From a comment by UK libertarian Ian Parker-Joseph, in response to this post by James Rummel on the UK government’s DNA database:
In isolation, it may be argued that DNA retention would be useful to the Police in their work. However, put it against the background of everything else going on in the UK, and it becomes impossible to ignore the more sinister overtones of dictatorship.
It is very easy to formulate an argument for single items, for things that only affect a very small proportion of the population, which is how the salami slicing works.
However, when we put it all together, 26,000 new laws, 3000 new criminal offences, then the laws are not for the good of the people, or for their protection but for the good of the state.
That is the balance that needs to be redressed.
I have always wanted to visit England, mainly to indulge my interest in history. I’d be quite the tourist at all the preserved old places.
But now I think I’d better get a legal professional who practices in Great Britain on retainer before I leave my home country. Lawyer, solicitor, whatever the heck they call them. You never know, I might run afoul of some law that I’ve never heard of and makes no sense to me.
James
Oh don’t be silly. Nobody knows what those laws are, anyway. Not even libertarians. Well, especially not libertarians. Oh, and by the way, most of those laws come from the EU. It’s just that our parliament cannot throw those out. That’s when they actually hit parliament.
Helen,
Are you a regular apologist. If you don’t understand these laws, you can look them all up on the Government Statute Law database, but please never assume on my behalf.
http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/
We know only too well what these laws are and for. Irrespective of whether 80% of UK law is now generated in Brussels rather than London, they still impact everyone in the UK. Oh, and they are all already on the statute book, not when.
No, Ian, I am not a regular apologist and write a fair bit about legislation in Britain and yes, I do know the difference between when and already. Funny that. Maybe you should read some of the stuff other people write. For all of that, I do not think that most people know what the many laws are precisely because there are so many of them. Something I have written about repeatedly. Maybe you should … Oh skip it. So the idea that you need a solicitor to live a day to day life is not precisely accurate as most people … oh skip it. Oh and yes, it does matter where the legislation comes from and how much we can do about it. This is why libertarians are not useful allies in any political battle.