A Grim Day for the UK

[Kangy]

http://www.defy-id.org.uk/

The first national identity cards for more than half-a- century will be issued within three years after the protracted parliamentary wrangling over the controversial scheme ended.

After rejecting the plans five times, the House of Lords finally dropped its resistance to the fundamental principle of ID cards.The scheme, first produced three years ago by the Government, received Royal Assent on March 30th 2006.

Identity cards will be made compulsory if Labour wins the next election, Home Secretary Charles Clarke has said. Under the current scheme all passport applicants from 2008 will have to get an ID card - although there will be a brief opt-out period until 2010.

But Clarke said he plans legislation after the next election to make it compulsory for everyone to get a card, whether or not they have a passport.

Well, we're ****ed then. Thankfully I'm gone next year, and my passport expires in 2010, so I can hopefully get an Irish one. I advise everyone to resist though, if it comes to it they'll take my fingerprints and iris scan in a police station while I'm in handcuffs, not from some holier-than-thou civil servant. I hope that Labour loses the next election to anyone really, Lib Dem or Conservative. We're letting the UK slip into fascism here, and I think it's about time people made a stand about it. I know if I'm still here, I will be.

 

[ComradeBadger]

This is bloody ridiculous.

 

[DeusExMachina]

Now, start a war with a country you gave weapons to in the past. Pray to Zeus for a natural disaster. Form the "Loyalist Act." Become the 2nd most hated country in the world!

 

[Ennui]

wow.

remember remember the fifth of november, eh?

 

[Some_God]

V for Vendetta being played out before our eyes! Cool!

 

[JellyWorld]

Ehh what's this ID card thing about anyway.

 

[el Chi]

As a great man once said: "Oh, f*cksocks."
Charles Clarke is such a twat. I see no real advantage of these ID cards, I feel very uncomfortable with the program on an ethical stand-point and if I ever see Clarke in a pub, I'll twat him across the back of his head with a f*cking chair. Or give him a severe talking to. Depends how I feel on the day and how many bodyguards he has.

I'm gonna go and live in France or the Netherlands or something; this is ri-god-damn-diculous.

 

[Crushenator 500]

Hmmmm, looks like i may have to use my USA passport/visa earlier than I thought...

 

[Zeus]

Pray to Zeus for a natural disaster.

Ill think about it...

j/k

 

[StardogChampion]

It's in our hands... just don't vote labour.

 

[Shippi]

.

 

[Llama]

I cant see why this is such a problem. Its not needed and its a hassle, but it cant be that bad can it?

 

[kirovman]

It's in our hands

Heh, that's what scares me.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Yaaaaaaaaay!

Wait, I mean shiiiiiiiiiiit.

Will it be effective in Scotland too? Because if not, I'm going to ****ing St Andrews.

 

[Llama]

thats the Birmingham City football club grounds....:| wtf

 

[Sulkdodds]

Or, alternatively, a university/town in Scotland. :|

 

[Llama]

oh, good

 

[gick]

This is terrible. I'm really unhappy about this.

Start rant:
It is in condradiction with the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 8 (the right to respect for private life).

It will not prevent identity theft (some say it may make it easier as there is now only one document to copy).

It will cost 584 million paand a year to run (and thats a conservative estimate).

According to Charles Clarke himself, they 'wont stop terrorism'.

Normally I wouldnt be worried about it being a drift toward totalitarianism, but this is the same government that wants to be able to lock people up indefinitley without trial, wants to do away with free speech, uses anti-terrorism legislation to break up anti war protests, has extended the power of arrest to anyone committing any offence of any nature, as well as to those suspected of being about to commit such an offence, under section 110 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 and lengthened the duration of search warrants from 1 month to 3, widening them to cover multiple searches at multiple premises, and extending them to cover many more offences due to the abolition of the concept of a 'serious arrestable offence', under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

Ladies and gents, we're ****ed!

/rant

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_national_identity_card

It's in our hands... just don't vote labour.

As much as I'd like to see the Lib Dems get in, if Labour dont win, the Tories will. And then we can say hello to ID cards, the death penalty, prison sentences for possession of small amounts of cannabis, and that smug ***t David Davis back in the cabinet. You can wave goodbye to the NHS too.

OK, maybe that was a bit of an overreaction, but I really really f*****g hate the Tories.

 

[Llama]

WHY IS THIS SUCH A BAD THING?
How is this a massive invasion of privacy? Do they all contain trackers and hidden cameras? It just seems like other piece of plastic getting in the way, thats all.

 

[K e r b e r o s]

^ Owned.

 

[gick]

WHY IS THIS SUCH A BAD THING?
How is this a massive invasion of privacy? Do they all contain trackers and hidden cameras? It just seems like other piece of plastic getting in the way, thats all.

Taken on its own its not so bad, but if you take into account all the other things this government is doing it gets worrying. It'll be very very easy for this to become something far more sinister, whats going to stop them keeping religous/sexual/politcal preferences on the cards?

 

[K e r b e r o s]

Taken on its own its not so bad, but if you take into account all the other things this government is doing it gets worrying.

Well, if these Plastic Cards are'nt the bother everyone makes them out to be, why not complain about the actual problems instead of this?

 

[gick]

Well, if these Plastic Cards are'nt the bother everyone makes them out to be, why not complain about the actual problems instead of this?

K, you aren't really making much sense (or maybe I'm just tired).

Answer me this: why should we have ID cards?

 

[K e r b e r o s]

K, you aren't really making much sense (or maybe I'm just tired).

Gick, about the cards, why complain about them? They're just pieces of plastic with a little bit of personal information about the person they're assigned. They're no different then a drivers license.

