Tory Leaders, ID cards and Gremlins.

Seems I was a bit wrong by predicting Fox and Davis in the members ballot. Looks like it's in the bag for Cameron, which actually surprises me a lot.

Cameron has the soft focus image and media savvy Blairite speak but we still don't know what his policies are. Says a lot about what these elections are about, the media just focus on the trivial as usual, while Davis (primarily) throws nasty smears at his opponents. Do we really want to hear nothing but smears and trivia?

Anyway apart from Cameron authoring their last manifesto, being Euro-sceptic, and pro-drugs reform (maybe?), we have heard nothing about what he actually stands for. I hope the next six weeks truly will concentrate on the candidates specific policy ideas, though I doubt it.

In trying to tidy up my site and add a nice pic at the top, I've managed to bugger a few things up (if you pardon the french). I've been experiencing a few technical gremlins.

I was hoping to have posted a for and against summary on ID cards by now in response to the ongoing discussion with TalkPolitics, but it will have to wait till tomorrow when hopefully I will have sorted out my FTP protocol problems that are stopping me transfer a few pics.

I notice Chris Lightfoot got his letter in the Guardian highlighting Clarke's latest concessions as a bit of a red herring and also Chris Applegate links to Talkpolitics ID debate over on his site. So things are hotting up.

I maybe in a minority of one amongst the bloggers in coming out in favour of ID cards (is there anyone else on mine (and the government's side on this?), but I'm going to give it my all tomorrow to put all the arguments in favour I can muster.

I concede there are still many problems to overcome with the security and cost of the National Identity Register and the practicalities and cost of biometrics. I think technology will advance quickly here and reduce potential problems and cost. Let me state I think the government have to be willing to listen and adapt to criticism over this if they want to keep my support and gain others, but I don't believe the govt are on some power crazed authoritarian trip to control our lives, it just doesn't make sense to me.

Underlying most opposition to ID cards is an objection in principle that I don't really think stands up to practical examination. Now that most EU countries and beyond are either already implementing biometric travel and ID documents or planning to in the near future, the objections are going to seem more and more debatable IMO.