Charles Kennedy discussed civil liberties and the climate of fear in his speech to the National Liberal Club yesterday.
In it he says: "But the classic example is Identity Cards. Just as the reasons we went to war in Iraq seem to change day by day, so have the justifications for the introduction of Identity Cards. Fraud, access to public services, illegal immigrants, terrorism, general law and order. Each argument deployed at a different time depending on what is in the headlines. It suggests that the Government itself is not quite sure what it’s trying to achieve.
Without a clear definition of objectives, we have little chance of applying the proportionality test. Will an identity card system provide such benefits that the threat to civil liberty is worth risking?
Let’s not forget that we have been here before. In 1939, ID cards were introduced with three stated purposes: for conscription, for national security and for rationing. The war ended but the cards remained. By 1950 the government had added thirty-six new functions to the scheme. Without a clear definition of objectives, it is also impossible to say whether the new scheme will be cost-effective. Given this Government’s record on Information Technology projects, who can trust the current costings from the Home Office which estimates a cost of up to £3bn over 10 years on this project?"
And Tony Blair said that he wants to bring the whole sordid scheme forward when speaking at a press conference on Monday.
The Register remains sceptical.
Both of these are covered in the UK ID cards blog.
—–