As with much of the legislation introduced by this government, this sounds like the result of a series of knee-jerk reactions that were individually probably well-intentioned, but collectively amount to painting yourself into a corner...

Basically if you work with or near children, have children or know anyone with children then you are now automatically asumed to be a pedo unless YOU prove that you're not one.

The true evolution of a system moving inevitably towards guilty until proven innocent.

Yep, a weak one.

Let's look at some examples from the track record:

1. Handguns banned following an outcry in the gutter press over Dunblane. Thomas Hamilton had a firearms licence. No demands from Fleet Street for the head of the idiot who issued the licence despite medical advice to the contrary. And how easy is it to get hold of guns now?

2. Sexual offences bill raising the limit for nude pictures from 16 to 18. So you can legally marry and shag at 16 but you take a picture of your 16-year-old wife and it's the Sex Offenders Register for you, you disgusting pervert.

3. Iraq. Our spineless government happily followed the ignorant president of a foreign country into starting an illegal war. 57 years previously, 11 members of the last Western government to try that were sent to the gallows at Nuremberg. (And before some smart-arse mentions Suez, the stated intent there was to secure the canal, not to topple Nasser. Dubya wanted Saddam out from the start and made no bones about it).

4. Extreme porn now a criminal offence. I've every sympathy for Jane Longhurst's family, but someone who gets turned on by violent sex and rape isn't going to be put off in the slightest by a ban; it just makes more work for the police and risks criminalising a lot of otherwise law-abiding people. It's the intent that's important, as any fule kno, but it's easier (and lazier) just to ban it outright.

5. Loads of laws, particularly anti-terror legislation that were "targeted" (sp?) at this or that group of people but which ended up being applied indiscriminately. Too many chinless fuckwits in the House of Commons who seemed incapable of understanding that we are all supposed to be equal under the law.

6. Databases for this, that and the other. I've lost count. I'm starting to think that IT should become a closed guild, with knowledge of its inner secrets withheld from useless politicians, just to stop the advance of this horrific police state. We can see the same process every time:

loop

event_occurs(shock_horror);

press_campaign(do_something_Gordon,shock_horror);

draft_legislation;

tell_protesters_to_shut_up(gagging_order);

tell_Lords_to_shut_up;

invoke_parliament_act;

exit when freedom = 0;

end loop;

commit (to prison for life, comrade);

Every time, the Government trots out the "lessons will be learned" cliche. I'm thinking of putting a petition on the Downing Street website to make use of that phrase outside project management circles punishable by a Glasgow kiss. They follow that by some half-arsed legislation that takes us a little further down the road of presumption of guilt until proven innocent. And all because of tabloid hysteria directed against a bunch of wimps with too much power elected by default because half the British electorate couldn't be arsed to get themselves down the polling station.

Back in the early 80s, the Thatcher government threatened the press with regulation if they didn't show some responsibility. I'd defy anyone in the House of Commons to have the guts to do that today. Or stand up to the White House for that matter. And I'd have a lot of respect for them, too.

The very example of Ian Huntley and the previous arrests was brought up during an Open Day at a local university. The lecturer asked if previous arrests should be included in a trial, even if there was no charge made, in a case with similar modus operandi. All but myself said "Yes", as did the lecturer.

I left the room.

WOLF! WOLF!

We can't get anyone with half a brain to teach?

A friend's wife has recently permanently left the teaching profession because she no longer felt she had the power to control an increasingly unruly classroom. Having been the victim of an attempted rape by a pupil, I can only sympathise with her position.

This government has no clue about the consequences of it's legislation and the sooner it falls on it's sword the better.

Irresponsible pedophiles like to work with children. The ones who know that would be too much temptation would stay away. That still leaves a large proportion of pedophiles preferring school jobs to tax inspection.

Paris looks like Gaol Bate to me.

I am aware of a teacher who had the LEA 'move him on' every time he was accused of indencent assault. The basic premise was 'if you don't work in our LEA we won't put the accusations on your record'....

After about 16 years teaching he finally ran out of luck and was convicted of child sex offences. However, 8 other girls were willing to testify against him but he pleaded guilty as part of a deal so they wouldn't testify.

If the originally LEA had some balls he would have been convicted on day 1 and thrown out of the teaching profession. As a result he has destroyed countless lives because the Education system would rather sweep it under the carpet than deal with reality...

