UK IT chief calls for downscaling of ID card plans
TD
card scheme on the basis that the technology isn't ready for prime time, and
the project too unfocussed to pass Whitehall risk assessments. According to
a report in the Independent on Sunday, Government CIO Ian Watmore has told
ministers that the complexity and scale of the plan means that it may have
to be phased in, while William Heath of Kable cites senior Whitehall sources
as being on the brink of blocking the project.'
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/31/watmore_wants_phased_idcards/>
Maria
'Phased in' might mean that you end up paying again each time there is
a 'phase'.
hummingbird
Also from the article... this outcome would surely confirm how useless
Parliament has become in protecting the interests of those it purports
to represent, let alone the nation.
"...Heath says that the ID Cards Bill could clear Parliament, "only to
find one department irrevocably politically committed to introducing
ID cards at loggerheads with other parts of government responsible
for policing good practice in government's acquisition and management
of the critical IT infrastructure, who will block the project."
--
"Turkey should join the EU 'because it is a European country'"
...Jack Straw 2nd October 2005 in Luxembourg.
BBC: "only 22% of citizens across Europe want Turkey to join the EU"
Robin Fairbairns
>[...]
>'Phased in' might mean that you end up paying again each time there is
>a 'phase'.
of course. and as a result, a government will be voted out per
phase. which could be seen as a (unique) good result of the process:
the present lot are so entrenched that they seem to think they could
legislate black is white.
(in fact, if they did, their lobby-fodder would baa their way through
the votes, so the bill would pass, after invoking the parliament act
in the face of "unprincipled opposition" in the lords.)
--
Robin (http://www.tex.ac.uk/faq) Fairbairns, Cambridge
George Saden
This is really hilarious.
They were warned that it was far more complex than they thought, and the
hubris of some of these 'IT professionals' led them to believe they were
up to it. Now after actually attempting to put together high and low
level design implementation documents, they realize what they have
signed up for. Doesn't it give you a warm feeling to know that we are
ruled by incompetent people with bigger egos than brains.
Harry the Horse
news:436643E4...@privacy.net...
the likely incomptetence of their implementation.
Robin Fairbairns
>"George Saden" <m...@privacy.net> wrote...
>>> This is really hilarious.
>> They were warned that it was far more complex than they thought, and the
>> hubris of some of these 'IT professionals' led them to believe they were
>> up to it. Now after actually attempting to put together high and low level
>> design implementation documents, they realize what they have signed up
>> for. Doesn't it give you a warm feeling to know that we are ruled by
>> incompetent people with bigger egos than brains.
>
>It's rather a shame that our best bulwark against the tyranny of ID cards is
>the likely incomptetence of their implementation.
it is however slightly heartening that someone in whitehall (rather
than the every other computing professional in the country) is
suggesting that a project may not be practical, _before_ gazillions of
the country's already tottering gdp is spent.
stopping it at this point would be a major achievement, imo.
George Saden
They didn't say they were going to stop it though, they have simply
admitted that they have to water it down, beause what they planned to do
originally, is beyond their abilities, and they are just not up to snuff.
Alun Harford
news:dka3d2$15h$2...@gemini.csx.cam.ac.uk...
Blair is tied to it.
The bill was passed in the commons, and the only way for it to fail in the
Lords would be a major rebellion by Labour peers - unlikely. If push comes
to shove, govt. will just find a new CIO who will say the right things.
Failure to get the system implemented would be Blair showing weakness, which
would be politically unacceptable.
If they implement it and it's a joke, they can just blame it on "computer
failure", which means that nobody will get blamed, since only a very small
proportion of voters are computer scientists.
Alun Harford