ID card action plan

How exciting.

We were told in November that Home Secretary John Reid was to publish an Identity Cards Action Plan in December that would detail all the benefits the scheme would bring us.

Throughout today the BBC News website has had a page saying that Reid was to publish the Action Plan today.

And now he has.

You can download it (858Kb PDF) from the Government’s Identity Cards website.

I’ve given it a quick scan and there seems to be little there that we haven’t been told before. I can’t see any detail on benefits either. Just the same old claims, including the discredited “identity fraud costs the UK more than £1.7bn a year” (see also here).

There is more detail, however, on what they are actually doing. Although I don’t know yet how in-depth it gets.

But Home Office Minister Liam Byrne (he of “the Government had never said ID cards would be compulsory” fame) might like to read page 19.

Donation cap and substantial increase in state funding

The BBC:

The Constitutional Affairs Committee says limits should be placed on donations, whether from individuals, companies or trade unions.

If parties agreed to such measures to reform the current “unstable” system, then they would receive “substantially increased state funding”, the MPs said.

Why?!

Committee chairman Alan Beith said change would be difficult but was vital.

“Parties are an essential part of democracy…

Why?!

People keep saying this but don’t give a reason.

The Labour Party has already been angered by the idea of limiting donations as it would endanger their funding – and historic links with – trade unions.

Of course they don’t want to limit donations! They are due to repay £6,725,000 of ‘commercial’ loans within two months. And that’s not all they owe.

Why should I contribute to parties that I oppose? If people want a Party why can’t they pay for it?

Also see Labour’s ideas explored in a previous article.