[Infowarrior] - Conservatives to scrap UK ID cards

[Richard Forno]

Conservatives to scrap UK ID cards
By Rob Miller
Posted: February 6, 2007 3:39 pm
http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/02/06/conservatives-to-scrap-uk-id-card
s/

The Conservative party in Britain will scrap Tony Blair¹s planned compulsory
ID card scheme if it wins the next election, according to a statement by
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis.

The Labour Party¹s proposed scheme would create a nationwide database of
biometric data and personal information, linked to existing databases
detailing citizens¹ private data. Its estimated cost will be around
£10.6-£19.2 billion ($20.9-$37.8 billion), and registration will be
compulsory for all citizens over 16 or visitors staying for over three
months.

The scheme has met with outrage among many proponents of civil liberties:
however, it also has some public support. In March 2003, for example, the
scheme was favoured by 61% of the public; this has since fallen to around
50%. While welcomed by many, it¹s difficult to see whether or not this move
will help or hinder the Conservatives in the next general election.

The announcement is just one part of an attempt by the Conservative party to
paint themselves as ³the party of civil liberties²; Davis recently compared
the Labour party¹s 90-day detentions of terrorist suspects to the internment
of civilians under Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, for example.

There was also more than a hint of party politics in the announcement, too:
Davis was quick to point out the failings of the Labour government under
Blair, calling them ³a government desperate to clutch at any measure that
might make it look robust and competent².

Labour were quick to respond, with Home Secretary John Reid claiming that
the Conservatives ³talk tough while acting soft², and that measures such as
the ID scheme would be a ³key tool² in Britain¹s fight against terrorism.
According to Reid, the Conservatives ³can¹t be trusted with Britain¹s
safety².

Regardless of its impact on public opinion, the announcement has once again
brought the debate over civil liberties to the forefront of public
discourse. With patience for Labour¹s War on Terror growing thin, will this
be a catalyst for a Conservative government in 2009 or 2010? Only time will
tell.