Unfortunately I managed to miss the “charm offensive” roadshow that came to Bristol last week. However, NO2ID managed a small presence and Dave Gould, a local activist managed to interview Andrew Burnham MP, on the matter. It was televised and I watched with a mixture of amazement and amusement as it was reminiscent of the Jeremy Paxman interview with Michael Howard.
– So, how much will the project cost?
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– So, how much will the project cost?
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– Okay, an easier question… Would ID cards have stopped the London bombings in July 2005?
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– Okay, have you read your own bill?
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It was a delight to watch – not least, because other people could see just what buffoonery the government is engaging in. Stupidity from the mouth of a government minister is always a pleasure as it condemns them without effort on our part. Equally it is worrying. Surely a minister of the crown should be able to answer such simple questions without hesitation? And, shouldn’t he have read the bill in question?
However, Mr Burnham was better prepared when talking to the Bristol Evening Post.
He said: “Anyone who is worried about these improvements to the security to our country clearly has something to hide.
“There is nothing to fear about any of this and if people want to be able to continue to travel abroad freely, as they do now, then these changes are vital.”
He later told the Evening Post: “There is no secret about it. This is the first step towards identity cards.
“The biometric data being used in the new passports will form the basis of ID cards.
“There are a lot of myths being bandied about by people and I will admit there is some pressure on me to find a way of making the database secure.”
What Mr Burnham is conveniently ignoring is that the bill has not passed through parliament – indeed, it still has to receive a third reading, go through the Lords (and doubtless back to the commons) before gaining royal assent. So, Mr Burnham and his puppet masters are doing what they have systematically done since coming to power in 1997 – displaying a complete contempt for the parliamentary process and the rule of law.
And, to say that anyone who is worried has something to hide shows that he is worthy of nothing but contempt himself for repeating yet again the same tired mantra so beloved by the hard of thinking. We have plenty to worry about; Mr Burnham and his odious New Labour colleagues are the biggest threat to the security of this country than any terrorist group.
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