Not just terrorists attacking freedom

UK home secretary Charles Clarke says that ID cards wouldn't have stopped the London bombs - but we should have them anyway.

'I doubt it would have made a difference', said Clarke. 'I've never argued...that ID cards would prevent any particular act.' It's hard to see what effect ID cards would have on terrorism at all. Nonetheless, they are part of a creeping incursion on our rights justified by the terrorist threat.

There is discussion today of further legislation - even though Britain already has draconian terror laws. Anti-terrorist powers were only recently 'topped up' by the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, which granted the authorities the right to detain suspects without trial. The London attacks could encourage this trend.

While parts of the government talk up our vulnerability, yesterday's events demonstrated the opposite. London coped perfectly well. The majority of the disruption was caused by the decision to close down public transport, not the bombs themselves. Creating a climate of fear is self-defeating. If it becomes apparent that London can be paralysed by even the possibility of an attack, terrorists won't need to lift a finger. Any misplaced backpack will spark a terror alert, and any idiot phoning through a warning will be taken seriously.

If standing up to these nihilists is supposed to be in defence of freedom, it would be perverse to use the situation to attack that freedom further.

ID cards 'wouldn't stop attacks', BBC News, 8 July 2005

Anti-terror bill: a hollow debate, by Brendan O'Neill