Once again the Government does not know itself (apparently). Following recent reversals on holding the Iraq enquiry in public, the Government has done a '69' on making ID cards compulsory.

The Government has decided to press ahead with the main elements of the ID scheme though and British citizens who renew their passport will still automatically be registered on the ID database.

The government should decide what it wants to be (and how it wants to appear to its citizens). Does it want its people to view it as authoritarian? Or does it want to be the champion of civil liberties (fat chance.)

Time for the Government to stop 'chasing its tail' and work out whether it really can 'square the circle'?