on children.The number of abductions grew astronomically as abusers found ways to crack into databases(pretty easy stuff for the informed) and had access to private information that could be used to convince children the abusers were not strangers, but family friends.If your country goes through with this hugh mistake,your children will suffer as those in the U.S. have.Save your children,tell the government no registration of children will be tolerated.

millard fillmore, norfolk, virginia

What an appalling idea. the politicians obviously think so , otherwise they would be quite happy to have their children's details included.

Denise Ball, Oldbury, England

A simple question I don't see addressed here: when someone becomes 18 or older, is the information expunged from the database? Or is this simply a back-door method of eventually inventorying every human being in the UK? I would laugh heartily at anyone who suggests that this was not an intention of at least some of the supporters of this measure. And what would be the penalty for not making sure this insecure and utterly dangerous recordkeeping is up to date? When the first crimes aided by this database make the news, will it be dismantled? Will the government admit, much less fix, its mistake? Don't count on it. Orwell was only about twenty-three years off.

Sean Leistico, Overland Park, Kansas

The Brititsh have lost it again ---- have'nt got a clue. They have already sold their children down the rivers , I mean the sewers, of abortion clinics.

thomas warner, madison, wisconsin, USA

Why people should be surprised with this I don’t know. Tony Blair admitted he wish to have the state intervene in the life of every child from before birth.

This database will include all children.

Therefore one can only assume that the government sees all children are vulnerable and therefore all parents as potential abusers.

This tallies with what this government is doing with the introduction ID cards, CCTV and the abolition of the presumption of innocence.

In their eyes all citizens of this country have something to hide.

Britain will become an open prison.

Andrew Evans, Llanelli, UK

G-d save usfrom ourselves,,,,,the Mother of Democracy indeed.

Robert Granville Lee, Bloomfield hills,, Michigan, USA

On what legal basis has the Government to hold this information on every child in the Country when only a small proportion actually fall into the potential situations it is meant to protect against.

Secondly on what legal basis can a Government organisation decide to exclude certain children, when the children of ordinary parents have no say in whether details are held or not.

Yet more big brother Government at vast cost to which the political elite will exclude themselves. Where is the Parliamentary scrutiny of these proposals

Rob Young, Gloucester, UK

Why would any parent allow their child's information to be put into any kind of database? Simply refuse to allow it.

Scott, Durham, NC, USA

1. As soon as your children go on this register they are no longer yours, they belong to the State.

2. "Some of those allowed to check records, such as head teachers, doctors, youth offender and social workers, are uncontroversial" what a chock, who remembers the "pin down" scene of systematic abuse by social workers in Childrens Homes, who guards the guards the guards.

3. This is part of a progressive and dedicated covert action to subvert and destroy the basic building block of society, the family.

Existing model to be destroyed:
Individual ---> Family ---> Group ----> Community ---> State.

New model to replace it:
Individual ---> State.

Think China for the ideal scene for them.

4. The group behid this is "Common Purpose" and it exists at every level of administration in this country.

Ken, Melbourne, Australia

For once social workers have got it right. Why on earth do we need a register for every child? 330,000 vetted users, vetted for what? C'mon, would you trust the integrity and intelligence of 330,000 [ that number would grow like Pinnochio's nose] users, many of them transient or agency workers, with access to the records of your precious children? In my view, more energy and resources should go to protecting and monitoring endangered children placed on the existing Protection Register.

Jenny, London, U.K.

This is awful, but what is next? Surely the only real way to 'protect' everyone is to have the entire population under surveillance and their lives recorded in minute detail. Under total control, we can't harm each other. Perfect. Anybody watch 'I, Robot' based on the Asimov novels? Same principle. The idea that this control is more harmful than anything else hasn't occurred to 'them' yet - but then they live by different rules than the rest of us.

Alison, London,

This is a peodophile's dream being guaranteed made-to-order, ready-to-go children to specific requirements with all the information on the child, his/her associations, locations, schedules, biometric map of weight, age,hair/eye colour,race,hobbies etc etc. Those with access to input can file false information leading to a 'care order' placement, removing child from parents and available for access to the 'client(s)' and/or involved foster 'parents' in secure houses and/or export - the possibilities are endless. This is the forerunner of microchipping and full State ownership of babies and children. Parents must insist that this nefarious ContactPoint is aborted and the taxpayer refunded the money to be put into hiring bone fide, social workers who are vetted parents with high empathic and observational intelligence skills. The calibre of worker who allowed Victoria and more recent abuse cases to continue to death must be axed.

