This is really not quite getting the point of Brexit at all. The idea being that since we’re leaving the European Union, gaining new and blue passports, we should therefore have an identity card system with biometric data and all that.
Yes, err, what?
Which is where the new passports come in. While arguing over what the new post-Brexit documents will look like and who will produce them, let us also seize the opportunity to bring in ID cards, complete with biometric data.
The threat of terrorism, the scourge of welfare fraud, above all the burden of illegal immigration all cry out for what is an overdue move. The most populous countries of Europe — Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and France — have some form of ID card. If migrants thinking of coming to Britain illegally knew that without an ID card they could never get a job, or on to a housing list, or find school places for their children, they would think twice.
Jeebus.
The point of our leaving is that we get to not do what the Europeans do, isn’t it?
And one of the things we don’t do and they do do is that appalling event of “papers please.” It’s just not British.
But there’s much more to it than this. It’s an entire and complete change in the relationship between us and the state. Something that astonishes foreigners is that the British police cannot – OK, breached in certain ways but those very breaches still showing that the basic relationship is – stop you in the street and demand to know what you’re doing. “Going about my lawful business” is still a pure and complete response to such impertinence. They, whoever we call they they, the state, the police, them, do not have a right to know what we’re doing. We do have a right to go about as we wish without explaining ourselves. That’s the right, the relationship, which would change with the requirement to have ID. Because it is that very change itself.
The British settlement is that we the people call the state and it’s minions into being in order to help and aid us when we so desire. Other than that they can bugger off. The rather more continental one is that the people are the cattle to be managed by the state. And let’s not change that just because we’re leaving the European Union, eh?
As I said the last time ID cards were seriously suggested it’s such an appalling idea that I’d move back to Britain just so I could be jailed for refusing to have or present one.
No ID cards, sure, but let’s enforce our border controls.
Floated this before elsewhere but bears repeating. The issue of compulsory ID cards will be a one off bonanza for securing yourself a false identity. So some off us would say “Roll on!” Very simple. There’ll be a lot of people who don’t have documentation; birth certificates, passports, driving licenses, medical cards, now. The shifters & the drifters. The rootless & the homeless. They’ll need to be inducted into the system. And an ID card will not only be an obligation. It’ll be a right. Go exercise your rights. Want one in a hurry? Get down to Oxfam & tog… Read more »
f migrants thinking of coming to Britain illegally knew that without an ID card they could never get a job, or on to a housing list, or find school places for their children, they would think twice.
Yeah, sure they would. What rock do you have to have been living under to believe that? I expect he doesn’t, and he’s simply lying.
Get down to Oxfam & tog yourself out with some tatty threads. Forget about bathing & shaving for a few days. Mouthwash with cheap whisky.
You mean a large part of the population will be eligible for a fast-track scheme?
I thought that we had already ‘solved’ the problem of illegal immigrants and requiring ID and proof of eligibility to work (else the company gets fined lots).
Nice idea BIS but I expect the introduction will be accompanied by a mass operation of gathering DNA and the number of false positives will diminish pretty drastically.
@TN
S’pose, if you wanted to do the job properly, pissing in your second hand M&S Y-fronts would be a good touch. After a few hours maturing, should ensure you’re passed through the system with the maximum haste.
On the famous principle – If you’ve nothing to hide you’ve nothing to fear.
@BiI
Have you any idea what’s involved in creating a DNA profile & what it costs?
If migrants thinking of coming to Britain illegally knew that without an ID card they could never get a job, or on to a housing list, or find school places for their children, they would think twice. This is heartbreakingly naive. I’ll give you an example: my local plod refuses to move on gypsies when they illegally camp on private land, threaten locals, and throw their garbage everywhere. The law gives them the power to eject travellers, but they choose not to use it for the same reason they choose to turn a blind eye to Muslim rape gangs. Why?… Read more »
The One-Eyed Scotsman ( in a very rare moment of wisdom) turned his arse on Bliar’s ID card scheme because he knew that several million including yours truly would not submit. The cost and hassle of trying to coerce such folk would have exceeded any amount of trouble he was prepared to handle. The Fish Faced Cow is every bit as arrogant as Bliar but I doubt she would want to start down that election-fucking path. If the rest of BluLabour would let her. Even their supine cowardice has limits if their gravy-train looked to be in danger. And why… Read more »
Bloke in Spain writes: “Want one in a hurry? Get down to Oxfam & tog yourself out … Rinse & repeat in another part of the country as many times as you like, while the special offer lasts.” And then he writes: “Forget about the biometrics. Trying to match 65 million new biometric profiles against each of 65 million new biometric profiles is going to throw up enough false positives to clog the system solid. They’ll either have to ignore them or abandon the project & you can count on the former.” I wrote this back in 2005 around the… Read more »
“The threat of terrorism, the scourge of welfare fraud, above all the burden of illegal immigration” – No one in government wants to do anything about welfare fraud, because even fraudulent clients are a bigger caseload and better career options for the social “worker.” No one wants to do anything serious about border-jumping, and that is why they created the oxymoron “illegal immigration.” But all are fine excuses for more tagging and tracking of the human herd. While “the threat of terrorism” – the threat of misbehavior? – is nothing but a case where a large body count makes government… Read more »
The government is not capable of organising the required IT. This should be No on that basis, regardless of anything else.
Many big divisions of big corporates (like mine) have to keep going to cover IT expenses not yet written-down.
There are worse things in life, but applying the same principle to an entire country would be ludicrous.
If I were issued one, I’d send it to 10 Downing St for safe keeping….
Here in South Africa, everyone over the age of 16 has an ID card and it works pretty well.
Yeah–they must be hard at work on the Genocide Roll even as we type.
Assuming the ANC has anyone who can type without using a machete.