Let's Play 200 Questions
The UK Passport Service has been underperforming for many years. Staff in some foreign embassies have also been handing out passports to anyone who walks in the door.
So, something needs to be done. Naturally New Labour turn towards their authoritarian tendancies and announce that new applicants for passports will have to attend a personal interview and answer 200 questions, about themselves, who they live with, their finances and credit history and other questions to establish their 'social footprint'. In a nod to Stalininsm, these interviews will be recorded and kept for... well, they're not saying.
One in four interviews is expected to fail, and yes, this is a dry run for ID Cards.
I wonder how many questions we will have to answer to get an ID Card...
There is of course a good
There is of course a good way of dealing with this incursion into our private lives and that is to do something like join NO2ID and start passing out the appropriate information cards. They have a very good one showing all the details of this questioning, and the ramifications of not attending required interviews. On the website is a rather good message outlining that the interrogation centres that they are trying to set up require planning permission, which can be fought against by placing the appropriate blocks at council planning issues, certainly that is what we are doing locally.
"I wonder how many questions
"I wonder how many questions we will have to answer to get an ID Card..."
No questions, just an oath of allegiance to Tony Blair