DaftAida, London,

Doesn't mention the many potential misuses by private enterprise, which would undoubtedly see the database as one big sales lead.

chris, bernardsville, nj

Nothing new just a one source for things already in data storage. What you forgot your children have to be vacinated to attend school? That to get health care they must be entered into the national database? That each and every live birth is recorded on that oldest of documents a birth certificate? I say again this is nothing new and nothing that doesn't already exist in the USA as well Please be concerned about your children that is admirable but be less concerned about the documents that are already insecure becoming a better orginzed pool please it really is meant to help identify/find your child should they be kidnapped or, God forbid, killed. This is an extension of the program run in schools to photograph and children that parents have been participating in for over 30 years. Don't any of you in the USA remember a camera booth setup at your childrens school and a note saying this program called "Operation Identification" would be coming to your childs school?

Wayne, Florida, USA

New Labours record on computerized system is abysmal, dangerous and expensive. Not one of their 'grand' projects has been delivered on time, meets the contract or is safe from hackers. We have seen the NHS It system collapse, the tax credit system losing billions and registers of sensitive information being hacked or even left on a lap top in a pub. Only if information is distributed with no linking between computers as well as much of it being kept on micro film, will our personal data be safe from both hackers and a control freak government.

Mike, Alicante, Spain

Welcome to the world of total control.
After all Your government does know how to raise your child better then you do.

spastic jack, west desmoines , iowa/ United Socialist States of America

The whole idea is ludicrous and shows contempt for just about everybody in the system. From the staff, who will have to spend ridiculous amounts of time, keeping the silly thing up to date, to parents, who will only be remotely concerned about tracking their children, ( in a very paranoid manner ), if they are a problem themselves. It is just so obvious that this is an idea from an anally retentive freak. It cannot possibly achieve anything constructive and will, indisputibly, be a terrific waste of teaching time! I'm sorry, but this lot just need to go.

Judy , Liverpool, england

I have to agree that this is a terrible piece of policy. The present government has stealthily stripped away all the safeguards in the political system to stop this happening.

However, I do find it mildly amusing to to read all the shock/horror comments from the USA.

You guys "spread YOUR legs", as one reply put it, by allowing your freedoms to be eroded post 9/11 with abominations like the Department of Homeland Security.

Unfortunately, the UK follows meekly in your wake yet again.

Shaun, Ex-Pat, Italy

if the last 10 or so years have taught us anything, its that this Govt are complete idiots.... the number of daft introductions brought in to "save us" is spiralling .. ID cards, childrens registers, peadaphile registers health and saftey gone mad ... so now we have lists and databases...any good from them? No of course not bcos idiots have demanded them and theyve designed been installed by people who dont care...and then theyve been policed by lawyers... i read some where that this Govt spends £1 billion a year on outside consultants (why pay the govt if they've got nothing to do but employ consultants?)pressumably who think vast data bases are a great idea snce they will keep them happily employed. until they emigrate to Australia..I live in Switzerland but have two kids living in the uk and this appalls me, its abt time the Brits stood up and sed enough...or perhaps send in a consultant or lawyer to say it for u.

zugerman, zurich, switzerland

Question: What is the critical differance between gordan brown, ruth kelly, david cameron and me?

Answer: My kids have to go on a child protection database theirs don't.

Within twenty years they'll be chipping our babies - for their own protection of course.

We are sleep walking into a nightmare, too busy taking in the new opium of the masses - Big Brother and soaps etc.,

DNA taken if arrested ( not for Lord Levy of course, he may be a socialist but comes from the protected class).

They are slowly taking away your ability to be difficult , not to conform, even to protect your own family. I even wonder about the wisdom of putting my real identity, this control creep is so insidious.

