The Register notes the passage of the ID cards bill through the House of Lords. The article suggests that rather than block the bill in defiance of the Salisbury convention; the bill being a manifesto promise; their lordships will seek to amend the bill in much the same way as Neil Gerrard tried and failed to do during its passage through the commons. This is where things start to get interesting. The bill always relied upon achieving a critical mass during the voluntary phase. Now, just for a moment, pause and consider what is meant by voluntary. I’ll help a little here and give you the dictionary definition:
1. Done or undertaken of one’s own free will
2. Acting or done willingly and without constraint or expectation of reward
Yup, pretty much as I understood it. However, the control freaks in Whitehall have a somewhat different understanding. The bill will have “designated documents” that will automatically enter the bearer on the National Identity Register upon renewal. One of these designated documents is the passport. So, when you renew your passport, onto the NIR you go and you get an ID card. Of course, you could choose not to travel abroad and therefore not renew your passport and not volunteer to have an identity card, but for many, this is impracticable and in some cases a passport is essential. This makes registering compulsory. This is not voluntary, indeed, it is blackmail – such an ugly word, but so befitting those who drafted this noxious bill. The amendment being proposed is to delink the passport from the NIR. If this happens, then the bill is effectively neutered. It will be truly voluntary. If people want to buy an ID card and register well, they will be able to do so – but the 80% figure the government hopes to achieve? Unlikely – that’s why they wanted compulsion by the back door – or, in Newspeak, “voluntary”.
It has been suspected, but never fully confirmed (or denied) by the government that the other candidate for designated document status is the driving licence. Although the photo licence has been around for a few years now, many, myself included, have the old paper licences that last until we reach the grand old age of 70. Or until we change address. In a proposal in the Road Safety Bill, the government planned to withdraw all old paper licenses and force us to have the new photo licenses that have to be renewed regularly – lending support to the suspicion that this was the harbinger of designated status. The Lords, however, were onto this one and have blocked it. So, again, the unelected house is protecting our freedoms from the control freaks in the commons.
The nauseating Tony McNulty said in response to the Neil Gerrard amendment:
“unpicking the ID card from the passport would drive a coach and horses, to coin a phrase, through the entire structure of the system that we aim to produce.”
Indeed, that is the general idea. Preferably a bloody great big cart pulled by four black horses with flames flying from their hooves and brimstone bursting from their nostrils and the cart driven by four riders; War, Famine, Pestilence and Death – and may they be a visitation upon the evil that resides in Whitehall.
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