United! Manchester launch for new ID cards

[Peter Presland]

My God, one even has to pay for one's own enslavement?

Well it's easy enough to see where this is going. They have had a few hiccoughs so far; not been careful enough with the presentational spin and they've been fretting about it a great deal. But, in essence it is being sold as a very valuable benefit; one which will make your life a lot easier and simpler and - soto-voce - will also make you a worthy ally; a good citizen; a patriot; a hero even - in the ' War on Terror'. What that translates into is that they intend to make life very difficult indeed for people who insist on declining the 'benefit'.

Cameron makes much of his intention to scrap the scheme, but his words are always carefully chosen. It is THIS government's CURRENT scheme that he 'intends to scrap - and always because it is 'an extravagant, grandiose waste of money' - and in a whisper 'in our present circumstances'. There has never been a principled objection from him on libertarian grounds and I doubt there ever will be.

Our Jacqui's charging ploy is aimed at undermining Cameron's objections and I fully expect to see him challenged hard on the principle as this progresses. He's going to find that difficult to deal with.

There is a well organised 'NO2ID' campaign and it's just possible that another big terrorist attack (this time successful - the last half dozen or so much ballyhood big ones having resulted in all arrested 'suspects' being released without charge) will be needed for it to be definitively beaten and a comprehensive National ID database scheme compulsorily introduced. My guess is that, in spite of much reported technical difficulties etc etc - it is pretty much on the stocks and waiting to go because the technical difficulties really are just not so difficult any more.