The new Home secretary is talking about introducing identity cards and maybe making it compulsory to carry them, outside of war, the IK has never had identity cards, we've never had to prove who we are to access services, or to provide proof of who we are when asked to by police.
I remember when Tony Blair's government wanted to bring them in back in the 1999's-early 2000's, I opposed them then and I oppose them now, especially if they're compulsory. Part of the thinking is that we all carry different sorts of digital ID anyway so one more won't make any difference. Not all of us carry digital ID, I don't, my Mum dosen't, nor do some of my friends. We don't have smart phones, don't know how to use them, can't afford them, don't want them, so will we be made to have them, or will alternatives be provided?
Another issue with ID cards, is what will be on them and who will have access to that information? It would be great if you had an accident and were rushed to A&E unconcious and they could access your phone and get your medical records, but what if you were arrested or wrongly detained, or stopped and searched, or were the victim of a crime, would the police be able to access you rmedical records and decide, say that because you have a medical condition that your case warrents no further investigation?
One of the arguments is that only people here legally will be able to access services, like hosptials and education, that it will help to stop illegal migration. How long will be before criminals start making ID cards, just lke they do NI, driving licenses and passports? WIll we end up with a situation where an ID card is just another hoop to jump through when wanting to go about ones normal and legitimate business, will we end up needing 3 forms of photo ID?
The civil liberties aspects of ID cards really worries me, what happens if our ID card get stolen or hacked, how will we prove who we are? What safeguards could there be? I know there will be many who will come out with the old chestnut that if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear, yeah right, so miscarriages of justice never happen? Or that they manage in other countries, I don't care, this is our country, a free country, thats fast becoming a tin pot dictatorship and will only get worse if this infringement goes ahead.