Paul, Clitheroe,

For those smug Yanks who are sneering at the British for not having thrown this NuLabour government out, just have a careful look in your own back yard! You are about to get a North American Union. Just like the European Union, it is being concocted in secret, and will be drip fed to the North American masses in little bits so that they do not notice. The erosion of personal liberty on your side of the pond is initially about different topics, but with the same aim of imposing a police state. Why else are you now being required to produce RealID whenever you travel anywhere?

Try http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2006/210606cfrplan.htm
or
http://www.infowars.com/
Yes they are both by Alex Jones. Yes he is sometimes a bit over the top, but the time has now come when we in the "west" must learn the art of "reading between the lines" just like they had to do for so many years in the Soviet Union (and may just be having to learn again!)

Fred, London,

How long before the children's DNA is added to this database?

S. Delaney, London,

"information about the children of celebrities and politicians is likely to be excluded from the system"
Why exactly? Surely not because they're worried the system is insecure. I guess 'ordinary' people shouldn't worry about their childrens' data.

Toby Martin, Munich, Germany

where is this information going to come from? and what about Data Protection? My permission was not sought for my childs details to be included, and if this government wants a fight, then all parents against this should consult the European Court of Human Rights, as I intent to do.

Mr P Brewerton, Littlehampton,

To Steven in NY:

Liberal Democrats would fight tooth and nail AGAINST a database of this type. It is the far-right who wish to control Americas children-to make sure they don't learn to think for themselves.

oldmommy, RoseCity, USA

Why are the children of celebreties and politicians allowed to be excluded? Are your children more important than ours Mr Brown? Do you think some of the second and third rate public leeches you call MP's deserve to have their child's information made private while you happily force everyone elses child to be included.

Is it that you don't like the idea of your children's details being stored on a database, well why do you think I want my child's details stored?

Never can I remember a more intrusive and insidious Goverment than this.

Martin, Reading, UK

So my daughter's abuser can now look her up, find out where she's now living and going to school? Great.

Lucy Jordan, Midlands,

Since when did America/Americans feel the need to comment on this country's decisions? Whilst we share a common language our political worlds are quite different...
Although they could be congratulated for actually paying attention to the world outside gool ol' USA, methinks they should look tot their own government & intelligence agencies first before rabidly braying about ours. Hello Guantanemo! Hello CIA....

Whilst valid concerns are raised, the article does point out that access is for vetted persons only. many councils already have large databases of its residents, children included, this sounds like an extension of that. If the point is to try and prevent another victoria Climibie abuse case, then back off. Professionals need to have access to relevant information quickly, at times

EB, Salford,

If you let this happen you are not the Brits I knew in the Forties.

Frank, Ocean City, Maryland, USA

Are you people completely insane? Do you have any clue as to just how dangerous this would be?

If I were a Brit and forced by my government to hand over my children's information, my kids security, I would leave the country post haste rather than surrender to such treachery!

Stop these madmen, they are not your friends

One VERY concerned American

David H, Atlanta, USA

Not only are the children registered, their parents are also. There is the appearance of "good intentions", here. We all know the road to hell is paved with them.

Darla, fargo, ND

if the pm's children are not in it then no children should be in the registry.

jmorrison, kingston , canada

Beware big brother! - ID cards next ? Smacks of yellow stars all over again! Disgusting in the guise of caring - God Help us, thank god I no longer live in the UK

JJ, Auckland, New Zealand

Give it up for Big Brother, He'll protect you from yourself. He loves you and your children. He would never do anything to harm you. The more you make the more he can take.

John Morrison, Denver, Co

It's interesting to hear all the comments from Americans concerned or gloating about Great Britain's disappearing civil rights and burgeoning surveillance apparatus. The very same things are happening in the U.S.; in fact, Dubya has the legal power now to lock up any American citizen without charges and have them tortured. Who do you think is behind those huge thefts of personal information from private databases? What's happening in the U.K. is happening here -- what are you doing to stop it?

Jonathan, NYC, USA

This makes it much easier to thieve data. Instead of wading through a bunch of manual records, or computer records not linked or readily accessible, it is all in one place.

Convenient.

Giving 300,000 people access? Might as well post the data on the internet for everyone to see.

Either give ALL records the same level of security afforded children of "important people" ... or forget the whole thing.

William Wallace, Apex, North Carolina

I find it interesting that this has not come up on the BBC news website... I check that every day, and as yet have not seen a single article about this registry.

