Gloves off for ID cards?

Andy Burnham MP was on the Today programme this rmorning on BBC Radio 4, defending the UK Government’s policy on ID cards. And it’s gloves off time over the issue of compulsion – the issue on which the House of Lords is holding up the Bill. The Government has always been clear, apparently, that ID cards would be compulsory straight away, because of the link with the Passport. And the manifesto pledge about their being voluntary is irrelevant because the Bill started its progress before the last General Election.

Which could prove to be a huge own goal – the basis for the Government to over-ride the Lords has been trumpeted as the Salisbury Convention (an agreement from the 1950s under which the Lords agreed not to oppose any promises made by the Government in its election manifesto). And if there was no manifesto pledge about their voluntary status, there is no basis upon which to use the Salisbury Convention.

Burnham also made the claim that the majority of Britons are quite happy with the idea that we will be compelled under serious financial penalty to possess, keep up to date and present on demand their new ID card. And this flies in the face of much recent evidence (such as this Open University report) that support for the ID scheme drops dramatically once it become clear that it is compulsory and centralised.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 08:20am on 28 March 2006
Category: Politics, Struggling, General