14/02/07 - Candidates Speak Out At No2ID Debate

Swindon's Conservative Candidates pledged themselves to vote for a repeal of the Identity Cards Act and the scrapping of the National Identity Register when elected with a new Conservative Government.  Speaking at a public meeting at the Pilgrim Centre organised by Swindon NO2ID, Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson were united in their opposition to the scheme.

They were joined on the platform by a range of political speakers, including Independent peer and former Swindon MP Lord Stoddart and the current MP for North Swindon.  South Swindon's current incumbent, who has consistently supported the ID card legislation, did not feel able to take part.

Speaking after the debate, Robert Buckland said: "I was delighted to be able to speak on a subject which I feel very strongly about indeed.  I have consistently opposed ID cards, and am a member of our local NO2ID group.  The introduction of such a madcap scheme is not only a bureaucratic nightmare, but represents a fundamental shift in the relationship between the individual and the State.  ID cards and the Register are fundamentally un-British and must be scrapped."

Justin Tomlinson said: "The Government's estimates of the cost of this scheme keep going up to a point where the £19b cost outlined by the London School of Economics in their independent report will become a reality.   The Conservatives will spend money on building more prisons, providing more drug rehabilitation facilities and creating an effective border police service.  ID cards are nothing more than a costly dead end."