If I lived in the UK I would be livid with my representatives in government. To put legislation like this through without consulting the populace first is absolutely unconscionable! A national registry of all children including all important information on those children is a concept (oh, and those children who are the offspring of political or celebrity figures are exempt from this list for security reasons) is perfectly repugnant.

This makes my skin crawl, and I'm an ocean away from it...

Eris, DeKalb,

I suppose the data base would include what religion you are, just in case any one wants to know.

John, Redmond, US/WA

This must be stopped at once...what is this government playing at? We fought Hitler for our freedom...which this miserable/inept party has slowly taken away from us.

S Jones, Bucks, england

Well, George Orwell really was a prophet. Big Brother is not only watching you but will now be following you from cradle to grave. Hopefully, the Western Democracies will awake from their slumber at some point and shake off the oppressive, all intrusive patriarchal governments that we have created before it's too late. It's sad how quickly most people will trade their freedom and independance for a false sense of "government" security.

Richard , Margate, usa/florida

Poor British kids, wonder if this means all the pedophiles will move to Great Britain for access to easier prey.

I hope the parents fight this. If not a single one concedes to giving their children's information, that will be a successful fight. They can't possibly jail the parents of 11,000,000 million children

Lisa, Manhattan, USA

Am I the only person to notice, in the entire country apparently, that the database will be open to 300, 000, "professionals". Not a single one of which will be corrupt (In light of recorded cases of peadophile soical workers), or blackmailable (In light of recorded cases of Police officers giving criminals access to police computers), or in financial difficulties (in light of recorded cases of teachers embezzling school funds) or ever make mistakes, (in light of doctors leaving patient records in their car when stolen, let alone the secret service leaving laptops on the train.)
The data base will be compromised the very first time it is ever acccesed by anyone, and one (out of 300,000) person will be apprently able to access the entire system and email those details anywhere in the world to anyonw who wants to know about any British Child. (Except the rich.)
Which idiot did not consider misuse by a rogue employee, let alone a deliberate infiltation by a paedophile professional.

Alisdair Budd, Southend, UK

If this matter is so important, why arethe children of Politicians and so called 'celebrities' being excluded.

This surely means that this system is not secure!!

Why are these 'priviledge' children being excluded?

Another case of 'them and us??

Stuart Fox, Halesowen, West Midlands

what I want to know is who gave these people permission to hold information about my children. I don't recall anyone approaching me to ask for it, and I am their parent and legal guardian.

mrs grace love, sheffield, england

To Donna Walker, Effingham, How could you have forgotten so quickly ?? Earlier this year, John Reid, the former Home Secretary sent text messages to ALL failed asylum seekers instructing them to leave the UK so obviously that problem disappeared overnight. Try not to dwell on hard facts; this government don't.

Rick, Greater London, England

Canada has a gun registry. In theory, it has the address of every gun in Canada, by type, make, model, calibre. Every so often a house with legally, safely stored firearms is burgularized, often with entire safes taken away. These thefts take planning. Obviously, the Canadian gun registry has been hacked. Children? What is the British government thinking? It seems that everything the British do makes it easier for the terrorist and criminal and harder for the law-abiding.

Joel Sturm, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

Adolph Hitler and Josef Stalin would be envious of the UKs socialist proclivities and use of technology towards state control. When are the British people going to say "enough"?

Tom W, York , PA, USA

The IT savvy younsters of today will have hacked in to this data base within a week, modified their own and other peoples entries, deleted some, and sold others to paedophiles and direct marketing organisations.
If foot and mouth can escape a laboratory, iPod can be hacked, the Pentagon can be hacked, what hope has this got of remaining private?

Colin Burt, Wide Bay, Australia

The justified fear that information on children will fall into the wrong hands is but a drop in the ocean compared to the long term danger of such a database. This is but the first step in the all encompassing police database of every person in the UK; the next steps being compulsory DNA testing of all children and then compulsory biometric ID cards for children (who eventually become adults) - long live the USSK (United Soviet Socialist Kingdom).

P Myatt, Limassol, Cyprus

The majority of children in this country are cared for well throughout their childhoods and will not raise any concerns for health/social care professionals etc...

