Recording the population and suppression has a long history in this country, it is usually as a human reaction to the ruler feeling threatened by the population and having certain doubts of the legitimacy of its rule. Invariably there was a reaction from the population
William the Bastard deposed the last English King by force of arms, and contrary to the History Books , did not have an easy time of subduing the English. Hereward the Wake and others resisted for the next twenty years passively and by violence. It was not until 1086 was he secure enough to commence the Domesday book, which was an early ‘database’ for taxation.
Elizabeth I somewhat concerned at the stability of her claim to the throne of England, set up the forerunner of the secret service, had an elaborate spy system that bribed and murdered, she destabilised the aristocracy with sequestration. Also introduced was another database, that of births marriages and deaths being recorded in each parish, knowing where you were and where you lived and what you earned was of paramount importance to the Elizabethan monarchy.
Her successor built on the acquiescence of the people to the parish system, James VI of Scotland, then foisted of the English the concept of the Divine Right of Kings, this started thirty years of repression, there was a lot of resistance from people like William Prynne who paid a heavy price for opposing the State. In the end Charles I had bankrupted the State declared War on the people of England, by issuing a Commission of Array at Nottingham. For this Act he was executed as an enemy of the People of England.
In all cases these repressive regimes felt threatened by the people they ruled, Labour is under the same threat. Under this corrupt political system, they have a landslide government with about the 30% of the vote, opposed by a weak soap salesman Cameron who could be relied not to oppose with any fire in his belly. Thus opposition is coming from the Far Right, the Churches, Civil Libertarians, the Countryside Alliance, Religious and Ethnic Minorities. Whilst the economy was afloat on a sea of debt, opposition was not credible, when the ship sank as it did in 1639; there are only two choices negotiation of new constitutional arrangements or repression.
The former takes political courage to admit that circumstances have changed; the latter is the way of the foolish coward.
Gordon Brown has no political courage, to either stand aside or negotiate constitutional change.
History is always written by the winners.