ID cards doomed, say officials
It is being reported that Tony Blair's flagship policy of introducing identity cards into Britain is destined for failure and that even their compromise, to introduce a scaled down "face saving" version of the cards by 2008, is being decried by civil servants who say there is no evidence that this plan is “remotely feasible.” They also say that ministers are “ignoring reality” by pressing ahead.
This has come to light through a series of leaked e-mails from Whitehall officials in charge of the multi billion pound scheme.
One official warns of a “botched operation” that could put back the introduction of ID cards for a generation. He added: “I conclude that we are setting ourselves up to fail.” Another admits he is planning Home Office strategy around the possibility that the scheme could be “canned completely”.As someone who has always opposed the scheme for reasons that I set out here, this can only be good news.
Blair has repeatedly trumpeted the scheme as a centrepiece of the government’s efforts to combat terrorism, illegal immigration and crime. Ministers have rounded on critics who say the government has underestimated the cost and complexity of the technology.
Last year ministers rubbished claims by the London School of Economics that the scheme was too unwieldy and would cost as much as £19 billion, compared with the government’s estimate of £6 billion.
The government proposes that all Britain’s 50m adults will eventually carry the cards, which will include biometric data such as digitally encoded fingerprints or iris scans that could be checked against a huge database. The cards are to be introduced voluntarily from 2008 but, if re-elected, Labour proposes to make them compulsory for everyone over 16.
What Blair has never adequately explained is how these cards could prevent a single terrorist attack. Indeed, the government appear to have abandoned terrorism as a justification as to why we need them and have replaced this urgent need with.... well, with diddly squat.
We just need them.
If anyone doesn't understand why I think they represent such an attack on our privacy please visit the SAYNO2ID website or read my long rant about it.
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2 comments:
Kel,
Don't know if you saw, but Georgia's supreme court just shot down a voter ID law that the state's HOuse recently passed. Similar ID cards efforts have been seen in Ohio as well. And it is all about voter supression here. What's the deal there? We know it is never about what they say it is about.
Last year ministers rubbished claims by the London School of Economics that the scheme was too unwieldy and would cost as much as £19 billion, compared with the government’s estimate of £6 billion.
I always enjoy reading about "government ministers," i.e. elected hacks with no particular epxertise in anything, admonish expert estimates on anything.
Bhc,
Here it seems less about voter suppression and more about keeping tabs on what we get up to 24 hours a day.
We are already the most filmed nation on Earth here in the UK, with CCTV cameras literally everywhere you go. I read recently that if I go into central London I will be filmed about 300 times a day.
Now they want to know what I read, what I buy, my political affiliations, my medical history, it's never ending.
And by their own admission it won't stop a single terrorist attack like 7-7 as, if compulsory, then all home grown suicide bombers will have one anyway.
It's bloody madness.
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