Why then do we need a database that includes all children. Surely if you are going to have a database of vulnerable children make it just that. If and when a child comes to someones attention they can at this point be placed on the database and all subsiquent entries easily collated. That way there is a chance of separating the wheat from the chaff.

Unfortunately the media has shown us on several occasions now that that it was not due to lack of knowledge of a childs suffering that led to tragedy but the lack of action be people in the know.

Wouldn't a more specific database be cheaper to administer and the money be better spent on bolstering the social work departments to better serve these vulnerable children.

Yet another government scheme flying in the face of expert advice I think.

Allan, Dundee, Tayside

When will the real CITIZENS not Subjects of Britain fight back against their quasi-communist-stalinist nanny state which bit by bit is enslaving them. Stick a fork into England it's done. This is the end result of letting fear and entitlement propel leaders into office. There is a lot more than 11 million children in England, you need to count the children voting in their Mommie and Daddie every election.

Jeff, Stillwater, USA/MN

"Those who give away liberty in order to gain security should have neither." Benjamin Franklin

Tim Benner, GROVE CITY, USA / Ohio

Where the heck is "V" when you need him?

The UK seems to have gone beyond the "1984" nightmare. Liberty will become a forgotten concept, to be replaced with another concept .....control of the masses.

This is especially reprehensible when you read that the ruling elite are excluded.

I sense that the British need a tea party of their own.

John, Harrisburg, USA/PA

Yes, sounds like the making of a scenario for Big Brother. Next, we'll see "People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annhilated: vaporized was the usual word."

Hmm...

Phil, Washington D.C.,

yes, i can fathom the policy of the labour party.
What is there not to understand? Britain does not belong to britons anymore, they are part of the new the world citizenary. We are all world citzens according to the socialist, so this makes perfect sense.

If only they applied the same logic to the moslems in britain and kept a registry-that would not fly with the moslems they would not accept it.
The poor Brits will however have to accept this. What are going to do?
Well nothing offcourse, poor souls.t

peter, chicago, usa

William Pitt the Younger (at least initially) argued that necessity is always advanced in support of the restriction of civil liberties which restriction ought always to be opposed. The various correpondents here quoted are correct. The UK is a police state. The ruling class is the civil service -answerable to no-one (Camilla Cavendish column) - aided by a weak and mute House of Commons. Where now our ancient liberties ? The Tories ought to make hay opposing this policy. It would give a clear signal that the People are represented in Parliament which is supposedly the raison d'etre of the People's Party. How do Germany, France, Italy and other civilised states protect their young? I think we should be told. Over to you Camilla.

David Morrison, Airdrie, UK

Tonight I am watching a US program called Dateline that catches child predators by setting up a sting. The predator thinks he is meeting a 12 year old child at a home - someone he has already propositioned online.

The sting has caught several teachers, doctors, military, church youth leader that have all come to have sex with a young girl.

This database will make it easier for all of the now, which is why your politicans and celebrities are not included. They know it isn;t secure.

You must fight this system to keep your children safe.

Bella, Cherry HIll, USA, NJ

the reason us brits are not worried is because we have first hand experience of our governments inability to get even simple IT systems up and running. It is doubtful contact point will ever 'go live'. Thanks for your concern/patronising.

joseph, london,

Simple answer : DON`T AGREE TO ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO HAVE THEIR NAMES PUT ON THERE. I`m sure they must be intending contacting parents so as to fill out all the details or to check if details are correct. GROUNDS FOR REFUSAL is easy : if its not good enough for celebrity & politicians childrens details to be on the register - then neither is it good enough for OUR children either. Contact : `Leave Them Kids Alone` org http://www.leavethemkidsalone.com/ Can anyone say: HITLER ????? (why else would they be EXCLUDING the elite ?) Think I`m joking ? I wish I was.

Robert, Edinburgh, UK

Brown's Big Brother is watching you - great !

Although we can feel re-assured that "some politicians and celebrities could be left off the main database" .So we proles will be closely monitored but certain ultra-loyal Labour apparatchiks wont be on this 'register'.

Lord Turnbull's comparison of Gordon Brown to Stalin is becoming alarmingly accurate......

