The Scottish government has formally restated its opposition to compulsory National Identity Cards and a huge, intrusive National Identity Register (NIR). Scotland remains “completely opposed” to the scheme.

Scotland’s Community Safety Minister, Fergus Ewing, has written to the Home Office in London in response to a Westminster consultation document. In the letter Ewing said:

Given the current financial climate, the UK Government should have better uses for the vast sums of money being spent on this scheme, which presents an unacceptable threat to citizens’ privacy and civil liberties, with little tangible evidence to suggest it will do anything to safeguard against crime and terrorism.

Ewing also raised doubts about the legality of the NIR under EU Human Rights legislation.

The cards are being imposed from London as a “reserved matter” so the Scottish government can’t prevent the scheme going ahead. However active non-cooperation by Scotland will make the project more difficult to implement and - hopefully - slow it down until there’s a change of government in Westminster.

Such high profile public opposition to an unpopular scheme being imposed from England is also likely to increase support for the SNP’s goal of Scottish independence.

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