Home Office buries bad news, weird news and a tactical retreat for ID cards
5 November 2008
Under cover of the entirely predictable media preoccupation with the results of the US elections, the Home Secretary is once more to address a friendly think tank audience − at an as yet undisclosed location [1] − in an attempt to bury bad news. Except this time she'll be announcing bad news, weird news and a tactical retreat.
The bad news is that despite all attempts to shift the costs off-balance-sheet, this autumn's report to parliament on the ID scheme costs will show an increase in the projected spending over the next 10 years. The Home Office projections only show estimates for its own set-up and running costs for the scheme. They do not include using ID cards for anything.
The weird news is private companies will be 'encouraged' to bid for collecting fingerprints from the general public, which begs the questions - Why has the Home Office spent millions already for its own chain of Identity and Passport Service enrolment centres? How can such a procedure be made secure? And, who would be crazy enough to bid, given the guaranteed unpopularity of fingerprinting the public?
The tactical retreat is the news that "ID cards for airside workers from 2009" actually means trial schemes at two airports from this time next year. Jacqui Smith claimed as recently as February that 200,000 people would be captured for the scheme in this way, and that it was justified by the needs of security.
Phil Booth, NO2ID [2] National Coordinator said:
'The Home Office knows the more people are reminded of the ID scheme the more they despise it. Hence one more set-piece speech to a hand-picked audience on a busy news day. An open presentation to parliament or a press conference might ask questions or stimulate discussion. The Home Office wants compliance, not discussion.'On the costs report, Phil Booth said:
'
The ink is barely dry on the first minor contracts for the ID scheme and already costs are spiralling. Yet of course these figures are just a fraction of the real cost. There are billions to be buried in other departments' budgets. The cost to citizens and to business of cooperating with the surveillance state will be billions more.'On private companies for fingerprinting he said:
'The government is selling a pig in a poke. What company is going embarrass itself to the tune of millions for a contract that that everyone outside the Home Office itself knows will be cancelled by a new administration?'On the 'pilot' of ID cards for airside workers:
'The unions [3] and the industry [4] are opposed. An expert just described the security justification as 'absolute bunkum'[5]. Dropping to trials at a couple of airports is a transparent attempt to save ministerial face. Dropping the entire scheme, by comparison, would save only privacy, liberty, public money and long-term national embarrassment.'-ENDS-
Notes for editors:
1) Invitations issued on 3rd November by the Social Market Foundation state: 'Location: Central London. Details will be confirmed nearer the time.'
2) NO2ID is the UK-wide non-partisan campaign against ID cards and the database state. See
http://www.no2id.net/dbstate.php for a list of 'database state' initiatives that NO2ID is actively opposing.
3) The TUC has voted to oppose compulsory ID cards for airside workers, and the much-vaunted introduction of 'ID cards for foreign nationals' has been downscaled to just 50,000 cards issued before April 2009:
http://www.printweek.com/business/news/847818/TUC-vows-fight-discriminatory-ID-cards-trial/4) The British Air Transport Association described its "joint and determined opposition" to the proposal in a letter to the Home Secretary on 30th June 2008.
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2008/07/02/IDCardsHomeSecretaryLetter300608.pdf5) See 'Gordon Brown's terror claims for ID cards are 'bunkum' says GCHQ expert'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/3280098/Gordon-Browns-terror-claims-for-ID-cards-are-bunkum-says-GCHQ-expert.htmlFor further information, or for immediate or future interview, please contact:
Phil Booth (National Co-ordinator, national.coordinator@no2id.net) on 07974 230 839
Guy Herbert (General Secretary, general.secretary@no2id.net) on 07956 544 308
Michael Parker (Press Officer, press.officer@no2id.net) on 07773 376 166
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