One of the features of a police state is the need to control the next generation. As Bertrand Russell said in “The Impact of Science on Society”, there is a need to “catch the patient young enough”.
Scotland seems to be where many new policies are piloted, and one such policy is the “named person scheme”, a controversial plan for every child to be shadowed by a state “guardian”, from cradle to adulthood.
These guardians might me midwives, health visitors or school principals for example.
In practice, though, the named person scheme is being expanded to cover “conception to adulthood”, rather than “cradle to adulthood”, without defining “conception”. Couples who do not fit with the State’s idea of what makes “good parents” risk having their child removed at birth.
In addition, the Scottish government has developed plans for massive data gathering of every aspect if every child’s life as he or she grows up.
This data will remain on record for the ever, with no prospect of it being destroyed.
Brian Gerrish, Patrick Henningsen and David Scott detail these policies, and discuss the implications for everyone born in Scotland.