Saturday, June 25, 2005
The fight against ID cards
At last there is some sign of life in the Parliamentary Labour Party in the battle to stop the Government's madcap ID card scheme. The Guardian reports that the leftwing Campaign Group of MPs will be challenging the cost, effectiveness and illiberality of the scheme.
Twenty-one such MPs have signed a Commons "reasoned amendment" which seeks to reject the bill on the grounds that it will "make no signficant contribution to reduction or eradication of terrorism, illegal immigration or illegal employment" - nor provide data safeguards, realistic costs or address scope for error in the new biometric technologies".
Meanwhile, the Transport and General Workers Union has joined the fray. They have issued an analysis of the bill's weakness, which says the scheme will prove "costly and impractical, make it more difficult for everyone to access public services" and be a menace to both public sector workers, who will have to deal with angry members of the public, and to race relations.
Twenty-one such MPs have signed a Commons "reasoned amendment" which seeks to reject the bill on the grounds that it will "make no signficant contribution to reduction or eradication of terrorism, illegal immigration or illegal employment" - nor provide data safeguards, realistic costs or address scope for error in the new biometric technologies".
Meanwhile, the Transport and General Workers Union has joined the fray. They have issued an analysis of the bill's weakness, which says the scheme will prove "costly and impractical, make it more difficult for everyone to access public services" and be a menace to both public sector workers, who will have to deal with angry members of the public, and to race relations.
Labels: ID
