The Sunday Mirror today has an encouraging report headlined Brown Scraps I.D. Card Plans. According to the Mirror:

"Gordon Brown is to abandon controversial plans to introduce compulsory ID cards for all.
"Instead, the Prime Minister will focus on tightening up existing anti-terror laws and on new measures to be unveiled in Tuesday's Queen's Speech."

It sounds great, but don't start celebrating yet. This is just one report by one newspaper quoting "Whitehall sources". It's not an official position, probably it's Brown spin doctor floating the idea to see what reaction it gets.

We know how some people react - expect gnashing of teeth from certain tabloids and ex-ministers. We mustn't let them dominate this story, we need to cheer louder than they wail.

So we need to make sure Brown gets the message that abandoning ID Cards will be very popular - and win votes. I for one would be willing to reconsider voting Labour if this report turns out to be true.

What we really need is for a government to repeal the Identity Cards Act 2006 and abandon the National Identity Register (NIR). Until that happens, putting compulsory ID Cards on the back burner is a big step in the right direction.

That's what I'm going to tell Gordon Brown. What about you?

Labels: civil liberties, Gordon Brown, ID Cards, NIR, uk politics

Gordon Brown has ruled out a snap election this autumn and is unlikely to call one next spring either. He's denied that this is because the latest opinion polls show the Tories 6% above Labour - but nobody's going to believe him.

So the Brown bounce has run out of steam, to mix a metaphor. He is now facing the prospect of not getting a majority in the next election whenever it happens. How can he change minds and win the votes of people like me?

Simple: drop plans for ID Cards and a huge, intrusive National Identity Register (NIR).

It's clear that ID Cards have no positive political value. Few people will switch to Labour because they like the idea, many of us will switch from Labour because we find the scheme totally unacceptable.

If you feel the same way and have a Labour MP, this might be a good time to write and remind him or her that there's now time for them to change Brown's mind, get Blair's dangerous ID Card scheme dropped and win back your vote.

Labels: election, Gordon Brown, ID Cards, Labour, uk politics, ukpolitics

David Cameron gave an impressive performance at the Tory conference yesterday. For once he actually looked like a serious conviction politician rather than than a Tony Blair wannabe. Unfortunately the content of his speech was less impressive.

For all Cameron's claims to the middle ground, his speech contained many of the old Tory standbys: reduced regulation of business, more private schools, welfare cuts, more people in jail and opposition to the Human Rights Act. Cameron is still true blue at heart.

And yet... Cameron opposes Labour's scheme to impose compulsory ID Cards and a huge, intrusive National Identity Register (NIR). He's committed to scrapping ID Cards and to defending the right to trial by jury.

Civil liberties - freedom - is the most important issue of all. Cameron has got it right, Brown is wrong. There is no way I will ever vote for any party that supports ID Cards and the NIR.

It's hardly surprising that so few people in Britain bother to vote. The party system means you're offered job lot of policies and values, it's an all or nothing proposition. Yet I'm one of those who stubbornly insists on voting anyway. So if Gordon Brown does hold a snap general election in November, what will I do?

It's difficult. I don't totally agree with the Lib-Dems either, and they can't possibly win. A hung parliament with them having the balance of power would probably be my preferred option. But what if I lived in a constituency where our voting system means the only real choices are Labour or Tory?

Let's assume the sitting Labour MP wasn't one of the ID rebels. What would I do?

With heavy heart I have to say that I'd vote Tory to keep Labour out. It would be the lesser evil. My hope would be that the Tories would repeal the Identity Cards Act 2006 after which we could vote them out again.

So if there is an election next month then it looks like I'll be pushing for "Anyone But Labour".

Labels: anyone but Labour, civil liberties, David Cameron, election, Gordon Brown, ID Cards, uk politics, ukpolitics

It appears that Gordon Brown will be less gung-ho than Tony Blair in his erosion of our civil liberties, but just as determined.

The PM's National Security Statement to Parliament set out proposals for the forthcoming Counter Terrorism Bill. The language and style are very different to Blair, appearing much more conciliatory and making a big play for "consensus". Such "consensus" could become a dangerous trap.

There were definitely some good things in Brown's speech including the setting up of a border police force and the possible use of intercept evidence in court. I particularly welcome the "hearts and minds" suggestions such as the sponsoring of English speaking imams and teaching of citizenship in madrassas.

