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Maybe just maybe…

The Sunday Mirror* seems to have an exclusive when it reports the breakout of common sense and evidence-based policy making in Whitehall.  Yes indeedy, the Sunday Mirror announces in their BROWN SCRAPS I.D. CARD PLANS EXCLUSIVE that:

Gordon Brown is to abandon controversial plans to introduce compulsory ID cards for all. Instead, the Prime Minister will focus on tightening up existing anti-terror laws and on new measures to be unveiled in Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech. The cards are already compulsory for asylum-seekers and their introduction next year for foreign nationals will go ahead as planned. But the proposed roll-out to force all Britons to carry them will be shelved indefinitely, according to Whitehall sources.

The article claims that Mr Brown has apparently been persuaded that the “£7billion scheme” [sic] would inevitably be challenged in both UK and European courts and the last thing he needs is for the war on terror to become bogged down in litigation. Interestingly, it’s not those charged with leading the sensible harnessing of technology to deliver better services who have delivered the critical evidence-based blow. Nonono, it’s senior government law advisers who have told Mr Brown what seemed plain to most observers, that

ID cards for all would make “no significant contribution” towards beating the terrorists.

In a quite extraordinary break-out of honesty,

A minister involved in the original ID card plan proposed by former premier Tony Blair said: “Time and technology has moved on. We now have photo driving licences and isometric passports [Whatever they are. Ed] are being introduced. They fulfil the role of ID cards.”

Hmm. I thought photo ID driving licenses were introduced in 1997??
Of course we were never going to see the compulsory introduction of cards for UK citizens in this parliament anyway (it will require new legislation in the next).... so maybe this tale is just wishful thinking based upon what we already know. Certainly my deep throat source close to the PM continues to tell me that “of course ID cards must stay - it’s the only dividing line left with the tories”.

Ho hum. I bet it got a few people excited.

* cheers Will!

Published by Ruth Kennedy on 05/11/07 at 9:07pm

Comments

1. I think “isometric passports” are the words an ignorant person hears when the words “biometric passports” are uttered in a noisy pub. They get into print via rubbish subbing.

   Reply by  on  11/06/07  at  12:00 pm

2. "I bet it got a few people excited.”

   It certainly did.

   Five members of the government were wheeled out to deny the story. They must be wondering who briefed the Sunday Mirror and why. Aeroplanes are taking off even now, headed for one of those countries who excel at torture, to get the answers.

   Anti-ID card campaigners obviously got excited—there’s not much room for ambiguity in the headline “BROWN SCRAPS I.D. CARD PLANS”.

   And then thee are the prospective suppliers to IPS of National Identity Scheme-related goods and services. “Good news”, they must have said to themselves, “the Labour government look like an accelerating train crash, the other parties have promised to tear up our contracts on day one and persons unknown are briefing the national newspapers against the scheme—how exciting, the NIS looks like a good and stable project to bid for, we’ll make a fortune, can’t lose”.

   Reply by David Moss  on  11/06/07  at  12:26 pm

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