UK Compulsory National Identity Cards

Dangers of ID Cards

Compulsion

Even during the "voluntary" period it will be difficult to avoid having one. You will need to apply for the card in order to renew a driving licence or passport. So even during the "voluntary" phase the cards will be compulsory for around 80% of the UK population. The Home Affairs Committee said:

"To describe the first phase of the Government's proposals as 'voluntary' stretches the English language to breaking point."

Compulsion to Carry

The police will not initially be allowed to stop you and demand to see your ID. However you will be required to show it at a police station within a short period of time. That means if you are travelling and away from home for more than a few days you will effectively have to carry your identity card with you. In addition I expect police powers of stop and demand to increase with every increase in world tension.

Then there's the functionality creep problem. The Government wants access to basic services to be dependent on production of an ID Card. They want it used when opening a bank account. They want it used when applying for a job. The list goes on.

Once possession of an ID Card is compulsory all sorts of people will demand to see them using the argument that "everyone has one". Pubs, airlines, anywhere you want to use a credit card...

This will be compulsion by the back door.

Whatever the legal position, within a year or two of compulsory National Identity Cards being introduced it will become impossible to effectively operate in society without carrying one.

Some people argue that only criminals fear ID Cards. In a way they are right: compulsion will criminalise innocent citizens like myself who refuse to co-operate in our own oppresssion.