Will Johnson scrap ID cards

[London_Calling]

It's almost over says the FT:

Home Office delays ID card contract

By James Boxell, Home Affairs Correspondent

Published: June 17 2009 23:30 | Last updated: June 17 2009 23:30

The government’s controversial ID cards scheme appeared to have been kicked “into the long grass” on Wednesday, after the Home Office backed away from a commitment to award a key contract to produce the cards for British citizens this autumn.

The so-called “card design and production” contract – for which Fujitsu, IBM, and Thales UK were bidding – would have been one of the costliest stages in the £4.8bn project to introduce a national identity scheme.

The Home Office conceded the delayed contract might not be awarded until autumn 2010. Given that the Tories have pledged to scrap the scheme, however, it would be unlikely to see the light of day in the event of a Conservative victory in the next general election.

 

[moon23]

It's almost over says the FT:

Home Office delays ID card contract

By James Boxell, Home Affairs Correspondent

Published: June 17 2009 23:30 | Last updated: June 17 2009 23:30

The government’s controversial ID cards scheme appeared to have been kicked “into the long grass” on Wednesday, after the Home Office backed away from a commitment to award a key contract to produce the cards for British citizens this autumn.

The so-called “card design and production” contract – for which Fujitsu, IBM, and Thales UK were bidding – would have been one of the costliest stages in the £4.8bn project to introduce a national identity scheme.

The Home Office conceded the delayed contract might not be awarded until autumn 2010. Given that the Tories have pledged to scrap the scheme, however, it would be unlikely to see the light of day in the event of a Conservative victory in the next general election.

This is good news, the Home Office are scared people will pull out after the Tories have threaten to axe the contracts are pre-empting this by saying they have untill after the election to sign up.

 

[moon23]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jun/18/identity-cards-conservatives-grayling a good articule here by Guy Herbet the NO2ID general secretary. Shows what the challenge ahead is in terms of getting the scheme ditched.

 

[joevsimp]

well would you adam and eve it, he has

except he hasn't, just the compulsury ones being trialled at Manchester Airport, still getting the "optional" ones that will definately without a shadow of a doubt stay optional forever

 

[JHE]

well would you adam and eve it, he has

except he hasn't, just the compulsury ones being trialled at Manchester Airport, still getting the "optional" ones that will definately without a shadow of a doubt stay optional forever

An odd little Cabinet compromise between the IDers and the scrappers?

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

It's bollocks. All bollocks. They have probably made assurances to the suppliers. The serfs don't count a jot. I haven't looked into it much but I expect Johnson is A1 phoney-left. "oooh...he used to be a postman and isnt as right wing as the Blairites" - what the fuck kind of argument is that?

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

Quelle su-fucking-prise.

Voted strongly for introducing ID cards.
Voted very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals.
Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.
Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.
Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.
Voted very strongly for replacing Trident

Phoney is as phoney does. If he's supposed to be some kind of saviour they are truly fucked, but we knew that anyway.

 

[moon23]

The voluntary cards are pushing ahead and in the next few weeks MP's are set to vote through powers to link passports to the national identity meaning anyone applying for a passport by 2011 will be on the spy database for life- its shit

 

[butchersapron]

yOU'RE ALL GOING TO diE!!!!!!!

 

[moon23]

yOU'RE ALL GOING TO diE!!!!!!!

Tell me something I didn't know

 

[Azrael]

The voluntary cards are pushing ahead and in the next few weeks MP's are set to vote through powers to link passports to the national identity meaning anyone applying for a passport by 2011 will be on the spy database for life- its shit

Or rather, on the spy database until it's abolished.

Scrapping ID cards is one of the few worthwhile Conservative policies. Except that this is the very party that kick started the agenda by trying to introduce them in the 1990s, and voted for the current proposals in the early stages. I'm skeptical in the extreme that they'd get rid of the infrastructure like the database, merely rebrand it a bit.

All I can hope is that we get a proper conservative party once the current lot collapses. Failing that, the Oxymorons becoming a proper liberal party would do the job nicely.

 

[moon23]

There is some talk of a Manchester day of action against the scheme that is to be launched ther in the autumn, should be interesting

 

[agricola]

All I can hope is that we get a proper conservative party once the current lot collapses. Failing that, the Oxymorons becoming a proper liberal party would do the job nicely.