Unfortunately there were two major problems with Brown's speech which mean that in calling for a consensus against terrorism he is in effect calling for a consensus against freedom.

Brown's first error was his continued support for imposing biometric ID Cards on innocent British citizens, along with hints at greater data sharing. This is now being wrapped up in the friendly sounding phrase "ID security within our own borders" yet it remains identity control by the state. ID Cards are the greatest threat to privacy and liberty in 21st century Britain. An ID Card is no less than a licence to live.

Brown also proposed a "further overview" of how to protect key infrastructure such as trains. I for one strongly suspect that this overview will suggest ID checks on key rail routes. That would create yet another problem for innocent people that ID Cards would "solve". It would also be yet another step towards ID Cards as internal passports.

What will probably grab tomorrow's headlines was not Brown's support for ID Cards but his ideas on detention without charge. Brown suggested increasing the length of time that UK police can hold terrorist suspects without charge to 56 days.

56 days may not sound much. Until you realise it's eight weeks - that's almost two months of detention and interrogation without charge.

Brown did at least consult with Liberty, although he made it obvious that he didn't approve of their suggestion that such internment would require the declaration of a state of emergency. Brown's preferred option appears to be to allow two months detention without charge as long as there is parliamentary oversight.

That's not acceptable. Oppression remains oppression when overseen by Parliament.

Brown ended his speech by stating a desire to create an "all-party consensus that will extend into every community of our country".

That sent a chill down my spine. Will those of us who support civil liberties be branded as terrorist sympathisers for seeking to break the "consensus"? No government would risk making such a direct accusation - but certain tabloids wouldn't hesitate for a second. And they will receive at least implicit support from certain authoritarian politicians.

Expect a ramping up of the smear campaign against civil libertarians.

So be it. Under no circumstances will I be part of any consensus against freedom.

Gordon Brown UK politics ukpolitics

Labels: civil liberties, Gordon Brown, ID Cards

I was planning to make a post congratulating Gordon Brown on his plan for constitutional change. Unfortunately that's been overshadowed by his disastrous performance at his first PMQs.

Brown had the ideal opportunity to break with Blair's plan to impose compulsory National Identity Cards and an invasive National Identity Register (NIR). Asked by Cameron about a border police force Brown could have said that in the light recent events the best use of resources was being re-evaluated. Unfortunately Brown failed to do this and chose to give his strong support to the dangerous ID scheme.

All Brown's positive constitutional reforms will count for nothing against ID Cards and the NIR. Their introduction will bring about a change in the relationship between citizen and state that sees the government issuing us with a licence to live.

That would be a constitutional change for which he would never be forgiven.

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Labels: Gordon Brown, ID Cards, NIR

Another weekend, another attack on our freedom. Early hopes that Gordon Brown might be less authoritarian than Tony Blair are fading fast. It appears that the new Prime Minister will simply take a different approach to stripping us of our liberties. The same old stuff with a different type of spin.

We've already heard that Brown won't be scrapping ID Cards after all. He's known to support extending the period of questioning by the police of terror suspects to 90 days (that's three months internment without charge). The BBC reports Brown speaking yesterday in Glasgow where he said:

"Because we are a country that believes in civil liberties of the individual, every time you have to strengthen the security measures that are necessary to protect our country, you also have to strengthen the accountability to parliament and the independent oversight of what police and other authorities are doing."

This is clever stuff, very different to Blair's "trust me" approach. And just as dangerous.

First, Brown starts by paying lip service to the thing he's attacking - civil liberties of the individual. Then he loads a long, rambling sentence with phrases like "you have to", "are necessary" and "to protect". These are embedded. They're not part of the main argument but are taken as given - thus avoiding debate on them. It's classic sales/NLP/hypnosis technique.

Then there's the thrust of the point: That removing our civil liberties is somehow justified if it's accompanied by accountability.

It's not. Our liberties aren't removed at the moment we're wrongly arrested. Our liberties aren't removed at the moment when some judge looks at our situation.

Our liberties are removed at the moment authoritarian laws are passed.

The vast majority of us will never suffer under these laws, will never be victims of wrongful suspicion, will never be locked up for three months without charge. Yet we might. That's the danger - authoritarian laws could affect any one of us and hence erode the freedom of us all.

Yes, oversight and accountability are necessary when giving the state powers over the individual. That doesn't mean that - as Brown implies - they are sufficient.

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Labels: civil liberties, Gordon Brown