Identity Cards Bill

My Lords, I am awfully pleased that the noble Lord, Lord Stoddart, spoke before me because he spoke from his heart and with a knowledge of ancient British liberties. When I heard the noble Baroness advance all the arguments of what we were going to have to do I tried to forget that I was among a lot of people whom I respect and an even larger number of people whom I like on all sides of this House. I tried to forget that I was in one of the most splendid architectural buildings in Europe, and I tried to picture the noble Baroness setting out all the things that we have got to do—the identity cards, the fingerprints, the iris scanning and the compulsory register—and I imagined her not dressed as smartly as she is now and not with the lovely face which we have all come to admire and like, but in a drab room wearing a uniform which we have all come to hate. That is when the words of what she was saying really cast a chill into my soul. I am sorry, but I am privileged beyond peradventure to be in your Lordships’ House. I care passionately about the liberties of every single one of us and every single one of her Majesty’s subjects and compulsory education—sorry, identity cards.