At least we know about it

EyeSee

Wow, what an inept item. Let's look on the bright side, the idiots admit to being a bit dim. Sent any discs recently yourself? The Americans 'fessed up' to mishandling nuclear weapons and dealt with those responsible. Something they REALLY didn't have to mention. So, not even a nice try. Blimey, Brown really does rely on poor quality.

wonderfulforhisage

One wonders why they came clean. Did they really have to? If it was because it was the right thing to do. I salute them and applaud a return to integrity. If it was because they feared that non disclosure would expose them to some form of ticking time bomb, damn their eyes. Why didn't the 'junior' chappie just send out another couple of CDS if as has been intimated the things got 'lost' in the post. My guess is that they know that the info has fallen into the wrong hands and are owning up now so that when the s. hits the f. the public will be prepared and some of the sting will be taken out of the story. Otherwise why did they go out of their way to score what looks like an own goal? Anybody got any ideas?

Nicholas Millman

But one gets the feeling that the confession was in part pre-emptive in the knowledge that it would have come out anyway. This government still conveys the impression that it cares more about how it looks than about the underlying issues. The cabinet apology culture that has replaced resignation still appears more guile than contrition.

Dave Bartlett

A data loss this big, involving banks and a police investigation, cannot be kept quiet. However much the politicians might wish it.

Some USA states already have a Data Loss Law that compels disclosure of SNAFUS like this.

This August, The House of Lords Science and Technology committee recommended that the UK implement such a law

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/10/lords_net_security_report/

But the Labour Gov't refused.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/21/ncustoms421.xml

Verity

James Campbell - yes, I certainly can imagine an American president "'fessing up" - to use your American term - as they are forced to 'fess up all the time. There is no culture of secrecy and assumed superiority by the elected over the electorate in the American government. And how can you have the impertinence to compare the United States, whose bedrock is freedom of the individual and openness in government (the Americans thought up the Freedom of Information Act, not you) to France, which operates under the secretive and obstructive Code Napoléon? How dare you? Just to nail my point, the whole reason for "the right to bear arms" is to protect American citizens against an overmighty government. You gave yours away under an overmighty, manipulative, controlling Tony Blair. This would be Constitutionally impossible in the US. [In stupid states like MA, they surrendered their rights by law, otherwise those rights would still be presumed under law.] What an absolutely outrageous post. The Labourites didn't confess out of citizen-friendliness but because they were caught in the headlights. Nicholas Millman says "The cabinet apology culture that has replaced resignation still appears more guile than contrition." Indeed.

Verity

PS - James Campbell, you missed the point that the cause for "an admission of this size" wouldn't have arisen in the United States or France because there would have been no malfeasance of this size. Both are more prudently managed than 'anything-goes-that-we-can-get-away-with' Britain. And when the scheme goes belly up, 'apologise-don't-resign' Britain. Posturing semi-apologies for the damage done to the structure of our country. Will anyone trust a British government ever again?

Fernandez

I don't want to rain on the little glimmer of hope that you've managed to drag out of this situation, but this actually did happen in the U.S. Two computers from the Veterans Administration were stolen from an employee's home. I think it was only 2 Million records were compromised. The director of the VA came out the next day, apologized, offered free credit report monitoring for all affected individuals, and was publicly berated for his incompetence during a congressional hearing.

Max Kaye

You are too easily comforted, James. Ministers in this government only 'fess up' when they are (or about to be) caught red-handed. Then, do they do the right thing? No. They attempt to blame all the systemic flaws they've presided over for the past decade on a 23 year old junior clerk. Pathetic.

Tim Hamer

Does anyone really imagine the government would have come clean on this issue - or on the immigration numbers fiasco a couple of weeks ago - if we were currently in the middle of an election campaign?