Jon Bright (London, OK): Last week we covered the Welsh Assembly's preemptive action on ID cards - guaranteeing that they will not be needed for access to devolved public services. I've since been in touch with Phil Booth of No2ID, who proved why research should be done before rather than after - this is, apparently, the second preemptive motion Wales has passed, and follows this more robust one from Holyrood passed in December last year (both tabled by Lib-Dems). Harry Kemp also wrote in to point out that Eastbourne Council passed a motion condemning the scheme last week, becoming the 33rd local council to do so.
Local councils, of course, won't genuinely be empowered to resist the scheme. But Wales and especially Scotland have serious devolved clout - and they are using it effectively to hamstring one of the possible coercive measures that might have been employed for ID cards before it is ever brought into action. This is a taste (albeit a small one) of how power might operate in a decentralised system - where the decision of the executive might not be final. Will 'No ID cards' form part of the pitch Salmond eventually makes when offering the people of Scotland independence? You can see how it might prove attractive.
