Comments on: With ID cards you too can quit liberalism for good and stop hurting the people you love http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/with-id-cards-you-too-can-quit-liberalism-for-good-and-stop-hurting-the-people-you-love/ Just another WordPress.com weblog Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:48:14 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: adammcnestrie http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/with-id-cards-you-too-can-quit-liberalism-for-good-and-stop-hurting-the-people-you-love/#comment-123 adammcnestrie Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:43:19 +0000 http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/?p=93#comment-123 I think your critique is well-founded, Mr. Kinman. The piece is juvenile - in fact it is a piece of juvenilia torn from the back-catalogue published in a spirit of self-indulgence because it makes me laugh in places and because I hadn't been able to find the time to compose a new blogpost. The treadmill of daily posts can sometimes be the enemy of quality. Well, you only have to look at parts of the national press... I think your critique is well-founded, Mr. Kinman. The piece is juvenile – in fact it is a piece of juvenilia torn from the back-catalogue published in a spirit of self-indulgence because it makes me laugh in places and because I hadn’t been able to find the time to compose a new blogpost.

The treadmill of daily posts can sometimes be the enemy of quality. Well, you only have to look at parts of the national press…

]]> By: Mr Kinman http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/with-id-cards-you-too-can-quit-liberalism-for-good-and-stop-hurting-the-people-you-love/#comment-117 Mr Kinman Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:58:40 +0000 http://adammcnestrie.wordpress.com/?p=93#comment-117 You know I think you're great... but I am concious of the duty loveweb 2.0 places upon me to make valid and reasoned comments, therefore I'm going to try to be more critical, rather than simply ranting on about how much I love you (and yes, in my head reasoned comment does equate to criticism... blame Daddy) What, exactly, is the point of this latest post of yours? I am sure the 'ironic' fig leaf is fluttering somewhere near the intellectual groin of this seeming rant, yet its thrust has been lost on me. You don't like David Blunkett I gather, and that's something I can get behind. And you think that ID cards will be a cugel to beat the current societal 'losers'? Is that it? My problem is the entire civil libertarian case, as commonly put (CCTV, ID cards, databases etc) confuses government power, and misuse of that power. They complain about CCTV per se, as if simply having our actions in public places being watched were somehow harming us, rather than being a self-evident tautology. What is all too often missed is that it is what the government does with that information that is important. Similarly ID cards are morally neutral, what we have to ask is what they will be used for and whether those uses are beneficial. Amusing though your suggestions are, they are hardly a reasoned argument against the things, and as such (if I dare submit) indicative of the intellectual hop-scotch which leads straight from state power to tyranny, omitting the abuse of that power altogether You know I think you’re great… but I am concious of the duty loveweb 2.0 places upon me to make valid and reasoned comments, therefore I’m going to try to be more critical, rather than simply ranting on about how much I love you (and yes, in my head reasoned comment does equate to criticism… blame Daddy)

What, exactly, is the point of this latest post of yours? I am sure the ‘ironic’ fig leaf is fluttering somewhere near the intellectual groin of this seeming rant, yet its thrust has been lost on me.

You don’t like David Blunkett I gather, and that’s something I can get behind. And you think that ID cards will be a cugel to beat the current societal ‘losers’? Is that it?

My problem is the entire civil libertarian case, as commonly put (CCTV, ID cards, databases etc) confuses government power, and misuse of that power. They complain about CCTV per se, as if simply having our actions in public places being watched were somehow harming us, rather than being a self-evident tautology. What is all too often missed is that it is what the government does with that information that is important. Similarly ID cards are morally neutral, what we have to ask is what they will be used for and whether those uses are beneficial. Amusing though your suggestions are, they are hardly a reasoned argument against the things, and as such (if I dare submit) indicative of the intellectual hop-scotch which leads straight from state power to tyranny, omitting the abuse of that power altogether

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