lizziec | ID Cards (take two)

So the House of Lords have rejected the Government proposal to link ID cards to passports for the third time.

This means that the Government will potentially use the Parliament Act to force it through without the approval of the Lords.

I hope not, despite what Charles Clarke says ("passports were "voluntary documents" that no-one was forced to renew" - umm, except when you need to leave the country that is), the linking of ID cards to passports is creeping compulsion. If you are forced to get one when you renew your passport then eventually practically everyone will have one...except for your terrorists, the people they are designed to stop, because they may not have a British passport to start with, they probably won't be worried about them even if they do [after all, they didn't stop Madrid] and they probably have access to forgers who can make the sodding passports without the need for this ID card rubbish.

Best quote of the night came from the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords. From the BBC News article:

"The Liberal Democrat leader in the Upper House, Lord McNally, said the House of Lords must retain its right to say "no".

"There is the Parliament Act and that is the right of the elected House to have its way," he said.

"But this House must retain the right to say 'not in our name'.""

It's certainly not in mine.

(P.S. For those of you who don't read my teacher blog I have a job interview! :D)