If there is one good thing about this shower of political class fools that infest the main parties, it is that sooner or later people will get sick of them over issues such as ID Cards, MPs expenses, party funding and whatnot.

 

[moon23]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8128082.stm

"Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Davis - a leading critic of the project - said the scheme was effectively finished in the wake of the home secretary's statement.

But he queried why the proposed National Identity Register was still going ahead.


Alan Johnson: "I want ID cards to be voluntary"
Under draft legislation due to be approved by the Commons, passports will be considered a "designated document" under the scheme - meaning anyone applying for a passport from 2011 will have their data added to the databases. "




in a statement, the campaign group No2ID said the "humiliating climbdown" was not the end of the scheme.

"It's just part of the ongoing attempt by senior Home Office officials to fortify the scheme against cancellation and to bind the hands of a future government," the statement added.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

in a statement, the campaign group No2ID said the "humiliating climbdown" was not the end of the scheme.

"It's just part of the ongoing attempt by senior Home Office officials to fortify the scheme against cancellation and to bind the hands of a future government," the statement added.

Totally. The database is still there. They will still do what they can to coerce people into getting the cards or making it inconvinient not to have one. Labour are doublespeaking filth.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

If there is one good thing about this shower of political class fools that infest the main parties, it is that sooner or later people will get sick of them over issues such as ID Cards, MPs expenses, party funding and whatnot.

Plenty already are. It doesn't add up to much, just lower turnout and modest gains for greens and fascists.

No one is out on the streets about this sort of thing. Yes there was Climate Camp / G20 and more CC later this year. The squatters taking the MPs home was good. But these are isolated cases. The serfs are being shat on from a height and they do little more than whinge about it. (and pay for it of course)

 

[trevhagl]

Quelle su-fucking-prise.

Voted strongly for introducing ID cards.
Voted very strongly for introducing foundation hospitals.
Voted strongly for introducing student top-up fees.
Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws.
Voted very strongly for the Iraq war.
Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war.
Voted very strongly for replacing Trident

Phoney is as phoney does. If he's supposed to be some kind of saviour they are truly fucked, but we knew that anyway.

There's been a lot of stuff about politicians putting expenses online for all to see but i reckon even better wolud be a well known database where the public could access voting records of politicians. Most people don't even know which way their MP voted on Iraq etc, and the only clue would be a vague response if you asked em.

 

[taffboy gwyrdd]

There's been a lot of stuff about politicians putting expenses online for all to see but i reckon even better wolud be a well known database where the public could access voting records of politicians. Most people don't even know which way their MP voted on Iraq etc, and the only clue would be a vague response if you asked em.

That is a cut and paste from "They Work For You" which is pretty well known to people who follow politics. People who dont really follow politics probably wouldnt have the interest to and are certainly in the majority. This is a major reason why we have crap politicians who shit on us from a height and serve the banks and corporations. Many people vote of emotion and tribalism.

 

[moon23]

Plenty already are. It doesn't add up to much, just lower turnout and modest gains for greens and fascists.

No one is out on the streets about this sort of thing. Yes there was Climate Camp / G20 and more CC later this year. The squatters taking the MPs home was good. But these are isolated cases. The serfs are being shat on from a height and they do little more than whinge about it. (and pay for it of course)

Shame people are not on the streets, maybe something can be done for the start of the Manchester trial.

 

[Azrael]

If there is one good thing about this shower of political class fools that infest the main parties, it is that sooner or later people will get sick of them over issues such as ID Cards, MPs expenses, party funding and whatnot.

I hope so. Parties have been replaced before, most recently Labour usurping the Liberals in the 1920s.

Plenty already are. It doesn't add up to much, just lower turnout and modest gains for greens and fascists.

No one is out on the streets about this sort of thing. Yes there was Climate Camp / G20 and more CC later this year. The squatters taking the MPs home was good. But these are isolated cases. The serfs are being shat on from a height and they do little more than whinge about it. (and pay for it of course)

If you don't want people on the streets, but better parties replacing the current ones, things don't look as bleak. If Mr Cameron manages to loose the next election, the Tories must be close to collapse, and once they go, Labour can't be far behind. The two prop one another up like a pair of corpses. The Lib Dems will then have to adopt proper policies and step in, or go under themselves. The best people from all the parties can then form new parties that genuinely disagree.

The biggest concern is if state funding is introduced, which is why this move should be resisted more strongly than it is at present.