Dave Page

One of the first things that’s happened under the new Liberal Democrat / Tory coalition in Government is that one of the worst bits of Labour’s authoritarian nanny state has already been scrapped. The ID card scheme was first rolled out in Manchester, but very few people volunteered for one. Labour were spending hundreds of thousands of pounds every day on the unpopular scheme.

The National Identity Register, the largest interlinked system of Government databases, was at the heart of the ID card scheme. While Labour told us that carrying the card would be voluntary, it was always compulsory that you would be registered and tracked for life like a criminal, with details of your life available to thousands of civil servants and private enterprise. This compulsory database was first touted as an anti-terrorism measure, then something to stop benefit fraud, then something to prevent illegal migration, then merely as a “convenience”. All of these were lies and falsehoods to dupe people into an expensive, intrusive, useless database dreamed up by a control-freak authoritarian Labour Government.

I joined the Liberal Democrats at the same time as I joined No2ID, the nationwide single-issue, non-partisan campaign against the Database State. For the last few years, I have been co-ordinating Manchester No2ID, a local group of the national campaign. I have worked with people from all political backgrounds, including fellow Lib Dems, Greens, Labour and even anarchists. Working across party lines, on a single issue, has been very refreshing and helped me see beyond party politics. Our monthly street stalls keep me in touch with people’s opinions, and lead to frank and open discussions.

I am pleased that No2ID’s lobbying encouraged the Conservatives to join us in opposition to the scheme, as public opinion turned against it. It was Labour’s refusal to bow to popular and progressive opinion that meant that the Liberal Democrats’ coalition discussions with them failed.

There’s still work to do for No2ID. There are many other elements of the database state which need to be addressed. No2ID will continue to work with all parties and none to encourage people to get involved in protecting our civil liberties against an over-powerful state. We won’t be happy until the laws that enable these databases are gone, and cannot ever return. Please get involved and help us to achieve this, no matter what your party background.

My feelings about the Lib Dem / Tory coalition are mixed, and I may well blog about that in a few days when more details are clear. However, the Liberal Democrats’ ability to work with the Conservatives has already delivered this manifesto pledge, for the good of the country, despite Labour’s bloody-minded stubbornness.