More backwards decision making at the Home Office

Just a few days ago this blog highlighted the backwards decision making at the Home Office relating to the national DNA database.

Ministers have decided they want to keep innocent people’s DNA on the database and are searching for evidence to back their stance.

It’s a dangerous approach to governance, rather than the more sensible process of conducting an investigation and basing policy ideas on the evidence that comes out.

One reader, Gareth, aptly named what the Government is doing as “policy based evidence making”.

Now the Home Office is guilty of doing the same again on the issue of drugs.

Two scientists have quit as Government advisers because they claim ministers are disregarding advice and asking them simply to rubber stamp drug enforcement policy.

“You can’t have a chief advisor …campaigning against Government decisions,” said Home Secretary Alan Johnson after axing Prof David Nutt, who said that LSD and ecstasy were less harmful than tobacco and alcohol.

Unfortunately, you can have a bloody-minded Government who doesn’t take any notice of the advice given to it.