Taking the Biscuit
Thank you very much for your recent email about ID cards, Michael Howard has asked me to reply to you on his behalf.
He has asked me to say that he takes the points you make about ID cards,
but he has always supported the introduction of identity cards, both as
Home Secretary and subsequently as a backbencher. This is in complete
contrast to Tony Blair, who has been against and in favour by turn. In
1995 he said: "Instead of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on
compulsory ID cards......let that money provide thousands more police
officers." Now he supports them.
Many people have concerns about liberty and freedom. Michael Howard,
too, attaches great importance to the freedom of the individual. But
our two great watchwords in the Conservative Party are freedom and
security. Unless we can provide the people of our country with
security, they may well be unable to exercise the freedom we wish them
to enjoy.
The police believe that identity cards can help in the fight against
terrorism, crime and illegal immigration. Michael Howard agrees with
them. He can envisage more than one scenario in which a scheme like
that put forward in the Government's Bill could help make the country
safer.
That is why we supported the Second Reading of the Identity Cards Bill
in December. This was a vote on the principle of the Bill. We are not
wedded to the component elements of the scheme which we shall, of
course, review in government. We shall also be taking a number of
measures to deal with crime and immigration in the short-term.
Mr Howard set out, in greater detail, his thinking in a recent article,
the link for which is below.
his thinking in a recent article
Yours sincerely,
Ian Philps
Office of the Leader of the Opposition
Well, doesn't that just take the biscuit?
"Unless we can provide the people of our country with security, they may well be unable to exercise the freedom we wish them to enjoy."
The freedom, "they wish us to enjoy" What about the inalienable freedoms we should all be enjoying now
He has asked me to say that he takes the points you make about ID cards,
but he has always supported the introduction of identity cards, both as
Home Secretary and subsequently as a backbencher. This is in complete
contrast to Tony Blair, who has been against and in favour by turn. In
1995 he said: "Instead of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on
compulsory ID cards......let that money provide thousands more police
officers." Now he supports them.
Many people have concerns about liberty and freedom. Michael Howard,
too, attaches great importance to the freedom of the individual. But
our two great watchwords in the Conservative Party are freedom and
security. Unless we can provide the people of our country with
security, they may well be unable to exercise the freedom we wish them
to enjoy.
The police believe that identity cards can help in the fight against
terrorism, crime and illegal immigration. Michael Howard agrees with
them. He can envisage more than one scenario in which a scheme like
that put forward in the Government's Bill could help make the country
safer.
That is why we supported the Second Reading of the Identity Cards Bill
in December. This was a vote on the principle of the Bill. We are not
wedded to the component elements of the scheme which we shall, of
course, review in government. We shall also be taking a number of
measures to deal with crime and immigration in the short-term.
Mr Howard set out, in greater detail, his thinking in a recent article,
the link for which is below.
his thinking in a recent article
Yours sincerely,
Ian Philps
Office of the Leader of the Opposition
Well, doesn't that just take the biscuit?
"Unless we can provide the people of our country with security, they may well be unable to exercise the freedom we wish them to enjoy."
The freedom, "they wish us to enjoy" What about the inalienable freedoms we should all be enjoying now
posted by Anoneumouse at 6:14 pm
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