Sunday, February 20

ID Cards - Party Political

From the Editor's desk.
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The government has spent public money on opinion poll research to help sell its unpopular ID cards to reluctant voters long before the scheme was passed by parliament.
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Taxpayer-funded pollsters actually argued with their interviewees in an attempt to persuade them that ID cards were a good idea, as well as offering the government some very handy properganda points with which to win over voters.
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The surveys ''objectives'', and modus operandi uncovered by Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten MP, were to investigate ''motivations and barriers to acceptance of identity/entitlement cards and ideas about how they can most effectivly be presented to the public in any future publicity campaign''.
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Civil Service guidelines clearly state that polls should not be used for any party political purposes. As the surveys were conducted before Parliament voted on ID cards, the research was clearly party political.
I shall support Mark Oaten on this issue at write a letter to my MP.
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As in my previous communications to The Rt Hon. Member for Sedgfield I shall offer to discuss my point in the Dun Cow over a pint of traditional real ale. However, since I am not a head of State my offer is likely to receive the same response as my previous requests, that being of no reply !
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Anyway, must dash, I am off to the hunt meet at the village green, tally ho.

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