Beware the state’s ID card sharks
David Davis writes in the Sunday Times:
If Gordon Brown picks one failure from his first six months to learn from, it should be the loss of 25m people’s personal details. If he makes one resolution for 2008, it should be to scrap his reckless plan to introduce compulsory ID cards.
“Discgate” was the result of ministerial incompetence, but also flawed policy. As chancellor, Brown relentlessly pursued his forlorn vision of a “joined-up identity management regime” across public services. As prime minister, he continues this vain search, like an obsessed alchemist, for a giant database that his closest advisers ominously refer to as a “single source of truth”.
This fixation has not revolutionised public services. It has led to disaster. Brown’s approach combines three flaws: the ruthless pursuit of “identity management”; a naive faith in computerised solutions; and sheer recklessness in managing the integrity of systems to which he is devoted. This has delivered a massively overcentralised government and a surveillance society.
January 2nd, 2008 at 20:40
Well said David Davis, very well said indeed. I have never been a Conservative supporter but will probably support them at the next general election largely because the Lib Dems, though right and they mean well simply have not got the troops on the ground to finish off New Labour. I have said this before — even after Labour are brought down at the next election those in the Home Office and some in the Labour party — Tony McNulty, Andy Burnham, Blair himself of course, and his associated hangers on, together with the increasinly fatuous Hazel Blears, and Jacqui Brown who was chief whip on the night they brought in the id cards act, will still exist and still be a threat to democracy.
January 3rd, 2008 at 22:17
Finishing off ID cards is going to take a broad coalition across political parties, including Labour. When it comes to the next General Election, I’ll be voting Lib Dem because the Tories don’t have a chance up here in Manchester.
I’ll vote in the way which best increases the chance of bringing down the ID scheme!