NO2ID: Charles Clarke, ‘ID cards are about controlling society’

[theearthisround]

The Home Secretary has admitted that the purpose of ID cards scheme is to control society.

In comments made to the Eastern Daily Press <1> this weekend, the Home Secretary claimed that we already live in 'Big Brother society' and that it is his job to control it, branding civil liberties concerns "ridiculous" and independent costings of the scheme “absurd”. This, despite the fact that the Home Office response to the LSE report has be shown to contain fabricated figures <2>.

Phil Booth, NO2ID’s National Coordinator said:

"Mr Clarke’s arguments don’t stand up, and he is now trying to confuse the British public with doublespeak. But this is an important admission. His stated intent to 'control Big Brother society' shows the Government's real agenda: to monitor law-abiding citizens throughout their entire lives. The Government just wants control.

(more)
http://www.politics.co.uk/press-releases/no2id-charles-clarke-%E2%80%98id-cards-are-about-controlling-society%E2%80%99-$15035887.htm

[Trillo]

1. Well, for those who are Christians,

(which I am not)--Who takes away free will and rules by force?

[Mabus]

3. For Christians, I believe it is the anti-Christ

Isn't that supposed to be a sign of the beast, issuing numbers that are required for people to do things, like, say, buy food.

[JoFerret]

2. "Big brother here now"

Here is the original story/interview from the EDP (Eastern Daily Press):
http://new.edp24.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&itemid=NOED03%20Sep%202005%2010:09:19:520&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=search

[slay]

4. 'civil liberties concerns "ridiculous"'

Well, now I know for sure that ID cards are bad if this is what those who support them think. Just how stupid do they think we are? Wait, don't answer that... :scared:

[ngGale]

5. Oh dear me....

:scared:

[Joe Chi Minh]

6. Actually, not only should it work both ways,

but, in fact, the people have a prior right to control their respective government, even in the sorry kind of democratic societies we know.

However, on a macro level, in the UK, this fundamental right was stolen by Blair and his corporatist backers, who turned the only mainstream socialist party into a far right-wing corporatist party. While in America, your last two elections were decided by neocon voting-machine manufacturers.

And more specifically, on the micro level, both our peoples have the additional reason to mistrust our respective governments, because CCTV evidence, black boxes, you name it, seems to mysteriously go missing, when it is pretty clear that the Government or one or more government agencies has committed a crime, usually in the nature of a catastrophe of some kind, affecting a multiplicity of the country's citizens.

You show us you're honest first, then we'll show you we are, Mr Clarke. Unfortunately, it's real doctors and nurses that tend to be involved in these disasters, and they're not just playing naughty children's games of discovery.

[bpilgrim]

7. i love the point about having to pay 'big-bro' to spy on you

"whata brave new world we all live in today, eh, how could it get any worse" is the corporatist msg there days.

well the corporatist are giving the socialist/progressives a lot of material to work with... too bad they are all considered terrorist or their supporters now.

:scared:

peace

[JoFerret]

10. How easy we forget

....how easy we forget just how hard won these freedoms have been. How quickly we can be manipulated into discarding centuries of hard -won freedoms and rights.
What is lost now will have to be fought for all over again.

[wli]

8. So 1984 IS their playbook.

They do realize that was a DYSTOPIA, don't they?

[oscarmitre]

9. Yes they do realise that

in fact it's probably their goal to control society rather than allow such a messy thing as democracy to upset their plans.