I posted before! Any accusation, whether unsubstantiated or not, arising from this legislation will not remain a private matter, it will become a very public matter and therefore you are branded, innocent or not for ever, not to mention the potential destruction of your life. Meanwhile the privacy of, inter alia, paedophiles is respected and protected.

My daughter has been assaulted twice (between the ages of sixteen and eighteen) just going about her business (in London - ugh!). Neither the police, the victim support unit, nor indeed a lawyer when consulted, could do anything to assist me in the care and safekeeping of my daughter. Quite the contrary, all the rights and privileges rested with those connected with the assaults. Their privacy and etc. had to be protected, at all costs it seems, not my daughter's safety.

It is time that the law and law enforcement was was made to work properly and rationally.

True, but then just because you're not convicted doesn't mean you ARE guilt either...

Damned if you're right and damned if you're wrong. What a wonderful world we are creating!

But in one respect I do not agree with you, the inevitable consequences of acting on soft (or any) information will not tend to remain confidential. Innocent lives may be ruined. Innocence is a precious thing and it should not lightly threatened. A teacher of many years standing, for example, suddenly looses his job, or a volunteer is equally suddenly no longer wanted, what conclusions will be drawn?

and conservatives warned you this would happen. Now for all those who screamed "but think of the children!" as you passed thought control feel-good bills, step up and take a bow.

We reminded you that the most heinous societal crimes were committed by Leftist ideals, reminded you that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions...but you "felt" you were right, you let emotions rule, called us names and demanded that we "do something!"

This is your something. Cameras everywhere, the innocent burned down for "thought" crimes and simply for being a 'potential" criminal. You decided decades ago that "the Man" was doing things wrong and without proof or research simply went with your hippy-dippy theories. Now, you're "the Man" and society is falling into the sh&t faster and faster. Man up and accept the blame finally, willya?

You started us on the slippery slope. Having fun sliding down yet?

> once again, liberals got what they wanted

That's odd, because as far as I recall, it's only the Liberal Democrat Party which has had the balls to stand up in Parliament and the Lords and *OPPOSE* this sort of ludicrous legislation and I would describe myself as a liberal (with a small l) person who believes that our liberties are more precious than getting some good headlines.

The Big Brother, Nanny State Labour Party think the only solution to any problem is to pass new laws, the Tories daren't do anything that might upset the Daily Mail readers of Middle England so only put up a token resistance but mainly refuse to support the Lib Dems, so yet another ridiculous law gets passed.

Blaming liberals (be it with a small l or a big L) instead of this authoritarian Government sounds very much like propaganda to me!

"I think the problem is that StopthePropaganda is a Yank, or watches to much TV. In the US liberal is a euphamisum for comunist and a genral insult.

Only if you are a Republican. Liberal= evil. Fox news a s decided that. According to them , the democrats are godless liberals that want to destroy they country. So Paul bot every one in the US thinks like stopthecrap. The ones that do scare me and are the reason why I have a gun. I'm sure his relatives have burnt a few crosses in their day

In just the way Cleggie's kiddies let the Euro Constitution through?

In just the way the LibDems backed 42 days, the right of the gov't to replace coroners & their juries at whim etc?

Thus showing all the balls (and spine) of a jellyfish - sophistry doesn't come into it.

Methinks you're a graduate of Dr Goebells' school of propaganda.

What we need is more cameras in every class room. We need cameras in scout huts, every church vestry, every playground. All children should be implanted with GPS chips as should all teachers youth leaders etc. Everyone should wear personal body cams and we should develop cassock cams for vicars.

We can fit intrusion detection switches to computer cases, why not tamper detection devices to children? We could couple them to sirens and flashing lights. Just imagine measuring little Johny for his new school shorts when all of a sudden he "goes off"! That will keep the salesmen at arms length. I,m not sure if these should be called Bot Alarms or Alarmed Bots.

I have just had a vision of Santa in a groto full of kids with activated Bot Alarms, more lights than Oxford Street.

Paris because who would not want to set her Bot Alarm off?

As someone who works in IT and has completed major projects in Education departments, I'd just like to support Alex by saying it's my experience that if a teacher, particularly a promoted teacher, is found to be "a problem" whether of incompetence or whatever, it's very hard to get rid of them, and local authorities do tend to sweep it under the carpet and re-employ the teacher in an education related job in HQ.