Rick, Greater London, England

And which specific person is responsible if this data "escapes"? It appears that the government abuse of statutory instruments continues to threaten all the members of this country, by giving all our personal information to "300,000" potential criminals, who don't have any legitimate use for it anyway. Safety and security is not about databases, it is about secrecy and making information difficult or impossible to obtain by miscreants. Will this database do more harm than good? The answer is clear from its failure to be placed before parliament for debate! This is the thin end of identity cards, introduced to harm the most vulnerable in our society, the only ones who do not have a vote.

DaveZ, Belfast, UK

Apparently George Orwell's "1984" is no longer taught in British schools. What a shame. With all the madness going on it Britain nowadays, I am now reluctant to travel there, though I have longed for years to see the homeland of my ancestors. A great-great granddaughter of Scottish immigrants, I suppose I shall have to be content with books and videos about the beloved Highlands.

Liz, Mansfield, Texas USA

No wonder so many families have now taken the decision to leave the UK and start a new life elsewhere. This government chooses not to listen to public opinion and is driving this country of ours into a true big brother state without any public security - very, very worrying. What is so annoying is the fact that we are not given a choice - I would not want my families details on a national database, but will I be given a choice to opt out? - I think not. Come on people, wake up - get rid of this incompetent government. Anything is better than this.

Paul, N. Lincolnshire, UK

Just one child that gets harmed in anyway through this grotesque system being brought in next year and Brown and is feminist lead government should be criminally charged.

Layton Bevan, Neath, Wales,UK

Where is Guy Fawkes when you need him?! Come on, y'all! Wake up! There are CCTV cameras everywhere; even your garbage cans are being monitored! You can't spit without 50 spooks knowing about it. And now you are going to let the gov't. track your helpless children like so many sheep? What happened to your freedom? It is PAST time for y'all to stand up and put a stop to this!! Maria is unfortunately right -- if it happens there, it'll be attempted on this side of the pond, too. We must not let this happen, in the UK or the US. Americans can vote for Ron Paul in '08; what can you Brits do?

Miriam, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This is a very, very bad idea. Don't do it. Some 17 year old boy in New Jersey just broke the code of the I-Phone. NOTHING is safe from hacking, nothing.

This is a very, very, misguided, stupid, and wicked idea. If proof were needed of that, the way it is being rushed through in secrecy is proof enough.

Among the vast numbers of people with access, do you think there is not even one pederast? All it takes is one. He or she will put the entry codes onto one of their websites, and that will be the end of your peace. Once the database exists, it will persist forever. Full of errors too. But with just enough truth to create total vulnerability.

NY Mom, New York,

Poor little kids. I am so sad to see the children of such a once great empire now being catalogued in the name of some socialist hive-mind mentality. The people of the UK are virtually disarmed, almost constantly being watched - where does it end? The adults eagerly wearing the yoke of livestock - that's their choice - but the children - my God!

Russ D., Orlando, USA/FL

I hope nothing of the sort ever comes to the USA. I would go to jail rather than have my children included in such a register!

Christine Hankins, Bonanza, OR, USA

The assumption that all those people who will have access to the database are good people and will NEVER do anything to intentionally hurt the children is plain stupid. Look to mankind's history and it will tell you this is going to endanger the children--not protect them--because all it takes to make a perfect system imperfect is ONE bad apple, i.e. person. Duh.

Ahryun , Palmdale, United States

England, your freedoms are still being removed by force. Privacy being removed by force. Big Brother, One World Order here it is in formation.

Ace, Idaho, USA

big brother! Seriously the UK has a sex offenders list this is enough as some idiot will get access to this and hurt more children than it will Help. BTW, all children have a birth certificate and this is a list why does yet another have to be made. Goverment jobs that is why soon the increase on Govenment jobs will overtake 50%of the poopulation then where does the tax come from??

Trevor, nusa,

How does something as fundamental as this slip through Parliament without proper public debate? Too often the government introduces legislation with the argument it is necessary to protect the innocent and venerable with little evidence to support the claim. The risk here seems greater than the stated benefit. More likely this gives them the database they want without ID cards debate.

1984 was meant to be a warning, not a manual.

AndyN, Reading,

To me this is a typical "Big Brother" action. The government wanting to know and control everything in your life. Once in the data base, the children will become adults and will the data be "dumped"? Most likely not! Freedom is vanishing! Let your imagination run wild, as your worst fear will become real!

