I’m sure by now you have all had your fill of blog posts celebrating the liberation of the UK from Tony Blair’s leadership. It is indeed a happy day for all of us. I’m sure before we get too optimistic that Brown won’t prove too different. After all he has been by Blair’s side all this time. At least we can hope for some less spin and some more honest politics. Well Brown is announcing his cabinet as we speak and Jacqui Smith is set to become the new Home Secretary. Immediately my thoughts turned to ID cards, where does she stand? Will she want to scrap them? My curiosity soon turned to disappointment when looking at her poorly designed website with pictures that fail to load (is this a clever anti-spin PR stunt). I’m such an honest Politician I don’t even have a functioning website. For your reading ‘pleasure’ here are some of her pearls of wisdom on ID cards:
“The government wants to introduce an ID card that carries fingerprint or iris recognition information for UK citizens. The card will help give more convenient access to services, prevent unauthorised access to services, prevent ID fraud and theft, help fight illegal immigration and working and be a tool in combating organised crime and terrorism.With a limited cost and a sensible tie in with new biometric passports I think the scheme is worthwhile. I will be supporting the introduction of ID cards just as hundreds of constituents told me they wanted me to. “
As you can see she is coming out with some of the worst arguments for ID cards. In particular I like the one where ID cards are sold as being ‘convenient’ for us. Yes it’s very convenient having to travel miles to undergo an interview by bureaucrats and submit to intrusive biometric gathering techniques. It will be especially convenient when I lose my Id card and have to go through the whole process again. Oh and It will be wonderfully convenient remembering to inform the State every time I move home or change my personal details. In fact I think the most convenient part will be when the Bailiffs come knocking on my door as I’ve accrued a number of fixed penalty fines for standing up as a Brit for my civil liberties and tell you bunch of Stasis wannabe’s to fuck off.Anyway she wants our views smithjj@parliament.uk so that is pretty much what I told her.
5 Comments so far
Leave a comment
Disillusioned Discordian 
Let’s be clear: These people work for us and not the other way round! The British people have neither the desire nor the need to carry an ID card. We are individuals; we do not belong to the state. These people have truly become too big for their boots. So much so that they even have the bare-faced audacity to demand that we pay for the very card that will brand us slaves of the state. I say to hell with their ID cards. If we all refuse under any circumstances to cooperate, their scheme will collapse ignominiously in the same way as we managed to kill off the poll tax.
Comment by Roger Tidy June 29, 2007 @ 12:23 pmYes I agree Rodger, my only fear is that many people will be tricked into having and ID card and handing over the personal biometric information as they will be introduced slowly through the passport system. It will need us all to stand together against these people and the techniques such as fixed penalty fines and bailiffs they will try and use against us.
Lets Hope Jacqui and Brown will change their views when they realize how unpopular this scheme will make them.
Comment by moon23 June 29, 2007 @ 1:02 pmLet’s be clear: These people work for us and not the other way round!
Wow! that’s pretty old school. I wish it were true but increasingly we seem to live in an elected tyranny. I hope Brown will be different but I reckon in the long term he will be just as bad as Blair. The corrupting power of the One True Ring is infinite.
Comment by Geeklawyer July 3, 2007 @ 11:54 amI want more information on the use of the Bailiffs and Civil Law on the refusal to have an ID Card. Bailiffs are usually debt collectors for private firms. Direct Government Legislation -Wrong waste in the wrong bin-fine, fine not paid, spell in HM Prison. I am aware the government do not want any martyrs on this issue, that is exactly wHY they have come up with the Bailiffs situation but it is Legal? Is it the legislation being used for the right reason? Surely it is civil law? Please enlighten me?
Comment by Anne Palmer August 16, 2007 @ 10:23 amIt’s slightly dodgy legal ground the government are on as far as I can gather. The Bill of Rights is meant to protect people from bring fined for criminal offenses unless they have been charged in a court of law. However like parking tickets there are times at which the government attempts to levy fines against individual without them appearing in court. Failing to update personal details on your ID card etc will result in the Secretary of State imposing Civil Penalties against individuals. See Sec 31 of the Idenity Cards Act 2006 (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/ukpga_20060015_en.pdf).
The penalties will be enforced by court sheriffs not necessarily private debt collecting firms. Although with outsourcing who knows? Perhaps the government will privatize enforcement of the act?
The Bailiff solution avoids people having their day in court as with what happened with the Poll Tax. However local support networks could easily provide a means of defense against Bailiffs.
If you want more information have a look at some of the debates on the NO2ID forum. http://forum.no2id.net/viewtopic.php?t=15146&highlight=fines
I’m not legal expert so this is just MY understanding!
Comment by moon23 August 16, 2007 @ 11:35 am