Does Labour think it is losing the debate on ID cards? (UPDATED)
Written by Mark Pack on 10th May 2008 – 11:30 amAn interesting snippet from some of the Labour material in the Crewe & Nantwich by-election: they are attacking the Conservative candidate for the (current, known to have changed a few times) Conservative policy of opposing ID cards.
However, from what I’ve seen of it, they’ve mostly given up on most of the arguments previously used and instead retreated into the following very narrow approach:
Do you oppose making foreign nationals carry an ID card?
The use of the word “foreign” there seems to come with some rather unpleasant overtones in this context, the implication being that ‘ooh, foreigners - they’re terribly nasty aren’t they - so surely you can’t be against keeping tabs on them now, can you?’
The more positive aspect of this slightly desperate approach is that it could indicate overall how badly the case for ID cards is going for Labour. The campaign group No2ID has been busy running online adverts in the constituency, which may be adding to the pressure on Labour.
UPDATE: It looks like some Labour members are pretty unhappy with this line too.
Posted in Crewe and Nantwich, News
10th May 2008 at 12:01 pm
Yuh I saw this via James Graham’s blog.
Typically shameful stuff from Labour.
10th May 2008 at 12:08 pm
Typical authoritarian nonsense, trying to appeal to the Sun-”reading” lowlife. Labour really are the sworn enemies of anything remotely liberal. At this rate even Camoron looks better.
10th May 2008 at 12:39 pm
*Adopts annoying little sister voice*
Actually it was me it was me it was me!
:@)
10th May 2008 at 1:20 pm
BTW, we should never cease to remind people that Michael Howard came up with the idea in the first place. Half the Tory party is solidly behind authoritarianism (cf: Tim Montgomerie from ConHome), and many of the others only oppose it because Labour brought it in. For all that “libertarianism” is the new trendy thing, the same headbangers are all there and haven’t changed at all.
10th May 2008 at 10:11 pm
Libertarianism is the new trendy thing?
I thought it mostly went out in the 80s when they started causing trouble for the headbangers… (and now I have images of Thatcher and Tebbit headbanging to Iron Maiden…)
11th May 2008 at 9:43 am
Will this apply to super-rich non-doms, or just fruit-pickers?
11th May 2008 at 11:04 am
Please, don’t associate a legendary group like Iron Maiden with those feckers.
I’m referring to the assorted bloggertarians mainly. They don’t seem to be having much impact in the real world though. Long may it continue to be so.
11th May 2008 at 8:45 pm
“(and now I have images of Thatcher and Tebbit headbanging to Iron Maiden…)”
I doubt they were a fan. Certainly Eddie wasn’t
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Maidensanctuary.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MaidenForm.jpeg
12th May 2008 at 8:23 am
However despicable the Labour Parties sales pitch for I.D. cards is in this bye-election I do not see their approach as a retreat. It is a softening up exercise.
I.D. cards for foreigners (probably only the poor)would be a practice run for the rest of us.
12th May 2008 at 10:14 pm
May I reassure our Liberal friends that the vast majority within the conservative party are completely and utterly against ID Cards.
We’ve asked for and obtained a promise that should the conservatives be returned to power the ID Scheme will be cancelled. Come the next General Election, ordinary members of the conservatives will be demanding that promise to be restated again in the manifesto.
The real enemy here is the authoritarian Labour Party and particularly Gordon Brown who believes ID Cards would a tax collecting money spinner - nevermind all its other evils.
Individual freedom is a core belief of all conservatives and ID Cards couldn’t be more offensive to us if it tried.
There is much that divides our two great parties but the hatred of ID Cards and the upstart ’socialist’ party are two things on which we are united.