Nouslife: ID cards compromise: first nail in the coffin of British democracy

30 March 2006

ID cards compromise: first nail in the coffin of British democracy

Well the houses of parliament compromised and the result was the ID cards bill was passed with an amendment.

Under the new plans, accepted by Home Office minister Baroness Scotland of Asthal, anyone applying for a passport before January 2010 can opt out of having an ID card.

At first sight this looks good: I don't have to have an ID card when I renew my passport in 1999 (assuming I haven't lost it before then). However the bad news is

Home Office minister Andy Burnham said in a statement: "...The amendment preserves the integrity of the national identity register by ensuring that everyone who applies for or renews a passport or other designated document has their biometric information and other identity details placed on the register.

In other words, the most iniquitous element stays in: I will be in the database. At least until such time as the bill became compulsory, I would not be trackable, as the card itself will leave a trail of usage which would put me under the serveillance [deliberate mis-spelling, think about it] of an e-BigBrother.
Oh, and of course, if they pass Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill then the relevant minister can make them compulsory on a whim. The assurances that the ID cards bill can only become compulsory by a further act of parliament will be worth absolutely nothing. And if that worries you, visit the Save Parliament campaign. The reason I think that this is worrying is summed up well at that last link-page,

the minister involved can amend any existing legislation; nothing is protected. So, as was pointed out in The Times by 6 law professors from Cambridge, a minister could abolish trial by jury, suspend habeas corpus (your right not to be arbitrarily arrested), or change any of the legislation governing the legal system. That's 700 years of democracy and the rule of law, thrown away in a heartbeat. What's left of the Magna Carta, the foundation of just about all modern democracies, would be finally gone, and our Parliament, which has influenced democratic systems all over the world, would just be a footnote in history.