Small recap of the progress of the ID cards consultation:

Phase 1. Home Office issues a consultation paper on entitlement (AKA ID) cards.

Phase 2. Nobody except IT vendors seems to be bothered by the consultation. A month before the deadline government says that most of the public seem to be positive about the scheme.

Phase 3. Privacy International launches a campaign together with a website enabling everyone to send easily a negative response as a result of which negative responses overcome positive responses. Home Office switches to Plan B.

Phase 4. Smart card manufacturer conducts a survey showing that 80% percent of people are in favour of ID smart cards.

Phase 5. The article about the survey gets slashdotted, emotions rage high, any real issues are quickly disappearing and the whole discussions starts to be a matter of perceptions. The whole progress starts to resemble the sitcom Yes, Minister.

Phase 6. ???

I think that in the end the cards scheme won't be accepted. Very few people I know are in favour of cards, and what's more important, media are also against. To back a £5 bn scheme under such circumstances would be a political kamikadze.

9:28:34 PM