Phil Booth says the game is up

A YouGov poll commissioned by the Sunday People has revealed that almost 80% of people think the estimated £5billion cost of ID cards could be better spent. In addition 71% agree with the statement: 'it is inevitable that the data stored on peoples identity cards will sometimes be leaked, sold, hacked into or in other ways used improperly.'

Polls vary widely but the trend does appear to be against ID cards.

Nonetheless, the policy rolls on; statutory instruments regarding the regulations on fees, fingerprinting, lifelong compulsory notification, data sharing and penalties relating to ID cards were passed last week. One of these was the sinister sounding 'Provision of Information without Consent' regulation which allows the Identity and Passport Service to share lots of your personal data such as: official document numbers, addresses, signature, fingerprints, details of every time you had your ID checked and - so it goes......

As part of the initial proposals for the National Identity Scheme NIS, applicants for the new generation of biometric passports – due to be available by 2011 – would have their personal data placed on the National Identity Register NIR. Applicants could also then choose to have an ID card, but their refusal would not mean the removal of their data from the NIR.

Phil Booth, national coordinator of NO2ID said: "The game is up. The ID scheme is exposed as a bureaucrat's luxury that can now only be imposed by bullying and subterfuge."