Dwayne , Chattanooga, Tn/U.S.A.

This ladies & gentlemen is what happens when liberal socialist have power. Please remember this in 2008 in the USA when you vote. I'm surprised Hilary Clinton didn't think of this first. Just imagine what she will do. Of course such database would not apply to the rich and liberal.

Steven, Ossining, NY

I always thought the Empire had better to do than make life easier for those who would harm children. There is no online site that can not be broken into, with time and effort.

Peter Peirano, Ridgewood, USA (New Jersey)

there is no england anymore. You did this to yourselves. Every problem you have is because of the people you elected. If our goverment (US) tried to do this we would riot in the streets.

Too bad it's politically insensitive to read george orwell at your schools.

It's not too late for you, but you need to take action fast.

mike, los angeles, usa

Calling all Brits,

It is time to say NO to this child database. I am absolutely mortified at what I see happening in the UK in regards to private lives.... I think you really need to put a halt to this whole thing. Every BRIT just needs to say NO and let the chips fall where they may... Band together now... before it gets too late... I'm dead serious... you guys are loosing your way.. Good luck...

Rhonda, Seabrook, TX, USA

If its anything like the NHS database, it'll never happen, and all the money will go to dodgy private sector consultants.

Sarah, Edinburgh,

One can understand that that the potential security and other risks are higher for politicians, celebrities and their children. But isn't the point here that there is a (real) security, or other, risk, for everyone. Not to mention the Orwellian aspect, the lack of any choice in the matter for our future franchised citizens and, of course, the usual creeping disease.

The exclusion of children of politicians and celebrities is the positive, absolute and incontravertable proof that the proposals are just plain wrong.

Please abandon them for this reason and all the other well rehearsed arguments.

Jules, London, UK

Victoria Climbie was an illegal but now all children in the UK are to be made prisoners of the state by being catalogued so they will learn as adults that they are Slaves of The State

TomTom, Leeds, England

From today's Independent; chaos in the DNA database, which is only 5% of the size of of the planned Childrens' database.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2896193.ece


Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Jeremy Poynton, Fromeville, 51st State

As a mother with a young daughter, I find it absolutely horrifying and reprehensible that my daughter's PERSONAL info could be available to up to 300,000 strangers. Isn't it enough that her GP, her school, her childminder and her family have these details? How is the Government going to guarantee the integrity of these 300,000 users, or offer any guarantee that my child's details will not end up for sale somewhere?? What is right with this country any more?

Vanessa, Leigh,

I am deeply destressed by this initiative to erode our civil rights and privacy even further. With 300,000 users of the database, it only takes one user to enter incorrect or unfair information about a child for that child to be branded with a lie for ever after. You might trust your child's doctor or head-teacher. You may be obliged to trust your social worker but will you trust the locums and stand-ins, admin clerks and IT staff who will inevitably have access? Furthermore, this database will be the ideal resource for paedophiles. Paedophiles are drawn to childcare work - and not all of them are stupid. Common sense tells us that there must enevitably be a small number of competent professional paedophiles working in childcare in Britain. Do we really want them to be able to flick through the personal details of ANY child they are interested in and identify possible points of weakness to enable their approach?

Luci, London,

Please set the publicity in motion to stop this data base. This is a violation of the rights of parents and children. questions need to be asked in the House as to how this decsion has beeen.

Rita Price, cheshire , England

In trying to "protect" the children, UK is actually putting them in more danger. I cannot believe that so much personal information is going to be put where it will be accessable to so many...including hackers, who have shown that almost nothing can stop them from retreiving any information they so choose.

Janet Fuls, Cottonwood, CA USA

These systems are very easly hacked.

This is a devastating loss of personal privacy for the British people. It is particularly detestable that children of the corrupt UK ruling class will be exempted.

Edward Sodaro MD, Massapequa, NY, USA

Wow, just wow.
I cannot fathom this policy is seriously going forward. Wouldn't be easier to brand them, or perhaps a number tatooed on their wrists?......

Mike Johnson, Calgary, Canada

Another example of the UKs descent into a Police State. Pity, really.....

Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, Virginia

So how will the Government obtain, and keep updated, details of all the under-18 illegal immigrants we have and continue to get in this country? Or the failed asylum seekers, who disappear and don't go home?

Perhaps the Government is going to ask them politely to register as children when they arrive so that we can 'look after their welfare?'

I realise that some of the children who have been subjected to sadistic, vicious drug-addicted parents are British. However, Victoria Climbie was not - and fairly regularly the children whose stories hit the headlines are not British. If the Govt. spent more time checking and vetting the circumstances of children entering this country they would prevent many of the tragedies we hear about.

The database will be incomplete; open to abuse; and dangerous because the information it will contain cannot be relied upon. The most vulnerable won't even feature - and I'm not referring to the omitted children of celebrities or politicians.

Donna Walker, Effingham, Surrey

If it is going on in the UK, it will happen here soon. There already is a voluntary child database in Texas. It tracks vaccinaitons. Any time a tax or database starts out small or voluntary, it will get bigger and mandatory. The government here in the US is also getting bigger. So don't criticize the UK. We simply follow their lead for some reason.

Maria, Austin TX,

This database is simply a way to identify children who display views independent of their state indoctrination and to prepare them for re-education.

Paul, Birmingham, England

Thats great but, medical records should be choice. givin by the doctors & hospital you chose 1 st choice to last choice of 5 should be listed. Only allergies and medication should be released for imediate care. if somthing should happen. that is what the social workers are for at the hospitals. They get and give the permition if they cant find you. Nobody will let a child die because they cant reach you. if a crime is commited and they use the school records have a clause they cant be arrested but force reabilitation should be put upon them. Finger prints on contraband. If your printed at work why not at school are you expecting to raise a criminal you dont want jailed. It comes down to you need to know what your child is doing.
The medical records is wrong and they dont need to know criminal acts off campus. Teachers talk were human. and judgment will happen before we meet them. but I Agree with DNA, Printing, Photo pitcure 5 emergancy contacts along with choices of hospital.

Amber, FPO, AP, USA

Big Brother - alive and well in the UK.
Why are you letting your Government peel away layer after layer of your civil liberties? Baffling.

Evin, Boca Raton, USA/Florida

This is absolutely fantastic!!! Now when the children are grown adults, you won't have to create a new register! Good job dumbing down your citizenry and using fear mongering to remove the last vestiges of freedom. When do the children get implanted RFID chips to track them? Be sure to stay in line, or you'll be marked for life.

Concerns have been intensified by the admission that, while every child under 18 in England will have a record, ministers have allowed some children to be given extra protection. The “shielding” mechanism will mean that information on the offspring of some politicians and celebrities could be left off the main database.

Oh... so you mean that its only for the poor people's children, of course we understand.

John Robinson, Houston, USA

..they forgot DNA and fingerprints.
what the hell is this for beyond being intrusive and a data base... ? but for what ?
so... first your kids,then you.

salome, NYC, USA

There's only 11 million kids under 18 in England? How the mighty have fallen!

Patrick, marysville, usa, wa.

Hold on Jeremy, This kiddo didnt leave the UK because he hated it, I quit the UK when I could leave a door unlocked and come back from shopping and everything would be intact. No Jeremy, I had 3 kids and out of world war 2 , you know it was supposedly a country fir for heroes to live, yeah !! living with inlaws, in a one bedroom, sweating my balls off trying to make a few pennies for grub on the table, in the end it was get out or go under, I left to make a new life for the misses and kids, it worked, yeah I sweated here for a few years , but I had a home and grub on the table and saw the kids grow up and thank me for bringing them here, they are doing well, I own my home, and get a visit back to UK and my misses family, oh yes !! I still love UK , deep roots, have a Brit passport, I fought hard for Britain in the RN, D day invasion
and the taking of Singapore, lost a Brother in the RAF on Lancaster bombers, Mum and Dad are gone long ago, I am enjoying my twilght years.

Tom, Chilliwack, Canada

George Orwell 1984

r, hucks,

I'm well and truly shocked. I thought it was bad enough that adult British citizens were rolling over and spreading thier legs for the government. Now you're having your children do it too before they even know whats happening. I thank my lucky stars that my grandparents were a part of the brain drain after WWII.

Chris, Loveland, Colorado, USA