Hugo Rifkind Hugo Rifkind

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Hugo Rifkind in support of identity cards

issue 26 January 2008

Last week, in my digital dealings with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, I experienced something truly fascinating. Yes, I know. Subjective. Dangerous sentence. Bear with me. It was an epi- phany. The right time of year for it, I am told.

In a few weeks’ time I have to hire a car. A few weeks ago I lost my wallet, which contained my driver’s licence. With exactly the sort of organisational forward planning that normally escapes me, I had considered these two details in tandem, and acted to prevent the wife and me ending up on one. So, I trotted along to the DVLA website and I applied for a new one. It took me about 20 minutes.

That was not the epiphany. Indeed, etymological pedants of a religious bent may feel that it was nothing like an epiphany. Something as mundane as a miracle, perhaps. I filled out boxes, I ticked squares, everything worked.

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