Contrary to many headlines his morning the ID card scheme is still alive (albeit limping on like a sick and lame animal). The compulsory trials have now been dropped, the Home Secetary has stated this was a compulsory aspect, yet back in early June Sir James Hall Chief Executive of IPS the department running the scheme was trying to claim the scheme was already voluntary! Something we rightly pointed out was plain nonsense and misleading. That just goes to show how much spin these senior unelected civil servants are prepared to put on the scheme in order to protect their little empires.
Writing in the Gurdian today Henry Porter is spot on when he describes Johnson’s move as an attempt to avoid a messy dispute with the Pilot’s union BALPA over now ditched plans to issue the cards to their members. All credit has to also go to a BBC article that reports on David Davis calling the scheme an embarrassment that sums up the current position with a good degree of accuracy.
The Database that will track and store your details is here to stay people, and what is worse the Government is going ahead with plans to link Passports to the database. This means the scheme is voluntary only in so far as you don’t want to leave the country!
Young people are also being duped into thinking getting a voluntary card will make it easier to prove their age and buy restricted goods. Don’t be fooled! Rather than spending £30 on the card, another £30 to have your biometrics captured you could get a widely recognised (including by Police and Trading Standards) proof-of-age card for as little as £10! So why do we need the expensive ID card scheme that will track every time we need to use the card and tie us into a lifetime of having to abide by a regime of fines and punishments if we fail to keep our details up to date?
It’s not all doom and gloom though! The scrapping of the trial is certinaly good news. What is clear is that there is no longer the political momentum to carry this project on. One last push by anti-ID card campaigners may see this scheme scrapped for good. One thing is clear we won’t be resting until a repeal bill is passed through parliament.
Tags: ID cards, ID cards Scrapped, David Davies, Alan Johnson, IPS, James Hall, Proof of Age
