Wednesday, June 29, 2005
So, much to no-one's surprise, the ID Card Bill goes through the Commons. I don't know about anyone else but I'm getting sick of hearing newspapers and reporters using phrases like 'biggest ever rebellion against the Government yet' as though they're desperate to find a bright side in a total failure. The last time there was a real bright side to bad news was probably when Nelson was killed (topical, eh?).
Charles Clarke proves he has a bright future in stand-up comedy with his joke about how ID Cards stop rather than herald the Big Brother society. Mark 'nice but dull' Oaten was right about how the Government just circle through a number of excuses for cards and as each one is disporved they just shuffle it to the back of the pack and start again. Which is probably why the Home Office wheeled out one of their more offensive minions to claim that the Government has never ever said that ID Cards 'solve' any of the problems of the country. Unfortunately life is too short for me to go searching back through several years worth of various ministers 'big up'ping ID Cards to see whether this was true or not. I'm especially disinclined because, when challenged on where the money for this is going to pay for this enormous white elephant that won't help us, he instead started insulting David Davis. Now I must admit I tend to the same sort of reaction whenever I see David Davis as well but sadly he wasn't pressed on this.
So, as someone with ill-defined left-of-centre opinions, I find I'm having to rely on the Conservatives and the unelected House of Lords to save the country. Someone is definitely taking the rizz. Still, as long as you don't mention sodomy the Lords seem quite a reasonable bunch of reactionary old loons. They probably can't stop ID Cards on their own, but they might be able to delay them long enough for the popular desire in the Commons to dissipate. Another aspect is time. ID Cards were considered vital almost two years ago. We still don't have them yet we haven't found any terrorists in this country. So shuffle 'anti-terrorism' to the back of the deck and keep it there please.
The Sun have decided to turn on ID Cards too, though their position is that it's money wasted that could be used to persecute minorities and illegal immigrants. Their fear seems to be that immigrants get hold of fake cards and officials go "but you have an ID Card, so you must be entitled to stay here! Please, you can stay in Buckingham Palace, here's the taps with obligatory hot and cold running milk and honey, and have a huge wodge of cash too" Truly, Government idiocy makes strange bedfellows of us all.
Charles Clarke proves he has a bright future in stand-up comedy with his joke about how ID Cards stop rather than herald the Big Brother society. Mark 'nice but dull' Oaten was right about how the Government just circle through a number of excuses for cards and as each one is disporved they just shuffle it to the back of the pack and start again. Which is probably why the Home Office wheeled out one of their more offensive minions to claim that the Government has never ever said that ID Cards 'solve' any of the problems of the country. Unfortunately life is too short for me to go searching back through several years worth of various ministers 'big up'ping ID Cards to see whether this was true or not. I'm especially disinclined because, when challenged on where the money for this is going to pay for this enormous white elephant that won't help us, he instead started insulting David Davis. Now I must admit I tend to the same sort of reaction whenever I see David Davis as well but sadly he wasn't pressed on this.
So, as someone with ill-defined left-of-centre opinions, I find I'm having to rely on the Conservatives and the unelected House of Lords to save the country. Someone is definitely taking the rizz. Still, as long as you don't mention sodomy the Lords seem quite a reasonable bunch of reactionary old loons. They probably can't stop ID Cards on their own, but they might be able to delay them long enough for the popular desire in the Commons to dissipate. Another aspect is time. ID Cards were considered vital almost two years ago. We still don't have them yet we haven't found any terrorists in this country. So shuffle 'anti-terrorism' to the back of the deck and keep it there please.
The Sun have decided to turn on ID Cards too, though their position is that it's money wasted that could be used to persecute minorities and illegal immigrants. Their fear seems to be that immigrants get hold of fake cards and officials go "but you have an ID Card, so you must be entitled to stay here! Please, you can stay in Buckingham Palace, here's the taps with obligatory hot and cold running milk and honey, and have a huge wodge of cash too" Truly, Government idiocy makes strange bedfellows of us all.
