Put the L plates on this government

Steve

I'm afraid not, the argument that has already been trotted out is "lessons learnt, the ID database will have none of the flaws of the old systems" In fact wasn't Jacqui Smith spouting some utter nonsense recently about information being held on one database and identity on another? as if that won't cause problems in itself -Just imagine if the 2 databases get one line out - suddenly your name has all the info for a rapist/paedophile/terrorist etc attached to it simply because of a blip in matching the two databases. Well that makes me feel better about the whole idea. Or could it be that the Home Sec is just making stuff up on the hoof, without any thought to the practicalities? Anyways back to my point - nothing will prevent this bunch of useless ---- (add epithet according to taste)bunch of facistic, control freaks from blundering on with ID cards - they want em, and no matter how pointless expensive and flawed they may be, they will foist them upon us. After all it is for our own good. Rant over.

David Lindsay

So the details of all our learner-drivers were on a disc in Iowa, which has now gone missing? I cannot tell which is the more glorious contribution to efficiency and competence: globalisation, or the contracting out of public services. Can you?

Austin Barry

This government does have a habit of misplacing things. Even the Prime Minister frequently goes missing at difficult times.

dave, surrey

a blind faith in technology, something in the past I've called the 'star-trek-is-real' syndrome commonly occurs in people with no scientific or technological training. How many in the current government had any real rigorous scientific or tecnological education past the age of say 16. So a few spivs in sharp suits come along and flog an idea of a national id card/database all for the sake of national security of course. Mrs Thatcher would never have been so gullible.

RW

This Government is utterly careless when it comes to preserving the confidentiality of our personal information - but very skilful at keeping the loss of it secret. It's clear where Ministerial priorities lie; self-preservation matters much more than basic competence.

Trafalgar

It's got to the stage where people are just laughing at the govt now. In my office there were hoots of derision at this latest c*ck-up. And that's a dangerous position for any PM to be in (see J Major circa '96). Can't really see how Brown can pull his personal ratings back from this. Foreign policy is usually one way out but Brown has actually managed to annoy both the US and the EU. No small achievement.

Cogito Ergosum

I once inherited the address list for a voluntary organisation, having been told, "Yes, it needs a bit of a clean up".

Glorious English understatement! Any database of this type needs a person who is responsible for sampling and correcting the data every day.

Fat chance under this, er, government. Be very afraid if your name is Smith, Jones, McDonald, or any other widely used name.