A couple of stories broke this week about the ID Cards bill that are worth commenting upon. Firstly, Andy Burnahm, pontificated in the Daily Mirror about the usefulness of ID cards in preventing tragedies such as the double murder in Soham.
“ID cards will be used by the Government to stop monsters such as Ian Huntley giving false names to get jobs in schools.
Headteachers would ensure an applicant was using the right name by checking the card’s DNA, eye scan and fingerprint information against the National Identity Register’s database.”
I know that Burnham and his colleagues are beneath contempt; I have no illusions about their egalitarianism; but Christ! How low do you have to be to stoop to this level? To play on the hyperbole and hysteria currently being whipped up in the media about paedophiles? This has the rotting stench of desperation about it – and, once more, the home office and its minions fail to engage in reasoned debate; preferring instead to appeal to the base emotion of the lowest common denominator.
Lets be clear here; the failures in Soham occurred because the police failed to effectively apply the existing record checking procedures properly. The ID Cards bill contains nothing that would have prevented this happening, so the statement from Burnham is just pure spin. So, what’s new there, then?
The second story to break was that of RFID Chips. NO2ID has long believed that the ID cards would have this technology and the story – again in the Mirror and subsequently in the Telegraph, rather confirms their fears.
“PLANS to fit radio transmitters in identity cards were greeted with fury last night as opponents claimed they could be a spy device.
Angry MPs and pressure groups insist the cards might lead to a “surveillance state” by tracking innocent people’s movements.
Lib Dem MP Danny Alexander said: “Electronic tags belong on the ankles of criminals, not in the pockets of innocent citizens.” “
Little piece by little piece, the government’s agenda is disclosed. This is all about mass surveillance and nothing else. This is the only logical and reasonable explanation – nothing else makes sense.
“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
Sherlock Holmes
I rather like this little quote from the Telegraph piece:
Mr Burnham said …
“This kind of scaremongering is designed to whip up fears about the ID cards scheme. I hope people will see it for what it is.”
Yes, Mr Burnham, we can. And we can see you for the duplicitous little shit that you are.
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