Hurry, while stocks last. Photograph: PA
The government has put a new Identity Cards bill to parliament.
It will, says the prime minister, save us all billions of pounds.
Clever things ID cards. Could these be the same little bits of plastic that just last year were going to protect us from terror attacks. And might those be the same pocket-sized data vaults that will also stamp out benefit fraud, fix the asylum and immigration system and - wait for it - enhance and protect our civil liberties.
Yours for just 85 93 quid.
The Observer was steadfastly opposed to ID cards when they last went before parliament. We said:
Opponents of the bill do not welcome terror or fraud. They fear the cards will be a distraction from the real tasks of government and that, by requiring citizens to log their movements with the state, they will criminalise the vulnerable who are already marginalised.
To sacrifice freedom for protection in time of war is a fair bargain; to do so for the convenience of civil servants is not.
So far we haven't seen anything to change our collective mind.
Still, on the bright side, at least there is a national debate in Britain. The blog has been following with interest the introduction of a form of ID card in the US, which happened without much fuss at all. A clause effectively turning state-issued drivers' licences into Federally recognised biometric ID cards was tacked onto a bill going through the Senate approving spending on the War on Terror and Tsunami relief.
This legislative move, technically known as 'a bit sneaky', has been well commented on down at Salon.com. Many of the US objections will also be raised here, the strongest among them being the ID cards won't work. Corralling all of our private data into one place won't stop fraud and it might make it easier and more damaging. Coming to a passport near you soon: the gizmo that broadcasts to the Feds, and anyone else who has access to the technology, everything about you.
