Profile: Charles Clarke (replacement for David Blunkett)

[denny]

Mr Clarke's move to the home office sees him in charge of the government's top priority - security.

And he has already indicated that he intends to carry on with Mr Blunkett's policies on national ID cards and his uncompromising stance on asylum and immigration, saying: "There will be continuity between David's approach and mine."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4100037.stm

New Home Secretary Charles Clarke has vowed to plough on with plans for ID cards

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4100629.stm

Comments

[zotz]

The PM has judged that to keep the press off his back enough to get anything else done, they have to be really draconian on crime. And Home Sec at the moment will be told in no uncertain terms that "draconian" is the word of the day every day.

It's a sick situation.

[fellcat.livejournal.com]

They could be draconian on crime without ID cards and racist immigration policies, simply by increasing the number of police on the streets, improving the training of evidence handlers to stop forensic evidence from being contaminated and hence being inadmissable, and giving judges more flexibility in sentencing.

[deliberateblank.livejournal.com]

Make that draconian on crime without spending any money.

(Apart from the ID scheme where they will end up wasting stupid amounts of it.)

[zotz]

Well, no they couldn't. That might be sensible, and might get crime down, but it wouldn't be draconian. Draco specified death as the penalty for everything from theft upwards on thr gounds that he thought it was what the perps deserved.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

That's not really 'draconian' though, is it? More 'reasonable', which doesn't appear to be on the cards at present...

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Note to self: read all comments, then reply. :)

[djlongfella.livejournal.com]

Ok I'm not gonna " flame " here, I promise...

But,... I'm all for reducing crime, and strongly agree more coppers on the street...but, could somebody tell me how Id cards really help ?

Every time I've been arrested or dragged back to " the nik " wether I have had Id on me or not, I have never been let go untill it's been confirmed as to who I am..In some instances taking over 24 hrs.

On one occaision, my house was raided, there was a warrant for me...( I wuz innocent honest m'lud ) anyhow, so they enter the house, poke a gun in my face, no one else here but the curvacious one of the time..they ask me who I am, I confirm, the read the warrant, bust the jiont up, drag me off and still I spend nearl 30 Hrs in a cell, before being let free with no charge..so how does an id card help issues ?

[nullstr.livejournal.com]

Now, I don't have any implicit faith in the judiciary, but occasionally they manage to see sense:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1375684,00.html

This might give a little action space to fight the rest...