By Steve Ranger, 14 April 2005 11:35
NEWS The Liberal Democrats have made opposition to Labour's controversial ID card project a central plank of their election manifesto.
Instead of introducing ID cards, a Liberal Democrat government would spend the money on more police and technology to allow them to spend less time doing paperwork.
"Hundreds of millions [of pounds] can be saved by not introducing ID cards. That money would be better spent on increasing the number of police on the streets by 10,000 and providing them with the technology to make them more effective," the manifesto said.
The party said the average police officer today spends more time in the police station than they do on the streets, and that new technology and less bureaucracy will allow them to spend more time on patrol.
Other technology-related polices from the Liberal Democrats include proposals to scrap what the manifesto described as the "failing" Child Support Agency, which has been hit by IT problems.
The manifesto also claimed that because of a "teacher recruitment crisis", thousands of children are being taught key subjects by staff who are not trained specialists in that subject, and said it would guarantee that all children will be taught the core subjects, including ICT, by "suitably qualified" teachers.
Comments
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1. anonymous
The Lib Dems seem to have a much better grasp of IT than the other parties.
They seem to be able to distinguish real opportunities from "bandwagon" projects!
2. anonymous
With ID-theft being one of the fastest growing organised and opportunistic crime arenas the British citizen has little or no protection without a clear and indisputable identity. The Labour policy fell down by a) not using the technology to its fullest extent, b) not making it compulsory. The Lib dems now seem to be following the Conservative line of burying their heads in the sand on combating what is set to become a major problem to us all. This is a shame as I did have every intention of voting Lib dem, but this blindness to a major issue of the day has made me double-take.
3. Tim Haines
Glad to see that there is one party that we can vote for without having to choose between social repression and financial disaster! Agreed with anonymous - altogether the Lib Dems seem to have a much better grasp of the whole works than the other parties. Vote Lib Dem! I shall.
4. Nigel Sedgwick
The policy of the current Labour Government is their proposed National Identity Scheme shall be self-financing, by charging for registration and card issue.
This policy may not be a good one, as it can be viewed as an additional tax, that is applied equally to every resident for a scheme that is intended to be compulsory (even if it is not at first).
However, it is difficult to see how the Liberals can claim to spend this (our) money better, as it will not be available to them unless the ID scheme goes ahead, and then must necessarily be spent on running that scheme.
5. Mark SPLINTER
id theft is easier if you only have to forge one card. get real "anonymous" - with id cards your opportunity for anonymity is reduced significantly. if you really work in IT security you will know that it is fallible, and the chances of any government implementing it successfully and cheaply are zero.
Once again, the Lib Dems talk sense, but in this world of nonsense, nobody understands.
6. ruth
I already have
1. Passport (with photograph)
2. Driving licence (with photograph & address)
3. National Insurance card
- all government issued documents - why do I need an identity card as well?
There are three main groups of people pushing for identity cards
1.Mr Blair & his merry band of civil rights removers (let's forget the Magna Carta, New Labour have much better ideas)
2. The companies who are promoting this untested & technically flaky technology & who are rubbing their hands all the way to the bank
3. The crooks & terrorists who are developing ways to counterfeit identity cards and who will also be rubbing their hands all the way to the bank
I would point out that all the people held responsible for both 9/11 & the Madrid bombings already had valid ids... so I don't see how an id card is going to make me safer. In terms of identity fraud, this is accomplished via theft of financial details. It's all rather like Mr Blair's claim that we are safer from terrorism now that he has stirred up a hornet's nest in Iraq. U-u-um yes, why do I find that so difficult to believe?
7. James Liddell
I'm not British but I'd like to offer my opinion that regimentation and registration of a nation's citizenry is always the first step toward establishing a tyranny.
We here in the United States also have heard talk of a national ID card and at last report, the idea is dying in some Congressional committee. I hope to attend the funeral if my understanding is correct.
There are ALWAYS such nice and logical reasons offered in exchange for a person's freedoms and liberities--security and cost-savings and better law enforcement always being among them.
But as Thomas Jefferson once said, the price of freedom is eternal vigilence. I'll go with Tom on this and advise you UKers to do the same.
Tyranny always smiles so reassuringly at the outset.
8. Andrew Banks
Re: Nigel Sedgwick
Do you *really* believe that the total cost of the whole ID system is to be funded by registration fees ?
9. Andrew Watson
If you oppose compulsory ID cards, surf over to http://www.no2id.net and sign the petition, and/or join a local group. NO2ID is a non-partisan single-issue national campaign to stop ID cards.
Most IT people I know are horrified by the prospect of £6bn of our money being spent on this wasteful, intrusive and ineffective scheme.
10. anonymous
We hear so much about IT failings. When will we hear about Public sector and IT and changes in the way they work? You can have the increased IT spend and continue to get away with the outmoded method of working only in the public sector because the taxpayer picks up the bill.
11. anonymous
National id cards have been successfully introduced and used in Nazi Germany, communist Russia, Zimbabwe (and previously, Rhodesia), communist Afghanistan, Argentina, Korea, Vietnam and various other free and safe countries. You have nothing to worry about. Unless we don't like you. Your papers please.
12. Robert Hay
I can't believe people who think that the tax payer will pay through the treasury. It is each individual that will pay as they get the card and the funding of the infrastructure for capturing data, producing and distributing cards will be underwritten by the finance community in a PPP/PFI typ of deal.
ID cards will happen. Labour have stated yet again that they will introduce ID cards in their next session. Conservatives are only weasle wording when they intimate they won't support them. ID cards will be the only they can properly police their Asylum initiatives. Lib Dems... the least said the better,
13. anonymous
The Sevenoaks (Kent) Libdems have an on-line poll about ID cards at
http://www.sevenoakslibdems.org.uk/poll-id-cards.htm
14. anonymous
Security in financial information and any other information can only be achieved by linking it to an strongly ascertained and authenticated identity, this is the basis of all security systems. Without such an identity anyone's name, fincnaces and reputation are much easier to damage.
Fraud by forgery? Yes it is easy unless the basics of security are observed i.e. you link to something that the person knows and something the person is; in this way even if the known fact is compromised what the person is (biometric) is much harder to overcome.
Is anything 100% secure? Of course not, but things can be made much harder.
Currently it is all too easy to take someones name and use their identity for almost any nefarious activity.