Blunkett and ID Cards

Written by Vincent Cable MP and published in Online Exclusive on Fri 17th Dec 2004

The tragedy of David Blunkett reminded me of the Greek tragic hero, Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and then fell to earth when his wax wings melted. Blunkett is an impressive and courageous man who allowed his private life and private feelings about colleagues to get the better of his judgement. He has been destroyed politically and perhaps personally.

In parliament we are left with his political legacy - identity cards. The government, with Conservative support, is pressing ahead. The public are perhaps not yet fully aware of the implications and perhaps feel reassured that the government has a new idea for tackling terrorism, illegal immigration and fraudulent use of public services.

In fact ID cards are unlikely to help solve any of these problems. Terrorists, organised criminals and immigration racketeers will find ways of evading identity checks as they already have in countries which have suffered terrorist atrocities like Spain and the US. Identity fraud is a small part of social security fraud. And illegal immigration occurs despite legislation requiring employers to check and re-check documents.

The public will also be required to pay the vast cost - currently estimated at around £5.5 billion - for a system requiring sophisticated IT systems, way beyond the competence of government to manage.

When cards become compulsory the police will face the dilemma of arresting everyone who has lost or forgotten their card or giving them time to report, and thereby losing the real criminals.

Churchill hated war-time ID cards and got rid of them as soon as he was re-elected, as an unwarranted intrusion in personal freedom. Hundreds of thousands of war-time cards were lost or stolen a year causing immense inconvenience and administrative burdens for the police.

We could, however, be living with Blunkett's political baby long after he has been forgotten.