Leaked emails sparked comments yesterday from academics, opposition MPs, campaigners, bloggers and journalists.
All were agreed that the Government's plans for identity cards. were in chaos after leaked e-mails disclosed civil servants' doubts over the scheme.
All were agreed that the Government's plans for identity cards. were in chaos after leaked e-mails disclosed civil servants' doubts over the scheme.
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The e-mails, which were sent to a Sunday newspaper, said that ministers were re-thinking the entire scheme, with a face-saving compromise to meet their deadline of phasing in the cards from 2008.
The e-mails, which were sent to a Sunday newspaper, said that ministers were re-thinking the entire scheme, with a face-saving compromise to meet their deadline of phasing in the cards from 2008.
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The email exchanges were between Peter Smith, the acting commercial director at the Identity and Passport Service, and David Foord, the ID cards project director at the Office of Government Commerce. Mr Foord was quoted as writing: "What benchmark in the Home Office do we have that suggests that this is even remotely feasible? ''We are setting ourselves up to fail."
The email exchanges were between Peter Smith, the acting commercial director at the Identity and Passport Service, and David Foord, the ID cards project director at the Office of Government Commerce. Mr Foord was quoted as writing: "What benchmark in the Home Office do we have that suggests that this is even remotely feasible? ''We are setting ourselves up to fail."
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Mr Smith was reported as saying that his organisation was planning for the possibility that ID cards could be "canned completely".
Mr Smith was reported as saying that his organisation was planning for the possibility that ID cards could be "canned completely".
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The London School of Economics, which predicted last year that the scheme would cost £19 billion, said: "The leaked e-mails precisely reflect our findings that the scheme is unworkable."
The London School of Economics, which predicted last year that the scheme would cost £19 billion, said: "The leaked e-mails precisely reflect our findings that the scheme is unworkable."
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Clearly the government needs to abandon the Orwellian scheme not simply because of the cost, not just because the scheme is unworkable, not only because ID cards and all that comes with them will create an unsound dependency but because the introduction of ID cards would adversely and fundamentally adjust the relationship between the individual and the State.
Clearly the government needs to abandon the Orwellian scheme not simply because of the cost, not just because the scheme is unworkable, not only because ID cards and all that comes with them will create an unsound dependency but because the introduction of ID cards would adversely and fundamentally adjust the relationship between the individual and the State.
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The House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution noted in March 2005:
The House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution noted in March 2005:
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''Our own concerns are not founded on the European Convention on Human Rights, but rather on the fact that the Bill seeks to create an extensive scheme for enabling more information about the lives and characteristics of the entire adult population to be recorded in a single data-base than has ever been considered necessary or attempted previously in the United Kingdom, or indeed in other western countries.''
''Our own concerns are not founded on the European Convention on Human Rights, but rather on the fact that the Bill seeks to create an extensive scheme for enabling more information about the lives and characteristics of the entire adult population to be recorded in a single data-base than has ever been considered necessary or attempted previously in the United Kingdom, or indeed in other western countries.''
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We must all give thanks that the Government can not, for the time being at least, afford to introduce the ID card scheme. The canning was soundly deserved, whackho !
We must all give thanks that the Government can not, for the time being at least, afford to introduce the ID card scheme. The canning was soundly deserved, whackho !
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