Tony Blair feels there should be no limit on the number of DNA samples held on the national database. Speaking at the Forensic Science Service headquarters in central London the Prime Minister said,

"I think the politicians are more resistant than the public. I think the public think if this is helping us track down murderers, rapists...then go for it."

Coming from a leader who rarely bothers to ask the public what they think about anything this is pretty rich. Of course a politician claiming to speak for people he never consults is nothing new, and if all else fails, scaring the public into surrendering freedoms is always a useful tactic. One which this government has shown no unwillingness to use in the past.

The current administration has consistently shown an extraordinary willingness to infringe upon the freedoms of its citizens. This latest statement joins a long list of such pronouncements and efforts, all of which follow an unrelenting pattern of attempting to restrict and control the freedom of the population.

These have included, (but are not limited to) a manufactured debate on the need for a national identity card, the introduction of number-plate recognition systems, calls for biometric scanners, and the (almost unnoticed) installation of the highest number of CCTV cameras per-head of population on earth.

In a rare moment of political candour, the Prime Minister did manage to clarify exactly how many DNA samples he felt the State should be able to hold by saying,

"The number on the database should be the maximum number you can get."

Well that'll be everyone in Britain then Prime Minister! (Link)