Gosh!

Those who remember our current Home Secretary in his former role as Education supremo might not be surprised to hear that charges of "bullying academics" have been levelled against him. According to the BBC site Howard Davies of the LSE has suggested that Charles Clarke, and the government, had damned the LSE report on ID Cards before seeing it. That the report was produced by 60 people overseen by a dozen professors will cut no ice with Clarke - they probably specialise in something useless like Art History............. or Economics! Of course cynics might suggest that in the face of a reduced majority, back-bench revolt, growing public unease, potentially spiralling costs and some damning academic research the government is really just circling the waggons to defend - to the last - a showpiece manifesto pledge but it sits uneasily with the post-election promises to learn lessons and listen to the electorate. But what would I know? I'm very worried about many of elements of the proposed ID card not least the proposed use of some technologies but I'm just a dim technologist. And if anyone wants to know - Clarke read Maths and Economics at Kings College, Cambridge and has a BA (Hons).