Answer me this: why should we have ID cards?

Well I'm assuming to prevent identity theft. Whats wrong with that?

 

[Jangle]

Well I'm assuming to prevent identity theft. Whats wrong with that?

It will not prevent identity theft (some say it may make it easier as there is now only one document to copy).

Hmm.


Well, if you've done nothing and don't plan to do anything wrong you shouldn't need to worry about identity cards, but I agree that it is another little step towards our government crossing the line into massive invasion of privacy.

 

[gick]

Gick, about the cards, why complain about them? They're just pieces of plastic with a little bit of personal information about the person they're assigned. They're no different then a drivers license.

OK, lets forget about the totalitarian aspect (as thats more opinion based):
There is no point in having them, so why spend potentially billions of pounds of the taxpayer's money (and everybody has to cough up 300 pounds to be given their compulsory card) on pointless bits of plastic?

Well I'm assuming to prevent identity theft. Whats wrong with that?

Its not certain that they would, in fact many people have argued that the concentration of data would make ID theft easier and more devastating for the victim (there are good links and sources for this, but im knackered and cant be arsed right now, so I'll do it in the morning). Besides, assuming they do prevent ID theft, why should I be forced to pay up to 300 pounds to protect myself? Shouldn't that be my own perogative?

 

[K e r b e r o s]

Well, if you've done nothing and don't plan to do anything wrong you shouldn't need to worry about identity cards, but I agree that it is another little step towards our government crossing the line into massive invasion of privacy.

I concede Jangle. May I ask, whats the Labour Party equivelate for in Britain? Conservatives?

There is no point in having them, so why spend potentially billions of pounds of the taxpayer's money (and everybody has to cough up 300 pounds to be given their compulsory card) on pointless bits of plastic?

I've already acknowledged that an invasion of privacy is unacceptable in prior threads, but, I don't entirely see this as an invasion of privacy so much as another method to counter identity theft. Of course, I need to ask you: Is identity theft that much of a problem over in the U.K.?

I was always under the impression that with enough percautions and smarts someone could prevent identity theft.

Its not certain that they would, in fact many people have argued that the concentration of data would make ID theft easier and more devastating for the victim

With all of that information bundled, I could see where it would be easier to gain a load of personal information much quicker.

Besides, assuming they do prevent ID theft, why should I be forced to pay up to 300 pounds to protect myself? Shouldn't that be my own perogative?

This is true. And for that, I can't argue a solution. Looks like I'll just have to watch from the sidelines for now until I understand British Policy and Politics.

 

[short recoil]

Who's with me if i lead a resistance against the totalitarian government?

If they try any shit, it will happen, seriously.

 

[DeusExMachina]

I'll join. I always wanted to be British.

 

[Gray Fox]

You're overreacting, we have had those cards here for 2 years now, nothing has changed much.

 

[Rupertvdb]

This is an absolute piss -take, I never thought that they would get this thing anywhere. It's not quite the facist event that some people have made it out to be, but it still sucks. This government has produced some bafflingly restrictive, 'nanny-state' policies. I hate it, I just want my government to leave me the hell alone.

 

[Teta_Bonita]

quick! somebody blow up parliment!

 

[the cheese]

Welcome to airstrip one. big brother is watching you!

 

[short recoil]

You're overreacting, we have had those cards here for 2 years now, nothing has changed much.

Overreacting??????

LOL!

oh, i'll just curl up in the corner and let my body be raped.


They are not going to be able to implement this, it will fail half way through and waste milllions.
I hate my government.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Haha, federal compulsory ID's would never pass here, infringes too much on states' rights.

 

[Kangy]

I'll join you Short Recoil! We all know you'll punch right through any Land Rovers they send at you, so I think I'm safe.

 

[madog]

This is one time I am actually glad to be an American.

 

[Mutley]

So let me get this straight... they want our retinal, finger prints and all personal information like blood type, address?

I will just refuse, with force if necessary, they shouldn't be able to force people to do it. I can't see people playing along. No privacy or human rights.

 

[clarky003]

Referendum bitches, I say everyone opposed should call for it considering how much their estimating they will cost us (somewhere in the regions of 120 quid ontop of the passport) and some recent statements from Brown basically saying that they wont stop terrorisim, in conclusion... whats the ****ing point, why not just let the better equiped corporations burden the problem with biometric and retinal scanners if they can be bothered to enhance security. Seems like an overwhelming majority would support referendum imo.

 

[Laivasse]

Stinks to high heaven as has already been said. The problem with the identity fraud argument is that it's just another scaremongering method the government used to push the legislation through. If identity theft really was the basis of the implementation of these cards, why did they only settle on the whole identity theft argument after everyone laughed too hard at them for saying it was a tool to counter terrorism, and then illegal immigration?

Then you have these odd stories popping up sporadically and then being forgotten about almost instantly, that the cards could contain dodgy chips which could potentially be used for tracking.

And 'you've got nothing to worry about if you've done nothing wrong'? Looool oh dearie me, tell that to the Birmingham 6, or Jean Charles de Menezes, or the guy who got shot for carring a table leg in a carrier bag, or the old guy arrested under anti-terrorism legislation at the Labour party conference.

Like others have said, on it's own it's just a dodgy, unnecessary and incredibly expensive policy with little to back it up. In light of everything else this govt has put through, it looks plain sinister. And still people come up with this 'ah you've got nothing to worry about if you'vo done noth-' PISS OFF, move to North Korea if that's the way you want to live. I'm amazed at some people's capacity for just being content to bend over and let the government thumb their anus, because let's face it they're the government! They can do no wrong.