One of the authors of the Poll Tax claims that the ID Card Bill is Blair's Poll Tax. "...third-term prime ministers are not wise. They are too busy with their global agenda to study the detail of what their ministers have devised. A flood of testosterone dulls the messages from their political antennae. Machismo distorts their sense of proportion."

Well... could it be Tone is too concerned with his international image to be concentrating on the domestic agenda? Has Gordon thrown his not inconsiderable weight behind ID cards?

Talk Politics has a good post on His Bobness, Blair and the whole G8 business. The ever sceptical John Pilger is equally scathing. I'm ambiguous on this one. As per Gramsci, I do think culture is vitally important and that music can influence masses, and that masses can influence politicians. I also think Geldof and company are fully aware that their media embraced concert will not... in itself... change anything, but it is part of a process. On the concert itself, give me Tinariwen, Youssou N'Dour (minus Dido), Salif Keita etc at The Eden Project any day of the week.