Today in Times Comment

• Matthew Parris: I have before me a Government pie chart and it tells you a lot about politics and the rise of management-speak and technical gobbledygook
• Janice Turner: The great privacy paradox: we share more and more of our life with strangers on the internet, yet are frightened to snap our kids at swimming galas; we worry about the invasion of Kate Middleton's privacy, yet are constantly watched by CCTV cameras
• Tom Bower: Lord Goldsmith and his shabby attempt to curtail liberties - next week sees Round Five of the Government's attempt to abolish jury trials for serious fraud cases
• Joe Joseph: Yep the country is suffering under inflation - like, razor cartridges that now have 42 blades; too many books published each year; clothes in XXXXL size; oversupply of celebrities; glut of TV channels
• Simon Barnes: What the weather is doing to the birds; the "distinguished jumper" spider is under threat
• Graham Stewart: Discussions about an English Parliament are not new - Asquith told Churchill to sort it out

Comments

[David Moss]

With regard to Matthew Parris's article, please click on the following link http://www.paconsulting.com/nl/NR/rdonlyres/8C70168E-B730-4906-BAB7-356961361FFE/0/foresight_biometrics.pdf and scroll down to page 4.

Produced by PA Consulting, the infantile artwork you will find there shows a yellow car going round and round a green jelly. The car represents the science of biometrics and, according to the legend, being yellow, indicates that biometrics is mostly hype.

Question: how much would you pay for this chef-d'oeuvre?

And now a harder question: how much would the government pay for it?

According to Management Consultancy magazine, http://www.managementconsultancy.co.uk/management-consultancy/news/2139556/pa-consulting-paid-12m-id-cards, by July 2005, the Home Office had spent £12m with PA Consulting, whom they had retained to advise them on the design of our empowering, efficient, etc ... new ID cards scheme. A scheme which relies on biometrics. Which are mostly hype.

And 18 months later, PA are still there, helping the Home Office to spend our money.

Examine the green jelly closely. Then sit and weep.