bad citizen

The BBC picks up the Andy Burnham comments, where I see something I missed earlier:

He argued that an identity database was already in existence as part of the passport system and people had to prove their identity on a daily basis.

A National Identity Register with biometric details, such as fingerprints, would make people "more able to control access to their identities", he said.

More able to control access to my identity? What is this rubbish? How does an identity database protect my fingerprints, date of birth, iris pattern etc. etc. from being stolen? Doesn't it store all of those things in one handy central place? How does this stop my credit card or name being used? Answer: it doesn't and it won't.

I also heartily object to Burnham's grovelling authoritarian morality of proving yourself to the status quo:

"I take the view that it is part of being a good citizen, proving who you are, day in day out," said Mr Burnham.

I really don't know where to start with that crap: I'm a bad citizen if I seek privacy? I'm a bad citizen if I choose to have more than one social identity? I'm a bad citizen until I've been vetted by Burnham and the Home Office? Fuck that: fuck that entirely.